The Music 5 & 1 12.12.11: The Sexiest Edition Alive
Posted by Jeremy Thomas on 12.12.2011
Shania Twain takes on Ciara in Vs, Rihanna is named the sexiest woman alive, Katy Perry unleashes a ploy to shatter a Billboard record, Nirvana's label campaigns for a Christmas #1, Lady Gaga wants to be in a movie but doesn't want to die, Shakira is your "& 1" Model of the Week and more!
STUFF I WANT TO TALK ABOUT
Welcome to the Music 5 & 1, ladies and gentlemen...and commenters. (Let's be honest, most commenters are neither ladies nor gentlemen.) It's been another crazy week here at 5 & 1 headquarters and with Christmas around the corner it's only going to get crazier. Still, that doesn't mean I haven't had the chance to enjoy life a little, and I finally after some procrastination picked up a little gadget that helps me do that, namely the Roku. I have a couple Blu-Ray players that allow me to stream content to my televisions but in terms of pure streaming value few things beat this little box, which includes Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant Video, Break.com and more as options for streaming. If you don't have Comcast like I do you can also use HBO Go on the device; if you do have Comcast, then you'll be stuck emailing Comcast and getting shitty form letter responses back. I know it's a form letter because it used KANA, a customer service response system I'm familiar with from other customer service jobs. But enough of my Comcast bitching; if you want to check the Roku out go here. It's cheap, easy to set up and effective. With that little unsolicited endorsement out of the way, let's get to the Girls & Gossip!
Roselyn Sanchez had a seemingly unstoppable run toward the Hall of Bang, obliterating her way through three competitors to get within inches of her goal. Then, from out of nowhere came Shania Twain and just like that, it was all over. Shania beat Roselyn by a surprisingly-strong 140 - 88 margin to stop the actress/singer in her tracks and begin her own path toward the Hall! In order to continue though, Shania has a new obstacle in the one and only Ciara. It's pop country versus R&B; which will be the one who movies on? It's up to you, so vote away!
Shania Twain Vs Ciara
VOTE BELOW!
If there are any future participants that you would like to see in Vs, let me know either in the comments section or by email!
TWITTER BREAK!
Twitter is a powerful thing! Make sure you're following all the comings and goings around 411mania in 140 characters or less.
Being a Music Zone, you would think that we have a lot of people who love to talk about music. You would not be wrong. As such, when an album comes out that we have something to say about, we just can't help ourselves. We call that the Review Section…not the most original name, but it gets the point across! Anyway, the review section is a great place to find new music as we cover all sorts of genres and styles, from mainstream artists to lesser known acts. Here's an overview of our latest reviews.
Yelawolf - Radioactive(7.5) "Yelawolf created an album that truly has a mixture of everything. Long-time fans will likely gravitate to the first half of the album, where Yelawolf seems more familiar providing similar tracks to those in the past, while the latter half of the album is more geared towards pop radio. While some of the tracks are disappointments (Throw It Up) and others just don't work (Slumerican Shitizen), Yelawolf kept enough of his signature sound to garner a successful debut." - Bill Wannop
M.O.P. & Snowgoons - Sparta(8.5) "M.O.P. make a triumphant return to the raw, gritty hip hop that they are loved for. With great production from the Snowgoons, mixed with the hardcore lyrics from M.O.P. the album moves along at a quick pace and has you wishing there were more than 10 tracks. Whether you are an old school fan of the Mash Out Posse or someone who is just listening to them for the first time you will be equally impressed with this album." - Bill Wannop
Lady Gaga - A Very Gaga Holiday EP(6.5) "In just four songs, Gaga aims for numerous things. She wants a home-for-the-holidays feeling, a classic vocal pop record and a unique rapport with her loyal Little Monsters. It could also feasibly be a Gaga record for people who don't really take heed to her usual style. Or it would be had it not been for her own personal traits and excesses that still manage to permeate the EP (still laughing that she stopped a song to tell a story about cookies). Worth hearing if you like that old style, or if you long to have a taste of Gaga without the beats and craziness. For the most part, though, it's for fans, even if this is all still pretty good music. Here's hoping she tries this style again one day." - Wyatt E.
