Miley Cyrus - Party In The U.S.A.

November 30, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Miley Cyrus is the daughter of Billy Rae Cyrus, her real name is Destiny Cyrus, but she was always smiling as a child and her parents nicknamed her smiley, so therefore she chose Miley Cyrus as her star name. This song charted at number 11 (one of three of Miley Cyrus' songs to get to that chart position, which is her highest charting position to date, the other two singles are "See You Again" and "The Climb"). Apparently, Miley Cyrus is ready to work on her next album, which is surprising since after her most recent album she released reports that she wanted to focus on her film career rather than music. But maybe she's come across inspiration to guide her back to music.

The song was written by Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly and Jessica Cornish (now known as Jessie J). These three are really well known, Dr. Luke has been mentioned on my blog more times than I can remember. Claude Kelly is a new person to my blog, but he has written songs for a number of X factor finalists and other well known British performers. Jessica Cornish (or should I say Jessie J) is a UK artist, who is getting high chart positions here in the UK and elsewhere. The song is about having a party and just having fun, dancing to the tune the DJ is playing and just enjoying it any way you can.

The music video is WOW. I love it and it reminds me of what I think America is like, I can just imagine it being this way, and it's understandable why this song was such a hit, because the song was aimed at teenagers. The video relates perfectly with the song and the editing was done really good.

I like her cowboy boots, and how the song references stilettos and how she must have missed the memo. It perceives her as a misfit, and that she is still enjoying the party the way she wants to. I like the USA flag behind her, it reminds me of "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera. I also like how the song mentions Britney and Jay-Z. And suggests Miley Cyrus likes to party. Which is understandable for an 19 year old girl.

I really like the reference to Grease. Miley wanted to pay tribute to one of her favourite films and also her parents courting days. The grease reverence is the bit where John Travolta sings "Sandy", he walks over to a jungle gym, where he sits on a swing while projections goes on behind him. This is similar to what happens in Miley's video, except she's standing on the swing. For her parents courting days, they included a Drive-In Theatre, which they called Corral Drive-In, as that is similar to the Kentucky Drive-In, Miley's parents had their first date.

Overall, this is a great music video, to go with a great song. The video is simple but inspirational at the same time, and it could have been on of the reasons for why the song charted so high. I'm going to drop a star because there isn't much going on, it could have been bigger and better, but it works perfectly and I don't think it ought to be changed.

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Freefaller - Do This! Do That!

November 29, 2011 Critic Jonni 1 Comments

Freefaller is a band that received big success here in the UK, but they weren't around for long and subsequently split. The band consisted of David "Ollie" Oliver (who was in the band Point Blank, and also acted in Byker Grove), Dean Roberts, Gary Mahon and Rich Joy. They were definitely one of the first bands that introduced me to this pop/rock music and the music video is pretty good. No rumours have surfaced that they will be reforming, and I doubt they ever would, but we can always hope can't we? Personally I think this sort of music is doing pretty well in the charts at the moment, and I think if they were to return, they'll do well.

The music video fits in with this song amazingly. The song is about someone telling them what to do, personally I think it's a parent telling them how they should live their life, however it could easily be an older brother, or even a friend. It's all about living your life the way you want to. And this is exactly what Freefaller does in this video.

This music video is all about FUN! It's all the video is based on taking part in  a house party. We start off in a park where Ollie is playing basketball (but he's way too interested in the camera, which sort of annoys me), and he's walking home. We are only given an instrumental at the start before the lyrics kick in. There's a stage they perform on and a food fight just starts, and they get covered in lots of food. I love the policeman, I like how it's the old style cop rather than what the cops look like nowadays, which suggests that maybe this video went to different countries and tried to perceive what others may think of the UK.

There is not a lot going on, I bet the clean up after the house party was a nightmare. And there really isn't a lot to comment on. Ollie's voice is amazing and is definitely suited to these sort of songs. So I do hope they return sometime.

Overall, I love the song, it's kind of teenager rebellion sort of thing which probably is the reason why the song charted at number 8 in the UK. The music video fits in nicely and reminds me of a lot of other rock band's music videos. Let's just hope they reform sometime.

1 comments:

Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend

November 28, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

I know you all have been waiting for me to review this music video, purely because of the amount of YouTube hits it has received. It currently has just over 169 million hits, and is currently the most watched video on YouTube.

I have been a fan of Avril since she first hit the music industry, but you already knew that from my previous Avril Lavigne posts. She recently returned to music but didn't do as well as she predicted. However she felt she needed to release "Goodbye Lullaby" because it was very emotional and personal for her. She is currently working on her fifth studio album which will see her return to her pop sound, apparently.

The song was written by Avril Lavigne and Dr. Luke, proving that such a collaboration definitely gives her the credibility she so deserves. The song made very high chart positions in a number of countries and she managed to get number one in more than 10 different countries. Unfortunately it missed out on the UK chart and only got to number two. At the time a charity single was at number one and never moved from the top spot. Preventing Avril from getting her first ever number one. At this current moment, she has still never reached that important top spot. The song is incredibly catchy and it's probably one of her signature songs, especially with that amount of YouTube hits.

The music video is really good, and it's really clever what they have done, and I reckon Avril enjoyed filming it. In this video she plays two different girls, one who has a boyfriend, but seems really needy, and the other girl is a rocker chick who will go out and get whatever she wants. In this she wants the other girl's boyfriend.

My favourite bit is the choreography that Avril pulls off, she does it so easily, and although they are purely simple dance scenes, there's something about them that makes them stand out. There are also a lot of fun bits in the music video, such as the miniature golf scene which was hilarious, and I love the scene near the end, I would be really interested in how they went about filming certain parts.

The boyfriend, for people who want to know, is played by Bryan McMullin. Also Evan Taubenfeld once again appears along with Avril's brother Max Lavigne. I'm interested if Avril will ever make another music video as good as this one, purely because of the amount of YouTube hits, will she manage that? Or will this music video always be the one to try and beat?

Overall, I love the song and it's music video fits in perfectly. I like the video, and I think everyone does, it fits in with the song and has the perfect storyline, that makes sense. You can't help but laugh at some of the scenes in the music video, and I wonder if Avril will ever make a video as good as this?
Buy on Amazon

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New Release: The X Factor Finalists 2011 Featuring JLS and One Direction - Wishing On A Star

November 28, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



This is the X Factor Finalists' charity released song, every single year the contestants create a single with all proceeds going to a certain charity, over the past few years it's always been the "Help for Heroes Charity", however this year they've changed the charity. Now all proceeds are going to "Together for Short Lives" charity.

Differently, this year the finalists have collaborated with One Direction and JLS, making this one of the most ultimate line-ups ever, and begs to question why Simon Cowell decided to make it a collaboration... Rumours suggest that he doesn't think this years finalists are good enough, however in my opinion I think he wanted to make sure the charity got the most amount of money possible, and in this case managing to get One Direction and JLS fans to also buy the single.

