Alec Benjamin dethrones MAG!C☆PRINCE to take #1; Ryan Higa debuts in the Top 5

Alec Benjamin's "Let Me Down Slowly" rises 2-1 to dethrone eight week leader "Update". Also, Ryan Higa debuts at #4.

In the Top 50, Alec Benjamin rises to #1 after debuting just two weeks ago, at #21. The boyish singer's breakthrough "Let Me Down Slowly" takes down MAG!C☆PRINCE's "Update". The eight week #1 falls 1-2, but it's had impressive longevity, having 25 weeks on the chart. And they might not be out of the conversation, as their other track "Sakura My Friends", rises back to its peak of #3.

Japanese-American YouTuber Ryan Higa, along with producer David Choi, debuts at #4 with his diss track parody, "Exposed", which heavily borrows from Eminem's "The Ringer", while MAG!C☆PRINCE's "Yume no Melody" holds at #5.

Chris Brown continues to rise with "Undecided", as it rises 8-6 for a new peak. The debut from last week "Face My Fears" by Utada Hikaru & Skrillex, holds on to #7, Adam Sandler's "Phone Wallet Keys" falls 6-8, Drake Bell's six week #1 "Fuego Lento" falls 3-9, and CHANMINA's "Pain is Beauty" rises 19-10, giving the Japanese rapper her first Top 10 entry.

Further down the chart, Alec Benjamin continues his success, as his cover of Eminem's "Stan", for the Spotify Singles series, debuts at #19, and Hunter Hayes' "Heartbreak" debuts in the Top 30.

Taylor Swift - reputation (Album Review)

While better than initially expected, Taylor Swift releases the worst, and most "personal", album of her career.

Release date: 10 November 2017
Record label: Big Machine
Genre: Pop
Best songs: "New Year's Day", "Dancing With Our Hands Tied", "Getaway Car"
Worst songs: "Dress", "Gorgeous", "End Game" (ft. Future and Ed Sheeran), "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things", "King of My Heart", "So It Goes..."
Rating: 4/10

See, I love Taylor Swift. She's not only my all-time celebrity crush (I guess), but she's a really good musician, with a knack for good hooks, a good instrumentalist and songwriter, and has a lot of charisma and personality in her voice. But just because you have all that, it doesn't mean the album is going to be good. Now, I knew this was going to happen. She'd find someone, and she'd be all lovey-dovey about it. But is it actually good? Well...

I suppose we'll talk about the good songs first. We get the beautiful piano ballad "New Year's Day", about holding on to the good and bad memories, as they're both valuable. While the production is sparse, and her voice isn't the greatest (my main issue is it's a bit airy), but really I don't have too much issue with this track. It's kind of being appreciative of her past, and not letting that bring her down. The issues of the past can often help you improve and I think she's finally realized that. Another song I really like is "Getaway Car". It's pretty damn catchy, and the comparison to how being in a getaway car is similar to a certain relationship in the fact that "nothing good happens at the end". The references to Bonnie and Clyde actually work here, she knows it isn't going to work out between them, it's going to end badly. And is there perhaps some admittance to cheating on here? Now, this is speculation, don't attack, but labeling yourself a "traitor" and that you turned him in is pretty alarming, especially when you connect to other songs, indicating she was interested while she was still in a relationship. And really, "Look What You Made Me Do" fit nowhere on this record. Doesn't match the theme, and it's far more dark than really... anything. Now, Taylor often has this issue constantly on this record, and I'll get to it later, when she talks about Joe Alwyn, her boyfriend, and it really just misses the mark. Well, one where I feel it does actually work is "Dancing With Our Hands Tied". Granted, there is that line about a "sacred oasis", which is just really gross. That aside, while she kept dating guys, I remember her saying (can't remember when to be honest), that due to her celebrity status, she'd likely remain single. Which does make me sympathize, because she seems like an awesome person. Well, now, she seems to have found "the one", even though the odds may seem against them in this industry, as being in the spotlight seems to hurt a lot of couples. She was able to keep this under wraps for quite a while and she seems to love this guy more than ever.

And I say this because I wouldn't be surprised if Swifties go and call me jealous for not liking the sex songs on this album. And I guess that could be part of it. Blatant sexuality like the lyrics of "Dress" or "So It Goes..." just come off as really too try-hard. "I only bought this dress so you could it off", how much your hands are shaking from all this moaning, and the "scratches on your back". But she does look hot in black, so I appreciate the imagery I guess? But seriously, first off, I don't need to hear how much good fucking you're getting, and really, it sounds like it comes from a Disney star who just turned 18 and discovered she can be "sexy" now. I mean, come on. She's even making alcohol references a whole lot more now, and it comes off as lot more mature and lot less corny. A lot of this sexiness seems forced. And while "...So It Goes" is a bit catchy, the spareness of the instrumentation at points can show off just how bare-boned her vocals can be. Not much weight to them. And the airiness of "Dress"'s vocals do make sense with the message, but she sounds far sensual and sexy in her lower range, and it has this awkward rhythmic cadence. Look, "This Is Why We Can't Have Things" was fine for a bit, but it does sound like it could have come from '1989'. And the vocal quirks, especially that laugh, was cringey as fuck. Or some of the odd "Drama!" sounds to her voice. Same with "Gorgeous", which starts off with that irritating baby voice which annoys me every time I hear it. "I Did Something Bad" was alright, how she kinda acknowledges she liked being bad, but the "da da da" just... no.

On "End Game", Future is uninteresting in his typical mumble rap drawl that's very uninteresting. And it's just as very generic except for the parts that aren't great. Ed Sheeran's more melodic "rap" delivery may come off as better as than Future's, but he did it better on "Galway Girl" on his latest album. Plus, why get them on a song? I get Sheeran's your friend, but he's been boring for quite a bit for the most part, and Future's one of the worst hip-hop artists with a big following right now. And "King Of My Heart", while I like the sentiment, those robotic vocaloid-esque vocals are a huge turn-off for me. They're usually only good on an actual vocaloid song. And really, besides the references to exes and their expensive cars, there is nothing that puts this outside generic territory.

