Kelly Clarkson was the first ever winner of American Idol, and this is her first ever international single (second in America & Canada after "Before Your Love / A Moment Like This"). Since then she has dominated charts worldwide and she has quite a few UK fans.
This song has some quite surprising writing credits, they are Rhett Lawrence, Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera and Matt Morris. This song was originally written for Christina Aguilera, which is understandable as this song would have suited her. But they never finished writing it and so gave it over to Kelly Clarkson, who added to the lyrics and put her own unique spin onto the song. The song is about letting down your emotional barriers to fall in love, but does the music video really reference that?
When I first saw this music video I was young, I got excited when I started watching World Idol and I backed Kelly Clarkson all the way. Now I look back and realise this music video isn't as good as I initially thought it was, but I think it is clever the way it's been created and I kind of wish I was there. It's the sort of party that you wish you had but you don't want the clean up afterwards.
I like the fact that people jump in the pool fully clothed, although I'm surprised Kelly Clarkson resisted the urge to jump in, or rather she did and it was edited out? I like the fact that some bits are during the morning after and at other times there's footage from the night before. I also find the karaoke clever and interesting, and quite similar to various other music videos that are about.
Overall there really isn't much to comment on, but at the end of the day, it's edited good and it's really interesting, I cannot believe this song only got to number 6 here in the UK. I also like the fact that it links in with the song slightly and I like seeing how much she has changed over the years, not a dramatic difference as you can tell who she is, but she's definitely grown up a lot.
Evarose is a band I've recently started following. They plan to put a new riff into the whole world of rock music by being an all female rock band, and they are quickly becoming more and more known. They consist of Dannika Webber, Imogen Leslie, Connie Raitt and Robyn Griffith. I have only seen their music video for "Cough It Up", and I reviewed it on this blog, I found it surprising, but will their other music videos do the same or leave me wanting more?
I have to admit, on first play, you can believe they haven't really got much to themselves, it's not powerful and not as catchy as their other songs. But once it finishes and you wait a few seconds, you realise you've already clicked the replay button. It's one of those sneaky songs that you don't think you will enjoy and you aren't sure if you do after one play but then you realise it's stuck in your head anyway so you might as well keep on playing it. These girls are good and infectious and I believe it won't be long before chart success comes knocking at their doors.
The music video, in comparison to Cough It Up, is not surprising at all, and doesn't have an ending that leaves you shocked. But at the end of the day, they can't do that with every music video, otherwise it becomes repetitive. This one is simple and basic, with not a lot going on.
This music video looks like your typical third or fourth single that would be released, it doesn't have a lot going for it, but you can see the emotional side of everything that's happening, but I wouldn't stop to watch unless there is nothing better on.
Evarose is a brilliant band, but this music video is missing something, it's plain but emotive, it's good and then it's not, I like the forest aspect and the fact that Dannika is alone and it looks like she's probably found something out and she's angry and upset, which is where the "throwing the stones in the water" comes from, and sitting down by the water. But we don't really know why she's doing that, which could also suggest some blanks we're supposed to fill in.
I like this band, they're new, upcoming and exciting, but after a brilliant music video "Cough It Up", this one lacks in comparison. However it is emotive and drawing, and we want to know more but in a good way. I have mixed feelings about this one, but it's good, however there could have been more to it.
30 Seconds To Mars are one of my all time favourite bands, their music is such an inspiration to us and Jared Leto's voice is amazing, and this song just proves that. The band consists of Jard Leto, Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević. They have recently beaten a Guinness World record, as I mentioned in my most recent 30 Seconds To Mars review. But they haven't released a single since two years ago, could this mean that their new songs will be the best they've ever released? We're all hoping so, but how they will beat a single like this, I'm not sure.
As expected Jared Leto wrote this song, and you can really tell that he thinks strongly about this song, it has a musicality that is both amazing and brilliant and his voice... It's definitely one of those song that when you listen to it, you can shut your eyes and just think it's bliss. As far as I can work out (thanks to the lyrics) the song is about going down your own path... The way I worked this out was "We were the Kings and Queens of promise" which suggests what your parents believe you can be anything once you are born. "Maybe the children of a lesser God. Between Heaven and Hell." Suggests a kinder God, one who will protect us and prevent us from prejudicing everyone. However the verses tell us something different. 1st verse tells us that we've changed we are who we've become and we have started judging people just like God tells us to do. 2nd verse could be reference to our parents, we took our lives into our own hands and decided to lead our life the way we want to. The bridge suggests that we will never be sure what's right or wrong until we've done it, and darkness descends, we learn our 1st lesson of many to come and will learn from it and become better people because of it. This song is so inspirational, and this is what I get out of it. However if you were to look at the lyrics you may come up with some other meaning. This song touches people in different ways and it's one of those songs that is inspirational and means something different to everyone but in a positive light. It's also a song people learn from, one that makes people become inspired. And this is what makes a song, the most perfect song. I could imagine this song live and it would be the epiphany of perfection
Putting the song aside and focusing on the music video... It fits in perfect and I'll always watch it whenever I find it on the music channels, as soon as I see it on a music channel I stop flicking through and watch it. Again it has narrative and performance which is what we usually expect from a band and it links in just right, although if you had heard the song and not watched the music video you really wouldn't have thought this would have been the music video.
The narrative side is the biking, they start from downtown Los Angeles and go all the way to Santa Monica Pier, there are quite a few artistic forms in this music video, and some bits are shocking. I like the man who's riding the big bike, it's really hard to miss him, and it makes me eager to have a go. I like the different places they ride, such as the tunnel, and the spiral they create in the middle of the road. Some people find the horse a little weird but it relates to Los Angeles. When the bike gets hit by the car it scares me every single time, because I never quite know when it's coming up and it just happens out of nowhere.