The X Factor Finalists include: Jonjo Kerr, James Michael, 2 Shoes, Nu Vibe, Sami Brookes, Sophie Habibis, The Risk, Johnny Robinson, Frankie Cocozza (doesn't appear in the video, or radio edits, but does appear in the single as he recorded his part before being ejected from the show), Kitty Brucknell, Craig Colton, Janet Devlin, Misha B, Amelia Lily, Marcus Collins and Little Mix. One Direction and JLS also feature on this single. But will it reach number one? With all those high charting positions and those incredibly talented artists right at the top at the moment, will they have a chance at getting to the top spot? We'll just have to wait and see.

The song is "Wishing on a Star", first released by Rose Royce, and it became quite a hit in the UK managing to get to number 3. It has been covered by a number of artists including: The Cover Girls, Jay-Z featuring Gwen Dickey (the most well-known version), Beyoncé and Seal. The X Factor Stars perform it amazingly, but I do feel sorry for the ones who were evicted early and who didn't have their own solo part, and I think it's a little unfair how some of the finalists who were evicted early got a solo part, whereas others who went further in the competition didn't.

The music video is definitely pretty good, it's nice to watch and I like how it's been edited, although sometimes I dislike it because of the editing. It's definitely one of those music videos you'll watch if there's nothing better on, and one of those videos you'll probably only ever watch once, I definitely wouldn't go out of my way to watch it again, and although it isn't rubbish, it's not amazing either. It's just your typical average multi-collaboration music video.

I like the idea of the video footage of "Together for Short Lives" in black and white, it makes it more emotional and you can feel what they want to get across. However black and white videos annoy me, purely because we have colour now and they can film in colour, so why not make it as emotional in colour. Personally I think they use this effect because they don't think they'll get the message across as clearly enough. So they try to make it sad and upsetting using the black and white editing tool.

The finalists in the music video are displayed really good, and you know that they mean every word they are singing, I like the fact that they went to visit some of the children, which makes it more personal to them. However the editing got on my nerves. During some points a new finalist would start singing, and the video wouldn't cut back to the finalist who was singing, and so at some points you haven't got a clue who actually sung a certain part.

Overall it's an average music video, and a really emotional song, but it's not much of a collaboration as each of the finalists do not have a solo part, which isn't their fault as they all deserve to be on the single. The music video is okay but I wouldn't watch it any more than I have to. I'm sorry to give this rating, but this definitely could have been a lot more.

0 comments:

Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl

November 27, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

So it's Sunday, and I was struggling to think of an artist to do my revisit on. But then I realised that I have reviewed Katy Perry's most recent single, so why don't I review her first ever single to even it out.

Katy Perry released this song in 2008 and was written by Katy Perry, Dr. Luke, Max Martin and Cathy Dennis. Once again Max Martin and Dr. Luke have popped up, and it's no wonder such songs are made because they are most definitely an unstoppable force. Cathy Dennis is a British songwriter and has written a lot of known songs released by pop stars such as Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears and The Spice Girls. Apparently the song is about having a really close friendship when you are young. This song is very controversial, but luckily the music video is pretty fine, it could have been a hell of a lot worse.

To be totally honest, I'm not entirely sure what to think about this music video, it is okay and links in with the song to an extent, but I've previously stated in past reviews that if the narrative is similar to the song then it's usually a really good thing, but in this case, if the storyline fitted in with the song, then it would have caused a lot more controversy and it really wouldn't be a good idea, so I'm pretty much torn.

There really isn't a lot to say about this music video, I don't understand what a cat has to do with anything, and even though it is quite cute it sort of looks out of place. For people who, as of yet, are unaware, this music video features a then-unknown Ke$ha, but it wasn't long until Ke$ha made a name for herself, could being in this music video help her career?

Katy Perry and the other women are dressed like they are burlesque dancers, and they are dancing to the song (if that's what you want to call it). I like the mirror where they draw "I 'heart' Katy", and I think it's Ke$ha who draws it with her "cherry chapstick", but I'm not totally sure. I think if they were aware of 'heart hands' they definitely would have used them, but I'm glad they haven't as it's kind of dying off at the moment, in my opinion. I also love the ending, which is really clever, and I think a lot of people like the ending too.

Overall I like the song because of the very catchy music, although the lyrics are a little over-the-top, but what do really expect from Katy Perry? The music video links in very well, without it being too narrative to prevent controversy. The reason I've dropped a star is that there really isn't a lot going on, I'm not suggesting she should have "kissed a girl and liked it", but I am saying that there could have been more scenes that took place. But for a first single music video, this is definitely one of the good ones!

0 comments:

Amy Studt - Nice Boys

November 26, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments


Amy Studt "Nice Boys" from Logan Hefflefinger on Vimeo.

I have been a fan of Amy Studt since she first came out, her first album "False Smiles" did really well and the singles released from the album did even better. I even remember her performing on Top Of The Pops all those years ago. Unfortunately she was dropped from her record label, which was definitely uncalled for since she got really high charting positions. After a very long wait, she finally returned with her second album "My Paper Made Men", however the album failed to chart and the spawned singles charted extremely low. The album was definitely a different sound, and it did take me a while to finally enjoy it, and realise that this showed off her amazing vocals. On the other hand, she had little promotion and I bet that was the reason why the album and singles have failed. "Nice Boys" was the third and last single to be taken from her second album. She has cited on social networking sites that she has a third upcoming album and apparently it's taken a new direction, and will probably be released in 2012. I just cannot wait for it to be released, let's hope this second attempt at a comeback gives her the popularity she definitely deserves.

"Nice Boys" was written by Amy Studt and Andrew Crutwell-Jones. I like the fact that Amy Studt likes to write her own songs, it makes them more personal and much more easier to connect with the song and the fans out there. There is definitely different perceptions of what this song means, and I don't think I can be persuaded differently, I personally think that Amy Studt has fallen for all these nice boys in the past, and she has finally come across someone who isn't just nice, he's more and he is special. This song suggests that she has found the person she wants to be with for the rest of her life especially since the opening lyrics are: "Never had a man who can, Always had to do it for myself". It's written in past tense so therefore she must have found "a man who can". However other people hear this song and think differently to me, they might think that she's going alone and that she's brushing away any "nice boys" that want to go out with her. Others say that it shows how much she has grown up, she was slightly vulnerable in her first album but now this second album has more of a grown-up style that proves how much she's been through and because of her life she doesn't believe that "nice boys" are nice at all. I like the fact that this song can mean different things to different people, and I'd like it to stay that way so that more and more opinions can be made (Post below if you have a theory on what the song means).

The music video is low budget, that much is obvious and I bet it took some money to afford the models/dancers. But I like how it links in with one of the theories I mentioned above but you aren't aware of that until towards the end. I wouldn't say it's one of the best Amy Studt videos I've seen, or one of the best low-budget music videos I've seen, but the style and calmness of the song and it's music video is definitely what makes this different.

I like the start, it's simple and it focuses a lot on Amy Studt. You can tell she really means what she is saying. I like how the guys are watching her, and when they come around her too, and I always laugh when she pushes the one person's head away. Also the music video tends to focus on that single guy more than others.

The dance sequence is clever. Not quite sure why Amy doesn't do much, but maybe that's the link to "Always had to do it for myself", whereas now she has 5 dancers moving for her and she doesn't have to do much at all. Also when the camera is in the right position it looks like she's doing all the dance moves.

