Artist Overview: Hailey Knox

My second request came to me in the form of a Facebook post shared with me. A friend of mine sent this post of a New York Radio Station talking about a young New York artist named Hailey Knox. To quote the publication, "She's the living proof that World Class Rock is alive and well in New York's Back Yard" and I, honestly, couldn't disagree more. If Hailey Knox is considered "Rock", then we can safely say that Rock music as part of the social consciousness is dead. However, false advertising or trying to keep a genre on life support by using the term as loosely as possible, is not what is of relevance, but whether is Hailey Knox any good or not. Is she?

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I'll dive straight into her music because I can't find any information about her, so I can't tell you who she is. It seems she is mostly a YouTuber who got a chance to release an album and got a record deal with S-Curve Records and I'll be honest and straightforward: I am unimpressed. Before I trash talk Hailey, let's give credit where credit is due. She has talent as a guitar player and singer and if she writes her own music (which it seems she does) then she is also a talented song writer. The first song I've heard was a live version of "Geeks" and is very bluesy and honestly I love it (both the live version and the studio version). In both versions it has a solid guitar work, finger picking mostly, which gives it a very chill and distinct sound. In the studio version there is a string ensemble which honestly I find completely unnecessary because they bring nothing to the song. There is no fill, no build-up, in general, no need for the strings. Her song "Awkward" is more generic a pop song. While I feel is better put together than "Geeks" is less distinguishable and could be song by anyone. It sounds like another collaboration between Clean Bandit and Jess Glyne, or like a watered down Kelly Clarkson song (which for the record, being compared to Kelly Clarkson is not a compliment). While I'm still with "Awkward" I probably should point out that this video is either a Rip-off or a tribute of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues". Considering that these songs have no apparent relationship, I find it suspicious.

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Other songs in her album "A Little Awkward" are not bad, but pretty forgettable. They are catchy enough to get stuck in your head for about 2 minutes after the song ends but that's about it. "Loopty Loop" is alright, "My Worst Enemy" is more of a lounge guitar  ballad. Honestly, this is what "Geeks" should've been like (studio). It's good but not extraordinaire but certainly a song where Hailey took advantage of her strong points. "Take it or Leave it" is just, uh... Let's just skip this one. Although the chorus is the best part of the song thanks mostly to baseline. It reminds me of a song by Mägo de Oz named "Al-Mejandria" which the song is pretty much forgettable but the chorus hits you so hard that you get sucked in the instant it kicks in, but unlike "Al-Mejandria" I don't think the chorus is enough to save this song.

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Lyrically? Personality? What is Hailey's persona? Well, I've seen this shtick before. To put it simple, Hailey Knox is to Blues what Tatlor Swift was to Country. Her appeal is the "geeky girl next door" and I've seen this before. In fact, as soon as I first saw her, Taylor Swift jumped right into my head (which is not necessarily a bad thing). She at the very least she is trying to do something different than her Pop Music Peers, and I say that because the rest of her YouTube page are pop covers and the only information I found is that she is labeled, indeed, as "Pop" (yes, the radio station is a total liar) and lately pop music has been a snore after an other. Not that Hailey's music is particularly intense or anything but at least sounds like music that's not from a supermarket, an elevator, or a hotel lobby (well, for the most part). Her songs do have a chill and relaxed vibe, but because of the writing, the subject maters, and the style and influences in her music, it works.
Just like "One Dance", even if I fall asleep listening to this, is the subject matter that allows that "low energy" to work in favor of the song and not against it.

Hailey Knox hasn't released much but I think it's pretty solid for her first album. I don't know if I'd be eager to listen to what she releases next, but I would certainly not mind to get her in the Pop charts instead of other artists like Shawn Mendez, Drake, Justin Bieber, The Chainsmokers, or any bloody twat that gets a hit song because of stupid Vines, just to name a few. Hailey is not my cup of tea, but she definitely deserves more recognition and a thumbs up!

Song Review: Sweatshirt by Jacob Sartorius

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For the first time, I've actually gotten 2 requests to make a review. One is going to be an Artist Overview and the other one would be this one: a song review that honestly I wish I hadn't accepted. I said that I wanted to get outside of Asia in my reviews for a change and I think I did a pretty good job, specially since not all reviews have been bad. In fact, only Zayn's song "Pillowtalk" have had a negative review since I made this switch. Today we've broken this streak and oh boy what a song to do so. The song in question would be "Sweatshirt" by 13 year old vine star Jacob Sartorius.

