Chart Mondays: Little Mix Featuring Jason Derulo - Secret Love Song

February 29, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



Well this music video has created quite the stir, unsurprisingly since what Little Mix wants is cut out, and instead it's what the management team thinks would work, which it clearly didn't, and failed in so many ways. The back story of this music video is so sad and disappointing, because it fails to relate to the song... But more on that later. Little Mix bring out their Spice Girls video in a landmarked London, whilst Jason Derulo dances to this slow song.

Little Mix won The X Factor back in 2011, they consist of Jade Thirlwall, Jesy Nelson, Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock. They've recently released their third album Get Weird, that has many songs on there that are worthy of singles. I'm really hoping for "Weird People" to be released as a single. However this was chosen as their third single; it's another ballad from this group, which would've been fine if it wasn't a follow-up to "Love Me Like You", which is also a ballad and didn't perform that well and took some time to climb up the charts, This song has followed suit, although it has been climbed up the chart quicker. Jade Thirlwall has mentioned that to her the song is for the LGBT+ community and the struggles they face in being in love and open about it in public. Jason Derulo, real name Jason Desrouleaux, wrote his own verse which puts a twist in the song, suggesting it's more about an affair. However, Little Mix had the perfect LGBT anthem on their hands, remixed well and it would be played in every gay club, especially during pride, but management clearly overruled. The song was written by Jez Ashurst, Emma Rohan, Rachel Furner and Jason Desrouleaux.

The music video was directed by Frank Borin. A pure performance piece, it should have been magical. There probably is a director's cut in storage somewhere, which would show the narrative that apparently got recorded, since they hired actors to play on-screen heterosexual, homosexual and interracial relationships to relate to the song, but management decided to cut it from the video altogether.

Set in London amongst landmarks, such as Tower Bridge, the video is very reminiscent of the Spice Girls' music video for "2 Become 1". Especially with it being a purely performance music video.

There's not a lot to comment on, the vocals are impeccable, if I hadn't have known who sung this, my initial guess would've been Leona Lewis. Whoever has said in the past that Little Mix aren't great at singing, this song proves them totally wrong. Their portrayal of the song in the music video is heartfelt, but not full of emotion, it's almost as if the girls have been told that the narration has been cut, this could explain why they haven't put their all in this video because their hearts aren't in it, as this is not what they wanted.

Jason Derulo's part is more awful. This is a ballad, his vocals are pretty good, some may even say surprising. Yet, he's dancing to the song, it's a freaking ballad, unless you're going to be slow dancing, then fine, but not pop and locking... just no! His emotion towards the song failed in the video and although all the steps he had been instructed to do worked, he didn't seem into it either.

Overall this video could have been amazing, this song is an LGBT+ anthem whether people like it or not, you could say that Little Mix relate to this song even more now because they wanted it to have an LGBT storyline, and yet that was taken away from them. In doing so the music video fails to relate and to connect with people. Luckily the song has performed well on the charts, via album track downloads only, and although the cover art has been released, the single has yet to appear on iTunes... Will it ever get released? Or will the original video be released with the single? I am literally praying for the real video to be unveiled.
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DNCE - Cake By The Ocean

February 28, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



I've had this song stuck in my head all day. The Jonas Brothers are doing well for themselves, Nick Jonas has become a superstar and Joe Jonas has had hits with this new band... Kevin Jonas is just being Kevin. Joe Jonas has fought hard, and finally it looks like this song will become a hit. DNCE perform behind a cake by the ocean on the sand, whilst a food fight rages on in front of them.

DNCE are a four-piece band consisting of Joe Jonas, Jack Lawless, JinJoo Lee and Cole Whittle. The band was formed after The Jonas Brothers split. Joe Jonas was unsure whether to release a second solo album or to start a new band, he clearly decided on the latter, which definitely worked out for him. It's like Joe Jonas and Nick Jonas has swapped, because the first time The Jonas Brothers went on hiatus, Joe Jonas came out with a solo album, and Nick Jonas created a band. Their roles have definitely switched this time around, and both brothers are doing well for themselves. This song is currently climbing the UK chart, and as it is played more often on the radio, I can see it becoming a chart hit as it's so catchy. The song is written by Robin Fredriksson, Joe Jonas, Mattias Larsson and Justin Tranter. The song's title comes from the Swedish producers misinterpreting Sex On The Beach, as they mistakenly translated it to Cake By The Ocean.

The music video is directed by Black Coffee & Gigi Hadid. Yep, once again she has popped up, and not as a female lead in the music video, not this time around, instead she has focused herself as the director of the music video, surprisingly. She is the name on everyone's lips lately, she's fully in the limelight, and girl is she working it, and we can't blame her, if we had this chance we would be taking it with both hands, just like she is.

The official international cake fight starts in this music video. A team of girls in bikinis vs. The Fat Jew. The latter makes it seem like he's the previous winner, the reigning champion, and the game begins, in the style of dodgeball, only with cake, that looks scrumptious (probably full of gluten, to which I'm allergic to, but it could've been gluten-free; the dream of a coeliac. Only the dream would be full of sexy guys instead of sexy girls; gay coeliac right here).

There is product proposal by Bumble which is a new rival for Tinder, where girls are in charge because they have to make the first connection (unless it's same-sex conversation), sounds good right, but the reviews aren't that positive, with many users rating it low.

DNCE gives an amazing performance, focus is on Joe Jonas, unsurprisingly since he is the name that will be pushing this band to international fame, plus he is the vocalist of the band. Amazing riffs and beautiful harmonies is what this song has and the actors in the video had one heck of a performance, they pull the song off perfectly, and Joe Jonas is looking damn hot in this video, not going to lie. Definitely giving his brother a run for his looks.

Overall a perfect song that has brilliant harmonies, which will not only get this song to chart high, but will also make their other songs hits, if their harmonies are on point just as much as it is in this song. The music video has taken the literal meaning of a cake by the ocean, and put an actual cake on a beach by the sea, which is part of the ocean, and has a food fight, or a cake fight in this case. Humorous and enjoyable this is a music video I could watch again and again, although would've liked to have seen some hot shirtless guys in this music video too, just to balance it out a bit, but I guess I'll have to deal with Joe Jonas fully clothed, which is an okay compromise.
Buy on iTunes

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Little Mix - Love Me Like You

February 27, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



Little Mix released this ballad last year, and it took a while for people to like this as a single. It was a grower on the charts and just when you think that Little Mix has released the wrong follow-up single to "Black Magic", frequent performances on TV really helped to pick this song up, and radio finally started to like it, and therefore the public started to like it. Little Mix continue their narrative music videos in this fun loving video about a guy screwing all four of them over.

