Wale Attention Deficit

Dude has arrived.

Just what we needed, a refreshing new sound from D.C's own.

Got the album the day before yesterday and I'm feeling almost every track (would you believe the weakest track is the one featuring Pharrell? "Let It Loose"?! I know... tragic.)

But besides that, he has guest appearances from Bun B, Gucci Mane, Weensy from Backyard Band, Chrisette Michele, J Cole, etc etc etc!

MY favorite tracks as of right now are Mama Told Me, Pretty Girls, & Shades... Dope.

And I'm also down with Wale bringing Go-Go to the mainstream, I thank him!

I wrote a review for my school paper but I'm sure it's against the rules to post it here ... Even though it's mine lol

Go cop Attention Deficit, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

=)

-franso

Delayed Grammys Reaction

My Highlights (The Good, Bad, and Questionable):

BEST NEW ARTIST
Duffy
Jonas Brothers
Lady Antebellum
Jazmine Sullivan

Winner: ADELE

WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? That made my night, seriously. I would've loved for Duffy to win because I love her album but there's just something that drastically separates her from Adele and I think it's that vocal control- amazing. JONAS BROTHERS?! I won't even go there. I'm not sure who Lady Antebellum is, so I guess this is a biased opinion... but then again- aren't they always? Jazmine Sullivan is cool but I don't think she's THAT big a deal. Again, I didn't hear her entire album but I personally don't find her voice to be THAT big a deal. I appreciate its uniqueness... but she doesn't seem to have much range. If you haven't already, please do yourself a favor and get Adele's album. This is my favorite song on there. Also, she's gonna be at Roseland Ballrom May 5th, see you there? Yessir.

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Sara Bareilles- Love Song
Duffy- Mercy
Leona Lewis- Bleeding Love
Katy Perry- I Kissed A Girl
Pink- So What

Winner: Adele's Chasing Pavement

Perfection... even though I think everyone was fair game- minus Duffy, that song makes my ears bleed.

Best Pop Vocal Album
Sheryl Crow- Detours
Eagles- Long Road Out of Eden
Leona Lewis- Spirit
James Taylor- Covers

Winner: Duffy'sRockferry

Loved this album, and know nothing about the rest... lol a shame- but I must put it out there that I love James Taylor. ♥

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
Paul McCartney- I Saw Her Standing There
Bruce Springsteen- Girls In Their Summer Clothes
Eddie Vedder- Rise
Neil Young- No Hidden Path

Winner: John Mayer's Gravity

Ever heard the this track, Gravity (off of Continuum?) Dreaming With A Broken Heart? Yeah, another category where I knew nothing about the other's but I was still happy nonetheless. (Mayer also won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance!)

Best Female Vocal R&B Performance
Beyonce- Me, Myself, and I (LMAO- from her Live Experience Tour, I was confused too.)
Keyshia Cole- Heaven Sent
Jazmine Sullivan- Need U Bad
Jennifer Hudson- Spotlight

Winnder: Alicia Keys' Superwoman

Wow, I didn't even know about this until now because it wasn't aired. Whoop, whoop! Happy B didn't win because that's useless (Hey Geezy) and the rest are cool also (especially Jazmine Sullivan)... but Superwoman truly did it for me last year- even now, as I go through my daily struggle. The lyrics, melody, etc etc...

Best Male Vocal R&B Performance
Usher- Here I Stand
Trey Songz- Can't Help But Wait
Chris Brown- Take You Down
Eric Benet- You're The Only One
Winner: Ne-Yo's Miss Independent

*sigh* As much as I wasn't much of a fan of Usher's comeback album... he certainly showed vocal growth on this one, so I think he should've won. Miss Independent? Like, really? It was fun... but not so impressive. I would've loved for Eric Benet to win too!!! LOOOOOOOOVE that song.... Take You Down? Abusive or not- not so much.

*yawn* OK, every time I do these little Grammys recaps... I FORGET HOW MANY AWARDS CATEGORIES THERE ARE!!

