John Mayer - Battle Studies

It must be nice to be John Mayer. He’s an unbelievable guitarist, a pretty funny amateur comedian, and even when he makes what may be one of his least memorable albums to date, it’s still pretty damn good.

When listening to John Mayer’s previous work, its generally not hard to guess what he listens to for inspiration. Based on his style, approach, and covers during the span of his career, he’s probably gone through phases in which his ipod has been stuck on everything encompassing folk, soul, blues, and of course, rock n roll.

So what was he listening to during the months he spent recording his new album in his rented Los Angeles home? Probably a lot of John Mayer. Not that that’s a bad thing.

On Battle Studies, Mayer continues to churn out well crafted and articulate soft rock, minus some of the class and soul of Continuum or the fire and rawness of his far-too-brief trio excursion on Try!

With his latest release, Mayer tries to show us his sensitive side by likening his emotional trials and tribulations to a constant metaphorical war, often juxtaposed with upbeat, easy to swallow pop tunes. Despite Mayer’s gift for guitar, he tones it down a bit this time around. Don’t expect anything too over the top, save for a few echoed guitars that sound like they were produced by U2 themselves.

As always, he’s at his best when he drops the dramatics and sticks to his honest and quirky self. Songs like “Who Says” and “Do You Know Me” are welcomed breaks from songs about assassins of love and heartbreak-bombs. It’s the short, intimate, and honest little bursts of creativity on this album that remind us that Mayer is more than just a pop heartthrob.

The truth is, Mayer is a funky guy, no matter how hard he tries to hide it, and he lets it loose on his cover of the Robert Johnson classic “Crossroads.”  Unfortunately, right now, funky is not his prerogative.

For better or worse, the majority of the album focuses on Mayer’s failed relationship with Jennifer Aniston, or what could very likely be any number of young ladies that most people will assume are Jennifer Aniston. But no matter, after a few listens clever albeit cheesy songs like “Half of my Heart,” which features Taylor Swift, become more catchy than anything.

By the end of the closing ballad “Friends, Lovers, or Nothing,” you probably wouldn’t fight someone if they wanted to replay the album, which would be a good decision because it only gets better with more listens. Despite any personal drama he may have suffered, John Mayer clearly hasn’t been beaten up enough to stop doing what he does best. Making good music.

Melanie Fiona - The Bridge

Melanie Fiona chose the perfect title for her debut album. The Bridge is exactly what she builds to crossover seamlessly between pop and soul, new and old school.

Often lumped in with the retro-soul revivers of Britain, Amy Winehouse and Duffy, Toronto-born Fiona separates her self by trumpeting her love story without any gimmicks (no ratty beehives, thanks!) and with a genuine passion that runs through her raspy, sultry voice.

The closest you’ll come to a gimmick is “Give It To Me Right,” the first single from the set. Sampling The Zombies‘ “Time of the Season,” the unforgettable drum pattern and piano twinkles add the same pop flare it did for the band in the 60s, but the sensual theme of “please me or get lost” transforms the song into a very today anthem for women taking charge of their sexual relationships.

That same strength is echoed on tracks like “Monday Morning” (”Baby, I still need ya/but if I stay, I’ll leave ya/Cus I gotta get away”), “Walk On By” (”Fool me once, but you won’t fool me twice/Don’t say sh–, just walk on by”), and the fist-pumping, chase-your-dreams track “Ay Yo.”

The Bridge is not without its vulnerable moments. The sweetly crooned “You Stop My Heart” is one of the sappiest, yet best songs on the set, with its throwback girl-group “bum bum, bum bum” chorus. And the heart-wrenching “It Kills Me” proves while Melanie exudes strength, she’s no stranger to faltering to the allures of not-so-good-for-you love.

Listening to the album makes you forget it’s only a debut. Fiona and writing partner Andrea Martin made an album so close to perfect, it will surely help Fiona cross the bridge between an artist here for today and an artist here to make history.

OneRepublic - Waking Up

Your frontman writes hit records for megastars like Beyonce, Kelly Clarkson and Leona Lewis. You’ve skyrocketed up the Billboard charts with your Timbaland-produced single, Apologize. Your debut album, Dreaming Out Loud, has sold over 1 million copies worldwide. And you’ve sold out concerts around the globe. Now it’s time to follow-up all of that success, OneRepublic. The pressure’s on!

When your band’s chief songwriter is Ryan Tedder, that task becomes a little less daunting. Tedder’s writing approach for OneRepublic’s sophomore album, Waking Up, seems to be telling a story. Upon first listen, that story gets a little lost in translation but like every good book, it may take several reads—or in this case, listens—before you truly get it.

