Ne-Yo Year of the Gentleman July 25, 2008

 

Grammy-Award winner Ne-Yo, who has impressed audiences with his talents since his 2006 with his multi-platinum, chart topping debut, ‘In My Own Words’, is fed-up with the sloppiness of current R&B. With Ne-Yo’s third disc, ‘Year Of The Gentleman’, the Las Vegas native and premier songwriter has constructed a suite of songs that shows exactly what he means by class. Written over the course of travels through Europe last year and influenced by his own fascination with the Rat Pack, Ne-Yo explains, “For me, the sharpness of Sammy and Sinatra is the kind of style I strive for in clothes and music. Year of the Gentleman is named in honor of those guys.”

Ne-Yo proves on the first single ‘Closer’, it is possible to be classy and funky at the same time. Produced by Stargate, the track is an electro-excursion in the glam of Euro-disco.

Harking back to a late-sixties retro sound, the beautiful ‘So You Can Cry’ was one of the first songs Ne-Yo recorded for the project. Opening with an enchanting guitar resembling soft rain, ‘So You Can Cry’ is a heartbreaking tune about a friend mourning a break up. Embracing Lennon and McCartney with the same vigor as Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson, the amazing ‘Stop This World’ should be hailed as one of the most beautiful love songs in years. When Ne-Yo swoons, “She’s got heaven in her eyes,” there is no denying his passion. Moving beyond the competition by just being himself, Ne-Yo’s ‘Year of the Gentleman’ is right on time to usher in a new era of “world music”.

G-Unit – T.O.S. (Terminate On Sight) July 1, 2008

 

Man, has there been a lot of trouble in G-Unit paradise lately or what? You have Young Buck’s emotional phone call with 50 Cent, which was exposed after he got the boot from the camp. You have The Game and Buck making proclamations that Lloyd Banks might not be as happy a camper as he lets on with 50 as his boss.

You have 50 losing some of his selling power with the release of Curtis and most of all you have G-Unit as a whole not carrying the weight they did just a few short years ago. I’ll say it straight out without mincing words that Terminate On Sight will not be the album to lift them up out of the doldrums.

“You So Tough” finds 50 Cent supposedly going at Southern superstar T.I. with lines like, “Nowaways, this rap shit ain’t adding up / How niggas get caught with 10 machine guns, only get 12 months”, “Got the best lawyers that money can buy / They say at best they woulda got me 10 or maybe nine.”, and “I said, ‘How do you explain how the homie breezed?’ They said, ‘You keep your mouth shut or you eat the cheese.” The lines are clever but the song is nothing special and I’m not sure why 50 would go at T.I. if he is. I’m sure we’ll all be treated to a l ong drawn out beef that will unfold in front of our very eyes.

“I Like The Way She Do It” is one of the hottest songs on the album and sets the theme for Banks and Buck delivering the tightest verses on the album. The beat is guaranteed to make this a hit single and while Banks and Buck steal the show Yayo and 50 do deliver some clever lines like these by 50 in the opening verse, “I’m stupid rich/Got retarded money/ I’m special ed/ I got special bread.”

“Money Make The World Go Round” was a good idea, it just wasn’t executed properly. The beat was almost there but was lacking something, it sounded amateurish and Yayo on the hook wasn’t a good look. Like I said, it could have been hot but fell just short. “Ready Or Not” suffers some of the same problems in the weak production. Banks does his thing on the verse but the hook is weak and it falls short.

“Piano Man” is a serious strike out and sounds like a beat The Neptunes scrapped in 2000. The hook is awful and the verses leave a lot to be desired. “Let It Go” featuring Mavado is another miss as the hook by Mavado is not good to say the least followed by subpar verses.

“Straight Outta Southside” is a bright spot on the album with a grimy beat and Banks delivering something fierce with lines like, “I’m a stormy night/ You just a rainbow”. “Rider Pt.2” delivers some of that old Beg For Mercy G-Unit we know and love as the boys rock over a bangin’  beat and deliver some serious verses. My only complaint is that on the hook even 50 Cent isn’t immune to taking a page out of T-Pain’s book but it’s not too bad.

