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ENTERTAINMENT

Beyonce- did she or didn’t she lip-sync? Stars weigh in.

by Ryan Shea

There has been quite a lot of hooplah over whether or not Beyonce lip-synched the National Anthem this past Monday at President Barack Obama’s Inauguration.  One thing that is fact- Kelly Clarkson did actually sing (and got famously photo-bombed by Bill Clinton).  Beyonce herself has been under quite a lot of scrutiny for not telling the truth over the past couple of yegty_beyonce_inauguration_jef_130121_wblogars, most notably several people thinking her pregnancy was fake.

Several celebrities from Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez and Aretha Franklin have come to the star’s side.  Aretha said- “I thought it was funny because the weather down there was about 46 or 44 degrees and for most singers that is just not good singing weather…” she told ABC News. “When I heard that I just really cracked up. I thought it was really funny, but she did a beautiful job with the pre-record.”  Preach Aretha, preach.

Jennifer Lopez, another star who has been in trouble in the past for her lip syncs, stated- “Sometimes it happens when you are in certain stadiums and certain venues and things, they do pre-record stuff because you’re going to have that terrible slapback,” on Jon Stewart.

This is going to be an interesting story for a while and will linger? Why? She is the freaking half time show at the Superbowl.  Many artists in the past have to lip-sync in those types of atmospheres based off of how big the actual stadium is (Britney, I am not giving you a pass here).  She is rumored to reunite with Destiny’s Child that night, which should make for quite an interesting show as she usually puts out all the stops in arenas like this.

My personal opinion? WHO CARES.  Who really freaking cares if she did or not.  She’s an amazing artist, we’ve all heard her perform live.  She’s got a billion Grammy’s under her belt and has stayed relevant so effortlessly it’s hard to believe that she has been in the public personal for 15 years now since the days of Destiny’s Child.  Is this gonna hinder her career? No.  The haters need to stop and see how they would feel in that type of area.  I wouldn’t mind Bill Clinton photo-bombing me though, so there might be some jealousy for Kelly there.

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT

Album Review – Vatican Shadow: Ornamented Walls

by Rio Toro

Album Cover

Album Cover

Vatican Shadow:          Ornamented Walls

Score:          7/10

 

Similar artists – Pete Swanson, Demdike Stare, Andy Stott, Ital

Genre – Noise Techno, Hipster House, Dark Ambient

 

      Dominick Fernow has been a lead contributor to the highly prolific noise scene through his many aliases (most notably “Prurient”). As opposed to his peers in the genre, such as Wolf Eyes or Black Dice, Dominick’s music has always been more harsh, more disorienting, and certainly more damaging to the eardrums. This is an artist who is not kidding around. His music is relentless and unforgiving, and many of his tracks have featured high pitched alarms and sirens that scrape and gnaw at your mind for dozens of minutes on end. This most likely does not sound pleasant, and it certainly isn’t, but there is also a not-so-easy-to-write-down aspect of his music that is rewarding and addicting; mark my words, after you have listened to one of his releases you will want more.

His newest release compiles nine highlights from a new military inspired alias. These tracks were previously released as singles/EP’s on his own “Hospital Productions” label, but in this collection they are being put out through the much-loved, and very modern “Modern Love” label. If you haven’t heard of this label, dark might be one word to describe its output, but a more apt phrase would be suffocatingly bleak.

This release’s sound fits right alongside label mates “Andy Stott”, and to an even greater degree – Manchester’s, “Demdike Stare”. Both acts craft harrowing soundscapes out of buzz-saws and dozens of other non-musical entities, as well as embracing influences from various cultures. These sounds are conjoined to create a morphed, and entirely un-danceable form of ambient-leaning techno/house. The difference is that Vatican Shadow does this at higher on average, bpm than Demdike Stare. Still, many of Dominick Fernow’s previous releases have seemed to exist in a category all their own, and this one seems easy to corner in comparison.

