Albums
Kanye West – “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”
Genius, raw, dark, emotional, needed, and art are all words that would describe the Chi-Town star’s latest album. A flow of ups and downs the album takes the listener to some dark places, like marrying a porn star for example. This crazy, but brilliant ride may call for West to drop the Louie Vuitton Don title, and go by the Van Gogh Maestro (yes, I came up with that myself). I really can’t encourage enough any lover of music, to listen to this album as Kanye has proven that he may be king right now.
Ke$ha – “Cannibal”
Not wasting time in between albums, the train wreck popstar is back with more autotune and party anthems. Whether or not there is a desire for more alcohol laden lyrics remains to be seen, but I think Ke$ha may be trying to go the alcoholic well, one too many times.
Nelly – “5.0”
Those born after 1995 may be asking who’s Nelly, is he a new artist? It’s been a long time since we’ve heard from the St. Louis rapper, in the meantime it appears he’s grown up a little and thankfully dropped the woeful St. Lunatics routine.
Daft Punk – “Tron: Legacy”
Movie soundtracks can be deceiving, with good movies having horrible soundtracks and vice versa; even the Twilight had some decent songs on it. Rarely however, do you see one group take on an entire soundtrack, also rarely do you see such a quality album top to bottom for a movie.
Songs
Michael Jackson featuring Akon – “Hold My Hand”
No, Michael Jackson has not risen from the dead, and for that neither as Tupac. Despite his death, a prerecorded duet with Akon has still been released. The uplifting single combines the two artists amazing vocal abilities to make you wish Michael Jackson hadn’t been so weird in his life.
T.I. featuring Chris Brown – “Get Back Up”
While experiencing different struggles, one incarceration, and another for beating up Rihanna, both artists are looking to rebound. A little reminiscent of the four other songs T.I. did before going to jail the song is catchy enough, but lacks a little heart since T.I. has been arrested again, no word on whether Chris Brown has beat up Keri Hilson.
John Mellencamp – “Save Some Time to Dream”
Always so politically aware, and at times, uplifting, Mellencamp makes you feel like just a little more like waving an American flag, eating a slice of apple pie, and driving a Ford.
Lil’ Kim – “Black Friday”
Good diss tracks or few and far between, with “Ether” and “Piggy Bank” being some great ones, notice that “Black Friday” was not on that list. The song may be over six minutes long, but lacks any kind of real punch, which is a shame since Lil’ Kim really does have a strong point about Nicki Minaj stealing her look.
Shows
Saturday the 4th:
Matisyahu at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn at 8 p.m.
The rap genre is dominated by negative images and messages, and reggae is still relying on the success of the long gone Bob Marley. Matisyahu brings orthodox Jewish beliefs to his rap/reggae lyrics and a breath of fresh air into the genre, something that everyone can agree is something worth hearing, or better yet, seeing.
Friday the 10th:
DJ Pauly D at Terminal 5 in NY at 8 p.m.
While I’m not sure that the “Jersey Shore” cast member is all that great of a DJ, but I am certain that Terminal 5 has a solid track record for amazing performances. With that being said, why not check out Pauly D and see if his turntable skills are as strong as the hold of his hair gel.
Kenny Rogers at the Glen Falls Civic Center in Glen Falls, NY at 8 p.m.
The anti-Pauly D, Kenny Rogers does not fist pump, and I’m fairly sure that he doesn’t going tanning on a biweekly basis, although that’s not confirmed. Things I am sure about the Gambler are, he knows when to hold ‘em, he knows when to fold ‘em, he knows when to fight, and he knows when to run away. You should now know whether or not you want to see Kenny next Friday.
Usher with Trey Songz at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ at 8 p.m.
A third option for Friday night, if country and house music aren’t quite your thing, there is R&B/dance master, Usher, and sadly Trey Songz as well. The ever evolving veteran of 20 plus years has never be known to give half an effort in wowing the crowd.