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Bump It or Dump It??? Vocal Wars Behind the Music

Posted by :Peauxetic Expressions On : May 7, 2012
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It’s Monday so you know what time it is….today I’m giving my reviews on new music from Rock to Gospel and Rap to R&B. But the question is, do these songs have repeated play potential or will they not even make it to the second verse before you hit the stop button? Check out my reviews and listen to see for yourself. Bump It or Dump It???

Brandy is making a return to music again this year.  However, with her recent Behind the Music special and reunion with Monica on the new song, “It All Belongs To Me”, many are calling this more of a comeback than a return.  So does she still have what it takes to deliver music with substance that rules the charts? Time will tell, but the first single from her upcoming Two Eleven CD, “Put It Down” featuring Chris Brown, just may give her the boost she needs. The song is produced by Bangledesh (“A Milli”, “Diva”) and has a catchy rhythm and even features Chris Brown and Brandy’s alter ego “Brand Nu” rapping.  Everything is promising here except for the main element that needs to be…the chorus…Instead of the edgy, grimy effect the song tries to go in, the chorus waters it down to bubblegum pop at some points. But hey, who really listens to words in popular music now anyway? Be on the lookout for Two Eleven to hit stores next month. I have a feeling this song will be growing on me…

Goodie Mob is most known for hits like “They Don’t Dance No Mo” and “Soul Food”.  It’s been 13 years since the release of a Goodie Mob album with all four original members (World Party).  Since then, the group’s resident eccentric soul singer/rapper, Cee-Lo has found success with the short-lived Gnarles Barkley and 3 solo albums. But apparently the group still had an itch to get back together. Perhaps their most crossover sounding song to date, it makes smart business sense that the group debuted the song on NBC’s “The Voice”, where Cee-Lo is one of the judges. But this song is crossover in a good way, without coming across contrived. The only weird part is the song features mostly Cee-Lo, with the other members merely chanting in the background. I think this will gain a lot of new fans for Goodie Mob and perhaps be the biggest song of their career. Hopefully the old fans will be open-minded enough to receive it as well. The song also has great lyrics that actually mean something…what a concept, lol. Look for the song to be featured on their new project, Age Against The Machine.

Maroon 5 has always pushed the envelope, but managed to sugar coat it to the point where it’s barely unrecognizable. From their upcoming album Overexposed, the group has teamed up with rapper Wiz Khalifa to give us the addictive “Payphone”. The song lyrics are a little explicit at some points. But so are some of the group’s other successful hits (“Wake Up Call” and “If I Never See Your Face Again”). The song talks about a fairy tale love story gone wrong and time too far spent.  Just the word payphone sounds like an obsolete word that has been buried to never be spoken again.  A few language beeps aside, Maroon 5 can more than likely count “Payphone” as another notch on their string of hits. Plus Wiz Khalifa will gain more crossover exposure, so it’s a win win situation.

Marvin Sapp seems to be following the old saying, “Strike while the iron is hot”. He’s been releasing CD’s back to back every year and a half for the past few years now (since “Never Would Have Made It). On his new CD, I Win, the opening track, “Teach My Hands To War” is a great song that’s sure to get you hyped up and ready to praise God.  The song is basically saying that you’re going to use your hands as weapons of praise against the enemy. Powerful message and the music is busy, but in a good way. Just be careful because you may forget you’re listening to a gospel song if you just listen to the music. The go go inspired tempo here has a bit of a throwback feel but is still current at the same time. I’m not sure if this song will be released as a single from I Win. But one thing’s for sure, it’s definitely the stand out up-tempo track on the CD.  I’m sure this would be a wonderful song to hear in concert.

“PJ Morton: Following My First Mind” Review

Posted by :Peauxetic Expressions On : March 31, 2012
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Category: Hot Music

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A couple of weeks ago I made a post called “PJ Morton’s Maroon Young Money”.  At that time, PJ Morton was gearing up for the release of some new music that we only heard 2 tracks from. Well this week, PJ Morton has finally released his anticipated EP Following My First Mind. I downloaded it this week and here’s what I thought of it…. with a track by track analysis:

FMFM (Interlude)- Basically warming us up for the EP and explaining how it’s always wise to follow your first mind. For some reason, the production here reminds me of lost tracks that could have been used for Kanye West’s 808s and Heartbreak CD.

Never Get Over You - Love the beat on this one. It has a retro rock and soul feel that’s vintage but current at the same time (think Lenny Kravitz, but less hyper). PJ Morton sings about realizing that he’ll probably never get over a woman he was with. But somehow, like many of us, he’s still trying to make it work. This is one of my favorites.