Little Mix first came to light on The X Factor. They are still currently the only group to ever win the British version of The X Factor. They seem very underrated in global terms, not attracting that much attention outside of the UK. However, now that One Direction are on hiatus, Simon Cowell and Syco have to focus on their two girl groups, Little Mix and Fifth Harmony, although it seems they're putting a lot more effort into the US girl group Fifth Harmony, than they are in Little Mix. This group consists of Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall. This song was written by Steve Mac, Iain James, Camille Purcell and James Newman.

This was directed by Sarah McColgan and it is pure genius, a perfect narrative with a nice performance piece; the girls have really connected to this song!

Jade is whisked away in a car by this guy, then Leigh-Anne yearns for him at the basketball game, Jesy pounces on him at the cinema, and Perrie falls off her bike as she drools watching him work out. They all await him at the school dance. He arrives with another girl in tow, this guy gets around easily.

This is a perfect follow on from "Black Magic", almost like the story continues; similar to Basshunter's videos. The professor also appeared in "Black Magic", as well as many of the students that have attended the school dance. After a difficult search, it turns out that the guy in this music video that plays Little Mix's love interest is male actor Hector David Jr. who is mostly known as the green power ranger in Power Rangers Samurai / Super Samurai.

Apparently this music video and "Black Magic" was filmed together, hence why the same actors appear and the story line follows on.

Overall, it's a grower of the song, and the music video is perfect. It's a gem, it relates, it's upsetting with light humour. I prefer the music video over the song though, but I've slowly started to love the song, it instantly gets stuck in my head, like it has done all day today.
Buy on iTunes

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New Release: Miguel - Waves

February 26, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



My plan for New Release this week was Tinie Tempah feat. Zara Larsson with "Girls Like", unfortunately, the music video for that song has yet to be released, and a quick look at the New Releases this week have turned up similar stories. Miguel seems to be one of the only New Releases that has a music video out this week. He has been chart hungry for years now, and just when he gets into the limelight, it soon disappears again, and with songs like this, it isn't surprising. Miguel drops himself in water to relate to the song, whilst performing in a club where he's obviously intoxicated. Slow, misguided and twisted, this music video is wavy at best.

Miguel, full name Miguel Pimentel, is probably best known for featuring on Mariah Carey's song "#Beautiful" which is his biggest hit here in the UK, his other top songs failed to make the UK Top 40. A quick look on the iTunes top 1000 and this song is no where to be seen, and considering iTunes has promoted the single by putting it on their homepage under the Singles tab, it just goes to show that what Miguel really needs is a hit song. The song was written by Miguel Pimentel, which surprised me since his performance clips in the video fails to portray much passion towards the song.

This choppy video isn't exciting and interesting, although finding a house party behind a fridge door is pretty intricate.

I just feel like this was a rushed music video, the song is about making love to a girl all night, and instead it portrays him singing the song at a club and getting the crowd going as well as some scenes of him in some water.

He is also shirtless throughout, which would be great if he didn't clearly have this arrogant side to him. He thinks he's all that in this music video, and that just makes the song and it's accompanying music video less appealing than it would've normally been. I can't find much else to comment on, just that if Miguel is looking for a hit, he better do something about it soon.
Buy on iTunes

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Rihanna - Shut Up And Drive

February 25, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



I love looking at Rihanna's old videos, she's so different and yet still popular today. This was the time I loved Rihanna, although my favourite song is "Don't Stop The Music", which I've already reviewed. "Umbrella" has been reviewed also, so let's go with this one, one me and my brother used to sing a lot due to a character saying it on The Simpsons: Road Rage game. Rihanna looks sexy as she cleans, fixes and buffs cars up in a junkyard before starting a street race.

This was released nine years ago, how time flies and how people change. Nowadays Rihanna is banging out chart hits but it's far from these days when I became a fan of her. Rihanna, real name Robyn Rihanna Fenty, brings out her rocker chick in this song and music video, probably inspired slightly by Avril Lavigne. The song was written by Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken, Stephen Morris, Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner and Gillian Gilbert. It samples New Order's "Blue Monday".

The music video is directed by Anthony Mandler, it is a slight narrative built in to a relaxed performance piece, you can really tell Rihanna loves singing this song.

This isn't anything new, but it's nothing old either, it has been done plenty of times before and after... Inna's "Clubrocker" and Taio Cruz "Dynamite" easily come to mind.

The choreography is slight, but well thought out and done to precision. Exactly what we expect from Rihanna.

The street race could've been more interesting, and a narrative could've formed, making Rihanna the prize, since the song suggests she's looking for a driver who's qualified.

The performance is perfect, if there wasn't so many different scenes, some come out of nowhere, such as Rihanna performing with a band, this would be fine if it was the main focus, but Rihanna being gorgeous is the main focus so the inclusion of the scene felt unnecessary. Rihanna performs sultry, she obviously loves this song, and you can't blame her because it is catchy with a hidden meaning to the song, it sure ain't about driving cars. Yet there's too many different performance scenes, it would've looked better with two, maybe three different ones.

Overall, a great simple music video, yeah it's nothing we haven't seen before, and a narrative could've come out of it, and yes there was many different performance scenes, but looking at the video as a whole, it's sexy, it's sultry, it's relatable, it's daring, it's hot. This may have it's errors, but it is gorgeous nonetheless.
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Rita Ora - Poison

February 24, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



She's the name everyone is keeping an eye on since Kesha's court hearing. Rita Ora has recently filed a lawsuit to get out of her contract. To which her record company has counter sued. Apparently a mutual agreement outside of the court has took place and is currently finalising. But has this whole Kesha news made Rita Ora that little bit worried? Especially since her record label has a distribution deal with Sony Music. In this video, Rita Ora chooses her poison, is fame money and a hot guy really worth it all? She proves it can all just go to your head.

Rita Ora has featured on my blog many times before, I am a fan of her songs and her voice ever since she first hit the scene on DJ Fresh's song "Hot Right Now". Currently she won't be releasing any more music until the lawsuit is over. Apparently an agreement has been determined and so we probably won't have to wait too long for new music from her, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. The song was written by Kate Nash, Nolan Lambroza and Julia Michaels. Surprising to see Kate Nash, of Foundations fame, named as songwriter. Such a good personal song, I was expecting Rita Ora's name.

Directed by Cameron Duddy, this is a full narrative music video with snippets of a performance piece.

Based around a photographer who wants to make Rita Ora famous, he tempts her to get her photo taken by him, soon enough she becomes something big in a showcase of her modelling pictures, the art gallery is filled with people; she invites one of her old friends, who doesn't fit in with the crowd, but soon wants to show to her that he can too, and so he starts off being photographed as well. Which doesn't appeal to Rita Ora as she doesn't want people getting into the industry without knowing what is what.

There are many different ways people have interpreted the video, the meaning of the video isn't a clear one, the main other interpretation people are coming up with is that the two guys are fighting over Rita Ora, and when they decided they can get on (or are gay for each other, as many speculating people have thought), she decides she doesn't want any of them (let alone a threesome/ménage à trois), she burns her main canvas, and runs away from it all.

