Music and blogs

Chris Brown's Birth and Early Life: Chris Brown was born May 5, 1989 in Tappahannock, Virginia, a small town of approximately 2000. He was influenced by the music played by his parents. Among his favorites are Michael Jackson, Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway, Anita Baker, and Aretha Franklin. Like many of his generation, he wanted to be a rapper, but, at the age of 11 or 12 his mom heard him singing around the house, and she pointed out that he had a great singing voice.   Teen Pop Star: By the age of 13, Chris Brown and his mother began looking for recording opportunities. For his first album, Jive Records hooked him up with hot producer Scott Storch, the man behind such hits as 50 Cent's "Candy Shop" and Beyonce's "Naughty Girl." Chris Brown's first single "Run It!", featuring Juelz Santana, began to climb the charts in September 2005. The first album, titled Chris Brown, was released at the end of November. "Run It!" reached #1 on the pop singles chart late in the year.   Chris Brown's Pop Chart Dominance: Chris Brown's self-titled debut album ultimately sold over 3 million copies. In the spring of 2007, the single "Wall to Wall" was released in advance of a second album. The response was lukewarm. The album Exclusive was pushed back 3 months. The single "Kiss Kiss" featuring T-Pain was released close to the appearance of Exclusive. Chris Brown was soon back in the pop top 5 with both album and single. A 3rd single, "With You," reached #2.   In 2008, Chris Brown mania struck. "With You," "No Air," a duet with Jordin Sparks, and Chris Brown's 2nd #1 pop single "Forever" were huge hits in quick succession.   Arrest and Controversy: Chris Brown was arrested on suspicion of making a criminal threat in an incident that occurred February 7, 2009, the night before the Grammy Awards. Rumors are that the woman allegedly threatened was Chris Brown's girlfriend Rihanna. The resulting controversy caused advertisers and some radio stations to drop their connections with Brown. He ultimately issued a public apology and stated that he would seek counseling.   Chris Brown Reviews: Read more details on key Chris Brown releases. Find out the best of Chris Brown's music and what makes it stand out. July 2005 - "Run It!" - #1 Pop November 2005 - "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" - #16 Pop November 2007 - Exclusive - #4 Album December 2007 - "Without You" - #2 Pop February 2008 - "No Air" with Jordin Sparks - #2 Pop April 2008 - "Forever" - #1 Pop

The Bottom Line
The return of Eminem could be an exciting event if he had anything to say that was worth hearing. With "Crack a Bottle" it seems that misogyny, braggadocio, and money are all that three of the most celebrated names in hip hop have left. Crack a bottle? It seems more appropriate to toss it aside and move on to listen to something more interesting.
 
Pros

Mildly catchy

 
Cons

Tired rapping on misogyny, bragging, and cash
Slow, dull gangsta beat

Description

Written by M.Mathers, C.J.Jackson, Jr., A.Young, D.Parker, M.Batson, E.Coomes, T.Lawrence, and J.Renard
Produced by Dr. Dre
Released February 2009 by Aftermath / Shady

Guide Review - Eminem, Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent - "Crack a Bottle"

"Crack a Bottle" has broken the record for the most first week digital downloads. 418,000 copies of the new single were sold in one week. Clearly, an audience is out there waiting to hear the next efforts from Eminem, Dr. Dre, and 50 Cent. It's unfortunate this is all so underwhelming. Past returns by Eminem have included the tour de force humor of "Without Me." Nothing here is likely to make a listener crack a smile.
"Crack a Bottle" does have a familiar, swaying beat that is likely to be accepted favorably in a party atmosphere. The voices of Eminem and 50 Cent remain distinctive enough that fans will rush to celebrate their collaboration. However, digging back into their past catalogs will yield significantly more rewarding treasures.
Storytelling is lacking here. The bragging is delivered without a hint of wit or irony. The attitude here is that the music world will drop to its collective knees in awe of the return of three heavyweights. After listening again to lines about mindless women, car crashes, and spending money like it means nothing, I am left with the thought that perhaps we would be in awe if there was something here just a bit more weighty.

So what do you do to follow up two enormous hit singles that amount to the longest string of consecutive weeks at the top of the pop singles chart for any recording act? If you are the Black Eyed Peas you release another effortlessly melodic song that would sound equally outstanding on the radio or listening at home. It takes little stretch of the imagination to see "Meet Me Halfway" climbing the charts as well and possibly even being the group's third consecutive #1.
 
