Pop Music Albums
Offers
Reviews
|
|
Future Sex/Love Sounds - Justin Timberlake
by AbsintheFairy Singer Justin Timberlake released his second album Futuresex/Lovesounds in 2006 (but the special edition, which I own, was released in 2007). It's certainly a better effort than his first, which apart from the singles was pretty samey and dull. The album was influenced by early Prince and Michael Jackson, and was co-produced by the ... legendary Timbaland, Will.I.Am and Rick Rubin. Opening track Futuresex/Lovesound is a dark funky track, sophisticated and sexy. A brilliant, confident album opener. Single Sexyback follows, an uptempo track with a relentless beat and catchy refrain ("get your sexy on"!). With a Timbaland beat and overtly sexual lyrics ("I'll let you whip me if you misbehave"), Justin lays to rest his old boyband days for good. Sexy Ladies/Let Me Talk To You is a catchy, fun R 'n' B track, even if the backing track sounds a little like a Sonic the Hedgehog theme from the 90s. The end of the track, with its repeated refrain, of "my love", runs into the song of the same name, lower in tempo than the previous tracks and almost the closest thing this album gets to a love song, but pretty good all the same. Lovestoned/I Think She Knows is another danceable R 'n' B track that sounds a little like Michael Jackson, though it tails off towards the end to a Spanish-sounding slower section. What Goes Around ...Comes Around is probably my favourite song on the album, a R 'n' B beat mixed with Spanish guitars and violins to produce an incredibly catchy song. Chop Me Up is another classic R 'n' B track featuring Three 6 Mafia and Timbaland, while Damn Girl has a funkier, more retro sound with a bit of jazz in the background. Summer Love/Set the Mood sounds like two songs: the first is a midtempo R 'n' B number while the latter slows things down a little at just over the halfway point. Until the End of Time slows things down and sounds a bit like Michael Jackson. Losing My Way is a bizarre song in which Justin sings the story of a guy called Bob who is down on his luck. Final song of the album proper, (Another Song) All Over Again, is an old-style ballad with just a piano and a backing beat. My special edition of the album also includes some bonus tracks. There is a duet of Until the End of Time, featuring Beyonce, which adds a nice twist. There is also a remix of Sexyback, which is different to the original but not as good in my opinion, and a version of Sexy Ladies featuring rapper 50 Cent. I thought that Justin's first album, Justified, was four good singles padded out with filler. Futuresex/Lovesounds is much better. The album as a whole has an energy and a vibe which was lacking for much of Justified, even if the first half of the album is better than the second. Overall, this is a great album with some really good songs and it comes with a definite recommendation from me. Track Listing 1. Futuresex/Lovesound 2. Sexyback 3. Sexy Ladies/Let Me Talk To You 4. My Love 5. Lovestoned/I Think She Knows 6. What Goes Around ...Comes Around 7. Chop Me Up 8. Damn Girl 9. Summer Love/Set the Mood 10. Until the End of Time 11. Losing My Way 12. (Another Song) All Over Again 13. Until the End of Time [Duet with Beyonce] 14. Sexyback [Remix] 15. Sexy Ladies [feat. 50 Cent] Read the complete review |
|
|
Glassheart - Leona Lewis
by xd-o-n-z-x Glassheart is the third album from British singer Leona Lewis. For those of you who don't know, Leona one the third series of X Factor. Her previous albums to date ('Spirit' and 'Echo') have done amazingly well and so after a three year break since her last album, Leona is back with Glassheart which was released in the United Kingdom in ... October 2012. The CD is currently available to buy from Amazon for a price of £7.49 which I think is excellent value for money, especially as the album is brand new. I will now give a brief review of each track on the album. ~ * Trouble * ~ This is definitely my favourite song on the album and so I think that it was a correct decision in making this the lead single from the album. It's completely different to anything else we have heard from Leona before, however I love this new change of direction. This is a great song; I love how it starts off in 'minor', it's quite haunting to listen to. The chorus then sees the song speeding up. A great song; very dramatic and different. ~ * Unlove Me * ~ I found that this song takes a little while to take off. I like the chorus. I mean it isn't the kind of song which makes you go 'wow' as it is a very simple, plain kind of song. It is a nice song, definitely not single material though. It sounds quite funny to say, because Leona is usually sings so easily, but to me it sounds as though she is struggling