Her performance is just as theatrical, it's magical because she means every single word of this song, she wants to get across her message, as well as prove that she is a noteworthy singer, she can sing something much more slower than her upbeat tracks.

Overall the narrative is complete, although confusing to some people, it works perfectly with the song and is totally artistically beautiful. It's well thought out and directed brilliantly, it's something rarely shown, and the message is heard clearly. Rita Ora delivers as she always does, it's a side of Rita Ora we rarely get to see and she performed to the best she could, which made this video outstanding.
Buy on iTunes

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The LOX Featuring DMX & Lil' Kim - Money, Power & Respect

February 23, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



This week is all about breaking free of contracts, what with Kesha being stuck in her contract with Dr. Luke and Sony Music; I've decided to do a Music Special called #FreeKesha And Other Stories. My main problem is that, besides JoJo, there isn't any other stories; other than artists applying for bankruptcy and therefore renegotiating contracts, or filing lawsuits to former and current labels over money that is owed to them. Many artists haven't sued due to the cost, and so are stuck in their contracts, which asks them to release albums through the record label, which shelves their albums for unknown reasons. It took a lot of research to come across The LOX, they wanted out of Bad Boy Records, founded by Sean Combs (Puff Daddy/Puffy/Diddy/P. Diddy). They tried to be legally released from their contract, but it wasn't until they created t-shirts and a wave of fans to show their support, that Bad Boy Records finally released them from the contract. This was the sort of route they wanted to go down, but Bad Boy Records had different ideas. This music video may have been done in the 90's, but it works; it's current, even now, and it's true, not only to itself, but to the artists involved.

The LOX are a three piece hip-hop group consisting of Jadakiss, Styles P and Sheek Louch. After finally parting ways with Bad Boy Records, they broke apart and worked on solo albums. Each member has practically made a name for themselves in the music industry, and it wasn't until 2012, that they started releasing music together again. Could The LOX make a worldwide comeback sometime soon? It's quite the question, as soloists they've made it to an extent. Together, they could become bigger, if they put the time and effort into this group, especially if a song like this one is promoted and marketed right. This song features DMX, real name Earl Simmons, who has had a top ten hit in the UK, his stage name is recognisable, and one that hasn't been heard of for a few years, will he be on top of his game once again? We'll have to wait and see. As for Lil' Kim, she is completely unrecognisable to me in this music video. I'm surprised how gorgeous she looks in this video. Real name Kimberly Jones, has had worldwide success too, she is one of those stars who could easily make the perfect comeback, much like Missy Elliott has. This single was written by Jadakiss, Sheek Louch and Styles P.

The song is the group's biggest hit. The accompanying music video is both narrative and performance based, centring around the latter more than the former.

I love the start with the kid throwing the newspapers. Lil' Kim outshines The LOX and DMX on the performance sides of things. However these rappers are doing the best they can with what they've been given.

The narrative is short, and practically shows what we're used to seeing. However it's more relatable than we can imagine. They manage to steal money from high profiled people and spread it out to the people who clearly need it more, after evading the police and changing the look of the car, so it's not identifiable.

The performance side of this video is on point, enough to make me feel the emotion each of the artists are getting across, they mean every word they are rapping and they believe it. It's unsurprising that this was a hit in America. The narrative scenes are too short, they're intercut with the performance scene much too often, leading a distorted video that complicates viewers to a certain extent; that said the narrative is interesting and engaging.
Buy on iTunes

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Channillo: The Power Of Creatures: A Book Series You Do Not Want To Miss

February 23, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments

Cover by Amy-Kate Brennan
Channillo and Me: Beginnings
For those of you who don't know, I recently released my book series, The Power Of Creatures, on Channillo.com. I first came across the website, thanks to Twitter. The founder contacted me on Twitter asking if I'd like to write a series for Channillo. After exploring the website, I knew this was my next step after graduating from university, so I applied, and my series officially debuted on 28th January 2016, the day before my birthday.



The only problem I've had is that my friends are unsure of how to subscribe, and so this blog post is to help anyone who is weary or unsure of Channillo. I love this website and I hope you will love it too.

What Is Channillo?
This is a website where people can subscribe to a book series, where weekly or biweekly or monthly a snippet will be released, either a full chapter or part of a chapter, a short story, a poem, an essay or a journal entry. It allows subscribers to read at their own pace, allows authors to keep readers interested in an ongoing series, and builds excitement for readers as they are able to openly discuss the series on social networks.

Channillo supports writers by distributing 80% of revenue to its writers, By subscribing to a seriers, you support that author directly.

Channillo Homepage
Membership
Once you've signed up, you can choose a membership. The three options you can choose from are: a bronze plan, a gold plan and a platinum plan, where you pay a monthly fee. Each one is different and allows you to subscribe to a limited amount of series. I can barely keep up with the four book series that I'm currently reading, so I'm glad I went with a bronze membership.

Channillo Memberships
There is another option if you don't fancy having a direct debit and that is to buy a gift code for yourself. This is a unique idea, where you pay a sum of money for a certain amount of time. Paying this way saves you money and is also split into the three categories Bronze, Gold and Platinum. It is further split into three months, six months, a year and two years. This works well allowing you to subscribe to a series as long as you need to, without being charged monthly. And you save money!
Channillo Gift Codes
NOTE: It may be displayed in American Dollars, but this website isn't exclusive to American readers. Anyone around the world can pay for the memberships or gift code.

Getting Started
Right, now you've signed up, and have a membership, Channillo is now available to you. Go and explore using the home page or the discover page. Find series that are interesting to you, something that you will enjoy. Each series comes with a Series Description, which should influence you into subscribing.

I highly recommend The Power Of Creatures by Jonathan Currinn, unsurprising since it is the series I've released on Channillo, myself.
Series Info for The Power Of Creatures
I'm subscribed to four series, and I'm far behind on all of them. My favourite has to be The Warlock Case Files by Juli Monroe; if I find spare time, I always log onto Channillo and read from this series first before any of the others I'm subscribed to. It never fails to make me laugh, The other series I'm subscribed to are Firewalkers by Taylor Eaton, With Teeth by Jessica (Sita) Sneeringer, and Bad Girls by Amanda Carney.

There is also a most popular feature, which includes Lockheed Elite by Tyler Wandschneider, which I plan to subscribe to when I find time to read more on Channillo. These are the popular series, so not only are they bound to be good, but they're also diverse, there isn't a common theme or genre within the most popular titles, which shows that there is something for everyone on this site.

The most popular series on Channillo, found on the homepage.
Your Channel
This is where you can follow your series updates. Have you caught up to a series and waiting for the next chapter, poem, essay, journal entry, short story? Well this is the place you have to keep checking to see if there has been a new one released.