One could also lump this into the newly cited “Hipster House” tag (meaning no disrespect), which speaks of techno/house music being created by artists pertaining to non-house backgrounds. Fellow noise brethren “Pete Swanson” recently made his first foray into the techno scene with the fantastic “Man with Potential”, and his results were similarly un-danceable. For these reasons, Ornamented Walls is somewhat more accessible and predictable when compared to  his earlier material – although clearly not in the traditional sense of these words.

As I’ve stated before, this is a compilation, not an album. I mean this in the truest sense, as this release has no discernible flow, and the highlights are all front loaded. Here lies the release’s main flaw, as this leaves for a very uneven listening experience. Despite this complaint, Ornamented Walls remains a successful and well done direction for the artist. When the project gets a proper, fully developed full length it will be much more deserving of our attention.

Track Listing

1.) Operation Neptune Spear Part 1 (Live Rehearsal Mix)*

2.) Operation Neptune Spear Part 2 (Live Rehearsal Mix)*

3.) Operation Neptune Spear Part 3 (Live Rehearsal Mix)*

4.) Cairo is a Haunted City (Mythic Chords)

5.) Nightforce Scopes

6.) Yemeni Telephone Number

7.) India has just Tested a Nuclear Device

8.) Church of All Images (Church of the NSA)

9.) Boxes Were Wired to Batteries then Loaded into a Brown Toyota Cargo Truck

*- Album Highlight

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC, REVIEWS Tagged With: album, entertainment, music, review, Vatican Shadow

Bacon has a killer TV debut in The Following

by Michael Tyminski

Kevin Bacon (l.) and James Purefoy (r.), stars of Fox’s The Following.

Last night marked the debut of the heavily hyped Kevin Bacon thriller The Following on FOX.The show, which tells the tale of retired FBI Agent Ryan Hardy (played by Kevin Bacon) being called back into duty to chase down recently escaped serial killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy).

Rather than break down the plot due to it’s very twist-heavy nature (and to not spoil anything), I instead will take the opportunity to discuss what I liked and didn’t like:

What I liked: First and foremost, Kevin Bacon does an excellent job in the role of Ryan Hardy, in that he presents Hardy as a fully fleshed out and occasionally flawed loose cannon. Similarly, James Purefoy’s portrayal of Joe Carroll gives off shades of Hannibal Lecter, in that both are charismatic, persuasive, and clearly unhinged, however at no point did I ever get the impression that Carroll was a knockoff of the classic movie villain.

I also feel the show established its’ premise excellently. What initially gives off the vibe of a long chase for Carroll instead sets off a chain in which you are never really sure who is a hero and who is one of Carroll’s disciples, and the show ending twist sets up a clear end goal for the season.

The gore in the show is incredible, if a little over the top at points, with such cringe-worthy moments including a “follower” stabbing herself in the eye on cue and the blood laden garage with a murdered police officer, with enough excess blood to cleanly scrawl the word NEVERMORE on one of the walls.

What I didn’t like: The show seemed to rely on jump scares and scare chords to the same degree you would expect of a d-grade horror film. While one can argue that this is done to create a sense of paranoia, it eventually gets distracting when you’re dealing with scare chords and fake scares every two to three minutes, and the tactic felt old by the end of the episode.

While Hardy and Carroll are well developed characters, it seems like almost everyone else in the background come off wooden and two-dimensional at points. This is particularly evident in Ryan Hardy’s FBI compatriots who only speak in an excessively matter-of-fact tone, and exist solely to be the only characters in the show that do not see Ryan Hardy’s value (at this stage in the game the phrase “ (s)he’ll only talk to you, Hardy” may as well be the shows catchphrase). While I get that the show is primarily a vehicle for Kevin Bacon to work on TV, I don’t feel that the action should only run through him (especially since the premise is clearly horror inspired, and what is a more standard horror trope than people splitting up at their own peril for seemingly no good reason).

Final Verdict: The Following laid a foundation for an excellent thrill ride in its’ pilot episode and I am interested to see where the plot goes forth from this point in time. However, while I understand most pilots tend to be beta-versions of their fully realized selves, I would like to see a little more actual character development for many of the side characters as opposed to the two dimensional cutout treatment they actually receive. Overall, the show will have me hooked for at least a few more episodes and hopefully The Following can blossom into the sort of show that matches the incredible amount of hype that was laid for it before the premiere.