And really, that's my problem throughout a lot of this record. Her tracks towards Joe, all this lovey-dovey stuff, it just doesn't work for me, they're often pretty by-the-numbers. Usually when there's references like this, I can at least put myself in her shoes, and feel like it's believable for the most part. I couldn't do it often here. I can't believe I'm doing this, but... 4/10, and I think I'm being generous. The lyrical content is decent this time around (save some cringey as hell lines). If it gets a lot of listens for me, it'll be just for filler. But check out "New Year's Day", "Dancing With Our Hands Tied". and "Getaway Car". I can't recommend this. It's bad when you're trying to like songs because they're from Taylor Swift and not because they're good. She's completely manufactured, and seems to have become a product of her label, which is disappointing. There's not much for a normal person to grab onto here. And I'm astonished how this is her most well-received record (at least from the public given its debut sales), because as someone who is kinda toting the fan/not fan line at this point... this is very much trying my patience.

So yeah. This'll be controversial. If you heard it, let me know what you think. Respectfully disagree please, if you're going to disagree. But feel free to call me a faggot, and out of touch if you want, I guess.

Marilyn Manson dethrones Thomas Rhett with "KILL4ME" as men dominate the Top 5

The rock legend earns his first #1 on the chart with "KILL4ME", as it moves 2-1. Also, Chika Arimura and Little Big enters the Top 10.

As Marilyn Manson earns his first #1, he is the first metal/rock act to top the chart. He also moves in the Top 5 with another song, "We Know Where You Fucking Live", as it rises 9-4. While not posted, Manson boasts #1 and #3 on the Rock Songs chart. His new #1 dethrones five-week leader, "Marry Me" by Thomas Rhett, as it falls 1-2. Recently announced as 'Life Changes' third single however, it does have a chance to rebound. It also holds for a seventh week on the Country Songs chart. "hold on" by flor rises 5-3. And rounding out the Top 5 is MAX's "Lights Down Low", which rebounds 8-5, partly due to a stripped down version released. With Taylor Swift's exit (which will be told further down), the Top 5 is entirely composed of men.

Olivia Holt's "Generous" holds on to #6, with a loss in performance after the gain from the Top 20 last week, as does Poppy's "Software Upgrade", which falls 4-7. Our first new Top 10 entry comes from Japanese cosplayer/pornographic actress, Chika Arimura. "I Live My Life For You", picks up, going 14-8. Also, Russian group Little Big rises 32-9 with "Fucking Asshole". And rounding out the Top 10, is "I'm Poppy" by Poppy, which loses 7-10.

Below the Top 10, we get MAX's new single "Meteor", which debuts at #12. The Christmas song from Lindsey Stirling, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" featuring Sabrina Carpenter, climbs 44-21. We also continue the losses for Taylor Swift, as her songs fall even faster than initially predicted. "Look What You Made Me Do" falls out of the Top 20, falling to #25. And "...Ready For It?" collapses almost falls out of the chart entirely, plummeting 3-49. Parent album 'reputation' tracks for next week though, so they might recover. Speaking of that album, 'reputation' tracks "Getaway Car" and "New Year's Day", debuts at #1 and #2 on the Bubbling Under chart, respectively.

Full chart: https://crownnote.com/charts/naos/my-top-50-22

Drake Bell - 'It's Only Time (Throwback Album Review)

For this review, we'll be going back to a stellar album of Beatleseque goodness that 'Drake & Josh' star Drake Bell released in 2006.
Release date: 5 December 2006
Record label: Universal Motown
Genre: Power pop, pop rock
Best songs: "Makes Me Happy", "I Know", "Fallen For You", "Fool The World", "Do What You Want", "Rusted Silhouette"
Worst songs: "End It Good"
Rating: 10/10
NOTE: Skip to second paragraph to skip background info.

Ah, Drake Bell. Most of reading this will know who he is... because of me. But I don't praise someone without good reason, and this album is a very good example of that. Drake Bell's an amazing musician, showing prowess on several instruments. While he's mainly a guitarist, he's a pretty good pianist as well. And his range is really good, especially in his later works. Now, for those who don't know, Drake Bell's an actor/musician who got his start at the age of 5 in several commercials, notably one memorable one for the video game 'Pokemon Red & Blue', and a nice little role in Tim Allen's 'Home Improvement'. He later, when filming the 2001 film 'Chasing Destiny', got his initial guitar lessons from The Who's Roger Daltery. And Daltery clearly had an influence, as he went on to take guitar as his primary instrument, and his music from 2005-2014, encompassing three studio albums, got major influences from the 1950s and 1960s, and a bit of 1980s as well. He later went on to star on Nickelodeon's 'The Amanda Show', and 'Drake & Josh', where he had his breakthrough roles. Now, to music. Bell's most successful record, it shot him to super stardom in Latin America. While it only debuted at #81 on the Billboard 200, with 23,000 copies sold (it later went on to sell 200,000 copies in the US), and he only had a song reach the Bubbling Under chart, in Mexico, the album was a Top 5 success, and yielded the #1 single "I Know". Which led to him to selling out Auditorio Nacional, a venue with over 10,000 people, and performing to 50,000-60,000 people on several occasions... and that record was 'It's Only Time'.

I didn't understand it at the time, but if this came out from a current Nickelodeon star, I'd be astonished. Most artists from Nick are putting cookie-cutter pop... and here we get Beatles harmonies, references to Norma Jean, Mildred Davis, and Harold Lloyd, and production that sounds like it was largely influenced by Abbey Road Studio. Colour me intrigued. Now let's get to the tracks themselves. "Up Periscope" is a breezy jam that could've fit well in the summer, with obvious references to sex. It opens up with a monologue of a... submarine captain? This guy has been listening to 'Yellow Submarine' or something? And while there are some cheesy lines like "Don't you want to be the captain of your submarine?", which sounds like he wants to ride her, not the other way around, Bell's charisma pays off. The second track, the lead single "I Know", which was promoted at TRL, became huge in Mexico, and reached over 20 million views on YouTube. Opening up with really good instrumentation, the piano diddly is clearly very 60s influenced. It's clear the girl's despreate for love, and she'll take anyone who will fulfill her fantasy. This track's surprisingly accusatory despite it's more upbeat sound. Calling her out as "the pride of every fake that comes around". She's just a groupie who isn't in any way talented and just hangs out with celebrities all the time. But he does acknowledge they're both in the wrong, and that he's in love with her, something not a lot of people can do... I'll give him some credit.