I like the ending and the fight scene, I do wonder how many takes it took for Amy not to start laughing, hearing all those chairs smash, and I bet the guys enjoyed the fighting scene. I think it proves the "nice boys they don't last" lyric as they are obviously not that nice if one little thing could set them off.

Overall I like this song, it did take a while to grow on me, but it did that pretty easily. The accompanying music video has been shown on the music channels a few times and still is. And it has this "nice" charisma about it that links perfectly with the song. I know some of you may think I'm being biased by giving this video this rating, but it just gives me this feeling, that just makes me think this is a great music video.

0 comments:

Alex Saidac - We Shine

November 25, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



Alex Saidac is a new and upcoming Swedish singer, who has already had a hit with this song in a number of countries. I did kind of wonder who it was when I watched it on the music channels today, but I can't stop listening to it, I can definitely see it being big! But which way will she turn? We've had a number of Swedish singers attempt to get on the UK chart but will she be amongst the Basshunter and September, who have had great charting numbers, or will this fail like Ola Svensson's "All Over The World" and Eric Saade's "Hearts In The Air". I reckon it will be a hit, but I've only seen it once on the music channels so we may have a little while to wait and find out.

Alex Saidac grew up as a typical 'tomboy', turning her back on girlie toys she turned to the 'Stockholm underground scene', she became a break dancer performing here and there. She has a love for graffiti art and she is a successful DJ. But when she was 13 she was sent to Argentina training to become, at the age of 17, one of the leading female Polo players in Spain and Scandinavia...in the men's team. Instead she returned to Sweden and entered 'Musikmakarna', and she reached her goal becoming on of the lucky few to gain an internship at Los Angeles. Now she is ready to take on the world by storm, and this track is the one to do it!

This song is really catchy, I do believe if you only listen to it once you may not enjoy it, so I totally recommend you to listen to it about 2 more times and by then you'll love it as much as I do. The lyrics pronounce that the song is about go out clubbing and enjoying it and letting the night be your own, and just enjoying life. The song's meaning kind of reminds me of Pixie Lott's "All About Tonight" and although the songs aren't similar, their messages are alike.

The music video is very clever. I like the fact that Alex Saidac is on a mission and is trying to rescue someone. The use of the searchlight links in perfect with some of the lyrics, and although people might think it doesn't link, I personally feel it works perfectly, since there is a few links and a few more links.

I really like the start with all the words that pop up, these are as follows... "Location: Stockholm, Sweden; Operation: Rescue; Searchlight: Off ---> On; Codename: We Shine; Password: Le Monde De Leo". The mission is taken place during the truck scene. I like this bit because it suggests war at times but instead of a gun, it's a spotlight, and Alex uses it to identify people, as she is trying to rescue someone.

The other scene is that she is in a club with spotlights and this really great glow in the dark, spotlight, rope thing that I so want! This makes the music video look really good and definitely makes it stand out from the many music videos being released today.

At the end of the music video, we find out that she found who she was looking for and the mission became complete, but I think through editing we lost the narrative since we are unsure of how she got there and figured it all out, but maybe we are supposed to fill that in...

Overall, the song is really catchy and her vocals are really good, this is definitely a hard song to sing, and Alex does it so effortlessly. I can see it being a hit here in the UK if the music channels help to promote it. The accompanying music video is a joy to watch as it clearly stand out and I so hope she gets far in her career and releases more here in the UK.

0 comments:

Jonas Brothers Featuring Big Rob - Burnin' Up

November 24, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

This song is really catchy, as much as I hate to admit it, it is. The Jonas Brothers are a three piece band who are currently on hiatus. They consist of Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas, and Kevin Jonas. Currently they are on solo projects, Joe Jonas has released some solo material. Nick Jonas is in a band called Nick Jonas and the Administration, and Kevin.... Well he got married, but that's it... Maybe he's waiting for the brothers to get back together, since he never sings and maybe he can't sing much, if at all.

This song is the group's second best charting single in the UK, however this song was a B-Side to their other song "When You Look Me In The Eyes". Personally I see this song as the classic Disney song. Anyone who comes out from Disney, such as the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez; is guaranteed to end up singing a song similar to this. That is why this song has been criticised to being similar to a lot of different songs. Besides these sort of songs tend to be extremely catchy, and I have to agree.

The song was written by the brothers themselves, which makes it personal to them. The song is about being at a party or somewhere and there is this girl, and you feel this automatic connection with her and she does to you. I think it is clever to write a song based only on that.

This music video links in pretty well with the song even though it is a little absurd, especially with all the film similarities. But this is what makes it good. I'm not entirely sure if the UK music video version has Big Rob, as the single doesn't have his rapping, but maybe the music video does, I'm not entirely sure, but I think it's nice for it being a collaboration.

I especially like the start, the use of making the Jonas Brothers think about what their music video is going to be like and them visualising it is an extremely interesting way of starting a music video, and I think most of the Jonas Brothers' music videos are very well thought up.

I like how Nick Jonas becomes James Bond, Joe Jonas becomes a Sonny Crockett parody and Kevin Jonas becomes a Kung Fu Master. I also like the fact that a lot of people make cameos including Nick Jonas' (now ex) girlfriend Selena Gomez. The other people who appear are David Carradine, Robert Davi and Danny Trejo. I bet you there are more cameo appearances but I can't quite find them.

Overall I like the song, it's very catchy, and it's accompanying music video is just as good, it's a little over the top and is only slightly linked in well, but some bits are funny including when Big Rob does all three. I think it deserves this rating, and I hope you guys agree with me.

0 comments:

Daisy Dares You Featuring Chipmunk - Number One Enemy

November 23, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

I was happy when this song came up on the music channels this morning, I hadn't heard it in a while, and I remember buying the song off iTunes to try and help her get a good charting position. I really do like this song, and I'm surprised she was only 16 when this song got released, and she has such a great voice, that makes me want to watch her live.

Daisy Dares You's real name is Daisy Coburn. She takes her star name from the 1990s British television show: ZZZap! She is the same age as me, only I was born in January whereas she was born in November (so I'm older). But I think it shows how mature she is inside. No way could I go out and become a pop singer (even if I could sing). And I think this is the reason why I like her, because she's very strong willed. She knows what she wants and she'll go up there and take it. She has recently disappeared for the time being, with rumours that she's hitting a modeling career while her recording contract is being dealt with. She was first signed to Jive records and RCA records however, RCA is disbanding Jive records, amongst other record labels, and although all artists on these disbanding record labels have been promised that their contracts are secure and will be able to release music, I'm already wondering how long it's going to be before we hear from her.

This song is extremely catchy, I'm not sure what I made of it this morning, I was happy it was on, but I thought she seemed a little shouty, however the song got stuck in my heard, and I just listened to it again, and I just think she's finding her own way, rather than being shouty. "Number One Enemy" was written by Daisy Coburn, Matthew Marston and Chipmunk. I like the fact that her first ever single was written by herself, it just proves how devoted she is to music. The fact that she also collaborated with Chipmunk on her first ever single definitely shows how much of a star she is going to become because Chipmunk is very well-known now (but even back then he was known). Chipmunk's real name is Jahmaal Fyffe. The song is all about disagreements with her sister, which explains a lot about the lyrics of the song, I also like the fact that Chipmunk raps: "Scarlett! She ain't your enemy", I presume Scarlett is her sister...