On an unrelated note: As the resident TV junkie of Manhattan Digest, is there anything you, the readers, would like to see covered? If so, please do not hesitate to post a comment (I tend to skew towards smart and madcap comedies, but if there’s something that’s grabbing your attention in the big 1000+ channel morass that is TV, I would love to know so I can look into it!).

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, OPINION Tagged With: Fox, James Purefoy, Kevin Bacon, The Following, TV reviews

Zero Dark Thirty: 2012’s Most Controversial Film?

by Peter Foy

ZeroDarkThirty2012Poster

For at least a few weeks before it’s release (and for the subsequent month afterwards), Kathryn Bigelow’s latest film Zero Dark Thirty has been achieving a gargantuan amount of press. There’s been plenty of good word, with the film receiving nearly unanimous praise from critics for it’s deft  and relevant subject matter and appearing on many top ten lists. There have been more troubling headlines, however, with some sources calling the film a glorification of torture, an improper exposure to classified material, as well as a shallow reenactment on the war of terror that ultimately gives Osama bin Laden the last laugh (This Rolling Stone article is particularly damning). It’s certainly one of the most challenging films of the year in that regard, and I myself have found myself agreeing with both camps at times. Still, I feel that this a film that must be seen, judged and contemplated by each viewer on his/her own philosophies.

Zero Dark Thirty is very much a follow up film to The Hurt Locker, but it is in some ways an even more important film. The Hurt Locker is an intense study of American soldiers fighting a brutal conflict in Iraq,  while Zero Dark Thirty is a political thriller that acts as a reminder of the paranoia that plagued are nation based on the livelihood of one particular terrorist. As many of you are aware, Zero Dark Thirty is a dramatized account of the decade-long hunt for Osama Bin Laden. The film’s action orbits around central protagonist Maya (Jessica Chastain) a CIA operative with an obsessive need to find Osama Bin Laden. Through a chronological narrative that spans the September 11 attacks right up to the killing of Osama Bin Laden on May 2nd, 2011, Maya acts as our declassified government document that examines what happened to track down the Al Quaida leader. Bribery, speculation, interrogation and the much discussed graphic scenes of torture are the methods that follows in the film’s 157 minute running time.

The allegations that Zero Dark Thirty is exposing unwanted American secrets is not entirely unfounded, but it’s necessary for this type of film to be as truthful as the momentum would allow. Interestingly, the film could have been so much less than what it was, and it can indeed be attributed to the sudden slaying of Osama Bin Laden two years ago. Director Kathryn Bigelow and writer/journalist Mark Boal were planning to make a film about the 2001 siege of the Tora Bora where Osama was believed to have escaped without a trace, but then when he was actually killed in a raid the duo decided to change the film’s concept entirely. Using the research they had accumulated over the last year, the writing/directing pair composed a new film that would center around the whole zeitgeist for America’s hunt for Osama Bin Laden.

1134604 - Zero Dark Thirty

I have to admit, while watching the film I was a bit frustrated at times. The film does indeed begin with a torture scene, which immediately grabbed me, but afterwards I couldn’t help but ask if the filmmakers were suggesting that the actions of the Americans was fully justified. I was fully immersed in the film’s story and performances, and in all honesty it hardly felt like the move was over two-and-a-half hours. Still, my frustrations remained for most of the running time too (perhaps in no small part as we all knew what the ending would be), and I found myself wondering if the film could have posed more questions about did the ends justify the means.

Then…the final shot happened. After a visceral and dynamic climax where I couldn’t stand to blink for a moment, Bigelow and Boal gave us the final shot that the film needed. Not to spoil much, but it was a tender and emotional moment with the film’s lead of Maya. Up to this point we had indeed been seeing this war on terror through her determined mind. Now that it was over, however, both Maya and us viewers were left to ponder what it all meant. Perhaps I’m trying to over-analyze a film that is in many ways just an action film, but I personally don’t think that the filmmakers could have capped off such a compelling work of cinema with a more long-lasting image.

