R&B
December 28th, 2005
R. Kelly feat. Sean Paul & Akon - Slow Wind (Remix)
R. Kelly ain’t ever going away Just forget it. It doesn’t matter what the hell he may or may not do, or who he may or may not marry, he’ll always be around. Even if he’s not there, he’ll be writing half the songs on the chart. And he’s back, this time with Sean ‘Dutty’ Paul and Akon ‘I don’t have a second name because I’m that cool’, for a crazy six-legged r&b race to the end of the song. Of course, the point about these races is that you’re tied together with rope so you end up falling over. No one wins. Especially not the public who have been forced to watch three grown men crying on the still-dewey grass of a suburban lawn. Let’s get to the lyrics:
Just wanna chop you up and cut ya.
What’s that about? Have they run out of ways to put words together to make a rap? “Just wanna chop you up and cut ya”? These three are nuttier than a bag of Planters.
Posted on Wednesday 28th December | 36 Comments »
December 27th, 2005
Nelly featuring Paul Wall, Ali & Gipp - Grillz
I feel I should probably explain what ‘Grillz’ are first. These are like braces, but more shiny and more expensive. Have a look. Anyways, please note that this is not a new thing, it used to be cool, like in 1991. Thereby not cool now. Anyhoot, Nelly has decided that he should write an entire song dedicated to dental beautification. Remember he had a song about his Nikes (“Air Force One’s”) and hence it’s not a surprise to hear that his next track will be named “(Me and my) One-Liter Thermos” feat. Ludacris and Missy “I dont go anywhere without my trusty Eastpak” Elliot. Expect your 13 year-old little sister to be blingin’ with a set of grillz in time for Easter.
Posted on Tuesday 27th December | 2 Comments »
November 15th, 2005
Mariah Carey - Don’t Forget About Us
This feels like 90s R&B come back to haunt us. In this single, Mariah recollects a previous relationship and although the guy is now with someone else, the lyrics are very clear:
Not a huge leap for Mariah, one critic from Billboard said: “On its own, “Forget” is a soulful, satisfying track, but it suggests that Carey has hit a creative wall.” We have to agree.
Posted on Tuesday 15th November | 7 Comments »
October 23rd, 2005
Frankie J - More Than Words
Super Frank covers an old Extreme song after his last release, How to Deal. It’s not horrible, Frankie has a good range, but he has an inability to a hold a note in one place. It’s warbling, and it gets really annoying, especially at the higher end of the scale. If this was a cover that did something different, then the fact that he’s singing it differently would be good. The fact that this is 99% identical to the original makes it look pretty bad when compared to it. Sorry, Frankie.
Posted on Sunday 23rd October | 2 Comments »
Pretty Ricky - Your Body
So, yes, they have an awful name, but then these R&B boy bands always have awful names, it’s like a rule or something. This track hasn’t been as big a hit as “Grind With Me” which reached number 4 in the US hot 100 but it is still an OK track. Apart from the lyrics. These kidz are saying things like “get a taste of the salami”, which, considering the target market for these bands is 14 year old girls, is pretty inappropriate. Unless they’re actually talking about making sandwiches. In which case that is fine.
Posted on Sunday 23rd October | 16 Comments »
October 22nd, 2005
Bow Wow feat. Omarion - Let Me Hold You
R&B / Aw, he’s all grown up, look at him. Anyway, this is the first single off Bow Wow’s album, ‘Wanted’, and features the phenomenally named Omarion ‘B2K’ Grandberry. It is a good track, and shows Bow Wow’s increasing maturity. I think we get another couple of months with the ‘aw you were so cute when you were eight!’ stuff and then he becomes another singer and we must release him from the shackles of his past. It is only fair.
Posted on Saturday 22nd October | 6 Comments »
Frankie J - How To Deal
R&B / Francisco Javier Bautista released his most successful album, ‘The One’ this year. How To Deal, taken from it, is a reflective track on the heartache caused by giving up on a relationship for THE CAREER. You’ll get over it, Frankie. Check out his page on MTV.com below for more info on Frankie J.
Posted on Saturday 22nd October | No Comments »
October 6th, 2005
T-Pain - I’m Sprung
R&B / There’s a lot of vocoder nonsense going on in this track. Just to warn you of that. It sounds like an Usher song that’s been put in a room with Daft Punk and told to get jiggy. The radio and video stations are going to love this up, and you know you’ll be unleashing the dance moves to this at your local discotheque, even if the lyrics don’t make a whole lot of sense. That guy on the right is Akon. You can listen to the song below.
Posted on Thursday 6th October | 1 Comment »
October 5th, 2005
Chris Brown - Run It!
R&B / What have we here? Another Scott Storch produced R&B track, except that this time, it doesn’t suck. Chris wants to be Usher right now (doesn’t everyone?) and in that comparison, he’s always going to come out the loser. Forget about the comparison and you are left with a catchy tune. Good enough to launch a career? We’ll soon find out. Video below.
Posted on Wednesday 5th October | No Comments »
September 6th, 2005
Mariah Carey - We Belong Together
R&B / This song is what thrust Mariah back into the public eye–for musical reasons. The song has become one of the most played songs of all time. It is a ballad, a proper ballad, with handclaps, a head-bopping beat and sickly sweet lyrics, but it’s the voice that makes this song. Although she is a fully-fledged R&B star now, this is the type of song she always did best. Listen to a clip after the jump.
Posted on Tuesday 6th September | 1 Comment »