I really like this music video, although I am not entirely sure of what the link is to the song... I like the fact that it's about Alice in Wonderland, and not long after this song was released the new film was released, it's a shame this song didn't appear on it's soundtrack, but to be honest there wasn't a link with the song at all.

I like the house, and the drink me potion, I also like the mad hatter's table, and I presume Chipmunk is meant to be the mad hatter since he picks up the top hat. I find the cup cake bit really funny along with the pig as well, and the coloured sheep, it looks like a complete fairy tale.

Overall, I really like this song, and it's chorus is amazing, but the music video doesn't link in at all and I don't really know why that idea was chosen. There is also little to say about the music video because there isn't a lot going on except for the Alic in Wonderland theme.

0 comments:

Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts

November 22, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Christina Perri has such a beautiful and clear voice it's unbelievable that it's taken this long for her to become known. Now she's becoming a worldwide star and it's going to be difficult to keep up with her. She also has a brother who is also in the music industry Nick Perri, who has played guitar for many different bands.

This song was written by Christina Perri, Drew Lawrence and Barrett Yeretsian. I like how she manages to display her emotion through this song, it is really emotional and really nice to just sit back and listen to. The song is about someone who she was in a relationship with and that someone was using her to collect his "Jar of Hearts". This song is kind of her response to what he did. Christina Perri wrote this song on her own experience of someone who wanted to rekindle their broken relationship.

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this music video, at times it looks really good, but then there are some bits of it I think makes it look messy. It looks a little low-budget in my opinion, clearly they weren't aware of the phenomenon this song was going to become.

I like the interpretation of the song in dance. I always enjoy watching dance displayed so effortlessly and interestingly. I also like the link that was used, because this song was first played on So You Think You Can Dance (the US version) and that is how the song managed to become well-known and why it charted so high. So the dance sequence was used as a reference to the TV show.

I also like what Christina Perri is wearing, it makes her look like a rock chick, it's something you would have expected Avril Lavigne to wear in her early days, especially the white dress and the combat boots. This could potentially be a bad thing, because at the start the music doesn't start straight away, and anyone who saw her could think that this song is sort of in the genre of rock, and would probably swap the music channel over even before the song started.

I really don't like the Jar of Hearts, the way they show this is terrible, in my opinion, and I know it makes him look like a dementors from Harry Potter. But they could have done it a lot better, and it definitely brings down this music video.

Overall, I really like the song, after hearing it a few times, but it's music video isn't as good as I first thought it was. I hope Christina Perri keeps on going and has a very good career in the future, but I also hope that her music videos will get better than this one.

0 comments:

Katy Perry - The One That Got Away

November 21, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Katy Perry, has become a really big star in just a couple of years. She has released two albums, with a third being released under her real name: Katy Hudson. She created Katy Perry, Perry being her mother's maiden name, as her star name because she thought Katy Hudson was  too close to film actress Kate Hudson. Katy Perry has recently matched a record with Michael Jackson for getting 5 singles to number one in the US chart all from the same album. This song is her sixth (and probably last) single from Teenage Dream, and if this manages to get to number one on the US billboard hot 100 soon she'll beat Michael Jackson's record, so come on America, start downloading.

This song was written by Katy Perry, Lukeasz Gottwald (AKA Dr. Luke) and Max Martin. Again Dr. Luke and Max Martin have teamed up with Katy Perry to create another amazing song. I just hope this song performs well as it becomes really catchy after hearing it more and more. Katy Perry sung this song on The X Factor in the second week. I didn't think much of it back then, but it's been played a lot on the radio lately, and I've really started to enjoy it. The song is about first loves and realising that it rarely works out and he/she will always be in one's heart for as long as one would live.

I love the music video, when I first saw it, so far I've only seen it three times, but I'm pretty sure that will change. When I first saw it I never got to watch the end, and I was always wondering what the comments were about on the YouTube video, but know I know. I was really surprised by what happened, and although I expected it when he took his eyes off the road, it still shocked me.

I like the whole idea of making Katy Perry look really old, I also like the fact that she is still stunningly pretty even when they've made her old, and if Russell Brand and Katy Perry's relationship stays strong then he's going to be one lucky man when they get really old. I also like to think that that old man at the beginning is supposed to be her husband, which would make him Russell Brand, although how he would turn out to look like him, I have no idea.

I like how she is reflecting on her past and her first relationship with her first lover, who is played by Diego Luna. They are both artists and are drawing one another. He is a really good artist, and I like watching this video to see if they are actually painting. But after an argument, where Katy Perry wrecks Diego's painting, and he storms out. And then out of carelessness, he doesn't watch where he is driving, and all of a sudden a rock is in the middle of the road and disaster strikes.

People have wondered where a rock would come from, but there are lots of reasons. Maybe Katy Perry has magic powers and when she wishes something to happen it does (this is extremely unlikely), or maybe a natural disaster happened such as an avalanche (this seems most likely).

I like the ending and the use of Johnny Cash's song, although to be honest if Russell Brand were to watch all of Katy Perry's videos and interpreted them into real life, he'll realise that she has once fallen in love with a girl (see "I Kissed a Girl"), has woken up in Vegas (see "Waking Up In Vegas"), is an alien from some far away planet (see "E.T.") and now she sneaks off to see her dead lover (see "The One That Got Away"). This proves you shouldn't take the videos as real life, and they are mealy an interpretation of the song.

Overall this song is really catchy, and I have my fingers crossed it gets to number one in the US. The accompanying music video is really heart-breaking, but also really clever and interesting, and I kind of find it really entertaining, so it definitely deserves this rating.

0 comments:

New Release: Jedward - Wow Oh Wow

November 21, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Jedward just keeps on getting better and better, as much as I hate to admit, it, it's true. This is their third single taken from their album Victory. The first was "Lipstick" which they took all the way to Eurovision and finished 8th. Then "Bad Behaviour" came along, which showed them grown up a bit and didn't do too well in the UK chart, but it once again topped the Irish chart. Now it's time for "Wow Oh Wow", and it's ready to storm the charts, I can't help listening to it over and over again. This is definitely trying to draw the audience of younger adults. They are definitely amazing and I can see them going really far, and it won't be long until they appeal to more adults than children, and they are definitely going in the right direction.

Jedward came from The X Factor, they auditioned as "John and Edward", but soon changed their name to Jedward, which the fans much preferred. The duo contains John Grimes and Edward Grimes, and they competed in the year which these artists got recording contracts: Joe McElderry (winner), Olly Murs (Second), Stacey Solomon (Third), Danyl Johnson (Fourth) Lloyd Daniels (Fifth), Rachel Adedeji (Ninth). They also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother Series 8 (1st series on Channel 5), and managed to come third overall, which managed to show people that they truly are behaving like they do in real life and a lot of parents changed their minds about them, which is why their fan base in the UK has grown so much.