“No Days Off” is definitely a hot track, grimy but not over the top and very well produced. Everybody delivers decent verses but Banks stands out with lines like, “These dudes been perpetrating so long/ They could make it rain/ I could make it storm.” “Casualties Of War” is a street banger and finds the trio at their grimiest. Bangin’ beat and once again Banks steals the show with lines like, “I drink like a uncle/ Smoke like a rasta/ Ball like a superstar/ Talk like a boxer.” “I Don’t Wanna Talk About It” is a solid track. The beat is simple but gets the job done as 50 remind us how much he doesn’t give a fuck with lines like, “I’m takin’ care of business/ God’s my only witness.” Songs like “Kitty Kat” and “Get Down” are barely worth mentioning.

Overall, I have to say that this album is a mediocre effort at best. The lack of Young Buck and the overuse of Tony Yayo also makes for a bad decision on 50 Cent’s part and a bad listen for the fan. “Beg For Mercy” was incredible and this is not a worth follow up.

At this point is just sounds like 50 wants to fulfill his contractual obligations and Banks sounds like he needs some space to spread his wings. That is one bright space. Banks sounds good and an album from him is something I’m not looking forward to. Terminate On Sight is going to be a decent listen if you’re a die hard G-Unit fan and if you’re not you can probably skip it.

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith June 30, 2008

Fire up the fret board, crank the amp to 11 and get ready to rock this way with Activision, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero®: Aerosmith®, the first game built around the legendary music of America’s Greatest Rock ‘N Roll Band: Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer. Slated for release this June, this latest installment from the franchise with the #1 best-selling video game in 2007, puts players in the shoes of Perry (guitar), Whitford (guitar) and Hamilton (bass), as they rock out alongside frontman Tyler and drummer Kramer. Gamers will experience Aerosmith’s GRAMMY® winning career, from their first gig to becoming rock royalty, in a way that no other entertainment vehicle offers.

To celebrate this historic, ground-breaking collaboration, Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock fans will have the opportunity to download and jam to Aerosmith’s “Dream On.” The song will be available for free from February 16-18 on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. For more information, please visit www.guitarhero.com.

“Having a game built around Aerosmith has been a huge honor and really a great experience for us,” says Joe Perry. “We’ve put a lot of ideas into the game so that fans can have fun interacting with our music, getting inside our body of work and learning about the band’s history.”

Steven Tyler says, “Any band that can go from ‘Don’t Want to Miss A Thing’ (Aerosmith’s #1 smash hit) to the ass-kicking ‘Sweet Emotion’ to the cheekiness of ‘Love in an Elevator,’ to the classic ballad ‘Dream On’ shows why Activision chose us to headline this game based on the diversity of the Aerosmith catalog. Not only is songwriting a bitch, but then it goes and has puppies.”

Perry adds, “On a larger scale, it’s cool for us to be pioneers helping to rebuild the music industry through a format like video games. It’s great for rock since the record companies are struggling to make sense of how things are changing. Fans want to get and experience music in new formats–and there are going to be some of them who will play the game, then pick up the guitar for real and start bands. It’s what’s happening now, and it’s only going to build more momentum in the future. It’s a massive change for the music business.”

“We are extremely excited that Aerosmith chose to team up with Guitar Hero, bringing one of the world’s all-time best-selling artists together with one of the biggest video game brands, to deliver a new and unique interactive way for our customers to connect with artists and their music,” said Dusty Welch, head of publishing for Activision/RedOctane. “This partnership will give Aerosmith, a band that has sold more than 150 million albums worldwide, a powerful and innovative platform to reach their fans and new audiences.”

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith brings these quintessential rock legends to the interactive realm to create the ultimate gaming experience. As fans progress through their careers in the game, they can rock out to scores of Aerosmith’s greatest hits, as well as songs from celebrated artists that the band has either performed with or has been inspired by in some way. Venues from historical moments during the band’s illustrious career offer the experience of “sweet emotion” and further capture the essence of the band’s rise to fame.

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. The Wii™ version is being developed by Vicarious Visions. The PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system version is being developed by Budcat. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB.