Marsha Ambrosious amazing new single/video "Far Away"

As a HUGE former Floetry fan, I was more that excited when I found out that they were both making solo albums (Natalie's already being out entitled "Floetic Soul"). I was most excited about Marsha's who was always my favorite of the group is releasing hers entitled "Late Nights, Early Mornings" on Feb. 22. But what has me even more excited is her beautiful new single "Far Away" I think it's important that Everyone (gay & straight) should watch this music video. This puts the kiss in both Christina ("Beautiful") & Katy's ("Fireworks") videos to SHAME! It is about time a singer decided to think outside the box & defend both the gay community & the obstacles we face every single day like bullying & suicide. I am SO proud of Marsha for this words can't even express. I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you Marsha for thinking outside the box & using your craft to take a stand for us.

At the end of the video Marsha has written a letter. It says:

Dear Friends,

Every year over 1 million people commit suicide.

Some were bullied because of their sexuality.

I lost a friend to suicide, and I'm asking all of you to support alternative lifestyles.

Don't put up with or join in with bullying. It's time we became more aware in this world.

Take responsibility to make a difference. So if my music can save one life, I've done my job.

I love you all SO much !!

Marsha

Well Marsha, I'm here to tell you you've already saved MY life. more than you'll EVER know !!!

The suicide prevention hotline at the end of the video: 1 800 273 TALK (8255)

www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel

I've been gone for a couple days {sorry about that guys} but I wanted to come back & review a CD that I think has been very underrated. I want to review, "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" by none other than Mariah Carey. I'll never understand why this CD didn't do better than what it did. It may have had "imperfect" in the title but it was anything but! In fact, I would say it's the exact opposite. It's the perfect combination between "Butterfly" & "The Emancipation of Mimi" ... the CD is so appropriately titled b/c the songs have a certain realness to them that shows that even though she is Mariah the "Diva" she is still human and has flaws just like the rest of us!

I'd like to start off w/ the booklet and point out that I loved the re-shoots of her most famous pics from previous CD's in the book itself she talked a little about each of her albums and her marriage to Nick Cannon and her new movie "Precious" & how the story really touched her! I always think it's a plus when an artist shows who they really are to their fans {or in Mimi's case, "lambs" } the fact that it was a mini "Elle" magazine was a cool, creative spin as well! on to the music ...

the Cd was produced by her, The-Dream & his team and I will admit, while I do love The-Dream & how creative he is, I was a little apprehensive about them working together but if you ask me, it worked out perfectly!

"Betcha Gon' Know" is the lead song on the record that talks about having your heart broken and instead of sulking, you get even!I love how both The-Dream & Mariah are story tellers and this songs really does that but to me, it sounds to o much like the dream from the delivery, the vocal arrangement, the beat, everything! it's one of the weaker tracks of the record but it isn't a terrible track to say the least, I doubt this would be a single, if so ...

"Obsessed" we all know what this is about so on to ...

"H.A.T.E.U." this is by far my FAVOURITE track on the record and IMO the strongest, it's about breaking up w/ someone and feeling so bad. you can't wait to be over him so you can hate him and hope by that time, he's realizing his mistake and is feeling your pain!I love this song from the lyrics, to delivery, to the whole production itself! I had it on repeat for an hour before I could even listen to the rest of the CD! lol I hope this is a single it can surely get to #1!!


"Candy Bling" is another on of my faves and stronger tracks it's really about just remembering a great love you shared w/ someone. it has a really great vibe and flows nicely. def a banger!


"Ribbon" is another good one as well! It's about feening for your lover's touch b/c he is definitely good at what he does! I love it, the lyricism is very creative and this could easily be a single as well!

"Inseperable" it's really self-explanatory. it's about just wanting to spend all of your time w/ that special someone I am sure we can all relate lol while the song is quite good, I see this one as more of a lamb favorite and not really a chart topper.

"Standing O" is pretty cool, I was like eh, at first but when I really listened to the lyrics it really is a good song. it's about basically being fooled by a guy so many times you have to give him his props, he had game. it just sucks that you really loved the bastard! {the story of my life! lol} it's a good song well-written if you ask me, it's kind of the way Rihanna's "Take A Bow" should have been!

