Been Gone for a Minute Now I'm Back With a New Post

Hey Music Fiends,

Sorry I've been MIA for a few months. Life gotta a little hectic. I was in Cali for a week and workin' nonstop. Summertime is almost here and for me, as a waitress who works at a restaurant on the water, IT'S GO TIME. My girl, Fab, was talking to me last night about Blogging and I was like I really gotta get back on my game. There is so much that has happened in the music world that WE HAVE TO DISCUSS.  However, I promised all of you a recap on the 2010 Albums of the Year, by my account. This is not based on Grammy Standards but mine. I'm discussing a few choice albums that have serious meaning to me in regards to what classifies an album as GREAT. I'm gonna try and do this in alphabetical order, however, my least and top faves will be discussed in detail last. LET'S DO THIS...

 ALBUMS I LOVED:


1) All I Want is You by Miguel
Miguel came to fame with his single, which bares the same title as his album. All I Want is You features J. Cole on the track and to me is the best song of 2010. I can literally listen to that song all day every day. It expresses the purest regret that one can have, especially coming from a man. "All this regret gets exhausting", haven't you ever felt like that? The one that got away syndrome, bad. The rest of the songs on the album showcase his amazing vocals and ability to be sexy and tough while singing R&B.
**Not as Gangsta as the LATE GREAT, NATE DOGG! RIP. What an amazing artist; so sad we lost him so early.
I love the song Sure Thing. It is about his love and how they perfectly compliment each other. "If I'm the lyric baby, you can be the note." AHHH! Almost as good as Taye Diggs' quote from Brown Sugar, "You are the perfect verse over a tight beat." Ooooo DOIN IT! What a way to describe another person. But it takes a real man to admit that there is a woman who can be his equal and his match not just HIS. Quickie is what you think it is about. So sexy and REAL. Teach Me and Vixen are to other sultry songs that should definitely be experienced.
ALBUM GRADE: B+

2) Contra by Vampire Weekend
I cannot lie to you all. I haven't been a Vamp Weekender for too long. I have plenty of friends who have always loved them I just never got into them. I always loved the song A-Punk, but that alone didn't make me curious. HOWEVER, for Christmas I got a Wii and got JUST DANCE 2 and my fave song to dance to was A-Punk and the more I did it I got intrigued by them. A few weeks later Contra came out so I decided to buy it without evening sampling it. A "Head First" type of musical purchase. SO WORTH IT! This album is amazing. From the beginning to end. Their most popular song has been Holiday. That song is for everyone. Although intense, despite the upbeat melody, it basically describes how everyone looks forward to getting away and always wondering if that would make it better, and you know it will. "And if I wait for a Holiday, could it stop my fear? To go away on a summer's day never seemed so clear." Cousins is another popular song for sure. "Me and my Cousins, You and your cousins, I can feel it coming." Just a cool song. Got a nice cameo in the movie The Kids are All Right. (Just saw that movie, really good). My favorite song on the album is definitely The Diplomat's Son. The beat is so old school reggae, and for a kid from a Jamaican dad, I LOVE IT. I grew up on rhythms like that. The song is all about "it's now or never." Having an urge, no matter what about, it just reminds me that there is only NOW! Horchata, White Sky, and Giving up the Gun are also really great.
ALBUM GRADE: B+

3) ALL DAY by Girl Talk
Okay, I LOVE Gregory Gillis AKA Girl Talk. He is NOT a DJ nor a Mashup Artist, he is in his own category. His ability to take songs and blend them to a point where you hear the original but say the words from the GT version, is incredible. No other "DJ" can do that. For example, on this album he uses Phoenix's 1901 and Ludacris' How Low on the song Triple Double. And the way he just mixes the two it is impossible for me to sing 1901 without singing, "Folded, Folded, Folded, Folded, How Low Can you Go, How Low can you Go." Incredible. It is hard to discuss the album in details because there are an array of artists starting with Ozzy Osbourne, to Diddy, to Busta Ryhmes, to 50 Cent, to Grateful Dead to John Lennon. Feed The Animals was definitely my favorite GT album until this one.
ALBUM GRADE: A