At the end of the day, Zero Dark Thirty is a fabulous political thriller, and the most satisfying American film of the year overall. Whether the filmmakers intended the film to attract this much public outcry is hard to say, but I’m certain they aren’t appreciative that their hard work is being judged as amoral. It’s also an absolute shame that Kathryn Bigelow  was denied a best director nomination this year (along with other shoe-ins like Paul Thomas Anderson, Ben Affleck, and Wes Anderson), but it seems the film has earned itself another merit. Zero Dark Thirty is easily the most controversial film, amidst the most controversial Oscar season in years.

Kathryn-Bigelow-001

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

Album Review – Yo La Tengo: Fade

by Rio Toro

Fade Yo La Tengo

 

Yo La Tengo:          Fade

Score:          8.5/10

 

Similar Artists: The Modern Lovers, Low, Sonic Youth, Arcade Fire

Genre: Indie Rock, Husband and Wife, Dream Pop

 

Few of the great 90’s bands have transcended their 90’s band status to include the subsequent decade(s). Through Yo La Tengo’s continued elegant songwriting, subtle tweaks in craft, and sonic adventurousness they have done what most of their peers could not. With 2000’s monolithically somber “And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out”, 2006’s relentlessly diverse “I’m Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass” and 2009’s enthusiastically pop-laden “Popular Songs”, Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew easily reached the highs of their previous opuses.

It is now 2013 and it now seems clear that YLT seem intent on conquering the next decade as well. At a conspicuously short (in YLT standards) 46 minutes, some may believe the 4 years since their last outing has left them withered and dry of inspiration. Alas, this album has no track that runs past the 6 minute mark; which means no 15 minute jam sessions that we have become accustomed to on YLT’s previous albums. Some may miss the bad-assery offered by tracks such as “Pass the Hatchet, I Think I’m Mankind”, or “And the Glitter is Gone”, but this album is focused on representing another side of the trio’s talents. “Fade” strips away the more disparate elements of their compositions to reveal an album where each track flows seamlessly into the next. It is not a far cry to call this their most consistent and concise release to date; not too shabby for a band’s 13th release and 4th decade in the industry! Listening to Fade’s beautifully layered, rich composition and heart wrenching guitar lines begs the question…are Yo La Tengo immortal?

Number 13 begins with “Ohm”, which opens with eerie drone pulses and morphs into what is surely one of YLT’s more anthemic songs. Existential lyrics and tight vocal harmonies make this one of the most memorable on the album. “Is That Enough” brings back their tender side and introduces the album’s orchestral section which is featured prominently on the album thanks to John McEntire’s glorious production work. “Well you better” might be the catchiest thing on the record.  It establishes a funky keyboard/bass line that embraces the band’s eccentricities as well as their innate ability to craft a  Perfect 3 minute pop song. On the more experimental side, “Stupid Things”, combines melodic guitar lines, dreamy production and an almost krautrock backdrop. However, the centerpiece remains “Cornelia and Jane” which begins with melancholic opening chords and Georgia Hubley’s understated voice at it’s most serene. The lyrics represent the album title as they evoke a strained relationship on it’s last legs, slowly fading away. “Before we Run” is a effective album closer despite only being 6 minutes long. It is held together by it’s grand orchestral components and stands alone in YLT’s discography.

While I’ve certainly been dolling out unbridled praise for this album, the trio have certainly dished out offerings that are more raw and exciting than this one. Not unlike Radiohead’s “The King of Limbs”, “Fade” exists as a kind of culmination of what we have come to expect to hear from the band, whilst still pushing themselves forward in slightly new directions. Hoboken’s Finest have certainly made their mark on indie music’s consciousness, and their inspiration is one thing that will certainly not fade for quite some time.

 

Track Listing

1.) Ohm*

2.) Is That Enough

3.) Well you Better*

4.) Paddle Forward

5.) Stupid Things*

6.) I’ll Be Around

7.) Cornelia and Jane*

8.) Two Trains

9.) The Point of It

10.) Before we Run

 

* – Album Highlight

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC

Dance Music at the Grammy’s

by Ryan Shea

left

Dance music has come a long way in the past decade.  From music you could only hear at 5 am in NYC at clubs like Sound Factory and Crobar, to now being played out by commercialized mainstream radio.  Dance music is beats and vocals dubbed together by artists who can hear melodies where others do not.  Having said this, it is amazing to see these artists being honored, as musicians, at the Grammy awards.

