The Kids Are Alright

After a month or so of starting this blog, the idea that I can actually create a blog is beginning to set in with my children, family and friends. Don't get me wrong, not all of them are regular readers but they all have been eager about giving me suggestions.  While I admit to being somewhat sensitive to change, many of their ideas have been constructive and I've tried my best to implement as many changes as possible. I also have to acknowledge my everlasting affection for Candice's good friend Sofia because she has enjoyed, laughed and loved every single one of my blogs. 

Well, now that there is acceptance, it appears they want me to do tricks. The trick this time, as suggested by my lovely daughter Candice, was for me to be a music/video critic. So, along with her own pick, she encouraged Alex, Paulette, Gabriela, Chris and Sofia to pick out songs and artists for me to review.

Deep down inside, I know Candice gave me this assignment with the intent of making me insane. After all, there wasn't one title or artist that I did not have a problem with. I either thought she was giving me more than the number of allowed songs or I thought the artist was the song and visa versa. However, after two days of back and forth, I was able to determine who sang what and most importantly, I didn't renege on our deal. 

The criteria I use to review these songs is not at all scientific and is subject to my biases and opinions but I'm sure that's what everybody wants anyway. 

Candice's Pick (a.k.a. Funchi): Check It Out by Nicki Minaj and Will.i.am - I absolutely enjoyed this video! There, I said it! Overall, the video was slick and well produced  and I found myself tapping the beat. Mind you, I have minimal recollection of what was actually said and the well-heeled Nicki Minaj does spew a few obscenities but I've heard saltier language from the Bleecher Creatures at Yankee Stadium. For better or worse, cursing seems to be the gateway to communicating and expression these days. What I did find more troubling was a few of Will.i.am's not so subtle and robotic machinations. The essential message I took away from the song was the walls that had to be built, in an effort to deal with people who are resentful and jealous of her. These same feelings seem to hold true for Will.i.am. As clear cut as this message seemed to be, the verbal message seems to be at odds with what is going on in the video. The clip is centered on the performers dancing and singing in front of an all female Japanese audience (The entire audience is dressed in black and are wearing sun glasses!).

In the words of Nicki, it's, "Da done done!"

Alex' Pick (a.k.a. Yippy): All I Need by Jay Z - The minute I heard the ominous thumping, the fifty something year old Riverdale resident in me ran for cover behind the sofa and every so often, peeked over at the gangsta' sitting and grinning in his place. I couldn't help but crank up the volume and hope I was disturbing my wife and neighbors. Cuz, I guess I got my swagger back! 

I've always been of the mind that Jay Z has an uncanny ability to plug into every male's inner gansta. His rhythms are hard and primal,  and his words scream alpha male! Yes, I envision myself driving a blacked out Chrysler 300M, "Like we underground kings, ridin' dirty!" Overall, this particular Jay Z ditty is long, and packed with nuance, as well as complexity.

After viewing Nicki's video, my only disappointment was there wasn't one featuring this Jay Z's song. Just imagine the visuals to the words, "I blow smoke in your face, burn rubber off the rim tires." Yeah, yeah, yeah... 

Gabriela's Pick (a.k.a. Bleee): Cheers (I'll Drink to That) by Rihanna Featuring Avril Lavigne - Much like Nicki's, the video to this song was well produced and reminded me of a perfume commercial. And similar to the Nicki Minaj song, her voice was mostly synthesized. However, the results gave this song a surreal and ghostly effect (Despite the fact the song was about partying and drinking). 

The first dreamlike segment features Rihanna inside of what appears to be a giant pink flower. The flower eventually pollinates and Rihanna, elegantly dressed in pink, walks along a maze of bushes or the "good" road. She then proceeds to enter the "bad" road maze of bushes by walking through a sheet of glass. Of course, this passage from good to bad is followed by a change in outfit - from pink to black. Once she transitions into the dark side of the garden maze, three sets of well manicured male hands cover her eyes and the focus proceeds downward to her hand where she is holding a black tinted bottle of perfume. From this point on, the video follows her taking the same steps, only backwards. The video ends where she began - inside of the flower. The beat and rhythm of the song are pleasant and catchy but I did have to strain to understand what was being said. Again, the title and verses of the song had little if anything to do with the video and appeared to be more of a vehicle for a new fragrance. 

Chris' Pick (a.k.a. Bubba): Taboo by Don Omar - All I could do was scratch my head when I viewed and listened to Chris' choice of video and song. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the video and song. After all, it was well edited,  action oriented and the pace was fast and furious. The vocals were again, synthesized  but pleasant and rhythmic. What I couldn't understand was why Chris chose this song. After all, I've never heard Chris speak a work of Spanish or Portuguese. I kept asking myself, "Really?"

The video opens above the head of the concrete Christ, standing over what I believe to be San Paulo, Brazil. The camera then shifts to the well dressed Don Omar, singing in Portuguese and eventually, Spanish. At some points of the song, the vocals are so heavily synthesized that the two languages are almost meshed together as one. Our focus is then drawn to a beautiful blond woman at a party who seems to have had a romantic past with Don Omar, who had just arrived to serve her and her male companion drinks. What ensues is a mix of the Fast and the Furious 5 (Fast Five) , carnival, the streets of San Paulo, discos and Capoeira. One thing I've leaned about Chris over the years is he's a wild man and this video and song seem to confirm that notion!

Sofia's Pick (a.k.a. soFia): Bottoms Up by Trey Songz - Of all the songs given to me to review, this is the only song that is closely linked in meaning to the video. Nope, there isn't much room for argument here; the song is about partying, drinking and of course, bottoms up - both literally and figuratively! Both the song and video are fun, catchy and easy to listen to. Nicki Manaj is also featured and adds to the quick pace of the video.   

Paulette's Pick (a.k.a. La Grilla): Mirror by Lil Wayne, featuring Bruno Mars - With the exception of the Jay Z song, Mirror is the only song with true to life vocals. In short, no voices are synthesized or overly produced and as a result,  the emotions are truly heartfelt and lasting. In a nutshell, he sings about what he sees in the mirror. We eventually learn that he doesn't seem to be too happy about about what he sees.

Overall, the experience of reviewing these songs has been both enlightening and interesting. Throughout the process, I did my best to maintain an open mind and I tried not to think about the music/videos as either their type of music or mine. After all, I understand these are different times and everybody in the video is young enough to be a son or daughter of mine but regardless, many of the themes, concerns and emotions are essentially the same. The most positive aspect about the current music/videos provided to me was how articulate the artists were about the burdens of fame.  

Hope you've enjoyed the blog and be good.