to sing this song a little bit (even though it isn't a huge ballad.) Whilst this is ok, I wouldn't say 'put that song on again' as it's just bland. The song seems to go on forever and her voice seems a bit whiny. ~ * Lovebird * ~ I actually got a bit excited when this song first started playing as it reminds me a lot of Bleeding Love. I knew as soon as I heard the first few notes that I was going to like it. I didn't expect the song to get going as much as it did; like the upbeat chorus. ~ * Come Alive * ~ Along with 'Trouble', this is another favourite song of mine from the album. I love the beat. This song is quite dark and moody. It's different and quite dancey. I love the build up to the chorus and the chorus itself; it's very powerful. This song is definitely single material. Now this song I would say 'put that on again!' ~ * Fireflies * ~ I hated this song as soon as I heard it. The constant repetition of the same notes on the piano (which goes on for around a minute) is just annoying (it reminds me of a child who has just learnt a new chord on the piano). The song takes far too long to get going, it does speed up eventually. I did think that it may have some potential but ends up going nowhere. A boring song which I tend to automatically skip without thinking. ~ * I To You * ~ This song is ok; I like the chorus. It's quite repetitive, whilst as the same time being quite catchy; it's tempting to sing along with this one. ~ * Shake You Up * ~ The first thing I hear is Leona saying 'can you turn the music up' which sounds soooooooooo cheesy. She says it in a 'quiet little voice' and then within a second is belting the song out. I just find it really cheesy and don't know why that was needed. It makes me want to skip the song. This song reminds me of a song from the 1980's. It's a bit of a 'grower' and I found that the song does get a little bit better as the song goes on. ~ * Stop The Clocks * ~ A sweet little song. I like the chorus. This song is good for easy listening. ~ * Favourite Scar * ~ I don't like this song. Again it goes no-where. It's very repetitive and has the same pace and tone all the way through. They add a bit of a beat for the chorus but it's still the same. It's a very boring song and I don't like the electronic voices in this song. ~ * When It Hurts * ~ I knew I was going to like this song as soon as I heard the first few notes; it made me think, why can't all of the songs on here be like this and of this quality?! This is Leona as her best. I like the backing vocals (there doesn't seem to be much backing singing on this album, come to think of it!) ~ * Glass heart * ~ I thought I was going to like this song, but I ended up not liking it. I think Leona is trying to be like Lady Gaga in this song...and it just ain't working. Another disappointing song. ~ * Fingerprint * ~ Another ok-ish song. It's not amazing, but I guess you could say it is an ok ballad. ~ * Trouble featuring Childish Gambino * ~ This is another version of the first track 'Trouble' except this version is a little different as it features a rap by 'Childish Gambino'. It isn't that much different to Leona's own version, just that the rap replaces a verse at the end. I like the rapping as I do think it adds a bit more drama to the song. However, I much prefer the song where Leona sings 'runaway, runaway' which isn't in this version. ~ * What Did I Think? * ~ As many of you will know from my previous reviews, I went to see Leona in concert when she was on tour in 2010. I have been a big fan of hers since the beginning and so after three years of waiting for this album...I just could not wait to hear what was in store. Leona fans will know that Leona has changed musical direction with this album. It is nothing like anything else we have heard from Leona. She is trying very hard to be 'out there' and more 'upbeat' like a lot of artists in the music charts today. Although to me it sounds as though she is still trying hard to find a 'place to land' on the musical scene. She seems to be 'dipping her toes' into various genres of music and yet nothing seems to be working for her. Being a huge fan of Leona, I love it when she does what she does best; ballads, and yet these seem to have become a 'no go area' which is shame as I do think that if she continues like this then she may risk getting dropped from her record label as she seems to be losing fans and getting less sales - and I don't want that to happen, because I'm such a fan and want her to do well. I know that sounds extreme, but her last album didn't live up to the success of her debut album (which did amazingly well worldwide) and I'm afraid this album won't either. None of the songs on here match up to 'Bleeding Love', 'Better In Time', 'Footprints In The Sand' or 'Forgive Me' (Leona's first few singles) and none of these songs 'hit you in the face' like those songs did either. I think that the main issue here with this album are the songs. The quality of them is very, very bad. Apart from 'Trouble and 'Come Alive' there are no songs on here which make me thing 'Wow I love that! Put it on again!'