Rammstein - Made In Germany, 1995-2011(7.5) " To condense such a visceral body of work into an hour and five minutes is awfully tricky, and mistakes are certainly made here - not the least of which is the lack of "Feuer Frei" - but it's a damn good sampler, though. Most of the big moments are here, and thanks to good presentation, it's a captivating experience unto itself. Rumors have swirled for the past few years that Rammstein's breakup could be any time now, and if Made In Germany is the band's swan song, well, a compact, unmerciful attack of huge riffs and thudding drums is certainly a heck of a way to go out in style (even if, as a fan, I'm hoping otherwise)." - Wyatt E.
T-Pain - rEVOLVEr(6.5) "All in all the album is a typical T-Pain album. Nothing has evolved, with his auto-tune being replaced with the T-Pain effect, which sounds identical to auto tune. T-Pain limited the guests, but the best songs on the album have him sharing the mic giving you a very mixed album. You know what you are going to get with T-Pain. Some will love him, some will hate him, some will put up with him but it is safe to say there is more than enough quality on here to ensure that AutoTune is indeed not dead." - Bill Wannop
MUSIC VIDEO A-GO-GO
Christmas is coming. Which is great, except for one thing: I hate Christmas music. Call it what you want, but I just can't stand the same old songs sung each year by the new pop flavor of the month--or even worse, their attempts to write an original Christmas song (I'm looking at you, Bieber). What I do love though are Christmas parodies. So I'll be running with parodies for the next few weeks, starting with Bob Rivers' Christmas take on Black Sabbath titled "I Am Santa Claus":
CRAZY GALLAGHER QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Well, it could be. Noel [annoyed] a lot of people, it wasn't just me. I think Andy sort of wrote it with me in mind, which is the sign of a good [expletive] songwriter. If he can keep writing songs with me in mind, I think we'll go far. "
- Liam discusses the Beady Eye song "Four Letter Word" is about him or Noel and shows his humble nature in regard to being the subject matter for music.
BUBBLING UNDER You know what time it is, folks...these are the stories that I found worth touching on but didn't quite make the Top Five and thus become little bites of snark as opposed to a full course of it.
Rufus Wainwright Is Done With His Gay Records
Coming out of the "Where Are They Now" shuffle to make a headline, Rufus Wainwright has decided that he's made more than enough "gay records" and wants to try something else. Speaking about his new album he said, "I hate to say it, but it's kind of a very manly record, I think, which I think is cool. I've certainly made enough gay records. There's a real kind of baseline of just me singing the songs with a great band. There are some string lines and some amazing backup singers… but there's this kind of anchor of guys sitting around jamming. And it's very sexy, I have to say." I get what Rufus was trying to say here and I applaud him for his honesty, but come on. Haven't we realized at this point that "gay" shouldn't be a euphemism for "bad?"
I'd say I'm kidding about his music being bad,
But to be honest I don't remember a single song he's done.
Ke$ha Wants Beards In Her Mouth
Sometimes folks, a story comes along and you know you have to talk about it, but you really don't know what to say. This is one of those times. The one and only Ke$ha scored a major coup in her race against Taylor Momsen for "Trashiest Pop/Rock Star Of the Twenty-First Century" when she launched her new website dedicated to beards. And by beards, I don't mean women who pretend to date gay men for the sake of their image, I mean the hair that grows on men's chins. At PutYourBeardInMyMouth.com the hairiest of internet users can submit pictures of their growth for the world's--and particularly Ke$ha's--viewing pleasure. The pop star writes in a recent post, "This is like a dating website. But. Just for me. Goodnight beards. I'll dream of you all. In my mouth." Seriously, there is nothing I can say to top that, so I'll just leave it there.
I'd say she's trying too hard, but that doesn't quite capture the depth
Of the sentiment.
Nicola Roberts Says Pop Isn't Fun
Things like this make me wonder why none of the non-Cheryl Cole members of Girls Aloud have made it in the US. Nicola Roberts opened her mouth and said something incredibly American-like in its egotism while discussing why pop music isn't fun anymore. "The fun has gone out of the pop industry," she said. "In a way Girls Aloud were the first wave of modern celebrity. When we started out there were no camera phones clicking away. Then everything became so much more heightened. It became a different industry. It's too serious and hardnosed." To be fair to Nicola, she probably doesn't actually know the meaning of the word 'celebrity,' but I think that Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Andy Warhol, John Wayne, Bing Crosby, Marilyn Monroe, Rudolph Valentino and hell, William Shakespeare would like to give her a little enlightenment.
"You mean there were celebrities before 2002?"