This song was written by Oritsé Williams, Johannes Joergensen, Savan Kotecha and Daniel Klein. Again Savan Kotecha has appeared and probably proves why I like this song so much, as Savan has been writing some amazing material as of late. But there is someone else's name you may recognise and that is Oritsé Williams, for all those JLS fans out there, he is a member of the band, and to be honest, sometimes JLS have great songs and then there are other times when I'm a bit unsure about the song. I'm so glad this song was given to Jedward, as I don't think JLS would have suited it. I love this song, it's really catchy, and I have to laugh at some of the lyrics used such as the word "erotic" and "11/10", and although Jedward's many fans are quite young, I am happy that they are trying to appeal to the teenagers and young adults and older, it kind of makes things more interesting and by appealing to a bigger audience, the more likely Jedward will make it to those important chart numbers.

I really like this music video, and even though I'm obsessed with the song, I do believe they both link in really well. I think it's nice to see them try to draw the attention of teenagers and it seems like they are singing songs that are meant for them, that are what they are and songs that really show to the public what their personalities are like.

One of the main people (who are actually meant to be in the background), but I think Jedward wanted for her to appear a lot more, is Tara Reid. She is definitely a Hollywood actress, and it would have been rare for this sort of thing to happen, however Jedward and Tara Reid were both contestants in Celebrity Big Brother series 8 and they developed a strong friendship that obviously followed through outside.

I like the start, with the beach, especially the sign that says "W.O.W. Beach", which it certainly is for guys, and even though there is quite a bit of eye-candy for guys, I bet the girls are a little disappointed. I like how Tara Reid is the main girl, as if Jedward is singing this song to her. They were obsessed with her in the Big Brother house and they always called her "Tara Reid", they HAD to include her last name. I bet Jedward and Tara Reid had great fun while they were filming the video, and of course afterwards, I bet it was great to catch up.

I love the club as well, it is definitely one song I can see being remixed again and again, and hopefully it will help get the song higher up in the charts. I like it how John and Edward both include the hand movements, and the camera keeps trying to cut them off, they are making a W for "Wow", an O for "Oh" and another W for "Wow", and then another O for "Oh", and then lastly a W for "Wow", except you never see it in full as through camera editing, they couldn't show them doing it all. I also like seeing John do "heart hands", I bet in a few years it will be looked down upon, but since it is very popular at the moment, it's quite fun to watch.

I keep expecting Tara Reid to start singing, it looks a lot more like a collaboration rather than just Jedward, but I presume she can't sing at all, and maybe, just maybe a lot of people wouldn't be happy with a collaboration. She seems to be in the middle a lot and I think that's the reason you sort of expect her to start singing. But I guess it's difficult to choose where to put her. One other thing is that in the whole concept of the video John and Edward are both going WOW OH WOW OH WOW at Tara Reid, so is she going to date both of them? Or are they going to have to fight over her? Could this possibly lead onto a whole sequel video, or am I just getting my hopes up for nothing?

Overall, I have become obsessed with this song, and I can't help but keep playing it in the background as I type this review. The music video links in perfectly, there is a narrative and a performance, and some really good editing techniques are use, I love the fact that "heart hands" are used and various other things. This is probably their best song and best music video to date, and I have my fingers crossed that it does well in the chart.

0 comments:

Guru Josh - Infinity

November 20, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

As promised, I will be reviewing this music video. I have reviewed "Guru Josh Project - Infinity 2008", which was the updated version of this song and made this song once again a hit. This is the original version and it is Guru Josh solo and so therefore the band members in Guru Josh Project didn't join forces in the original.

Guru Josh is the stage name for Paul Walden. He wrote this song himself (although not a lot of writing needed to be done, unless he wrote the keyboard and the saxophone music). And it managed to get widespread success in 1990 (when I wasn't even born). d Number 5 here in the UK, but didn't manage to get a number one anywhere in the world. I have no idea why this was such a big hit. I can imagine the DJ's playing this song a lot in the clubs, but don't really understand why this managed to get so high in the charts. I find it pretty boring, and compared to what is out now, or even what was out back then, there was definitely better songs. The key part that makes this song different is the saxophone, it is so strong and really catchy that it may have tainted the people in the clubs to buy the single, as I have no other idea on how this managed to get to be a chart hit. Personally I definitely prefer "Infinity 2008", as it actually has lyrics.

Now this music video is pretty boring, but it does actually go well with the song. I have no idea how I would have made this music video any better, since it is purely just music. It is usually what club songs do for music videos if there are no lyrics, although some times it's not as clear as it could be, but then again it could be the camera they used.

Some of the crowd dancers are a little weird, but then again that may be the dancing style they used back then. I like the fact that not much has changed since then, with the way clubs are nowadays. I really don't have a lot to say about this music video do I?

Overall, the song is rubbish and I don't have any idea how this got into the chart, let alone the top 10, but it's music video does link well, and although I think the song deserves a low rating, I can't do that to the music video as it's not their fault. I hope you all agree that this music video deserves this rating and I don't know what was going on back then, can someone please explain to me why this song became such a hit?

0 comments:

K-Ci & Jojo - All My Life

November 19, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

After reviewing N-Force's rendition of this song, and I found it really good, I thought I'd end up being one of these people who prefer the cover versions over the original. However I was so wrong.

K-Ci & Jojo have been around since 1990, and have recently re-formed. They are actually brothers and their real names are Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey and Joel "Jojo" Hailey. They have had a few chart hits, but this song is definitely their most well-known (even though I'd never heard of it until a few days ago).

They wrote this song themselves, so the lyrics obviously comes from their hearts. I have to admit, I did stereotype them right at the start, and I was worried that as soon as they started singing I wouldn't like it but I was totally wrong. The voice that came out kind of put me in a little bit of shock, and I just couldn't believe that they sung like that. It's definitely classic R&B, which is usually the best since nowadays R&B is definitely being linked in with pop music. I think their voices work really well, and I am interested in what songs they are about to release soon, although I'd never buy them, I would be very interested.

I have to admit, I can understand why N-Force decided to choose this song as a cover, because N-Force's vocalist is Lois McConnell has the perfect voice to match with these guys (I suggest they all do a collaboration, that would be amazing).

The music video is quite interesting. They show the performance side of things. I know what you are thinking, you're expecting me to dislike it since I rarely like the performance side of music videos, but that isn't the case with this one. It is usually difficult to display a good performance in a video, but these guys do it subtly which really works within the song.

I have to admit, I think the extra scenes with all the couples is a really clever idea and really pushes this video out there and makes it noticeable amongst the other videos that were released around that time. I love the ending as well, as the music slowly dissipates, you are left with one single scene which shows a sunset, signifying an end, and romanticism.

Overall I really like the song, and it really surprised me. I like the music video, it fits nicely and although there is no narrative, there isn't any need for one, this song suits the music video perfectly that it definitely deserves this rating, and I hope many of you agree.

0 comments:

Avril Lavigne - My Happy Ending

November 18, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Avril Lavigne has always been a big part of my life especially when I was growing up. She was very much a rocker back then and now she's gone more mainstream pop, with a lot of ballads on her new album. This was probably one of my favourite songs by her because she connected really well with the song, and it is really emotional and you can really tell that.

The song was written by Avril Lavigne and Butch Walker. Butch is an American singer, who have released a number of albums and singles, with quite a few chart numbers, but he is more known amongst artists as a producer and writer, and he has helped Avril Lavigne a lot with all of her albums so far.

