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My Music Video Tribute to Women in Music

12/20/2011

Here's a tribute montage I made to women in popular music using Christina Aguilera's "Prima Donna" (I had to use poorer audio to get around copyright). Initially, I was going to make a "queen of pop" video, but realized that I'd be leaving out lots of great female artists I enjoy if I did that lol. Hope you guys like it. You can check out other music videos I've made at youtube.com/jwo03
--Stars Patti Labelle, Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, Amy Winehouse, Aretha Franklin, Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Beyonce`, Destiny's Child, Mariah Carey, Carrie Underwood, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Aaliyah, Gwen Stefani, Missy Elliott, Demi Lovato, Madonna, Fantasia, Fergie, Cyndi Lauper, The Supremes, Gladys Knight, Celine Dion, Adele, Whitney Houston, TLC, Taylor Swift, Salt N Pepa, Shania Twain, Spice Girls, Tina Turner, Janet Jackson & of course, last but not least, Christina Aguilera.

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Robin Thicke: Love After War

12/9/2011

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Album Review.
Favorites: The New Generation, Love After War, All Tied Up, Mission, Don’t Know What It’s Like To Be You
Overall: A perfect blend of Robin Thicke’s 5 albums. A sexy, but classy artistic album that’s a great rebound from the more commercial “Sex Therapy.”

For those who enjoy Robin Thicke, there isn’t a dispute about whether or not the R&B crooner is an immensely talented musician, song-writer and vocalist. However, with each album, it always seems like something is missing. His debut had a versatile sound and was delightfully unorthodox, but was arguably inconsistent and lacked a plethora of memorable songs. The sophomore “The Evolution of Robin Thicke” was more notable and made him a household name with songs like “Lost Without You,” but it had sleepy spots pale in comparison to the hit single. “Something Else” was almost devoid of the sultry nature that made “The Evolution” great and the last “Sex Therapy” was a hard-failing endeavor to be commercial that simply didn’t fit Thicke. Finally, with “Love After War” everything is just right. A sonically diverse album that’s a little bit sexy (ex. “Mission”), a little bit funky (ex. “I’m an Animal”) and a little bit contemporary (ex. “Pretty Lil’ Heart”), “War” is the perfect blend of the best elements of previous Robin Thicke records. Like a musical buffet, the project offers Latin, soul, funk, adult contemporary, smooth jazz and some rock genre influences. Lyrically, it’s not as varied as some of his previous work as the album is mostly about romance, but Thicke’s approach is still interesting and fresh, discussing the many levels of relationships-enjoying private time, having dynamic issues and not being able to always see things from your partner’s perspective. Another plus from previous albums is that the track-order is smoother in transition. Overall… I just LOVE this album. Thicke brings all of the necessities to the table. See the music video for the title track, featuring his gorgeous wife, Paula Patton, below.

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Demi Lovato: Concert Review

12/9/2011

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Demi Lovato Performing "Dynamite" in NYC

Live in Atlanta: Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

Show Date: December 1, 2011
Opening Act: We Are The Kings

With comfortable and accessible energy, Demi Lovato is in touch with her fan-base and performs like a seasoned veteran, showing she should not be underestimated because of her age or affiliation with Disney. Her stage set is still very basic and her performance time was a short 1 hour and 15 minutes (which is unusual compared to the last time I saw Lovato live), but these specs failed to make the show dissatisfactory. Lovato came out swinging with the pumped-up “All Night Long,” followed by the smokin’ “Got Dynamite” & “Hold Up.” The set-list was well-ordered and seamless from start to finish, including all of her hits, fan favorites and all but 4 tracks from her new album “Unbroken” (some of the omitted songs were performed at a meet & greet). A few older singles were not performed in their entirety, but they were finely interpolated to where the audience wouldn’t feel slighted and it didn’t come off like a cheap medley. Lovato’s most obvious weakness is choreography (it’s seems a bit unnatural for her), but the usual pop-rock singer performed her new techno-dance material with ease and the songs weren’t as awkward on her as they sounded on the record (see my “Unbroken” review: http://bit.ly/ue7sxl )

"My Love is Like a Star" in ATL.

Never lip-synching, Demi’s vocals were stalwart & fantastic. Her background singers had equally great vocals & her band kicked butt (her bass guitarist was very cute on an unrelated note). To elaborate further on Lovato’s stage presence, she’s appears very in-tune with and focused on her music, unpretentious & professional. She also shows her chops as a musician, playing both piano and acoustic guitar before the show is over (although she played both instruments more often on her last tour). One of the best things you notice during her set is how connected she is to her fans. Addressing the audience frequently & sharing how fan support has helped her through her struggles with eating disorders, self-injury & bi-polar disorder, she easily builds a poignant rapport. During “Skyscraper,” her 1st song post-rehab, fans voluntarily held up small paper hearts available at merchandise tables in which you could write a message for the singer. Demi grabbed one up front that read “You Keep Me Strong” (see the clip below). It’s good to see that there is a young artist who has such a great connection with & positive influence on her fan-base. My only beef was that she left the stage in between almost every song, which is especially unnecessary if there aren’t many costume changes. Well worth the $60, a Demi Lovato concert is fun, entertaining & artistically valuable.

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My Music Video Tribute to Women in Music

Robin Thicke: Love After War

Demi Lovato: Concert Review

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