There wasn't much choice for my Thursday Revisit, I had planned to do a donkeyboy music video review, but they're all meaningful which will mean I'd have to go into great detail; and, since I am on a catch-up spree for this blog, I need easy visuals to review. So, taking that on board, I chose "SOS" by Rihanna as it isn't really a memorable music video, and certainly one that allows me to keep detail to a minimum. Watch Rihanna dance through these visuals as she acts sexily in some of the scenes in this music video for her song "SOS".
Rihanna, real name Robyn Fenty, launched on the scene in 2005. This song was her first single from her second studio album in 2006. It charted well globally and continued her success. She's now one of the top female artists in the industry with a whole host of chart hits, notable singles, incredible albums, and amazing awards; she truly is unstoppable. This song is such a jam now, still to this day, which shows that she really can release some incredible tracks. The song contains a sample of "Tainted Love", which was written by Ed Cobb, and was made famous by Soft Cell. It was originally given to Christina Milian, who turned it down, so it was later given to Rihanna. "SOS" was written by J.R. Rotem, E. Kidd Bogart, and Ed Cobb.
Directed by Chris Applebaum, the music video is a pure performance visual, which showcases Rihanna in various scenes and locations. She certainly knows how to give fuel to the song in the visual, giving an infectious energy that was definitely needed for the song.
We start off with her in a low-cut green dress that matches the tropical plants behind her. This scene later becomes iconic from Rihanna's back-catalogue of music videos - everyone remembers what she wore. The other scenes get lost, there's the one where she's wearing a glittered skirt and a ripped white vest as she dances flirtatiously with a man.
Then there's the mirrored room, which was certainly all-the-range back then. In this scene, Rihanna gives legs for days. Mirrored rooms have been used so many times in the past, it's no surprise to see it in one of Rihanna's videos. There are also other dance scenes that show that she can really move and follow choreography perfectly, yet there isn't enough emphasis on those scenes since they're short and sweet. Clearly, they decided to show off her sexy shots more than her dance technical ability.
Overall, the music video isn't all that memorable apart from the green dress scene. It could have been so much better. I can't help but laugh at the Nokia 3250 that she uses - why did I not know about that phone? And, why did I not have one of those when I was younger? I thought I had seen it all, but I was not expecting Rihanna to twist the bottom - I so would've had this as a child if I had known about it. Still, it's an okay music video, but I expected something so much better.
When I'm struggling to choose a music video to review, I always resort to Fergie as she is the first reason I am so behind on my blog. She released a music video for each of her songs on the Double Duchessalbum, which I covered for CelebMix, every single one of them, including this one. If that wasn't bad enough, as I was catching up, INNA decided to drop a new single a day in promotion of her album Nirvana. I have been playing catch-up ever since - and I will catch up. This song has actually had two music videos, the first one was taken down due to, we believe, explicit content; so this version was released instead. Watch skateboarders have a wild time riding the streets; as the ending draws near, Joanne The Scammer helps out the female skater in this music video for Fergie's "Tension".
Fergie, real name Fergie Duhamel and previously Stacy Ferguson, recently came back with an iconic second studio album, titled Double Duchess. It's one of my favourite albums of 2017 and certainly underrated in a whole host of ways. It really shows Fergie off as a brilliant versatile artist. This is one of my favourites from the album; actually, I love all of the tracks on their own - they all are really that good. This one is rhythmically catchy and one I could see DJs picking up and remixing brilliantly. It was written by Fergie Duhamel, Justin Tranter, Diana Gordon (Wynter Gordon), and Alessandro Lindblad (Alesso).
Directed by Fatima Robinson, this music video doesn't have a lot going for it. To be fair, I much prefer this one over the first music video. The first one was following three women as they attended a festival, and although the song is perfect for festival season, this one is more interesting to viewers.
We watch a female skater walk into a skate shop and buy a skateboard. She then launches out on to the road, rolling away. Soon enough, she starts doing foot dance moves while the board is moving; keeping us entertained throughout.
As the video continues, we jump over to a male skater, who is doing the same thing on his skateboard. They meet up and continue to do dance-like moves on the skateboards, together. They reach a hill, and he passes her a helmet, prepared to do some speed skating. She starts to go really fast but hits something and goes flying off - what she hits, we do not know, but if we slow down the video we can see a man dressed in black sitting on the road just slightly back from the skateboard. How did she not see him?
This is where Joanne The Scammer comes out and makes sure she is okay, proclaiming that if it wasn't for her lunch with Fergie she would show her how to 'bomb this hill'. She encourages the skater to get back on the skateboard and drive. The ending watches Joanne The Scammer walk up the hill.
Overall, it's a nice gentle music video, one I find much better than the first music video. However, it also has no substance to it and although I absolutely adore the song, I feel the music video just doesn't relate or work with the track itself. It is entertaining and Joanne The Scammer adds some great comedy towards the end, but it could've been a better visual.
This song came up on my iTunes which I always have on random, and I just had to review it; it was on one of my compilation albums that I own. To my surprise, Kiesza is an uncredited vocalist and even appears in the music video; I certainly was not expecting that. Even though I was aware that she had uncredited vocals on a track, I didn't identify which one it was exactly - and here she is. This was definitely a great collaboration, that deserves so much more attention, although I don't really get this music video. Watch Kiesza walk amongst the streets of London and strike dance poses at the frontman of donkeyboy, Cato Sundberg, in this music video for "Triggerfinger".
donkeyboy is a Norwegian synth-pop band consisting of Cato Sundberg, Karl Sundberg, Peter Michelsen, and Thomas Drabløs. Their debut album "Caught In A Life" charted well in their home country as well as in the Nordic countries. Their singles hit it big in Norway, from their debut "Ambitions", which hit number one, to "City Boy" in 2011 which also hit the top spot. Their following singles haven't done quite so well, but their recent album "Lost" which was released in 2016 managed Top 20 in Norway, so they're still a band who are on form and current, with the potential of huge success - it only takes one song, as we know. Uncredited as a vocalist is Canadian singer-songwriter Kiesza, real name Kiesa Ellestad. She hit it big around the world with debut single "Hideaway" a year later. Her follow-up singles did well in the UK and Belgium, with her debut album charting all around the world. She's recently collaborated with Pitbull, and is apparently working on a new album; I sure hope so as I'm desperate for new music from her. The song was written by Kiesa Rae Ellestad, Kent Sundberg, Carlo Sundberg, Espen Berg, and Simen Eriksrud.
