Critic Jonni: Videos

Breathless - Triana Park |

I had a hell of a lot of choice for my backdated Thursday Revisit but decided to choose Triana Park as I don't really know when the next time I'll have this opportunity to delve into their older songs and music videos. This is certainly a good excuse, and considering the other artists I have reviewed in the week, I believe I'll certainly get the chance to review their older music videos at some point, whereas I may not get the chance with Triana Park, so I thought that I might as well. This song was a non-album single and is one of their first music videos. Watch Triana Park host a party as they rock out, have fun, and creep us out with money in this music video for "Breathless".

Triana Park has certainly come a long way since the release of this song in terms of their music as a whole. The four-piece band, from Latvia, consists of Agnese Rakovska, Artūrs Strautiņš, Edgars Viļums, and Kristaps Ērglis. They made their name known when they represented their home country in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Line"; unfortunately, they only got 21 points in their Semi-Final causing them to come 18th, and therefore not qualifying for the Grand Final - I truly believe they were underrated. Previously, they attempted to represent Latvia at Eurovision in national selection shows five times, between 2008 and 2012. This song was a non-album single, released in 2011.

The music video was filmed by Ivars Burtnieks and Sandis Vagners, and was edited by the latter. It's a pure performance visual showing the band having fun and doing what they want.

By the looks of things, they host a party where they seem to get either drunk or high. Some of their actions are beyond shocking and I'm slightly grossed out when the guitarist urinates on some cash notes and then smells them and they start acting like they're rich.

The song doesn't really relate to the track all that much and you all know how I feel about black and white music videos. This is low-budget, not-so-great, but full of high energy (pun not intended). Triana Park sure knows how to perform and this is what makes this watchable, as well as the grossed money urination.

SIDE NOTE: The album artwork below was created by Karlis Stigis and was the planned album from Triana Park, a gorgeous t-shirt design was also created to coincide with the album. Unfortunately, the band decided to go in a different direction after a bunch of singles from this album, and so this was never released - regardless, I so want that t-shirt!

Unreleased album design by Karlis Stigis
Watch Breathless on YouTube

Sometimes - Britney Spears |

I had no idea what music video to review today, so I thought I might as well continue to review Britney Spears' music videos - one day I'll have them all on my blog, that's for sure. This is such a sweet song and music video, which followed up her massive international number one hit "...Baby One More Time"; and, although it didn't really hit the same peak positions on charts around the world, it still did amazingly with some chart numbers she hasn't really managed to hit in recent years. Watch Britney Spears be the girl next door as she watches a guy she really likes play with his dog on a beach intercut with her dancing with a troupe of backing dancers in this music video for "Sometimes".

Britney Spears is totally one of the biggest female singers in the world, she's had a lengthy career in music that's span over two decades, and she continues to bring hits and addicting songs. She recently had amazing success in Las Vegas where she had a residency that spanned four years. In 2018, she's taking that residency global with her Piece Of Me world tour. She's truly an iconic star, one everyone knows, and she's so genuine too. This song was certainly another hit for her and lead to many amazing hits that followed. It was written by Jörgen Elofsson.

Directed by Nigel Dick - who directed "...Baby One More Time" - the music video has both a narrative side and a performance side. It was shot at the Paradise Cove in Malibu, California. Her love interest is played by model and actor Chad Cole.

The music video opens with Britney Spears looking through a telescope - according to MTV the initial concept was her looking at a group of kids which leads to her having flashbacks of spending time with a former boyfriend; however, this was changed - she watches her love interest, Chad Cole, playing with his dog on the beach.

There's a lot of shots of Britney Spears watching Chad Cole, some may think it's stalkerish, but we've all been there looking and staring and watching someone we've fallen for... Years later, Carly Rae Jepsen does the exact same thing in the "Call Me Maybe" music video.

Throughout, there are scenes of Britney Spears performing killer dance choreography - this is what we constantly expect from Britney Spears and gosh does she nail it in every way! The choreography seems on the fast side, but it certainly goes with the track as a whole, and there are some iconic dance moves that we now identify with this incredible female singer in the chorus sequence.

Overall, Britney Spears gave us another brilliant music video back in the day. What a follow-up to "...Baby One More Time", and we can't help but love this side of her at the start of her career. It brings a bit of nostalgia too watching these older music videos, but I still love Britney Spears, especially her confidence to be sexy in her latest visuals.

Buy on iTunes

Me Gusta - Inna |

We all knew this was going to arrive on my blog at some point. INNA dropped this new single on Valentine's Day, bringing us the much awaited new single and music video. I had originally written this up for CelebMix, as well as the live performance she did of the song before "Ruleta" was released. When this failed to make it on her Nirvana album, many fans wondered if it would ever turn up, so we're all so happy to see it appear - finally. Watch INNA perform her song in Barcelona, taking up the sunshine and bringing summer fashion in the middle of February whilst including her club rocker fans in this music video for "Me Gusta".

