American Idol Top 16; You Have To Be Kidding Me!!!

So the Top 16 took the stage this week and they gave us a couple of real good performances. Back on schedule, the girls took the stage on Tuesday night. As usual Crystal Bowersox and Lilly Scott were complete stand-outs. They were clearly leading the pack, and as the show goes on I getting the feel that Siobhan Magnus is also in their league. Last week she blew us away with her pipes singing 'Think', this week she gave us a haunting but devoted rendition of 'House of Rising Sun'. I'm beginning to like her more and more. Katelyn also gave us a rather entertaining performance.

Katie and Paige completely fell off the track. During Hollywood week there was a scene of Kara saying that Katie might win this season. Seriously? And Simon keeps mentioning what an amazing voice Paige has. Seriously? I haven't seen any of these two ladies give something that will wow me. Didi took a step front this week along with Lacey. The girls fared well.

Wednesday night, the guys took the stage. I absolutely loved Lee's take on Owl City's 'Fireflies', I loved how he took that complete pop song and turned it into some more alternative. This guy is so giving me the David Cook vibe. I'm waiting for him to pull a 'Billie Jean' or 'Always Be My Baby', and it's not even funny. Alex also appealed to me this week. I'm totally not digging Andrew Garcia or Todrick for that matter, Andrew is turning everything acoustic. The judges loved Big Mike's 'A Woman Work', but I really don't see the hype about him either. Is he likeable? Yes, he is. But I see him as another Ruben Studdard, and we don't need another Ruben Studdard.

This week the Top 12 were also to be revealed and believe me, the elimination was a shocker. Todrick, Alex, Katelyn and Lilly went home. To be honest, I really didn't care about Todrick and was expecting him to go home. He had lost momentum ever since Hollywood Round, just like Andrew Garcia.

But the other three?!

I'm completely shocked over the elimination of Alex and Lilly. I was expecting Tim or Aaron to get the boot for Alex. And same for Lily. I thought Paige, Lacey or Katie would be going home instead of her and Katelyn. I'm seriously feeling the loose of these three amazing contestants. Had they survived, I'm sure we would have seen some amazing performances.

Alex Lambert had one of the most recording friendly voices I have ever heard. Katelyn had that pop commercial vibe. Given a selection of the right songs, this girl could be an amazing artist.

And Lily! My favorite girl after Crystal. I loved her quirkiness. And best yet, she had talent. Her indie-jazz styling was something Idol had never experienced before. She was indeed one-of-a-kind.

I'm hoping these three get record deals and someday I write their album review on the Soul Board. So the Top 12 were revealed and I'm disappointed. I've got my favorites picked and I doubt that I'll be changing any of them any time soon.

So peeps, who's your favorite?

American Idol Top 20; Finally Something!

Second week into the competition and now I feel that American Idol has really started. There was a marked improvement collectively speaking since last week and the eliminations were mostly fair. Last week the girls had proved they were somewhat better than the guys, and it was still the girls in the lead.

Tuesday Night the girls were supposed to take the stage, however Crystal Bowersox's health gave them one more day to prepare and the guys were put on for the night. There were better song choices and they appeared more comfortable and confident as well. Lee DeWyze is my favorite amongst the guys, that grunge feel in his voice is very David Cook. But the dude who really took the spotlight this week was 19 year old Alex Lambert. Last week he sucked big time.But all that changed this week with a much better song choice, 'Everybody Knows'. Aaron Kelly was also a stand-out, however I imagine him more as a Country Pop Artist rather than an R&B artist, it would be better if he sticks to the advice Kara gave. And the Justin Bieber comment was completely idiotic. Why, Simon?! Why?

Andrew had set the bar really high with 'Straight Up' during Hollywood week and as a consequence, he is not able to match up to it. However I'm sure he will be in Top 12. Along with Casey James and Michael Lynch. People I am expecting to go home next week are Todrick Hall and possibly, Tim Urban. Check out VFTW Campaign to keep him in. Hilarious!

Wednesday Night the girls were back on track and I was so relieved to see Crystal Bowersox performing. And yes, she was completely amazing. I'm so glad she didn't pull the sympathy act and Simon said that he had underestimated her. Hell yeah!!