Then we get the track "Do What You Want". Another piano driven song, the relationship doesn't appear to work out after the break-up, as they're pretty angry. He does censor out the cursing, but Bell tells her to just do what she wants, be free, live how you want, if that's what you want. It's clear she doesn't want this anymore. And he just wants to be done with it. The anger really shows here, and it's a pretty damn good song. Now, the title track, has a bigger gear towards guitar on this song. Oddly enough, the lyrics seem to tell that he's cheating, and "It's Only Time till you find out", and it's because she wasn't appreciative enough. Hmm... okay. Not going to typical route of saying "sorry". "Found a Way" is next, of course the 'Drake & Josh' theme song. I'm not too fond on the acoustic version of track, his delivery doesn't fit the acoustic backing. Still decent though. The second single, "Makes Me Happy", reminds me largely of "Baby's Coming Back" by 80s power pop band Jellyfish (believe me, hear the guitar line in both songs), and it's a pretty upbeat love song about how this girl makes him happy, and it's basic, but effective all the same. Damn catchy too. Now I don't even know what "Fool the World" means, but it's piano line sounds so 60s, I just couldn't not love it. "Everyone would love me if I could fool the world", hmm... what I got from this, is Drake doesn't have to be honest about who he is, and if he fooled the world, everyone would love him. Pretty interesting I guess. Now, what followed was a interesting medley.

"Fallen For You" starts it with references to Jelly Shoes of the 80s and 90s... okay. And he name drops Buddy Holly, Betty Page, and Norma Jean. Seriously, I'm just thinking this kid was really born in the wrong era. He likes classic girls, I guess. I do wonder why he should lie about his age, though. Is she older? I mean, he was dating Stevie Ryan at the time, and she was a bit older, so maybe it was her? Sounds sweet. "Rusted Silhouette", once again, loving the 60s feel. Sounds like something I could see Paul McCartney putting out. Drake here, appears to have been friend-zoned, after "Falling For You". He gets cocky, calling her a "lucky one" that he's coming over, but she wouldn't have it. It's a very dreary track for just being rejected, saying he likes her company more than a "sympathy symphony". Now, "Break Me Down" is a medley of both songs, where he takes about him wanting to get his "78s and 45s" back after a break-up... seriously, man. Retro references all over. And finally, we get "End It Good", which goes even more retro and sounds like a ragtime song from the 1910s. And it's pretty good, albeit, short, and really goofy and cheesy, with again, another retro reference, to B.B. Daniels. It also features vocals from the late Stevie Ryan, and does end the album "good", I guess.

All in all, this was a really amazing record that I'd recommend for any Beatles fan, especially of their weirder stuff or records like 'Yellow Submarine' or 'Abbey Road' or 'Rubber Soul'. 10/10, I'll take this over whatever kid pop star's putting out a record now. So, thanks for reading, I will be reviewing Taylor Swift's 'Red' next, so stay tuned for that.

Top 10 Songs From Artists I Hate

So, for my first Top 10 list, I will be talking about my favourite songs from some artists I hate. I could probably do multiple of these, so I might. This will be based on a mix of factors, how much I hate the musician, and how much I like the song. At the end of the day, it's mostly interchangeable. I love all these songs. Starting off with...

10. Michael Jackson - "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough"

I know, the pitchforks and torches. You don't like Michael Jackson? Burn the witch! Wait, just hear me out before we start re-enacting the Salem Witch Trials. Now it may sound hypocritical coming from me. As I have a feminine voice and I love voices like Mitch Grassi's or Chris Colfer's, his androgynous sound always sounded fake to me. Like a man trying to sound like a woman. Not a man that naturally has a feminine touch, or like Grassi, just straight can sound like a woman, Jackson sounds like he tries too hard. Really evident from the more spoken sound at the beginning of the song. It's airy. And Jackson's voice seems to think volume equals power. But yeah, this song is really good. The 80s production, Jackson's upper range sounding pleasant, and his lower notes sound powerful. I love the six-piece horn section as well.

9. Drake - "Best I Ever Had"
Oh, when Drake was good. Not all that good, mind you. I can't even really point out why I like this song. His singing and rapping doesn't sound lazy, and he actually sounds invested. But he tends to go off-topic, and this song comes off as cocky. No one knows who you are at this point really, and girls think your songs are about them? Please, bitch.

8. Maroon 5 - "Won't Go Home Without You"
Back when Maroon 5 wasn't the worst thing ever, I didn't dread a new song from them, and Adam Levine was a competent vocalist. Neat. Well, I love this song to this day. Getting a very similar guitar line to The Police's excellent song "Every Breath You Take", Levine of Maroon 5 delivers a heartfelt track, that's affectionate. Please, Maroon 5, go back to this. Don't continue to be garbage.

7. Kanye West - "Stronger"
Now, with West, it's mainly his ego. Because he's a very good producer and rapper. But there are times like with 'The Life of Pablo', he can just be terrible. Make more stuff like this and "Gold Digger".

6. Skrillex - "Purple Lamborghini" (with Rick Ross)


Not much to say. Rick Ross is a decent rapper here and Skrillex actually does the production quite well.

5. David Guetta - "Titanium" (ft. Sia)
Now this song's just beautiful. Sia's beautiful voice telling about no matter the hardships in life, whatever "bullets" get to us... that we're bulletproof and they'll just bounce off. You know, after I saw this video, I found the Christina Grimmie cover... and I just got depressed as hell, so let's just end this here, shall we?

4. Black Eyed Peas - "Where Is The Love?"


Such an excellent track before the Black Eyed Peas went to shit. Being an actual hip-hop group rather than EDM, the group tackles issues such as terrorism, racism, war, and even violence against gay people. And it goes along with very good uncredited vocals from Justin Timberlake. If they went back to making music like this... I probably would have been a fan.

