Fall Music Preview: Four More DIVAS

Annie Lennox: Songs of Mass Destruction ****
With this follow-up to 2003’s Bare, Songs of Mass Destruction, Lennox’s new album does not disappoint. The lyrical chanteuse returns with a vivacious album that is both innovative and empowering. Lennox follows in the vein of her Eurhythmics sound on tracks such as ‘Ghost in my Machine’ and ‘Big Sky’ (my personal favorite). But, it is on the standout feminist driven tracks ‘Womankind’ and ‘Sing’ where Lennox’s voice really shines. ‘Sing’ is a wonderful track dedicated to increasing awareness about global sisterhood. ‘Sing’ boast an array of female vocalist, it is a sort of “who’s who” in pop music, everyone from Madonna to Joss Stone, and Celine Dion, literally sing on this track. This is one of the most uplifting and powerful tracks to hit the music scene. Will it be a single? I hope, but probably not. There are stronger more radio friendly tracks on Destruction. Download these: ‘Love is Blind,’ ‘Smithereens,’ and ‘Big Sky.’

Carrie Underwood: Carnival Ride ****
On her sophomore effort Carrie SOARS. Carnival Ride is an infectious album. If you are not a country music fan, don’t worry this album packs a punch; it has something for everyone. A little pop, a little country, and dare I say, even a little rhythm and blues. The lead song, ‘Flat on the Floor’ is an up tempo song with fierce, that’s right fierce lyrics. Carrie displays that “in-your-face” attitude she had on the hugely successful ‘Before he Cheats’ record. ‘Flat on the Floor’ is a great song to kick off the album. It’s seems to take her out of her element; you know the sort soft safe ballads one might expect from the American Idol alumni. Other notable tracks include, ‘All-American Girl,’ ‘Just a Dream,’ ‘Crazy Dreams,’ and of course the final track, which is a metaphor for the album title ‘Wheel of the World.’ I predict even greater success for Carrie on this album than her debut ‘Some Hearts.’ Underwood’s voice shows more maturity and growth. Unlike Kelly Clarkson’s latest effort, ‘My December,’ Underwood does not take as many risks musically, but the one’s she does take seem to pay off. Download these: ‘Last Name,’ ‘I know you Won’t,’ and ‘Crazy Dreams,’


Jennifer Lopez: Brave **1/2
On her first two albums, Lopez crafted pure “pop” bliss. The songs were a mesh of Latin salsa, pop, and r&b. The albums On the 6 circa 1998 & JLO circa 2001 reflected a fun, energetic, lively sound. She created music that was exciting. Remember the dance sequences in ‘If you had my Love’ and ‘Love don’t Cost a Thing’ this was pop at its best. Unfortunately, Lopez has not been able to recapture that same feel on her last two albums and on her latest effort, ‘Brave’ she seems to fall short once again. Where is the “MOJO” JLO? ‘Brave’ is another sub-par album, although I do like the sort of eighties vibe, all some songs seem to really lack that fire or spark to ignite enough interest. The lead single, ‘Do it Well’ boast a great beat, but vocally Lopez sounds rushed and a little uncomfortable. “Rushed” is a great way to describe this album. Not a single track is “brave” as the title would suggest. Lopez work has become very generic and boring. Although her first two albums were not perfection, many of the songs had great hooks and break beats. Maybe she needs to recruit Diddy again, he was obviously doing something for her sound that subsequent producers since, have not been able to capture. Mediocre songs won’t cut it in this day an age of here today gone tomorrow, especially if you don’t have the vocals. Download these: ‘Do it Well,’ ‘Stay Together,’ and ‘The way it is.’