This song is about heart-break and the reason why the guy broke up with her, because she thought everything was going strong. She performs this song amazingly and the music video works really well.

I like the narrative of the music video, but to be honest who is that guy she is supposed to be going out with? Isn't he too old for her? I like the start where she walks into the cinema and the film they screen is her past memories, it shows that she's thinking about it and giving it a lot of thought.

The use of colour is pretty good, in the happy scenes at the start it is in full colour, but as the relationship takes a turn for the worse the picture suddenly loses colour gradually leaving it top suggest that the relationship has gone sour and cold.

I really like the ending and how she comes out with some of her friends, which shows she's been talking to them and they are going to go out and have some fun. So is the ending really happy ending? I like that idea and how at the end of the day the break-up could be for the best, and so although it isn't the happy ending Avril wanted, it's still a happy ending.

Overall I like this music video, but there really isn't a lot to talk about is there? There isn't enough going on and that is why I had to drop off a star. However the song is amazing and I like how the narrative is the main part of the story.

0 comments:

Rihanna Featuring Calvin Harris - We Found Love

November 17, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

I bet you all have been waiting for me to review this music video. I have to admit, it's been worrying me as this is such a big music video it is going to be difficult to review. But I will do my best and be as fair as I can be as I always am.

Rihanna, real name Robyn Rihanna Fenty, has recently became a very well known international star. She has worked very hard to get this far, and it looks like she will be keeping that crown for a little bit longer. She will be performing a song on the X Factor this Sunday, and we all know it is going to be amazing.

"We Found Love" is the first single taken from her new album Talk That Talk. It was written by Calvin Harris, who collaborated with Rihanna on this song, and further proves why this song features him even though there is no vocal performance from him. Rihanna has this strong, clear and powerful voice that makes any song she sings sound amazing. I like how she manages to connect to the song easily and that is shown throughout the music video.

I like how the video starts off with an introduction, it kind of sets the scene and makes it more understandable to people who are watching it. Agyness Deyn is the person who talks at the beginning and this is what she says: "It's like you're screaming but no one can hear. You almost feel ashamed that someone could be that important, that without them, you feel like nothing. No one will ever understand how much it hurts. You feel hopeless, like nothing can save you. And when it's over and it's gone, you almost wish that you could have all that bad stuff back so you can have the good."

There is a lot to like about this music video, and I have to admit, I am surprised that it was all filmed in Ireland. Initially it was all going to be filmed in a field, but when Rihanna started taking her clothes off the farmer who owned the field asked for the filming to be stopped, at which point it did and filming then took place in Belfast. The farmer turned around to news reporters that he had never heard of Rihanna and had no idea who she was. Personally I think the farmer did us a favour as the music video could have turned out similar to "Only Girl (In The World)" and although the music video for that song is powerful, it is a bit boring after watching it more than 5 times, and I stopped watching it on the music channels. However for "We Found Love" the narrative is amazing and I think that is why this music video makes it one of Rihanna's best music videos to date.

Some bits are a little annoying and makes you wonder why they did that. The main one is when Rihanna is sick on the side walk, but instead of bringing up disgusting stuff, out comes pink and white streamers. At first I thought they had run out of budget and couldn't afford to buy some soup or whatever actors are using nowadays. But after a closer inspection, it could suggest a distorted reality, therefore some bits aren't real and suggests that Rihanna is imagining them, which kind of makes sense since at the start you see the amount of drugs, and the amount of smoking, and how sometimes Rihanna and her boyfriend (played by Dudley O'Shaughnessy) look totally out of it.

There's so much going on in this music video it is difficult to comment on it all. However there is a lot of comparisons between Dudley O'Shaughnessy and Rihanna's ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. There are some scenes that even suggest that the video was based on the ex-couple because on the evening of the Grammy Awards Rihanna was subjected to physical violence in a car by Chris Brown. One of the scenes in the video link exactly to that where Dudley O'Shaughnessy is driving recklessly and Rihanna is begging him to stop. She then gets struck around the face. There's definitely a link from Rihanna's past and this video.

There is also a link with Britney Spears' "Criminal" music video, because both contain bad guys, they were both filmed in the UK and they both contain scenes of sex, violence and crime. But also both videos have had a lot of controversial in the UK, with "Criminal" being banned from being shown in the UK based on the fact that the "Criminal" is holding a gun.

Overall I really like this music video and it links in with this song brilliantly. Some bits I don't like such as the distort reality, but that is not too bad. I like the narration, both the words that are spoken at the start and the storyline as a whole. I have no choice but to give this music video the rating it deserves. And this song is definitely worth the number on it managed to get here in the UK!
Buy on Amazon

0 comments:

N-Force - All My Life

November 16, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

N-Force is a band that have been around for a couple of years, and although I am aware of their music videos, and tend to watch them whenever I'm watching the music channels, not everybody knows about them, and that usually prevents them from getting chart-toppers that they most certainly deserve. N-Force currently consists of Lois McConnell and Jorg Schmid. They are a UK club/dance band, but have been unable to get the support they clearly deserve. They're first single "Right By Your Side" which was collaborated by Darren Styles managed to get to number 77 in the UK chart, and number 46 in Germany. This is their second single, it only just about managed the UK chart at number 114, and their remaining singles didn't chart. The band is a little unsure of where they are at the moment, since Lois is apparently attempting to get a solo career, but considering she can't get much of a career in a band, is there much hope for her? I hope one of their songs do become a hit, and push them into stardom, as I know it is what they need, and  I'm definitely interested in hearing more and more from this band.

"All My Life" is originally a song that is sung by K-Ci & Jojo (now, don't do what I did a few years back and get Jojo confused with JoJo, as one is male, and one if female, and they both have totally different genres of music). K-Ci & Jojo wrote the song themselves, although it's credited under their own names which are: Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey and Joel "Jojo" Hailey (the other JoJo is Joanna Levesque, so do not get confused). I haven't heard the original, and I haven't even watched the music video, but a few people have commented saying that the original is better. I cannot judge, but to be honest I'm more into this sort of genre, than R&B which K-Ci & Jojo is. I have to admit, I love it when dance groups do covers, I think it's interesting how they can take a song of a completely different genre and turn upside down and inside out and make it something totally new. This happens a lot (example: Lostprophets (a rock band) sang Sweet Dreams My LA eX (by Rachel Stevens) and made it into a rock song). I think Lois' performance shows a lot of emotion and she relates to the song a lot.

I've probably watched this music video too much in my life time, to be honest, I'm not sure what it is about it that I like, I think it may be a number of things (including one shocking thing that I've noticed now and again). I like how this is simple, there's not a lot going on, and I think it is clever here and there.

The music video is really good although short. The narrative is pretty much simple as Lois goes into the casino and sits down, and this guy helps her to pull the leaver down and they get triple 7's, they get a hotel room and fall madly in love with one another (or so you are to believe). I don't quite understand why there's this other guy about. You could presume he and Lois just broke up and he obviously still likes her. I think he is Jorg, actually I'm more than sure, but I could be wrong, but it would be pretty pointless in putting an actor in if all he has to do is stand around and do a few things only.