3. R. Kelly - "I Believe I Can Fly"
He could be good, but R. Kelly is too garbage of a human being. And that forever taint his music for me. Look, this song was a part of my childhood, and R. Kelly definitely has a good delivery. But since he thinks it's okay to marry 15 year olds and run sex cults... all I gotta say is fuck you!

2. Thomas Rhett - "Craving You" (ft. Maren Morris)
Now, this one's a bit more lighthearted. I always hated Thomas Rhett for the nepotism and the fact country radio gives him hits despite his songs being bottom of the barrel when it is country, and there's some pop disguising itself as country. This song is a full pop song, and I admit, it's pretty good. Thomas Rhett should be focusing on pop radio. Very nice, albeit familiar sounding melody, the harmonies from Maren Morris are pretty good, though I wish she got a bigger part. "Star Of The Show" definitely could have qualified for this list as well.

1. Justin Bieber - "Maria"


I feel like this song is very similar thematically to "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, "Stan" by Eminem, or "Loretta" by Will Smith. Crazy fans. And I tend to like these songs. And while this one's a bit brighter toned, it's amazing. Bieber has a strong falsetto, the production is catchy. This is Bieber at his best. If he did music like this on a regular basis, I'd probably be a fan. Good work.

Conclusion
So, yeah, that's my list. Let me know of what you think in the comments, and maybe give a list of your own. Thanks for reading!

Drake Bell - Honest (EP Review)

Today, I will be reviewing the new EP from Drake Bell as he steps into mainstream pop, and go through promotion strategy.
Release date: 30 June 2017 (or 5 July 2017?)
Record label: DB Records
Genre: Pop
Best songs: "Rewind", "Honest"
Worst songs: "Leaves"
Rating: 7/10

Let's see... I don't know the details, there are two ways this could have happened. One, you actually did release on the 30th and it somehow flew over my head, and Bell decided not to post about it till the 5th, a Wednesday (note the official release date for music is a Friday). Or Two, you did release on the 5th, and it's mislabeled as the 30th.  Either way, it's only two tracking days for its debut week, but eh.

So, let's get to the EP itself. There is not really a plot line to this that at least I see, except for maybe a failed relationship, but eh, it's an EP. The first track is "Leaves", a nice upbeat track with hints of electric guitar. Now, Drake Bell's falsetto... it's not a Justin Timberlake falsetto. It sounds good, but it doesn't sound heavily supported, and it sounds far brighter than his modal range, as he tends to be dark as a tenor. While his falsetto was never great, I do have a feeling it's gotten a bit worse. Just my opinion. Then we get "Honest", which would have been perfect as a single since the production sounds like "Shape Of You" and "Cheap Thrills", with the synths, it's a pretty by-the-numbers pop song. How he says he's not perfect, but he's still "honest", and he's telling his lover to be honest with him. Which is ironic since this is more of a project made to go mainstream. Then we get "Run Away", and I like the song. It's a decent pop song, and the falsetto sounds better, but still pretty thin. And you can tell the upper notes are a bit harder for him. Has a pretty good drop though. Then we get "Rewind", the closing song, and it has nice organic production, a Spanish guitar, a good pop rock tune that's more of a ballad that could have fit on It's Only Time. But here's my main problem. Lyrical content wise, these songs are pretty basic for him, it seems formulaic, and wanting to be popular again. It shows a musician approaching middle-age who wants his youthful years, his relevancy back. He's basically trying to be Justin Bieber on this project, and while he does show he can do it better than Bieber, from such a talented musician, he can do better.

Look, a VERY light 7/10. It's decent, I guess. Some good writing is still here. And his charisma well makes this project. But for me, I feel like Bell will not do better than his first two albums. Maybe that's just me being petty. I feel like I'm one of those fans who leave the fanbase of a metal band once they start getting popular. That aside, coming from someone who loved his first two albums... look, it still will get into my playlists for a bit, but it's not his best work.. Just saying. And I'm not seeing this is a bad release, far from from it, it's pretty damn good pop music. Also, the short length. I think it being longer would have been a bit better for me.

So yeah, thanks for reading, feel free to comment if you've heard it, which you likely haven't, because it's not like it'll be topping charts anytime soon. I'd like to hear your thoughts. I'm not sure what I'll be reviewing or talking about next, so if you got a suggestion for that too, feel free.

Carly Rae Jepsen - Artist Review

Artist grade: A

Vocal grade: C+

Vocal range/type: Soubrette (Soprano), C3-D6 (Three Octaves, One Note)

Best album(s): E•MO•TION

Worst album(s): N/A

Best song(s): "Sweetie, "Run Away With Me", "Call Me Maybe", "Cry", "Bucket", "Tonight I'm Getting Over You", "Good Time" (with Owl City), "Sour Candy" (ft. John Ramsay), "Your Type", "Part Of Your World", "Your Heart Is A Muscle"

Worst song(s): "It Takes Two" (with Mike-Will-Made It and Lil Yachty)

Positives: Nice, pleasant sounding, bright and airy vocals that fit all styles of music she has attempted. The voice is extremely light and has a youthful, but not immature tone that stays pretty consistent throughout her range, including her falsetto. Her voice does lose quite a bit of its breathiness in the upper range, starting around the A4. 5th octave notes are a bit raspy. Like said prior, her falsetto is bright, and she can easily transition to it from chest voice, and can stay in it for a long time. While she's had her share of immature songs, her songwriting often shows experience and maturity, which is good considering she's in her 30s. Often well-written compositions. Diverse personality, allowing her to play all sorts of roles in her content. While she often doesn't utilize it, she is a decent guitar player. 

Negatives: The immature songwriting at times such as with "Call Me Maybe" can come off as off-putting for some people. There's not a lot of support from her diaphragm, causing the voice to lack resonance throughout the entire range. A lot of people, particularly classical and choral music listeners, won't often be fond of the breathy vocals, especially in her lower range. She has trouble with intonation and support while belting. Not everyone is a fan of raspy vocals, and her more cute, girly tone is not to everyone's tastes. Her voice doesn't carry a lot of weight.