I liked Haeley's arrangement on 'The Climb', it seemed alot more Country than the original version. However the vocals didn't please me that much. And it was sad to see her go, cuz an African American Country artist is a big big thing. But I get it. I do wish her luck!

We also said good-bye to Michelle Delamor, and she made a completely wrong choice of song. 'With Arms Wide Open' by Creed, it was a risk but it didn't prove to work for her. Last week her rendition of 'Fallin' of Alica Keys was good. This week not so much. Had she chosen a different song, I'm pretty darn sure we would have said good-bye to Lacey Brown this week. She wasn't good at all!

The extremely pimped Katie Stevens also hasn't managed to wow me yet. But I guarantee that she will be in Top 12. Idol always has that one 'cute-as-a-button' girl, ALWAYS!

Two other female contestants that I'm rooting for are Katelyn Eperly and Lilly Scott. Lilly is officially the coolest contestant this year, right after Crystal Bowersox. I love that urban-indie vibe from her. Plus she's a complete stand-out from the pack. Didi is another Brooke White, however not as lovable as her. Sorry, Didi!

The two guys who went home were Jermaine Sellers and John Parks. Not surprised and satisfied. They both had not given anything to wow me yet. And they both don't see as vocally good as the rest of the guys. One week more and then America get's it Top 12. I'm excited. What about you?

Complete Me; Frankmusik

Over the past one year I've started listening to alot of English musician, it's not just the likes of Leona Lewis, Adele and Duffy that have grown on me. Some of their dance influenced acts have also established themselves firmly in my playlist. One of the act I'll be telling you about today is the 24 year old British Electropop act, Vincent Frank aka Frankmusik.

He debuted in 2008 with the song 'In Step' and it was soon followed by another song '3 Little Words', both tracks made it to the debut disc that was released in 2009. The record Complete Me, which has been grown extremely successful in dance clubs is definitely one of the catchiest album I've heard for quite some time.

The song have been written and produced entirely by Frankmusik himself. Given that he has remixed several of the current act tracks, he had a good idea of what will the public like to hear. The result was a creative one man show pop record. I'm completely in love with it. And for about the past week, I've been listening to nothing but a mix play list of Frankmusik and Alphabeats.

The track listing is as follows;

1. In Step
2. Better Off As Two
3. Gotta Boyfriend?
4. Confusion Girl (Shame Shame Shame)
5. Your Boy
6. When You're Around
7. 3 Little Words
8. Wonder Woman
9. Complete Me
10. Vacant Heart
11. Time Will Tell
12. Done Done
13. Run Away from Trouble
14. Olivia (Bonus Track)

Complete Me reached number 13 spot on the UK Charts and 88 on Irish. It also earned Frankmusik a position of BBC Sounds of 2009 list, which had Little Boots on the first place. Over all, I'd give this record 8 out of 10. Being a expert on the electric keyboard and piano, the influence of these instruments can be clearly noticed on the tracks. Plus his music videos are really cool. They remind me off the Robbie Williams during his early solo years

I'm either in love with or liking every track off the record. The only two tracks I can't digest are 'Done Done' and 'Run Away from Trouble'. 'Done Done' is very much annoying with it's constant repetitive lyrics and 'Run Away from Trouble' puts me to sleep.

'In Step', 'Gotta Boyfriend', 'Vacant Hearts', 'Your Boy', 'Time Will Tell' and 'Better Off As Two' are my favorites. There is so much dance in this music that it is unbelievable. 'Gotta Boyfriend' and 'Time Will Tell' are complete dance anthems, and I am really surprised that they weren't chosen as singles. They could have done really well, especially the former.

'Vacant Hearts' and 'Your Boy' display the softer side of the singer and is much more refined in terms of vocals, where it's just Frankmusik and the music completely stripped down off any crazy sound effects. The song 'Confusion Girl (Shame Shame Shame)' is also a favorite of mine. It's catchy and it's good, but not as much as the ones I have mentioned previously.