So! Here's my last thought.

Best Rap Album
Jay-Z- American Gangster
Lupe Fiasco- The Cool
T.I- Paper Trail
Nas- Nas

Winner: Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III

Where to begin though? I'm not questioning Lil Wayne's win (yes I am). It's clear he deserved it in how 2008 was his year. No questions asked. His punch lines were as clever as ever, the swagger was sky high, and the drive was like nothing we'd ever seen or heard.... DID YOU HEAR AMERICAN GANGSTER THOUGH? DID YOU HEAR WHAT THE FUCK LUPE WAS SAYING ON THE COOL? THE KNOWLEDGE NAS WAS QUIETLY SPITTING? THE TRUTH COMING OUT OF T.I'S MOUTH?... I'm just sayin'.

All in all, due mostly to Adele's wins... I wasn't so dissatisfied with the awards! Coldplay did the damn thing as well! (Robert Plant and Allison Krauss though, they stole the house though- winning Album and Record of the Year. No idea who they are though =/...)

And there you have it folks (all 6 of you!)... My Grammys opinion!

If only I had the strength to write about the performances!

=)

-franso

VIBE Member

So! Due to having a 3 hour break in between Drawing and Painting...I just recently became a member over at Vibe.com. Apparently I have way too much time on my hands, time I should be spending on homework, because I'm getting really into the site, haha.

Join me, yes?

ANYWAYS! I was checking out the Music section and I came across a new(?) Justin Timberlake song, "Magic."

*blank stare*
*yawn*

C'mon Justin. Really? Sure, if I heard it ten more times the catchy melody, simplistic lyrics, and up tempo beat would force me to sing along... but are we making no progress??? Ok, I'm gonna stay positive and believe that this must have been cut from the FutureSex/LoveSounds album.

It's all about progress ya'll... At least to me. Artists like T.Pain are cool, but has he grown? Will he matter in 5 years? Everything sounds the same. Beyonce comes to mind too!! Yeah, I said it. The quality of her music is getting worse and worse with each album... ARE WE GROWING? (B, PLEASE LET'S GO BACK TO "ME, MYSELF & I" "BE WITH YOU"... PLEASE!)

So yeah, I thought that was interesting.

Feedback on this track, please.

On a brighter note, check out Ludacris' "Do the Right Thing" with Common and Spike Lee!
First of all, incorporating Spike Lee and his genius movie "Do the Right Thing"? A good look, especially when done right. Common? Icing on the cake! This song reminds me of spring or summer or something... happy I found it.

WAKE UP!!!!!!!!

=)

-franso

WHERE IN THE WORLD?

So... where the hell have I been?

Christmas, New Years, and 3 Kings Day came and went without some posts from me.

Movies, albums, books have come out and I've been... where?

Well, truthfully.. nothing has really inspired me.

Sure I've been working and just recently returned to school... but THE INSPIRATION IS LACKING!!!!

The last thing to genuinely inspire me was Q-Tip's Renaissance album... I have yet to get over that.

(Have you seen the manwomanboogie video? It's cute, and dammit Q is looking healthy...!)

Let's discuss how I'm not over this song, album, message, vision... Have you listened to the lyrics? My friend Briana and I can sit for hours and overanalyze... Shoutouts to HER.

Hm, what else is going on with me? Oh, knitting. Yeah, I've fully embraced my "CHIC GRANDMA" image, completing a cranberry scarf and currently working on a light green hat. Oh yes, I'm the grandmother at the bus stop knitting... Except I have the big red headphones on bumpin' to some vintage Biggie...

WHICH BRINGS ME TO!!! (Nice segway, no?)



Who's seen it? Who's waiting for the crowds to die down to catch it? Who don't give a damn? (Go home.)

