Critic Jonni: Car Park

It's been way too long since I last blogged, but I have now returned to blogging, purely because Sam Callahan has released this awesome new music video that has definitely impassioned me. Well, it's not just the music video, it's the absolutely incredible song that is all about getting back up after feeling so low and ready to give up on everything. I've been fighting for my writing career for a number of years now, and I still haven't reached the goal and the dream I've envisioned since I was a kid, and I still feel like I'm a long way away from getting there, but I will continue to push and put in all the hard work that is needed to get me to that moment - because I will get there. That is what I take from this song and music video and that's the whole intention. Watch Sam Callahan walk the streets to the top of a car park where he lights up a purple smoke flare, while scenes of four professionals training in their chosen fields are intercut throughout.

Sam Callahan is a singer-songwriter I have been following ever since he released his debut single "Runaway Train" back in 2012. For those of you who have been reading my blog for years will know that I've reviewed pretty much all his music videos on here. He followed his debut up with "Crazy" before becoming a contestant on the tenth series of The X Factor, where he made it to the live shows and came seventh overall. After the show, he released "Bigger Things", formed a rock band (which split not long afterwards), and released a club track titled "I Love It When You". In 2017, he released the incredible song "Burns Like Fire" and followed that up earlier this year with "Say Something". Today, he has released "Stitches and Scars" and it's his most emotional track to-date whilst taking it back to his roots. The track reminds me of "Runaway Train", only with more emotion and passion - Sam Callahan is still a star in the making and deserves success in all forms, he even wrote this track all by himself. The producer of the song was Jamie Sellers.

Directed by Sam Callahan & Gareth Mangan, the music video is mainly a narrative piece with the occasional performance scene throughout. It is certainly the best music video from Sam Callahan to-date, and I completely believe that. The visual stars professional MMA Fighter, Mike ‘Pretty Boy’ Hales, professional gymnast, Sophie Brace, British MX Championship contender, Tommy Lee Morris, and, world champion minibike racer, Robbie Daly.

The slight performance piece is gentle and basic as we follow Sam Callahan who is walking along the streets with his guitar, which he occasionally plays. We also watch scenes of him performing on stages from festivals to arena concerts. He leads us to a car park, and when he arrives at the top he lets off a purple smoke flare whilst acting confident.

As for the narrative, we watch these four professionals training. Mike 'Pretty Boy' Hales is running along the shoreline before a young kid decides to join him and helps him to work out; this professional MMA fighter can also be seen training up in a gym, similarly, Sophie Brace is also training in a gym - we watch her perform floor gymnastics. As for Tommy Lee Morris and Robbie Daly, we watch them ride their bikes on a track and their preparations beforehand. The ending sees them all achieving the goal they set themselves.

What more can I say about this music video? I've already covered it on CelebMix and Fuzzable, and it is set to be published on Outlet Magazine soon. What we've only just discovered is that Sam Callahan filmed this music video using his iPhone 8+ and he also edited and produced it himself. He put his all not just into the song but into this music video, and it's not a surprise that it is absolutely incredible. This music video is one I won't be forgetting, in years to come, and it just goes to show that hard work really does pay off. This is a masterpiece, and I'm beyond proud to give Sam Callahan his first five stars for one of his music videos! I hope he releases more incredible music videos in the future.

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Juego (feat. Kryan) - Micke Moreno |

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm obsessed with Global Records and their array of artists on the record label. They recently created a division titled Global Records Latin, which Micke Moreno was the first star to release under that division with "El Amor" which featured Antonia. The label has continued to release songs that are beyond addicting, and here is another one on this backdated new release. I previously wrote up about this for CelebMix, and although it wasn't strictly released on this backdated date, it was released a few days earlier, it was still new for that week. Watch Micke Moreno and Kryan battle it out during a car race intercut with performance scenes in this music video set in a car park for "Juego".

Micke Moreno, who is sometimes known as just Micke, is best known for taking part in The X Factor (US) and La Banda. Now, Global Records Latin has picked him up, along with some of his friends for their new record label, and it is proving to do well for everyone involved. His debut, "El Amor" got millions of YouTube views, although we reckon that was with the help of featured star Antonia. This single sees him collaborate with Kryan, again - they first teamed-up for "Eres Tu" along with Fabyan and Yoandri. Kryan is known for being on La Voz Teens where he was a semi-finalist. Now, he's a part of Global Records Latin allowing him to pursue his dream and passion. He manages to twist up this track, adding his stamp and flavour. The song was written by Micke Moreno and Brien Melo with Alexandru Cotoi helping to compose the music.

The music video has both a narrative and a performance piece, so you would expect my rating, at the end of this review, to be high; this is the core of a great music video, however this just doesn't come off quite so well. The performance takes over as the main part, leaving the uninteresting and overdone narrative to become a minor part.

The car race launches this whole music video, but sometimes the cars don't look as if they're competing. They go around the car park as we wait to see who wins. We've seen plenty of car races in music videos. Micke Moreno looks disappointed at the end, suggesting he lost, but maybe he's just unhappy about Kryan's inability to perform in the performance part.