Overall: She's cute. Coming from someone who's over a decade younger than her, I'll admit that. Crush on her aside, while being far from stellar as a vocalist, she often has good production to support her vocals, and she knows what music works well for her voice. It's fun to think she has the same top note as me (a D6, though I can probably go higher). She is a competent songwriter and composer. She can convincingly play cute and innocent, sensual, or sexy in her content. I'd be willing to call her a hidden and very underrated gem. Carly Rae Jepsen shows you can be an amazing musician without being a great vocalist.

Drake Bell - Artist Review

Artist grade: B+

Vocal grade: B

Vocal range/type: Lyric Tenor, E2-G#5 (Three octaves, two notes, and a semitone)

Best album(s): It's Only Time

Worst album(s): Ready Steady Go! (though it's not really bad)

Best song(s): "Makes Me Happy", "In The End", "Found A Way", "Bitchcraft", "Big Shot", "Down We Fall", "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me", "Bull", "Somehow"

Worst song(s): "Melina", "End It Good", "Back Of My Hand"

Positives: Charismatic vocals, can portray emotions easily, which is likely helped by his acting career. His voice brings a lot of presence, drawing attention to a song. Sporting a good lower range for a tenor, as the typical tenor range only goes down as far as C3. Able to utilize different sounding voices, allowing for his voice to fit in several genres such as rock and pop. Has received acclaim for what is often mature songwriting for his age, having even won an award from ASCAP. Writing can range from depressing and sad, to happy, showing to be a versatile writer. Can play several instruments, although his primary instrument is the guitar. Refusal to use a ton of vocal effects is appreciated (he even recorded an entire album live).

Negatives: His more rougher sounding vocals he usually presents may not be to everyone's tastes, he can come off as too "try hard" with emotion. Live vocals are often not powerful enough it seems to go through the instrumentation, though that could be due to bad recordings rather than quality of voice. Some songs' compositions can sound similar, though this may be artistic choice. Also, he will occasionally not distance himself enough from his influences, and may come off as an imitator. 

Taylor Swift - Artist Review

Artist grade: B-

Vocal grade: C-

Vocal range/type: Soprano, C3-A5 (Two octaves, five notes)

Best album(s): Fearless

Worst album(s): Red

Best song(s): "Love Story", "You Belong With Me", "Our Song", "Picture To Burn", "Style", "Back To December", "I Heart?"

Worst song(s): "Bad Blood" (ft. Kendrick Lamar), "I Knew You Were Trouble.", "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", "Shake It Off", "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" (with ZAYN)

Positives: Charming, charismatic voice with a lot of personality. Can portray emotion very well through vocals. Despite being a soprano, sports a very good lower range, and has a relatively low tessitura. Has songwriting talent, and writes often basic, but very good sounding compositions.

Negatives: Relatively poor range, has a tendency to be off-key during live performances. And again, despite being a soprano, her upper range is pretty poor, often having to rely on her head voice. As shown in her live performances, her breath support isn't great, as she often sounds tired after a song or two. No vibrato. Despite her songwriting talent, it could be argued her compositions and lyrics are very "safe", with her public presence and mainstream support, she can afford to take risks, and has the potential to do so... but doesn't. Her change to pop has been criticized, as her songwriting seems to have lost a bit of that authentic feel often portrayed in her work prior to the Red album.

Yeah, Taylor Swift. This review was finally put up. I can't give her higher than a B- for now. While she has a few positives, her negatives often outweigh that. Her charisma does help a lot, and the fact she's such a talented woman, to take the sellout switch to pop was disappointing, to say the least. Next, I will be looking to do an anime review, but next on the artist review chopping block is Drake Bell, so stay tuned.

Drake Bell Is A Sellout... And I'm Disappointed

Ah, Drake. How I respected you. 

Drake Bell, known for his role as Drake Parker as the hit Nickelodeon series Drake & Josh (of which won him 9 Kids Choice Awards), the voice of Spider-Man on Disney XD's Ultimate Spider-Man, as Timmy Turner in the Fairly Odd Parents live-action trilogy, and his starring role in the feature film Superhero Movie, has officially sold out. He has also released legitimately great albums like the pop rock/alt rock "Telegraph", the powerpop "It's Only Time", and the EP "A Reminder". And while the rockabilly mostly cover album "Ready Steady Go!" was underwhelming for me, it was still a good album, and he got a lot of fan and critical support with this, like all of his releases so far. 

Then... he released this.

Which seemed to divide his fans. While the like/dislike ratio is overwhelmingly on the like side like all his videos are, looking at the comments tell a different story. Why the backlash? Well, while Drake does explain to fans with a smug and arrogant attitude that "we play all the instruments", and "If you had any idea what kind of musicianship is needed to make what you just heard you'd get it". I get people had an issue with the more electronic pop/dance sound. Now, me personally, I'm fine with that. If he wanted to branch out like he's done that's fine. You can make pop music and still be good. But then this comment he made, just shit all over whatever positive thoughts I had for these upcoming songs.

In the image above, Bell states when referring to the more rock and roll side he's played the past couple of years: "Remember when no one buys that kind of music anymore? If you guys actually went out and bought my records I'd be able to make the kind of records you want but until you guys actually support me I gotta play the game". And apparently, that's also why he left Surfdog Records, because of the low sales of Ready Steady Go! (it sold 2,000 copies in its debut week). Because not a lot a people bought the album. Now... I remember him saying when he was making his rockabilly album, he said this: "I don't care if people buy it or not, or come to see the shows or not... I'm gonna make the record I've always wanted to make". (Video here for reference)

