Monday, June 19, 2006

MUSIC: New Singles

New singles are dropping like flies all over the web, and by the sound of most of them I wouldn't be surprised if there was an actual corpse lying in sight.

Everyone from Janet Jackson to Paris Hilton to Christina Aguilera are gracing gossip blogs with their break out singles as they either emerge from an exstensive hiatus or debut their unknown "talents" to the world.

As Christina's reawakening, she opted for a soulful, jazz-based profession of love to her husband called, "Aint no other man" . I'm not quite sure her fans, who've grown up to the ripe old age of 18-22, are ready for such an aged vibe. But if they're dedicated enough, I'm sure they'll tolerate it for at least two more singles before they start begging for some raunch.

Meanwhile Janet, Ms. Jackson if you're nasty, chose to reclaim her fans with a slow number, caked with sensual romance, dubbed "Call me" . On the track is a short appearance from her boyfriend Jermain Dupri, and a familiar soft spoken southern drawl from Nelly. Knowing that Dupri worked on Mariah Carey's album and having also heard it, pains me as I realize how similar their beats sound.

Lucky for Paris Hilton, there were no major expectations for the heiress's debut, "Stars are blind". They were fairly low considering her reputation for mindless debauchery. But several celebrities and critics have audibly gasped when notified that the reggae love song they're bopping and flailing to is being sung by the one and only Ms. Hilton. For a summer release, it does the trick. But after all her bragging about her amazing violin and paino skills, I was expecting probably a whole lot more than everyone else.

Christina isn't the only one channeling the oldies. Since her divorce with the quick-to-bounce-back Nick Lachey, Jessica Simpson has been reassessing her musical interests with a hint of Madonna and a dash of Motown in her new single "Public Affair" that will be released this Friday, June 23rd. But until then we can satisfy ourselves with her little sister Ashlee's makeover in her new single "Invisible." Changing it up with the addition of a country guitar, she keeps it signature with her usual angry/sad vocals.

If you too are searching for some new tunes or beats to change up your every day routine, you can try one or all of these three acts:
The Fray: The lead singer is a cross between Gavin Degraw and John Mayer vocally. I'd recommend "Over my head" and "How to save a life."
Josh Hoge: After checking out his website www.joshhoge.com, I realized he sort of has a different vibe for every song. In "360" he's soft spoken like Frankie J. In "Work that Body," he makes you move your feet and swoon like Justin Timberlake. But in "Take it or leave it" he'll have you guessing whether he has some country roots. (He is indeed from Nashville.) You can tell by his lyrics, "I don't pretend to be pretty/Sometimes I tend to talk dirty/I can be country or city/Welcome to my world," that he's not looking to be a crowd pleaser.
Brooke Hogan: Known for being babied and stalked by her infamous father Hulk Hogan on VH1's "Hogan Knows Best," Brooke hasn't exactly gotten a great head start in Hollywood. After her poppy "Everthing to me" failed to shoot her into stardom, she ventured off to reinvent herself ala Madonna with the single "About Us" featuring rap artist Paul Wall. Usually when pop artists revamp their sound, they veer off into punk or rock, but Brooke plunged into hip hop. She's successful in not sounding too much like a poser, but I still can't decide if it suits her.

--Monica

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