"It's A Wrap" another self explanatory track, it's not my fave, but it isn't terrible I guess what I don't like about this one the most is that the lyrics sound so much like The-Dream {i.e. "I should crack you right in your forehead"} it's almost like, really Mariah? lol

"Up Out My Face" I really like this song lol only b/c when I hear it, you can tell that she was just having fun and life does really get like that sometimes where you've just had enough and just want eveyone out of your face, you can even hear her laughing in some parts of the song. it wasn't really meant to be taken seriously, I can see me & my friends in the car on the way to the club jamming to this just cutting up & having a good time lol

"More Than Just Friends" is a really pretty ballad about wanting to be w/ someone who never really showed the same interest and it sucks b/c you really feel like you could be good for one another

"The Impossible" it's a pretty song about having found true love after giving up from all the past heartbreak in your life. you can really feel her in this one {I wonder who she is talking about }

"The Impossible {reprise} - exactly what it says

Angel {prelude} exactly what it says, although, I was really feeling that beat and I was hoping the following song would have just flowed right into it, it could have been a hot little song!

"Angels Cry" -it's about having an unexpected breakup that really could have been prevented but you were both too stubborn to let the other get the last word {we've ALL been there! lol} then you wonder if it can be revived even after all that?

"Languishing" is the best ballad on here {next to "H.A.T.E.U. of course lol} and where it ask would you really die for me? would you really give your all for/to me? do you even love me? it's a really beautiful song & the last note she hits almost wants to make you go there as she's still hitting it as the piano for "I Want To Know What Love Is" starts to play

"I Want To Know What Love Is" - is another of the strongest tracks on the record. I really, really love this song and her voice is so superb. you can really feel that she's asked herself that very same thing numerous times in her life. I wish it would have been the longer version though b/c by the end, I feel like it's not over, there should be more! lol

all in all this CD really is great! I would def put this in her top 5 records! it really touched me & I am o proud of her!I couldn't have asked for a better album. she's definitely proved there is still way more where that came from and I will be here when it does!

the strongest tracks {and my singles wish list lol} are:

"H.A.T.E.U."
"Candy Bling"
"Ribbon"
"Angels Cry"
"I Want To Know What Love Is"
"Obsessed"
"It's A Wrap"
"Inseperable"
"Impossible"


she & The-Dream were really a good team!

Rihanna's Artistic "Rated R"

I will start off by saying if you think that this is ANYTHING like "Good Girl Gone Bad" you are sadly mistaken. Instead, Rihanna took all of the pain & betrayal of her very public, very unfortunate domestic dispute w/ ex boyfriend Chris Brown and made art! when I first heard "Russian Roulette" I knew exactly where this CD was headed I also knew that not everyone would understand it! okay, on to the music ...

Instead of going track for track I decided to review the songs I really love & I think are the strongest & shows where Rihanna really was on this record

"Russian Roulette" -This is the lead single from the record. everyone seems to think it's about suicide but it isn't about that at all! to me I think it's a metaphor so to speak showing the death of he older, weaker Rihanna. the one that allowed herself to be so vulnerable & out w/ the new & improved Rihanna the stronger, wiser Rihanna. it really is a beautiful song if you really listen to it for what it is. To me it's about resurrection!


"Fire Bomb" - This is a really good song. It really talks about revenge in the best way ever IMO. she asks the lovers to "clear the room" & make way for a fire bomb {Rihanna} to come & explode all of her anger & shift it to her ex lover so he can see where she's coming from. powerful song!!



"Rude Boy" - Is a fun song about rough sex! I love this song so much. it's almost like the answer to Britney's equally good "3". She asks her partner to call her "rude" and demands he "take it!" this song is going to get a lot of people in trouble on the dance floor! lol may be one of them!


"Photographs" - This is my favorite song on the record. Rihanna finds herself reminiscing over old photos of her and an ex lover showing the good times they had w/ one another & she's questioning if a breakup is the best decision b/c she feels as if she is nothing w/o him. I think everyone has felt this way before! Will.i.am. compliments her well & I can see this being her number 1 from this record!