INNA, real name Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu, is one of the top Romanian female artists in the world. She's had an amazing career to date and continues to make waves all over the world. She pushes herself for every single release, just take this song, for instance. "Me Gusta" is her first song in her more-than-a-decade career that is completely in Spanish. In English, the title translates to "I Like". She proves she really is an international star, and I truly believe she needs a lot more recognition. The song was written by Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu, whilst the music was produced by David Ciente.

Directed by Barna Nemethi, the music video is a pure performance visual - something we're getting used to seeing from INNA lately. Most of the scenes are filmed in Barcelona, Spain although there are some studio shots intercut throughout that are from Bucharest, Romania.

The main thing to take from this music video is INNA having a good time, she's definitely one of those stars you'd love to be friends with as she's always smiling and having fun. Not only that, but she shows us summer fashion for 2018, we've had some great fashion videos from her in the past including "Bop Bop" and "Nirvana", so it's great to see something more summery.

Now, let's go into detail about the summer fashion INNA is wearing. We've got this leopard print outfit paired with rainbow-coloured pride platform shoes - something that INNA works completely. We've got the golden-shimmering half-crop top with matching over-sized shorts that are so stunning in every way, it also has oversized sleeves which you can tell INNA adores. There's also the white over-sized fronted jacket that is loose at the back paired with white cowboy boots - just wow! There's another long-length hoodie that's in red; a black bra with shoulder flared piece that's paired with ripped blue jeans and black boots; and, finally, a silver sleeveless, backless crop-top paired with beige tracksuit long-length bottoms. Most outfits are paired with her pride shoes which we all know she simply loves to wear.

INNA loves her oversized clothes, yet that has lead to media stating she's put on weight - yes, I'm talking about that mean article by David Watt for All Noise who said she had put on weight in the "Nirvana" music video; which is flat-out wrong, INNA looks stunning in that music video, and has not put on any weight whatsoever - so this music video shows off her summer body and proves that the media has nothing to body-shame her about.

She clearly loves being in front of the camera and she just has fun with the whole thing. This energy is something she completely brings to the stage, as I know from when I went to see her live in Dublin, Ireland back in December 2016 - gosh do I need to see her again. She rubs this energy off on the extras in the music video, her club rocker fans, who just relax completely in their scenes - they too are bringing summer fashion completely.

Overall, it's another fun performance-based music video from INNA. We are getting used to seeing these sorts of visuals from her. I can't help but hope that we'll get a narrative-based or a full-on choreography-based music video from her in the future - we're waiting.

Buy on iTunes

God's Plan - Drake |

Please remember this blog has been backdated to 19 February 2018; so imagine how happy I am to finally review this music video because Drake's "God's Plan" has been number one for a few weeks without a music video, but he finally dropped one on 16 February 2018, which subsequently makes me review it the following Monday (the backdated Monday), as it is number one on the UK Chart for this backdated date - gosh I need to catch up on my blog asap so I don't have to try to explain this every single time. This is one of the most inspiring music videos but it isn't unique as it has been done a few times before, most notably by Blink-182 for their song "The Rock Show". Watch Drake take the budget for his music video and spend that money by giving it to people in need so that they can follow their dreams and feel supported in this music video for "God's Plan".

Drake, real name Aubrey Drake Graham, is a Canadian rapper who is most definitely one of the biggest male artists in the whole world at this very moment. Every single track he releases ends up being a hit. He is currently working on his fifth studio album which he is just finishing up. This single is taken from his EP Scary Hours but I reckon it'll be included in his new album since it has been such a hit. The song has charted at number one in various countries all around the world, further allowing Drake to prove that he's one of the most popular rappers around and that he's on top form. "God's Plan" was written by Aubrey Graham, Ronald LaTour, Daveon Jackson, Matthew Samuels, and Noah Shebib.

Directed by Karena Evans, the music video sees Drake give away the music video's budget to various people and businesses. The budget was a total of $996,631.90 and the video was filmed in Miami. It has received a lot of comparisons to Blink-182's "The Rock Show" as they too did a similar thing. I believe this concept has been done a few times over, so it's nothing new.

Unlike Blink-182, Drake decides to actually donate the money rather than have fun and smash things up. We see him pay for strangers' groceries in a supermarket, give away a car to a teenager, present cash bundles for families who are struggling; as well as hand out a tonne of toys to kids and donate money to various institutions including the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, the Lotus Home Women's Shelter and the City of Miami Fire Department.

Releasing a teaser on Instagram, Drake stated that the video was: "The most important thing I have ever done in my career." The ending scene of the music video shows a conversation with a young man, Drake tells him: "We're nothing without our mothers. Gotta make sure you take care of your mom, too, no matter what you do. It's all we got. Trust me. That's my world." That hit me right in the heart and made me tear up a little bit.

Overall, this music video depicts Drake in a very genuine light. He's down to earth and clearly wants to give back to his fans, the community, the people, and the world. There are many celebrities that are just as kind as Drake shows himself to be. On the other hand, the concept isn't anything new, and only partly relates to the lyrics of the song.

