Critic Jonni

Gravitational - Chroma Bay |

I had very little choice this week regarding my New Release music video review, so after a bit of searching, I came across this one, and I actually really like the song, and the video is certainly quirky and different. The song is rhythmically interesting and definitely one I wouldn't mind listening to again and again. Watch a double-jointed dancer contort and twist in this Chroma Bay music video for their interesting song "Gravitational".

Chroma Bay are an electronic duo from the East Midlands in the UK. They have been making waves with their music and certainly have been getting some great reaction from critics all over. They have previously released three other songs, which were "Impossible", "Overnight", and "A Matter Of Time". This new addition to their singles definitely proves that this duo has what it takes to hit the music industry hard; their focus, motivation and drive will get them exactly where they need to be. One of their songs was recently played on Made In Chelsea.

There isn't a lot to this music video. The introduction suggests a performance-based music video, but Chroma Bay do not appear in this visual; instead, we watch a dancer who is double-jointed.

Contorting throughout this music video, we watch him show how these moves can look serene and engaging. We never quite know what he is going to do next, and it's quite magnificent to watch.

Their idea behind this visual was to keep it true to the dancer, who is called Jamal. They wanted it to be almost a documentary piece, showcasing the dancer. They met him while he was busking on the street, and wanted to include that within the music video.

Usually, when we're faced with these sort of things, our first instinct is to be repelled and grossed out by it; this is not the case with this music video. We are enlightened, we see it differently, and when it's included as part of a dance sequence, it is intricate to watch.

Nailing the choreography throughout, this music video is engaging. However, there isn't much to go on with this visual. There's nothing to make the viewers click the repeat button.

Buy on iTunes

Rise - Gabrielle |

It's a Thursday so it's revisit time, during my Birmingham Pride Special. I chose Gabrielle because I don't think she'll be on my blog again unless she makes another appearance at Pride in the future or she does make a killer comeback; especially since, she is working with MNEK, who definitely helped to launch Zara Larsson internationally. So I guess she has a chance. This song is her other number one hit, after "Dreams" but I'm not so keen on the music video. Watch Gabrielle perform "Rise" as a spectator at a boxing match during the whole of this music video.

Gabrielle, real name Louise Gabrielle Bobb, is mainly known for her debut song "Dreams", however, she has had various other hits, and was one of the leading British female artists in the 90s and early 00s. She is currently working on a new album, and so could possibly make a brilliant comeback to the music industry. Many 90s stars have done it in the past, so she could definitely do it too. This song notably samples Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", it's rare for someone to sample that song, but Bob Dylan liked the song so much, he apparently authorised it. The song was written by Gabrielle, Ollie Dagois, Fergy Unger-Hamilton, and Bob Dylan.

Directed by Kevin Godley, the music video doesn't have a lot going on. Gabrielle is a spectator at a boxing match, but she looks like she doesn't want to be there. The spotlight is on her but all she's doing is sitting there singing her song. There's no fire, no passion, it comes off all a little bland.

With no performance from her, the sole focus of the video is on the boxing match, and our central character is clearly losing and not doing well. The song is uplifting and about rising to challenges, and by the end, we can assume that he rose up and fought and won a round; this presumption comes from the fact that the crowd, around Gabrielle, all stand up cheering. However, she just sits there and finishes singing her song.

The music video as a whole is not very engaging, and as a viewer watching a spectator of a boxing match, it's clear we weren't going to get much from her. However, she could've still performed her song, showed that she meant what she was singing, but any sign of facial emotions are lost because she's wearing her sunglasses. It just doesn't work for me, however, our main character, the boxer, relates to the song perfectly, hence the rating isn't as low as it could've been.

Buy on iTunes

By Your Side (feat. RAYE) - Jonas Blue |

Continuing on my Birmingham Pride Special is Jonas Blue, although RAYE has also been confirmed for Birmingham Pride 2017. So I am kind of expecting to see them on stage together at some point, that's if I'm at the main tent when either of them are on. Jonas Blue would be an incredible DJ to see live, and I hope I get the chance to see him at Birmingham Pride 2017. This song hasn't faired so well on the charts compared to his previous singles, I just don't think it's as catchy as say "Perfect Strangers" or "Fast Car". Another music video that doesn't exactly relate to the song, which sees a woman dancing like no one's watching to this awesome club track by Jonas Blue featuring RAYE titled "By Your Side".

Jonas Blue, real name Guy Robin, has really made quite the name for himself with his awesome hits. He's definitely a DJ worth keeping an eye on, and I'm interested in what his Birmingham Pride 2017 set is going to be like, especially since he has released "Fast Car" in the past which was a reinvention of a classic song. I also love "Perfect Strangers", but this song just doesn't do it for me, and I hope he releases another awesome song soon. Featured on this track is RAYE, real name Rachel Keen; she's definitely a rising British star, with some amazing songwriting credits behind her. She followed this song up with another feature on Jax Jones' track "You Don't Know Me" which has charted much higher than this one. It's clear that RAYE is ready to make her mark in the music industry, so be prepared. This song was written by Guy James Robin, Grace Barker, Jason Pebworth, George Astasio, and Jon Shave.

Directed by Arni and Kinski, the music video doesn't relate to the song all that much, if at all. It just looks like we're watching the wrong visual.

I feel like they attempted a narrative at the start, but it didn't go according to plan. We watch a woman get up from beside, what looks like, a campfire. It looks like she's waited all night for a guy who hasn't turned up - there's the start of a potential narrative.

But then the rest of the music video loses any sign of the narrative as we watch her run on the road and dance freely while the editors impress with the background imagery. There's also a water scene that looks serene and freeing but doesn't relate to the song.

I just feel like this music video as a whole is out of place, with no thought gone into it regarding the song itself. Sometimes a good music video will ensure a song is a hit and vice versa. Maybe if the video was better this song would have charted much better globally.

Buy on iTunes

Show You Love (feat. Hailee Steinfeld) - KATO & Sigala |

Well Sigala has been announced as the main headliner DJ on the main stage of Birmingham Pride 2017, hence why he is a part of my Birmingham Pride Special, although I'm more interested in knowing whether Imani Williams will be joining him for "Say You Do" since she's an amazing singer. This is Sigala's latest single in collaboration with KATO and features Hailee Steinfeld; he will more than likely play this as part of his set at Birmingham Pride 2017. The music video doesn't really relate to the song as we watch three girls steal a car and then rob a petrol station in KATO & Sigala's "Show You Love" feat. Hailee Steinfeld.

KATO, real name Thomas Kato Vittrup, is a popular Danish DJ who has had a number of hits in Denmark as well as a few other countries namely Norway, Sweden, and Russia. Now with the help of Sigala and Hailee Steinfeld, he has given the UK and US a shot, but with the video not including Hailee Steinfeld, it's going to be difficult to promote this, unless radio really does pick it up. Sigala has been a formidable British DJ of recent years. His real name is Bruce Fielder and he has had a number of hits; he has helped to launch successful or soon-to-be-stars Imani Williams and Bryn Christopher, thanks to songs "Say You Do" and "Sweet Lovin'" respectively. We're waiting on a debut album, but we're sure that's not too far away now. I last saw him live at Kiss Haunted House Party 2016, so I know he'll do amazingly at Birmingham Pride 2017 as long as he has the respective singers to sing the songs, although a normal DJ set would work just as great. Featured on this track is Hailee Steinfeld, who has had quite the rocky road when it comes to the charts, and yet she's focused and driven. Her acting career is on point though - it's going to be difficult juggling the two, but others have done it in the past and I believe Hailee Steinfeld can do it too. This song has charted in the UK at 91, whether it will peak higher is all down to whether it becomes popular or not. The song was written by Thomas Kato Vittrup, Bruce Fielder, and Grace Tither.

Directed by Alex Nicholson, the music video completely has nothing to do with this song. I thought, perhaps, that there would be a love narrative involved, but they only subtly include it without even showing it.

The narrative shows three women relaxing at a posh house with a swimming pool. A guy, who clearly owns the house, exits his car and goes inside. The girls make a run for it, going separate ways, and they circle around to the front of the house and jump into the car, all at the same time. They drive off, leaving the guy outside.

On their road trip they end up running out of fuel, or should I say gas...? Is this American or British or Danish? Who knows? Anyway, they decide to rob a petrol station, to gain fuel/gas for the car.

And that is basically the whole story. There's just more driving, plenty of scenic shots and a suggestion that they rob another place until the music video ends. It's totally unrelatable to the song, very uninteresting, and not something I enjoyed watching twice, and I certainly am not going to watch it a third time. Well, unless it's on the music channels - since I do like the song!

Buy on iTunes

Dreams - Gabrielle |

Carrying on my Birmingham Pride Special is another headliner. She's the iconic 90s singer, Gabrielle. Whenever anyone mentions her name, this song instantly comes to mind, and it's definitely her biggest single to date - it was also her debut single, way back in 1993, the year I was born. She also gained a second number one in 2000 with "Rise", but unless I play that song, I have no idea what that song is. She has been announced for Birmingham Pride 2017, and she is a big star, but I feel that she's not as big as other acts, she's certainly not as big as say, the Pet Shop Boys, who is performing at Brighton Pride. Anyhow, this is what we've got this year, and I don't see myself being in the main tent when she comes on. Watch Gabrielle's performance music video for "Dreams" where she completely owns it in some scenes, while attempting to be sexy in others.

Gabrielle, real name Louise Gabrielle Bobb, is definitely a defining 90s British female singer. She has released a number of successful songs and albums during her career, and she has been working with very current producers and songwriters for her new album, these people include MNEK, Bless Beats, Shakka, and Biffco. Could we see this 90s sensation return with a bang? If Mary J Blige can do it, so can Gabrielle, that's for sure. People say soul is lost in music this era, but it's just masked around incredibly catchy songs. "Dreams" was a killer hit back in the day, and I am waiting for someone to reinvent it and make it new and successful all over again. This song was written by Gabrielle and Tim Laws.

The music video was directed by Kate Garner, and it is a pure performance piece. It looks like there may have, originally, been a narrative, especially since there is a scene where Gabrielle is seen walking on the street - yet nothing comes to light from that.

Her main performance scene is incredible. As the light flickers from a soft glow to an illuminating colour, Gabrielle completely delivers with this song. It's clear she means every word behind this and she is ready to perform it.

Yet, the bed chamber scene distracts the viewers away from the passionate performance piece. Gabrielle tries to be sexy, yet it falls completely flat; some could consider it a comedic scene, but it's not even funny. It just doesn't work at all, and it misses the relatability of the song.

Overall, this music video feels like it's missing a lot. A narrative-based music video would've worked much better, even though Gabrielle oozes incredible performance vibes in some of the scenes, she lacks completely in others.

Buy on iTunes

Issues - Julia Michaels |

Songwriter turned into an artist with a hit song, Julia Michaels has had support from internationally-known artists and now she's quickly becoming internationally famous herself. This week she reached number ten on the UK singles chart; with Ed Sheeran still at number one with "Shape of You", it opens the top 10 to my music video Chart Monday reviews, and this was literally my only option. I'm not exactly a fan of the song, but I admire her for her songwriting career, and it looks like she's made it as an artist too now. Watch Julia Michaels reveal that she and her lover has "Issues" and problems, yet there's an obvious attraction between the pair.

Julia Michaels has been a permanent mention within my blog posts since she has written some of the best songs by my favourite artists, people like Britney Spears, Fifth Harmony. Rita Ora, Little Mix, Nick Jonas, and Sofia Carson. Now she has the spotlight all to herself, and her song has gained momentum, It took some time, but "Issues" is a definite grower of a song, which is why it has now started charting well globally, months after it was released. The song was written by Julia Michales, Benjamin Levin, Tor Hermansen, Mikkel Eriksen, and Justin Tranter.