To be fair, it's not just Kryan's fault, the camera operator focuses on the women dancers far more than the two singers, and we can't really blame Kryan for being distracted, now can we? It would be good to see Kryan perform all by himself, to see if he does grab the audience at home. As for Micke Moreno, he is on point and definitely a future star, he controls the energy and slams it right into the viewers at home. He's not distracted and wants to give a good performance, and he manages to save this video in every way.

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Down (feat. Gucci Mane) - Fifth Harmony |

Little Mix wasn't the only girl group to drop a new music video, Fifth Harmony has also done so too. Although I much prefer "Power" over "Down" any day of the week, nonetheless this is definitely growing on me. This is their first release as a four-piece group after Camila Cabello left to pursue a solo career. The song is apparently a transitional single as we should expect a new style with their new album, although I really believe this song leaves so much more to be desired. I was hoping big things from these girls, especially after all the versions of their songs without Camila Cabello's voice, but this one single just didn't live up to the expectations I had. Watch Fifth Harmony perform in a motel parking lot alongside Gucci Mane in this music video for "Down", which is the first single to be cut from their upcoming third studio album.

Fifth Harmony are a four-piece girl group consisting of Normani Kordei, Lauren Jauregui, Ally Brooke, and Dinah Jane Hansen. They were formed as a five-piece on The X Factor (US), coming third overall; they have gone on to become the most successful contestant from all three shows of the series. After two albums, Camila Cabello left the group to pursue a solo career, leaving many fans worried the girls would split; instead, it made them stronger and they all manage to take the spotlight in this new song and music video. They have also kept their name, regardless of the fact that there is now four members instead of five. I'm hoping they manage to prove that they still can continue as a four-piece. The featured artist is Gucci Mane, real name Radric Davis. He is an American hip-hop artist, mostly known for the featured collaboration on Rae Stremmurd's song "Black Beatles". He has 10 studio albums behind him and has definitely been a slight force in the American hip-hop music industry; his longevity proves that you can make it if you don't give up. The song is a surprising collaboration, but it works perfectly for the summer; I'm totally ready to get down in an open-air club to this song! "Down" was written by Joshua Coleman, Radric Davis, Dallas Koehlke, and Jude Demorest.

Directed by James Larese, the music video sees the girls arrive at a motel and walk up the stairs to their respective rooms all whilst Gucci Mane introduces the song. This is the entire location of the music video and it seems like it has not been a high budget and it seems really simple; but as usual, the girls a fierce and bring it completely.

There's full-on choreography in the parking lot; nothing new for these four girls. They nail everything in-sync and it's completely polished. However, they don't look like they're having fun, more like they're just doing their job. This is something we keep seeing from these girls and we want something much more expressive from them. It may be the dance sequence that they've been given to perform.

As for Gucci Mane, he doesn't really take the spotlight fully because the girls tease us whilst being in a pool or hot tub. He's slightly memorable as he is on the steps or against the wall, and because he switches the song down; but, it just comes off a bit lacklustre.

Overall, this music video and the song doesn't work. We expected big things from these girls and they didn't live up to them. Instead, we get a transitioning single which is a total grower, but it'll be too late by the time we all love the song; and, a simple, done-before music video that doesn't go anywhere and doesn't relate to the song. I hope they recover with a follow-up single and a music video that blows our minds.

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Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood |

I was going to do Blake Shelton's "Honey Bee", since my iTunes shuffler keeps playing it day-in-day-out, but the embed code is disabled on the music video, and so I chose my favourite country song, instead. I don't know what it is about this song, but Carrie Underwood really hits home with every note and every word of this awesome track. This one always gets stuck in my head every time I hear it and it is currently my alarm to wake me up in the morning. Carrie Underwood demolishes her boyfriend's car because he's cheating on her, and then her temper lashes out to the entire street. maybe next time he'll think "Before He Cheats".

Carrie Underwood is a major country female singer, who has been doing well ever since she won American Idol. She is totally on her game and one of the leading female country singers at the moment. She's been trying to hit the UK for some time, and even performed on The X Factor; although her albums chart well over here, her singles have not faired well at all. Country music is just difficult to sell to the UK market, but if she keeps pushing, I'm sure she'll make it over here. Many others have done so, so why not Carrie Underwood? This song is written by Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins. It has won a bunch of awards, namely a GRAMMY in 2007.

Directed by Roman White, the music video is a full narrative that completely relates to the song, in a literal translation. There is also a killer performance visual snapshot throughout. The ending is a homage to the 1976 Brian De Palma film Carrie, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.

The narrative sees Carrie Underwood follow through with every single thing mentioned in the chorus of the song. She scratches a key along the side of a 'souped-up four-wheel drive'. An image of her name is carved onto leather seats, which we presume are inside the car. She brandishes a Louisville Slugger (a branded baseball bat) around, smashing 'both head lights'. We then see her slash all four tyres.