So, there's no way around it, the song is awful. I actually feel ashamed to have it in my internet browsing history. I would rather the FBI, my family, friends, ex-girlfriends, etc, see what type of porn I've looked into other than letting them know that I've actually listened to this song for 1.03 seconds. There is no excuse for it. Asking "what is wrong with it" would not be a useful question since "all of it" would be the answer, but let's dissect this for a moment. There's a term for musical mediocrity that I have adopted from Mr. Todd in the Shadows called "White Guy with Acoustic Guitar" (it's not literal, you don't need to be white or play an acoustic guitar to be a "White Guy with Acoustic Guitar") which is when someone tries to pretend to be sentimental and/or meaningful through lazy gimmicks. In his own words: "As long as you're a lazy, shallow, self-absorbed douche who writes songs that pretends to be sensitive, you too can be a White Guy with Acoustic Guitar". This means that there are "White Guy with Acoustic Guitar" Songs ("7 Years" by Lukas Graham, "The Lazy Song" by Bruno Mars, "Little Things by One Direction, "Stitches" by Shawn Mendez, etc.) and "White Guy with Acoustic Guitar" Players (Whenever that football player or frat bro who thinks he can play guitar plays "Wonderwall" or "Piano Man").
"Sweatshirt" to me it's a perfect example of a "White Guy with Acoustic Guitar" song. The first thing you hear is a guitar strumming and for the sake of this review I did learn this song on my guitar and let me tell you, 3 chords is all you need in it. I am not saying that every guitar song has to be complex but E, A and B, capo on the 3rd fret, is just plain lazy. So, the guitar sucks because it reeks of laziness, and the beats make it sound "hip" because this is what them kids like, right? The autotuned vocals which any person with decent singing abilities could be able to sing without are there too. There's a little synth riff in the chorus which honestly is not that bad and it is kinda catchy, keeping the juvenile vibe that this kid obviously is trying to cash in on. Which if I had to say something positive about it, at least the song is not trying to be something it's not (for the most part). This prepubescent kid is not pretending to be this badass baller swagger sex god (for the most part). It's a 13 year old singing a love song that sounds that was written by an 11 year old. Other than that there is really not much to say. This is a mediocre song that sounds mediocre with mediocre vocals, mediocre synth, guitar, beats, overall mediocre instrumentation, mediocre songwriting and God Dammit I haven't even talked about the lyrics yet.

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God do these lyrics make me cringe. So, remember those "for the most part" I typed? Well, when I said that the song wasn't pretending to be something it's not, that's until you listen to the lyrics.While the song is exactly what you expect from a talentless prepubescent hack, Jacob is trying so hard to write a love song while sucking his own "ego". Lines like "You can think about me all night long" and "So, baby, if you're not ready for my kiss then you can wear my sweatshirt" just make me want to puke and punch this kid in the face. Honestly, I feel like this is the middle school version of "Blurred Lines". You can hear "I know you want it" all over these lyrics. Probably this song was intended as a "desperate plea of a gentleman fighting for his fair maiden", but who am I kidding? That was me trying to be fair, there is no lyric in this song that indicates that this kid doesn't want to get into this girl's pants and nothing more. For those who say "that is disgusting, he's 13" well, he has forced a "fan" (I guess?) to send him nudes, and there are screenshots of it on the twitter account of the girl herself. So there's that.