Directed by Tabitha Denholm, the music video shows Julia Michaels singing to her love interest, who is played by actor Alexander Koch - who some may know him from Under The Dome, where he played James "Junior" Rennie.

The opening scene sees them both in bed together, under the covers. There's clear chemistry between the two, chemistry I wish I had with someone, but nope, I'm single; while snapshots show her singing in the kitchen. She walks to the bedroom, but he's no longer in her bed - where has he gone?

She walks outside to what looks like an outhouse, where he is talking with another woman, who turns out to be Julia Michaels all dressed up. As a party ensues, she watches him across the room as he flirts and connects with another woman. Julia Michaels sidles up to another guy, and Alexander Koch's jealous stare is all too obvious. It's clear that the party was the night before, and while everyone went to sleep, Julia Michaels gets up off her chair and dances all alone, as he sits back and watches.

Closing scenes see them in the bed together again. It's cute and goes well with the narrative of the song, but I feel a slight disconnect, to be fair I feel the same disconnection with the song itself. I think I kind of expect more from her because of her amazing songwriting skills, and I have the same feelings towards this as I do towards Ina Wroldsen's "Aliens (Her Er Jeg)". I just feel something is missing.

Buy on iTunes

Rendez-Vu - Basement Jaxx |

Another one of the headliners for Birmingham Pride 2017, and another I am not so interested in, only because I feel like their an old group - they have been going for over 20 years, and they weren't a big part of my childhood. Their music isn't really my style and although some of their songs hit it big, where we all enjoyed their music; some could say that their music was overplayed for that time, and doesn't last long enough. This song is their highest chart number, at number four in the UK; yet, I barely remember the song, and even though it is quite catchy, I don't enjoy listening to it. Basement Jaxx just aren't my cup of tea, but I respect them for creating music for this long and giving some surprising hits. They have their own mark in musical history which is still there today. Watch a dog's dream turn into an interesting battle over a woman in an interesting comedic story that also includes rock, paper, scissors in the music video for Basement Jaxx's "Rendez-Vu".

Basement Jaxx are an electronic duo consisting of Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton. They have been going for over 20 years and have a number of 00's hits to their name. They have been releasing new music in recent years, but they haven't charted with these songs. They remind me a lot of Daft Punk - I think it's to do with the voice coding software used on their tracks, which is why they were so popular since that was all the range back then. I truly think they could make a comeback because Daft Punk managed to do it, but they need a hit behind them for that to happen. This song charted well globally; although, I was only six years old at the time, I barely remember the song. It was written by Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton.

The music video was directed by Evan Bernard. It is a pure narrative and totally interesting from start to finish. I believe the concept was definitely before its time, and if it were to be remade, it would look incredible now.

We watch a dog sleeping as the opening scene, and we then follow a boy to a crowd who is watching a guitarist that has a Mexican vibe going on. He is portraying a scene in his music, where we watch bikers drive over a desert, clearly on a mission. We go into the past as we see the leader telling his story, about being with a woman and having a good time with her. They are interrupted by a Mexican wrestler, who is wearing a mask and is the boyfriend of the woman, and he breaks the lover's hand, which is then replaced with a record player needle.

We then realise it's the woman who is now telling the story to her colleagues. She's working where the Mexican is playing the guitar. His story continues as the wrestlers see the bikers drive across the desert, and they plan to meet them in the village. They both arrive at the village at the same time and square one another off. A battle of rock, paper, scissors takes place with the winner getting the girl.

At the end, the dog wakes up and we realise it's all been a scenario in the dog's dream, and it wasn't actually true. It's cute that the dog dreams about these sorts of things, although I don't see how the overall storyline relates to the song specifically. It's interesting and fun, but it's not something I'd happily watch again.