Xtina Wants to Put a Ring On It
With her divorce now in the recent past (all of seven months old now!), the one and only Christina Aguilera is ready to hop back on the marriage wagon. According to friends, Christina is obsessed with the idea of marrying her boyfriend Matt Rutler...so much, in fact, that she's talking with friends and family about it and saying they're prepping for matrimony. A friend close to the couple said that Christina is willing to do the asking herself. "She makes jokes about him proposing all the time in front of him," said the alleged friend. "He gets a little embarrassed, but it's obvious they've talked about it. It's coming soon. She wants to start over and thinks that asking him to marry her is the way to start." The friend continues to say that Rutler wants to get her a ring, but has to save for it and will buy it on credit if he needs to. All due respect to Christina, but I actually hope she does get married soon. Single life has turned her from one of the hottest women in music to someone who looks like they ate the hottest woman in music.
Seriously, what the hell happened? I'm stumped.
Tyler the Creator Preps His Upcoming Lawsuit Defenses Early
You know, he's not wrong, but he's not exactly right either. Tyler, the Creator says that he will likely be blamed if another Columbine-style massacre goes down thanks to his song "Radicals," which he said will make him an icon or get him in trouble. "If Columbine is reenacted or some shit, that's gonna be on my fucking head," he said. "Yeah, it'll be my fault, just like it was Em's and Marilyn's and fucking Slipknot's and all them motherfuckers." With all due respect to Tyler, I think he's more likely to be blamed for the next Mathew Shepherd than he is the next Columbine. Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 probably have dibs on the high school massacre blame.
Have an Eve cleavage pic, since I doubt you wanted
A Tyler, the Creator cleavage pic.
It's time to crank this mother up to 11 as we take a look at some random stuff from the last week and one smoking hottie.
*****
Rihanna Named Esquire's Sexiest Woman of the Year
2011 is almost over, which means that Year-End lists are becoming all the rage. You'll be seeing a ton of them here around 411 and they're always fun to debate and argue and such. We're not alone in this though; just Google the worst "Top 2011" and you'll find a ton of new posts about everything from movies and albums to NFL players, cookbooks, iPhone Apps and more. Adding another entry into the Avalanche of 2011 Top Lists is Esquire magazine, who unveiled Rihanna as the sexiest woman alive in 2001. The Barbadosian pop star placed ahead of the likes of Beyoncé, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Gina Carano and Emma Stone, receiving her own pictorial in the process. Which is good I'm sure, because if there's one thing the world needs more of, it's photo shoots of Rihanna.
Dammit, there went another Sarcasmatron. I kid, mostly...hell, I'm not going to complain about a set of hot Rihanna pictures. But really, is she the sexiest woman of the year? Esquire certainly seems to think so, and they held nothing back in their article about it. "She grabs her own radiant ass — she handles it, offers it — like it's a rump roast," the magazine writes. "She squats and spreads her legs, settles a hand between them, where it stays. Caresses her breasts. She masturbates a dancer with the help of a cane. She pretends to go down on the keytarist. Rihanna doesn't really dance. She exhibits "moves," sure. She dips. Marches. Stalks. Straddles the barrel of a giant pink cannon. Jogs occasionally. But it's not dancing. Altogether it amounts to choreographed oozing." Jesus Christ, and people accuse us here at 411 of being prurient. That was just on the SFW side of erotica.
"Choreographed oozing" sounds like something that can be fixed with a topical cream.
Pretty words, to be sure. But they don't really prove that Rihanna is the sexiest woman alive. It makes a case for her being the horniest woman alive perhaps, but the hottest? Well, I can't really put her on top myself. I can think of a host of people I personally prefer, from Shakira (who somehow didn't even make the list) to Scarlett Johansson, Winter Ave Zoli of Sons of Anarchy fame and more. Hell, to be honest most of the people on Esquire's list wouldn't even make my top 20. But what about you? Let me know in the comments who your sexiest woman of the year is!
Seriously though, you have to at least consider Winter Ave Zoli.
