Pixie Lott - All About Tonight

August 31, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

This song is extremely catchy and I can't help but sing-a-long to it, and also move to the dance beat that is behind this amazing song. Pixie Lott is very well-known here in the UK, and she has attempted to crack Europe a few times, but not managed that well, and although she has thought about trying it in the US, quite a few time, I reckon she is nervous and the people behind her think it will be difficult to crack it there. For the time being, she needs to get back on track, here in the UK. Her first two singles "Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh)" and "Boys and Girls" managed to get to number one, but the following singles were much more soulful, and although they became big hits, they failed to be catchy enough to make it to the top. BUT this song has very much turned things around and she is definitely back on track, and I'll be very surprised if it doesn't make number one.

Her song says that she has "a new attitude", and she definitely has changed herself, proving that she is determined to get back to number one, where this song obviously needs to be. Personally I think she looks great, and occasionally she looks like Tamzin Outhwaite. This song is kind of similar to her number ones, and so it's predictable that she's bound to do well with this single.

The song has it's own little meaning. The lyrics hence the fact that she's split up with someone, however instead of drowning out her sorrows at home, she's gone out with her mates, and it's "All about tonight". I really like the bit where she sings "Grab someone if your single. Grab someone if you're not", which is a great twist in the storyline and it suggests that you have to be careful when you go out clubbing as the person you are dancing with may just be someone who is currently in a relationship.

I love the song, and the music video works well with it, although they definitely could have more of a narrative twist on things. However it shows a fun filled night, and shows she's changed and become someone new, lets just hope there are some number ones thrown in for good measure as she unquestionably deserves a few more. Also, and I'm not entirely sure if this is true or not, so don't quote me on it, but I think she wrote this song herself (looking back at her debut album, she is in all of the writing credits, apart from the covers she did, which shows she is meant to be in music). [EDIT]: Songwriters are Pixie Lott, Tebey Ottoh, Brian Kidd and Tommy Lee James.

I believe this video is pretty similar to Basshunter's "Now You're Gone", which actually made number one. However the only BIG difference is that Basshunter has a massive on-going storyline that works really well, however Pixie Lott doesn't and if it doesn't make number one I'm definitely going to blame the fact that narrative was missing. I also like the fact that there is a lot of dancing, which kids and children can copy, which will definitely help her to achieve a number one hopefully.

Overall I love this song and it's stuck in my head all the time, I have to admit I didn't like it at first but it's definitely grown on me now! However the music video could, and should of been, much better! And to be honest I don't want to give it this rating, as I fully love this song, but I have to be critical and so here goes, and I hope some of you agree!
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Joe Jonas - See No More

August 30, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Joe Jonas is one third of a band called The Jonas Brothers, who consists of Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas and Kevin Jonas. They did really well together in the US, but here in the UK they rarely managed to make an impact on the charts. Now the brothers have gone separate ways for the moment, putting their band on hiatus until further notice. There are many different reasons for splitting, but the most obvious reason is that they are having musical differences. This is shown by how different their music are to each other. Joe Jonas has gone down an R&B kind of style, whereas Nick has created a whole new band called "Nick Jonas and the Administration" which is more of a Blues/rock sort of band. There's no sign of Kevin Jonas doing anything just yet, apart from getting married, but it will be interesting to see what he's got up his sleeve.

Now this single by Joe Jonas is extremely emotional, whenever I hear it, I can feel exactly what he is trying to get across, and it just proves how strongly he feels about this song! Joe Jonas explained the song to E! News at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, this is what he said: “The song is about a relationship ending and you’re trying to get over it, but at the same time you’ve got these mixed feelings… you’re fighting everything of seeing that person. It sounds like a sad song, but it carries a cool beat to it.” Personally I think we could guess what the song is about since the song lyrics gives us the exact same interpretation. Joe Jonas co-wrote this song with Chris Brown (a very well known singer) and Brian Kennedy (who is a well known song writer and has worked with many well-known artists). Together they've wrote this amazing song and I bet Joe had the most input, since he sings it fantastically.

I really like the music video and it seems very similar to Adele's "Rolling in the Deep", as it is subtle but very powerful. And it works amazingly with Joe's fantastic song. The music video starts off by Joe looking unsure about what he is thinking, and he knows very much that he likes this person, but they've just broken up and they don't belong together. The person he is thinking of appears every now and again which suggests that at those certain times he is thinking of her.

When the dress catches fire, it is a direct link to burning of memories and trying desperately to get rid of the person he can't stop thinking about. But I also like the ending, which shows that Joe is still not done, and no matter what he tries to do to forget about her, it is pretty impossible, as what they had was very strong. And thus proving that you shouldn't burn things as you'll never get them back and all you know is that you may get back together, and those memories you had burnt can never ever return to you.

I think you can tell I really like this music video, it is strong, passionate and very thought-out. It shows Joe's feelings easily and links well with the song. The lyrics make it difficult to make the perfect narrative, there must have been loads of different ideas, but subtle was definitely the way to go.

