pink

The Ten Most Awesome Songs of 2013… In My Opinion

A$Ap Rocky, Manhattan Digest, Manhattan, Skrillex — Credit to: MixMag

2013 was pretty much an amazing year when it came to the variety of songs that were provided by a bevy of artists in their own respective genre. We had a couple of really good late in the game entries as well that really gave some of the bigger artists and songs this year a run for their money. From pop to alternative, to hip hop blending with EDM, these in my opinion were the ten best songs of 2013. Billboard Magazine had a similar list to mine in what they were thinking as well. They are in no particular order, but are all pure awesomeness. Take a look.

A$AP Rocky Featuring Skrillex- Wild For The Night

A$AP is one of the best rappers out there right now in a field that seems to be lacking in original talent. The only other guy out there right now that is on a similar level and new to a degree is Kendrick. That being said, “Wild For The Night” charts on this list for me because it was the best club banger of 2013. Masterfully collaborating with the biggest EDM producer out there right now, Grammy-Award winning Skrillex, A$AP spits lyrics at an elevated speed to compliment Skrillex’s mind numbing beats and what is the result? Pure awesomness.

Daft Punk Featuring Pharrell Williams- Get Lucky

Pharrell had two big songs this year, this being one of them and of course being featured in “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke as the other. If I had to choose one of the two songs to be in my top ten, this would’ve been the better one. The Niles Rogers assisted track catapulted Daft Punk back into the top of the charts stratosphere with “Random Access Memories” being one of the best reviewed and selling albums of 2013. This is another one of those songs where two completely different acts came together and struck pure gold. The beat to this song is incredibly infectious, and it also served its purpose for many Gay Americans as it proved to be somewhat of a theme song when Prop 8 was overturned in early Summer 2013. Definitely one of the best songs of the year if not the best.

Lorde- Royals

Lorde in my opinion is the anti Miley Cyrus. This song kind of proves that thought process. The fresh faced 16 year old from New Zealand quietly made her way into being one of the biggest new artists of 2013, with a song that has a simple drum beat, backup singers and a message that speaks profoundly about the industry itself today. With lyrics like “We don’t care, we aren’t caught up in your love affair”, she basically talks truthfully about how she was raised and why she refuses to conform in a somewhat “Bling Bling” society. Expect big things for this girl in the new year, and beyond.

P!nk & Nate Ruess- Just Give Me A Reason

I for one am always a big fan of when a man and woman duet with each other. From “Endless Love” to “Almost Paradise” it always seems to be a formula that works well. P!nk, who is not really known for her duets as her voice is powerful enough on its own, struck a huge chord with millions of people with the number one single “Just Give Me A Reason”. Side by side with Fun! frontman Nate Ruess, the breakup to makeup song became one of her biggest hits of her career and scored her a Grammy nomination for Song Of The Year. P!nk proves why she is still one of the best out there after being in the business for over 15 years.

Beyonce Featuring Jay-Z- Drunk In Love

Beyonce had the best music story of this year, and the funny thing is that it happened less than 2 weeks ago. it’s insane how she was able to pull all of this off and practically NO ONE knew what she was doing. On December 7th at 12am, she released her self titled new album to the world exclusively on iTunes, and just like many Stans out there, we all ate it up. There were plenty of songs on her album that I could’ve included on this list (XO and Flawless as examples) but I am always a sucker for whenever she duets with Jay. This duet with him is the best one yet, and she proves why everyone else needs to bown down and respect the Kween.

Miley Cyrus- We Can’t Stop

Say what you want about Miley, but she really took the fuck over this year for sure. You can take her two different ways- annoying slut or marketing genius. I prefer the latter, because as much as people want to say she is a terrible influence and all this other stuff she is just doing the same thing that other pop divas like Madonna and Britney have done before. She is just a more modernized version of it. “We Can’t Stop” is another club banger and a completely different side of the re-upped Miley. With risque talks of partying, to that one video of her naked on a Wrecking Ball, this really was the year of Miley and I myself am looking forward to seeing what she has in store for 2014 and beyond.

Justin Timberlake- Mirrors

Facts are facts- Justin had the biggest comeback of a year. Without a doubt. Keeping his return to music a bit hush hush like Beyonce did, he came roaring back in early 2013 with “The 20/20 Experience”. “Suit & Tie” wasn’t exactly a very loved track, but the follow up “Mirrors” was much more well received and worth the 7 minute listen. Just a beautiful song and his crooning voice blends beautifully with the orchestra like music in the background. Here’s to hoping he keeps with this music thing for a while, because it is what he is best at.

Drake Featuring Majid Jordan- Hold On We’re Going Home

For me, Drake is at his best when he is singing, not when he is rapping. “Hold On We’re Going Home” is a great example of this. Billed as the second single off his platinum selling “Nothing Was The Same”, “Hold” was a softer approach from his first choice “Started From The Bottom” and really showcased his vocal abilities. Set to an 80’s type throwback, the song jumped to the top of the charts and further solidified the dude as a pop/R&B/hip-hop crossover and further away from his mixtape/DeGrassi persona that we all knew about him. Keep it going…

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Mary Lambert- Same Love

Macklemore is a guy that has been in the game for a lot longer than people realize, he just happened to jump off at the end of 2012 with a sick saxophone beat to the song “Thrift Shop”. His unique approach to his rapping along with helping other undiscovered artists from Ray Dalton to Wanz. He is the first guy to really tackle the issue of gay marriage in a rap song like no other has before. The song beautifully states the society that we are in, where saying the word gay has become the norm, and ultimately how we shouldn’t treat people differently just because they don’t fit the mold that we have created. Featuring the great vocals of Mary Lambert, the song boldly goes where hip-hop never has before, and has earned him respect from millions gay or not. Well done Macklemore, well done.

Passenger- Let Her Go

This song is light, touching and amazing. Already big overseas, the band Passenger quietly hit the airwaves with this passionate song about love lost and the realization of wanting something only when you need it. Kind of Adult Contemporary with an edge. Definitely should be ones to look out for in 2014.

Who do you think should make this list? Check out more music artists on Manhattan Digest and let us know who was your favorite in 2013.

2014 Grammy Nominations- Shockers, Delights and Kendrick!

by Ryan Shea

The 2014 Grammy Nominations were announced live last night in Los Angeles at the annual “Grammy Nominations Special” they do each year, hosted by LL Cool J. They had some pretty off the chain concerts from some of the biggest artists in the world, and it truly set the stage for a great night to come in February. When I read the list of nominees this year, some I expected, some I was somewhat surprised on, and some I was insanely baffled that got left out. Let’s break each category down and see what went right and what went really wrong.

Record Of They Year-

Lorde- “Royals”

Imagine Dragons- “Radioactive”

Robin Thicke Featuring TI & Pharrell Williams- “Blurred Lines”

Daft Punk Featuring Pharrell Williams- “Get Lucky”

Bruno Mars- “Locked Outta Heaven”

In my original prediction blog, I had four out of five right (Hooray for me) with Imagine Dragons as an “Honorable Mention” but definitely a contender. Not surprised by any of these as they were all great nominees. Justin could’ve made this category, but I will delve much further into that on the next one. These five songs were really some of the biggest of the year, each of them representing a different genre of music in my opinion. Lorde on that pop/alternative tip, Imagine Dragons are pure alternative, Robin Thicke as the R&B crooner, Daft Punk bringing in the EDM and Bruno Mars giving us straight soul. This is going to be an interesting category of sorts because I don’t think there really is a clear cut winner here. Moving along.

Album Of The Year-

Sara Bareilles- “The Blessed Unrest”

Daft Punk- “Random Access Memories”

Kendrick Lamar- “Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City”

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis- “The Heist”

Taylor Swift- “Red”

No Justin Timberlake in this category, I am beyond shocked about that. I pegged “The 20/20 Experience” as winning this award beyond easily and I truthfully believe he was the biggest snub of the night. Kind of sad when you have the biggest album of the year and you are left off such a crucial list. I think Sara and Kendrick are the surprising nominees here, in a good way. I thought Bruno Mars was a shoo in as well for “Unorthodox Jukebox” but I am somewhat glad to see him left off this list as I think Sara and Kendrick had stronger showings. Not shocked by Macklemore, Taylor or Kendrick but for the sake of my sanity I pray that Taylor doesn’t win AOTY again because “Red” wasn’t really a strong showing. It was a continuation of her last album, and I hope when she releases her new effort it has a bit of maturity to it. This is a tough one to call right now, but if I had to be personal on this- KENDRICK. Please.

Song Of The Year-

Pink & Nate Ruess- “Just Give Me A Reason”

Bruno Mars- “Locked Outta Heaven”

Katy Perry- “Roar”

Lorde- “Royals”

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Mary Lambert- “Same Love”

In my original article, I had three out of five right (Pink, Macklemore, Lorde). Katy Perry wasn’t really on my radar, and this was the category I thought Sara Bareilles had a chance at with “Brave”, which Katy insanely ripped off for “Roar”. I actually had Drake in this category for “Hold On We’re Going Home”, a song he didn’t even get nominated for this year. That to me is frustrating, as it is one of the best tracks of 2013, and its the same sentiment I felt two years ago when his song with Rihanna “Take Care” got snubbed as well. This is a pretty standard list, so nothing too surprising. They could’ve given Miley something in the main categories, especially for the teen voters, and “Wrecking Ball” is in fact a very well written song. That being said, “Same Love” has got my vote. The lyrics are incredible and if there is one award Macklemore & Ryan Lewis should win it is this one folks.

Best New Artist-

James Blake

Kacey Musgraves

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Ed Sheeran

Kendrick Lamar

Two out of five in my original predictions, with Macklemore and Kendrick easily getting nominated. The others, I don’t really know how I feel about it. First off, where the heck is Imagine Dragons and Lorde on this? Ed Sheeran has been around for a while, so I don’t get why he is nominated this year and not last year. I am beyond floored that Florida Georgia Line didn’t get ANY nominations, and I thought that they would be the perennial country nominee as well over Kacey, but I am glad to see she got in here. The shocker here is EDM producer James Blake, who is following similar pathways with EDM being recognized in the main categories as Skrillex earned a Best New Artist nod last year. Fun! won this last year, something that I thought was completely shit as it should’ve been Frank Ocean, but this is a pretty strong group across the board. Best New Artist has proven to be an award that is never really cut and dry, and many artists that have won in recent years are the one you least expect (Bon Iver over Nicki Minaj, Esperanza Spalding over Justin Bieber). So James Blake really is the odd one out in this. Macklemore really isn’t a new artist in my opinion because he has been around a lot longer than people think, so once again I would love for Kendrick to take this one home. Country nominees never win this award, so it really comes down to Kendrick and Macklemore in my opinion.

Check out the official Grammy website for all the nominees and keep checking on Manhattan Digest for our official prediction blogs in all the categories for months to come. Congrats to all the nominees, especially Kendrick and my homegirl Kathy Griffin who got a sixth nomination for Best Comedy Album! 🙂

2014 Grammy Predictions- Song Of The Year

by Ryan Shea

Miley’s song could be nominated, folks. Be aware.

The announcement of the songs nominated for the 2014 Grammy Awards are only 18 days away at this point where they are set to be announced live on CBS the night of December 6th. A tradition that they have been doing for a couple of years, the event will take place at 8/7 central, hosted by LL Cool J and featuring performers (and potential nominees) Drake, Macklemore and Keith Urban to name a few. As exciting as the performances are themselves, millions of music fans and performers alike will be giddy with anticipation over who will be the actual nominees for next year’s biggest music event. But who will be nominated in each category?

The award for “Song Of The Year” is different from “Record Of The Year” in that Song is awarded to its composers whereas Record can go to the performer and production team for that song. To me, this award exemplifies the best written song of the year, the one that is different from the rest and really made you think about its lyrical content in order to win this type of award. In recent years, this has been won by John Mayer’s “Daughters”, Adele & Paul Epworth’s “Rolling In The Deep” and the guys from Fun’s song “We Are Young” last year (Miguel’s “Adorn” should’ve won, in my opinion). So who has the chance to win the award this year? Take a look at who I think are some of the potential nominees.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Mary Lambert- “Same Love”(Written by: Ben Haggerty, Mary Lambert, Ryan Lewis & Curtis Mayfield). I love it when an artist of this caliber comes and makes a song about marriage equality, especially when he is in an industry that is known for its overabundance of homophobia. Written in particular about legalizing same sex marriage in Macklemore’s home state of Washington, the song does a simple yet extraordinary way of flowing lyrically why the use of the words “gay” and “faggot’ are truthfully wrong and why we should accept people as a whole no matter what their backgrounds are. In my opinion, this has never been doing before hip-hop wise, and I give Macklemore a ton of credit for being brave enough to do this. I also love that he has featured a ton of relatively unknowns on his album as he himself was practically one before the release of “Thrift Shop” in late 2012. Just like he did with Thrift Shop (Wanz) and Can’t Hold Us (Ray Dalton) he features the beautifully gifted Mary Lambert on this track to add a soft yet powerful female element to the song. Definitely the winner in my book here.

Miley Cyrus- “Wrecking Ball” (Written By: Henry Russell Walter, Sacha Skarbek, Stephan Moccio, Maureen Anne McDonald and Lukasz Gottwald). Let’s keep it 100 here folks, this was the year of Miley. We couldn’t escape her presence this year and say what you want about her but she does do a pretty good job at keeping us talking. The second release off of her album “Bangerz” became known a bit more for its very controversial video than it did the actual song. The song itself talks about the end of a relationship and the dealing of heartbreak at a young age (mainly this song is about Liam Hemsworth, whom she was engaged to until recently). It is her best effort yet, in my opinion, and has a lot of raw energy and grit to her which is something that she hasn’t really done in the past, being all Disney and whatnot. This song earned her her first number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and a permanent spot in our brains (for that video and other stuff) but more importantly in pop culture. She ain’t Hannah Montana anymore that’s for sure.

Pink & Nate Ruess- “Just Give Me A Reason” (Written By: Pink, Jeff Bhasker & Nate Ruess). It really drives me nuts that almost fifteen years into her career I still feel like Pink doesn’t get the recognition she deserves. The third release off of her popular album “The Truth Above Love”, “Just Give Me A Reason” is another one of those amazing songs that talk about the woes of a relationship and how hard it is to hear the other person when you yourself are in a ton of pain that you can’t see your way out of. Pink’s deep and low falsetto blends very well with Nate Ruess’ high-pitched vocals and makes this song that much more special. Pink, who we usually see do songs from a more solo perspective, truly shines on this one and proves why even after all this time she is still one rocking chick.

Drake- “Hold On We’re Going Home” (Written By: Aubrey Graham, Noah Shebib, Majid Al Maskati and Jordan Ullman). Something that I am still in shock about is the fact that Drake’s title track and album for “Take Care” didn’t get a single nomination in the main categories at last year’s Grammy’s, which is crap. I am really pulling for this talented guy to be grab a nomination for this song on some type of level, because this is one of his best one’s he has put out thus far. Blurring the lines of rapping and singing, the R&B crooner and hip-hop mainstay released this song second off of his very successful third album “Nothing Was The Same” to the delight of fans and critics. A simple song about how he feels for his female counterpart, the song has been a hit on the charts and in the minds of many of his female fans as he continues on his path to being one of the greatest hip-hop artists today.

Lorde- “Royals” (Written by: Ella Yelich O’Connor & Joel Little). I fucking love this song, forgive me for my language but I feel like that emphatic “FUCK” needs to be in there. A surefire lock for a Best New Artist, this song is the anti “Bling Bling” and “Beemerz, Benz & Bentley’s”. Meaning that she is aware of her background and upbringing and doesn’t have to sing about the jet set lifestyle in order to make it big in the industry, kind of like Sara Bareilles “Love Song” did with her tongue and cheek version of not writing a love song for her debut record. I am really pulling for her in February and really in the future because she is definitely one to watch out for.

Honorable Mentions:

Justin Timberlake- “Mirrors”

Taylor Swift- “Red”

Bruno Mars- “Treasure”

Sara Bareilles- “Brave”

Imagine Dragons- “Radioactive”

Who do you think should and will be nominated?

Valentine, Hint-Of-Lime, and Office: Two Obsessions and A True Love Of HonestFrugalChaos Style

by Ryan Shea

HonestFrualChaos would first like to wish all my fashionistas of Manhattan a Happy Valentines Day! Let’s keep this love going with HFC’s two obsessions of the week and one true shoe love. When we’re talking about fashion there is always love! Enjoy my loves and flavors of the week!

pink

Miley’s song could be nominated, folks. Be aware.

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