Katy Perry's Secret iTunes Weapon Unleashed
No, it's not an app that forces everyone's tastes to self-marginalize to the point that Auto-Tuned pop music is palatable, though I wouldn't be shocked if such a weapon was in development. As you may have heard, Katy Perry is chasing a mythical record in Billboard history as her album Teenage Dream is tied with Michael Jackson's 1987 album Bad for the most #1 singles from a single album with five. Katy has a sixth single, "The One That Got Away," currently climbing the charts in a bid to surpass the Gloved One and claim the record for herself and it's likely to be her last chance. I don't say that because there aren't other songs on the album, I'm just saying that none of the remaining songs have a snowball's chance in hell of charting, much less hitting #1. And besides, if she went much longer she'll set a new record...most superfluous singles released only to break a record. I'm fairly sure Rihanna owns that one, since she release seven out of eleven tracks from Loud as singles...which, for the record, is why you felt like she was always on the air. Because basically, she was.
I know, more Rihanna jokes. I'm a mean man.
But anyway, back to Katy. The pop singer's label Capitol Records is determined to get her to #1 so she can break that record, and in doing so they may have overstepped a bit. The label has discounted the price of "The One That Got Away" down to 69 cents in the US iTunes Store, just over half the regular price of $1.29. At the moment it is the only song below $1.29 out of the top seventy-five singles in the story. Now, before we go on a rant here, this was a decision made by Capitol Records and not Katy herself. Katy has no control over the pricing structure and while she may have agreed with the policy, she still doesn't have any influence in that decision-making process unless Capital deigns to listen to her opinion on how to run themselves as a business, something I doubt they're doing. SO anyone who's going to get annoyed, feel free to move ahead knowing that if you bitch about Perry, you're doing so from a position of ignorance. (No, it doesn't stop people, but at least I tried.)
First off, we don't know how successful this has been and won't until later this week. The discount went into place sometime last week and Billboard charts run on a Sunday-to-Saturday basis so we have to wait for Billboard to find out. I'm going to go out on a limb here though, and say that this ploy won't work...or at least, it won't help. First off, if people are going to buy the track, they're going to buy it and $.60 isn't going to make a big difference. But more importantly, it gets harder and harder as time goes on to get people to pay for a single. The reason is simple: it's been a year and a half since Teenage Dream was first released. Most people who are fans of Katy have already bought the album and if they like the song but aren't going to buy it at $1.29, it's probably because they already own it as a greater part of the album. Katy's saturation level will only take her so far in the Digital Sales department.
Saturation certainly doesn't hurt her in the looks department, though.
Now I'm not saying that "The One That Got Away" isn't likely to hit #1. Quite the contrary, I fully expect that by the first or second week of January that the song will have broken said record for Katy. But it's going to get there not from digital sales but from airplay and other such venues. I get what Capital is going for here; they're trying to cover all of their bases and I can't fault them for that. Don't be surprised though if people start griping when the record breaks, because the label put themselves in the no-win position that they're now in. If the song doesn't hit #1 then they failed in their marketing attempts and lost money for it. If it does hit #1 than it won't really prove anything because people will use the price break as a rallying point to say that Jackson still "really" co-holds the record and that Katy's record is the kind that should come with an asterisk. They would have been better off not doing the discount, but either way I doubt it's going to hurt them too much. Really, does anyone even worry too much about records like this except the guys who write ad copy? Yeah, didn't think so. Either way, best of luck on the record, Katy.
I propose she accept the award dressed like this.
Nirvana's Label Copies RATM's Sales Campaign; Kurt Cobain Rolls Over in Grave
I couldn't help but sigh and shake my head over this one. Let me take you guys back a couple years to Christmas 2009. In the UK, X-Factor had held the coveted Christmas Number One spot, which for some reason is more important in the UK than anywhere else, for four years running. They were on track for a fifth year straight, something that didn't sit well with people who thought that artificially-manufactured pop music shouldn't be dominating such an important chart position. Cue Jon and Tracy Morter of South Woodham Ferrors in England, who started a Facebook campaign to get Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name Of" at the top of the charts instead of yet another X-Factor single. The campaign got a ton of media attention and, surprisingly, it paid off as the single was #1 on the week in question, breaking Simon Cowell's ongoing record.
Flash-forward two years now to the current day. Last year The X-Factor returned to the top with Matt Cardle's single "When We Collide," leading to a new campaign this year. However, the campaign has come under scrutiny because the single being promoted, Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," is being groomed for a #1 spot at the hands of the former band's label. Universal is backing the campaign and plans to reissue the iconic song as a limited edition 7" single. "They feel this campaign is worth backing and giving their support to, which is brilliant news," wrote the campaign's organizers.
At some point, Simon's gonna kill someone over these campaigns.