Chaka Khan: Funk This ***
If you remember “funk” music, then this is the album for you. If you are a Chaka Khan fan, then this is the album for you. If you love divas, “real” divas, then this is the album for you. On ‘Funk This,’ Chaka brings back the old-school funk sound of the 70s on tracks such as ‘Back in the Day,’ and ‘ ‘Foolish Fool.’ Once I discovered Chaka’s work with the funk band Rufus, I was instantly hooked on her voice. It is so rich and powerful. I don’t believe any other female artist can take songs to such massive heights as Chaka. She is on in a million. ‘Funk This’ is a return to creating the Rufus and Chaka Khan sound. Download these: ‘Disrespectful,’ ‘Sign ‘O’ the Times,’ ‘Back in the Day,’ and ‘Hail to the Wrong.’

Walk the Line: Barack Obama’s Slippery Slope

Obama’s statement in response to appeals that he abstains from his commitment to participate a political function with Grammy award winning Reverend Donnie McClurkin:

"I have clearly stated my belief that gays and lesbians are our brothers and sisters and should be provided the respect, dignity, and rights of all other citizens. I have consistently spoken directly to African-American religious leaders about the need to overcome the homophobia that persists in some parts of our community so that we can confront issues like HIV/AIDS and broaden the reach of equal rights in this country. I strongly believe that African Americans and the LGBT community must stand together in the fight for equal rights. And so I strongly disagree with Reverend McClurkin's views and will continue to fight for these rights as President of the United States to ensure that America is a country that spreads tolerance instead of division."

What Obama lacks in judgment, he seems to make up in eloquence. His statement is very powerful. As a gay man, I would love to support a candidate whom will fight for the rights and privileges all Americans are bestowed. I do believe Obama has good intentions for the LGBT community. In his book, The Audacity to Hope, he makes some compelling arguments for gay marriage rights and defining the institution in general. When I read about his association with Reverend McClurkin, I was dismayed. I am familiar with McClurkin’s autobiography—he believes in the sort of “ex-gay” transitions that so many gay and lesbian people fall victim. These people, their organization prays, literally on people’s insecurities—making them believe a relationship with “GOD” is only possible and accessible if they change “who” and “what” they are in this world. That being said, I am all for an open dialogue with people whom disagree. As a politician, Obama has to be able to dialogue with people that will often hold fanatical beliefs. In order to be a man of the people, he has to be willing to meet and greet with those who hold all kinds of views. But, and this is a big BUT, he must defend his views and support what he claims to support. So, if you are for inclusion and protecting every citizen’s rights in this country, then you cannot sweep under the rug your position on issues that are brought to the table. Reverend McClurkin’s public persona and reputation as an “Ex-Gay” automatically bring the issue to the table.

Benjamin DeMott’s The Trouble with Friendship: Why Most Americans can’t think straight about race

The Trouble with Friendship has for me, since I put the book down almost twenty-four hours ago, been one of the most compelling and insightful books I have read in years. This is a noteworthy statement; many, many, many of the books I have read in the past five years have been “academic” in nature. Most dealing with cultural topics such as race, sexuality, and gender, the three topics I am most interested. Let me back track for a minute, and consider the idea of “thinking clearly” what does it mean? I teach freshman composition and one of the claims of my department is that we teach our students how to “think clearly” in order to write clearly. This concept is anything new or earth shattering, but the most students don’t. So, getting back to DeMott’s work, what does “thinking clearly” have to do with his book. Well, for the most part he presupposes that in America, there is a distinct problem with “friendship” [black, white, and brown] which is why “we” as a collective nation cannot think straight or “clearly” about it.
“Why can’t we all get along” are the words that run through my mind. Of course, if we buy into everything popular culture tells us about ourselves, we in fact do get along. This idea of “getting along” or that we are all the “same” is at the heart of DeMott’s work. The friendship orthodoxy as he terms it, tells us that we are all the same, we have the same values and beliefs. We are essentially a people with the spirit of “can do.” But for African-Americans, simply given our history in this country, DeMott paints a very different picture than the one “pop culture” tries to sell.
What he has created is a methphorical testament about racial troubles in American society. He has given a voice to concerns that I feel, have gone astray in the past twenty years. I really believe if we look at films and television as a sort of cultural text, then we can really “see” DeMott’s ideas come to life. For example, I discussed in my graduate thesis the ways in which African-Americans, specifically women are depicted on television and film. I asserted the idea that authenticity rest in the realm of multiplicity. Many of the depictions of Black women I observed relied on convention and stereotype to rely or to create a sense of authentic “Blackness” for the viewer. In terms of DeMott’s work, this is classic pop culture; informing much of what the general public believes about social groups. Friendship orthodoxy becomes a narrative text in movies and on television because the mediums are seemingly telling a story about American experiences. The stories in films like White Men Can’t Jump or Six degrees of Separation often paint a misleading picture of racial integration.
A film, that I believe would appeal to DeMott’s taste is Crash. The film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2005, although it was not favored to win in this category. The film is a metaphor for many of the complex and complicated racial tensions still present in American culture. A lot of the backlash surrounding this film was in-part because it did not really fit into the friendship orthodoxy theme. Unlike, many movies dealing with racial tensions, Crash painted a very unapologetic picture of life in Los Angeles, California. It did not make us feel good. In fact, it was a wake-up call---shouting, “things are not okay, we don’t all get along, in fact, we may not really like each other.” A film like Crash is important because it is brutally honest. Unfortunately, honesty is often hard to find in popular culture.
Friendship is intelligent, prophetic, and realistic about the racial and social problems that continue to plague our country. We can choose to keep our heads buried in the sand, or we can choose to educate ourselves. I choose to educate.