Features
There's many features I love on Channillo. My favourite so far is the Completed button at the end of every chapter, poem, short story, etc. This allows you to keep track of where you are in the series, essentially like your own little bookmark. This allows me to know where I am when I have the time to read the next one from the series.

Profiles. There are profiles for both authors and readers, this is unique and interesting.

Discover, is another favourite feature of mine, when I've caught up with all the series I'm reading, I delve into here and see what series are available, and what I might want to read next. Sometimes I just get lost in the amazing series covers, they're all brilliant with different ideas.

FAQs are avilable on this website, they're clear and precise, allowing you to understand the website more if you're still apprehensive.

Channillo and Me: Future
I am planning to release the next short story in my series: The Power Of Creatures, within the week. My series is going to last six months. Each story is set in a different place and a different time zone. Read more about the series on Channillo.

I am currently writing a series that I'm hoping will be finished at the end of the year. I plan to submit it for Channillo, because I've fallen in love with the site and how it works. I love the idea behind it all, and this series I'm writing would be perfect for their website, it's just finding time in my life to write the series, since I'm stretched too thin over everything that I'm currently doing.

Channillo
This will be the website you'll be telling all you're friends about. This is the website you should be going on right now. Stop reading this blog post and click one of the links, or just type Channillo into Google. Subscribe to The Power Of Creatures. Go and do it now, you won't be disappointed.

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Chart Mondays: Rihanna Featuring Drake - Work

February 22, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



Rihanna, Rihanna, Rihanna. Gone are the days when I was actually a fan of hers. Now, I wasn't expecting much from her for this music video, but she actually surprised me, because we get two music videos in one. So now I'm going to have to review two music videos... It's going to be a long night! Both videos are sexual, the first one is less so than the second. Rihanna twerks. grinds and booty shakes to her new song, most of the time all over Drake, who is clearly loving every second of it.

Rihanna, real name Robyn Rihanna Fenty, is a worldwide superstar, let's be honest, the chances of her career spiraling downwards and ending is never going to happen. Although as she gets older she might not bang out chart hit after chart hit, just look at Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Madonna; there are plenty more that are superstars but are suffering in the chart world. I used to love Rihanna when "Umbrella" came out, but it wasn't until "Don't Stop The Music" was released that I fell in love with her music for a couple of years, until she changed style and then I went totally off her. Still, "We Found Love" was the closest she came to making me like her all over again, but it didn't take off in my world. No song from her will beat "Don't Stop The Music", that's my Rihanna tune on any dancefloor! As for Drake, real name Aubrey Drake Graham, he has yet to have a solo number one in the UK, and isn't quite as popular here as he is in other countries. However he is a chart success for a rapper, considering not many do manage to chart consistently well in the UK. This song was written by Jahron Braithwaite, Matthew Samuels, Allen Ritter, Rupert Thomas, Aubrey Graham, Robyn Fenty and Monte Moir.

There isn't a lot to comment on either of these videos, I definitely prefer the first one over the other, but none of them surprises me, or actually makes me want to watch them a second time.

The Director X Music Video



The first music video is directed by Director X, who has been mentioned on my blog multiple times, his videos are usually intriguing and definitely high rated by me, but it annoys me to know that this music video is directed by him, I could deal with someone less known, but why this video Director X, just why?

The music video invites us into a club called The Real Jerk, and it excites me slightly, thinking this music video might be inspired by "Don't Stop The Music". Unfortunately, we are in a totally different club, where twerking and booty shaking is the norm.

Not a lot to comment on, apart from Rihanna dancing in front of a mirror, which I'm pretty sure we've all done often, no? Just me then. I am not a fan of what she is wearing, although I guess it could be a lot worse, and at least she totally works it.

A lot of grinding in this club too, especially against Drake, who is obviously loving every minute of it.

Not a whole lot to this music video, and Director X actually disappoints me, but I guess he didn't have much to go on, especially since the song is inspired by Jamaican songs, and it is a club song and so he manages to relate to the song. Many people will be twerking and grinding in clubs to this song.
Buy on iTunes


The Tim Erem Music Video



The second music video is directed by Tim Erem. A director I am not aware of, as I haven't reviewed a music video from him, until now.

A solely performance piece in a narrative music video, Rihanna looks entirely uncomfortable, and can you blame her with what she is wearing? Going braless is nothing Rihanna hasn't done before in her music videos, she's been wearing even less in some of them, as well as being nude. Yet with this see through top, she might as well have done it totally topless as the top hides nothing, and although set in a home setting, she doesn't look happy at all.

Rihanna just dances little and sings the song, with no emotion, and no intention of performing like we all know she can. This is too exposed, too raw even for Rihanna, and it just fails completely. Drake doesn't help much either and the video doesn't flow quite as well.

I hope never to see this music video again, as it feels cheap, nasty and low budget. This isn't the Rihanna or the Drake that we know and this video shouldn't have been an option, let alone released.
Buy on iTunes

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JoJo - André

February 21, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



If anyone can relate to Kesha, it's JoJo right? She has already given supported tweets out to Kesha as well as being interviewed about her law suit and how she feels about Kesha's legal battle, even though the situation is much different, it's a similar process. During JoJo's battle, the hashtag #FreeJoJo was trending on Twitter, much like the hashtag for Kesha is; #FreeKesha. JoJo released this online with her EP Agápē, as she was frustrated that she couldn't officially release music. She had recorded plenty of songs and gave plenty of completed albums to her record label, who never got back to her. The record label had changed hands a number of times, leaving it's artists in limbo, it didn't help that the label got dropped from the distributing company. JoJo filed a lawsuit in 2013, and it took a year until she was finally free from her contract with her record company. JoJo looks sexy, relaxed and at home in this music video. The performance side has unimaginable vibes that shows the song means a lot to her.

These are JoJo's tweets in support of Kesha.
JoJo, real name Joanna Levesque, has finally returned to music after her legal battle with her previous record label, and she is stronger than ever, just listen to these songs and watch the accompanying music video; they're powerful and vocally brilliant: "When Love Hurts", "Save My Soul" and "Say Love". Infinitely catchy songs that have got us all excited for her album. This song was inspired by André 3000, JoJo feels that he is someone to admire. Not a direct tribute. The song was written by Joanna Levesque and Jake Schmuggle.

The video was directed by Embryo. It has a narrative and a performance side, and features Leah LaBelle, Karina Pasian, Francia Raisa, Leven Rambin, Denise Janae and JinJoo Lee.

The narrative is interesting as the guy called André tells her to make herself at home in his loft apartment. We watch as she explores his apartment, before going to an art collection reveal event. Where André reveals JoJo as the main art canvas feature.

The performance throughout is strong, you can tell JoJo is a performer at heart, she believes every song she writes, sings and performs. Her new tour is coming to London for one date, and sold out quickly. I just wish I had tickets for the show, because it'll be one amazing show that shouldn't be missed by anyone.