Pros

Fergie's confident, slightly emotional vocals
Timeless disco-based beat
Effortless melody

 
Cons

Ordinary lyrics

 
Description

Written by Black Eyed Peas, Keith Harris, Jean Baptiste, Sylvia Gordon
Produced by will.i.am and Keith Harris
Released September 2009 by Interscope

 
Guide Review - Black Eyed Peas - "Meet Me Halfway"

A key to the success of the Black Eyed Peas' dual chart-topping smash hits "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling" is their ability to combine elements of past hit music with futuristic sounds in a way that makes the music timeless. "Meet Me Halfway" accomplishes the same feat once again. The beat here is classic disco, Fergie says she borrowed her vocal style from 80's memories, and yet the song incorporates a digital sheen and vocal effects that place "Meet Me Halfway" both in the moment and occupying a musical space that feels timeless.
Fergie has the clear lead vocal here. She will never blow someone away with a bombastic voice or an otherworldly vocal range. However, she has an almost tearful edge to her voice that makes nearly any of her performances sound soaked with emotion. "Meet Me Halfway" is no exception. With the focus clearly on Fergie, this could in some ways be seen as a solo effort. However, the style of the song fits better in the context of the Black Eyed Peas album The E.N.D. instead of Fergie's The Dutchess.
While imagining that "Meet Me Halfway" will spend another dozen weeks at the top of the pop singles chart for Black Eyed Peas seems beyond expectations, it really does not seem a stretch to imagine this song in the upper reaches of charts if not even at #1 for a period of time. The Black Eyed Peas are a band that have captured the zeitgeist of 2009 perfectly. These songs fit the pop environment of today, and they will sound just as good years from now as nostalgia pieces. "Meet Me Halfway" effortlessly continues the successful run of the Black Eyed Peas. You will be singing along with Fergie in no time.
 

The Bottom Line
"Russian Roulette" will never be the crowd-pleaser that Rihanna's mega-hit "Umbrella" is. However, it is a work of gorgeous melancholy and dread. Frequent collaborator Ne-Yo helps take Rihanna into uncompromisingly adult territory in the wake of the domestic violence in her relationship with Chris Brown. "Russian Roulette" is dark, but there is beauty here as well. This is one of the more memorable of Rihanna's growing list of major pop hits.
 
Pros

Rihanna's beautiful, measured, exposed vocals
Spare, direct lyrics
The creepiness of the final gunshot

 
Cons

Perhaps a bit threadbare in places on substance

 
Description

Written by Ne-Yo and Rihanna
Produced by Chuck Harmony and Ne-Yo
Released October 2009 by Def Jam

The music world impatiently awaited Rihanna's artistic response to the tragic events that ended her romantic relationship with Chris Brown. What has appeared is one of the darkest singles released in recent memory by a major pop artist. The record begins with slightly strangled guitar, a heartbeat bass line, and a gasp. It moves just slightly quicker than a dirge and ends in a gunshot. The words create an extended metaphor of a difficult relationship as a game of Russian roulette. The end can come at any moment. What that end would look like is left to the imagination of the listener.
For those who have complained in the past that Rihanna's vocals were lacking in emotional engagement, "Russian Roulette" should put their concerns to rest. The dread and fear are so palpable that the song is painful at some points to hear. The lyrics give no indication of the specifics behind what the protagonist may be experiencing, but it is clear that it is wrenching and threatening.
This type of record should be no major surprise for those who have paid much close attention to Rihanna's evolution as an artist. Life and death metaphor emerged in her music clear back with the declaration of not wanting to be a "murderer" on "Unfaithful." Rihanna's recent "Disturbia" delved into a dark world of mental disturbance and was co-written by Chris Brown. With "Russian Roulette," she guides us even further into a murky, dangerous world and leaves us with an ambiguous end.
The gloomy atmosphere of "Russian Roulette" has not dented Rihanna's commercial fortunes thus far. In its third week on the Billboard Hot 100 it surged a stunning 66 notches to enter the top 10. It has been a fixture in the top 10 of sales on the iTunes site since release. Rihanna shows she has a strong enough audience base to take us all into a corner of the pop music world that perhaps needs a bit of illumination and a shock ending to keep us from getting too comfortable with the everyday pop world.

1. Various Artists - 'A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector' (1963)

At the peak of his success on the pop charts with his trademark "wall of sound" production technique, Phil Spector put together this Christmas collection by four of his top recording acts. The Crystals, Ronettes, Darlene Love, and Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans each contributed their versions of mostly secular Christmas songs. The album had the misfortune of being released the same day as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and was a relative failure upon initial release peaking at #13 on the album chart. However, over time it has been recognized as perhaps the top Christmas album and one of the top overall pop-rock albums of all time. Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" is particularly revered.
 
