PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

PJ Harvey is not for everybody because she's so outside the box most of the time. Her style and her vocal charisma is more akin to those music snobs who only like what everyone else hates and vice versa. The 2011 Harvey album is a return to form for her as I think she had started to slide quality wise. Now I am not a huge fan of her myself but I've got friends who continually tell me I don't know what I'm missing. I can understand her talent and influence but she never jumps far enough into the mainstream sound to become one of those artists I like.

The indie pop is ok on Let England Shake and she's doing some cool stuff but I prefer and bigger production from this kind of song writing. There is nowhere enough bottom end and bass on the album leaving it all feeling a little thin.

Song Highlights: The Words That Maketh Murder, The Last Living Rose, In The Dark Places & Written On The Forehead

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Jennifer Lopez - Love

J-Lo's love album is an album of formulated, calculated derivative electronic dance pop that has about as much soul as Pat Boone. The album is full of paint by number songs that were probably past on by the current pop princesses burning up the charts and their Disney counterparts. The best songs on this album are hard to find considering how vacuous the majority of the album is. Pitbull puts in the best performance on the album and that includes what Jennifer has done as well. The Dream shows up from the washed up rapper world to bore us with his wanna be style stolen from 50 Cent. This album proves J-Lo needs American Idol to be a success this season because her recording career is obviously failing miserably. She has no idea what good dance pop is and proves it over and over and over again. Let's not forget the album cover what a piece of shite that is too with her stupid eyebrows and that overdone blown hair. This entire package is bad and please I beg you not to spend money or bandwidth on this garbage. One of the worst albums of 2011 for sure.

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Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows - D.R.U.G.S

Craig Owens the emo butthead from Chiodos launches his new bands debut album. The album isn't as relevant as some would lead you to believe. The album uses all the typical emo attacks to engage the listener and if your a huge fan of this style I'm sure you won't be as bored as I was listening to it. I actually had my Last FM scrobbler running so it showed up on my library of listens. The band do have some decent song titles like "Mr. Owl Ate My Metal Worm" but the song is freaking awful then you get "My Swagger Has A First Name" again good title but the music gives you an ear splitting headache. This is for sure a total pass and if you choose to ignore my warning I pity your ears.

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Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding

Liam Gallagher and his old band with a new name missing a brother is Beady Eye. There is nothing new from the re-named Oasis and that is where the album finds its success. Considering how bland and overtly lame the last couple of Oasis albums were this album does not encompass that era of Liam and companies song writing missteps. The production has much improved with the band sounding near perfect at times with glorious rhythms and enormous hooks. Now is this as good as say the Wings, no it's not. But I'll take it over most of the current crop of rock bands for sure.

The first single has so much in common with John Lennon's stylistic songwriting he should get a credit and some royalties. Beady Eye continue along with some great songs including the rough and tumble "Bring The Light" that has as much Elton John influence as it does Beatles. The album does have some points that come off contrived but their British Invasion styled power pop always seems to save them. I hope that this band can stick together and make a real career out of this because overall the debut is a very strong one and I'd like to hear much more from Beady Eye.

Song Highlights: The Roller, For Anyone, Kill For A Dream, Three Ring Circus, The Beat Goes On & World Outside My Room

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The Grammy Aftermath

Well this years show wasn't awful but wasn't great either and that is mostly because its not about the awards and creative artists. It's about fashion, quick soundbites and big production performances. Let's be honest I don't know if that's ever not what its been about over its history. The awards are supposed to cover all countries and music but it rarely compliments anything outside of the USA. The biggest news before the show wasn't about music it was about Lady Gaga and what she would be wearing then it moved to what she would pull off performance wise.

Once she performed her Maddona ripoff with the alien pointed shoulders and forehead replacing the pop queen's pointed bra from years before I was highly impressed with her actual singing of her new single. She pulled off the music part excellently. Not all the spectacle could cover up the inability to sing for some of the other performers. Two of the biggest selling stars of the year in Bieber and Usher performed together with Will Smith's kid Jaden who looked completely fake and out of place on such a big stage. He does not have the presence his dad has and his proud dad's shots during the performance were more captivating and interesting than anything that was happening on the stage.

Bieber was as usual flat and off key many times and Usher who can't sing at all in a live setting was horrid. Probably the worst performance section of the show by a long distance. Neither of these artists are worth the hoopla that is given to them it just proves how pop singers haven't got the chops most of the time live. The opening tribute of the show was decent with the four ladies singing a tribute to Aretha Franklin. Jennifer Hudson and Christina Aguilera ripped on their vocals, Yolanda and Martina McBride were good but both couldn't blow anywhere near X-Tina or Hudson. The inclusion of Florence from Florence & The Machine was nice but she was out of place and didn't really do much vocally. Her stylistic sound doesn't lend itself to Mowtown at all and she looked like she new that each time the camera was upon her. The show missed the boat by not bringing Annie Lennox in to sing considering "Sisters Are Doin' For Themselves" is her song too.