'When You're Around' is another shining track. As mentioned earlier, it's a dance album so it's no surprise that this is another dance number. I would have excluded this in favor of another slow ballad type song, but I can see that why Frankmusik included it in the final cut. His comfort zone is dance, however he has taken risk with this track as it has a certain disco feel to it. 'Wonder Woman' is also nice, but it's very similar to the rest.

'Complete Me' is something that is reminiscent of a ballad, it's good but 'Your Boy' and 'Vacant Heart' are much better than it. 'Olivia' is most definitely the only track which seems to be sung by a British, there is a very Adele type feel to it. It's cool, but I'm not finding the falsetto very appealing. Especially around the parts when he stretches the notes, for a bonus track it's not as good as it should be. If you can't get it, believe me you're not missing out anything epic.

Saving the best for the last is the track 'In Step', which is also the first single off the record. Off the whole pack, it is the most catchy and it was indeed a wise track to start his musical journey.

Frankmusik will be releasing his sophomore effort later this year, it's titled 'Follow the Leader' and it definitely has me excited to see what kind of music that he will be coming up with. Listen and enjoy!

Copyright © Saad Khan 2009 (Karachi, Pakistan; saadkhalidkhan@gmail.com)

American Idol Top 24 Wind-Up

 

I'm mega-late on posting the Top 24 Finalists on the current season of American Idol. I'm pretty sure those of you who are following the current season are well aware of all these people. We just had the first elimination the day before yesterday and now it's down to the Top 20.

Frankly speaking, I'm not impressed with this bunch. I feel the Season 8 and most definitely Season 7, had a far more talented group collectively speaking. However one thing I do have to say, that this time round there is more variety. I don't think there has been a indie singer on Idol ever before. Nor do I think there has ever been an African American Country Singer. Collectively speaking, it's an average group. However as they continue to progress(Those who progress that is), will hopefully improve as they rack up their skills on charisma, stage presence, vocals, audience interaction and the whole slew of skills needed to be an artist.

One thing I do however have to complain about is that several contestants who have reached Top 24, I feel shouldn't have been there. The two contestants who's exit surprised me greatly was the 29 year old Jazz styled, Angela Martin and the soulful 16 year old, Thaddeus Johnsson. These two people had me completely bowled over with their superb vocals. Angela's rendition of Estelle's 'American Boy'.You can check it out here. 

Things however didn't turn out to be all that bad for her in the end. Ellen DeGeneres, the newly instated American Idol judge, invited Angela on her show and told her that Kara Dioguardi will be writing a song for her and she will help her in scoring a record deal. Way to go, Angela! And yeah, way to go Ellen!

Those of you interested in that announcement, can check it out here. Also watch Angela perform 'Superwoman' by Alicia Keys. 

Thaddeus Johnsson was the bigger upset for me, especially since after Chris Golightly was disqualified for some contracts he avoided mentioning. So anyhow, long story short, Chris was cast out and was replaced by the 20 year old college student, Tim Urban.

The camera time Chris Golightly got in Hollywood Round couldn't have been more than 15 seconds. So I have no idea how much credible of a singer he was and whether his original placing in the Top 24 was just because of his camera ready story of being an orphan since birth and the sad fact of never having a family to spend Christmas with. Thaddeus who had clearly won over with his rendition of Michael Jackson's 'Man in the Mirror'. He clearly could have been a front runner in the competition and I so badly wanted to support him. But instead we got Tim Urban, who has yet to prove himself and personally speaking, I believe his casting is just because of his good looks. They needed something the tweens could gush over. Bah, Idol producers are douche bags.

Who are my favorites?!

I do have my eyes on a couple of contestants, but I'll be revealing them later. And yes, Tyler Grady's elimination was a complete shocker. I was expecting Jermaine Sellers or Alex Lambert to go and I sincerely hope that next week they do. 

What do you guys have to say?

Alphabeat Put A Spell On Me

I recently discovered a Danish pop band on one of the best music blogs present. I had not heard of them before but I'm completely digging their sound now. I downloaded their new album on Sunday and I've been listening to it non-stop for the past two days. It's completely awesome.

They go by the name of Alphabeats, their songs are mostly dance tracks with influence of Euro-pop. It also has kind of a discotheque feel of the 80s as well. If anyone of you happen to have mad love for dance anthems, then you need to listen to their album. I'll be putting up a review of their album really soon. I don't seem to have much time to blog nowadays because my wards are keeping me freaking busy.

I'm leaving you with their latest music video from their song 'The Spell'. This track is super catchy and super addictive. Check it out below;



If you like it, then I would suggest you to check out their other new single as well 'Hole In My Heart'. I can't seem to pick a favorite of the two, or a matter of fact the whole album.

L.O.L

I saw this on VFTW and I completely loved it. Especially the ending. Check it out and laugh your face off!

Everybody Hurts

2010 started off with an devastating start when an earthquake of catastrophic magnitude of 7.0 struck Haiti on 12th January. Followed by over fifty aftershocks, that most deadly of which occurred on 20th January having a magnitude of 5.9. The Earthquake left over 200,000 people dead and even more injured.

People from all over the world have joined hands to help Haiti in whatever possible way. People from all walks of life have set-up relief efforts in whatever possible way they could. We had the Hope for Haiti Now telethon produced by George Clooney on 23rd January. The feature included several moving performances, most notable of which was Christina Aguilera's Life Me Up.

The songs from the telethon were recorded and presented as an album titled Hope For Haiti Now. I have personally bought the album and to those of you who can, I would recommend to do the same.

But all of this was just on the part of the American Recording Industry. The British Prime Minister got Simon Cowell to put together a charity single. Simon chose the R.E.M. song Everybody Hurts from their 1992 album.

The song features numerous British Entertainment personalities such as Leona Lewis, Cheryl Cole, James Blunt, Alexandra Burke, Gary Barlow, James Morrison, Susan Boyle, Robbie Williams and many more. Also featured are artist like Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, Jon Bon Jovi and Kylie Minogue.

I personally have fallen in love with this song, there is a reason Cowell is regarded as a musical genius despite his huge ego and overly-sarcastic personality.

The proceeds from the single will be going relief for Haiti and you can buy the single here.

The promotional video for the single premiered today and has completely moved me. You can check it out below;



Lend in a helping hand, people. They need all the help they can get!

Hands; Little Boots

English singer/songwriter Little Boots released her debut album Hands in 2009. The album contains a is a complete dance pop record with a flair of synth and electro. Heralded as the Future of Music, Little Boots did an amazing job with her debut. Penning down every track off the record either on her own or in collaboration with a song-writer. The final song cut revealed a list of the most radio ready tracks ever that will can be played at a club, party or right in your own car.

The track listing for the record is as follows;

1. New In Town
2. Earthquake
3. Stuck On Repeat
4. Click
5. Remedy
6. Meddle
7. Ghost
8. Mathematics
9. Symmetry ft. Philip Oakey
10. Tune into My Heart
11. Hearts Collide
12. No Brakes

While all the tracks are good to listen to, there are some clear stand-out from the pack. 'Remedy' which has the genius touch of the RedOne is quite possibly the best track off the record. It's super catchy and it's got that subtle fighting spirit that is so notable in Little Boots' interviews. It'a a must listen according to me.

Other favorites of mine include the fast-paced 'New In Town' and the duet with Philip Oakey 'Symmetry'. The latter is a definite recommendation. I'm very surprised that this song was not chosen as a single, it is probably one of the most authentic tracks on the albums. Little Boots has done an amazing job at the lyrics along with Roy Kerr. Roy is known for penning several tracks of Lady Hawke's debut album Paris is Burning and Christina Aguilera pop-smash 'Genie In a Bottle'. 'Symmetry' is definitely worth listening to, guys!

'Meddle', 'Ghost', 'Mathematics' and 'Tune Into My Heart' are other favorites of mine. I'm sort of surprised that I like the second half of the record more than the first half. 'Click' and 'Stuck On Repeat' do absolutely nothing for me. 

'Hearts Collide' will literally put you into a trance. It's ridiculously smooth flowing and will slither into your memory. It was a possible single, until recently. Little Boots will be releasing Hands in US in March 2010 and possibly tour along with the UK boy-band JLS. But the tour is still in the works. 

