Feed Limmy

A high brow look at pop music foolery.

Tag: Single Review

9 February 2012

Leak Report: Brandy and Monica ‘It All Belongs To Me’

Don’t nobody call this the sequel to the career-defining ‘Boy Is Mine’ because we’re not dealing with girls fighting over some scrub no more. This is some grown ass women business right here.

Brandy and Monica have finally reunited for their first duet in 14 years and naturally what we’re all looking for is another massive, radio-ready smash to recapture some commercial grounds.

Unfortunately, this sassy semi-dated soul ballad screams more “track nine” than headlining single. ‘It All Belongs To Me’ is not here to deliver the same soap opera stuff that made ’Boy Is Mine’ so addictive and fun to lip synch to with your gay best friend.

This feels more like a recitation from the same chapter and verse of Beyoncé‘s ‘Irreplaceable’ with both Brandy and Monica dismissing their men and insisting that he leaves behind all the luxuries he’s been provided with.

“I know you’re mad, can’t take no more. But put that back, that ain’t yours. Have a fit, slam the door. But leave the bags on the floor, that sh*t belongs to me!”

Producer Rico Love – who has hemmed some proper hits for the likes of Kelly Rowland and Usher – really didn’t bother with an adequate and modern backdrop for this eagerly awaited comeback duet. 

You shouldn’t have to play this after ‘Boy Is Mine’ and find that Darkchild‘s production some 14 years ago still sounds more cutting edge than ‘It All Belongs To Me’. 

Having said that, there’s undeniable delight in my loins to hear these two fabulous 90s R&B divas sharing a warble once again. It’s clear to the ears that these two women have simply gotten better with age as vocalists and emotive artists whose selling points are music from the heart. [Editor's note: gagging at that cheesy description, Limoncé.]

Listen to Brandy and Monica‘s ‘It Belongs To Me’:


 
Footnotes:

‘It Belongs To Me’ will be released digitally on 13 February in the States and will impact rhythmic and urban contemporary stations on 21 February.

The song will appear on Monica‘s forthcoming album New Life, which arrives in April, and Brandy‘s as-yet-untitled comeback album, which has been pushed back to later this year.

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5 February 2012

Sam Sparro ‘The Shallow End’

Sam Sparro, you fabulous fag, you. I’ve never been happier to hear of your return, especially when you come bearing gifts like this here nouveau disco stomper.

The sexy Aussie pop singer who first came all over our eardrums with the bewitching ‘Black and Gold’ is now back with the first proper taste of his second album: Return To Paradise.

‘The Shallow End’ is by far the most musically joyous and multi-dimensional record the man has ever served. There is a sense of experimentation, referencing 70s disco philosophies with funk and soul to create a beat and melody no guilty feet can ignore.

Y’know, Sam is very much a sensational soul vocalist and intelligent songwriter so I really can’t imagine him ever popping out anything trivial and throwaway. ‘The Shallow End’ is such a splendid celebration of fun-seekers and “the shallow types”, if you will - “they say we’re crazy and yeah that’s probably true! And crazy means you do what you wanna do. But please don’t you forget that the crazy people need love too.”

Watch the music video for ‘The Shallow End’, which features footage of Sam recording his second album:


 
That sax solo fucking slays, you guys.

Footnotes:

Sam Sparro is expected to drop his second album Return To Paradise in May. He has announced that the project will be a collection of 80s electro soul, disco stompers and some beautiful ballads.

Some of the talents involved in making Paradise include Greg Kurstin (who has worked with the likes of Lily Allen and The Bird & The Bee), fellow Aussie Jono Sloan (Empire of The Sun), Lester Mendez (producer behind Jewel‘s 0304) and Swedish pop sensation Erik Hassle.

The album’s lead single ‘Happiness’ was just serviced to local radios today.

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26 January 2012

Paulini ‘Fireman’ Music Video

Gurl, I di’nt know you could get down like that. Hillsong, how your angels get down like that?

Ring the alarm! One of our beloved Young Divas is back in the game and this time she’s unapologetically scorching up the speakers and screens. Let me present now, the redefinition of Paulini Curuenavuli.

This new dance-inflected single – ‘Fireman’ – finally sees Paulini stepping out and delivering some much needed ferocity. I don’t know about y’guys but when I hit play and clocked her stepping out in that curve-embracing vinyl dress, my jaws just dropped and I thought, “dayum, woman! You finally reached into the back of that closet and pulled out your freakum dress.”

Everything about the ‘Fireman’ era, from the more commercial pop direction and sexier visual presentation, is shaping up to be a bold step forward for the terribly underrated Aussie singer.

“Baby, I’m calling for you!”