This show was anti climax overall even with the comedic performance by Cee-Lo Green and Gwyneth Paltrow. They looked like they were having a great time on stage even though there were major flaws vocally by them both. I was completely disgusted when the show ended and Nicki Minaj hadn’t so much as come out and did a cameo with someone. She was completely snubbed from the awards show performances. How does a female artist who has made history with her debut album not get to perform at the Gramys, but you have a performance by a 100-year-old man? Speaking of the 100-year-old man, boy did he sound horrible or what! But that's what the awards spectacle has always done with anything considered rock music. They don't honour those artists until they are ancient and long past their expiry date.

The previous two performances Mumford & Sons along with the Avett Brothers were standouts because that was "real" musicians not studio created pop performers. The Muse another of the rare rock music on the show and really the only actual rock music because the previously mentioned trio of artists are more alternative country/folk rock artists were brilliant. By far the best of the entire show and nobody was even in their league. Although the Canadian group Arcade Fire was excellent performance wise they were buried by the Muse. The nights performance that saw Rhianna, Eminem and Dre was an awkward mess. Eminem just looked like he had a 2x4 stuck up his has and the slivers were really pissing him off. Rhianna's inability to stay in tune was ever present and even though I enjoy her pop singles now and again I've yet to hear her sing live well. Dre rapped like most rappers with a flat tone lacking much presence but the brilliant background singing of Skylar Grey stole the spotlight during that performance and thank goodness she was there to save that mess.

One of the worlds most beautiful females was the best pop performer, yes even better than Gaga. She sang wonderfully, she looked amazing and she's got every single part of the package in the right place. There is no doubting Katy's talent and she is always the highlight when she performs on any show. Bruno Mars, B.o.B and the talented Janelle Monae who performed together were another of the shows highlights. B.o.B has completely won me over and I being not a huge fan of rap music really enjoy his flow and ability to be understated but still up front and resonate. His killer duet with Jessie J on her current single is one of the years best single releases so far this year. Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae right now look to be the future stars of the R&B charts and hopefully they will influence the next crews coming up because what they do is so much better that what the Usher's of the R&B world are doing.

Lastly the actual awards which were wrong more than right and you can see that when complete garbage like Lady Antebellum are given song of the year over a song that is so far it's superior in "The House That Built Me" by Miranda Lambert. The winning album of the year was stupid but hey at least it wasn't Usher or Bieber and it was a fellow Canadian even though it was a group from Quebec. Also why wasn't Ke$ha nominated for her massive album of 2010 and also where was her performance slot? The winner of best new artist was a whatever moment and lets be honest Ke$ha, Bruo Mars, B.o.B & Florence & The Machine should have been the winner of the award. Overall the show was decent but not great and the complete lack of real rock music hurts the show no matter how much the pop folk will disagree.

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Lena - Good News

Well she is easily one of the best things to come along ever and her aptly titled Good News album is really great news. Lena has one of those voices that has no negative flaws and her songwriting has made another leap forward in the quality department. The albums opening cut is the title track that has a pop sensibility that would make Carol King jealous. The album jumps forward with another touchdown "What Happened To Me" which if your ears work you'll be about as close to heaven as your brain will allow you.

As the album plays through it seems to get better and better but what makes this album so bloody good is that each time you play it the songs grow on you and she pulls you in deeper and deeper. This is by far the best album to be released in 2011 so far and I can honestly say that it will be one of the few albums I'm still listening to come December. Good News is worth a trip to the record shop for a hard copy. When music and performance on this level are given to us music fans we need to support it. I raved about Sheryl Crows brilliant 100 Miles From Memphis from last year and to be honest it pales in comparison to Lena's new record. Even the absolutely stunning Duran Duran album isn't this good.

Song Highlights: The Entire Album! Really I'm not kidding there is nothing that isn't a standout it's all amazing on every possible level.

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Singles: A Quick Review Of New Singles

So this weeks new singles aren't a plenty but here are some worthy listens.

Colbie Caillat - I Do

The first single from Caillat's upcoming album is very happy and bright. She pulls off one of her best singles so far with "I Do".


Panic! At The Disco - The Ballad Of Mona Lisa
Panic! At The Disco - The Ballad Of Mona Lisa
The return of Panic! At The Disco is welcomed and this first single from the new album Vices & Virtues is a total winner. The album is released March 29, 2011 and if it follows along the same lines as this excellent single its going to be great.


Saliva - Nothing
Saliva - Nothing
The uber catchy Nothing is another brilliant tune in a long line of classics released by one of the best bands of the 2000's. This song will be their biggest hit to date I'm positive of that statement!


Sum 41 - Screaming Bloody Murder
Sum 41- Screaming Bloody Murder
The band sounds like they've been listening to a bunch of British music mostly stuff influenced by the Beatles, Stones & Clash on their latest single. This is much improved territory from their last set of tunes. I'm looking forward to hearing the band redeem themselves after the very disappointing Underclass Hero from '07 an album of filler with really no killer.


Wiz Khalifa - Roll Up
Wiz Khalifa-Roll Up
Wiz's newest single is not as catchy or memorable as Black & Yellow but its still a good hip-hop song. I can't say I'm going to add this to my best of 2011 list but overall the song is decent.


LMFAO & Lauren Bennett - Party Rock Anthem
LMFAO-Party Rock Anthem (ft. Lauren Bennett & Goon Rock)
This weeks ass shaking dancefloor filler is from LMFAO. This song is undeniably good with a great singable chorus and groove that anyone can fit into while at the dance club. Drinks Up!

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