Directed by Bjørn Opsahl, the music video was filmed in London, and it's definitely on the weird side. It is a performance piece set within a narrative. The song opens up with an infectious beat and Cato Sundberg's amazing vocals while he is sitting in a taxi cab.
That's when we spot Kiesza, sometimes she's behind draped curtains, but she's mainly spotted on the London streets. Everything's fine until she strikes a dance pose for no apparent reason. We also see the frontman of donkeyboy on the phone in a telephone box.
Overall, this music video doesn't go anywhere. At the end, we see both of them on the same street, in one shot they are both leaning on the same traffic-light post, but Kiesza soon disappears again, with a final shot on her balcony. Their performance side of things really prevents this visual from getting one star.
Looking at the chart for this backdated date - which is 25 December 2017 Christmas Day - Ed Sheeran is still at number one with "Perfect". This opens the top ten of the UK Singles Chart to my Chart Mondays review. I was planning on doing Rak-Su's "Dimelo" featuring Wyclef Jean & Naughty Boy, but the song doesn't have an official music video, which leaves me with a couple of choices. I decided on this one, purely because it has the less amount of hits on YouTube; who knows what that means in coming weeks, but I look forward to seeing what happens to the UK Chart. Music videos rarely make me cry, but this one certainly did, following in the footsteps of P!nk's "What About Us"; I swear I'm becoming an emotional wreck when it comes to personal emotional music videos. Watch an old man watching his son, NF, drown and then burn in a fire, then look down on him in a coffin, feeling sad he was never proud of him, with a mighty twist at the end in the music video for hit single "Let You Down".
NF, real name Nathan Feuerstein, is an American Christian hip-hop artist who has a total of four album releases to date. All of his singles have charted on the US Billboard Christan Songs chart, but this is the one that has truly given NF a massive international hit. It's true, it really does take just one song, and this is the one. I'm pretty sure this is the start of NF releasing chart hit after chart hit as more and more people discover his music. This song peaked at number two in Sweden and Norway, number four in Ireland, and number six in Finland and the UK. "Let You Down" was written by Nathan Feuerstein.
Directed by Nathan Feuerstein and Patrick Tohill, this music video hits every viewer in the heart; if the song wasn't emotional enough, paired with this music video it truly gives us all, all sorts of feels. It has one twist of an ending too.
The opening scene sees an old man walk down to a dock on a lake. As soon as the chorus finishes and NF's rap launches in, a young man is seen flailing around in the water, fully-clothed, drowning. The old man does nothing, as he watches his son, played by NF, die in the water. As the chorus returns, the older guy lip-syncs to the song, as if the chorus is words from himself.
The second verse kicks in and we're transported to a field where a car is surrounded by flames. Inside is NF, once again, as his father watches on - once again. The chorus comes back as the car lights up and burns completely. The final verse comes in as we see a coffin in an open grave, the old man opens the lid and reveals his son lying there; he's in shock and dismayed at himself.
We return to the drowning scene as we near the end of the video. This is where the full-on twist comes in. We see a close-up of the father's face, then a close-up of his arm, which displays a tattoo of a word starting with R-E-A - which we can presume is the same tattoo NF has which actually says "Real Music"; and, the shocker of them all, the old man's wife, we presume, comes out and says "Nathan?" as if that's his name. Meaning the whole video is an old man looking back on his younger self, proclaiming that he let himself down. It's such a shocking but interesting twist.
Most people are running with the father-son idea though, and let's just presume they had the same name and matching tattoos. This made me cry because this is something very real in my life, as well as many other people's lives. All I want to do is make my parents proud, and all that I have achieved to date is something I am proud of, myself; and I know I'm going to achieve so much more, but my father is always putting me down and it does make me want to give up sometimes. This music video is beyond personal, and so is the song. NF has created a masterpiece, one we all need to watch and listen to! He's certainly has become my new favourite rapper, singing about real things and real life.
I recently heard this song in a movie trailer, the film in question is titled "Breaking In" (which just goes to show that this blog is backdated, since the trailer, which can be viewed here, was released on 11 January 2018, and this blog is backdated to 24 December 2017). It has been stuck in my head ever since, and to be fair, so has the visuals from the movie - since that film does look epic! In comparison to this music video, this visual certainly falls short. What I wasn't expecting was the military couture, Rihanna's style is on point throughout and she certainly knows how to work these outfits! Watch Rihanna commanding her troops as she brings high-fashion to the military and the desert while Jeezy raps a segment in this music video for "Hard".
Rihanna, real name Robyn Fenty, has definitely established herself as one of the top female artists in the music industry. She has had a number of hits although my favourite era was certainly the Good Girl Gone Bad era and I still consider "Don't Stop The Music" a total jam. Her recent releases haven't quite hit their mark single wise, and it'll be interesting to see where she goes from there. She is currently working on her ninth studio album, so expect new music from her pretty soon. The song features Jeezy, real name Jay Jenkins, who was previously known as Young Jeezy. He was in rap group Boyz n da Hood, and has gone on to have quite a few hits, his biggest solo hit to date is "Soul Survivor". The song was written by Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart, Robyn Fenty, and Jay Jenkins.