Visit this address for an interview with DeMott
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/race_relations/race_matters_1-15.html

JENA 6: NO VERACITY INTENDED

Racial disputes,violence, teenagers, a town divided all seem to be the parts for a great cinematic feature; yet, all these characteristics are not subplots for a movie. Instead they are real-life sequences from the now, very popular Jena 6 case in Jena, Louisiana. I must admit, I heard about this case in snippets. First, about two-weeks ago, on The Bill Maher Show, Harvard Professor Cornel West and Rapper, Actor, and Activist Mos Def both commented on the incident in Jena. Of course, their rantings were, now I see, but at the time I didn't, really biased. But, "race" I will agree with some of their sentiments race was, and still is an issue in this case. They reported that six African-American teenagers were being charged with attempted murder. While the white children involved were virtually receiving no punishment at all. This was the basic gist. Now, this past week I have heard even more about the case and like many I immediately formed an opinion, without really knowing all the facts. Our news media seem to thrive on sensationalizing every "news" story--forgetting to tell the story accurately. But, not to digress, something seemed off. I felt like I was not getting all the facts; there was something missing from the accounts I had heard on radio and television. I decided to do some investigating of my own, and found an article that seed to shed some light in many dark spots of this story. Visit this address for a full account of the Jena 6 story. http://news.aol.com/story/_a/black-and-white-becomes-gray-in-la-town/n20070922140809990002 After I read this reporter's account, I have come to "see" the events in Jena somewhat differently. Although I do believe the boys [Jena 6] are being treated unfairly, and in part it could really be racially motivated, I cannot in good faith, rally behind leaders such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson who will use and exploit this event for their own professional gain. Let's consider keeping this incident in the context of the community in which it happened. For example, according to the report, eye witnesses describe kids of both races playing with the nooses, pretending to hang themselves. Also, African-Americans jurors picked randomly for jury selection did not show up. The white boys responsible for the nooses were suspended for a longer time than what's being reported. All the African-American children involved were not "good" students, one was on probation. Basically, there is a lot of misinformation in circulation--leading people to make hasty judgements about what should be done. This most surely is a time for both Black and White to come together across the lines and forge new relationships--it is a time to educate getting past and getting over our differences.

BRITNEY BOMBS! MTV VMA PERFORMANCE

Wow! Where do I begin? Was it the slightly over done shades of blue mix blond extensions? Was it the horrible lip synching and not singing at all? Was it the blank stare into the camera, "am I really here"or "I'm quite nervous; I've never done this before" stares? Or was it the scantily clad stripper outfits? Hm.... I can't really pinpoint one thing. But, I'll tell you what it wasn't, a great ground shaking comeback performance. Britney, Britney, Britney, this is yet another embarrassing showing, in a string of "what the fuck" moments in your post babies career. Expectations were high; your fellow musician and fans were pulling for you Brit. But you Bombed, and not just bad, but really, really, really like stink, stank, stunk BAD. Ugh....I feel "A letter to Britney" coming on.