Lois performs the song in the bedroom, on the cool rotating bed, that I so want. And outside the hotel room. But this guy who I believe is Jorg also appears outside. There's two girls with him, who I think is also the same two that is dancing behind Lois, and the girls are quite provocative, but that's too subtle for the word since if you keep a close eye on what they're doing, you'll be shocked. I have no idea how that slipped in there, and does it go alongside the narrative, and suggest that he's on rebound? But then I like the ending as Lois is clearly having fun, and "Jorg" is sitting alone in the casino. Not winning.

A lot of people have mentioned a number of things, one being that people think Lois is chubby. Personally I don't think she is, and to be honest who really cares, shouldn't personality count for something? And besides, as long as she's happy everyone else should be. She kind of reminds me of Natalie Horler, from Cascada, and N-Force could possibly be the UK's answer to Cascada, if people gave them a chance and a half.

Also another thing I like about this video is that in one of the rooms Lois looks a bit like the anime characters of Caramella Girls' music videos, and you could so imagine that if they did a collaboration it would take place in that room Lois is in, when she is wearing that striped blue and white top.

Overall I like this song, and is played in the clubs a few times, which is always good. I very much doubt the original is played often, however I could be wrong as I haven't heard it yet.  The music video is okay, but could have been a lot better, and could have been one of the reasons this song didn't chart very high. Also some clips may have been included which really shouldn't have. But apart from that I like the narrative, although there isn't a lot going on, and would you really go into a hotel room with the person you have to share your winnings with?

0 comments:

Taylor Swift - Teardrops On My Guitar

November 15, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Taylor Swift, is now a world-wide star. She is a country/pop singer and has totally given charts across the world the chance to include country. Especially in the UK, the genre has more or less died out rarely managing to get a chart hit. But Taylor Swift has changed all that proving that country singers can make it over here. It's taken some time for various other American country singers to try, but try they have and are getting chart hits here and there, Lady Antebellum and Sugarland are the few I know that have tried and charted quite high, and that's just off the top of my head, if I were to look closely I bet I could name a few more. However Taylor Swift's two most recent singles, haven't made the chart at all, but what is the reason for this? She had a sold-out UK tour back in March/April. So why isn't she making it? Personally I think it's because there isn't enough promotion, and it is usually difficult to find out when the singles are officially released, and by the time it is, no one knows it was released, therefore managing to get a low charting position is an achievement.

I have to admit, I did go to the live tour. This song wasn't sung, which is a little disappointing, but it was the Speak Now tour, and artists rarely sing past songs unless it is a chart topper. Unfortunately this song only got to number 51, which isn't too bad as it was her third single in the UK, and I don't think it was promoted much (if at all). This song probably means a lot to people, it means a lot to me too, and to be honest I bet everyone, once in a while, has been in the same situation and so you can definitely empathise with this song. If you have not, comment below and I'll be surprised, but to be honest Taylor Swift sings with so much emotion that it's not hard to at least sympathise with her. The song was written by Taylor Swift herself along with Liz Rose, who has worked with Taylor Swift a number of times, collecting awards for her songwriting. She has written a few songs that were released by other artists, but Taylor Swift is the most prominent artist. I like Taylor Swift's songs because she writes from her heart, and she feels confident enough to express those emotions, such as this song displays because she uses his first name "Drew looks at me, I fake a smile so he won't see". I think it's clever and quite interesting that she was confident to include his real name. The song is based on her friendship she had with Drew Hardwick while they went to the same school. He had a strong lasting relationship with the girl he used to talk about to Taylor Swift, and Taylor Swift never told him how she really felt. So she has done it in song. Taylor Swift, comes up with so many ideas on writing a song, that it is really interesting reading the background of some of the stories, and sometimes it happens to everyone, and that's why people relate to her really well.

I really like this music video, if you haven't already noticed this is definitely my favourite song she has ever released, because it is so emotional. And here comes the typical Taylor Swift music video, and I wouldn't have it any other way. There's an amazing narrative, but there is also a performance of sorts, that links in with the song and the story, so it is really clever.

The storyline is pretty much how I could imagine it going with Taylor Swift and Drew Hardwick. They are best of friends, and at the very start, Drew asks: "Hey, are you gonna go to the game on Friday?" and Swift lightens up with a smile and says: "Well, I don't know. I was thinking about it. Why?", possibly hoping that he was asking her. But he tells her that he was just curious and that he's met this girl he really likes. We then see other clips such as when they are in the library and Drew is making her laugh, and in the chemistry lab and she accidentally puts too much of one substance into another and it bubbles over, and they both hurry to clean it up. Then the last bit they are walking along the corridor and they are both smiling, but Drew ignores her totally (which in my opinion is a little rude), and then kisses his girlfriend in the hallway. This is such a typical narrative, and I like how well it is portrayed as Taylor Swift is a good actor and this proves it.

The performance side of things is amazing. It's subtle but emotive, and that's what is key, especially since it is a performance in her "bedroom" and there is no audience. She is wearing an aquamarine dress, which is perfect as it suggests the tears that is pouring out of her. I like how she is lying by her guitar as well, and when that tear escapes, it shows how much this song means to her.

This video has had a lot of comments, and a lot of people expressing their opinions. And to be honest I am not sure what side I am on. Some think that if you are in that sort of situation you should tell him/her, otherwise you'll regret it for the rest of your life. In this case I sort of see why people will think that, at least you know you've tried and they may like you back just as much and isn't that at least worth the risk to finally find out? But there is a problem with that, if he/she likes you as much as you like them, then why haven't they said anything. The other thing people are saying is that you keep it to yourself, and your friendship should stay strong, if it's meant to be then he/she will come out and say it. If they don't like you the same way, then telling them would wreck any friendship you have, and somethings better than nothing right? It kind of reminds me of my favourite verse from Paramore's "Crush Crush Crush": "If you want to play it like a game, well come on come on let's play, cuz I'd rather waste my life pretending, than having to forget you for one whole minute". This lyric is my inspiration, and links in perfectly with this song.

Overall I love this song, it's so capturing and emotive and relates to a lot of different people (not just me). But it's music video works amazingly, it links, it suits the song, and I can't really fault it. For those of you who are interested, the person in the music video who plays Drew is Tyler Hilton. This music video definitely deserves this rating, and I hope you all agree that it does.
Buy on iTunes

0 comments:

Guru Josh Project - Infinity 2008

November 14, 2011 Critic Jonni 1 Comments

This song is created by Guru Josh Project, I have to say it is extremely catchy and although I wasn't necessarily into this sort of music when the song was released, I bought the single, loving the song. I must have watched the music video quite a few times on the music channels, purely because I liked the song...

The band consists of Paul Walden (A.K.A. Guru Josh), Anders Nyman and Darren Bailie. They didn't last long, and only released two singles, this one being their most well known one. The song is a remixed version from Guru Josh's single "Infinity" which is also referred to as "Infinity (1990s... Time For The Guru". It was a club classic and still appears on compilation albums to this date. The re-worked version pushed the original back into well known status and has once again became a massive hit for Guru Josh. This remixed version uses DJ Klaas' mixed beats, as the single of the song. The song was written by Paul Walden, and is definitely one of the club classics that will still be heard of in about 10 years time, maybe even more. I have to admit, I don't understand what the lyrics mean, there's just nothing that good behind them, all I can get is that if you get with Guru Josh "you will find Infinity", which suggests a night of your life? Or maybe just a hell of a lot of fun, which is what this song is all about especially when played in the clubs.