Directed by Melina Matsoukas, this music video is a pure performance piece set in the desert, drawing inspiration from high fashion and combining it with the military.
As I previously stated, Rihanna totally works all the fashion items, to the extent where she really put her own stamp on the fashion industry with her military couture. Some of the clothes aren't typical, yet she works them as if they are everyday wear. Her spiked-shoulder tight-fitting dress became an iconic look for her and this video really established that.
The theme relates greatly to the song because the song is all about being strong and fierce - hard, for lack of a better word - and Rihanna styles that out with the theme and her confidence. Jeezy doesn't add much to the visual, but his words are needed to break up the song.
Overall, this is a completely unforgettable music video - there's even a bright pink tank, which is pretty memorable. Rihanna brings it and her gladiator look is totally on-point, well until she decides to get muddy. With this female singer being strong and powerful, Jeezy kind-of falls short.
This is completely random, I literally typed Lucy into YouTube and saw Lucy Hale's name and decided to finally review one of her music videos on my blog; to be fair, I am a fan of her music, so I'm glad that I've chosen this one, with the help of YouTube. Her debut album "Road Between" is certainly worth a listen and she really managed to establish herself as a country music artist, it's just a shame she hasn't continued music, although her acting career has certainly taken off. Watch Lucy Hale perform at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee while snippets of her having fun with friends and being carefree are cut between in this music video for "Lie A Little Better".
Lucy Hale is pretty well known as an actress, she's massively known for playing Aria Montgomery in Pretty Little Liars although she's been in a whole range of TV shows including loved but short-lived Privileged as Rose Baker and the equally loved but also short-lived refresh TV series of Bionic Woman as Becca Sommers; she also won American Juniors with five other children which made up the group of the same name. In 2014, she returned to music, releasing two singles and an album with moderate success. This was the second single and I love this track so much, I just wish it had charted better and helped her kickstart her music career. The song was written by Mike Daly, Chris DeStefano, and Melissa Peirce.
Directed by Philip Andelman, the music video must have been a dream come true as we watch Lucy Hale perform at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee. She really manages to own the stage and her sense of inclusiveness to her backing band is heart-warming, to say the least.
It's nice to see Lucy Hale be herself and full on go for it on that stage. She is clearly meant to be on stages all around the world and I sure hope she comes back to music at a later point and goes on a world tour as I can just imagine the energy she gives out when she performs. Please come to the UK for a gig so I can come and see you, Lucy Hale. This video paints her in a perfect light making us all wish we could go an see her.
As for the fun-clips, they're full carefree moments with friends, something that we've all felt but wish we had more of. They're moments that you miss, but in those current moments, it's just you and your friends being yourself and doing your thing. It's cute, but unfortunately unrelatable to the song - if only this struck up a slight narrative, it would be getting the top rating from me, but these clips just make it fall short.
Usually, I hate this specific week of the whole entire year and the week after, purely because most artists don't release new music, let alone music videos. Luckily, for me, Loïc Nottet has come through (this blog post is backdated if you haven't already guessed). It is a Christmas-spirited music video and song, with it being a full-out piano ballad. This is certainly one of those songs that will grow on me, I automatically like every single Loïc Nottet song, but this just feels average compared to his previous tracks. Watch Loïc Nottet and Justine Vercleven dance together while the former sings at what looks like a piano in this music video for his song "Go To Sleep".
Loïc Nottet is mainly known internationally for coming fourth in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, where he represented his home country of Belgium with the song "Rhythm Inside"; he scored 217 points. Previously, he came second in the third season of The Voice Belgique. That's not the only talent shows he has been on, after Eurovision, he went on to win the sixth series of Danse avec les stars (the French version of Dancing With The Stars / Strictly Come Dancing). He released his debut album last year, titled "Selfocracy" and I chose it as my favourite album of 2017 for CelebMix - make sure you check out what other albums made the CelebMix Top 2017 Albums, the article I wrote up. I can only hope that the release of this single suggests he's working on new music for 2018. This song was written by Loïc Nottet and Eric Chevet.
Directed by Sidney Van Wichelen, this music video is displayed almost like a vertical music video, containing the imagery into a box, reminding us of when TVs used to be square.
There is a performance piece and a narrative going on. The performance side of things see Loïc Nottet singing into a camera, we can presume he is sitting at a piano, playing the song, with the camera propped up on the piano so we just see him. It's quite a different performance piece but allows focus on the dance narrative being displayed.
Together, Loïc Nottet and Justine Vercleven work brilliantly as a dance duo. They have been in a romantic relationship for years, and their passion for each other is very clear. They perform on a bench in front of a Christmas tree. The choreography is flat out amazing and totally on point, although eagle-eyed fans did notice that it was a similar dance choreography that they performed previously in a video to Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love".
Overall, this music video is completely loving and perfect for Christmas time. I like how the song isn't a typical Christmas song, and instead brings something lovely to the table. The music video is all right, but nothing as epic as what Loïc Nottet has previously released! I don't get why it's a square music video. This is nowhere near as great as "Million Eyes" or "Mud Blood", even "Doctor" is better than this; but this certainly is love-filled.
Here is Thursday Revisit, and since I didn't think I'll ever get the chance to review another Modjo music video, I thought why not choose this one? I previously reviewed "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" earlier in the week, hence why I'm reviewing this one for my Thursday Revisit. I actually have a slight memory of it, but the song wasn't to my taste so I don't think I ever watched the video all the way through; although, I have a slight recollection of the track, or maybe it's just the similar groovy vibes? Watch a bowling competition take place between two teams, while there is a disco ball head man dancing and Modjo working at the bowling alley in this music video for their song "Chillin'".