So, it's clear Drake Bell has officially sold out, and is a huge hypocrite, as in that interview posted above, he talked about how other child stars fall off the rails and criticized Justin Bieber for his DUI, then... got a DUI. While I can't confirm this, as I don't know him personally, but from these comments, his whole "nice guy, happy all the time" attitude... is fake as hell, and is just to keep up his public appearance in the media, keep it positive, because not only did he sell out and constantly judged pop music, while later heading in that direction to make money, he comes off as a huge... well, I don't wanna say asshole, that's not that accurate. I can compare him to Kanye West - someone who often makes good music, but their ego turns them into massive pricks. He responds to me on YouTube and others with comments like: "They will be out very soon! THank You!!" and "Thank You! I'm really excited about these new songs!", like he's appreciative, when his other comments say otherwise. He's either two-faced, or bipolar. If the latter, I apologize and should not be ranting on you for your mental illness. But all in all, I'm still a fan... for now. I appreciate the fact he's still using real instruments and still keeping some artistry there. But man, this is not a good sign going forward. And I'm not so sure how much longer I can deal with his bullshit. You keep saying you want to collaborate with Paul McCartney, but is he really going to want to do anything with you? Well, he worked with Kanye West and Rihanna, so actually maybe. This album better be good Drake, or me, along with likely many other fans, will leave you, and you can sellout to make pop music for the general public, losing all your artistic integrity along the way. He tries to liken himself to a street musician (as evidenced in his video "I Know"), and really, one of those street musicians would kill to have the success you've had! And you're not even appreciative! You know... the funniest thing is, I left a comment on that video of the new song saying I hope it becomes a hit. But Drake... if you're doing this for money like it shows... I wish you the best of luck, but at the same time, I kinda hope it does worse than your older music, so he'll go back to the older stuff. Or maybe if and when he gets mainstream popularity, he can try doing more of his older music again.

Sorry, I may have come off as a little bitter, especially since I'll probably not care and like the songs anyway, but I haven't had a great past couple of weeks, and this just... man, to see a great entertainer like Drake Bell fall so far... it's just sad, you know? Let me know of what you think about this, either in the comments below, or in the replies on my posting of this article to Billboard.

Taylor Swift - 1989: Album Review

Taylor Swift goes even more so into pop, with a better performance, but still lukewarm.

Release date: 27 October 2014

Genre: Pop/Synthpop

Best songs: "Style", "How You Get The Girl", "I Wish You Would", "Clean"

Worst songs: "Welcome To New York", "Shake It Off"

Rating: 6/10.

Let me start out by saying, I was a huge fan of Taylor Swift. I loved “Tim McGraw”, “Our Song”, “Love Story”, “Dear John”, “Mean”, pretty much her entire discography. She always had a knack for good hooks, so I don’t see why she had to turn to pop. She was successful enough in her previous genre.

So, 1989. The album that sold over 1.2 million in the United States in its first week alone. The review is obviously going to be contentious, so just respect my opinion here. I tend to talk about the singles first, so “Shake It Off”. While not being outright terrible, it honestly was a disappointment. I heard that Taylor was going full pop, and I didn’t mind that, if she could do it well. Sure, it has a catchy melody and the hook, while repetitive, sticks in your head well, the production is basic, and the “white-girl rapping” is not all that great. Also, I don’t tend to like anti-hater anthems, because making the song just shows how much it affects you. We do get a good follow-up with “Blank Space”, nice production, good hook, and it shows a more “adult” tone. Problem being, it doesn’t seem like her. It doesn’t seem honest, and that is what I always loved about her. She didn’t have to make a cover-up, she was herself, at least that’s the impression I got. Third single “Style” is a pure gem. It tells about how both partners are realizing that they screwed up, and they both have problems, shows a great deal a maturity. The 80s style guitar carries a very nice melody. Now we get to the polarizing “Bad Blood”, which honestly, I didn’t hate the album version, carrying a much more darker tone, it’s an alright song. Now the Kendrick Lamar featured remix, now I could go on about how bad that one is, but it’s not part of this album, so no bitching there. Then we get “Wildest Dreams”, a low-key sex song that really isn’t to my taste, though it could be, knowing Taylor as a teenager, I just can’t see her being 24 like she is here. It’s a good version of say, Lana Del Rey. It isn’t bad, but again, not for me. After is “Out Of The Woods”, which I like, but not as a single. The echoing vocals and 80s production works fine enough. Finally, we get the final and seventh single, “New Romantics”. I actually like quite a bit, with the synth and just being a feel-good anthem with the line “the best people in life are free” (though it should be pointed out she likely does not even know what the “New Romantics” is).

Now we have to get to the album tracks and… “Welcome To New York”, the opening track. Overproduced, cheesy, and just for the most part, boring. I had fun with it at first, but now… it’s just filler. Then we get “All You Had To Do Was Stay”, and really, it’s a pretty good song, but I will say the high head voiced “Stay!” on the hook… I’m going to paraphrase Shane Dawson here and say it sounds like someone is shoving something big up her ass. “I Wish You Would” sounds great, saying that she knows the relationship wouldn’t work, and she wish it did. Though the “You always knew how to push my buttons” line is kinda goofy, whatever. “How You Get The Girl” is a nice acoustic track that could’ve fit on her other albums. I like the heartfelt, stripped-back sentiment of giving advice to a guy who wants a girl back. “Clean” is a gorgeous cut as well.

All in all, this album could have been great, but it’s barely good. She’s playing a persona it seems and doesn’t seem too honest most of the time. She's playing off other artists rather than being herself and what makes her unique. It’s a strong 6/10 and I’m recommending it, but really it’s a modest one, and she could do better.

Your own rating of 1989?

Miranda Cosgrove - Sparks Fly: Album Review

The Nickelodeon actress gives us one of the best pop albums to come out in 2010, and the best of what teen pop has to offer. 

Genre: Pop/Teen pop/Pop rock

Best songs: "Disgusting", "Kissin U", "Hey You", "Adored"

Worst songs: "Oh Oh"

Rating: 9/10

If you see the score, this will probably be one of my most biased reviews I’ve ever done. I will probably overrate this. I was raised on Nickelodeon, and I’ll admit, I had a crush on Miranda Cosgrove from the younger girl during her Drake & Josh days, to iCarly, and even to the woman she is today. I mean, she always had the charisma, the looks, and cute, albeit, more immature of a persona. I even attended a concert and met her. So yeah, celebrity crush territory. You were warned.

Now, while she got bigger push for her music than her fellow Nickelodeon stars like Drake Bell and Victoria Justice, she still didn’t do stellar. This album debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200, with 36,000 copies. While it sold more than Drake Bell’s It’s Only Time (23,000) in its debut week, the latter album eventually sold more, even with her hit songs like “Kissin U” and “About You Now” (the former of which was certified Gold). Now, this album was a guilty pleasure for me as a kid. I couldn’t admit to people I was listening to the iCarly starlet. It was girly pop music. But, listening to it today, I can appreciate it more.