2 NOT SO HOT (SHOCKERS)

1) I'm Not a Human Being by Lil Wayne
Okay, I know, I know! I am a hugggeee Wayne Fan. I'm sure it is documented somewhere on this internet but I said I was going to Weezy's first show in NY when he gets out AND I DID! He was incredible. He looked great and sounded great. Travis Barker (who I missed ehhh), Ricky Rose, and Nicki were all on tour with him as well. I'll go into greater detail with the concert in the next few posts.
This album he released was not bad, do not get me wrong, BUT nothing jumped out of me as being mind blowing like some of his other work. In my post entitled, "Bringin' Music Back, Yea" I said that this album was the quiet before the storm and I truly believe that. I believed he released it to let us all know that he didn't go anywhere and that he's working, writing, thinking, and getting ready for his release and next project Carter IV. At the concert he actually said the release date was May 6th but it has now been pushed back to June 21st. Ahh, I'm so ready for a summer of Weezy, again. His concert, not this mixtape, was a clear indication that he's coming back. I obviously, bought Human Being and do not regret it but I'm so ready for the real thing. See ya in June Weezy.
ALBUM GRADE: B-/C

2) Loud by Rihanna
Okay, this purchase I absolutely regret. I could never say I hate the album because I do not hate anything with a beat or melody BUT I can definitely disapprove and dislike. Me and my girls, Day and Mou, actually discussed how we like that song Man Down because it is old school RiRi; Caribbean melodies and flow. Other than that song I like Only Girl and What's my Name. She kills those songs. I cannot wait to blast that all summer long, no joke. Other than that, ehh! Okay, Love the Way you Lie (Part II) is good too but c'mon Eminem made that song and without him it's just an okay ballad. What really rubbed me the wrong way was S&M. You, speaking to RiRi hear, talked all that ish about Chris Brown beating on you but yet in this song you say you like it. I always knew deep down that something was fishy with that story. That song makes me not trust her. I like artists that are crazy but she's a shady/sneaky crazy and that I do not approve of. Her album as a whole is just not the best by any means. Not that I was ever a huge fan of her but this made me more than okay with that.
ALBUM GRADE: C-/D

HERE ARE MY TOP 6 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR...

6) Pink Friday by Nicki Minaj
I fell for Nicki with her mixtape tracks. She's nasty (in the best way ever). I love her. Her rhymes are creative, and although simple at times, they make the point. "It's goin' down, Basement." Sorry, love it. And one of my bffls, RS.Dot likes to use that, and you know what, her point is proved after that statement. Nicki is fun while being serious. Her video and concert fashion may not be what I would choose, but for artists like her and Gaga it fn works! By now most of the songs off the album have been heard. When I heard Your Love, it was July way before the album dropped and I had just met a boy in Vegas. So that was being pumped in the whip for a while. Moment 4 Life and Roman's Revenge also saw the light of day during fall pre-album. Roman's Revenge definitely had to grow on me but now I f*n love that song. What made the album for me were the songs that she sang on. Everyone knows she's a ill rapper but her vocals are also a prized possession. Blazin' and Right Thru Me are great portrayals of her voice skills BUT Save Me is what did it for me. To me that is the best song on the album. It is so beautiful and just pure Nicki. I feel like it is her true and vulnerable.  "It's not your fault. I'm a Bitch. I'm a Monster. Yes I'm a Beast. And I feast when I conquer, but I'm alone on my throne...I'm givin' up Baby. This Time won't you save me..." See what I mean. Her magnitude of raw is not measured by songs like Did it on 'Em, which is my second fave song, but songs like Save Me that take you inside Onika Miraj.
ALBUM GRADE: A-