The performance side of things is filmed on top of a cliff edge in Griffith Park that overlooks the city.I like the use of the sunset which casts shadows of 30 Seconds to Mars, and gives the music video this feel of motivation.
Overall, I would normally give this song 5 stars purely because it's emotional and I can feel every word Jared Leto is singing. However this is a music video review, but I haven't got a bad this to say about it, it's interesting and easily watchable. It has everything you need and more so how can I not put this rating?
Cover Drive are a new band, they have so far released two singles, this one being their second and it actually made number one here in the UK, and what do you expect from such a great song and vocalist? They are a 4-piece R&B group from Barbados and consists of Amanda Reifer (real name Karen Amanda Reifer), Thomas-Ray 'T-Ray' Armstrong, Barry 'Bar-Man' Hill and Jamar Harding. They are signed to Polydor Records UK, who have so many artists to their label, I just wonder how far this band will go... I hope they get far, but it'll be one of those things that they either will or they won't, I have my fingers crossed that there are more songs like this one.
I first heard "Twilight" on the radio, and I really wasn't expecting Cover Drive to be the people who sung it, especially after their first song "Lick Ya Down". I was also expecting it to be on the Twilight Sega: Breaking Dawn soundtrack, so I was shocked to find it wasn't. The song was written by Andreas Romdhane, Josef Larossi, Ina Wroldsen, Karen Reifer, Thomas-Ray Armstrong and Jamar Harding. The first two make up the production team "Quiz & Larossi", who have has a number of successes. Ina is best known for quite a lot of "The Saturdays" songs but has also been mentioned on my blog a few times as writing credits, definitely one to look out for. And the last three are in Cover Drive as Karen is Amanda's real name. So they can connect with the song a bit, but I think the fact that the song is so catchy is what made it get to number one in the first place. But people will be looking out for Cover Drive from now on.
To be honest the music video is simple, there really hasn't been much thought put into it, and it is expected of a band's first few singles, however I would become worried if they ended up releasing music videos like this in the future. By listening to the song on it's own, you wouldn't have thought this music video would be like this, although it does have a weak link with the song.
The music video shows fun at it's best, you can see the friendship of the band and how comfortable they are with one another. I am in love with the last scene where they are performing, as twilight is setting in. It's such an amazing scene and fits in with song perfectly, and makes you feel calm, and eager to watch it again.
I reckon many people were expecting a music video about two people being in their first few stages of a relationship, however instead we get to see the bond within the band, and how they are becoming connected. Their friendship is sweet to watch, and probably makes some people envious. Cover Drive will become big, and it looks like they'll be able to keep their friendship within the band.
There isn't a lot to say about this, but there are some great scenes to watch, and I have a feeling artists are going to have to be careful when releasing music, as they are going to have to stay out of the way of Cover Drive, because if the rest of their music turns out like this, they're going to be unstoppable. I've dropped a star purely because I sort of prefer a mixture of performance and a narrative that links in well with the song, but really, if I were able to, I would only drop half a star.
Bad Meets Evil is a hip hop band consisting of Royce da 5'9'' (real name Ryan Montgomery) and Eminem (real name Marshall Mathers III). They formed in 1998, where they were introduced to one another. They released two singles before splitting due to Eminem reforming with his childhood band: D12. There was conflict between D12 and Royce da 5'9'', they went as far as hitting out at one another through their own release material. However they both had a mutual friend, the now late rapper, "Proof". Who was trying to get Bad Meets Evil back together. Soon after his death, D12 and Royce da 5'9'' settled their differences and have even collaborated together a few times. Now Bad Meets Evil are back and they are gaining quite high chart positions.
The song was written by a number of people... Here are the writing credits Marshall Mathers (Eminem), Ryan Montgomery (Royce da 5'9''), Luis Resto, Sly Jordan (Pyper), Dwayne Chin-Quee (Supa Dubs) and Jason Gilbert (JG). Pyper sings the chorus of the song, with additional vocals from Supa Dubs and JG. Eminem and Royce da 5'9'' sing the verses. The song is a big collaborative effort, and the people involved were happy to have taken part in the project. I'm not into hip hop/rap music, I can appreciate it but I wouldn't personally listen to it on a regular basis, however on the other hand CamCam is obsessed with this genre at the moment, and clearly can't get enough. I received a suggestion to write a review for this music video, which makes me think that Cam Cam was the one to post the suggestion...
The music video is pretty good, I was a little nervous to watch it as this is not my sort of music, but I am aware of the song, and have heard it numerous times on the radio. To be honest I am happy someone suggested it, as I very much doubt I would have seen this music video otherwise.
There isn't much narrative going on, and one may say it's all performance, however the animated objects give us some storyline. To be honest you would expect something like this in a low-budget music video, however we know that this couldn't possibly be the case, and so therefore it shows originality and links in with the song accurately.
Aside from the animation there are also memorable lyrics shown as they rap. Personally I think there's too many words, and you end up reading them instead of keeping your eyes on the rappers, however there isn't a lot going on, and I think they had to choose between another animation and some of the lyrics. These lyrics manage to show that this is a rap music video, you can tell this if there wasn't any music playing as it is quite common in hip hop music videos.
Overall I have to admit that this music video isn't too bad, I'm just not a fan of the song, however the song is catchy and identifiable as "Bad Meets Evil", you certainly wouldn't mistake it for anything else. I'm surprised it only got to number 66 on the UK chart, but it'll be interesting what songs they are going to release in the future.