 
2. Various Artists - 'A Very Special Christmas' (1987)

This was the first in a series of Christmas albums put together to benefit Special Olympics. The overall series has raised over $55 million for the cause. Artist Keith Haring contributed the cover art to this first collection. The overall project was overseen by producer Jimmy Iovine. The collection features a significant number of the top pop artists of the 1980's. Among the most celebrated recordings here are the Eurythmics "Winter Wonderland," Whitney Houston's "Do You Hear What I Hear?," Sting's "Gabriel's Message," and Run-D.M.C.'s "Christmas in Hollis."
 
3. Vince Guaraldi Trio - 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' (1965)

Lee Mendelson, producer of the A Charlie Brown Christmas TV special heard a recording of "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" by Vince Guaraldi's Trio while riding in a taxicab in San Francisco. Mendelson was put in touch with Guaraldi and he made the proposition that Vince Guaraldi create the score for the upcoming Peanuts special. The results were such a success that Guaraldi ended up composing scores for 16 Peanuts TV specials. Among the legendary songs created are "Linus and Lucy," "Christmas Time Is Here," and "Skating."
 
4. Josh Groban - 'Noel' (2007)

Pop-classical singer Josh Groban had already released three multi-platinum top 10 albums before putting together Noel, his first Christmas collection in 2007. The result was the sleeper hit album of the year. It was produced by David Foster, known for his big pop productions with such stars as Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. Noel hit #1 on the pop album chart in the US seven weeks after its initial release. It became the first Christmas album to ever spend five weeks at #1 on the album chart. By the end of 2007, the album had sold over 3.5 million copies making it the biggest selling album of the year.
 
5. Mariah Carey - 'Merry Christmas' (1994)

Mariah Carey had released three multi-platinum albums and was riding high with the success of Music Box that spent eight weeks at #1 on the album chart and ultimately was certified ten times platinum when she decided to record a Christmas collection. Mariah Carey worked with a variety of producers, and, in the album's first run on the charts, it peaked at #3. The album includes the song "All I Want for Christmas Is You" which is considered a contemporary Christmas classic. It is the first holiday song to sell a million digital downloads.
 
6. Mannheim Steamroller - 'Mannheim Steamroller Christmas' (1984)

Producer and composer Chip Davis first became known in the music industry for helping create the musical personality C.W. McCall for singer Bill Fries. C.W. McCall went all the way to #1 on the pop singles chart with the CB radio themed song "Convoy." Davis put together his own record label, American Gramaphone, to release a combination of classical music and light jazz under the pseudonym Mannheim Steamroller in 1975. The album was Fresh Aire and became one of the prototypes for new age music. In 1984 Mannheim Steamroller released this Christmas album, its first holiday collection, and found its true niche as a recording act. Mannheim Steamroller has now released eight platinum certified Christmas collections.
 
7. Elvis Presley - 'Elvis' Christmas Album' (1957)

Elvis Presley was the hottest recording artist in the US having released nine #1 singles and three #1 albums in two years when he put together his first Christmas album. The collection spent four weeks at the top of the album chart and, with sales of nine million copies, it is considered the bestselling Christmas album of all time in the US. Songwriter Irving Berlin stated that Elvis' recording of "White Christmas" was a profane parody of the song, and it was ordered off a number of radio stations. Elvis Presley's version of "Blue Christmas" on this album is considered a holiday classic.
 
8. Nat King Cole - 'The Christmas Song' (1963)

Nat King Cole first recorded "The Christmas Song" in 1946. However, it is his 1961 recording that was later added to a holiday album of the same name that is best known. The song and album became even more popular following Cole's death from lung cancer in 1965.
 
9. Bing Crosby - 'White Christmas' (1945)

Bing Crosby's recording of the song "White Christmas" is considered the bestselling single of all time having sold over 50 million copies worldwide. This album was first put together in 1945 when it was released as 10 songs on five 78 rpm discs. The album was released as a standard vinyl LP for the first time in 1955. It has remained in print ever since and is considered the longest in-print album in the US except for the original cast recording of the musical Oklahoma! which was first released in 1943. The album first became available on compact disc in 1986.
 
10. The Carpenters - 'Christmas Portrait' (1978)

The Carpenters' popularity was definitely beginning to fade by the time they put together this first Christmas collection. They would only have one more top 40 pop hit after release of Christmas Portrait in 1978. This album includes the duo's classic "Merry Christmas, Darling." The album has sold over a million copies and today is one of the best loved Carpenters albums.