Overall, a nice uplifting song, for once, by one incredible singer. A relatable music video goes with it, with both a perfect narrative and an amazing performance piece. It works perfectly and I can't fault it, although it is pretty predictable that JoJo would be the main featured art piece.
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Ke$ha - We R Who We R

February 20, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



Starting off my #FreeKesha and similar stories special this week, is Kesha, unsurprisingly. She has amassed a tonne of support on social networks around the globe after her injunction has been denied. She is obligated to record six more albums with a guy she claims sexually assaulted her, which Dr. Luke has denied. However, she wasn't looking for justice or punishment, all she asked for is to be released from her contract. We've all seen the photos of her being upset about the verdict, but Kesha is one brave woman, and she will overcome this. Kesha looks like she's having a great time in this music video, being daring and partying hard, it's her only UK solo number one, and I hope she makes a great come back in the next few years.

Ke$ha, real name Kesha Serbert, has got to be strong right now, it's upsetting to see anyone go through what she has gone through. Just looking at her success, three UK number ones, including this song, and many top ten hits. Kesha should be an international star, but with her being caught up in this legal battle, she hasn't been able to release any new music. Surprisingly, this is her biggest chart hit, whereas "TiK ToK" has sold more copies, it only peaked at number four. This song was written by Kesha Serbert, Joshua Coleman, Lukasz Gottwald (Dr. Luke), Jacob Kasher Hindlin (Ammo) and Benjamin Levin (Benny Blanco). The song is to inspire people to be themselves, Kesha hoped it would become a gay anthem.

Directed by Hype Williams, the video is self-appreciated and it's free, which is everything Kesha had hoped for after her trial. She gave us gays an anthem we can sing and shout, because We Are Who We Are, yet all we can give back to her is support through social networks and petitions. We're here for you Kesha, and you know it.

The music video plays on the fact that it's a party anthem, so Kesha attends the party, glammed up and sexy, she is ready to party like no one's watching, and that is all about being who you are, if Kesha wants to dance she can because she's free to do so, or was in this music video. She's not free of her contract, unfortunately.

Apparently famous faces appear in this, but none I can find personally and I can't find concrete references for them either.

I have to talk about the jump, this is pretty well known in this video. We all know Kesha is wacky, so maybe keep her away from the Tequila; jumping off a building isn't anything major for her, although obviously this didn't literally happen, and yet they've pulled it off well, making it look real.

Overall a great song that is empowering for the majority of LGBT+ people out there, as for the music video, it's a main performance piece, that has Kesha giving us great vibes and free emotions, it relates to the song and it looks like it'll never get old. However, I think a small narration would've helped this flow slightly better.
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New Release: Steve Grand - We Are The Night (Dave Audé Remix)

February 19, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



I have been waiting and waiting for the next Steve Grand music video and here it is, finally and I am so not disappointed. One of my favourite songs off his debut album and not only has it finally been released as a single, had a music video released too, but it has also been remixed by no other than Dave Audé. I woke up this morning thinking I was still dreaming as an alert came through on my phone announcing my future husband (I wish) has released his new music video, I literally screamed. Can Steve Grand look any more hotter? Gorgeous, sexy and totally fit, Steve Grand looksstunning in this video for his most uplifting song on his album, which has been remixed by Dave Audé who has elevated the track even more.

Steve Grand is my favourite male singer in the world, he is such an inspiration to a lot of LGBT+ people out there. He was formerly a model, the money of which he used to further his career as a singer. He has been knocked down time and time again for his looks, his choices of clothes, as well as his past. But if we were him we would have done the exact same thing, besides who doesn't flaunt themselves in one way or another? He created a kickstarter campaign to record and release his debut album. Which not only smashed his target but became the number one most-funded Kickstarter music project among musicians who have never been affiliated with a label. He had 4,905 backers who pledged a total of $326,593. Quite the achievement. Steve Grand has been working on this album for a number of years, and every single track is worthy of being an actual single. This is the fifth single from the album, and possibly the last one as it is a remix, although I really wish "Soaking Wet" would be released, imagine the music video to that song! That song will forever become a single that never was. This song was written by Steve Grand, along with the rest of his awesome album. This is the one song that shows off his amazing vocals, he totally proves that this is the career for him. I cannot wait to hear new music from him, and I think Dave Audé should remix his entire album, as he has done a great job on this one.

Directed by John Lavin, this music video is beautiful. It's one that I definitely won't be forgetting, it's artistically brilliant. Everything has come together for this music video.

First off I want to talk about Steve Grand's jacket. I first spotted it on one of his Instagram posts, he obviously was recording the music video at the time, and it was love at first sight. This jacket would go with everything I've got, I need it in my life, and yet I know I have no chance of getting it, plus the price range would be so out of my league, so is Steve Grand for that matter, yet the jacket and Steve Grand are welcome to continue to appear in my dreams tauntingly. If anyone sees an affordable red jacket just like he is wearing in this music video, please direct me to a place where I can buy it from.

The narrative is interesting. Following different people in their lives, obviously listening to this song and finding it an inspiration. This is what Steve Grand is. He uses music to inspire LGBT+ people, if I he had been releasing music when I was younger, I would've had the confidence to come out earlier, I would've looked up to him as my inspiration, if he can do it and go through everything he did with it, then coming out of the closet is no big deal. He is not only an inspiration, but a supporter, with no prejudice, he is a fighter, one we can all look up to.

The performance piece is spot on. Steve Grand looks ultra-sexy in that red jacket that I so need in my life. He looks gorgeous as he walks towards the camera in his white tee. He lets loose and he wants to show that we are free. He puts so much effort into his performance, you can tell that this song means the world to him, it's so personal in a non-relationship kind of way. This is my anthem for LGBT+ people, it's the song I use to uplift myself, I used to use the album version of the song, which is amazing, but this dance remix by Dave Audé is even better. I shall be dancing my way into work from now on, nothing will get me down when this amazing song is around. We are the night.

Overall a brilliant song, that is so meaningful and utterly inspiring, everyone needs to hear this! The remix is good in it's own right, it doesn't change Steve Grand's emotions on the track one bit, yet makes it available to be played in clubs and at parties, which is exactly what I've been waiting for, thank you Dave Audé. The music video is fully relatable and it is next to perfection. I love the actors used, who are Tiaday Ball, Jay Jay German III, Jason Greene and Johnny Liner. The only problem could be the dancers, although they are diverse and are all in-sync, I felt the choreography could've been better. It was performed okay too, it wasn't stand out and it wasn't full of emotions for the song, it just didn't relate to the song and more related to the beat, it felt slightly out of place. But that is nitpicking, and I can't drop a star because of it, as this is perfect from start to end. Thank you for this video John Lavin, thank you Steve Grand for the empowering song and thank you Dave Audé for the remix! I needed this in my life, all I need now is that jacket.
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Gwen Stefani Featuring Akon - The Sweet Escape

February 18, 2016 Critic Jonni 1 Comments



As of yesterday, I realised I had screwed myself over as none of the five artists I had reviewed in the past week had a music video older than 2011. Thursdays are always my revisits, where I review a music video that is more than five years old, from one of the artists I have reviewed in the week. Therefore I had to review a music video from an artist who has been in the music industry for some time. Gwen Stefani's new song popped up "Make Me Like You", and I hadn't seen the music video yet, so I chose that one, and hence why she has become my revisit today. Gwen Stefani is stuck in a golden jail, as she tries to tempt the dog to give her the key to let her our, she turns herself into Repunzel and escapes.