The nominees for Best Dance Recording are all very talented DJ’s.  Avicii is a great DJ who brought dance music to the mainstream when Flo Rida remixed his song Levels.  Although he should be recognized for helping bring dance music to the forefront of American radio, I don’t think he deserves the Grammy this year.  The Best Dance Recording, in my opinion, belongs to Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin, Don’t you Worry Child.  This song mixes beautiful vocals and lyrics with genius melodies and beats.  Not only can you sing along to this track but you can also get lost in its atmosphere.  Swedish House Mafia is a trio of talented DJ’s and ingenious producers.  They mix just the right amount of commercial feel to get radio air time and still keep the respect of dance music lovers around the world.

The Grammy for the Best Dance/Electronica Album hands down belongs to Kaskade Fire and Ice.  Kaskade is one of the few American DJs and producers to draw followers around the world.  In 2011 Kaskade was voted America’s Best DJ 2011 by www.djtimes.com.  The Fire and Ice album peaked at #17 on the US Charts and #1 on the US Dance Charts.  Kaskade brings together different artists and other DJs in this album and still manages to keep his authentic sound.  The album includes two discs’ (Fire and Ice) which contain the same tracks but mixed in two completely different ways.  Fire is smooth and alluring, while Ice is loud and hard.  Although the same songs, each disc feels and sounds completely unique.  Kaskade deserves this award, in my opinion, and I believe will take home the Grammy this year.  Although the other albums in this category are all great none has the originality and range of skill like Kaskade Fire and Ice.

 

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC, OPINION Tagged With: avicii, dance, dance music, dj, dont you worry child song, edm, electro, fire and ice album, grammy, grammy awards, house music, kaskade, producers, review, shm, swedish house mafia, techno, techno music

D’Jango Unchained: Tarantino’s Wet Spot

by Peter Foy

Quentin+Tarantino+039_20759

While the 90s indie boom saw many filmmakers in full boom (Paul Thomas Anderson, The Coen Brothers, Richard Linklater) there’s little argument that Tarantino was most likely the most influential one of his era, as well as the most successful one overall. In all honesty, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call Tarantino the most important American auteur since Martin Scorsese, as his sense of dialogue, extreme violence, non-linear story telling, and retrospective aesthetics practically manufactured the careers of the likes of Guy Ritchie and Martin McDonagh. Hell, had Tarantino decided to set his camera down after making Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, it would have been enough to give him iconic status. Of course, that didn’t happen though, and Tarantino has continued to make excellent genre cinema for these last two decades, which has seen his style taking both to extemes (Kill Bill) to the more subdued (Jackie Brown).

118770R1_new_CR

The director’s latest, Django Unchained, is very much a cumulnation of the director’s entire body of work up to this point. Certainly a follow-up piece to his WWII film Inglorious Basterds, this new film is in essence a period piece (this time the American south before the Civil War), but one that isn’t afraid to use anachronisms for the sake of good storytelling. D’Jango Unchained is a sparkling homage to spaghetti westerns and blaxploitation cinema, as well as a splatterfest that recalls Tarantino’s love of the cheap thrills of grindhouse cinema. The film centers on the title character, a freed slave (Jamie Foxx) who teams up with a German named King Schultz (Christoph Waltz)  to begin a lucrative partnership in bounty hunting. Of course there is an end goal in mind for our hero Django, as he also plans to rescue his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from evil plantation owner Calvin Candie, and his similarly twisted house slave Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson).

It’s certainly a story that catches Tarantino in his element, and I honestly think he’s possibly the only filmmaker who could have given this film the much needed tongue-in-cheek quality that it has. It’s a very modern film despite it’s setting and adherence to past eras of cinema. This is most  immediately apparent in a scene where the characters are riding horse-and-buggy across a plantation field as a Rick Ross song plays in the background. It’s anachronistic, attention grabbing, and possibly brilliant film making.