But enough background, let’s get into the actual album and while critics underrated it, I’m going to give it a fair shake. Let’s start with Miranda herself, who, on the verge of her 17th birthday, sounds great on this album, and makes up for her limited range, with tons of charisma and presence on the microphone. The album opens up with the lead single, “Kissin U” (one of the two songs Cosgrove wrote), which basically tells of how Cosgrove feels when kissing a boy. Simple premise, but it doesn’t come off as sensual or sexual in any fashion, it’s cute, and actually appropriate for the demographic, which is why it works. The second song is “BAM”, which has a very EDM feel, but at the same time I had a feeling of pop rock. Another love song, and how much she loves this guy. Again, simple, but that’s what pop is for. Now, we get the best single on the album, the Kesha-penned “Disgusting”, which was left off her debut album Animal. It definitely sounds like a Kesha track, something Cosgrove does on her later EP High Maintenance, with the song “Dancing Crazy”. This song has a different take on hating that she loves him. Another EDM sound with the bass, and has a good hook that doesn’t heavily emphasize the percussion. And I can’t help not liking it, especially with how cute she sounds on the bridge leading up to the final chorus. Then we get to “Shakespeare” which is a very pop rock track which names drops Jeff Buckley of all people, who died when Miranda was only four. What follows up, is the amazing, feel good ballad, “Hey You”, which is telling a friend or lover that she sees that person in the best ways, and “if you would only see yourself the way you see everyone else” and thinking it’s wrong for them to be “hiding in the background thinking you’re not pretty”. Which, I have personal reason to love this track that I won’t get into, just that it makes me feel good about myself. We also have the Avirl Lavigne-penned “Daydream”, another pop rock song that fits very well with Miranda and this album. The two other tracks I’d like to talk about on the positive side (since this is getting long), are “Adored” and “Brand New You”. “Brand New You” plays a similar theme to Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable”, telling the guy she can find someone just like him, even with the same anatomy, talking like them, walking like them, etc. It shows a different side to her, a stronger side. Now, “Adored”, Miranda also wrote, which is telling the guy to show her that she’s “adored”, not just saying “I love you”, but showing that he loves her.

And now, we have to get into the negative side. “Oh Oh” reminds me of Ariana Grande’s “Focus”. Annoying male vocals that ruin the song. Yeah, it shows the stronger, and more mature side of her. Her vocals sounds slightly attitude filled, which I actually don’t like her voice that way. She fits better with softer sounds. “I look so hot, the boys forgot that after N comes O”. Great, now I’m thinking of Meghan Trainor’s “No”. Also, I wish they had Miranda wrote more tracks. She’s like Hilary Duff, a very strong songwriter. I’d like to see return to music. Like I said, one of the best pop records of 2010, and the best of the teen pop genre.

Nick Jonas - Last Year Was Complicated: Album Review

The pop singer faces an identity crisis with his third studio album.

Genre: Pop/R&B

Best songs: "Chainsaw", "Close" (ft. Tove Lo), "Under You"

Worst songs: "Good Girls" (ft. Big Sean), "Bacon" (ft. Ty Dolla $ign)

Rating: 6/10

If we say for the sake of this review, that the Jonas Brothers are a boy band, we've had plenty of artists break from their vocal groups to make great music, and successful music, too. We have Justin Timberlake, Robbie Williams, Paul McCartney, and others. And then we have Nick Jonas, who hasn't had massive success, and his music was never exactly stellar.

I assume he called this Last Year Was Complicated for two reasons: his relationship problems and because he didn’t release a full studio album last year (he re-released his self-titled second album from 2014), and that he was planning to release albums every year like he’s Assassin’s Creed or Call of Duty. So, if we take these assumptions, how did it turn out?

Well, not that great. The album opens with “Voodoo”, a very dull track, that isn’t impressive vocally, instrumentally, or lyrically. Sure, his falsetto is pretty good like usual, but it’s not pronounced here. And the basic drums machine and synth infused chorus just don’t do it for me. And the pitch-shifting at points in the song just urk me. Then we get the EDM-filled “Champagne Problems” (Side note: What is up with all the songs called “Champagne Problems” this year?). It’s a pretty decent track I’d say, though it’s better as a background track, and you just drown out the lyrics (like most of Justin Bieber’s Purpose). What follows is great. We first get the lead single, “Close”, which features vocals from Swedish singer Tove Lo, who also co-wrote the track. The steel drums sound great, and Jonas and Tove Lo have amazing chemistry. Lyrically, it’s nice too. A song about wanting to be closer to your lover, because why wouldn’t you? After, maybe being “close” didn’t work for them, because we get the breakup song, “Chainsaw”, which is the album’s follow up to “Close” as a single. It’s a deeply personal track telling of Jonas after the breakup, and taking out his anger on anything that reminds him of his ex.

A lot of the middle of this album seems pointless to be here, almost filler. “Touch” is an acoustic track for the most part, and allows Jonas vocals to shine, but it does sometimes sound difficult to understand him, and “touching you with no hands” sounds more disturbing than sexy. Then we get “Bacon” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, which I already get low expectations when I see Ty Dolla $ign as a feature. He’s becoming one of those rappers who will feature with anyone, seems like they have a spinning wheel they throw darts to tell which rapper is going on the next pop song. And “One thing I love more than being with you is date night”... what? And his extended “ohh ohh ohh” makes him sound like Rich Homie Quan. That aside, the rapper is tolerable I suppose (granted he compares a woman to Bacon), certainly better than what we get from Big Sean on “Good Girls”. Also, who believes Jonas wants “Good Girls”? Not me.

Look, he seems really, “bipolar” on this album, all over the place, and sorry, I can’t recommend it, maybe to only Nick Jonas fans. 6/10.

Fifth Harmony - 7/27: Album Review

The girl group does change for the better, but not by a huge margin. Album: 7/27 - Fifth Harmony Genre: Pop/EDM Best songs:  "Write On Me", "Squeeze"                                     Worst songs: "Work From Home" (ft. Ty Dolla $ign), "This Life", "All In My Head" (Flex) (ft. Fetty Wap) Rating: 4/10.

7/27 is the sophomore album from American girl group Fifth Harmony. The album was preceded by the lead single “Work From Home”, which features rapper Ty Dolla $ign. On this album we see the girl group maturing, but not by much.   Let’s actually talk about the lead single, because it’s probably one of the worst songs on this record. Blatantly ripping off the chorus “Work” by Rihanna, which features Canadian rapper Drake, and while “Work”, to be honest, is not great, at least it’s not a rip-off. If you’re going to do that, at least do it better than this. The girls aren’t even likable on this song, and it’s sad to say Ty Dolla $ign of all people is the only (barely) redeeming quality of this song. While the snapping is a nice aesthetic, it reminds me too much of the snapping in Selena Gomez’s “Same Old Love”, which again, a much better song. Then we get into “This Life”, which has pitch-shifted chipmunks that I just can't stand here. Why is it becoming so common in pop music? It only works good if it’s actually Alvin & The Chipmunks in almost all cases. Next comes “All In My Head” (Flex), which features, ugh… Fetty Wap. His voice is pretty intolerable on this song like always. He only works well over trap, and even then, it’s not much. I can’t even understand what he’s saying half the time. And I can’t stand self-indulging songs like this. They’re “flexing”, good for them. At least be believable in your bragging. And then we get into the production and instrumentation. Which I’ve talked about already with the chipmunk vocals and such. But basically (pun intended), it’s all pretty basic instrumentation and production and it’s not at all complex. And deciding to give Camilla Cabello the most attention when she’s clearly the weakest vocalist just doesn’t work.   But is there any redeeming qualities here? Well, they do have slightly better harmonies, and they gave the other girls more time in the spotlight. Which they should, and do it much more. The vocals from the girls are tolerable most of the time, and they don’t have a single as bad as “Worth It” at least.   It’s obviously not for me, but 4/10. Fans will probably eat it up and love it. But, really only fans. If you want to tell me how wrong I am, Harmonizers, you can do so in the comments. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the next review.

Ariana Grande - Dangerous Woman Review

We see the young pop starlet/actress taking on her more sexy image.

Album: Dangerous Woman - Ariana Grande. 
Genre: R&B/Pop.
Best songs:  "Bad Decisions", "Dangerous Woman", "Be Alright", "Into You"
Worst songs: "Let Me Love You" (ft. Lil Wayne), "Leave Me Lonely" (ft. Macy Gray) (not on its own, but bad in the context of the album) 
Rating: 7/10.

Preceded by the promotional single "Focus" and the lead single, "Dangerous Woman", American pop star/actress Ariana Grande's third studio album, Dangerous Woman, sees the starlet taking on a more sexy image, but not to the same degree as her peers like Miley Cyrus. You may laugh at Grande for calling herself dangerous, but when she has songs like "Love Me Harder" and "Get On Your Knees", she's seems like a very.. dominant person, to say the least. She's not trying to throw her Nickelodeon image away. She still tries to maintain the cute image with the bunny mask, but it's clear it's not (especially with the latex outfit), and it takes it one step further. She had hints of this, but never anything this explicit.

In October of 2015, Grande released what was intended to be the lead single, "Focus". The single was very reminiscent of 2014's "Problem" with Iggy Azalea, and featured shouting vocals from Jamie Foxx that just... didn't work well. It still debuted at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. But with average at best sales and mixed reviews, Grande had to take a step back and try again. And she did by scrapping "Focus" from all versions of the album but the Japanese Deluxe Edition. In March of 2016, she returned with the now lead single, the title track, "Dangerous Woman". With this, she achieved another Top 10 hit, having the lead single of all of her albums hit at least the Top 10. The R&B/pop track is a song of empowerment, and how the feelings for this guy makes Grande feel like a "Dangerous Woman". The song has nice buildups, and the guitar solo on the bridge is pretty sweet. The second single "Into You" is one of the catchiest songs on here. The EDM banger shows the sexy side of Grande this album is trying to represent. It talks about Grande being so addicted to her lover. Like the title track, it was written by hitmaker Max Martin, who you might know for writing with Taylor Swift and Adele. This is where I see Grande as a little more authentic than some of her other songs, due to the fact she has a writing credit here.

Promotional single "Be Alright" is an extremely catchy track that's just about being optimistic and thinking everything will be fine, that is always gets better. Her vocals on here are great, showing some range going from F3 to C5. The snapping, it was a nice aesthetic as well. Then there's "Let Me Love You" featuring Lil Wayne that does nothing and could've just been left off the album. Or at least taken Lil Wayne off. All he does on this track is pretty much saying he wanting to bang Ariana. And to quote Mark Grondin from Spectrum Pulse here, "it comes across like he's playing the Svengali taking advantage of a girl right after her breakup." Which, no. It's isn't good, it isn't sexy, or anything of the sort. It kinda just makes me dislike Lil Wayne, even more so than he's been for a while.

Now we get to the non-single songs on here. And there are great ones here. We get "Leave Me Lonely", the ballad that features Macy Gray. The track definitely shows Grande and Gray have good chemistry, and Grande can have less dramatic bombast and just strip it down, where Grande sings about how this love is no good for her, and that he should just leave her, cause he's a bad influence. Then we get the very fast paced "Bad Decisions", which pretty much shits on the theme of "Leave Me Lonely". It Has good tempo changes that don't feel sudden and flow well. Grande's vocals are here are decent. The lyrical content, tells of a girl not caring that she's with a "bad boy", that makes her do "stupid things" and make "bad decisions". And those lines about "not fucking with the good boys", and "a'int you ever seen a princess be a bad bitch", while I think those lyrics are in bad taste and she obviously has a lot of growing up to do, hey, the song sounds great, what can you do? But, that's only if looking at the song and not the album as a whole, it contradicted "Leave Me Lonely", and either of them could have been left off, cause it seems like she just gives up on leaving that guy and just says "fuck it, I like the bad boys", even though a few tracks before she says he's not good.

While it's an improvement from My Everything, she can definitely do better. Very strong 7/10. Definitely recommending this for anyone who likes good pop music.