This song was released last month, and in the UK it made number 53, which is pretty good, and it actually bests previous Jonas Brother's and Nick Jonas and the Administration's singles, however he didn't promote it well enough, and he just allowed the music video to promote the song, and to be honest the music channels haven't picked it up enough. This song failed to make an impact in the US as well, which is quite surprising. So for his next single, whatever that will be, will have to make a bigger impact. But with the amount of YouTube view, which is just over 7 million (at this current moment), he might just make it as a worldwide star, but we'll just going to have to wait and see.

Overall they've done well with the music video, and although the narrative could have been more story-like the subtleness works superbly and really helps to get the emotion across, so I have no choice but to give this a rating it deserves, and I cannot wait to hear new music by Joe Jonas.

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Six D - Best Damn Night

August 29, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Six D are a brand-new street dance group, whose new music is different to what we are used to. Six D contains six members (obviously) who are Chantelle Bernard, Pierre Angus, Kieran Edmonds, Kimmy Campbell, Cassie Macmillan and Levon de Silva. This new UK group reminds me of Big Brovaz, they both have three female members and three male members, and the music is quite similar, however this band could be considered as the new Big Brovaz, because if Big Brovaz were still going, I very much think that they would have a similar sound.

Also, Six D are definitely street dance, they have great dancing ability, and they would be brilliant to watch at a gig. I think that they could easily pick up enough fans, to push them into stardom, they just need more promoting.

This song is their first single and they managed to get to number 34 on the UK singles chart, which is pretty good for a new group, although I do hope they do better the next time around as they definitely deserve it. This song is all about having fun and "having the best damn night". They seem to be doing just that in the music video, which works well with the song.

I'm not totally sure how I feel about this music video, purely because on it's own it is pretty impressive, but then the song ruins it a bit. It is one of those songs that get stuck in your head and you quite like it, but then the more you sing it to yourself, and then possibly hear it again and again, you soon become bored with it. Which might reflect why they didn't do so well on the charts, but I do congratulate them on cracking the Top 40, when several new bands/groups fail to do just that.

There isn't much narrative, but you sort of expect that, as you can't really show a brilliant story line, thanks to the lyrics. But the choreography the group was given is amazing and the band manages to pull it off superbly as they are all in sync and no one makes a mistake. I would be interested in how many takes it took them to create this music video, and surely they must have been exhausted after creating it, however it was definitely worth it, and it is very entertaining it watch, and I bet children and young teenagers are trying to copy the dance moves so they can dance along too, but they are quick and complicated, and they pull it off perfectly!

Overall I really like the music video, however the song (after constantly hearing it here and there) lets it down, but I admit, I did like the song the first time I heard it. I hope they have many more future releases, and manages to show what great singers and dancers they are, and let's hope they manage to crack the top 10 next time.

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Britney Spears - Toxic

August 28, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

This music video is probably listed as THE BEST Britney Spears music video ever made. You can't possibly tell me you've never ever seen this music video, and surely everyone agrees that it is one of her best ones so far. But what makes it so good? Why is this song so amazing? And what makes it better than all of her other music videos? We'll soon find out.

This was Britney second single released from her fourth album "In The Zone". This song managed to get to No.1 in the UK charts, and the second most recent Britney single to get there. This single marks the height of her career, which has recently been going downhill, will she ever manage to get a number 1 again, in the future? We'll just have to wait and find out.

The director of this music video was someone called Joseph Kahn, he has worked with Britney a total of 3 times, all of the Britney music videos he has directed contains a storyline. The 3 music videos are: "Stronger", "Toxic" and most recently "Womanizer", these three music videos really stand above the rest and could easily show how well these two work together, but it also shows that Joseph Kahn's music videos are iconic in their own right.

The music video starts off with Britney as a flight attendant, getting a phone call (which relates to the very start of the song). After pouring champagne on a person, she leads a bold, overweight man to the bathroom and seduces him. She then removes the man's mask to reveal another person (Who, when I was younger, I thought was David Beckham). And steals a black pass from his pocket. Next she is riding on a motorbike, she has red hair and she is in a catsuit. Britney and the driver are in a futuristic Paris (which is a reference to "Blade Runner"), and they go past a woman and lifts up her dress (which is a link to Marilyn Monroe).

The narrative carries on, next she is in a lab called ironically "Toxic Industries", and she steals some poison, but then she triggers a laser trap, which then creates a series of lasers, she avoids these by doing iconic dance moves. Next she is scaling a building, to get to her unfaithful boyfriend, and slips him the poison, she then flies out the window and lands back in the aeroplane and winks at the camera. ALSO in the music video, there are snapshots of Britney naked and covered in diamonds, this can be considered a link to Kate Bush's music video of "The Man with The Child in his Eyes".

I really like this music video, as you can probably guess. It shows a story and although sometimes it doesn't really fit with what the song is about, it works really well. Her voice is perfect but it is reminiscent of the old Britney. She went through a stage that people list as the "Circus" stage, in which she was not Britney, and this made her lose a lot of fans. Now she is back, and with full-force, but has she really come back? I think so, but it's going to be difficult to prove to others. And if she wants that number 1 in the UK, she's going to have to prove herself. One perfect way is by going on to a talent show and sing LIVE. She has been criticised by the media as not singing live (one instance was while she was on the X Factor, she mimed to the lyrics of "Womanizer", and the media attacked her for that). She needs to prove to the UK, she is herself, and no one can do that, but her.