Feeling PINK!

"Who Knew" is the very appropriate title of pop singer Pink's latest single to climb the charts. You remember Pink; the late nineties ultimate bad-ass pop diva circa "There You Go," "Most Girls," and "You make me Sick," all were chart toppers in there own right. Now, in 2007 Pink is finally getting the much deserved attention her 2006 album "I'm Not Dead" didn't really receive. In fact, the single "Who knew" was released last summer as the follow-up to "Stupid Girls." Now, the single is quickly climbing the Billboard Hot 100 single's chart. In part, Pink can probably contribute her re-entry into pop martyrdom because of Justin Timberlakes world tour this past year. She was his opening act. In addition, the club favorite "U and Ur hand" helped bring some much needed attention to her fourth studio album. I, for one am very excited for Pink, "I'm Not Dead" is a great album. The vocals are arguably the best I have ever heard her deliver. They are so rich and authentic on tracks such as "Who Knew, Nobody Knows, and The one that Got away." Of course, the standout track is the politically poignant "Dear Mr. President." This track could be a model for pop artist making political statements through their music. If you haven't heard "I'm not Dead" go out and get it right now.

MTV's 22 Greatest Voices in Music

I was doing a quick wikapedia search the other day and came across the following list. It is MTV's list of the twenty-two greatest singers in contemporary pop music.

They are ranked from 1-22; one, of course being the best voice. Mariah Carey is ranked number 1 and Bruce Springsteen is ranked number 22.

Greatest Voices in Music is a countdown of the greatest singers in contemporary music, by MTV and Blender Magazine.

Mariah Carey
Freddie Mercury
Whitney Houston
Bono (U2)
Christina Aguilera
Alanis Morissette
Kurt Cobain
Björk
Celine Dion
Tupac Shakur
Michael Jackson
Chris Cornell
Eminem
David Bowie
Alicia Keys
Steven Tyler
Jewel
Thom Yorke
Mary J. Blige
Michael Stipe
Sade Adu (Lead singer of Sade (band))
Bruce Springsteen

What do you think? Definitely some great singers on the list, but also some questionable ones, too. Well, let the debate begin.

This is all so rhetorical. The greatest voices in pop music, but based on what standard? Are we talking about vocal, actual singing ability; or are we talking about people whom use their voices to make profound statements in pop music. If we take the first definition, what the hell is Eminem or Tupac doing on the list. I like rap music, and I especially like Tupac, but you can't rank him among the greatest voices if you list a singer's vocal ability as deciding factor. Neither Tupack nor Eminem are singers. They rap. Rap has its' on set of criteria. Have they both used their music to awaken the public to some of the harsh realities of urban life? Yes! They both are great "voices" in pop music in terms of their lyrical content.

Nonetheless, the list is very diverse and eclectic, which I like. Although some of the artist on it are questionable. I don't know if I believe Mariah Carey to be a better vocalist than Whitney Houston or Chrisitna Aguilera, but that is just my opinion. Also, Micheal Jackson is the only Black male, aside from Tupac on the list. Don't get me wrong, I like Mike's music, but I could name about oh five other male vocalist who would put his voice to shame. Luther Vandross, Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, James Ingram, Billy Ocean, and James Brown, just to name a few. Or what about my blue-eyed soul brothers like Micheal McDonald, Justin Timberlake, and Steely Dan. What about Patti Labelle, Aretha Franklin, Annie Lennox, Bette Midler, Anita Baker, Diana Ross, Cindy Lauper, Etta James and Tina Turner. Actually, the more I think about, the more I realize this list is kind of like a bad joke. Hmm...Let's all laugh and really think about the 22 greatest voices in contemporary pop music.