This song is not new by any stretch, but it is new to most of the mainstream music audience. Adele's "Rolling In the Deep" is currently on repeat... it's that good! What a fuckin' voice!!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Adele - Rolling In The Deep
This song is not new by any stretch, but it is new to most of the mainstream music audience. Adele's "Rolling In the Deep" is currently on repeat... it's that good! What a fuckin' voice!!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Top 10 Albums of 2010... according to Jeff the Music Monkey
What a year 2010 has been for music. Working in the music biz, you notice that great music comes in waves... I mean, there's always great music being released, but there's drastic peaks and valleys. Sometimes it seems like there's an infinite supply of amazing stuff, and other times it's hard to find something fantastic. 2009 was definitely a peak in music and it's carried into 2010. There's so many amazing albums from this year that a Top 10 doesn't even come close to being able to acknowledge all the albums-worth-buying... and since I plan on enjoying my first-ever Christmas week off, I'm only going to list my Top 10 (with a few honourable mentions). Hate-mail and challenges from music snobs welcome and will be shared on this blog (if respectful). Here we go:
#10 Katy Perry - Teenage Dream
I may be a pop music director, but it's most-often not what I'm listening to at home... with a few exceptions. Katy Perry's Teenage Dream is an absolute pop smash! Many people don't know that Katy was actually quite punky in her early days and even performed on Warped Tour... and fact is, you can hear that edge come through with her live shows as well as her albums. This album's been out for several months now and I still get comments from some of my most anti-pop friends "hey, that Katy Perry album is actually really good!" Even if pop isn't really your thing, check out this album... you may be pleasantly surprised.
#9 Chromeo - Business Casual
Wow, did pop-culture ever miss this one! Montreal duo Chromeo released "Business Casual" last year and is a stellar album of 80's-ish electro-pop. The closest comparison in contemporary music would probably be La Roux with male vocals. If you love the fun, quirky, dance tracks this album is for you.
#8 Justin Nozuka - You I Wind Land and Sea
It still amazes me that Justin Nozuka is relatively unknown to most Canadians. The texture and soul of his vocal, combined with his incredibly interesting and talented song writing gets Justin's second album into 2010's Top 10 Albums... according to me! Oh ya, and a little Nozuka always helps to "set the mood" for you and your partner ;)
#7 Eminem - Recovery
I was starting to get pretty confident we weren't going to get another smash-album from Eminem, and had come and gone from his peak. Well slap me silly and call me Susan 'cause he sure as hell proved me wrong on that one. Angry, passionate, and incredibly brilliant lyrics and flow. Eminem at his finest.
#6 Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
I can't stand this guy's arrogance and sense of superiority over every other artist, but the guy shits talent. End of story. Heartbreaks and whatever was garbage (as a whole album), but Kanye definitely turned things around for this one.
#5 Tara Holloway - Sins to Confess
Tara Holloway has been working the independent Canadian music scene for over a decade and had only released (un-officially) an assortment of demos, live recordings and other tasty musical goodies on discs you could only get at her shows... but we finally have an full-length album from her to sink our teeth into and sure enough, she landed far from disappointment. Tara paired up with the amazing Dave Way (who has a track record longer than the run-time for Gone With The Wind) to produce and co-write her awesome debut album. Definitely check this one out!
#4 Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops and Hooligans
Well this guy sure came out of no where! Bruno Mars sang on tracks with B.o.B. and Travie McCoy, and co-wrote hits Like Flo Rida's Right Round, K'Naan's Wavin' Flag, and Cee-Lo Green's Fuck You... and then came Doo-Wops and Hooligans. Bruno's album comes out on top as Motown-ish smash, which I'm sure we'll see more singles from early this year.
#3 Dirty Radio - Debut
Wow, wow, wow! The debut album from Dirty Radio, conveniently titled Debut, practically left me speechless and is my top Canadian pick for 2010. It's SO good, it was hard for me to decide what to write about it. I've described it as dirty electro/urban beats, clever and catchy lyrics, and vocals that almost sound like he's the love-child of Justin Timberlake and Prince... if such a thing were possible. And get this: Dirty Radio is from Vancouver... AND (at the time of writing this) he's not even signed... yet! Make sure you've got a rad stereo or a pair of headphones with great bass to get the full bang out of this delicious piece of music! Crank it up!
#2 Ray Lamontagne - God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise
Probably the complete sonic opposite from Dirty Radio, is the bluesy-folk singer/songwriter Ray Lamontagne and the Pariah Dogs. God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise has got to be one of my favorite albums of this genre ever! It kicks off with an upbeat bluesy number, but quickly shifts into an easy-listening folk album sure to impress most music lovers. Folk is not one of the top genres I listen to, but this album is sure to stay in my top "favorites".
#1 Nas and Damien Marley - Distant Relatives
What a surprise this was. I've always liked both Nas and Damien Marley, but never got too much into their stuff (got into a little more Damien than Nas though)... but wholy shiza is this album ever amazing! Instantly made my top Urban albums of all time. This album is so shockingly good, I'm not going to even try to describe it. If you like urban, reggae or a combination of the two, this is a must. If not, still check it out...