5) Come Around Sundown by Kings of Leon
I had the pleasure of seeing Kings of Leon at Madison Square Garden in November. They played 22 songs, which is very uncommon, well at least to the concerts I've been to. They played every song off of Only By the Night and Come Around Sundown and mixed it in with a few oldies like On Call and The Runner. That was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. I thought it would be impossible but Caleb Followill's voice is even better live. Ahh, those Followills are all very talented. I absolutely enjoyed every song on this album. I thought it would be hard to follow up Only By the Night but they did. I'm not going to lie to you it took me some time to have an open mind and listen to the whole thing. You know, the "Sophomore"album dread. Even though, it was their 5th album, it was the second after their top seller. Every single song on this album, just like their 4th, was AMAZING. It is even hard for me to pick a favorite song because I love them all in their own way. Mary reminds me of an old school 1950's love ballad; a Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis blend almost. "No I won't, No I won't make you cryyyyyyyy." That cry is similar, not as raspy, to Janis Joplin's "Cry" in Cry Baby. Back Down South has a great bluegrass feel to it. Very southern and very Tennessee like these boys. It's a great song to pay homage to their roots. Pyro is a song about disappointment and taking it into your own hands. "I won't ever be your cornerstone, I don't want to be here holding on." WOW! It's like I don't want you hanging on to me for hope because I have none myself. Incredible. BUT if I had to choose the best song off the album, to me it is The Immortals, which funny enough is the theme song to the NBA playoff commercial on TBS. The first line alone reels you in; "The open road, the path of greatness is at your fingers." What a powerful statement, especially to open with it. The chorus makes you fall in love, "I say, spill out on streets of stars, ride away. Find out what you are face to face." Basically, GO LIVE and LOVE, it's all out there for you and every one else. Grab life by the balls! We can be the immortals. Immortals live forever no matter if there physical body is here or not. If you don't go out there you can never be immortalized by anyone.
ALBUM GRADE: A

4) Colours by Graffiti 6
If you do not know Graffiti 6 please get to. Actually, Tommy D was the man who produced Right Said Fred's I'm too Sexy. And no matter what you say, that song is a classic. However, their music is not at all like that song. Jamie Scott, their lead singer, is not only absolutely beautiful but also incredibly talented. His voice is higher pitched but has that gritty raspy feel. This is another album that every song is great. I immediately bought their album when I heard Stare into the Sun on MTV one night. I AM SO HAPPY I DID! Stare into the Sun is a song that I can belt out in the car and dance to at the club. It is a sad song because it is definitely about a breakup but it's a beautiful creation. Then you have a song like Goodbye Geoffrey Drake, which is extremely mellow, calming, but also about a sort of break up or let down. Annie You Save Me was their debut single for the album. A great lead into Stare into the Sun. It seems as if Annie is this angel that has come into his life to "save" him. "Just when I'm finding it hard to breathe you lift the weight inside of me." Now that is love. The song that made the album for me was This Man. Ahhhh! I wish I could explain what this song does for me. I hope that one day a man says all of those things to me. I hope whoever that girl is, the one that got away, is back with him. I do not know how she couldn't be. "Oh darling, Please Baby, love this man. Put your arms around me and we can love together. Stay, let's be in love. One More Time." Ahh please, whoever you are, give him one more chance. Everyone deserves another chance. And those words aren't like the usual, "Baby comeback" words. In this song you can hear his hunger and hurt all rolled into one.
ALBUM GRADE: A

3) My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West
Okay, I'm not going to beat on this album because let's face it, this is his best. Every song is exactly what the title describes. I'll just drop my two faves, Gorgeous and Blame Game. Gorgeous has Kid Cudi on the track, so I was already sold. The Swagga that pours out of that song is absurd. To me that song is about Kanye's fear about his career and where it's headed. "No more Chances. If you Blow This, You're Bogus. I will never let you live this down." I think he was definitely talking to himself and that's what he said to himself. He took his vulnerability and put it to a beat. Blame Game is something different. The style of the song is so unique. It is exactly what you think it is about. Finger Pointing and the rush that a couple can receive from it. You can sit there and say no but it's the f*n truth. It then leads to a realization that it will not work. It's the rush from fighting and making up that keeps some people together, sad but true. You get comfortable with that person and disrespecting them. Oh wait, I cannot forget Power. Besides the fact that I'm addicted to Facebook, it was really the song playing in the trailer and commercials that got me amped to go see it. And yes some songs do have that effect on me.
ALBUM GRADE: A