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Jacob Sartorius  is another musical celebrity (I refuse to call him an artist or a singer) that they are just god awful in their annoyance and immaturity, like Silento or Rebecca Black, but he reminds me, actually, of another musical cancer that debuted in 2010. In fact, even the songs in which this artist debuted was this bad. Yes, I am talking about the one and only Justin Bieber. As a musician and music critic, I am aware that I must hate Bieber at all costs, but in this case, I am actually going to defend him. The comparisons between Jacob and Bieber to me are almost impossible to ignore. From the attitude, the song, the debut, the age, everything seemed familiar to me, the difference being mostly the success of said debut song (and other minor differences). "Baby" by Justin Bieber is a much better song, by far. Sure, it had more writers including Bieber but this allowed for the final product to be a more "revised" version, so to speak. The only credited writer in "Sweatshirt" is Rolf Sartorius which is the birth name of Jacob Sartorius (his first name), his father, and grandfather so I don't know who to blame for this. The lyrics in "Baby" while the opening line are as egocentrical as "Sweatshirt", someone still makes it cute, because the focus is on Bieber's feelings and how this girl broke his heart, not on how awesome I am and how lending you MY stuff is THE blessing of the Gods. As a love song, it works because it focuses on Feelings and not Ego. Also, "Baby" feels juvenile as well, and the song still stays in the theme not creating a disconnect between singer and subject matter. Even Ludacris in his rap verse understands the subject matter and tells a story of his first crush. "Sweatshirt" just feels like his trying too hard to be a Swagger Ladies Man, and even the sweatshirt in the story feels more like an innuendo the more you think about it.

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Also, "Baby" was catchy. I haven't heard it in years and only the mention of it got me singing it in my head. I couldn't be able to even hum "Sweatshirt" to you even if my life depended on it. Songs like "One Dance", "Watch Me", "Hotline Bling", "Baby", and even "Friday" work as pop songs because they stick in your consciousness so you remember them whether you like it or not. In a way, the songs become a part of your life and become a part of the social consciousness. Don't get me wrong, most of the songs I just mentioned I think are awful, but I remember them. A pop song's success is not measured by quality and longevity, but by notoriety, commercial results, and presence (airplay, per say). And to achieve this, the song must be, at the very least, catchy because that'll make it at least memorable enough to be imprinted in Pop Music History. As mentioned before, "Sweatshirt" is not catchy. The moment I stop listening to it, I forget about it, and just as forgettable is the singer himself. Which, fortunately would mean that this little pukestain wouldn't have the staying power to last a life-long music career. However, I hate to break it to you, but this song did chart on number 90 in the Billboard Hot 100 which honestly, for being the first song you've ever released is not too bad, which makes me fear that the worse is yet to come. Is this the second coming of Bieber? Is this song the first chime of the Bells of the Apocalypse of the music world? Is this the end of New good music in popular media?

Song Review: H.M.J. by Dream Evil

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I am currently vacationing in Costa Rica and today was a religious holiday. In the last few days, there has been a pilgrimage to the Basilica in Cartago to celebrate the virgin Mary. I am not a believer, but I was raised as a roman catholic so I wanted to make a review of a song about a man who is faced with a dangerous task, and on his way he finds Jesus Christ. The Song is called H.M.J. which is short for "Heavy Metal Jesus",  by a band named Dream Evil. This whole introduction might seem like a set up for a sarcastic punchline, but as a matter a fact, I wasn't lying when I said the song was a man encountering Jesus. When I first heard this song it was just the most epic thing I've ever listened to. The title "Heavy Metal Jesus" promises a lot and it delivers. Anyone remotely into metal and Heavy Metal needs to listen to this song. This should be a metal classic alongside Master of Puppets, The Trooper, Run to the Hills, Raining Blood, Cowboys from Hell, etc.

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I was extremely curious about the band Dream Evil when I first heard this song. It had a lot of "power metal" imagery (fantasy elements, like monsters, epic adventures, etc) but combined with the theme of Jesus blessing a warrior. I thought this might be a christian metal band like Skillet or Stryper, however I found no information to support this claim, and most of their songs seem to have an entirely different vibe from this one, more leaned to fantasy rather than religion. Dream Evil is a Swedish power metal/heavy metal band formed in 1999. To be honest, I'm not a fan of their other work. I heard Todd in the Shadows quoting a critic in his show "One Hit Wonderland" saying that one good song can save an album but one great song can kill it. I feel like that but with Dream Evil's other songs. If I had heard their other songs before H.M.J. I'd probably like them more, but H.M.J. is such a great song with a lot of energy that their other work just seem to lack.