Heavy Featuring Adam Levine- Just have one major gripe with this song. What exactly is “it”? LOL. When you hear the song, you’ll know what I’m talking about. I could try to draw my own conclusions, but I’m not exactly sure what this song is about (not struggling anymore, a broken relationship…eh, I’m not sure). Surprisingly, PJ Morton and Adam Levine’s voices mesh well. But I guess they should since they’re technically band mates now.

Don’t Break My Heart – This song grows on me the more I listen to it. When it gets to the bridge leading into the chorus (“Please don’t break my heart/Cause I can’t take it”), the song really picks up. Instead of a lonely heart-break ballad, this song comes off more as a plea to not let things get out of hand before either party’s heart is broken.

Built For Love Featuring Jazmine Sullivan- I love this song as soon as the first few seconds start playing. The lyrics are real and not overcomplicated. Jazmine Sullivan was a great choice too for the feature. This has a jazzy, R & B feel that’s addictive. Ironically, this is really the only straight R & B sounding song on the EP. The other tracks on FMFM have more of a rock influence. Hands own my favorite track. I can see why this one was chosen as a single.

Lover Featuring Lil Wayne- You didn’t think you’d get through the whole EP without hearing from Lil Wayne did you? This simplistically produced and bass heavy track finds PJ Morton throwing in the towel to avoid arguing (declaring that he’s a lover and not a fighter). I like the verses here, but the chorus is a bit redundant. Lil Wayne tones down his usual aggressive and witty flow for a smooth rap to accompany this track. Overall, a pretty good song.

Saying Hello Featuring Chantae Cann- This song has an old school doo wop feel to it…with a slight Beatles flare. I’ve never heard of Chantae Cann, but she has a nice voice and reminds me of Corrine Bailey Rae. The song says it’s ok to say goodbye as long as we know that soon we’ll be saying hello. Lyrically, this is one of the best songs on the EP.

Before I first listened to Following My First Mind, I really didn’t have any expectations. I was a little disturbed by the CD cover. But if its goal was to intrigue the listener into getting the EP, it definitely did that. Then I wasn’t sure how PJ Morton’s style would fit into the Young Money roster. After listening to the EP in its entirety, I can honestly say  PJ Morton was able to hold his own and still represent Young Money well. I would have liked a few more R & B songs, but I can appreciate the envelope pushing and style experimenting he does here. Definitely worth the listen. You should check it out.

To anybody that’s already heard Following My First Mind, what are your thoughts on it? Are you a fan of PJ Morton?

Make sure to check out the remix to “Heavy” at http://thedualists.com/. And you can download Following My First Mind by PJ Morton for free at http://www.pjmortononline.com/

PJ Morton’s Maroon Young Money

Posted by :Peauxetic Expressions On : March 4, 2012
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Category: Hot Music

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I love music. Anyone that knows me will tell you this too. What some people may not know is Maroon 5 is one of my favorite groups.  In my opinion, It Won’t Be Soon Before Long is their best work, but I love pretty much all of their music. I’ve seen them in concert twice and the second time I saw them last year, I noticed there seemed to be a change in the lineup. Something was different. A new guy had seemed to join the group, but I couldn’t put my finger on who it was….

Come to find out, it was Grammy Award winning songwriter, singer and producer PJ Morton (son of Bishop Paul Morton, Sr). I have his CD Walk Alone and there are some very nice tracks on there (check out his song “Love You More” featuring Tweet). I’ve been wondering if he was going to make any new music because I haven’t heard much from him lately. I hadn’t heard much of his own music before (his early roots stem from gospel music) Walk Alone, but it’s actually his fifth independent release. He’s currently gearing up for his first major label release….with Young Money Records. Yep, you heard right….and you may even be scratching your head on this by now. You can listen to his current single “Built For Love” featuring Jazmine Sullivan on his website http://pjmortononline.com/. If the single is any indication of how his new CD will sound, I’m anxious to hear it.

But does anybody know exactly when and how he got in Maroon 5? Or why that decision was made for him to join the group? I actually think it could be a great gain for both parties involved, but can’t figure out if this is just a temporary tour lineup or a permanent lineup.  I’ve seen some billings that state Maroon 5 featuring PJ Morton and others that just state Maroon 5. Apparently, Maroon 5 is aware and congratulated of his recent signing with Young Money. In the meantime you can also check out this charity song, “Is Anybody Out There?” that PJ Morton and Maroon 5 recorded in London last year…in just 24 hours.

Maroon 5 Featuring PJ Morton – “Is Anybody Out There?”

It will be interesting to see what happens with this in the future. Will PJ Morton continue to work with Maroon 5 and still promote his new CD? What are your thoughts about it?