Aretha Franklin- A Woman Falling Out Of Love (Album Review)

Aretha "A Woman Falling Out Of Love"

“A Woman Falling Out Of Love” is the thirty-eighth studio album from the Queen of soul, Aretha Franklin who has influenced generations of divas ranging from Whitney Houston to Jennifer Hudson.  As usual, on this album as well, her legendary voice takes the centre stage although it is now considerably thin and occasionally scratchy. There was no major promotion for this album that many of us, fans did not even know when it first came out. (Unless you live in the States and routinely go to WalMart). The album is exclusively sold at WalMart and also the very first release from her own label, Aretha’s Records.

In general, this album is a solid effort from Sister Rie particularly for the one-in-millions voice of hers and her still-impressive vocals. It is amazing that she still has the determination to sing, tour and put out albums at the age of 69. It looks like there’s no stopping her and she’s still going strong after 5 decades in music. (More power to her!).

Aretha sings the blues on the set’s stand-out track “Sweet Sixteen”, a tribute to B.B King. Her vocals are fearless and fierce; a reminiscence of young Aretha and her earlier works. “U Can’t See Me” is a fun song where Aretha lets her hair down and has fun doing adlibs.(Full of Diva attitude and appeal)  “How Long I’ve Been Waiting”, the first single from this album and “Put It Back Together Again” sound like throwback Rn’B tunes from yesteryears and remind me of her previous albums like “Who’s Zooming Who? (1985)” and “What You See Is What You Sweat (1991)”. Aretha’s soaring vocals reach the new height with two other old school slow-jams, “A Summer Place” and “When Two Become One”, both my personal favorites from the album. “His Eye Is On The Sparrow” is performed by her son, Eddie Franklin who’s got incredible vocals like his mama. His version of this renowned gospel song is awe-inspiring as well.

We all know that even if Aretha picks up a cafeteria menu and sings through the items, it will no doubt sound soulful and sensational.  However, there are a few tracks that she oversings to the max. Her rendition of Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were” is a mess. Even Ron Isley of The Isley Brothers can’t help make it better. I feel that together they ruin the song and make it totally unrecognizable. “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” is the song she sang at the Obama's inauguration. My humble opinion is that the patriotic message of the song loses its meaning due to Aretha’s uber-melismatic vocal runs and high-pitched wails. I wish she would have toned it down and sung it a bit simpler. Sometimes less is definitely more. Especially when you are already regarded as one of the greatest singers in the world and have nothing to prove your worth anymore. “Faithful” is a gospel number between the gospel great, Karen Clark-Sheard and Aretha. However, it turns out to be more of a screaming match towards the end that even the big man above that they are praising must feel totally confused. (Are they fighting??? Who snatches whose wig???) My ears were ringing once that track finished. “New Day” is supposed to be an inspirational track with lyrics carrying the message of “New day, on the horizon, you can make it, if you try” but she sounds like she is bored singing that song and can’t be bothered no mo.  Her delivery is somewhat low-energy on this one.

While this album may not be Aretha’s best, it is still by far one of the best Rn’B records that came out this year and much better than her 2008 Christmas album... vocally. Besides, considering the mindless junk music that is dominating the world’s air waves right now, “A Woman Falling Out Of Love” feels like a breath of fresh air, packaged with that distinctive voice of hers and her no-nonsense singing. Kudos to the Queen. 

Lady GaGa- Born This Way (Album Review)

Listening to“Born this way” from Lady GaGa is kind of like visiting an ice-cream parlor and tasting a wide range of different flavored ice-creams. Vanilla fudge ripple, mint chocolate chip, toffee pecan crunch, lemon sorbet and many more. There’s something for everyone. Likewise, the biggest pop star in the world of music offers 17 new tracks with 80’s Synthpop, 70’s Glam Rock, Disco, Urban and Electro Pop flavors. The album's varying musical styles will make everyone happy for sure. There is also the undeniable influence of Madonna as many of the songs on this record will definitely remind you of the Queen of Pop’s signature styles such as using religious imagery, overt sexuality, "express yourself" concept and spoken messages in the songs.  Interestingly enough though, ever since this album came out, critics have majorly penned about the lack of subtlety on this record. To me, that's absurd. C’mon, seriously? Do you look at this woman and expect subtlety?

Anyway, let’s start with the highlights- “Born this way” is a solid dance record and it has got enough great songs to make you forget about the not-so-great fillers (unfortunately, there are some!) Notable tracks are the piano-driven Elton John-esque “You and I”, “The Edge of Glory” which makes you wonder if it was originally written for Irene Cara, the brilliant bilingual flamenco-tinged “Americano” (reminiscent of Madonna’s “La Isla Bonita”… sort of, concept-wise, me reckons!) and  the 80’s classic pop meets today’s urban electro pop “Hair”. (Great songs, no doubt!) With this record, GaGa wants us to take her seriously as a credible singer as well. Tracks like “You and I”, “Hair” and “The Edge of glory” witness GaGa singing her tush off. Besides, the first two singles from the album, “Born this way” and “Judas” are both gigantic dance anthems. These two are my personal favorites, totally buzz-worthy and I enjoy hearing them played in clubs.