Lead single, All The Right Moves, and album tracks Everybody Loves Me and Good Life are perhaps the only “radio friendly” tunes you’ll come across. Clear in its mission, the sing, clap and stomp along melodies immediately grab you.

But it’s less obvious gems like the beautiful love song All This Time and the haunting album closer Lullaby that really moves this set and even the band its self into the next chapter—one where they’re judged on their musicianship and not the overnight success of a single.

Pressure’s off.

Tokio Hotel - Humanoid

If you’re not yet familiar with Tokio Hotel, let me break it down for you. Glam-style makeup complete with mile high hair? Check. German? Check. Dedicated following of angst ridden teenage emo fans? Check. Since 2001, the German foursome, fronted by androgynous hair product enthusiast Bill Kaulitz, has been pumping out their own brand of nu metal inspired pop and finally crossed over to the U.S. market with their 2007 English language debut Scream.

But forget about their history, on their newest album, Humanoid, Tokio Hotel is clearly preoccupied with the futuristic sounds that might make a half-decent soundtrack to a big budget, poorly written summer sci-fi blockbuster. Now lets talk tunes. If you’re expecting heavy distorted guitars on this album, good news, you’re going to get them. If you’re expecting attitude, you may want to lower your standards. Melodrama? Yes. Standout originality? Not so fast.

On Humanoid the band spins similar songs a bit darker, but are unable to mask their standard sound beyond anything but the usual. The guitars are still there, but what may have passed for edginess on their previous record is toned down by an overuse of science fiction influence, represented by echoes and synth sounds. There’s nothing wrong trying new things, but in this case, by pushing their only new element to the forefront, the boys from across the pond drown in it.

Don’t worry kids, Kaulitz’s vocals are exactly as high and theatrical as you remember them, and there are plenty of songs that recall their previous record as a safer sounding Evanescence. The banger of a title track, for example, is fast, rhythmically driving, and full of the angst that fans have come to crave. In addition, the high production value from start to finish makes for a smooth ride, despite material that strives to shake you.

Lyrically, there’s nothing lost in translation here. Elements of love and loss run rampant throughout the album as Kaulitz groans about struggles to connect in with others in the face of alienation. In “Human connect to Human” he wonders aloud “How can I connect to you? A Kiss? A touch? Never enough.” Lyrics throughout the album remain simple.

Standard teen-pop themes and well-worn musical territory combine to make a well-produced album that’s listenable, but steadfast in its mediocrity throughout. Although aiming for a more mature sound is admirable, it’s clear the band still has a ways to go before they can musically match their lead singers ability to stand out in a crowd.

Paramore - brand new eyes

The problem with having a massive hit on pop radio and the TRL  (before MTV terminated the critically ill music video countdown show) when you’re a rock band like Paramore striving for credibility is music fans outside of your dedicated bubble suddenly think you’re one of those acts — a band put together to cater to pre-teens, the most fickle bunch of music fans there are.

What “Misery Business” and RIOT! — the album it came from — did for the Tennessee band was put them on a pedestal for youngsters looking for a voice (and cute face in frontwoman Hayley Williams) for their against. What their new album brand new eyes (lower case for a reason, apparently) will do for them is secure their place as a band worthy of a few spins by that “prog-rock is the only real rock” touting listener while keeping the fanbase they’ve grown since their 2005 debut.

Often full of rage, brazenly cynical, and, at times, surprisingly sensitive, brand new eyes is a boiling pot of emotion that spills over with each wail and whisper of Williams’ chilling voice.

In “Ignorance,” the lead single from the set, they take everything that made “Misery Business” a smash and pump it up to the next level with harder, louder guitar rifts and cut-throat lyrics. “Where’s your gavel, your jury?/What’s my offense this time?/You’re not a judge but if you’re gonna judge me, sentence me to another life.”

“Playing God” takes jabs at the self-righteous, holier-than-thou types. “Next time you point a finger/I might have to bend it back and break it, break it off/Next time you point a finger/I’ll point it to the mirror.” Ouch!

Cynicism meets romance on the mellow, acoustic guitar-driven “The Only Exception,” where Williams tries her best to trust in a new beau and brush off her preconceived notion that all love must end, formed by watching her parents’ relationship crumble as a child (”You are the only exception…and I’m on my way to believing”).

In “Looking Up” they seem to address the break-up rumors they were plagued with while they were between albums. “It’s not a dream anymore/it’s worth fighting for,” Hayley sings on the chorus. “I can’t believe we almost hung it up/we’re just getting started.” Seems like when Paramore decided not to hang it up, they buckled down to make one of the year’s most honest-to-goodness captivating pop-rock offerings. Longevity is a certainty with the flock of new, more mature fans they’re sure to gain with brand new eyes. They’re just getting started indeed.