2) Brothers by The Black Keys
MK put me on to The Black Keys last summer but I couldn't for the life of me remember the song. Once I heard Tighten Up at the end of the year I was sold. I remember when I got my RS in the mail and saw what these two dudes looked like I was baffled. It has nothing to do with the fact that they were two white dudes with sultry voices. Voices do not discriminate. It was the fact that they looked like Joe and John Schmo from down the block. Meaning, regular ol' dudes. Dan Auerbach's voice could make me do anything and I must certify stamp that. Tighten Up is by far my favorite off of the album. Again, this song's first lines sold me. "I wanted love, I needed love, most of all, most of all. Someone said true love was dead and I'm bound to fall, bound to fall for you." And with his voice it is just like give him whatever he wants, just like Jamie Scott. I'm Not the One is a man's song about strength. "No I'm not the one. You wanted it all but I give you, give you none. I'm not the one." It's like, I tried to give you everything, and you keep playing with me but guess what I'm not the one to be f*ed with. Ten Cent Pistol, Next Girl, and Howlin' are all incredible and definitely top favorites of mine. And not to be repetitive, but every song on this album is awesome. I probably listen to the album everyday. It is that good. If you love true singers, then this is the band for you. Who knew, two dudes from Ohio could make music like that? Well they now have two Grammys to prove it; Best Alternative Music Album and Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group.
ALBUM GRADE: A+

1) Lungs by Florence and the Machine (Technically 2009, but it was released at the end of the year and needs to be recognized, so technically The Black Keys are number 1 and music kinda sucked in 2009 anyway lol)
Now I've always been a fan of Flo. I worked at Free People for 3 years and they were all over our playlists. Kiss with a Fist and Dog Days are Over have been faves of mine for a while now. I bought the album on a whim almost. Again, late night watching MTV, I saw the video for Dog Days are Over and thought to myself, they are awesome, they have a harp player, just do it. SO HAPPY I DID! To me this is definitely in the top 5 best albums of the decade. Every song is absolutely awe inspiring. I'm Not Calling You a Liar is a song about getting involved with someone and being cautious. "I'm not calling you a liar, just don't lie to me. I'm not calling you a thief, just don't steal from me. I'm not calling you a ghost but stop haunting me." You're not saying that this person is all those things but just putting the warning out there. The past can haunt you and push you away from people and make loving again harder. My Boy Builds Coffins is definitely a dark and twisted song but so good. It's about her man that builds coffins for everyone. Death is death and there are those who work with death. Blinding is also a dark song but absolutely beautiful. "No more dreaming like a ghost, I'm in love with the wrong one." Ah, powerful and moving. Her remake of You've Got the Love is better than the original in my opinion. What song did it for me is Cosmic Love. AHHHHH! The way that song moves me is insane. "The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out since you left me in the dark. No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight in the shadow of your heart." You cannot tell me that doesn't blow your mind. The melody of the song, the words, everything comes together to make the most beautiful love song. I dedicate that song to my Zack Morris. It was definitely how I felt for a long time. It is a happy darkness. It is one of those, if you let them go and they come back...blah blah. "I stayed in the darkness with you." It's like you have faith in this that is why you risk being in the darkness because you know eventually the lights will turn on when they return. Life is still going on but not as good as it could be. Flo...you did the damn thing!!
ALBUM GRADE: A+

Alright guys, I am so done. This took a lot longer than I thought. But later, some time today or tomorrow I will go through 2011 so far, my trip to LA/San Diego, I AM STILL Concert, Boxer Rebellion and We Are Augustines Concert, and all that jazz :-)
Missed chattin' with you guys!

A New Favorite: Bridge Burning by Foo Fighters
Mood for Summer: I Need a Dollar by Aloe Blacc