musicreviewsbyomar-blog

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Review: Lady GaGa- Bad Romance

Where do I begin describing Lady Gaga? Ina short amount of time she has managed to become and international icon. Personally, Lady Gaga has never been my cup of tea but because I am willing to give most artists a chance, I haven’t COMPLETELY given up hope on Ms. Gaga. (How can I, when her and her songs are lurking around almost every corner).

As the first single off of the upcoming The Fame Monster, Lady Gaga manages to give her devout listeners what they wanted while also giving new/skeptical listeners a taste of a talented Gaga. Tracing back to her predecessors, Gaga manages to channel a song like Madonna’s “Vogue” and couples it with her new age club scene. Although she is still hiding behind a blockade of trendy beats and sporadic lyrics, you hear the workings of a well made pop song.  Lyrically,  it is a huge step in the right direction compared to her psycho-babble lyrics from her past singles. Vocally,  I heard a side of Lady Gaga that I thought I would never hear.

Overall, I must say “Bravo, Gaga!”

Rating: [7/10]

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Review: Train- Hey, Soul Sister

For anyone who follows the charts, Train has not had a top 20 hit since 2003 with “Calling All Angels.” For those who follow music, we all thought that Train was pretty much done. That was before I stumbled upon this ukulele driven, soft rock piece.

“Hey, Soul Sister”, the lead single off of Train’s upcoming fifth album, shows that these California natives are ready to have another go at mainstream radio.  With a plethora of 80’s references (Soul Sister,  Love Connection, and  “Like A Virgin”) lead singer Patrick Monahan sings about how he has found his perfect soulmate. With subtle drumbeats and a progressive ukulele tune going on in the background the song defines that one moment where you know your partner is a soulmate.

This is song is not your common chart topper. I believe that the feel good message that the song gives combined with the quirky lyrics, comparable to a Jason Mraz song, will send this song up the charts and onto our MP3 players.

Rating: (6.5/10)

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Review: Leona Lewis- Happy

With the summer winding down, I am looking forward to a plethora of ballads. Many artists have started already. With Mariah, Whitney and Mary J. Blige now and Joss Stone, and Alicia Keys finishing the year off. But there is one ballad that I have been anxiously awaiting for. After the success of her soulful ballad, Bleeding Love, Leona Lewis is ready to captivate our hearts again with her new single “Happy”.

With Leona Lewis’s voice and Ryan Tedder producing talent, the two have managed to muster up platinum gold. “Happy”, is a traditional Leona ballad, where every note leaves it’s mark in your head. From the beginning organ chords, Leona’s strong voice captures the listener. The real magic happens at the chorus. With the a moving beat, Leona manages to use that to start building up tension that disappears at around 3:05 and comes back in an explosion at 3:19, with a full chorus. Such a forces it gives your goosebumps goosebumps!

The only complaint I have about this song is that it is very Leona Lewis. I wish she could successfully master more upbeat songs, like her predecessors Whitney and Mariah, but that is an overall flaw, not a song error.

I am going to make a daring statement and say, this song WILL be the Ballad of the Year! I believe that everyone needs to give this song at least one listen. This song shows Leona’s true talent.

My Rating: [6.5/10]

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Omar’s Grammy Predictions

Everyone has their “Highlight of the Year”. Some people have Christmas, some have the Superbowl, and some have the Oscars. I put all my eggs in the Grammys. Every year, I get pumped for the Grammys. All the Latest and Greatest in music in one room, what more could I ask for! Now that I starting up this music blog, it only makes sense that I share with everyone my predictions for the 2010 Grammys.  I am hoping, being as this is my first time, that I will be about 60-70% accurate.

This year is a big year for the Grammys. Usually, musicians had until September 30th to release material to be eligible for the Grammys. This year that deadline was pushed up to August 31st. This was very upsetting for not only me but many musicians whose release dates were in September, Mariah Carey and Jay-Z being two big names. Alas, we have to go on with our lives and work with what we have!

So here are my predictions for the 2010 Grammys:

Album of the Year

No Line on the Horizon- U2 Together through Life- Bob Dylan Working a Dream- Bruce Springsteen I am…Sasha Fierce- Beyonce 808s & Heartbreaks- Kanye West

Possibilites- these albums could very well make the list. But if it were up to me, they would get awards for their singles versus the whole album!

Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King- Dave Matthews Band Relapse- Eminem The Fame- Lady Gaga 21st Century Breakdown- Green Day

Song of the Year

The Fear- Lily Allen If I Were A Boy- Beyonce Pretty Wings- Maxwell D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)- Jay Z Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)- Beyonce

Possibles: Use Somebody- Kings of Leon If Today Was Your Last Day- Nickelback Like You’ll Never See Me Again- Alicia Keys Funny The Way It Is- Dave Matthews Band Get on your Boots- U2

Record of the Year

Halo- Beyonce Poker Face- Lady Gaga Like You’ll Never See Me Again- Alicia Keys I Gotta Feeling- Black Eyed Peas My Life Would Suck Without You- Kelly Clarkson

Possibles: Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it) Use Somebody- Kings of Leon If Today Was Your Last Day- Nickelback

Best New Artist

Zac Brown Band Asher Roth Drake Keri Hilson MGMT

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Review: Mariah Carey- I Want To Know What Love Is

Probably one of the hardest things to do as a musician is to cover a song. What’s even harder is successfully covering a song that was already an international hit. Mariah Carey manages to successfully complete this task with her cover of “I Wanna Know What Love Is” by British-American rock band Foreigner. When, I found out that she was covering a hit from the 80’s (1984) to be exact, I was kind of worried we would have another “Touch My Body”. (For the record: I loved “Touch My Body”). The last couple of years I have been looking for a Ballad by Mariah Carey that reverted back to her roots (i.e- Vision of Love) but for some reason,  I have never been satisfied. I have been content but never fully satisfied.

Mimi gives a 3 min. and 36 sec. performance that has not been seen since the early 90’s. She keeps true to the original song. I also tip my hat off to Mimi, for not staying in her “Whistle Range” for the whole song (which has been a recurring theme throughout her last couple of ballads). But I cannot give a decent review of the song if I do not talk about the powerful ending.  By including a huge chorus, along with a gospel organ, Mimi manages to make the song hers. If I was a person who knew very little about music, I would be surprised to find out that this song is a cover.

I do not doubt for a second that I will be hearing this song everywhere I go.  So, I  recommend that you listen to this song and the original by Foreigner. You will not regret it.

My Rating:  ******/  **********     [6/10]