Now, why is this a big deal? Because the second you get the record label involved it starts to reek of crass commercialism. Does anyone really think that Universal doesn't want The X-Factor to claim the top spot because of the glut of manufactured pop music out there? This is the group that has Jessica Simpson, Nicola Roberts and Miley Cyrus under contract, after all. No, they've seen a campaign that they can take advantage of for a cash grab and they're doing it. The only thing that they're going to prove is that Courtney Love isn't the only person who can make Kurt Cobain spin in his grave like a big grungy top.
She's upset here because she's lost sole ownership of
The one thing that gets her headlines anymore.
To be fair, their is a cause that goes along with this campaign; its raising money for Rhythmix, the Brighton-based music company who found themselves in a name dispute with The X-Factor recently. I respect that there's an attempt to do something positive coming out of this campaign, and Rhythmix's aim of assisting young people in difficult circumstances through music education is absolutely an admirable one. The stink of record label on this doesn't help things any, though. For those who want Rhymix to get some holiday cheer without lining the pockets of Universal Music Group, one of the labels who support the Orwellian Stop Online Piracy Act and who issued a copyright takedown notice against MegaUpload recently after they got a bunch of artists (including UMG ones) to film a video supporting MegaUpload, I suggest you hit the link below to donate. It really is a good cause.
Lady Gaga Wants To Act But Not to Die
Our favorite Queen of the Pretenticons has been busy on the interview circuit as of late. That's right, the one and only Lady Gaga is back to opening her mouth and you know that's always time for something entertaining for us to mock here at 5 & 1 Headquarters. We'll break these down one at a time. The first came when someone asked her about whether she wants to act, to which she said she does and even has a director she wants to work with: the one and only Woody Allen. "I wanna audition," Gaga said. "I wanna work for it. When I get offered jobs and I don't audition for them, I turn them down. When I talk about acting, I'm always surprised no-one ever asks me to audition… they'll just say 'I want her to do this movie' and I'm just like 'Why? You haven't seen me act before.' My dream would be to be in a Woody Allen movie." I'll be honest, I don't have a lot of criticism to throw at this one. I can't say that I'm surprised that Gaga wants to act; look at how increasingly cinematic her videos have become and you can see that she clearly has an urge to be part of a visual storytelling medium. In fact, I support the idea of her acting, because maybe it will mean that she gets it out of her system and we get actual music videos and not that thing we did for "Marry the Night" that makes a David Lunch movie look mainstream and coherent.
I'm sure the video had a point to it, but I turned it off
Before I had a chance to figure out what that point might be.
The only thing that I would point out to Mother Monstrosity is that if she is desperate to audition, she may be seeking work with the wrong director. Allen is known for not auditioning actors most of the time; he writes roles with people in mind and offers them the parts. I'm sure if Allen came up to her and offered her a role she wouldn't demand to audition, but she may want to do a little research on that kind of thing before getting into the industry. Although I applaud her for not just expecting to be cast in movies; it would be easy for her, with her delusions of grandeur, to expect to get acting roles because she pretended to be a police tape-dressed Thelma alongside Beyonce's Louise in the "Telephone" video. It isn't often that we get humility from the woman, so we should take it when we get it.
In fact, that well-known lack of humility brings us to her next statement. According to one of those wonderful "sources" that we know and love claims that Gaga is afraid that she might go the way of Princess Diana in terms of death by paparazzi. Diana, for those who don't remember, died in a car crash while being chased by the paparazzi back in 1997 and Gaga reportedly sees herself as a pop version of the Princess of Wales. She even apparently has nightmares about being killed in the same way and has written a track inspired by Diana's death. "Gaga has always been absolutely fixated on Diana and sees herself as a 21st-century incarnation of her. She knows she is almost as recognizable as Diana and is hounded by photographers and fans on the same level."
All due respect toward the unimpeachable credibility of an unnamed source--
Damn it, that's two in one issue. Anyway, how many people have we been told that Gaga is "fixated on" at this point? I find it difficult to believe that one person can have this many fixations. Maybe I'm wrong; maybe Gaga is actually Sybil and each of her ninety-seven personalities has a different fixation. ...actually, now that I think of it, Gaga having ninety-seven personalities would explain a hell of a lot about her fashion sense. But anyway, this sounds very blown out of purport ion to me. I don't doubt that Gaga worries about death by paparazzi; it's a legitimate concern considering how much they love following her around. I won't argue that she brings it on herself, but still there's a difference between courting media attention and asking to die in a fiery wreck while the cameras flash. I think this is probably just a vague comment she made to a friend that got blown hideously out of proportion. I could be wrong; she's certainly arrogant enough for me to believe this possible, but in this case I doubt it.