Overall this song deserved number 1, however compared to the new music out today it wouldn't have a standing chance, which might explain why "I Wanna Go" failed to make an impact in the UK chart this year, as both the songs are similar. I hope she finally gets a number 1 in the UK, it's been 7 almost 8 years since then! Also, and this I cannot believe, she has never had a number 1 album in the UK. This seems really surprising since she has released  total of 10 albums (7 Studio albums, and 3 Compilation albums) and still no sign of a No.1! Anyway, I hope you all agree with my rating, I dropped a star because sometimes it didn't relate to the music.
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Selena Gomez & The Scene - Love You Like A Love Song

August 27, 2011 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Selena Gomez........ I'm not sure what I think of her, she's followed the same route as Miley Cyrus, Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Hudgens and so many more, but is this a habit that will soon die? Out of the above lot Miley Cyrus is the only on capable of hitting worldwide charts. Others are trying to follow in her footsteps and failing, the only person who comes close is both Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, but still, could their downpour be their future? We'll just have to sit it out and find out.

Selena Gomez & The Scene is a five-piece Electro-Pop band consisting of: Selena Gomez, Greg Garmen, Joey Clement, Ethan Roberts and Dane Forrest. I have to admit, I really don't like it when bands decide to use the female celebrity singer to push their career as a band. I can think of quite a few bands that have done something similar such as Florence and the Machine (it took a while but they managed to get their status), Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (who I still haven't made my mind up about) and Noah & the Whale (which sums up their music which I'm not a big fan of). So it's surprising to see that band with "and the" in really don't sit well with me. And there are quite a few bands that, even though is fronted by a celebrity female vocalist, have a band name such as Paramore (fronted by Hayley Williams), The Pretty Reckless (fronted by Taylor Momsen who is a well-known actress) and Sugarland (fronted by Jennifer Nettles). HOWEVER!!!!!! This song is infinitely catchy and has definitely brought this band to my attention. I am very interested in hearing more of them, and I don't really understand why only one of their singles ("Naturally") has managed to get into the UK top 40...... Maybe it's not the sort of music we Brits appreciate. Or maybe Selena Gomez & The Scene has some promoting to do.

Now the song lyrics paint the most perfect picture of being in a relationship, that is probably been going on for a while and they are all loved up. I love how the lyrics start off by saying that "Every Beautiful thought's been already sung", which is a highlight in the lyrics, as it shows that she can't express what this person means to her because every thought is already out there, and there's no thoughts that could possibly express what she's thinking and feeling. It's such a beautiful line in the lyrics and it really stands out. Further on, the song continues perfectly which is both gripping and hypnotising, and on first play leaves you unsure what you think. The music helps with that and works perfect with the lyrics to give and amazing song which is in between a ballad and a pop song, which is probably the reason why it's not hitting the UK market that well because we either like a weird song (such as Cher Lloyd's "Swagger Jagger") or we don't, and if we are unsure, it goes straight into the don't pile. But maybe Selena Gomez & the Scene can force their new music into the UK......

The song is VERY Japanese Karaoke themed, which can easily put someone off from watching and listening, and what's most surprising is that the song was never released in Japan. So my question is: what the hell is with the Japanese Karaoke themed music video? And also what was the point in adding the song in Japanese at the bottom like you would in a karaoke club/bar? Anyway, I like the link right at the start, because a man is singing "Naturally" (one of Selena Gomez & The Scene's first singles) really off-key.

Anyway.... Once you finally get over the fact that it has a Japanese karaoke theme to it. You may find it entertaining to an extent with the costumes and the different scenes, but they aren't that surprising, and it looks like a cheap music video, however you can tell it isn't by the use of the karaoke at the start which is then implemented throughout the music video. But maybe that's what you should expect at a Japanese Karaoke place.... Or not...... And why bother if you are not going to release in Japan?

This music video hit controversy even before it was released, after singer and PETA supporter: Pink (styled as P!nk) hit out at the music video calling it "stupid" for containing painted horses. Selena Gomez was first presented with the idea, but was unaware that there would be painted horses on set, she had merely assumed that they were going to be coloured in post-production. Selena Gomez's representative was quoted saying: "no animals were harmed and all proper precautions were taken" during the shoot and that "a nontoxic, vegetable-based powder paint was applied via an airbrush and removed with water. An official from the Humane Society was on set supervising." The horses were then cut from the music video, leaving fans unsure if there was more to the music video that what was released. Was there more? Could it have been a good link and tie-in with the lyrics and song? Maybe we'll never know.

Overall I really like the song, it's catchy and identifiably different, "And I keep hitting the re-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat", I really do. The music video however, isn't up to scratch, maybe it was a lot better before the horses were cut, or maybe it was just another scene. But I'm not sure that the music video could have been better, I have no idea how I would have done the music video. So to be honest they did well with what they were given. Hence my rating.

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