. Nearly every single song is bland, takes ages to get going, and when it does finally get going (just a little bit) doesn't go anywhere in the end. There are hardly any songs on here which would make great single material. This album seems to consist of a lot of fillers. There are no songs on here which are 'amazing' - all just very bland, boring and never ending. Obviously, Leona is known for her huge and powerful voice!! That's what she's all about; this lovely big voice! So why do none of these songs show off her amazing voice? It seems that the music is much louder than Leona's singing, and seems as though she is having to 'shout' to be heard over the music. Her voice is not clear at all and seems to be 'auto-tuned' with the use of lots of different effects. One of the 'special effects' which seems to be used on every song, is making Leona sound as though her voice is a few voices put together. So when she sings, it's as though it is a group of people 'all with the same voice as Leona' singing rather than just Leona. Hello??? This is Leona, she does not need auto-tune or special effects to make her sound electronic, because believe it or not, unlike a lot of 'singers' (Cheryl Cole I'm looking at you!), Leona can actually sing - amazingly well too ! I would have been happier if the focus of this album was on Leona's voice rather than the songs themselves. I also can't understand what she is singing about half the time as it just isn't clear. Also, Leona seems to sing the same 'style of singing' throughout. It's just basic singing which doesn't show off her voice; there's no big ballads here either. She sounds as though she is struggling in places and just sounds really whiny throughout so much that as horrible as it sounds, I have enough of listening to her whining after a while. Being a singer myself, Leona is a huge inspiration to me and I sing a lot of her songs at my shows and lots of people tell me how they love 'this song of Leona's' and 'that song of Leona's'. I was really looking forward to hearing what new material she had, although I won't be singing any of these songs as they aren't catchy or what I would call 'nice songs'. All of the songs on here sound the same; I actually find it quite difficult knowing which song is which as they all sound the same. In fact I think you could roll the whole album into one long song as that's what this album seems to be. They all have the same long 'going nowhere' beginnings, with a little beat and are the same pace, tone, and same style of singing throughout. Leona puts her all into the songs (emotional-wise), however to me the songs come across as being really meaningless as the melodies are just boring and so there's poor Leona pouring her heart out, but it's just plain boring to listen to as the songs aren't interesting enough to keep the listener interested. Compared to Leona's other albums, this is very, very bad!! I used to be such a huge fan of Leona and so I obviously want her to do really well as she is one of my favourite artists and I find her to be hugely inspiring, but this album just isn't doing it for me. I am so disappointed as I had such great expectations with this album. It lacks something and I just cannot put my finger on what it is. Whilst this album is edgier, darker and upbeat, it's just not doing it for me and so I would not recommend this album which is a shame as I was looking forward to 'loving it' as much as I love her other two albums. I feel really bad being so negative as I love Leona, but this album is such a disappointment - sorry Leona!! Thanks for reading! October 2012 Xdonzx / xd-o-n-z-x Read the complete review |
|
|
Speak Now - Taylor Swift
by helenc72 Taylor Swift is a 22 year old American music artist who is already on her fourth album (Red) which came out this week. I love her new one but I will review it once I've had a chance to listen to it even more. Speak Now which I am reviewing now is her third album and came out in 2010. --- A bit about Taylor Swift ... --- I really like Taylor Swift because she is clearly very naturally talented and she always comes across as a lovely person in interviews etc. She sees music as a way to tell stories and her music is very honest and personal, with her lyrics usually having a basis in her own life and relationships. She is known as a country singer but don't let that put you off if you don't think you like country. She