Here are some sour notes. While this album should be praised for its countless infectious hooks and improved vocals but the idiotic lyrics should not be ignored either.  Try this one. She sings on a track called “Heavy Metal lover”- “Whip me, slap me, drunk fuck. Me and carpers drunk drunk. Bud light liquors bar slut. Move if this is your jerk. Watch me light the St James. Yes I like it, appetizer. Heavy metal lovers play. Baby we were born this way”- What the heck, right???

The songs “Fashion of his love” and “Born this way” are terribly similar. They are like twins although not identical. “Bloody Mary”, “Bad kids”, “Highway Unicorn (Road to love)” and “Electric Chapel” are utterly uninteresting that you will definitely reach for the skip button.  Maybe with a couple more listens these songs will grow on me or perhaps she should come up with real exciting videos to give these tracks extra oomph. MAYBE.  I don’t know but for me for now they sound like fillers. Nevertheless, it’s a great follow-up to her first album, “The Fame” and Lady GaGa shows growth and maturity as an artist with this second full-length album. She certainly is here to stay. I give 3.5 stars out of 5… generously!  

American Idol Finale (Review)

I have been watching American Idol religiously ever since it started airing early this year. When the show’s Top 13 were revealed, I not only agreed with the judges’ choices but was happy that all 13 of them were super talented in their own way. However, I had never imagined that Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina would be battling out at the final for the idol crown. I personally think that these two are the vocally weakest and least experienced in terms of showmanship among the Top 13. Every week, I saw the vocal powerhouses such as Pia Toscano, Casey Abrams, James Durbin, Jacob Lusk and Haley Reinhart got voted out. Shockingly, one after another, just like that.  Don’t get me wrong, the top two are both good singers despite their tender ages but Jeez, compared to those who were voted out before them, I am sure these two as well must be shell-shocked to be competing in the finale. At this stage, it is clear that this show is not all about vocal competition anymore. Anyway…here's what I think about the finale. 

American Idol 2011 finale was a star-studded spectacular extravaganza. The show started out with top 13 performing a rousing rendition of Lady GaGa’s “Born This Way”. Then the heavy metal band, “Judas Priest” featuring the rocker of this season, James Durbin rocked the house. James’s soaring vocals and impeccable showmanship got us thinking why he was not even voted to be in the Top 3. There’s no justice in the world. After their performance, the reigning prince of Gospel Kirk Franklin and Jacob Lusk’s duet took us all to church.  One of my most favorite singers this season, Jacob sang with the legendary Gladys Knight. What a treat it was for Jacob! I hope he finds his career path in Gospel music.

Jack Black and Casey Abrams’s duet “Fat bottomed girls” provided comic relief but let’s not forget the remarkable vocal range of Black’s. He may be the funny man but his singing talent is no joke. Afterward, the ladies of Top 13 performed Beyonce medley and it was fun to see the divas of AI once again. They each had a chance to showcase their vocal chops with various Beyonce numbers. Towards the end, Beyonce appeared on stage and performed her smash hit, “Crazy in love” with the girls and of course she showed’em girls how it’s done!

Haley Reinhart, possibly the most remarkable voice of the bunch showed her versatility singing a jazzy number with the great Tony Bennet. “Stepping out with my baby” has been sung by numerous artists over the years but Haley managed to make her mark with her rendition. I wish that she would include a few jazzy numbers on her album. I love her husky tone in her voice. After their duet, TLC took over the stage. When Ryan Seacrest announced their name, I didn’t believe it.  TLC? Seriously? In 2011? I thought. The remaining members T-Boz and Chilli sang “No Scrubs" and then “Water Fall”. I almost cried. These songs were great Rn’B songs of the 90’s and God knows how much I adore TLC! Tim McGraw and Scotty Mc sang a duet but it was somewhat forgettable. Marc Anthony sang one of his salsa numbers and Jennifer Lopez gave a surprised appearance. What cute couple! The husband sounded sensational and the wife looked smoking hot. If anything, this woman CAN dance!

The best performance of the night belonged to Lady GaGa who performed one of her new songs from her newly released album called “Edge of Glory”.  As usual, she sang it whole-heartedly. It could be the dance moves or her outfit but the song somehow reminded me of Irene Cara’s “What a feeling” from “Fleshdance”. Once GaGa exited, the boys of top 13 sang Tom Jones medley and Tom Jones himself joined the boys and sang one song on stage with them.  Although he could still easily put on a good show, I guess, at this age, his once tremendous vocal range has lost its glory.

By the time Lauren Alaina started singing “Before He Cheats”, I already knew who her duet partner would be. Of course, it was Carrie Underwood. They both did great and sang their hearts out. Poor Lauren nervously tried to hold her own but it was Carrie who was determined not to get upstaged by a new comer. She took it home with a last big note while Lauren looked on. Meow!!!

Later on, Beyonce came back on stage and belted out one of her new songs namely “1+1”. While her soaring vocals and tireless energy should be praised, the song’s melody was definitely questionable. There was a piano led tune playing in the back but it sounded like it had nothing to do with what she was singing. She sang the heck out of that song and looked stunning as usual in her grey gown but sorry B, that song was weird. Perhaps with time, it will probably grow on me. And I hope it does.