So, what makes H.M.J. so great? There's a little term I use which is called "Primal Metal". When you listen to a lot of music as I do, specially Metal, you'll end up finding musically complex and intriguing artists and musicians that are not only talented but also complex and interesting (either instrumentality, technicality, or both). Some bands like these are Wagakki Band, Diablo Swing Orchestra, Luca Turilli's Rhapsody, etc. But sometimes all this complexity is just exhausting and you just want to rock out, and you want something a little more straight forward, basic and simple yet hard and powerful. Rammstein and Bullet for My Valentine are 2 bands I go to when I need to fulfill that primal need of mine, hence the term "Primal Metal". H.M.J. is as primal as you can get: hard, rocking and grooving, not stopping. The first thing you hear, an incredible guitar riff that grabs you from the first second you hear it. It kinda has a bluesy flare to it and it's heavy like any good metal song should be. The drums and bass just groove with that riff giving it a lot of energy, making it an all round fun song to listen to. I begin tapping my feet and headbanging from the first 10 seconds of the song. It's quite a simple song, but it's also pretty short, so it doesn't overstay its welcome.

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The energy of this song is just infectious. It pumps you up like very few songs can. Something like "Eye of the Tiger", "The Final Countdown". A more direct song would be "Walk" by Pantera which is another song that grooves you into it's realm of power. I honestly think I could win a fight listening to this song, and keep in mind I am an online music critic (physical activity is not my forte at all). The guitar solo is just your classic shred. Throughout the song, there is a "Call-Response" between the vocals and the lead guitar, the singer throws a verse and the lead guitar responds with a short killer solo. But when it's on the main solo the guitarist just takes it away with a solo worthy of Kirk Hammett from Metallica with great speed and amazing use of the wah-wah pedal. The singer is not that great for power metal standards. He's good, but he's no Bruce Dickinson or Dio. But in this song, he sells me on it. He doesn't hit high notes like an opera singer but the ones he does are just the right ones. He doesn't oversell it: What you came for is what you get.

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Lyrically, you get what you were promised. This is one of the few songs I've seen in a while that actually tells a story. However unlike other songs with a narrative, this one is very straightforward. There are no metaphors, poetic arrangements, nothing. The story is as straightforward as "Last night I went to a bar and met this chick". The song tells about a man (probably a warrior) going to slay a beast as he encounters Jesus on his way. Jesus warns him about the dangers ahead and the valiant warrior decides to continue on his way. Jesus blesses him and the warrior proceeds with his journey. Does he ever succeed, the story doesn't say. Jesus just blessed the man with his Flying-V and the man continues his journey. Honestly, I think the story is perfect the way it is. You don't need to know if the narrator slayed the beast or not because that is not the focus of the story. The focus is "Heavy Metal Thunderstrucking Jesus" (direct quote from the song). It's like a friend trying to tell you a story about how he met George Clooney and he decided to focus on the penny he found afterwards. When you meet the Son of God introducing himself saying "I'm heavy metal Jesus" you know what you're story HAS to be about.



H.M.J. is just, to me, one of those stupidly perfect songs. Everything is so simple you'd swear they came up with this in a jam session in one go and the lyrics were an improv intended as a joke, yet it all just comes together so perfectly, and honestly, I think the beauty of this song lies on it's simplicity and the energy in which the song is being played. There's not really a lot to say, but you'll feel it once you hear it. What can I say other than it is Heavy Metal Thunderstrucking Jesus!

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Song Review: My Sweet Passion by Nikki Gregoroff

So, The Hot 100 hasn't given me anything interesting lately. Drake went down a few spots and came back up, and just like that, every song in the top 20 has remained practically the same. So I decided to review a song outside of the pop charts, or this decade. But before I do that, I'll give you a quick run down on the Top 20 starting from number 1 over here: http://nanasushireviews.blogspot.com/2016/07/billboard-top-20-quick-rundown.html

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My Sweet Passion was released in 1998 as the character theme song of Amy Rose in Sonic Adventure. I will admit, there is a certain nostalgia bias in favor of this song because Sonic Adventure for the Dreamcast was the first videogame I have ever played and Sonic Adventure DX (the Gamecube remake) was the first Gamecube game I ever owned. Not to mention that despite its ups and downs, Sonic the Hedgehog is my favorite videogame franchise.With that said, I know I liked most of the music in Sonic Adventure, however, it was until I began playing Sonic Adventure again after 15 years that I started paying attention to the music, I looked for the soundtrack and I wasn't disappointed with what I heard. If I could describe the entire soundtrack in a nutshell I would say it's the right blend between Funk, Rock, and even Metal. Basically what Maroon 5 tries to makes us think they are but not really. Not all songs are great, but to me the good ones are GOLD. One of them being My Sweet Passion by Nikki Gregoroff. My Sweet Passion leaves out  Rock part out and goes full Funk on us and damn was that a good choice. Since this song was written specifically to be about Amy Rose, they had to make both the Character, the lyrics, and music go hand in hand thus limiting the creativity on the song, and yet still succeeded. The song has this sweet little girl vibe, but is strong, passionate, and very energetic. This song is an overall good time (I would love a jam session based around this song).