G4L" - In "Russian Roulette" I said that Rihanna killed the older, weaker Rihanna & resurrected into a new & improved, stronger Rihanna. This song brings her out. "I lick the gun when I'm done b/c you know that revenge is sweet" that is such a strong line to me! It shows that she has put her guard up has indeed become stronger.



Te Amo" - This is a good song it's a cover by Reggaeton artist Mekano. It's about Rihanna having a female friend who reveals she is in love w/ her but Rihanna says she loves her too but only as friends b/c she isn't a lesbian. I really like this & could see a cool video concept for it. I doubt this would play on the radio though. it's too "controversial" lol

"Cold Case Love" - This is my second favorite track from the record. It's about her being so blind in love that she couldn't see the person he really was until it was too late. She wishes she could have investigated more instead of ending up w/ a cold case love"



All in all I will give the record 4 stars! it really is one of the best pop records of the year! & I can always respect an artist that always tries to out do themselves from their last album. it shows true artistry! so pick up a copy of "Rated R" today! you will not be disappointed I assure you!

Drake performs "Find Your Love" last night on Jay Leno

It's no secret that I am a huge, HUGE Drake fan. I've never been ashamed to say I've been a fan ever since "Degrassi: The Next Generation" so it's only natural that I stayed up to watch him perform one of my favorite songs from his new CD, "Thank Me Later" {which is #1 in the U.S. this week coming in at 462,989 copies!!!!} "Find Your Love". It's the only song on the record where he sings it all the way through so I'm sure we were all curious to hear how this would turn out. Sadly to say, I was a little disappointed. First off, he sang it in a lower key, he didn't even try to get the higher part of the song, & he didn't really seem as confident about his voice he seemed rather timid which is the complete opposite of when he's rapping. That being said, he didn't sound TERRIBLE by any means BUT, it's clear that he needs to get a vocal coach ASAP if he wants to stay a singing rapper anywhoo, judge for yourself. Watch the video now! =)

Janelle Monae's masterpiece "The ArchAndroid"

For DAYS I've been trying to find the words to describe this CD WITHOUT using the word "perfect" but I can't. Janelle Monae's debut CD "The ArchAndroid" is an R&B masterpiece. It has really gone there as far as experimenting with different sounds yet still staying true to R&B. Inspired by the 1927 movie "Metropolis" Janelle has made up a fictional character named "Cindy Mayweather" & the whole album is of her journey as she touches subjects like love, War & slavery all the while discovering she is a messiah-like figure in hopes to free her people. But enough of me chatting, listen to the songs I've posted from this masterpiece & see for yourself. You won't be disappointed!

"Cold War" Do you know what you're fighting for ?


"Say You'll Go"


"57821" The most BEAUTIFUL song ever! easily my favorite song on the record!


"Mushrooms & Roses"


"Locked Inside"


Impressed ? I know you are! Now go out & buy this musical masterpiece! It' one anyone who considers themselves a music lover should have!

A look into Chris Brown's career thus far. Can he regain his spot ?

Chris Brown pretty much had success over night & career suicide all in the same breath! He was beginning to make a name for himself in the R&B game proving that he was indeed the heir to the R&B throne & it seemed like he had so much promise that is until ... but enough has been said about that already. I decided to make this post just giving my opinion of Chris & his success over the years. I give what I think are his best songs/singles & even a few unreleased tracks that I love. I'll start w/ his first ...

"Chris Brown"

We all know of that legendary debut single "Run It" that featured Juelz Santana


Which now seems like an unlikely pair. When I first heard the song I like it. I thought he was cute but his face was painted down. there was NO WAY a 15 yr old boy could have skin that flawless :lol: but anywhoo, In spite of the response the single got I just knew he would be a one hit wonder {i.e. Lil Corey anyone?} I wasn't completely sold that he would make to another album that is until ...

"Yo {Excuse Me Miss}"



dropped. It had a really cool innocence to the song and in my opinion is his best vocal in his entire discography! It was very crisp & pure & the video was everything to me! The day I heard it I went to Best Buy to buy the CD.

I was very impressed! unfortunately his next single, {"Gimme Dat"} was my least favorite song on the record {next to "What's My Name?" w/ some guy named Noah} I tossed that aside.

my favorite song which honestly seemed like a fan favorite was "Poppin" I always wanted to see a video for that it even played on the radio here! other standout tracks were "Ain't No Way", "Ya Man Ain't Me" and the third single from the disc ...