Copyright © Saad Khan 2009 (Karachi, Pakistan; saadkhalidkhan@gmail.com)

I'm Left Speechless!!

I started posting sometime towards the end of 2009 about two brothers who were finalists on the most recent season of X-Factor. They were a pain in Simon's arse but a core to the high ratings. They stuck around till Top 6, I think.

Anyhow if you had been watching the videos I had posted, you would be aware that the brothers were not taking the competition seriously at all. They didn't sing all that good, but they were great performers. Very confident! Somewhat charismatic! A little loud-mouthed! But hey, that's just about every 17 year old boy out there!

Jedward released their first official video today. A cover of the Queens song, Under Pressure, in collaboration with David Bowie. They did it with a mash-up of Ice Ice Baby by the American rapper, Vanilla Ice. The song was ridiculous, but insanely funny. This song got to be their first single, and over here is the official video. Jedward is rocking it out. They got their own video out even before there was any news of the winner's, Joe McElderry, album production. And it's doing well commercially speaking.

Does this mean you do not have to win the show to become a successful recording artist?

Grammys @ 2010 - We're All Fans

I just finished watching the 2010 Grammy Awards and I can't believe it the amount of awards Taylor Swift snatched from Lady GaGa. This was so freak'in unbelievable. For me, Grammys just lost all credibility. When they can award someone who can't carry a tune and sing on-key if her life depended for a Vocal Performance, then Grammy is nothing to boast about.

Nevertheless the night wasn't a complete loss. There were six amazing performances and I'm putting them all up here for you people to enjoy. These are my favorites and you're more than welcome to link up to yours. I'm gonna kick of with the Lady GaGa's monster routine. Though this get-up didn't amaze me, her performance did leave me speechless. Starting her routine with the dance phenomenon Pokerface. She was later joined by Sir Elton John on Speechless. I've always loved Sir Elton John's collabs. Remember at Grammys a few years back when he performed with Eminem. Things like this keep him current, he mixed it with 'Your Song'. This was one freak'in ridiculous performance!



Later on we had the original diva Beyonce aka Sasha Fierce strut herself. She performed If I Were a Boy and followed it up with Alanis Morisette's 'You Oughta Know'. I would have personally loved had she sung Single Ladies because not only that song was nominated for numerous categories but that is one song which will continue to be popular in many generations to come. So put your hands up for Beyonce!



My favorite rock-band of all time, Green Day also took the stage. Now what they did was something very new to me. I had no idea there was a Green Day musical coming up. I haven't really seen any Broadway stage up close but it's been on my To-Do list since the last few years. So the word musical got my ears up. They performed 21 Guns alongside the cast of American Idiot. The girls got pretty darn good vocal command, though she looks kind of scared.



P!NK also performed on the Grammys. Though the acrobatic routine wasn't new, she performed a similar on the VMAs singing Sober. This time around with Glitter In The Air, P!NK took to the air. I loved when she did an inverted pirouette at the end. I wish she had chosen a different song, but it was a good performance over all.



Jennifer Nettles who has me so freak'in impressed with her Country performance joined Bon Jovi for their very first Grammy performance. She performed their Country hit, Who Says You Can't Go Home, and did amazing. I loved how well she meshed with the guys. It seemed as if she's been singing with them for ages. Not peppered with glitz and glamor, just riffs and vocals. Unadulterated goodness!



Last but not the least the Recording Academy paid a tribute to the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Accompanied by Celine Dion, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson, this was a Grammy moment. I wouldn't be surprised if there were tears in the eyes of people as the video played. The performance was flawless and immaculate. They all sung beautifully. This IS the real thing, people!



Grammys were no doubt good this year. Beyonce took home 6 awards, making a record for the most wins by a female at a single Grammys night. Taylor Swift took home 4, while GaGa earned 2. Black Eyed Peas won 3. Other winners included Eminem, Rihanna, Jason Mraz, Colbie Caillat, A. R. Rehman, Kanye West and Maxwell. Congratulations to all the winners!!