Let's start by talking about the music: There is just so much going on in this song. The drums lay a funky beat while the bass walks all over it. A guitar with the Wah-Wah pedal grooves to the song with a second guitar playing a few high notes, with a synth filling in the gaps. Bongos help the drums with the beat as they give their own sound. That keyboard work, that guy knew what he was doing, because that keyboard hit the right notes and don't even get me started on that brass section. To put it simple, there is a lot going on in this song. Everything is tight and done perfectly. If ANY instrument were off by one beat, the whole song would fall apart. One of the things about the song being so rich and tight, is that you can follow a particular instrument to see what they are doing. It's like a book you can't stop reading because it's so interesting. Also, the mixing is impeccable. No instrument in the tune overshadows another. Even the vocals doesn't stand out, they all seem part of one whole body. Of course, to keep with the theme, Nikki's delivery was perfect. The song has a very
"Call-Response" structure. In the verses, the main vocal, which is soft, almost spoken, sing a line and then a whispered vocal follows. This actually adds "seductive" to the mood and vibe of the song. In the chorus they just go all out, a chorus sings "Sweet, Sweet, You're so Sweet" and Nikki sings her heart out in response. Again, she delivered the right energy in the right moment. What else can I say about this song other than it is, musically speaking, perfect.

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Lyrically is where we start seeing problems on the song. Again, there are lyrics in the song directly related to the character and wouldn't make sense in any other context. For example, "I know that your lucky color is that that cool shade of blue (I wouldn't mind painting myself blue for you)" which is a reference to Amy's devotion to Sonic (although it does sound like a naughty fetish out of context). This song might be famous among the Sonic fanbase but not really because of the music. In one of the whispered vocals you can hear "...Looks so cute. I have to shave it". The line goes "I do understand the feelings of a Persian Cat (But the Sphinx looked so cute I had to Shave it". I have NO idea what that is supposed to mean. Is it a reference? Is it related to the character? Is it a sexual Innuendo? I don't know! I've researched this lyric down and I haven't found anything regarding what it means. Even as an innuendo I feel it's a stretch, I won't go into the details but by specifying "Persian Cat" throws me off, followed by referring to the same object as "Sphinx" is just too specific and weird to be a sex reference. I've read that some people don't like this song because it's a little too "Stalky". Well, the character of Amy does chase Sonic very passionately in the games (specially before) and that's mostly because Sonic runs away from here, so I honestly feel that maybe that was the point. Amy is kind of a stalker in the older games, but not so much to make her creepy. The song is the same to me, there might be some lines that might be a little "stalky" but again, not so much to actually call the "narrator" a stalker. Besides, what's the problem with stalker songs? We've let Stalker jams slide before. If we let Every Breath You Take, Somebody's Watching Me, I Will Possess Your Heart, You're Beautiful, One Way or Another (Twice) be a hit, why not this song?