Now the music video isn't necessarily the best, and there are a lot of problems I have with it and I sure you do too. But the main thing about it is that it doesn't really link in with the song, I don't see that anywhere, if she's getting the night of her life from Guru Josh, why couldn't they have shown that message better? I don't get it at all, and sometimes without a link, it could make it a good music video (as I have mentioned in the past), but in this case, it looked more like they just made a video for the sake of it, and personally I would have preferred just seeing everyone dancing at that live performance.

Right, let's start off with the good thing about this, and then I'll come back to the bad bits. First up is the use of the TV, although it is blurry and distorts the picture amongst other things. It is a really good technique, and it makes you think you are watching the same thing as the girl is and so that you become connected to her (until she starts to take her clothes off and then you question why she is getting excited about this piece of TV footage, maybe it was the saxophone player?

Okay so.... Why on earth would you go into an abandoned house, for one thing? The next thing is how on earth did she know that it was already furnished, with a settee, a saxophone and a TV? Also what are those things doing there in the first place? And where on Earth did that hammer come from? And why attack the house when it is in such a damaged state already that in doing so it may crash on top of you? This makes no sense what so ever and all I'm coming up with is more and more questions.

This is all I have to say on this, questions, questions and more questions. I do like the song and I can see it being around for a very long while, although I have not even heard the original, let alone compared both music videos, maybe that could be my Sunday revisit? Or maybe not. I don't think this music video is that good, and although the song is really catchy, I think I would have expected more, maybe I did?

1 comments:

New Release: The Saturdays - My Heart Takes Over

November 14, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

New Release is finally back, we are now back to normal guys after our Big Brother Special.

I have been behind the Saturdays since their first ever song "If This is Love", the reason for this is because I grew up with Frankie and Rochelle, and I just think it's right to back them all the way. The girls consist of Vanessa White, Mollie King, Una Healy, Frankie Sandford and Rochelle Wiseman (now known as Rochelle Humes), the latter two were in a band that was originally called S Club Juniors but soon became S Club 8. The Saturdays have been going strong for a number of years, and I can definitely see them going for a lot more. They have had various top 10 and top 20 hits, but believe it or not, they have NEVER got a number one single, and I so hope they manage to do it sometime soon, although I am doubtful this one will make it as it is a pop ballad and they rarely get to number one, even though this song sort of deserves it, as it is incredibly powerful.

The song is the third single to be taken from their upcoming album: 'On Your Radar'. "My Heart Takes Over", was written by Ina Wroldsen and Steve Mac who have written for the Saturdays quite a few times, and I have previously mentioned their writing credits in another review which was Cobra Starship Featuring Sabi "You Make Me Feel...". They have written a number of songs, and The Saturdays definitely perform them amazingly. I like how you can feel their words that they sing and it's really emotional, which is perfect for this type of song.

I have to admit I kind of like the music video, it's soulful and interesting, and wintry. I like how it represents the UK, it was actually filmed in Iceland, and we are supposed to expect winter soon, but people here in the UK are still wearing t-shirts with no coats, suggesting that winter is extremely late this year. But even so, sometimes it's nice to see all these wintry music videos popping up on our screens.

Now the scenes are clever, because the song is about love, and the scenes really represent what they are feeling. The beach that Vanessa starts to sing on has loads of rocks/pebbles and other stones which suggest a 'rocky relationship', I think this is extremely clever idea as pictures tend to say a thousand words, right? Then you have the road Mollie is walking on, which could signify the path of a relationship, it's quite bendy at times with quite a few corners and turns. The field all five girls are in shows that they are exposed, as you usually are in a relationship, and the rock formation Rochelle is stuck between could suggest a difficult choice, do you leave the relationship behind, or keep on going up? Frankie and Una aren't really shown much as in where they are, apart from the field.

Now I have to mention this, as a lot of people have commented on the video about this. The Saturdays are definitely not wearing sensible shoes, they are wearing heels, boots and stilettos which isn't really the best footwear for a beach, a road, a field or a rocky path, obviously they still wanted to look fashionable while wearing big thick clothes. OR it could be another thing that signifies where they are in their relationships because it is supposed to be difficult to walk in heels on a beach and a field and everything else, proving that relationships are difficult.

Overall I really like this song, it takes a little while to get used to this pop ballad but after a while it'll be stuck in your head in no time. The music video relates well with the song, and although there is not a lot going on, or any 'heart hands', but that's okay as it has a wintry feel which could get us in the mood for Christmas.

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Big Brother Special: Samanda Featuring Honey Monster - Honey Love

November 13, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

This is Samanda's second single, and gives us our Sunday revisit, and makes Samanda go down in Big Brother ex-housemate history, as they are the only ex-housemate to release more than one single. I thought they would have gone all the way and become a artist, but their third single never got released and it's doubtful they'll ever return to music, although I think they deserve to.

So this wraps up our Big Brother Special week, I hope you all have enjoyed this week of special s and it's back to normal tomorrow.

The song is a cover version of Paul Anka's hit "Puppy Love", who was then covered twelve years later by Donny Osmond, who made the song famous again. "Honey Love" is really good and I love the fact that the Honey Monster gets a little solo, which is a whole new verse that wasn't included in Puppy Love. Samanda's voices are even better in this song than in "Barbie Girl", and I'm pretty sure they didn't change them in the studio. And I have to admit, I'm so happy the Honey Monster didn't turn out like Robotic Ken, otherwise we would have been in a lot of trouble. This was a charity single, and all proceeds went to the Variety Club Children's Charity. I felt sad that this didn't chart higher, managing to get to number 125, which is a really low charting, and is probably the reason why "Whistle For A Hottie" was never released.

This music video is FAR better than "Barbie Girl", once again it's low-budget, but what does that matter when clearly they are all "honey love" upped? This song definitely should have charted higher. I like the start, and how Samanda comes out the back of a pink stretch limo, and then the Honey Monster appears from the back of a stretch Hummer.

I like the fact that they are both on the piano, is the Honey Monster going out with both of them? I especially like some of the choreography that is done in the video, especially when Samanda and the Honey Monster are kicking their feet. I also like the ending when all three jump, I wonder if they had to take a few takes of that as their jumping all had to be in sync.

I love the guitar solo, it fits nicely after the Honey Monster's solo, and is pretty funny at times. I think it's nice that Samanda tells us at the start that it's a charity single, and I just wish more people had downloaded it at that time, because Samanda had real potential to become recording artists.

Overall, I am obsessed with the song, I like how they've jazzed it up and the fact that it's a charity single. The music video is perfect, and I haven't got a bad thing to say about it to be honest. Obviously if a mega celebrity was singing the song instead of Samanda it probably would have been a better video and would have charted higher, but apart from that I could listen to it again and again. I hope Samanda do return to music, but that could be hoping too much, right?

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