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.