Gwen Stefani, if you don't already know, is attempting a comeback in the music industry; top 10 hits used to be easy for her ten years ago, but now it's quite the struggle. She reformed with her band No Doubt in 2012 for one album, before going back on hiatus. Gwen Stefani is attempting to continue her solo career, but it looks like she is struggling, is she a singer we're all done with? Does she belong in the past? Are her new songs not current enough? They definitely aren't hit songs she's been releasing. Gwen Stefani is definitely stuck in the past, and she needs to come across a banging song some time soon, or she won't be furthering her career. This song is her biggest hit in the UK so far, it hit number two in 2007. The song was written by Gwen Stefani, Aliaune Thaim and Giorgio Tuinfort. The middle songwriter is Akon, who features on this single. He has had a string of hits and have dipped in and out of charts across the world in the last few years, he has managed to stay current, he can easily get a hit single if he needs another one.

Directed by Joseph Kahn, whose name keeps popping up again and again. It features Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Girls, who appeared often in her music videos and stage performances. The Harajuku Girls consist of Maya Chino, Jennifer Kita, Rino Nakasone and Mayuko Kitayama.

A lot is going on in this video, there's reference to not being able to escape from yourself, which is the jail. The penthouse suite is also another jail as she needs to be rescued by the Harajuku Girls. They meet Akon in the car park where they are pursued by two more Harajuku Girls who put her back in the golden prison.

It's a quirky narrative, a typical word used for Gwen Stefani, it's not always easy to understand what is going on and her choice of outfits usually only work for her, and no one else.

She out performs herself again and again, it's obvious she cares about this song and she does a good job of it. Let's all be honest, if we ever saw her live, we know we'll have a show and a half on our hands.

Overall, a great performance from Gwen Stefani, if a little cheesy, but we all love a bit of cheese now and again. The song is catchy, and should've got her an all important number one, especially since her most recent efforts haven't had much of a chance. The narrative of the video is relatable, and yet isn't exactly easy to follow.
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Gwen Stefani - Make Me Like You

February 17, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



Gwen Stefani is back and what a way to make an entrance, back into the music industry and charts across the globe by making the first ever music video to be created on live television. It was performed and recorded during The Grammy's, There have been many live music videos done before, and many done during one take. Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" instantly comes to mind, and this video from Gwen Stefani feels similar. The music video is good none-the-less but doesn't really relate to the song. Gwen Stefani shoots a live music video for her new song, yet was it really worth all the hassle, especially if it doesn't relate to the song?

Gwen Stefani is the front woman of band No Doubt, who are back on hiatus. They had a string of hits, but they are mostly known for their song "Don't Speak". Gwen Stefani has had a successful solo career so far, and even reformed with the band a while ago and released singles "Settle Down" and "Looking Hot" for their most recent album Push And Shove. As a solo act, she has done well in the UK, many of her songs have hit the top 10, and "Sweet Escape" came a close number two. She needs a number one single, much like Avril Lavigne does, but whether either of them will get to the top of the UK singles chart, now that's a question we can't possibly know the answer to. This song isn't one of Gwen Stefani's best, and definitely won't get her a UK number one, although it is a little bit catchy. The song was written by Gwen Stefani, Justin Tranter, Julia Michaels, Mattias Larsson and Robin Fredriksson.

This music video was shown on live TV on 15th February 2016, and then later appeared on Vevo and YouTube the day after. It was directed by Sophie Muller.

I love the start, this is the old quirky Gwen Stefani we all know and love, it's very reminiscent of her early songs and music videos when she was just kick starting her solo music career.

The video continues as she walks, runs and dances her way through different sets. It's kind of scary because if anything goes wrong, then that is it, it'll be on live TV for everyone to remember. This is then intensified when she's on roller skates, and just as we think about how embarrassing it would be if she fell over, she does. Luckily it's not actually Gwen Stefani. It's a stunt-double who fake falls. Gwen Stefani did not really fall over, this is a fact.

A lot of thought definitely went into this music video, and yet it feels unrealistic, and a little bit on the cheap side, especially when Taylor Swift's music video for "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is something much much clever and actually relates to the song. This feels like they just strewn scenes together, without any thought towards the song. However Gwen Stefani has perfect performance attitude in the whole of this. She is someone who would be good on a stage, that much is undeniable.
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Transviolet - New Bohemia

February 16, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



I think I might end up starting a YouTube recommendations day, as today I have looked at YouTube's suggestions for music videos I should watch and on my first click I find this, which is an amazing song, a should-be hit, with a great music video to boot. Transviolet doesn't let a dark day destroy their mood, rather than letting the storm cloud rain over her, Sarah McTaggart controls the clouds, keeping them on a tight leash, whilst the other band members walk out of the water and through a portal, they are the new bohemia.

Transviolet are a four-piece band from America, they are the supporting act for Twenty One Pilots on their UK tour, starting in just two days time. The band consists of Sarah McTaggart, Judah McCarthy, Michael Panek and Jon Garcia. They have just released an EP and are promising an album later on in the year, they are promoting themselves at the moment, and they are doing a fine job of that, appearing on TV shows and releasing interviews. This is no ordinary female-fronted band; this is a band we all need to be watching out for, because amazing vocals attached to amazing songs is exactly what this band is giving, it won't be long until they get a global hit.

This video is quirky and unusual, no matter how many times I watch it, I'm not going to quite make sense of it. Directed by Ryan Andrews, the video is different and confusing; well to me it is.

Sarah McTaggart gets pulled into the water, by her band mates; as we can only suspect, as they are the ones to come out of the water as she attempts to surface, and they go through a fridge which opens a door to the same place but they're facing towards the camera and not away, and then they go and find Sarah McTaggart and follow her as she rips herself into multicolours, to which Judah McCarthy, Michael Panek and Jon Garcia also do. They look up to the stars and their eyes change. They become the new bohemia, I believe, but it doesn't make this video more understandable.

It is a performance based music video, which Transviolet pull off perfectly. This is a band who has a vibe on stage that will capture you in minutes. I'm actually jealous of the people who are going to see these perform as the support act for Twenty One Pilots.