Modjo were a French DJ duo consisting of Romain Tranchart and Yann Destagnoi (also known as Yann Destal). They only released an album before parting ways. This song became their second single and had moderate success in some countries, clearly riding the "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" wave. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to their debut single and was certainly the start of their downfall. The songs certainly have similar vibes, with this one focusing much more on the fun side of things lyrically, whereas the debut single was filled with much more emotion. The song hit number three in Finland, number four in Spain, number ten in Switzerland, and number 12 in the UK; which just goes to show this didn't live up to the first song. The song was written by Romain Tranchart, Yann Destagnoi, Nile Rodgers, and Bernard Edwards. It samples Chic's "Le Freak", hence the songwriters.
Directed by Yannis Mangematin, this music video was set in a bowling alley. It opens up with a dancing man with a mirror disco ball as a head, backed up by two female dancers. This precedes the bowling competition.
This was way back when bowling was all the range and something everyone did. Nowadays, the bowling alleys are pretty empty which brings a much different atmosphere when attending. We watch as each player is knocked out, leaving the top two players; one team is wearing masks. Yet, it's the other team that wins, after being distracted by one of the female dancers.
The ending sees a party going on, and many people have spotted the young woman from the "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)" music video. Not only that, Modjo also make another appearance, this time as staff of the bowling alley. The music video doesn't really go anywhere, although does create some hype and tension around the bowling competition. It feels unrelated to the song though.
I really am looking to YouTube to come up with music videos I can review quickly so I can finally catch up, since I am 25 blogs behind, at the moment - I am determined to catch up, and I will. I was planning on doing Spice Girls' "Spice Up Your Life", but that's already done, then I came across Lady Gaga's "Judas", but I think that music video is going to take up too much of my time, for now - I will review it at a much later date - so then I stumbled across this one, and I'm surprised I haven't reviewed it yet; although to be fair, it's one of Britney Spears' weakest music videos. Watch black-haired Britney Spears pole dance while blonde-haired Britney watches with amusement before checking out a guy in the bar, in this music video to "Gimme More".
Britney Spears needs no introduction, she's one of the top female singers in the entire world who still manages to get chart hits when she needs to. She has recently finished her Vegas residency, which has certainly led the way for many singers to take on Vegas residences after her first set of shows were completely sold out. Reverse back in time, though, and Britney Spears was hitting all the headlines as she went through some personal struggles, and this song and it's subsequent album was released around that time. This was certainly a new side of Britney Spears and the music video really shows that her head wasn't into it - same goes with the other video released from the Blackout album "Piece Of Me" ("Break The Ice" doesn't count since it is an animation visual). The song still climbed high on the charts, regardless of the negative critical reception the video and song got. It managed to peak at number one in Canada; number two in Brazil, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, and Sweden; and number three in Australia, Norway, the UK, and the US. The song was written by Nate Hills, James Washington, Keri Hilson, and Marcella Araica.
Directed by Jake Sarfaty, the music video is beyond basic and certainly isn't on par with what we expect from Britney Spears. Although, this song is certainly the beginning of "It's Britney, Bitch".
There's a slight narrative going on as we see blonde-haired Britney Spears enjoying a drink at a bar, whilst black-haired Britney Spears starts pole-dancing. Britney enjoys watching Britney's show before taking an interest in a guy who is also drinking within the venue.
The dancing isn't anything amazing, and to be fair I do pole dance much better than Britney Spears in this video when I go clubbing - as there is one venue with a pole on the dancefloor. She's quite methodical, clearly thinking about the steps she's taking and what she should do.
The music video was edited and re-edited, with a leak of the previous version being released in 2011. This version omitted the blonde-haired Britney scenes and included the female singer walking down the street and being in a zebra-print bed with a cat. It's clear that no matter what version was released and no matter how this was edited, it clearly couldn't have been saved. However, I much prefer this version, as it gives off a slight narrative that is relatable to the song itself; so, I guess it was a good decision to re-edit the video.
I have been obsessed with the recently released song "Boom Boom" by RedOne, Daddy Yankee, French Montana, and Dinah Jane; that is a re-work of this track. So, having already reviewed that music video, I thought I might as well review the music video to this classic track; that certainly takes me back to my childhood as it was released back in 2000 when I was seven years old. I certainly don't remember this music video though. Watch three young adults go out and have some fun and just live their life in this music video for Modjo's song "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)".
Modjo were a French duo consisting of Romain Tranchart and Yann Destagnol (also known as Yann Destal). They released one album and five singles, this one being their debut and biggest hit. Their follow-ups never quite hit the mark around the world, although "Chillin'" hit number 12 in the UK. The band members went their separate ways in 2003, focusing on their own solo careers; Romain Tranchart went down the producing and remixing path, whereas Yann Destal went on to release an album which gained moderate success in France. It really is this track that made them a total one-hit wonder. It hit number one in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Spain, and Switzerland. The song samples Chic's "Soup For One". It was written by Yann Destagnol, Romain Tranchart, Bernard Edwards, and Nile Rodgers.
Directed by François Nemeta, the music video displays three young adults having a spontaneous day, where they just go with the flow and have a good time. It does make me think that this is where the idea of the Tim Berg "Seek Bromance" music video came from.
There are a few interpretations of this music video, some people seem to think that this is a polyamory relationship, whereas others think the one guy is just the third wheel. Either way, it's that shower that makes us all question what is really going on. Although, it's pretty clear that one of the guys and the girl is in a relationship with one another - that shower scene is definitely on the sexy side.
The narrative shows them purchasing a car and hitting the road to a festival where a lot of older adults are attending. Line-dancing is shown as well as a stage show, where a guy throws a bottle at one of the three main characters - which then leads to the shower scene. Then the car breaks down - was bound to happen - and the final scenes see them on top of a hill.