Paulini‘s loyal gay fan base has been hungry for years, desperate for the girl to render them stellar vocals to some club-ready cuts. I know we all wished she had launched her comeback last year with Wildboyz‘s ‘Touching A Stranger’ - a stunning vocal house track Paulini co-wrote and sang on that was released as a single without any “feature” credit to her – but ‘Fireman’ is pretty acceptable too.

I kind of approach this song in the guilty manner I take Kelly Rowland‘s ‘Down For Whatever’. It’s predictable dance/pop beats with a bit of sass and heat we’ve all heard before – but it’s just so wildly engaging, you can’t help but want to drop your bag of groceries and strut to it?

‘Fireman’ brings on some devastating Eurodance beats, a vocal performance that gives moments in every section, and a positively jumping hook – and that, kings and queens, is all you need to consider.

“There’s so much body going on.”

I don’t even know why y’all bothered reading all of the above when you’re really here to watch our girl get wet and grind with her entourage of topless, hunky firemen.

This is the first video where I feel like Paulini‘s actually making an effort to step out of her comfort zone and break free from the sweet, maxi dress-wearing image she’s left us with since the Superwoman era. She’s not only serving more skin, but there’s also a proper attempt at choreography and some video vixenry in front of the wind machine.

Just like it was with her former bandmate Ricki-Lee‘s ‘Raining Diamonds’ extravaganza, ‘Fireman’ brings us a promise of a more energetic, more visually stimulating new era in Paulini‘s music and performance style.

Watch the video for Paulini‘s sizzling new single ‘Fireman’:


 
Footnotes:

Paulini will release ‘Fireman’ on 10 February and her long-awaited third solo album is expected to drop mid-2012. Stay tuned.

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22 January 2012

Gabriella Cilmi returns with ‘Vicious Love’

One of my favourite scrubs from the Aussie pop hemisphere is back – sadly without them camp-as-tits disco beats. So hide your mirror balls and lines of cocaine because Gabriella Cilmi is keeping it sober and organic this time around.

The gorgeous Melbourne-born girl first caught our attention a few years back when – at the sweet age of 16 – she broke out with her debut single ‘Sweet About Me’. The song went #1 in Australia and became the third-biggest selling single in the country of 2008.

After a flawless, but albeit momentary, foray into disco pop on her sophomore album Ten, the 20-year old has now reverted to a more organic and rootsy style.

‘Vicious Love’ is the first taste of Gabi‘s forthcoming third, yet-untitled studio album. Take a look at the low-key music video she has uploaded for it:

 

Stylistically, ‘Vicious Love’ sounds dreamier than anything you’ve heard the girl do before. It’s a nice closer track for an acoustic set one might perform at a cafeteria, I suppose? You can definitely hear greater strength and control in Gabi’s voice too when she’s singing in the higher register.

Personally, I preferred it when Ms Cilmi took a risk with her disco pop album. I know on paper making straight up pop may seem like an easy way out for an artist of her standing, but really y’all need to study the quality she was serving on Ten.

The lush intergalactic 80s ballads ‘Robots’ and ‘Love Me Cos You Want To’ (which was co-written by Ellie Goulding) are simply timeless. There was nothing easy or sell out-ish about servicing disco beats and Bee Gees-style falsettos on tracks like ‘Hearts Don’t Lie’ or doing a bit of Donna Summer for the present century in ‘Superhot’. I feel like most of Ten was more inspired and captured a greater deal of imagination than something like ‘Vicious Love’.

I don’t wish to look back on Gabriella Cilmi‘s discography in five years time and find that Ten was her one and only foray into intelligent, fun pop. Basically, Ten cannot end up like the 0304 of Jewel‘s career – brief moment of colourful, quality pop followed by slabs of beige until the end of time.

Footnotes:

Stay tuned for more from Gabriella Cilmi in 2012 as she readies her third studio album.

It’ll be interesting to see if ‘Vicious Love’ does end up becoming her first single or if it’s just unleashed as a buzz track. My money’s on the latter.

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20 January 2012

Emeli Sandé ‘Next To Me’ Music Video

If this is the kinda quality you’re working with for your third single then, gurl, go right ahead and help yourself to that trophy.

Emeli Sandé has every reason to act like she’s dat bitch. The Scottish soul/R&B songwriter is off to a rather promising start with her solo career. Yes, she’s foremost known for featuring on Roll Deep‘s ‘Never Be Your Woman’ and Professor Green‘s ‘Read All About It’, the UK #1 hit that’s currently rising up the Australian ARIA Top 100 – but unlike most rent-a-vocalists, Ms Sandé‘s own material is solid enough to build a bankable career on.

‘Next To Me’ is possibly her most accessible release to date and given how close we are to the album drop date, putting out the more straightforward radio-ready track now might not be such a bad idea. Even though Sandé‘s last two singles – ‘Heaven’ and ‘Daddy’ – were great staples of modern soul, they’re nowhere near catchy or straightforward enough to be proper radio hits.