Honourable mentions:
B.o.B - The Adventures of Bobby Ray
Black Keys - Brothers
I may be a pop music director, but it's most-often not what I'm listening to at home... with a few exceptions. Katy Perry's Teenage Dream is an absolute pop smash! Many people don't know that Katy was actually quite punky in her early days and even performed on Warped Tour... and fact is, you can hear that edge come through with her live shows as well as her albums. This album's been out for several months now and I still get comments from some of my most anti-pop friends "hey, that Katy Perry album is actually really good!" Even if pop isn't really your thing, check out this album... you may be pleasantly surprised.
Wow, did pop-culture ever miss this one! Montreal duo Chromeo released "Business Casual" last year and is a stellar album of 80's-ish electro-pop. The closest comparison in contemporary music would probably be La Roux with male vocals. If you love the fun, quirky, dance tracks this album is for you.
It still amazes me that Justin Nozuka is relatively unknown to most Canadians. The texture and soul of his vocal, combined with his incredibly interesting and talented song writing gets Justin's second album into 2010's Top 10 Albums... according to me! Oh ya, and a little Nozuka always helps to "set the mood" for you and your partner ;)
I was starting to get pretty confident we weren't going to get another smash-album from Eminem, and had come and gone from his peak. Well slap me silly and call me Susan 'cause he sure as hell proved me wrong on that one. Angry, passionate, and incredibly brilliant lyrics and flow. Eminem at his finest.
I can't stand this guy's arrogance and sense of superiority over every other artist, but the guy shits talent. End of story. Heartbreaks and whatever was garbage (as a whole album), but Kanye definitely turned things around for this one.
Tara Holloway has been working the independent Canadian music scene for over a decade and had only released (un-officially) an assortment of demos, live recordings and other tasty musical goodies on discs you could only get at her shows... but we finally have an full-length album from her to sink our teeth into and sure enough, she landed far from disappointment. Tara paired up with the amazing Dave Way (who has a track record longer than the run-time for Gone With The Wind) to produce and co-write her awesome debut album. Definitely check this one out!
Well this guy sure came out of no where! Bruno Mars sang on tracks with B.o.B. and Travie McCoy, and co-wrote hits Like Flo Rida's Right Round, K'Naan's Wavin' Flag, and Cee-Lo Green's Fuck You... and then came Doo-Wops and Hooligans. Bruno's album comes out on top as Motown-ish smash, which I'm sure we'll see more singles from early this year.
Wow, wow, wow! The debut album from Dirty Radio, conveniently titled Debut, practically left me speechless and is my top Canadian pick for 2010. It's SO good, it was hard for me to decide what to write about it. I've described it as dirty electro/urban beats, clever and catchy lyrics, and vocals that almost sound like he's the love-child of Justin Timberlake and Prince... if such a thing were possible. And get this: Dirty Radio is from Vancouver... AND (at the time of writing this) he's not even signed... yet! Make sure you've got a rad stereo or a pair of headphones with great bass to get the full bang out of this delicious piece of music! Crank it up!
Probably the complete sonic opposite from Dirty Radio, is the bluesy-folk singer/songwriter Ray Lamontagne and the Pariah Dogs. God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise has got to be one of my favorite albums of this genre ever! It kicks off with an upbeat bluesy number, but quickly shifts into an easy-listening folk album sure to impress most music lovers. Folk is not one of the top genres I listen to, but this album is sure to stay in my top "favorites".
What a surprise this was. I've always liked both Nas and Damien Marley, but never got too much into their stuff (got into a little more Damien than Nas though)... but wholy shiza is this album ever amazing! Instantly made my top Urban albums of all time. This album is so shockingly good, I'm not going to even try to describe it. If you like urban, reggae or a combination of the two, this is a must. If not, still check it out...
Honourable mentions:
B.o.B - The Adventures of Bobby Ray
Black Keys - Brothers
Usher - Raymond V Raymond
Canadian Music industry disconnect
There's a major disconnect (in my opinion) in regards to the Canadian music industry, the way it's regulated, and the way we recognize these artists for their successes. I would love to know why Justin Bieber can be nominated for a Canadian music award (Juno) when none of his music is legally Canadian. Because it's mostly Composed, Procduced, Written by Americans, it doesn't qualify as Canadian content (for more on that, visit here)... so if we as broadcasters can not play it as Canadian music, how can it qualify for a Canadian music award?
...and let me clarify: My point is not "let's pull Bieber from the Junos", it's simply that we need to take a good look at the way our government decides what qualifies as being "Canadian" and what doesn't. These two irregularities are a bit of a laughing stock... in my humble opinion.
...and let me clarify: My point is not "let's pull Bieber from the Junos", it's simply that we need to take a good look at the way our government decides what qualifies as being "Canadian" and what doesn't. These two irregularities are a bit of a laughing stock... in my humble opinion.
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