Friday 5 February 2010

Beyoncé: Destiny's Child Era!

As part of Beyoncé being the artist of the month, I have decided to go through the different eras of Beyoncé and give you a taste of the best of Beyoncé.

Firstly, we are starting with the Destiny's Child era. For those who are not aware, Beyoncé was part of one of the biggest selling girl groups, Destiny's Child.

The first incarnation of Destiny's Child consisted of Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, LaTavia Roberson, and LeToya Luckett. As a group of four, they released their debut single, "No ,No, No" in 1997. They ended up releasing two albums as the group of four. These albums were "Destiny's Child, and "The Writing's On The Wall".

Here is a video selection from the beginning of this era. This is "Bills, Bills, Bills":

In December 1999, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson wanted to split from the group. By 2000, they split and were replaced by Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin. After five months of performing with Destiny's Child, Franklin left the group leaving Destiny's child as a trio and the final incarnation of the group.
In the final incarnation of the group, they released a string of hits, and a couple of albums including "Survivor" and "Destiny Fulfilled".
In between the albums "Survivor" and "Destiny Fulfilled", Beyoncé released her first solo album "Dangerously In Love" (Which I will come back to in a later post).
The group finally disbanded in 2006 after many rumours. Now I will post a few videos of their latest material.

"Survivor"

"Lose My Breath"


And there you have it - the Destiny's Child era in a nutshell!

Check Out 24/7's Current Top Tracks!

Every now and then I update 24/7's Current Top Tracks. This is a feature that is situated on the right hand side of the blog. It looks like an iPod and allows you to listen to my top tracks of the moment. I have decided to do a feature where I talk briefly about my top tracks and why I have chosen them. So here goes:

  1. Sabrina Washington - OMG: This is one of the newest tracks that I can't stop playing. I am such a big fan of Mis-Teeq so when I heard Sabrina was coming out with material I was pleased. And this song exceeded expectations.
  2. Fantasia - Even Angels: I am in love with this song now. I was never a fan of Fantasia's music but she has really turned me into one with this single song.
  3. Gabriella Cilmi - On A Mission: I am not a big fan of Gabriella either but this song cements her come back and I can't wait for the rest of the album.
  4. Jennifer Lopez - What Is Love?: This leaked last year but I discovered it recently and it is just so catchy.
  5. Monica - Everything To Me: The latest single from Monica. I am anticipating her new album and this single is one of the reasons why. She just has some great material.
  6. Nicole Scherzinger - By My Side (Ft. Akon): This is quite an old leak but is the latest leak I believe. I have really grown to like this song.
  7. Sugababes - Miss Everything: This song is easily one of the best from Sugababes newest album "Sweet 7".
  8. Gabriella Cilmi - Hearts Don't Lie: This song is the latest leak from her upcoming album "Ten". I have grown to like this song aswell.
  9. Jennifer Lopez - Everybody's Girl: The latest song from Jennifer Lopez. I have grown to like this and listen to it everyday now.
  10. Esmee Denters - 007 On You: The latest leak from Esmee and it is a really good song so I have been listening to this a bit as it is fresh in my mind.

Album Review: Amerie - Because I Love It

So, I was planning to write this album view ages ago, but now that I have some free time and no updates to post, I thought I would write it now. This album is fairly old but I class it as a really good album that I would like to share my thoughts about. This album is called "Because I Love It" and is Amerie's third studio album. It was released in 2007, for those who wanted to know.
Upwards and onwards to the track-by-track review:

  1. Forecast (Intro): This intro sets the album off nicely. The length runs just over a minute and does just what it needs to. It whets your appetite for the rest of the album. 9/10
  2. Hate2LoveU: This song gets the going and is a great track. It is one of the stand out songs on the album. 9.5/10
  3. Some Like It: This track is hands down the best on the album. I love the old school sound and there is just something about it that makes it so addictive. This is probably my most played song on the album. 10/10
  4. Make Me Believe: This track is decent but after the greatness of the previous track, it just lacks something. I am not saying I dislike the track but it is not great. 8/10
  5. Take Control: Serving as the albums first single, this is one track that is on fire. It is so catchy and you just have to think how does Amerie do it. 10/10
  6. Gotta Work: This track serves as the albums second single and is another banger. I really like this track too and it is definitely one of the standouts from the album. 9.5/10
  7. Crush: This is a nice song and I think that it serves well as a nice album track. 8.5/10
  8. Crazy Wonderful: This is a really nice song as well. The track has a nice sultry sound to it. 8/10
  9. That's What U R: A decent song that fits the album nicely. It was supposed to be the third single but one wasn't released. I am kind of glad because this is not single material. 7.5/10
  10. When Loving You Was Easy: A great track that I think can be classed as one the standouts from the album. Amerie really pulls through on this album and delivers track by track greatness. 8.5/10
  11. Paint Me Over: This is one of the longest tracks on the album and it takes a few listens to make an impact. I think it is a really good track and fits nicely with the album. The album has definitely changed pace at this point. 7.5/10
  12. Somebody Up There: This is another slow sultry sounding track. Amerie has delivered another great track. 7.5/10
  13. All Roads: I love this song and it is one of the better sounding slower tracks off the album. It has such great lyrics and is a really great song with a nice meaning. 8.5/10
  14. 1 Thing: This is the song where I first discovered Amerie. This song is such a tune and is so catchy. If you haven't heard this song then where have you been. 10/10
  15. Losing U (Bonus Track): As a bonus track this finishes the album off nicely. It changes the pace up and is very catchy. If the album was to finish at All Roads or 1 Thing then it might leave the end of the album a little bare. 10/10

OVERALL: 8.8/10
This album has gained a very strong score and definitely deserves it. I constantly listen to this album, and it has such an array of tracks that range from slow to faster paced songs that are for all moods. I can definitely say that Amerie's last two albums have been stronger than her older material.

Album Review: Sugababes - Sweet 7

As updates are quite slow at the moment, I thought I would review another album. "Sweet 7" which is to be released in March, was leaked a month early so I have decided to review it for you. I am going to review this album completely separately to Keisha's version of the songs.
So this album is the seventh studio album from the Sugababes and features the newest line-up including members Jade Ewen, Amelle Berrabah, and Heidi Range. I will admit that I weren't too sure about this album or the line-up. I will miss Keisha in the group but I think that she will do better solo.
Anyways on to the track-by-track review:

  1. Get Sexy: From the moment that I heard this song I knew that I would not stop listening to it. This showed another side of the Sugababes and I liked the direction they were going in. 9/10
  2. Wear My Kiss: I will admit that I did not really get into this song so much, but after listening to it on the album I can see how catchy it is. I prefer the album version which is longer than the single mix. 8.5/10
  3. About A Girl: This song is really catchy as well and I definitely like the new direction. I would say that this is one of the best songs on the album. 10/10
  4. Wait For You: This song relies heavily on auto-tune at the beginning but flowers into another great track. I really like Jade's voice in this as it is very strong and it sets the new Sugababes aside from the older incarnations. 9/10
  5. Thank You For The Heartbreak: This song is decent but I don't see why it is a fan favourite. I would not say that it stands out that much but it is decent. 7/10
  6. Miss Everything: This song is completely different to what I expected to hear from the Sugababes. It features Sean Kingston and is definitely one of the stand out tracks from the album. 10/10
  7. She's A Mess: First listen and I thought what the hell is this. It relies very heavily on auto-tune and I do think that the auto-tune could have been toned down. The song is not too bad after a few listens. The only pathetic thing in this song is Amelle who kind of talks/raps otherwise this song would have been better. 6/10
  8. Give It To Me Now: I really like this song. It sounds a bit more like a normal Sugababes song. This song is a little different than the rest of the material so I think this is the point where the album changes completely for the second half. 8/10
  9. Crash & Burn: The tracks have done a 180 degree turn ad have changed completely to songs that sound more like Sugababes. I think some of these songs are more stronger than the rest of the album. 8/10
  10. No More You: This is a really great track. I love the beat of the song and it is quite a catchy track. 8.5/10
  11. Sweet & Amazing: This is a typical Sugababes. Yes I have said that for a number of tracks but this sounds like the real Sugababes. The song is really great. I think this is definitely one of the stand out tracks. 9.5/10
  12. Little Miss Perfect: This song nicely finishes the album off. It shows that the second half of the album is completely different. The vocals on this song are really good and I think that Sugababes do better on songs like this. 9.0/10
OVERALL: 8.5/10
So I was really surprised with this album as I liked it more than I thought I would. The album is pretty strong and the overall score shows this. I think that the album does lack Keisha's vocals but if you look at it separately from Keisha being in the band then it is a pretty decent album.

Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam Performances

I have found good quality performances from the Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam. The performances are all good and consist of Rihanna single multiple songs aswell as Timbaland singing with JoJo. I refuse to post the Justin Bieber performance as I can't stand him. So watch these performances and tell me what you think.

"Rihanna: Mad House/Wait Your Turn/Live Your Life/Disturbia"

"Rihanna: Russian Roulette/Hard (Ft. Young Jeezy)/Rude Boy"

"Timbaland: Carry Out"

"Timbaland: Lose Control (Ft. JoJo)"

Fantasia "Even Angels" Live On Oprah

Fantasia's new single "Even Angels" was recently performed on Oprah. I really like this song, so i thought I would post this performance. She has got a unique voice and I have really grown to like her. Take a view of the video below and tell me what you think.



Monica "Still Standing" Release Date Set

Monica's sixth studio album "Still Standing" has finally been given a proper release date. With the success of "Everything To Me" I can't actually see this date being pushed back with a bit of luck.
Anyways the date has now been officially confirmed for March 23rd 2010. I am not sure if this counts for everywhere as the UK date is still noted down as 8th March 2010.
Hopefully a tracklisting and official album cover will be released sometime soon as I am really anticipating this album and can't wait to see what has made the cut.
I was glued to watching her reality TV show "Monica: Still Standing" on BET and ever since I have been obsessed with this project.
When more news becomes available I will let you all know :)

Take A Look At Sabrina Washington's "OMG" Video

Former lead singer of Mis-Teeq, Sabrina Washington's new video for her debut single "OMG" is available to watch exclusively at DigitalSpy. The video is great and I suggest you head on over there to watch as I can't embed the video here. *Updated with embedded video*


Let me know your views on the video!

Stay Tuned...

Hi everyone,
I am currently updating posts. Sorry if there has been a lack of updates but to be honest not that much has happened recently.
I am in the middle of writing a few album reviews as well as the Survivors episode review. I am also writing about the different eras of Beyonce which takes a bit of time. I am working on another post called "Do You Remember?" which will look at a specific artist/band and will look at their hits and what they achieved. Please keep visiting and when there is anything worth updating be sure to see it here.

Thanks for the support :)

NOTE: The blog has exceeded over 6000 views in a month which I think is good. Yesterday I doubled my viewers so I hope t achieve the same thing and continue with the success. Thanks for visiting and please do bookmark this site and come back!

Ke$hawood?!

Here is a funny video that was posted on Ke$ha's YouTube page. I do not know whether its fake or not, but either way its a good video.
In the video Ke$ha and her friends hop over the gate to vandalise the Hollywood sign to change it to Ke$hawood. Take a peek at the video to check it out:



Ke$ha just gets wackier and wackier and this will definitely be good publicity for her - not that she needs it!

What are your views on this?

Beyoncé "Ice Cream Truck" Untagged

Here is the untagged version to Beyoncé's song "Ice Cream Truck". It leaked last year when it was included on The Tapemasters Inc. mixtape but it had tags. This is the full version without the tags now so I hope you like. The song is pretty decent so its worth a listen.


*All download links have been removed
PM me if you want a link*

Tell me what you think!