I'd follow her around if she dressed more like this
Than her usual wacky crap.
New Music Monday
This is the home of some of the best new music that will soon be available, where you get to hear the hottest new tracks and find out about forthcoming albums and videos as well.
Paramore has released the third and final track of their Singles Club series. Check it out below, titled "In The Mourning":
Ke$ha's latest track "nly Wanna Dance With You" has leaked online. Listen to it here:
Singer/actress Charlotte Gainsebourg's new album Stage Whispers releases tomorrow. Here is the first single, "Anna":
Now it's time for the reason you're here, the ‘&1 Model of the Week'.
This week's Model of the Week is a member of the prestigious Hall of Bang. I don't think she needs any more introduction; ladies and gentlemen, say hello to your "& 1" Model of the Week, Miss Shakira!
NOW THAT I'M DONE…
You can go and read some more greatness on 411.
Let's start by giving a shout-out to the rest of the 5&1 Illuminati! There's Steve Gustafson, who brings you the hottest in movie tidbits and girls with the original Hollywood 5 & 1; Greg DeMarco, who brings you the hottest chicks who could kick my ass in the Wrestling 5 & 1 and now Stewart Lange, who has brought the 5&1 to the Octagon with the MMA 5 & 1! The 5 & 1 Illuminati is expanding and growing ever stronger; world domination isn't far behind!
When you are done checking out how the other zones roll, go read all the goodness in the rest of the Music Zone.
Make sure to click the Facebook and Twitter "Like" links, as well as the new Google +1 option, and support 411mania, your home for the best in pop culture entertainment news.
And that's all, folks! I'm out...have a good Monday and come back for more 411 tomorrow!
"Yelawolf created an album that truly has a mixture of everything. Long-time fans will likely gravitate to the first half of the album, where Yelawolf seems more familiar providing similar tracks to those in the past, while the latter half of the album is more geared towards pop radio. While some of the tracks are disappointments (Throw It Up) and others just don't work (Slumerican Shitizen), Yelawolf kept enough of his signature sound to garner a successful debut." - Bill Wannop
"M.O.P. make a triumphant return to the raw, gritty hip hop that they are loved for. With great production from the Snowgoons, mixed with the hardcore lyrics from M.O.P. the album moves along at a quick pace and has you wishing there were more than 10 tracks. Whether you are an old school fan of the Mash Out Posse or someone who is just listening to them for the first time you will be equally impressed with this album." - Bill Wannop
"In just four songs, Gaga aims for numerous things. She wants a home-for-the-holidays feeling, a classic vocal pop record and a unique rapport with her loyal Little Monsters. It could also feasibly be a Gaga record for people who don't really take heed to her usual style. Or it would be had it not been for her own personal traits and excesses that still manage to permeate the EP (still laughing that she stopped a song to tell a story about cookies). Worth hearing if you like that old style, or if you long to have a taste of Gaga without the beats and craziness. For the most part, though, it's for fans, even if this is all still pretty good music. Here's hoping she tries this style again one day." - Wyatt E.
" To condense such a visceral body of work into an hour and five minutes is awfully tricky, and mistakes are certainly made here - not the least of which is the lack of "Feuer Frei" - but it's a damn good sampler, though. Most of the big moments are here, and thanks to good presentation, it's a captivating experience unto itself. Rumors have swirled for the past few years that Rammstein's breakup could be any time now, and if Made In Germany is the band's swan song, well, a compact, unmerciful attack of huge riffs and thudding drums is certainly a heck of a way to go out in style (even if, as a fan, I'm hoping otherwise)." - Wyatt E.
"All in all the album is a typical T-Pain album. Nothing has evolved, with his auto-tune being replaced with the T-Pain effect, which sounds identical to auto tune. T-Pain limited the guests, but the best songs on the album have him sharing the mic giving you a very mixed album. You know what you are going to get with T-Pain. Some will love him, some will hate him, some will put up with him but it is safe to say there is more than enough quality on here to ensure that AutoTune is indeed not dead." - Bill Wannop