Overall a great song that I plan to download later tonight, and a quirky music video, that leaves me with many questions, and leaves my head in quite a confused muddle. However, it's artistic, clever and slightly relatable. I wish Transviolet the best of luck for the future, not that I think they actually need it. I predict a hit from this band soon.
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Chart Mondays: Lukas Graham - 7 Years

February 15, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



This song is at number one hence why I am reviewing it today, catchy and euphoric. It mixes different genres together, and even though this is a hit, and this group has done well in their home country of Denmark, I feel that their other songs will be similar, too similar and so may not chart as well as this one has. This is a similar case with Hozier, who's song "Take Me To Church" got to number one but he's other singles failed to make as much of an impact. Even though Lukas Graham is one to watch, I don't see the band making a constant global success. I just don't. Lukas Graham are showing us the beginnings of song writing, explaining and just plain singing, the video is a bit tongue-in-cheek and it works to a degree.

It's so hard to think of this group as a band, especially with a name as their band name. Anyhow, Lukas Graham consists of four members, these are Lukas Graham Forchhammer, Mark Falgren, Magnus Larsson and Kasper Daugaard. The band have been getting number ones in Denmark since 2012, and have been a total success over there. They caught the attention of Warner Bros. Records who co-signed them. This is the reason why they have become an international sensation with this song. However it begs to question whether they will have hit after hit much like in their own country. Lukas Graham Forchhammer is an amazing vocalist, possibly Denmark's answer to Adele, but whether the success will continue is the question on everybody's lips. The song reminds me of Hozier's "Take Me To Church", but whether they will follow Hozier's downfall is something we'll be keeping an eye on. The song was written by Lukas Forchhammer, Stefan Forrest, Morten Ristorp and Morten Pilegaard.

The music video was directed by René Sascha Johannsen. It is in black and white, which is an instant turn off for me, unless a certain reason is established in the first few scenes, which there isn't apart from making the scene with the trees lined up look detailed and magical, which it does yet I'm sure it would've also looked just as great in colour.

It is mainly performance based, with Lukas Graham Forchhammer singing his song. I love how his story is practically told, through both the lyrics of the song and the music video, it's like he goes back in time and becomes his seven and 11 year old self in which he visits the scenes where he smoke herbs and is drinking liquor according to his lyrics, is that what happens in Denmark? Although it's probably unsurprising as you could probably find that happening anywhere in the world.

The song continues with the story of his life and his future life and so does the music video. It includes a guy much older than him, who has a slight resemblance, so we presume it's his dad, but more of an on-screen dad as his father passed away a few years ago aged 61, as the song tells us.

There's explosions, fire and a performance on stage where they have their tops off, which isn't appealing all that much, but the band has the confidence to do just that, which is exactly what we need in the world, everyone isn't perfect, slim supermodels.

Overall, a great song full of emotion; it's unsurprisingly catchy, no wonder it's at the top of the UK charts, however they will need to follow-up with an amazing song and album to keep their international success, although it seems doubtful. The music video is in painstaking black and white, although it can be considered because of his dad dying and the lyrics about his dad, although it still doesn't make complete sense. The performance seems okay, although emotions aren't displayed as well, and it doesn't encourage me to see them live. The slight narrative is all right, I got totally confused when there was two people lip syncing to the song, it just messed with my head as there is only one singer, hence why I found it slightly tongue-in-cheek. Then it ends and I feel sad, and I have no idea why. I think Lukas Graham has hypnotised us all, now it depends how long for and when we wake up, will we still like their music?
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Kiesza - Stronger (From Finding Neverland The Album)

February 14, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



Today I planned on reviewing Viola Beach, as they have sadly passed away today in Sweden in a fatal car accident. However, a quick look on YouTube tells me that they never released a music video, so I can't review any of their music videos as they don't have any. Today, I'm having a Kiesza day, I've only just discovered her newish song "Give It To The Moment", which doesn't have a music video as of yet, although it is an amazing song. So I've chosen this one from Finding Neverland The Album, and wow she has proved herself with those perfect vocals. Unfortunately, the music video isn't up to scratch. Kiesza performs in some weird dance sequences as she puts her full emotions into singing this highly catchy power ballad of a song, no one could've sung this better, it was made for Kiesza!

Kiesza, real name Kiesa Ellestad, is a Canadian singer who has hit global success with her UK number one smash "Hideaway". Her follow-up singles failed to make such an impact and her chart positions dropped. She has recently gone off the radar. She has been writing a lot and featuring in a few songs here and there, and with "Give It To The Moment" appearing out of nowhere, I'm hoping she's getting ready to make a chart impact soon once again, with her vocal talents, I'm surprised DJs aren't snapping her up here, there and everywhere, or maybe she's too focused on her next album to feature on something big... It's a wait and see sort of game, but she has an amazing talent and she is worthy of global stardom. This song is from Finding Neverland The Album. It's a Gary Barlow found musical which first debuted in Lancaster, but has found it's place in Broadway, and next year it will be in the West End. With songs like this one, I am definitely eager to see it, hopefully in London, but if not I'll definitely go and see it when it gets a UK tour, which is inevitable because of the amazing reviews it has had so far.

This music video is extremely simple, and obviously low-budget. It was directed by Mario Hugo.

With not a lot going on, I haven't got much to comment on. The background and editing techniques used are clever, the use of vines and lines that are both behind her and in front of her isn't anything new, and yet it makes the audience focus on Kiesza alone.

Kiesza's dancing is definitely freestyle, unless this was actually choreographed which looks unlikely. This reminds me a lot of my own freestyle which I do when no ones watching, a few regular dance sequences she repeats which is exactly what happens in a bit of freestyle. It's raw and imaginative, and yet it isn't as powerful as a choreographed sequence might have been. Freestyle is freestyle, it's a bit of a let loose kind of freedom, it's difficult to pull off perfectly as it's what you can come up with on the spot. Kiesza does a good job nonetheless though.

Overall, an amazing song, that is one of many amazing songs that was created by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy that is on Finding Neverland The Album, which I'm currently listening to in full, and it is brilliant! I'm so glad I've bought it. However I wish the music videos of the songs was part of the musical or at least relate to it in some way. This is an okay performance piece but it doesn't do anything that interests me into watching it again, other than listening to Kiesza's amazing vocals on this track.
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Vanessa White - Don't Wanna Be Your Lover

February 13, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



While we await for The Saturdays to come off their hiatus, we have the lovely Vanessa White soloing, creating her own small waves in the music industry, and what a way to start! Soulful, energetic, emotional and sexy, Vanessa White exudes confidence in this fun little song and music video that has got us all screaming for more.

Vanessa White is one fifth of girl group The Saturdays, who have established themselves as one of the most successful girl groups in the UK. At the moment they are on a break so they can all follow their own lives, with various members doing their own things, although it has been reported that they have new music to be released this year. Vanessa White is the first to go solo since the group's hiatus, and it looks like Mollie King will be following in her footsteps soon, although Una Healy released a solo EP before the band got together. Vanessa White is gearing up to release her EP next week, and this song is one of my favourites released so far. The song is so catchy and I can imagine the thoughts behind the single.