"Say Goodbye"


It was also the lead single from the Step Up Soundtrack. I loved the video & the song and it showed how versatile his style was that he could go from club bangers like "Run It" to tempered cuts like this. I was very impressed and thought he deserved the title "The Future of R&B"



Next is ...

"Exclusive"

This is his best album thus far IMO as far as subject matter & artistry.

"Wall to Wall" was a terrible first single. I hated the video, the production I was afraid for him w/ this single. It just wasn't a good choice to lead a new album to me but that all changed when ...

"Kiss Kiss" came out. I loved the beat. it was him doing what he does best & that's keeping you on the dance floor! the dancing for it was CRAZY I loved the different character's he played in the video, it showed his humorous side. and I regained my faith in the success of the album. next was ...

"With You" I love this song but it sounded like the producers were trying to get "Irreplaceable" out just one more time. thakfully the video & song itself delivered!


"Take You Down". there was some big controversy in the making of this record. he was supposed to have "Bed" {J. Holiday} but his record label thought that the subject matter of the song was "too risque" for his cookie cutter image so they decided against him singing it. so he went behind their backs and made "Take You Down" it was supposed to signify the growth in his life musically & lyrically. showing that he is well on his journey to manhood and has been doing things that Men do. I thought it was a brave feat but IMO is one of the weaker songs on the record.

"Super Human" w/ Keri Hilson was a good duet. Their voices really meshed well. They were very in sync. & I loved the Video!



"forever" is one of his best songs to me!



I always wished that "You" & "Lottery" would have been singles as well. I loved the 80's feel that I got from "You" it gave me old school De Barge/ & I loved the Asian feel in "Lottery" as well
other standout tracks were "Picture Perfect", "Gimme What you Got", "Help Me" & "Damage"

any of these as singles would have given him those few extra sales from the record
on to ...

"Graffitti" is a pretty good album but I still think he didn't take it to that next level. I feel like the lyricism was too vague, I personally needed to feel his side, and to me, I didn't feel it at all. I felt like he was just humoring the situation but, I still think the album is great!

"I Can Transform Ya"

is a great song perfect to lead a new album & the video slays, the dancing is everything o me & this is Swizz Beat's first time showing some versitility in his production b/c before, everything sounded the same. this definately showed that the Chris Brown we knew was indeed back! well, he'd be back had the infamous incident hadn't happened b/c let's face it, Chris Brown will never be seen the same way again. sad to say ...


"Crawl" is a nice song. Cassie being in the video is definitely random & should have been thought through a little more but if you ignore that minor hurdle, the video fits the song quite well.


the album has other cuts on there I love but none other matters to me more than "I.Y.A. it's my favorite song from the record I would have LOVED for it to be a single!!



I also loved "Pass Out" w/ Eva Simmons. This song would have murdered the club scene it's a really unique way to sample Eric Prydz "Call On Me"


& a cut called "Falling Down"


other songs from his music vault that I would have loved to have heard on an album are "Electric Guitar" & "Glow In The Dark"

"Electric Guitar" was actually supposed to be for or either dueted w/ Rihanna. if you listen to it you will know why. the lyrics sounds like he is singing to a man. but we know that Chris Brown writes songs for women all the time {i.e. "Captive" for thePCD's}


"Glow In The Dark"


I think he still has promise. I know it may take a few years for the public to see him in the same like they once did but if he presses forward and works hard I'm sure he can regain it. after all, he is very talented!

Kelis' new song "4th of July {Fireworks}" !!!!!

I have always been a BIG fan of Kelis. Both she, & her music has meant so much to me as the years have gone by. She was the first to represent the "outcasts" of society & made me believe in myself no matter how much I differentiate from what's "normal". Her new Cd entitled "Flesh Tone" which will be out worldwide July 6 {even though it's already out in Europe} is nothing short of amazing.I was impressed with the first single "A Capella" but I am just Awe struck from this new single it has a very cool electro pop sound that I know will murder the clubs this summer! But don't take my word for it, listen for yourself! Ladies & gentlemen I present to you, the iconic "4th of July {Fireworks}"