Demi Lovato promises her sophomore album Here We Go Again will feature a more soulful, mature artist. It hasn’t even been a full year since the singer/actress released her debut album Don’t Forget. So what could she have gone through in that short amount of time to end up with enough material for a new, more mature album? The drama filled life of a teenage girl does give one a lot to write about and that’s especially true for this 16-year-old beauty.

In those short few months, the singer has gone from the relatively unknown costar of the Jonas Brothers to a singer worthy of headlining her own tour, not to mention a songwriter worthy of some co-writing sessions with celebrated singer/songwriter John Mayer.

Clearly she’s had enough experiences to help craft the more mature sound she’s shooting for on her second go around. Only problem is, the album never quite gets there.

The album plays a game of ping pong: hitting the soulful vibe she wants to deliver on songs like the gorgeous Falling Over Me, Every Time You Lie and World of Chances, but always drifting back to the safe pop/rock sound she masterfully tackled on her debut album.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, though. Demi shines on the guitar-heavy Quiet. “It’s much too quiet in here/I wanna disappear/I’m hearing myself thinking too clear,” Demi yells on the chorus.

The set experiences a major setback in its maturity bid towards the end of the album with the addition of Gift of A Friend (a song Demi recorded for the newest Tinkerbell movie) and So Far, So Great–the theme song from Demi’s Disney Channel original series Sonny With A Chance. Although adorable, these filler tracks should have been omitted.

The Mouse House still has a very tight hold on this youngster and maybe she isn’t quite ready to jump head first into the world of adult pop but she’s shown enough growth to stay around for awhile for another shot. And there are definitely a few more 20-somethings not afraid to admit they listen to Demi Lovato.

For American Idol winners, their first albums are normally viewed more as a test product than their “babies.” Sure, it’s a dream for them to release an album, and no doubt they’re excited about it, but the album is essentially the vision of herds of songwriters, producers, and Idol execs. When (if) they’re lucky enough to get a second album, that’s when listeners can measure exactly what kind of artist they’ll be.

Jordin Sparks, the bubbly winner of season 6, just released her sophomore album, Battlefield, and, for the most part, she’s in the same lane as she was on her 2007 self-titled debut — not a good thing.

Sparks still seems to be little more than the mouth-piece for the talented crop of songwriters and producers who worked on the album, which include T-Pain, Stargate, The Underdogs, and Ryan Tedder. With so many cooks in the kitchen it’s hard for her to establish a defining sound or direction; the 19-year-old isn’t sure if she’s making music for her peers or her mom.

Songs like the electro-pop “SOS (Let The Music Play)” and “Emergency (911)” are clearly meant for her age set with their mentions of ringtones, texting, and club hopping, but they feel uncomfortable. Sparks is more at home with the Adult Contemporary crowd, like on the moody lead single and title track from the set, where Jordin compares love’s ups and downs to a war. “You better go and get your armor,” she sings on the sweeping hook.

Dramatic, atmospheric production and immaculately soaring vocals make “Let It Rain” and “Faith” the album’s saviors, proving that Jordin can eventually grow into an artist with the right stuff. Maybe if the Idol gods smile again for a third album, Sparks will ditch the gaggle of producers, sit down with one, maybe two and craft a more cohesive offering that tells the world why she won Idol in the first place.

Disney Channel rolled out their newest original movie tonight (June 26), the Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez fronted Princess Protection Program. Although Neon Limelight is all about the music, we couldn’t help catching the latest DCOM and sharing our view. The fact that both girls are also singers completely justifies us in doing this as well!

If you missed the premiere and you’re not quite sure if you want to catch the endless reruns this weekend, we put together a little pro and con list that may give you a little guidance. Warning: contains spoilers!

Con – Bad wigs
The dude presenting Rosalinda as Queen totally had a George Washington wig! His screen time was brief but it was painful to see each time. Whoa, fail!

Pro – The action started early
Within the first 10 minutes, Princess Rosalinda was threatened and shipped off into hiding in the PPP (Princess Protection Program). Way to get things jumping early on!

Con – Carter and Rosie: The Early Moments
Carter was completely too hard on Rosie as she made her transition from Princess to “normal” girl. Rosie was no saint though. She was pushy, more than slightly embarrassing and gave princesses a bad name early on. Ew!

Pro – Friendship Rules
After a rough start, Carter and Rosie eventually became BFFs. Rosie even shows Carter how to bring out the Princess from within.

Con – Brookie.
No one likes a villain–even if they turn slightly nice towards the end. You especially dislike this vilian when she has a high pitched, incredibly annoying voice! Chalk board much?

Pro – Chelsea
OK, so sometimes you do like the villain. Head bad girl Chelsea (played by former MTV Real World-er Jamie Chung) was a total bad arse. She even ended up getting exactly what she wanted–albeit wetter than she probably ever imagined.