Buy on iTunes

Long Hot Summer - Girls Aloud |

I've had this song stuck in my head all day today, so with lack of anything else to choose from, I decided to review this music video. I kind of remember seeing this, Girls Aloud are certainly serving mechanic sexiness in every way when it comes to this music video - although to be fair, apparently it's 95 degrees in the shade, according to the song. Upon it's release in 2005, the song became the group's worst chart hit at number seven in the UK, a couple of singles later "See The Day" managed to peak even lower at number nine. Watch Girls Aloud dressed as mechanics before stripping off into something a lot more sexy as they work in a garage in this music video for "Long Hot Summer".

Girls Aloud were a five-piece girl group that were formed on Popstars: The Rivals which saw a girl group and a boy band formed by the public and then go head-to-head to hit number one on the charts. They consisted of Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts, Kimberley Walsh, and Sarah Harding. They beat the boy band to number one (the boy band were called One True Voice), and later became one of the most successful British girl groups. They are all now pursuing solo careers, with Cheryl being the only one who has consistent success; although, Nicola Roberts has had moderate success with her debut album, and so has Nadine Coyle, the latter of which has released a new EP and is promoting her new music. This song is perhaps a bit before it's time since it easily gets stuck in my head nowadays. "Long Hot Summer" was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim "Rolf" Larcombe, Shawn Lee, Lisa Cowling, Giselle Sommerville, and Myra Boyle. The song was intended for the soundtrack to Herbie: Fully Loaded, but the plans fell through.

The music video was directed by Max & Dania. It clearly was influence by the 2005 Disney film Herbie: Fully Loaded, even though the song wasn't included in the soundtrack. It is set in a garage with all five members of the girl group acting as mechanics.

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this, the outfits are fine when they're acting as mechanics but they sexify it up a little too much when they remove their overalls. Regardless, Girls Aloud do look a bit on the sweaty side, allowing us to imagine how melting-hot they are - relating to the song perfectly. Cheryl looks beyond awkward lifting up that tyre.

The most disappointing aspect of the video is the collective dancing. Clearly the choreography wasn't all that good, and even though the girls do their best with what they're given, it still doesn't come off all that well. Overall the song is a shambles but the music video makes up for it to some extent, but it's just not good enough. The song is more of an addictive throwback track.

Buy on iTunes

This Girl - Hunter Hayes |

It's time for me to wrap up my Hunter Hayes' Pictures three-part music video film. "This Girl" is the third part of this series of music videos, which has allowed Hunter Hayes to plunge us deep into a 60's narrative; this one concludes this Pictures collective, which all spanned from the "Rescue" music video as inspiration was drawn from the canvas paintings created in that visual. This wraps up the videos but leaves quite the open ending that has got us all intrigued. Watch Hunter Hayes perform this song in front of a house with his guitar, as we watch the character Sophie get married in this music video for "This Girl".

Hunter Hayes, as you should know by now due to all my recent Hunter Hayes blog posts, is an American country singer who went viral with the release of the heart-melting song "Wanted". He's destined for success since he is beyond talented. He can play a multitude of instruments, which he has showcased throughout the years, but mainly in debut music video "Storm Warning". I adore his songs, most of which are ones that I can never get out of my head. These latest tracks don't quite hit the mark for me, although they are heartfelt, for sure. I am hoping his next album has one international hit, as he deserves to go global. This track was written by Andy Albert, Hunter Hayes, Jessie Jo Dillon, and Jordan M. Schmidt.

Directed by John Edde & Matt Edde, this music video is the final part of the Pictures trilogy. It wraps up the character storylines that were previously in "You Should Be Loved" and "More". There is also a cast list, and within these music videos, you will see Olivia Evans, Sam Brooks, Wynn Reichart, Silva Riganelli, Jay Putnam, Allison Shrum, Michael Leidel, Percy Bell, Lacy Hartselle, and Sasha Asadourian.

This last visual in the trilogy follows Sophie (played by Lacy Hartselle) as she gets ready for her wedding and thinks about the past, where her fiancé hurt her and where she fell in love with another guy, who she kissed at a party in the first music video, "You Should Be Loved".

She battles with her emotions and her father comes to have a few words with her which are beyond adorable. Then, the guy, who she's fallen in love with, disrupts the wedding ceremony and she runs off with him. This is the perfect message - you should always follow your heart.

As for the performance side of things, Hunter Hayes looks like he's hiding behind his guitar. He doesn't unleash his full potential that we've seen in other music videos. It makes us question whether his heart was in this song, and takes us back to "You Should Be Loved" where he's hiding behind the piano. It's a good performance, it's just missing the spark that he added in the "More" music video. The ending is confusing as we return to present day and we find out that Hunter Hayes is wrapped up in this storyline - maybe one of the characters is an ancestor of his? Could this allow him to continue these connecting music videos?

Overall, this isn't as amazing as "More", it just has the same feel as "You Should Be Loved". It's still good, nonetheless, and we are interested in what Sophie is going to do as time goes on; but, you just have a feeling you know what's going to happen, and what we expected ends up playing out.