Buy on iTunes

Be the One - Dua Lipa |

Starting my Birmingham Pride 2017 Special is Dua Lipa, who is one of the headliners for this year's event. I'm not really into her music, and I definitely won't be in the main tent watching her, but I have to admit that she is one of the biggest up-and-coming female artists out at the moment, and she's slowly getting some hits behind her. However, I truly believe she's on a rocky fence, she needs a massive chart-topping hit soon or she might just completely crumble, like so many artists we've seen before. She's extremely current right now, she just needs to stand the test of time, and a chart-topping hit will do exactly that for her right now. With her debut, eponymous album prepared to release the week after Birmingham Pride, she's got to have an exciting new track that will blow us away, otherwise, she will end up disappearing. Watch Dua Lipa perform in this music video for "Be The One" that was filmed around Soho, London. See her sing her song amongst the streets we all know.

Dua Lipa is a fairly new artist on the scene, but she has already had some great chart numbers, this one being her best hit to date; although her collaborations with Sean Paul helped the success of this song for sure. Their track together, titled "No Lie", also charted in the top ten in the same week that this song did. She just needs to keep a hold of her fame and bring another chart-topping hit, it's the one thing she hasn't done yet, and this song just isn't that. It was written by Lucy Taylor and Nicholas James Gale (Digital Farm Animals).

The music video was directed by Nicole Nodland. It's a pure performance visual, and it's the type of presence we're probably are to expect from her on the Birmingham Pride 2017 stage. It's chilled back and relaxed, whilst she portrays the emotion for the song.

There's various London streets being shown, that are easily identifiable, enough where I know I've walked there before. There are some great profile scenes and the editors have done a fine job with this as an overall piece.

However, Dua Lipa just isn't my sort of performer, I just don't feel the passion behind this song that she needs to delve deep and deliver to me. Her voice is strong, don't get me wrong, but I truly don't think she'll become as big as others have in the past. She's very current, and very right now, but I don't think she will be able to stand the test of time, and I'm still quite surprised she's a headline act at Birmingham Pride, especially since she hasn't even released her debut album yet. However, the same could've been said about Jess Glynne back in 2015 when she was a headline act at Birmingham Pride 2015, so Dua Lipa might just follow in her footsteps - well, minus the number one singles, obviously.

Buy on iTunes

Hey Ma (feat. Camila Cabello) - J Balvin & Pitbull |

Out of all the releases this week, this is the only one I've actually bought. There are two versions of this song and two versions of this music video (although they are very similar). One of them is in Spanish with Pitbull & J Balvin as the main artists, and then there's this English version as J Balvin & Pitbull - which was released today. There isn't much difference between both music videos, hence why you can find the previously released Spanish version below. This song is part of The Fate of The Furious (Fast & Furious 8), and as a soundtrack music video, there are scenes from the film in this visual. Watch J Balvin and Pitbull's English/Spanish music video for "Hey Ma" that features Camila Cabello for The Fate of The Furious, as they dance and sing amongst cars.

J Balvin, real name José Balvin, first came to my attention when he collaborated with Inna, on her song "Cola Song". I actually have to sing his name every time I read it - just like he does in the said song. He also collaborated with Sofia Carson for "Love In The Name". But this is the first song of his I've heard, the first one that he doesn't appear as a feature - instead, he's the main singer. He's a Columbian latin singer and has won a few awards for his songs, yet this one is definitely going to give him more of a spotlight, especially teaming up with American rapper Pitbull - who has also had success with Latin-inspired music as well as thousands of different genres. His real name is Armando Pérez, and has also worked with Inna - twice, but mainly known for "Good Time". He's a successful international artist, and there is definitely no stopping Pitbull. Featured on this track is Camila Cabello, now officially away from Fifth Harmony, she's stepping up her game and pushing her name out there through featured tracks. Having already been successful on collaborations with Shawn Mendes and Machine Gun Kelly, on tracks "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Bad Things", we're sure her career is going to go places in the future. This song was written by Armando Christian Pérez (Pitbull), José Balvin (J Balvin), Karla Estrabao (Camila Cabello), Jamie Sanderson, Tinashe Sibanda, Philip Kembo, Soaky Siren, and Johnny Yukon.