Billboard Top 20 Quick Rundown

-One Dance by Drake: Already Reviewed it.
-Can't Stop The Feeling by Justin Timberlake: This actually sounds like a song! If you like pop music, even the slightest, how can you Hate on J.T.?
-Don't Let me Down by The Chainsmokers ft. Daya: Way less annoying and awful than #Selfie, but not my thing (but the chorus, if you can call it like that, does sound awful and annoying) and I'm pretty sure I've heard that opening riff somewhere else.
-This is What You Came For by Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna: It's ok, I guess. Definite proof that Rihanna can sound good in a record and that Work is an awful abomination of sound.
-Cheap Thrills by Sia: PUT THIS SONG IN #1 THIS INSTANT!
-Panda by Desiigner: Can you be any more generic? Get out NOW.
-Needed Me by Rihanna: Boring... I really don't need this at all, but at least is not Work.
-Ride by Twenty One Pilots: If the other songs on the radio weren't so awful, I would probably be calling this song generic, very 2016ish, and not very interesting. But since that is not the case... Besides, I can actually see this song growing on me.
-Don't Mind by Kent Jones: I think this song wants to take the tittle of "Most Generic Song" away from Panda. Also, Why do I have a feeling that this song only got popular over a stupid hashtag?
- Work from Home by Fifth Harmony ft. Ty Dolla $ign: A boring song made by a boring artist who's name is misleading: They don't Harmonize, and a group called Fifth Harmony would imply something awesome. Don't fall for this false advertising. This is boring, generic, and just sucks.
-Send My Love (To Your New Lover) by Adele: Not Adele's finest work, but it's still Adele. WHY IS THIS NOT IN THE TOP 10!?
-I Took a Pill in Ibiza by Mike Posner: Is this the Remix or the Original? Still better than most songs in this list. I prefer the Seeb remix, it captures the sentiment of sadness, emptiness, and anguish Mike Posner fails to deliver in the original. Although the original does still sound sad and I like the guitar work in it and it does have nice hooks and riffs.
-H.O.L.Y. by Florida Georgia Line: These guys need to get the hell out of the music industry. I don't believe song for just one second. It sounds phony. NEXT
-Me Too by Meghan Trainor: I hate Meghan Trainor. Also, if you're going to steal a beat don't steal from the Black Eyed Peas. There are WAY better things to steal. Also, I hate her as an artist, but in this song she sounds so pretentious and arrogant. You feel good about yourself and (allegedly) everyone wants to be you? WHO CARES!? Go try something else, you egomaniac!
-Let it Go by James Bay: Oh Look. An Acoustic version of Pillowtalk by Zayn! No seriously, this song is totally forgettable and totally  boring. If you ask me, this song is in the charts because people thought it was the song from Frozen! Also, "Just Let it Be"? You dragged Frozen into this borefest, you don't need to drag The Beatles in there too.
-7 Years by Lukas Graham: Speaking of Egomaniacs. A song from the album Lukas Graham that sings about how awesome the front man of the band Lukas Graham, Lukas Graham, is, while disguised as a song about the tragedy of the passage of time. Musically speaking is ok, I guess.
-Controlla by Drake: I see Drake is still boring! Also, the "I, I, I, I" part? What the hell was that? To be fair, the rap part does sound somewhat interesting even though it sounds just like another Drake song.
-Work by Rihanna ft. Drake: WHY IS THIS SOUND PUKE IS STILL HERE!? This song is AWFUL!! IT SOUNDS AWFUL! This song is WORSE than Friday by Rebecca Black and Baby by Justin Beiber. THERE, I said it!
-For Free by DJ Khaled ft. Drake: You're here again Drake...? This song does nothing for me. But hey, at least I'm not Falling asleep

Song Review: One Dance by Drake feat. Kyla & Wizkid

I'll say this right here and right now. I hate Drake. He sounds awful, just plain awful. First off, he can't sing Jacque Merde and although with is true of the vast majority of the people on the radio right now, unlike a lot of his peers, even his autotune sounds obnoxiously bad. I don't like Rihanna either, but I don't despise her. I kind of like one or two of her songs, and the rest are just "eh" (I don't care for them), but there is only one song of her's I hate, hate, HATE, and oh boy, oh boy, it just HAPPENS to be the one she sings with Drake: "Work" (or as it is pronounced "werk" with an awful out of key autotune). I blame "Work" song solely on Drake. That nasal whine, bad autotune and boring yet catchy songs are all Drake's signature tropes. So, when I saw on this week's #1 Song on http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100 and saw "One Dance" by Drake feat. Kyla & Wizkid, I groaned and rolled my eyes. I already hated it and I hadn't even listened to it yet, and I saw a chance. I could finally rip Drake apart, so I went and listened to the song and... It's alright.