Overall, this music video doesn't make the concept clear and seems pretty unrelatable to the song. The one guy, who some refer to as the third wheel, feels more like our main character, which doesn't make sense compared to what the song is about; you would expect the other guy to be more of the main character. This music video displays free spirit with the young adults being carefree, which doesn't correlate to the song at all. It does get a slight kudo for Modjo appearing as backing characters, did you spot them? They were the car salesman and the mechanic. Yet, they don't add anything to save this as a whole.
Backdated Chart Mondays again, as I focus on catching up week-on-week. I will do this, I promise. Ed Sheeran remains on top with "Perfect", and therefore allows one of the top ten from the UK Singles Chart, to be reviewed by me. This one is dropping out. It is officially Marshmello's biggest selling single to-date which certainly goes on to show that this masked DJ is on top form for 2017, but can he keep it going as the new year comes through? The same goes for Khalid who will no doubt become a big star in the next few years. This was an undeniable catchy collaboration, that totally worked in both of these artists favours, I just wish the music video was that little bit better. Watch Khalid and Marshmello perform and bring a sense of unity in this inspiring and lovely music video for their collaborative single "Silence".
Marshmello has really stepped up to the chart music world recently with some incredible collaborations, proving why he is one of the top DJs in the world. He's been a name we've all known for some time, making waves on stages, at festivals, and in the dance music world, but didn't really have an identifiable hit until this one and "Wolves" came along. Now he's a force that we are all watching, prepared to see what else he brings to charts around the world. Featuring on the track is Khalid, full name Khalid Robinson, who is certainly a rising star, managing to fully stamp his way into the international music industry. We all know that the next few years will see him dominate charts around the world, especially with the hype behind him. This song, unsurprisingly, hit charts hard around the world, peaking at number two in Norway, and number three in the UK and New Zealand. "Silence" was written by Khalid Robinson and Marshmello.
This music video is mainly a performance piece with a narrative set within. We watch Khalid leave a building and get on his bicycle before the song starts. He has a subtle stage presence as he sings whilst sitting on the bike, backed up by four other cyclists and Marshmello on his own bicycle.
Their bicycles certainly draw the audience in as they have lights wrapped around the wheels - why did we not have them as children? Such a great idea! The narrative shows a bunch of people who aren't having the best of days being cheered up by Khalid and Marshmello and the rest of their group with their neon lights.
As for the performance side of things, Marshmello comes off more as an unanimated mascot for Khalid and the song, rather than displaying what he does best - where are those DJ decks? As for Khalid, he has this relaxed style of performing that doesn't release any energy or inspiring vibes; it's certainly his voice that makes us enjoy this song because he doesn't bring anything addicting to the visual itself.
Overall, I so expected this to be a lot better. More focus on the characters within the narrative would've allowed this music video to be more gripping and engaging for the audience. Instead, we're left with Khalid and Marshmello, not really living up to their incredible artistry; maybe they were just too tired from cycling everywhere and pouring their energy into creating the track; leaving the video to not meet our expectations. The narrative saves this from being a total disaster.
I forget that Alexandra Burke has collaborated with Pitbull, mainly because, this song and music video, collectively, isn't that memorable. I remember really not liking this visual and purposely avoiding it on the music channels, way back when. I just feel this is a low-budget and annoying concept that they came up with to film a party music video. Kudos for it being different, but it's certainly not to my liking. Watch Alexandra Burke party the night away all night long with a bunch of friends as the footage is taken from 50 cameras filmed by the party-goers in this music video for "All Night Long" featuring Pitbull.
Alexandra Burke is best known for winning the fifth series of The X Factor in the UK back in 2008. She has had a number of hit singles, including this one and has gone on to have a great career. She's gearing up to release her third studio album in the next couple of months, so I'm more than excited about that. She has recently been promoting herself by taking part in Strictly Come Dancing, where she came second; and, previously, she played the lead role, Rachel Marron, in The Bodyguard UK Tour. I'm sure with some great promotion behind her, she will make an epic comeback to music, with her third studio album. Featuring on the track is Pitbull, real name Armando Pérez, who is an American rapper who everybody pretty much knows. He has established his name in the music industry and continues to collaborate with the biggest and the hottest rising stars in the industry. This song did pretty well when it comes to chart success, all around the world, but didn't bring in quite the high numbers compared to previous singles. The song is undeniably catchy, but I have to admit, I'd rather not see that music video ever again. "All Night Long" was written by Richard Butler, James Scheffer, Louis Biancaniello, and Sam Watters.
The music video was directed by Dale Resteghini. To film this video, Alexandra Burke asked her family and friends to record the actions of this all night long pool party on pocket video cameras. The video opens explaining this in a few short words.
This concept is so stupid. It totally loses the audience, in my opinion. If I'm going to watch a party music video, I want to see something I admire, a great sense of performance energy from the artist, and something totally different and unexpected. It is a unique concept and something different, but I certainly don't mean that in a good way.
There's literally nothing entertaining going on in this music video. The cameras are moving too much, so much so that the viewers find it difficult to focus, and Alexandra Burke comes off more like an empowering dominant female who everyone follows orders from.
As for the Pitbull segment, it's clever he appears on the TV however he doesn't save this video at all. In fact, he just brings his typical Pitbull appearance to this scene and correlates his scene with the rest of the music video, with the dodgy filming. This is something I hope I never get to see again. On the other hand, I adore the song and will continue to hear it on my iTunes.
I know! I know! I know! I'm so far behind on my blog, it seriously looks like I'm never going to catch up, but you have no idea how hard I work and I am on a focused catch-up spree for the next few weeks, so expect music video review after music video review. I only know Becky G from her collaboration with Cher Lloyd on "Oath" so it'll be interesting to see what her biggest song of her career, to date, is like. It is quite a cheesy pop number but one that is crazily addictive and definitely lovely. Watch Becky G lounge around at her house/pool party whilst sexily singing in the shower fully-clothed in this music video for her hit single "Shower".