Con – Predictable Ending
If you ran out of popcorn and needed to refill or drank too much soda and had to empty the tank and ended up missing the ending, no worries! You could probably guess what happens.

Pro – Closing Song
The movie ending with Two Worlds Collide off Demi’s debut album Don’t Forget? How fitting! And it scores major points since it is one of my favorite Demi songs.

Verdict: Demi and Selena’s real life friendship helps make the bond between Rosie and Carter believable. Selena has great comedic timing and Demi’s acting improved greatly from Camp Rock. Will I be jumping out of my chair singing the movie’s praises? Probably not. But I don’t feel like I wasted two hours of my life either.

Gavin DeGraw is a believer in the saying that less is more — well, at least now he is. That’s the approach he’s taken to his stripped down third studio album entitled Free which comes not even a full year after the release of his decidedly more rock-oriented self-titled sophomore album.

Perhaps quietly admitting to the mistake he made in changing his sound a bit on the last record — most fans loved it and the first single, the guitar-blaring In Love With A Girl, was a hit, but the album as a whole wasn’t as critically acclaimed as his 2003 debut, Chariot – DeGraw created Free in a span of only two weeks in a New York studio with only one goal in mind: cut through the bull and let the music do the talking.

The short, nine-song set will take an adjustment for casual listeners expecting anything resembling the aforementioned In Love or the singer’s breakout hit, I Don’t Want To Be, but fans of his impeccable songwriting talents and sinfully soulful voice will find Free immensely enjoyable because the minimal production of the songs allow those qualities to take center stage.

Songs like Glass, in which Gavin takes turns being the narrator and both parties in a shattered relationship, and the piano ballad Dancing Shoes lack catchy pop hooks but get etched in your mind because their perfect combination of simplistic melody, clever wordplay, and superb vocal performance. Both songs were written over a decade ago when DeGraw was still in his teens and revamped slightly for the album.

Easily one of the best offerings on the set is the sonically misty Waterfall. Its chorus is a bit repetitive, but the soulful instrumentals and the yearning strokes of DeGraw’s voice immediately causes you to forgive any minor shortcoming.

The smokey Indian Summer, a cover of the Chris Whitley cult classic, offers a chance to see another side of DeGraw — he doesn’t need to be the writer to shine.

The title track explores the complex dualities of all that Gavin is: “A feather and a stone/I feel crowded and alone…and I want to be free.” Is it possible the song is about how he feels about his place in the music industry? He can make amazing pop songs, but he’s also an extremely talented musician who sometimes needs to break free from the poppy bells and whistles and let the music speak for itself. Well, mission accomplished. And when the music on Free speaks, you’ll want to listen…over and over again.

Interscope Records may have given her a record deal as soon as they got word of her as she raps in the intro to her debut album, but it’s been a struggle for Keri Hilson to make the transition from your favorite artists’ songwriter behind the scenes to the artist in the forefront.

Keri was not unfamiliar with being positioned highly on the Billboard charts–but only under the songwriting credits of some major hits. That is until producer and mentor Timbaland released the Hilson-featured The Way I Are in 2007. The song topped the charts around the world, and it seemed like the perfect time to capitalize on the exposure.

But alas, the team was wrong. For whatever reason, the subsequent singles Keri released flopped commercially. With a backing team that includes Tim and notoriously cocky rapper/producer Polow Da Don, a couple under-performing singles weren’t going to stop Hilson. The persistence paid off big time in the form of a top 20 hit with Turnin’ Me On which features the ubiquitous Lil Wayne. With the stage set, after many delays, Hilson’s first full length album, In A Perfect World…, will finally be released March 24.

The album is an enjoyable 15-song set of bass bumping up-tempos, synth-heavy pop jams, and smooth R&B mid-tempo cuts. Hilson is more than a capable singer. Her voice is immensely pliable–she fairs well on hip-hip tinged songs where she “rap sings” like Turnin’ Me On and the Keyshia Cole/Trina featured women’s anthem Get Your Money Up, but she can also give the Beyonces and Mariahs of the world a run on songs like Knock You Down where she trades verses with Ne-Yo and Kanye West, and the Prince-influenced Slow Dance.

But that’s not to say pliability is always a good thing. It also makes it hard for Keri to carve out a clear voice that will be uniquely hers. None of the material or the way in which Keri delivers it screams “this is a Keri Hilson song and ONLY a Keri Hilson song.” Ciara could easily pull off Slow Dance, Rihanna could have a hit with Return The Favor, and Beyonce could do unimaginably great things to Make Love. But that shouldn’t be held against her just yet — it is usually a problem that is worked out by an artist’s second album. So for now Keri’s world is damn good, but not yet perfect.