I’m not advocating for folks to dumb down their music – especially not when they’re as effective a songwriter as Emeli Sandé. All I’m saying is that, ‘Next To Me’ has the potential to reach further and appeal to a wider range of listeners than her more introspective first two singles.

‘Next To Me’ hears the Scottish chanteuse sing of a good man who’s faithful and who’s always there to support her. You know, it’s uplifting and inviting enough as it is without considering the lovely, driving soul music. Production wise, ‘Next To Me’ is a capable contemporary mix of Motown, urban and even a touch of gospel.

Enough about that. What about the video?

Ms Emeli is thankfully not testing our gag reflexes with saccharine depictions of a lovely couple enjoying a cosy night in on the couch.

‘Next To Me’ is a drastically low-key compared to her first two videos which were all flavoured with a bit of drama, grit and street realness. The completely in-studio production featuring a scene in a warehouse with two spotlights over a drummer and Emeli on piano really drives home the song’s simple message of companionship.

Colouration becomes a big deal in this video because there’s really nothing much on set to distract you. You’ll notice the contrasting switch from warm, earthy tones in Emeli‘s wardrobe in the scene with her male drummer to the glossy, V Magazine-ready bright colours of her solo shot. That to me symbolises the grounded, natural and homely state she’s in whenever she’s “next to” her man – a world that’s just the two of them and the beautiful music they’re making – as opposed to the glamorous editorialised version of Emeli Sandé, the chart-tearing pop singer.

Watch the music video for ‘Next To Me’:

 

Footnotes:

Emeli Sandé will release ‘Next To Me’ in the UK on 13 February, the same day her album arrives.

At this stage, there’s been no word on whether Aussies will get the single. But hey, Emeli‘s debut album Our Version of Events is confirmed to drop Down Under on 10 February.

3 comments
26 December 2011

Feed Limmy Songs of 2011: #10 – #1

This is it, readers. Do you need me to put on my best impression of Steve Jones‘ woeful hosting antics to get y’all hyped for the finals?

Feed Limmy’s Top 10 songs of 2011 is finally here and this stage of the game, I’m throwing all caution to the wind and nominating my absolute faves. What you see here are songs that have defined my year – songs that will always remind me of where I was and my state of mind in 2011. We’re talking about the ten tracks I totally could not get enough of [Editor's note: True talk. Limoncé managed to play one of them 88 times in a day and he's still not over it].

Here is a quick recap of Feed Limmy’s Top 30 before I try to justify the final 10:

#30 – ‘Show Me’ by Jessica Sutta
#29 – ‘Loud’ by Stan Walker
#28 – ‘Glad You Came’ by The Wanted
#27 – ‘She Always Gets What She Wants’ by Florrie
#26 – ‘Until You’re Over Me’ by Zoë Badwi
#25 – ‘Going Crazy’ by Song Jieun feat. Bang Yongguk
#24 – ‘Bullet’ by Clare Maguire
#23 – ‘Asthma Attack’ by CockNBullKid
#22 – ‘After NYE’ by Rosaline Yuen
#21 – ‘Nu Shoes’ by Wonder Girls
#20 – ‘Believe’ by Jennifer Hudson
#19 – ‘Cameo Lover’ by Kimbra
#18 – ‘Come Back You Bad Person’ by Kahi
#17 – ‘Free’ by Natalia Kills
#16 – ‘Bloodstained Heart’ by Darren Hayes
#15 – ‘All Fired Up’ by The Saturdays
#14 – ‘Big’ by Sneaky Sound System
#13 – ‘Video Games’ by Lana Del Rey
#12 – ‘Who You Are’ by Jessie J
#11 – ‘The Edge of Glory’ by Lady Gaga

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14 December 2011

Feed Limmy Songs of 2011: #30 – #21

I’ve given this way more thought than it deserves but then again, it is the muhfuggin’ Feed Limmy Songs of 2011, child. For a website that claims to be serving a “high brow look at pop music foolery”, I can’t just smack on the 30 most scrobbled tracks on my last.fm account and pass it off as adequate.

The criteria is extremely complex and, of course, just like everything you read on here – it’s a matter of my opinion and personal enjoyment. Basically, I’ve had to round up all the songs that have soundtracked my year then rank them in order of enjoyment, emotional connection and pop correctness.

It is possible that I have lip synched for my life, in my undies at home alone on a Friday night, to most of these Top 30 songs.

I had originally intended to do a Top 40 countdown that would be revealed in four weekly feeds that stretched over December. But, let’s be real about it. You can always do without the last ten in any Top 40 albums/songs of the year list.

So without further ado, please be upstanding and golf clapping for the #30 to #21 Feed Limmy Songs of 2011:

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