is very poppy and at times a bit rocky. Basically she just does infectious and easily listenable songs with strong stories running through them. --- Speak Now --- One of the main things to bear in mind with this album is that it is all completely Taylor's own work, with no co writers or any collaboration. This is impressive for someone her age and also makes it very personal to her and it has some very emotional songs. --- Track List --- Mine Sparks Fly Back To December Speak Now Dear John Mean The Story of Us Never Grow Up Enchanted Better Than Revenge Innocent Haunted Last Kiss Long Live --- My Opinion On The Songs --- Mine is a great way to kick off the album. It is a catchy song about love, running into difficulties with a relationship but sticking with it as both realise how good what they have found is. It has a young and naive charm to it with lyrics like "Do you remember sitting there by the water, you put your arms around me for the first time". The vocals are strong and confident. Taylor's lyrics generally remain quite "clean" throughout this album and I would definitely say there is no problem with young kids listening to her music as it is not overly sexualised. Sparks Fly is another one about love, about being attracted to someone even if it's a bad idea just because the spark is there. I like the vivid images in the lyrics of it and you can really hear the feeling in lines like "drop everything now, meet me in the pouring rain". It has a country vibe to it but is also pretty poppy with an extremely catchy hook. Back To December brings a change of pace to the album as it is a ballad which is slower and more thoughtful. Taylor sings of regret of breaking up with a boyfriend (almost certainly Taylor Lautner but she generally does not confirm or deny who songs are about). Though it is a ballad it is not dirgey and is very powerful and builds up to a heartfelt chorus which contains an "apology" to her ex: "this is me swallowing my pride standing her in front of you saying I'm sorry for that night". The vocals are full of emotion and it's easy to identify with thinking you know what you want, then doubting your decision. Lines like "it turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you" are simple but effective. Speak Now is another song I love. This is a definite story song with a clear narrative about a girl at a wedding, "I'm not the kind of girl who should be barging in on a white veil occasion but you are not the kind of boy who should be marrying the wrong girl". She is thinking of what she would say to object and then works up her courage to get up when they say "speak now". It is quite a fun song with some humorous lyrics like "gown shaped like a pastry" and is not completely serious. It is a feel good, catchy, infectious poppy song. I often get it stuck in my head. Dear John is a slower, sadder song and this one is definitely about John Mayer who Taylor was dating a few years ago. She comes across a bit bitter in this song as she sings about how he messed her around and played mind games with her. She sings about how she was warned off by her friends but she couldn't see how wrong it was until she was out of it and asks "don't you think I was too young to be messed with?" (she was 19 when she was with him). The song is a bit more repetitive and I do like it but it is not a favourite on the album for me really. Mean is a great anthemic song which is perfect for anyone who is bullied or dealing with people trying to bring them down. It is used in an episode of Glee for this purpose! It has a county twang to it, more so than most of her songs, and is very catchy and positive "some day I'll be living in a big old city but all you're ever gonna be is mean". The Story of Us is the story of a relationship as it progresses from the first spark to fizzling out. It is another up tempo catchy poppy number, which has lyrics continuing the "story" theme throughout with words such as "next chapter", "which page you're on" and "the story of us looks like a tragedy now". It is another solid track. Never Grow Up is a slower, quieter song showing unsure feelings about growing up. It goes through the ages and portrays the feeling of life being simple when you're young and life is simple, going to some more conflicted feelings in teens and young adulthood. Some of the lyrics are quite sad, like "I just realised everything I have is some day gonna be gone" and "I wish I'd never grown up" but the atmosphere in general is more soft and tender than full on depressing. Enchanted is another one about love or romantic feelings where Taylor sings about the magic of the moment when you meet someone and immediately click with them and have some chemistry. It has quite a fairy tale vibe to it for