Next, U2’s Bono and The Edge performed a song called “rise above” from the maligned Spider man musical with its actor Reeve Carney. Personally, I find the song a bit dull for a Broadway musical. A good song but it would be much more suitable as a film song.  Before they announced the winner of the show, Steven Tyler dressed in white sat in front of a white piano and started wailing his old Aerosmith hit “Dream on”. At the age of 63, his pipes are still golden. He delivered a spine-tingling performance of that song. Way to go, Papi!

When Ryan Seacrest came up on stage and announced the winner, it was as expected Scotty Mccreery. Obviously, this country-singing boy had got the girls texting. I just hope that both he and the runner up Lauren don’t become the last year’s Lee Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox whose albums flopped big time despite being America’s favorites at last year’s Idol. Those teenage girls went wild and voted for Lee Dewyze too but when his album came out, not many were there to buy his albums and lend support.  As a result, his album became the lowest ever charting debut by an American Idol winner. Where have all those screaming girls gone right??? Good luck, Scotty!

Ricky Martin- "Me" (Book Review)

Ricky Martin’s autobiography “Me” (The Spanish version is called “Yo”) is not your typical celebrity tell-all book. It is in fact just about him in entirety. He does not even do name dropping here, simply describing other people in the book as the little yogi, that record executive, my backup singer friend, that woman or this man.  So if you are looking for some celebrity dirt, gossip, behind -the-scenes frauds or the scandals about the people he bedded, this book is certainly not going to please you.  A balanced and wise person that he has become, Ricky Martin keeps a very positive attitude throughout this appropriately-titled memoir which documents his younger days in Puerto Rico, from his time in the hit boy-band “MENUDO” to his living la vida loca days as THE Latin pop phenomenon in the late 90's, his spiritual discovery through travelling in India which later led to philanthropy, becoming a father and his homosexuality.

Ricky Martin writes well and he writes simple. In general, the book is a pleasant read. The chapter where he writes about coming out as a gay man is relatable to all of us who have been through it. The initial confusion and the denial period, the pressure of keeping a secret and the constant fear of someone finding out the truth and then of course, the whole process of coming out and the eventual bliss that comes with it, he shares his journey in a most genuine and optimistic way that I believe this book will benefit to those who are struggling with their sexuality or those who are simply in need of inspiration, help or moral support.  As he puts it “My intention in coming out was not necessarily to inspire anyone, but if on top of bringing me all the joy that it has, if my experience can serve someone else, that fills me with immense happiness. It is also a blessing to know that with my life I can benefit others, and I live that with great honor.” (So...brothers and sisters out there, coming out is definitely tough but don't give up. Read his experience. You'll see that IT GETS BETTER. )

Chapter three, simply titled “My time to shine” details his world domination at the peak of his fame.  What a mega star he was back then. I still remember how my grandmother went wild every time his FIFA World cup 98 song, La Copa De La Vida, showed up on MTV. She adored his iconic hip-swinging moves. Ricky Martin had the whole world in his hands. It was also a very important period for The Latin music industry and the stars like Shakira, Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias who followed the path he paved later on.  However, the most touching part of the book comes when he shares his joy of becoming a father to his twin boys.  He writes it so sincerely that even those who are not parents can absolutely feel what it must be like. He is incredibly proud and overjoyed about receiving this gift of nature. In his case, lucky man, he’s got two.

“Repetitiveness” is one slight weakness of “Me” though. Maybe he first wrote the book in Spanish and then had somebody to translate it into English (or did it himself). Either way, the same ideas, expressions and references reappear over and over again in the book. I just feel that it needs a bit more editing.  But overall, I applaud him for putting a positive spin on such a topic, homosexuality, which even in 2011 is still somehow a taboo and also for sharing his humanitarian work and philanthropic activities with us.  We do need more angels on earth, don’t we?

Season of the witch (Movie Review)

Season Of The Witch

If you put “The Exorcist (1973)” and “Robin Hood (2010)” together, sprinkle some elements from Harry Potter movies and blend them in a blender, you would get “Season of the witch”. In this reasonably entertaining movie, Nicolas Cage stars as a Teutonic knight who has witnessed the atrocities of the battles and left the crusade to return home with his fellow knight (Ron Perlman). On the way, they encounter the people infected with the Black Death and a girl (Claire Foy) who is accused of being a witch and suspected of causing the plague. The cardinal of the town commands the two knights to take the girl to a monastery so that the monks there can lift her curse from the land. A typical medieval period movie, rest assured this one features dirty-looking men in surcoats wielding swords in cold gloomy weather. However, it is overall a decent movie as it has got enough action scenes to keep the audience excited. The sword fighting, horse riding and the battles, oh… you name it. There’s even one scene in which Nick Cage wrestles with the demon. The movie gets spooky at times too although, interestingly enough, it is difficult to define the genre of this movie because this is definitely not an adventure flick like “Robin Hood” or the horror one like “The Exorcist”. The ending is weak and no standout performance from any of the actors involved but I doubt that is something we could expect from a movie like this anyway. Two stars out of five.