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It's NOT a good song whatsoever, but it is the first Drake song that didn't make me want to puke or fall asleep... or both. I really wanted to hate this song, but probably my expectations were so low that nothing could've meet them. Anyway, the beat, for starters, actually sounds like it has some strength (which compared to all the other weak and worthless beats out there, is already a plus on my book) and the song has a nice piano riff in there. The beat has that reggaeton rhythm, which despise, but with the piano riff it gives it a nice vibe, and for the first time, the fact that the beat is kind of soft helps the song giving it a nice relaxed vibe. But for a song which says "I need a One Dance" this really doesn't work for a dance song at all. Again, it's too weak and relaxed, but knowing Drake, I think that was the point. A lot of he's songs are kind of angsty/depressing (or more like "are about...") actually and while I'm not sure if this is the case, it certainly feels like it. When he says "Got a Hennessy in my hand, one more time 'fore I go, Higher Powers taking a hold of me" it sounds depressing. When I hear this, there's a hint of sadness and regret as he sings this, to me it sounds like an addiction. It's almost like an alcoholic trying to quit and he's always stuck in that "One More".

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The song is also quite short. It only lasts for about 2:12, but it always goes by way faster. This song is definitely one of Drake's more tolerable songs, and to be honest, I've heard this song about a hundred times to write this review and I'll admit "One Dance" is growing on me. I still have some problems with the song, obviously. Drake's autotune is still annoying, that reggaeton beat, and the fact that I have no idea who Kyla and Wizkid are and can't distinguish them in the song, so I actually forget that they are in there somewhere. I was prepared to hate this song, but I actually kind of met with a pleasant surprise. Would I have this song on my iPod? Hell no. Would I rip my ears off if I heard this song again? Not at all. In fact, I might actually welcome it.

Song Review: Pillowtalk by Zayn

I realized my Reviews are focusing a little too much in the East, so for a change I decided to look at the Billboard Top 40 and review the song which currently has the number 1 spot, which happens to be Pillowtalk by the death of One Direction, Zayn Malik (admit it, 1D was done for when he left).

http://digitalspyuk.cdnds.net/16/04/1600x800/landscape-1454001740-zayn2.jpg

Let's get one thing out of the way: this song is BORING. This seems to be a common theme in Pop music today, and I'm not saying this because I'm a Rocker or a Metalhead. I listen to just as much Pop as I do Rock and Metal. I don't know who started this trend but everything is sounding almost like lounge music with a beat. It's just so weak and uninteresting, and this song is no exception. Another problem, there's not much to talk about musically speaking. The Music is all synths and drum machine, and it sounds generic, pretty much. The vocals sound good, although it's most likely autotuned. Zayn kinda slurs the lyrics of this song, he could've vocalized better. This song really gives me nothing to work with at a music level, it's boring and generic. I will give it it this, though. This song is about sex, pretty much, and I'm no sex expert, but I could definitely see people having sex to this song, or this song being used in a sex scene. The beat (while it sucks) does keep a steady pace (not too fast, not too slow). I don't think this was the intention of the song, but hey, it's better than nothing. Although, the bridge (where Zayn repeats "Paradise" and "War Zone" over and over again) destroys that pacing. Ok, so I got nothing here. It's not bad enough to hate and it's not good enough to like.

So, the song sucks, but what about the lyrics? Well, they are as generic as you can get. As mentioned before, this is a song about having sex. But in an attempt to sound poetic they throw this opposition gimmick we've seen a thousand times.
"We'll go slow and High-Tempo"
"I'm seeing the pain, seeing the pleasure"
"A Place that is so pure, dirty and raw"
"It's our paradise and our war zone"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_3d6GntKbk

The lyrics aren't particularly bad, I think. Again, they're just not interesting. If we changed all the lyrics for "la" it wouldn't be a loss. The only part that really bothers me is when he sings "Nobody but you, 'body but me, 'body but us". PRONOUNCE "NOBODY" PROPERLY PLEASE. "'body" sounds stupid, and it has no purpose to be. I've sang the song, it still fits on the tempo. If it's a kind of joke, set up, or build up to the next line "Bodies together" then that is even stupider. If it's some sort of pun, you gave it away before you got to it, so it doesn't work.


Over all, is the song good? No. Is it bad? No. I've certainly heard bad songs on the radio in the past month, and this is not one of them. I wouldn't listen to this song, but if I were at a party and the DJ plays it, I wouldn't complain either. Why are people listening to it is beyond me. I guess is because people just need some background noise but I don't know. I would suggest you go ahead and judge for yourself, I stance on this song is a simple "meh".