me, with lyrics like "this night is sparkling, don't you let it go, I'm wonder struck, blushing all the way home". It is not too saccharine sweet as there is also uncertainty shown, with Taylor singing "please don't be in love with somebody else" showing some vulnerability as she doesn't know if anything will happen or if he is even available. I'm sure a lot of people can identify with this this song. Better Than Revenge brings the pace back up and has quite a kick to it. I think the lyrics of this are great, with some quite inspired rhyming such as "she's not a saint and shes not what you think, she's an actress, shes better known for what she does on the mattress." The vocals include some slightly spoken or sneery bits like "she looks at me like I'm a trend and she's so over it". It is a contrast to some other songs where Taylor always come across as really sweet and harmless, so I like that about it too. Innocent is a powerfully emotional song with the message that we shouldn't be defined by our mistakes and it's never to late to "be brand new". I like the sentiment of this and the vocals are clear and strong with feeling. Haunted is an amazing song which has a huge string section and is full of intensity and drama. This is the most theatrical sounding one to me and I love it. It is about a relationship fading out but trying to pretend that it's not, "something keeps me holding on to nothing". It's another beautiful and honest song. Last Kiss is a simple song about missing an ex. I think the simplicity of it definitely works well and is a contrast to Haunted, as Haunted is more about uncertainty and confusion whereas Last Kiss is just the acceptance that it is over and she will always somehow miss the person sometimes. The song goes through some memories and has a bittersweet atmosphere. Long Live is a gorgeous song where Taylor reflects on her career and the feelings she has had performing, winning awards, with her team etc and acknowledges how amazing it all is and that she wants to remember it all. I think it's a good one to round off the album and I really enjoy this song as it has a great tune. --- Overall --- I love this whole album. Every song is really good and I don't skip any of them. I can often listen to this album back to back a few times in its entirety. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes strong female vocalists, honest lyrics, catchy songs with a hint of country to them. Just a brilliant album and I will still carry on listening to it even though the new album Red will be getting more play from me at the moment. Read the complete review |
Pop Music Album |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Genre: Pop / Music Album / Artist: Various Artists, BK (mixed by), Ed Real (mixed by) / Explicit Lyrics / Audio CD released 2001-02-19 at Virgin - Disc #1 Tracklisting 1 911 - The 4 Commitments (extended Basomatic mix) 2 Cortina - Music Is Moving (Kumara mix) 3 Zini & Kantini - Kick Ass 4 Ma... |
|
|
2 reviews Genre: Pop - Dance Pop / Music Album / Artist: Wookie / Audio CD released 2000-10-30 at Soul 2 Soul - Disc #1 Tracklisting 1 Get Enuff 2 Scrappy 3 Battle 4 Down On Me 5 Joy My Pride 6 Backup Backup Backup 7 VCF 8 What's Going On 9 Success 10 Flex 11 Time |
|
|
Genre: Pop / Music Album / Artist: Adam Freeland / Audio CD released 2004-07-05 at Marine Parade - Disc #1 Tracklisting 1 We Want Your Soul 2 Mind Killer 3 Burn The Clock 4 Big Wednesday 5 Heel ‘n’ Toe 6 Physical World 7 Supernatural Thing 8 Reality 3-D 9 L.I.F.E 10 Nowism |
|
|
1 review Genre: Pop - Dance Pop / Music Album / Artist: Layo & Bushwacka! / Audio CD released 2003-07-07 at End - Disc #1 Tracklisting 1 Midi Tune Up 2 Chapter One 3 Spooked 4 Dead Man Walking - Original 5 Dead Man Walking - Bushwacka! Remix 6 Bad Old Good Old Days 7 Animal 8 Deep South |
|
|
8 reviews Genre: Pop - Dance Pop / Music Album / Artist: Sugababes / Audio CD released 2000-11-27 at London - Disc #1 Tracklisting 1 Overload 2 One Foot In 3 Same Old Story 4 Just Let It Go 5 Look At Me 6 Soul Sound 7 One Touch 8 Lush Life 9 Real Thing 10 New Year 11 Promises 1... |
|
|
1 review Genre: Pop - Dance Pop / Music Album / MP3 Download released 2011-04-11 at UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) |
|
|
1 review Artist: Jessica Harp / Music Album / Released: 16 Mar 2010 / Release Date: 16 Mar 2010 / Label: Warner Bros./Nashville |
|
|
1 review Artist: Erutan / Music Album / Label: Independent |
|
|
1 review Artist: Various / Music Album / Released: 7 Nov 2002 / Label: Epic |
|
|
1 review Artist: Caramell / Music Album / Label: Remixed Records |
|
| Pop Music Album Recommendations 1 ... 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 ... back next | ||
| dooyoo Results 71 - 80 of 1492 | ||