Well, a part of me feels like a review is irrelevant... but it's still a big deal to me!
Where do I begin!? I enjoyed it... but unlike many other people, I didn't feel like blasting Biggie after. I wasn't overly proud of hip hop... I WAS SO SAD!!!!! I felt like the entire movie was sad... even when he was succeeding. If it wasn't one thing, it was the other. First his father never came back, then he started selling, then he wen to jail, then he started to do good with diddy... but he was neglecting his daughter, then his mother got cancer, then the way he treated fait and kim, then pac, then his accident... THEN HE DIED!!!!!!!! And that's not to mention how overwhelming the fame was for him =/

Homeboy who played Biggie though? What a perfect casting =) I really liked him.
And the girl who played Faith? She was probabl my favorite...

All this drama with Naturi playing Lil Kim? Um... seemed about accurate to me! Oh, and let's not even get into Lil Kim wanting CHRISTINA MILIAN to play her. Sweetie, you were dark-skinned back then... so that wouldn't have worked. *Annoyed sigh*

Anthony Mackie as Pac... One of my main concerns. Listen, I LOVE that actor and I was excited to see him as Pac (who I also love to death).. But it didn't click for me- Well, the only time it did was when he FIRST showed up to see Biggie perform. When he had on the orange silk shirt at the club? Not so much. I just felt like it was Anthony Mackie imitating Tupac, not Tupac.

Angela Basset, stunning of course. Yeah the accent was flaky, but dammit I love her!

Wait... DEREK LUKE AS DIDDY?!!?! First I thought it wasn't a good idea. I kept laughing at Derek Luke dancing around and saying all those ridiculous one liners to boost his and Biggie's esteem... but then I realized the real Diddy makes me do the SAME EXACT THING. What a joke lol

All and all, great movie. Cried at the end, of course. Voletta Wallace's poetry gets me. every. single. time.

Check it out if you haven' already...



Recap of Mos Def at Highline as soon as my friend stops being stingy with the damn pictures.

To my 3 fans... I'M BACK!

=)

-franso

Quick Music Reviews

I'm late but...


Eric Benet's Love & Life
This is such a nice album.

Besides the "You're the Only One" being my favorite song on here, "Love Patience & Time" "The Hunger" "Don't Let Go" "Chocolate Legs" and "Weekend Girls" are the one's worth downloading, buying, whatever.

I can do without "Everlove" and "Iminluvwichoo" and the remainding 4 are just fine.

Kudos to Eric Benet for the perfect autumny (a new word, sure) R&B album.



Ne-Yo's Year of the Gentleman
Once again, Ne-Yo delivers with an album that yells "I GREW UP LISTENING TO MICHAEL JACKSON."

Guess he can't help it... and I also guess it's ok!

This his 3rd album and I still stand by my belief that his singles amp us up to the point where we're dying to hear the album... we get it.... a bit of disappointment. Agree?

"Nobody" is a fun song, "Fade into the Background" is another of his usual "woe is me" jumpoffs, "So You Can Cry" sounds like "Angel" from the last album...

Long story short, I LOVE "Back to What You Know". Get up on that if you haven't by now!

There's just something about Ne-Yo's voice that makes me want to slit my wrist... Something very sad about it. At all times, haha...

Robin Thicke critique in the near future.

=)

-franso

Michael Jackson

For the past... I don't know- MONTH?! I've been listening to a lotttttt of Michael Jackson.

OFF THE WALL is one of my favorite albums EVER.

Quincy Jones is a genius for that.

NOTHING FROM TODAY STANDS ANYWHERE NEAR THIS ALBUM.

(Ne-Yo tries, and it's cute... but no.)

Every. Single. Song is a masterpiece. Even SHE'S OUT OF MY LIFE... but I never listen to it. It's too dramatic! With Michael crying at the end... (Real tears, Quincy Jones said. over 8 takes and every time, Michael would break down at the end. Interesting... seeing as how he had yet to experience something similar at the time of the recording.)

AND THEN.

I decided to give INVINCIBLE a chance... you know, the one with YOU ROCK MY WORLD on it?

And I must say... BREAK OF DAWN and HEAVEN CAN WAIT are so.... pretty!