12-12-18-django_stephen

The film certainly has a higher body count than Sergio Leone could of ever dreamed of, yet for the most part us viewers can’t help but cheer at seeing Django lay waste to these white slaving bastards. Tarantino’s films have always been about kicking up things a few notches from reality, and the slave-driven America that Tarantino showcases here is nothing short of vicious. While there was never any proof towards the existence of mandingo fighting (forcing slaves to fight to the death for entertainment), he implies that the world of Django Unchained accepts it publicly. Many are likely to see this film as a gratuitous sensationalizing of slavery, but just as Tarantino climaxed Inglorious Basterds with Hitler getting his head caved in to machine gun fire, the director is merely exposing the evils of history in his playful and pulpish style.

That said, all of this would be for nothing if the acting couldn’t match Tarantino’s aloofness, but fortunately for us, wise casting has saved the day once again. Jamie Foxx certainly gives Django the right amount of coolness and badassery, but he isn’t quite the highlight of this film, as the supporting cast is just so electric! Christoph Waltz continues to show what a brilliant actor he is, as his affable slave-freer is a complete 180 from the flamboyantly insidious Nazi he played in Inglorious Basterds. Speaking of villains, both Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson are fantastic in their bad guy roles, and there’s one particular scene involving DiCaprio’s character and a hammer that truly made me cringe.

There are two facets of the film, however, that fall behind Tarantino’s usual standards. For one, this is far from the best script that Tarantino has written as it’s surprisingly linear. It doesn’t have the complex sub-plot conjunction of Inglorious Basterds, or the brilliant time-shifting narratives that have carried his best work, despite a few flashback sequences that are shot in a deliciously grainy exploitation-esque style. Most of the violence is just point and shoot also, as opposed to the more creative pummeling that could be found in his earlier work. Also, Django Unchained is a bit too long, which might be the result of Tarantino’s new editor. All of Tarantino’s previous films were edited by Sally Menke, who sadly passed away in 2009. His new editor Fred Raskin certainly knows how to cut an action sequence, but dialogue heavy scenes aren’t necessarily his forte. It pains me to say it, but there are a few talky scenes in the movie that go on a bit too long.

django_ride

Still, D’Jango Unchained is indeed worthy of the Tarantino name, and it’s not really any less messy than some of the spaghetti westerns and exploitation films it’s blatantly mimicking. Fans of the director won’t be disappointed and are even likely to see the film as his best work to date just based on aesthetics alone. Once again, don’t expect Tarantino to win any Oscars this year, but maybe that’s a good thing.

 

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, MOVIES

A Taste of Fine Country

by Pamela Gordon

CARRIE BLOWN

A Taste of Fine Country
January 2013

This years country nominees truly gives a look at what this genre is, what it was and what it can be. The groups and individuals compiling the country genre all have the talent, soul and passion, but for the Grammy’s, to win, they have to stand out and have that “something special”. Although it is close, the Grammy SHOULD go to….

Carrie Underwood – Blown Away will likely take home the Grammy “Best Country Solo Performance” category. The song is epic, theatrical and emotional. The lyrics are powerful and her voice makes it magical like you’re in the middle of an Oklahoma tornado. The strings in the song, although not typical country fiddle, give it that epic sound and makes an impact on listeners senses. The other nominees are all great, but for me, they lack that “wow” factor. Dierks Bentley’s “Home” is beautiful, Eric Church’s “Springsteen” makes me think about being a teenager again, Blake Shelton’s “Over” touches the starry eyed lover in me, and the others all having parallel themes.

Eli Young Band – Even if it Breaks Your Heart should win the “Best Country Duo / Group Performance”. The song entails all the good eminence of a single AND it’s a quality track. It is immediately catchy and starts of with simple vocals and a guitar strum. The chorus makes you want to sing out loud at a bar with your friends. It is memorable and makes you want to listen to it again. Although I feel this song should win, I have a feeling it may go to Taylor Swift & The Civil Wars – Safe and Sound. This mysterious sounding song is featured in the film “Hunger Games” and demonstrates Taylor Swifts beautiful vocals. But aside from its beautiful, mysterious sound, the song seems, well, manufactured for a movie.