Becky G, real name Rebbeca Gomez, has really come into her own, recently, especially since she played the Yellow Ranger, Trini, in the 2017 film, Power Rangers. This could certainly skyrocket her as an artist with her getting more attention, which she certainly deserves if this song is anything to go by. She rose to fame after one of her videos caught the attention of Dr. Luke, who quickly signed her to his record label Kesombe Records. As Kesha's lawsuit is still ongoing, who knows what the outcome will be, let alone what will happen to the artists on the label, regardless, this song went viral and charted well in the US, although it didn't do so well in the UK, although number 80 is nothing to be snubbed at since the UK Chart rules isn't exactly helping new artists hit the scene. The song was written by Rebbeca Marie Gomez, Lukasz Gottwald, Henry Walter, Theron Thomas, and Timothy Thomas.
Directed by Tim Nackashi, this music video is pretty basic. It is totally a typical party music video, with some cool editing techniques and Becky G fully going for it with the fully-clothed shower which shows that she's prepared to try things to make the visual link with the song.
There's not a lot else to say about this music video because it really is simple, with some of the lyrics transcending right into the visual. Not only that but before the song even starts there are product placement and promotion, which definitely reminds me of an Avril Lavigne music video such as "What The Hell" or "Rock N Roll".
The pure performance music video certainly puts Becky G in a brilliant spotlight, showcasing her energy in every way. This is certainly something I can't fault her on, and she sure makes this video good; unfortunately, it's not memorable because it has been done so many times before.
Technically not a music video, but there isn't much of a choice upon this new release music video review. Besides, this is such a lovely visual for the song that it deserves to be reviewed by me. I previously reviewed the original version of "Perfect" for my Chart Mondays' review as it has climbed to the top this week, so it's incredible to see Ed Sheeran fight to stay at the top spot by releasing another version, this time with the incredible Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, in the hope of getting the Christmas number one (which he did). I'm not going to lie, I disliked this version very much when I first heard it, but I am growing to like it, slowly. I definitely like the symphony within the backing track. Watch Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli team up on an awesome rendition of this song, in the latter's house where the former marvels at everything around him in this music video for "Perfect Symphony".
Ed Sheeran is on top form this year! His album managed to be a huge success and every single song managed to chart in the UK top 20 - something no other artist has been able to do and no artist will be able to do since the rules have now been changed. He really is a dominant force in the music industry and the original of this song, titled just "Perfect" is most-likely the first dance at most wedding receptions. He already released a collaboration with Beyoncé titled "Perfect Duet", and then this one dropped with Andrea Bocelli. He is an Italian singer who has been blind since the age of 12, following a football accident. That hasn't stopped him at all, and he's gone on to have a stand-out career, one only singers can dream of. He's collaborated with top names and charted all over the world. He's best known for the song "Time To Say Goodbye" which was a collaboration with Sarah Brightman. This song was written by Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli.
Directed by Tiziano Fioriti, this music video is almost a behind the scenes video of what happened when Ed Sheeran recorded "Perfect Symphony" with Andrea Bocelli. The camera captures some beautiful moments from the very start, even before the song kicks in. This is what makes the video that extra bit magical.
This little insight is so amazing to see. You can tell Ed Sheeran is awe-struck by the house and various things he notices. Then there are comical moments, like when he tries to learn the bits in Italian. But the truly interesting bits are the interactions and the moments they harmonise. It's so great to watch.
Although to take it all into consideration, it's a totally different viewpoint to the original "Perfect" video, and it's more of a making-of video than an actual music video since there's no narration and no performance side to this at all. It's interesting to watch and a great different take. We totally see Ed Sheeran's humble side and how incredible this is overall.
I watched this as research for the Cedric Gervais version that I reviewed which is a collaboration with Howard Jones, also titled "Things Can Only Get Better"; which totally remixes the song and makes it current and catchy. It may not have charted but this original version sure did being very current at its time since new wave music was certainly in. I never even knew Howard Jones was a singer, I recognise him from TV. Watch Howard Jones perform live on stage, showing off his energy as we watch character profiles in this music video for his hit song "Things Can Only Get Better".
Howard Jones is quite a recognisable face, and I think I've spotted him on a number of TV shows, although which ones, I'm not sure. Anyway, he had a very successful career back in the 80's with a number of hit songs, this one being one of them. I didn't realise he was a singer until I started research on that previous blog post which was a Cedric Gervais collaboration of this song. I doubt Howard Jones could make a comeback to the music industry, let alone the charts - unless more remixes are in store for future releases. This song hit number six on the UK Singles Chart and number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was written by Howard Jones.
This music video is quite interesting considering the year it was released. If we knock away the square film and the blurry images - because that certainly wouldn't be happening today - we have quite a good music video.
The pure performance visual really displays Howard Jones' stage presence, and it really reminds me of Laura Tesoro's recently released music video for "Beast", as we see both of their teams set up the stage. In this case, Howard Jones has started to sing his song already and we watch him go from the building of the stage to his dressing room, and then back onto the stage to perform to his fans. It's been well-timed and put together very neatly.
As for Howard Jones' performance, he has brilliant energy from start to finish. He's emotionally honest in the first few scenes building up his energy slowly so that he can unleash it on the crowd during the show. It may be an old video, but it still comes across perfectly.
There are a few character profile scenes of various people who then gets the spotlight during certain scenes at the show. It's cool, clever and well thought-out. I just would've liked a closer link to the song itself.
WOW! When two top Russian Eurovision representatives from different years, come together, magic happens! This is the result and it's absolutely incredible! I sure hope this isn't the one and only time Sergey Lazarev and Dima Bilan collaborate because we need more of this! One of them is from Eurovision 2008 which he won (he also previously competed in 2006 coming second), the other graced the stage in 2016, also coming second. Together they sure are a force to be reckoned with and this is beautiful and authentic. Watch Sergey Lazarev & Dima Bilan perform their collaboration song amongst a forest and on the beach before turning into animals at the end, in this music video for "Прости меня"
Sergey Lazarev is best known for representing Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, where he came third with the song "You Are The Only One"; during the votes, he came out on top in the public vote, but it was the jury vote where he didn't score enough points. Overall he scored 491 points under the new voting system. He has gone on to release more addicting music (including this song) and continues to prove he is one of the top male Russian artists in the industry. The same can be said of Dima Bilan, the collaborator on this track. He has also represented Russia at Eurovision, he competed at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 and the Eurovision Song Contest 2008; he came second in the former with his song "Never Let You Go" where he got 248 points, and won it in the latter with his song "Believe" where he gained 272 points; all of which was under the old points system. This is why this is a brilliant and epic collaboration! Surprisingly, the song didn't chart well in Russia, or in any other country, so it will definitely go down as a global treasure, one we all love but not enough to get it to chart well. The song translates into English as "Forgive Me" and is about asking a lover to forgive. It was written by Roma Kenga.
Directed by Leonid Kolosovskiy, the music video is displayed in black and white for no reason other than to stop colourisation and perhaps give it a solid sad feel to the song - which works but doesn't mean I have to like it. It's purely a performance video, that allows each artist to send out the emotion of the song.
The guys bring it for the visual, Sergey Lazarev is there bringing the passion in a forest-like setting, whilst Dima Bilan gives us all sorts of chills as he sings on a beach. He even drops a pocket watch with an image of a woman on to the sand - talk about hitting us in the heart.
There are some scenes that see them together, walking down a path that later splits off. There is also a whole performance scene in a totally different location against a black screen - it adds more depth because they are totally performing, but it looks quite odd mixed up in the other scenes.
I do love the final part, where Dima Bilan rushes into the water - we're very happy about seeing a wet Dima Bilan, but he soon turns into a dolphin which is more cute than sexy. All the while, Sergey Lazarev turns into an eagle as he runs to the top of a high-point. It's clever and cool, with some great emotional realness throughout. However, there's so much that could've been included, we needed more depth and the black and white visual doesn't add anything either.
I'm totally on a Carla's Dreams fix at the moment with their addicting songs and interesting music videos. I wasn't sure I would like this as I heard a clip in a Global Records round-up of 2017, but it just stood out to me and as soon as I watched the video and the song in full, I fell in love with it completely. Carla's Dreams sure are making waves in the music industry, around the world. The anonymous group proves that you can have a great successful career as an anonymous group. Watch Carla's Dreams perform while contemporary dancers perform in a group translating the song into an incredible story for the song "Pana La Sange".
Carla's Dreams are a Moldovan anonymous group who have charted well in Romania and has collaborated with some of their best artists. Their music certainly has their stamp all over it and every single song is easily identifiable as Carla's Dreams; they seriously are bringing something new to the music industry in every way. This single was the lead single from their most recent album, titled "Antiexemplu"; and it sure has been popular. The song's title translates into English as "To The Blood". It was written by Carla's Dreams and Alexandru Cotoi.
Directed by Roman Burlaca, the music video has the main focus on the dance narrative, while Carla's Dreams performance is subtle and disinteresting - much like his previous performance pieces, allowing the dancers to fully show off their story.
The choreography is on point from start to finish. Working with water is never an easy task, but these dancers bring it in every way. Easily portraying a love/hate relationship, relating to the song perfectly.
What I don't like about the music video is the trance-like state it puts me in, and I don't mean it in a good way. The constant switching from a black background where the dancers are performing, to a stark-white background where Carla's Dreams is singing the song is off-putting and makes the audience blink too many times, in an attempt to keep up. It just doesn't work. However, putting that aside the awesome choreography makes up for everything.
It's Chart Mondays again for my back-dated review and it's the week that Ed Sheeran climbs up to the very top of the UK Chart with his addicting sweet song "Perfect". Since it is the UK number one, and still is three weeks later, I have to review the music video for Chart Mondays. It is quite a Christmas-themed video with his intention to have it as the Christmas number one, which he surely did that when he released "Perfect Duet" featuring Beyoncé as well as "Perfect Symphony" featuring Andrea Bocelli, combining all sales and streams - I expect this song to remain at the top for some time. Watch Ed Sheeran and Zoey Deutch go on holiday together to Austrian ski resort, Hintertux, where they spend some sweet time together in the snow, in this music video for "Perfect".
Ed Sheeran is a force to be reckoned with in the UK. His latest album sky-rocketed on charts all around the world, with all of the tracks charting inside the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart - an accomplishment that made the Official Chart Company change their rules so that such a thing could never ever happen again. This song, in particular, did well for itself, and is certainly one of those songs that many couples would choose as their first dance at their wedding receptions - it's just one of those songs, for sure. The one thing Ed Sheeran hadn't had, yet, was a Christmas number one, so the release of this song as an official single, with various versions released and this brilliant music video, certainly made the song stay at the top of the charts for the Christmas holiday season. The song was written by Ed Sheeran.
Directed by Jason Koenig, this music video stars actress Zoey Deutch as his love interest and was set in the Austrian ski resort, Hintertux. Ed Sheeran and Zoey Deutch really show off their acting skills as they display a loving relationship that's fun and full of sparks.
The completely narrative music video is beyond cute; it's actually adorable. They meet up in a restaurant after Ed Sheeran glances at an old photo on the train. We watch various scenes throughout; mostly, of them learning to ski before tackling the ski slopes.