As the video goes on, the car becomes a battered mess. But that's not the end of the video, oh no! We see her walking with a group of girls. We see her guy making out with another girl. He is played by actor Tabb Shoup. Carrie Underwood catches up with him, and she freezes for a bit, seeing him with another girl; she then drops his keys in his half-empty drink and walks away. We see him pick up the keys, and it's such a shame we don't get to see his reaction to finding his cherished four-wheel drive battered and crushed.

Instead, we see Carrie Underwood turn into Carrie White, and completely unleash her anger whilst walking down a street. Windows blow open and electrical signs shatter. All the while, a gale force wind is blowing. What an incredible ending scene.

Not only that, but there's a whole performance piece shown throughout. Carrie Underwood proves exactly why she deserves to be on stage. She feels this song and unleashes the emotional energy it deserves, giving it her all within the performance side of the video. Anyone who is lucky enough to see her live are definitely in for a treat. She is one of a few singers on my must-see-live list because I bet her shows are out of this world.

This music video has got it all, and it doesn't surprise me that it won 'Music Video of the Year' at the 2007 Academy of Country Music Awards, as well as 'Video of the Year' and 'Female Video of the Year' at the 2007 CMT Music Awards. Overall, it is absolutely incredible; completely relatable to the song, and shows Carrie Underwood off perfectly. This is one music video I could watch over and over and over again.

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Sometimes new music excites me, and this is one of those cases. Chosen from my emails that I get every so often, Robyn Paige completely stuns in this beautiful narration visual of a music video. She's definitely beautiful in this clip and for sure a looks like an artist. Robyn Paige plays the other woman in this emotionally beautiful music video for "Righteous".

Robyn Paige is definitely making her sound heard, having managed to gain 10,000 hits on this music video alone really shows that "Righteous" has got people talking, and it's no surprise when a beautiful voice comes from this stunningly gorgeous girl. The song is about being torn between the right thing and the wrong thing but being unable to resist the wrong thing. Robyn Paige's vocals easily display the emotion of the song and really manages to hit home with it. It is the official debut single from Robyn Paige, and follows on from her previous song "Say You Will". This song was written by Robyn Paige, Johnson Orchid, and Corazon Baguma.

This music video was directed by Olan Collardy, and features Robyn Paige as the other woman. It's quite loving throughout, and it's clear from the start that something is up when she doesn't even move from her position in the bed whilst he reaches for his phone.

It's a great visual narration, showing how their relationship has unfolded previously and how they built it. Until, three quarters of the way through, the entire music stops as we watch another girl strut her stuff across a car park and enters his car.

We learn that Michael has been cheating and that the someone else is Robyn Paige. The storyline reminds me of Britney Spears' "Perfume", although both visuals are totally different in their own right.

Overall, it's a great concept, with Robyn Paige giving some fire acting skills. The song is intricately beautiful, and has a relatable accompanying music video that easily engages the audience throughout.

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It's THURSDAY! Which means it's revisit time on my blog, and time to delve back into Jason Derulo's past and pull this one out of the bag. It was his first number one in the UK, and definitely wasn't his last. It is quite cheesy for 2009, but what can you expect from something that's seven years old. He is a much more talented singer nowadays, yet his old songs are just as catchy, if a little cheesy. Jason Derulo chats up Lala Escarzega in a parking lot as he envisions them together in his head, for his second music video.

Jason Derulo, real name Jason Desrouleaux, has had a great career so far, and it's unlikely to stop. This was his second solo single which hit the top spot of the UK Singles Chart back in 2009. Nowadays he has totally dropped the Jason Derulo name singing at the start of his songs, although it would've been quite fitting with 2 Chainz name singing in their collaborative song "Talk Dirty". This song received a remix with Nicki Minaj, as well as various cover versions released years later. This song was written by Jason Desrouleaux, Claude Kelly and J.R. Rotem.

Directed by Kai Crawford, it is set in a car park. Jason Derulo's love interest is played by actor Lala Escarzega.

Not much of a budget behind this one, it feels like we've seen what happened before "Want To Want Me" and how Jason Derulo got that one night stand.

Nowadays, this is quite laughable, look at that jacket which is way too big for him, totally baggy! And guess what? He changes clothes just to dance because you can't really dance in that blue jacket. Which kind of loses continuity, unless it's all in his head, which is suggested by the end of the music video.

At the start and the end, we're introduced with a snippet of his debut single "Whatcha Say", kind of relating this song to that one so people would realise that it's still Jason Derulo (and yes I sang that).

Jason Derulo serenades this girl, hoping she'll leave with him, although the setting is not a club as the lyrics suggest; yet we can deal with the car park.

Lala Escarzega isn't all that interested, she's eyeing up other people, seeing who else she can get the attention of, which is to be expected, but look what she missed out on because Jason Derulo is totally steaming now.

It turns out it was all a day-dream of what Jason Derulo hopes to happen as Lala Escarzega walks out of the store, but she just suggests that they have met before as his previous single ends the music video.

With little else to comment on, the music video is clever, suggesting everything we had just seen was in Jason Derulo's head, relatable and interesting, with dancing on point throughout, some great technical choreography throughout, although dated now, is intricate. This is definitely good, considering there wasn't quite a great budget involved, clearly.