Directed by Gil Green, the music video is definitely spicy and sexy. It has quite the Spanish flair to it, and as an English version, it's not quite so intimate as the Spanish version is (which can be found at the bottom of this review).

The opening scene is a welcome sight, as we watch Camila Cabello walk the streets and interact with the people around her; before making eyes at J Balvin who kicks off the singing. There are some great interactions between this trio, although it looks like Pitbull was unavailable on the first day since he isn't in the scene with Camila Cabello and J Balvin; instead, he jumps out of a car that looks like it's from the set of The Fate of the Furious (Fast & Furious 8). He's scene involves him dancing in the middle of a group of women dancing around him. Typical Pitbull, and yet he's stylish and looking cool, in his posh clothes. He's not the best dancer, but he knows that and rolls with it, giving his scene perfect fire.

There are a few scenes from the film they are promoting, although not enough that it distracts from the music video itself. The film is something that I do plan to see, but I don't think this music video shows enough to make people want to see the film.

As the music video progresses, there's a night scene with J Balvin and Camila Cabello. It's sexy and full of flirting, and they do well to show just that. But our favourite scene is where the whole trio is dancing together in front of the camera. Unfortunately, it's clear that lighting was a problem with this specific scene, but they've done well with it and all three of them clearly got along well.

Overall, it's a Latin-inspired music video, that feels so right when you are watching the Spanish version of the song. As for the English version, it doesn't quite fit so well. It's clear that that language doesn't quite belong in this specific place. Regardless, the English version is something radio will be playing, and as it gets warmer here we expect this to become an early summer anthem for us all.

Buy on iTunes (English Version)
Buy on iTunes (Spanish Version)

Hey Ma (feat. Camila Cabello) (Spanish Version) - Pitbull & J Balvin

Put Your Graffiti On Me - Kat Graham |

There are two music videos to this, and I'm not entirely sure which one is the official video, regardless I chose to review this one as it was the first video that was released and features more scenes. However, I do prefer the other one in comparison, and I'm not the only one since the other one has a million more views than this one. Putting comparisons aside, I might review the other one sometime in the future but for now, we're sticking with this one. Watch Kat Graham dance her way sexily through this music video with some killer choreography segmented with intricate profile scenes during this music video for "Put Your Graffiti On Me".

Kat Graham is best known for playing Bonnie Bennett in The Vampire Diaries. Some may know her from Honey 2 playing Maria Ramirez, but this music video shows her in a whole new light. I chose this song because I recently reviewed "Sometimes" earlier this week, and for my Thursday Revisit I was interested to see if she's reflecting who she really is in her music and the accompanying music videos, and she surely is. She's sexy, confident, and fierce, both on the tracks and in their respective music videos. This song is her biggest hit to date (if you don't count her uncredited vocals on will.i.am's "Got It From My Mama"). The song was written by Nick Audino, Lewis Hughes, Sam Watters, and Matt Bair.

Directed by Benny Boom, the music video heavily features dance choreography from Sheryl Murakami, however as the second music video for "Put Your Graffiti On Me" reveals, a lot of the dancing was cut completely out, for profile visuals, which doesn't quite add anything to the music video, if anything it makes it less engaging.

She shines throughout the dancing segments, whilst fades in the profile pieces. Kat Graham is a performer, she's destined to stand on a stage and fully unleash energetic dancing vibes out to a crowd. The scenes where she's singing the song fail to keep the audience interested. She attempts to be sexy and stylish, and although she can pull it off, the dark themes surrounding her just makes them fall flat.

Overall, this video could be much better, and the second version proves that it can be. The video just fails to keep us interested throughout; however, Kat Graham remains fierce and attempts to bring it, which slightly saves the video.