Carrie Underwood – Blown Away will take home “Best Country Song” for all the reasons listed above. Additionally, the people who made that magic happen, should be acknowledged as well.

Zac Brown Band – Uncaged will probably win the Grammy for “Best Album”. However, I say this with hesitance. I’ve repeatedly listened to each album, both in different mindsets and consecutively, and this was difficult. Zac Brown Band’s album was great to listen to and touches many emotions. It makes you long for someone to still love you during “Goodbye in Her Eyes,” relax on a beach during “Island Song,” and do a strip tease during “Overnight,” right before saying goodbye to your loved ones during “Day That I Die”. This album shows what the future of country can bring; classic country, a touch of rock, and even a little bit of soul. The album is genius and deserves a win. I must reiterate that the other albums are just as good in their own ways. Hunter Hayes’ Self Titled album, at first makes, it easy to say that he is the “Justin Beiber of Country” but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Regardless of your age, you can take the lyrics and easily relate them to your own life. And what is even more impressive is that he played every instrument on the album. The Time Jumpers Self Titled album is another great example of fine musicianship. All of the members are talented studio musicians who came together and made classic Western Country music. Jamey Johnsons Tribute, although a tribute, is a great album that demonstrates not only Jamey’s vocals and appreciation for Cochran, but several other well respected artists contribute to the wonderful sound. Last but not least the impressive Miranda Lambert’s – For the Record is strong; in the sense of being a strong woman with powerful vocals. She sings straight from the heart and empowers the listener. But at the end of the day, Zac Brown takes the cake with the “Fine Sampling of Country”.

Pamela Erin Gordon

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, MUSIC, OPINION

Who will win Record of the Year at The Grammy’s?

by Ryan Shea

Frank-ocean-thinking-about-you-thumb

 

The Grammy Awards are a night that can be as unpredictable as the MTV Video Music Awards yet have a seriousness to it like the Oscars.  The annual award show is broadcast on CBS February 10th at 8pm eastern time.  So far there are a wide range of performers from Taylor Swift to Rihanna, The Black Keys to Mumford & Sons.

One of the highly coveted awards of the evening is Record of the Year, which in the past has gone to Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now” and most recently Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep”.  This year’s contenders range from rock, pop, R&B and alternative.  So who should win, who will win, and who got left out in the cold?  Here are my predictions as to what will go down.

Nominees-

Taylor Swift- “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”

The Black Keys- “Lonely Boy”

Gotye featuring Kimbra- “Somebody That I Used To Know”

Kelly Clarkson- “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”

Frank Ocean- “Thinking About You”

Fun featuring Janelle Monae- “We Are Young”

Who will win-

This one really is tough because each of these songs are strong in their own fields.  Both Kelly and Fun are nominated in this and Song of the Year category, which puts them in the front of the list as ones that are nominated in both tend to win both.  That being said,  “We Are Young” will most likely be the winner as that song was gigantic and they seem to have gained quite a lot of Grammy steam since the announcement of the nominations last month.

Who should win-

I am so privy towards Frank Ocean as his freshman effort “Channel Orange” was the best album this past year, and this song was one of the many shining examples of that.  Besides Frank, Gotye’s song should win based off of just how original and whimsical it really was.  Taylor’s is a basic pop song, Kelly’s is too even though I loved it.  “Lonely Boy” is great but not Record of the Year material, and “We Are Young” doesn’t compete in my mind with Gotye and Frank.  If I HAD to choose, it would be Frank.

Who got the shaft-

There were plenty in my opinion.  Sort of shocked that Drake and Rihanna’s “Take Care” didn’t get any nominations at all as that was the best collaboration this year by far.  “The A-Team” by Ed Sheeran picked up a Song of the Year nod but I felt deserved recognition in this category as well, and even though it dominated the hip-hop categories, both “Daughters” by Nas and “Mercy” by Kanye West should’ve been strong contenders for this category.

Who is your choice to win? Sound off and let your voice be heard!

Filed Under: BREAKING NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, MUSIC

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