Directed by Kristian Young, the video is mostly performance based with a subtle narrative that works well with the song.

Vanessa White is looking sexy and adorably confident in this music video. She shows how great she would be live on stage, and with that gifted voice, she is an artist that you'd definitely want to see in person.

Just as I get comfortable to the music video, and reckon there isn't much more to it, whilst the guy is sitting down on the chair as she explains to him that she don't wanna be his lover, she's just looking for a friend and a bit of a fun time, the video surprises me with amazing contemporary dancing that is magical.

The dancing reminds me of Justin Bieber's "Love Yourself", it's perfect and performed to an exact point. Vanessa White proves herself here, that even though she is in one of the hottest girl groups from the UK, she is just as good all by herself. This guy is that little bit too tall for her, but the choreography has taken this into account and the dancing is just perfect. I just wish there was more of it, and I was there in person to watch this chemistry fuelled sequences performed. Vanessa White, and whoever the mystery guy is (if anyone knows his name please comment below), pulls this off amazingly. I hope to see more of Vanessa White dancing in her future music videos.

Overall Vanessa White surprises us all with an amazing song and a brilliant music video to go with it. It may be simple with very little going on, but this just proves that less is more, and it certainly is. I can't fault this video, and I can't stop watching this again and again. Great job Vanessa White, and I cannot wait for what the future will bring! I just wish this would have charted as this deserves a great charting position, at the very least.
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New Release: Hozier - Cherry Wine

February 12, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



I'm kind of cheating today... Since all day on Friday I've been looking for a New Release and it wasn't until the day after I found this one... So technically it's Saturday, but I've changed the date to Friday. Plus this music video was released on Saturday 13th February, so technically I wouldn't have been able to review this on Friday. I have had to stretch my rules for New Release, because all of the new releases this week don't have a music video, or the ones that do weren't officially released on Friday 12th February. This is the only one I can find, and I'm glad it's from someone I've heard of. Hozier attempts to show how make-up can hide the lies inside, domestic violence is very real in the world and they manage to portray perfectly how it is hidden from the world.

Hozier, real name Andrew Hozier-Byrne, is an Irish musician who had a hit single with "Take Me To Church", it was held off the top spot by Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk", in the UK. He's big in Ireland, where all his singles have charted. Whereas in the UK, a few have charted but quite low. In the US, "Take Me To Church" also hit number two, but his other singles either haven't charted or are bubbling under the hot 100. His album did well around the world. This is probably the last single from his album, or it could be his first single of a new album... Since the song is a live version on the album... The song was written by Andrew Hozier-Byrne. All proceeds for the song will be donated to international domestic abuse charity organisations.

The music video is directed by Dearbhla Walsh, and features actors Saoirse Ronan and Moe Dunford. The former has played lead roles in many films and has been nominated for a number of awards in her career, As for the latter he has appeared in a few films and TV series, mainly known for his role in Vikings.

The video relates well to the song as it is all about domestic violence. Saoirse Ronan is wearing some heavy make-up to hide that black eye she has got, and although Moe Dunford looks very sad and sorry for what he has done, he is completely ashamed by it, hiding her eye behind her hair so he doesn't have to see it.

There's very little to this music video, but we don't need something massive, the pace goes well with the songs and Saoirse Ronan and Moe Dunford act extremely well, showing off their acting skills allowing us to get wrapped up in their story. This is pretty good, but it's not something that kept me entertained. For all we know Saoirse Ronan did fall over, or someone else could have gave her that black eye. We are left to presume it is her lover, and so I feel everything isn't proved and wasn't exactly thought out. I think a performance piece from Hozier included in this video would've also made it more interesting.
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Inna - Hot

February 11, 2016 Critic Jonni 0 Comments



Almost six years old now, in the UK, and I cannot believe I haven't reviewed it until now. I have been a fan of Inna since this music video was released on the music channels and radio picked up the song. To date, this is Inna's highest charting single on the UK chart, although many of her most recent singles are worthy of that claim, however she is not promoted much, if at all, in the UK and so her music isn't widely popular here, not yet anyway. Inna looks fly and hot and sexy in this music video, with a passionate love story narrative infused.

Inna, real name Elena Apostoleanu, is one of the biggest artists to come out of Romania, if not the biggest, she holds the title as the richest Romanian and Eastern European artist as of the end of 2011, I presume this still stands. This is her debut single, that shot all across the globe, peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart, I remember when and where I bought this single, surprisingly. I was in Wales on a family holiday, and as soon as it was released in HMV, I begged my dad to let me go inside and buy this one CD. I still have it today in my bedroom. It was written by Sebastian Barac, Radu Bolfea and Marcel Botezan. The title of the song is not listed in the lyrics, it was originally going to be called 'Fly', however they chose 'Hot' instead as it relates and describes a certain type of relationship.

There are actually two music videos for this song, which I only just found out today. I will be focusing on this one alone, and might review the other one in the future. This is the one I know and love, the other one is a complete mess, and I'll only ever review it if I need to.

This video is both performance and narrative. Inna is looking sexy and sultry, not giving too much away as she performs. The scenes are beautifully subtle and works well with her looks. We know she can perform better than this, however there's something simple and relaxed about this, as she floods the song with emotion.

The narrative follows a blonde girl in the backstage dressing room, getting ready. She receives a bunch of roses with a card that says in Romanian: 'Un admirator...' which means in English: 'An admirer...' We then see scenes of her doing her job as a stage dancer. We then are cut to a scene of her at home, arguing with her lover in front of her daughter. She walks out and the father comforts the child.

She receives another bouquet of roses, and the card reads, in Romanian: 'Un admirator care te adora...' which means in English: 'A fan who loves you...' A few scenes of her stage dancing and being with her friends are included and in the morning another fight ensues at home, where she inevitably packs her bags and leaves.

When she returns backstage there is another set of roses. This card says in Romania: 'In seara asta vreau sa ne cunoastem. Te astept ,dupa program ,in fatza clubului' which basically means in English: 'Tonight I want to meet you. I will wait after work', the end bit doesn't directly translate, I'm presuming it means outside the club, or round the back of the club, or somewhere specific in the club. When she goes to meet him, it turns out that the guy who we've seen clips of is actually her lover. He takes his sunglasses off and his ring (which doesn't make sense to me), and they hug and make up.

Overall a perfect video that can't be faulted, a perfect narrative that is totally related to the song. The performance piece could've been better, but Inna has released much worse performance pieces in her music videos, and yet a quick look at any of her live sessions proves that not only does she have an amazing voice, but she has a brilliant on-stage presence that is filled with performance vibes, this video slightly shows that, but the narrative is so thought out and special, it makes the video complete.
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