HEAVEN CAN WAIT especially, the lyrics are crazy:

Verse 2
Unthinkable
Me sitting up in the clouds and you are all alone
The time might come around when you'd be moving on
I'd turn it all around and try to get back down to my baby girl Can't stand
to see nobody kissing, touching her Couldn't take nobody loving you the way
we were What good would Heaven be If the angels come for me I'd tell them no
Chorus
Tell the angels no, I don't wanna leave my baby alone
I don't want nobody else to hold you
That's a chance I'll take
Baby I'll stay, Heaven can wait
No, if the angels took me from this earth
I would tell them bring me back to her
It's a chance I'll take, maybe I'll stay
Heaven can wait

*dreamy sigh*

This man... If only, if only...

=)

-franso

Thank You England

... it's gotten to the point where i have an "Over the Pond" playlist for my iPod.

what do they feed them over there!?

=)

-franso

PS- i know i'm late with these 2 artists, but i like to see what's good once the hype dies down and the dust settles. so if YOU still haven't been put on... well then consider yourself PUT.

N.E.R.D. Seeing Sounds Review

Here's what I wrote for class:

"Third time’s the charm for hip-hop trio N.E.R.D. The boys are back with Seeing Sounds, an explosive album consisting of their usual mind-boggling beats, catchy melodies, and not- so- impressive vocals from lead man, Pharrell Williams. Synesthesia is both a neurological disorder that causes people to see sounds as colors or objects in their mind and the inspiration for the title. Perfectly named, this album feels and sounds like a colorful and layered arrangement. From beginning to end, this album demands attention. Sounds forces the listener to become completely enchanted with an array of strong drums, grooving horns, and several other refreshingly unrecognizable sounds.
The first single, Everyone Nose, is a mind-tripping jazzy track about the uses of cocaine by rebellious girls. On Windows, a song reminiscent of the Beach Boys, Pharrell sings about watching a girl through her window every night. Never big on lyrical content, -
Sounds is all about the actual music. Anti Matter, the standout track of the album, is peculiar with its electric guitar, thumping bass, and chorus line of an angry woman yelling, “You punk bitch!”
Released four years after their Fly or Die album, Sounds takes another stab at delivering music with the capability of being as popular as the music The Neptunes (the group’s production name) creates for other artists. The album is not lyrically impressive, but Seeing Sounds is a producer’s dream. N.E.R.D. has officially arrived."

i think it's pretty cool

=)

-franso

Usher- Here I Stand (Mini Critique)

Let's get right to it.

I'm feeling Something Special (joint got Robin Thicke written ALL OVER IT!), What's a Man to Do, and Lifetime the MOST.

Trading Places, Love You Gently, Best Thing (featuring JiggaMan), His Mistakes, Here I Stand are exceptional.

What does that leave?

Revolver, Moving Mountains, Appetite, Before I Met You, What's Your Name, and This Ain't Sex.

Maybe if I force myself to listen to them over and over and over and over and over again... then I'll like them. For now, however... I find them rather unnecessary.

Oh, there's also the Prayer For You interlude with his newborn. A for adorable.

This album should've been called "I'M A GROWN ASS MAN NOW"

It's so interesting to see an artist grow and evolve, with this marriage and baby we are listening to a new Usher. It doesn't matter if we think his wife is a lame-o, she's a major influence on his music. Even though it's disturbing that SHE'S the face to the person he now sings about... I think we gotta respect that!

Another thing.... who writes these songs? I've never noticed this before, but Usher's lyrics are FAR from impressive.
"Order chinese before you do me"? "Light as a feather, but hard as a rock"?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!
Has it always been this way? If so, why am I just noticing it now? Maybe the song qualities aren't good enough to distract me...
If this ain't some R. Kelly nonsense.... *sigh*

Well, goodnight!

Back to my magazine writing assignment... as I listen to "Something Special" for the 100,001th time.

=)

-franso

Here I Stand Update:

8 tracks in, finally found a track worth speaking about-

Something Special

i feel like... robin thicke produced it, i need to do my research.

Back soon with the rest of my critique

=)

-franso