There's a snowball fight scene and they create snow angels - I've still never done that. They later get pizza, treck through the forest and then eat the now-cold pizza in their log cabin. The box has a message from Ed Sheeran saying that he has a song for her, and that's when he sits her down and serenades her with this very sweet song.
There isn't a performance piece unless you count the serenading at the end. It's such a loveable music video that has lots of charming moments, but it doesn't bring anything new to the table and doesn't go anywhere. It's such an endearing visual that effortlessly relates to the song, but I just wanted something more.
My iTunes is always on shuffle, and this song came on and I instantly fell in love with the song. I'm currently learning Romanian through Duolingo, and some of the words completely stood out to me during the whole song. It is also extremely catchy... I just had to review the music video. It is extremely basic with both a narrative and performance side to this, with the former quite difficult to follow. Both artists shine in this visual though. Watch Carla's Dreams and Delia perform the collaborative single "Cum ne noi" while we watch various couples display their love for one another in this music video.
Carla's Dreams are an anonymous group from Moldova who have made incredible waves in Romania. They are signed to Global Records and have collaborated with many major singers in the country. They're definitely doing amazingly in Romania and they sure are maximising their popularity in the world over. This is not the only time they've collaborated with Delia; recently they paired up for new song "Inima". Delia, full name Delia Matache, is a long-running musician from Romania who has had a mighty successful career to-date. She was a part of duo N&D, which was formed with Nicolae Marin, from 1999-2003, where they released four albums. As a solo singer, she has released another four albums to-date. This song translates into English as "What We Feel For Each Other", and the English translation of the lyrics certainly spikes my heart in every way, but it's the Romanian language which allows the song to feel personal and very real from both of these artists. It was written by Carla's Dreams while production comes from Sebastian Barac and Marcel Botezan.
This music video was released on the Cat Music YouTube Channel and is mainly a performance piece with scenes and clips from a narrative that isn't easy to follow.
This is completely basic in so many ways, with Carla's Dreams and Delia giving an energetic and hypnotic performance but they are lacking anything interesting unless you count his incredible swirl face-paint and Delia's beautiful make-up. They certainly make the perfect team and Delia has incredible facial expressions throughout.
As for the narrative, there seem to be two couples throughout. The first one sees the guy working hard as the woman decides to release a smoke bomb - hence her face mask - making him see her. They then work together to diffuse, what looks like, a bomb; before working together to escape a room. In total contrast, the second couple are madly in love with one another, teasing and playing and kissing. A pillow fight occurs - don't we all wish to do that one day - and a piano session; these scenes are beyond cute.
Overall, this is a great basic music video but there's nothing to keep us interested throughout the whole thing. This video doesn't go anywhere. What makes it that slight bit worse is that additional piece of material attached to Delia that opens up to display a visual of either the couples or one of the artists; this may have looked like a great idea on paper, but in actual effect, it just looks stupid. Otherwise, it's definitely a watchable music video, although I'd have loved to understand more about the first couple's story because that doesn't make sense. The second couple are just beyond cute and saves this video in every way.
Once again, I'm letting my iTunes randomiser pick the music video I review today. This one got stuck in my head from the minute I heard it today, and lacking any idea of what music video to review, I thought, why not? Especially since I am completely behind on my blog and I seriously need to catch up! This music video is entertaining and the song is such an inspiration to me as things really can only get better! Watch JJ navigate through his day as he gets fired and follows a hot girl into a rave before restarting his day again in this music video for Cedric Gervais & Howard Jones' song "Things Can Only Get Better".
Cedric Gervais is probably best known for remixing Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness". He's one of the top DJs in the world, hailing from France. He has had a number of hits, most of which are remixes or newer versions of popular tracks. He's certainly one of these DJs who come back around and around when it comes to the charts. This song speaks to me on an emotional level. It is a collaboration with Howard Jones, who is a recognisable face in the UK music industry, radio, and on TV. I didn't realise, though, that he was a singer and I am shocked to find out how many amazing hits he has released - I only know him for his TV appearances. He sang the original to this song, which has the exact same title and has a classic new wave style to it, which is expected since it was originally released in 1985. This version was released in 2013 and deserved to be a hit, but it wasn't; whereas the original hit number six in the UK and number five in the US, amongst other chart positions. It was written by Howard Jones.
Directed by Nicholas Cambata, this music video is set in the 1980's but there isn't an old filter to the visual and therefore making it difficult to comprehend that it's set in the 80's. It's a full narrative, with Cedric Gervais making a background appearance.
JJ is our main character and he wakes up to find out that he's been fired by his boss, Sonny. He doesn't seem all that bothered though, and gets up, gets changed, and walks down the street in time to this music as if he has this addicting song in his head. He meets various people on the street before spotting Michelle across the road and following her into this underground club where Cedric Gervais is performing.
This is where we get transported into JJ's point of view and watch the events inside the club unfold as if we are him. Towards the end of this scene, we see a woman blow him a kiss before we return to his bedroom to start a brand new day - or so we thought. It turns out that the day is the same day, repeated. He dons the same clothes and meets the same people on the street, doing the exact same thing. However, what's different this time around, is that Michelle isn't standing on the corner.
Still, JJ decides to see if the underground club is still there, so he follows the same path as the day before. I expected it not to be there, but it is, and once again the club event unfolds. Only this time, when he wakes up, Sonny has called him up and told him that he's getting a double promotion. It's true, things can only get better.
Overall, this music video is well thought out and extremely interesting. However, it doesn't make an awful lot of sense, although it does suggest that things do eventually come your way. It also suggests that clubbing and partying gives you promotions - if only that would happen to me. The song still speaks to me since I only have a Saturday job and have hardly any income at the moment, but I'm determined to change that - things can only get better for me and you and everyone else.
