The Music 5 & 1 12.26.11: The Puppy Love Edition
Posted by Jeremy Thomas on 12.26.2011
Shania Twain takes on Kalia Williams in Vs, Pink shells out some cash to save a puppy, Madonna's hacker is behind bars, Axl Rose teases a Guns N' Roses reunion (kind of), Kanye West takes a stand against stupid fans, Britney's other ex-husband sounds off, Naya Rivera is your "& 1" Model of the Week and more!
STUFF I WANT TO TALK ABOUT
Welcome to the Music 5 & 1, boys and girls! I hope your Christmas was a great one; I had an enjoyable time myself, celebrating Christmas Eve with the family. In the interest of getting right to your Christmas gifts from me...the Girls and Gossip--let's eschew the stuff I want to talk about and cut right to the chase!
Shania Twain has been seemingly unstoppable since she entered into her current Vs run! She continued her run last week by beating down poor little Taylor Swift by a nearly two-to-one margin at 149 to 78! She has one more leg of the race to get into the Hall of Bang, and that leg finds her squaring off with an "& 1" favorite. Kalia Williams has gotten rave reviews in her "& 1" appearances, but can she stop a pop country star who seems destined for immortality in the Hall of Bang? It's all up to you, so vote!
Shania Twain Vs Kalia Williams
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.
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
Evolver - Evolver(7.5) "Mike Smith has spent a long time being a guitarist for other projects, and Evolver is his opportunity to stake his own claim as a singer/songwriter. The hard rock/alt-metal sound is not too surprising considering Smith's background, but the abundance of melody built within the songs may surprise a few. Acoustic guitars are prevalent, especially on the second half, and really bode well for the material present. It's a grower, but Evolver's self-titled debut has enough memorable songs to be worth a purchase." - Dan Marsicano
Korn - The Path Of Totality(4.5) "It's a neat little trick Korn have attempted, and for a while it's certainly a fun diversion, but in the end, The Path Of Totality is just the same Korn we've been stuck with for the past decade: going to great lengths to redefine themselves, or at least grab our attention, and inevitably coming up short. You're not surprised, are you?" - Wyatt E.
MUSIC VIDEO A-GO-GO
Our holiday-themed humor videos conclude this week with what I consider to be the ultimate. Everyone gather 'round your Christmas trees, hang the stockings and then hide under your desk, 'cause "Weird Al" Yankovic is bringing us "Christmas at Ground Zero"!
CRAZY GALLAGHER QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Always going through with a fine tooth just gets boring and up your own arse. We're not writing a symphony, we're not writing an opera, it's just rock 'n' roll music. And if it makes you want to smash things or jump up and go mental, then it's a hit with me."
- Liam admits that he's trying to drive people insane through his 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.
Justin Bieber Gives Half a Million Dollars to Charity
You know, we rag on Justin Bieber a lot around here. Not just in the 5 & 1, but on 411 as a whole. It's for a good reason--his music makes my eardrums want to commit seppuku, for one--but still, it's nice sometimes to remember that he is a human being. And you know what, he's a pretty good kid too. Justin performed a special charity fundraising concert "Home for the Holidays" in Toronto, which was being taped to air on TV up in the Great White North. The concert got off to an hour-late start, but before you call Justin the next Lauryn Hill, realize that it was for a good reason. Just was backstage with three young fans diagnosed with life-threatening diseases and the Biebs spent some extra time with them. When he was done with that, he went out and performed on stage for two hours for the concert, after which he presented the Children's Wish Foundation of Canada. So yeah, as much as we love knocking the sixteen year-old with a Lamborghini down a peg, I'm not going to trash him this week. Good on you, Justin. Now just figure out how to open doors and we'll be set.
I said Justin Bieber's a good man. I said nothing about my own alignment (it's Chaotic Neutral, for the record).
Jessie J Promotes Strokes For Better Music
Somehow, I don't think that will fly with the World Health Organization. British pop up-and-comer Jesse J says that her music is better than it otherwise would have been as a result of a stroke she had at the age of eighteen. Jessie, who is now twenty-three, said, "I think what happened to be with my health in the past - when I was younger I had a minor stroke - it made me realize that you can't guarantee life every day. However old you are, however much you love life, however happy you are, however healthy you are, it doesn't matter, nothing's guaranteed. And I think it made me want to take that risk to expose myself as me and not as a version of myself. I don't become Jessie J. I might put a nice pair of heels on and a cooler outfit but I'm still that naughty girl who likes a slice of cheesecake on my day off." What I personally took away from this is that now there are two reasons to wish a stroke upon Courtney Love.
Really, anything would be an improvement on 'Nobody's Daughter'
Adam Lambert Gets Arrested in Finland American Idol alumni Adam Lambert found himself on the wrong side of the law this week when he got arrested in Finland for fighting with his boyfriend and some other people. Lambert and Sauli Koskinen were at a gay bar when they got a little too inebriated and fists were thrown at each other. Onlookers who tried to help were also attacked by Lambert, but none of them were injured. The two spatting lovers were arrested and booked without charges, after which Lambert tweeted, Jetlag+Vodka=blackout. Us÷blackout=irrational confusion. jail+guilt+press=lesson learned. Sauli+Adam+hangover burgers= laughing bout it. He was later a bit more apologetic and from the looks of a picture tweeted yesterday, the two seem to be in good spirits about it. You know, I think they actually have a plausible explanation, no one was hurt and everything seems to be okay, but I hope that they've learned their lesson and don't repeat the experience. There aren't many jokes about two gay men getting in a bar fight that can make without being offensive.
This isn't his mug shot, but it would be awesome if it was.
Annie Lennox Calls X Factor A "Factory"
On one hand I see her point, but on the other, not so much. Annie Lennox called out The X-Factor for being a music-churning machine that would never produce a music artist of substance. The former Eurhythmics and solo singer took issue with the show during a recent radio interview, saying, "You wouldn't find a Joni Mitchell on X Factor, that's not the place. X Factor is a specific thing for people that want to go through that process, it's a factory, you know, and it's owned and stitched-up by puppet masters." Now it's true that you won't find a Joni Mitchell on the show any time soon, and by no means am I a fan of it. But considering that the singing competition is pretty much the same as American Idol, which has produced a few legitimate musical artists in Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson, I don't think we should be ready to write the show completely off in terms of finding an actual artist just yet. We may not get any Joni Mitchells out of it, but in the current pop music scene I'd settle for another Michelle Branch just to add something new back into the sound.
Or even better, just bring back Michelle Branch. Please.
Boy George Admits He's No David Bowie
I like Culture Club as much as the next guy, but come on. Boy George recently spoke about his serving of prison time in 2009 stemming from a conviction on charges of the assault and false imprisonment of escort Audun Carlsen. George has had a lot of time to think about that and recently he said that he never would have been in that position if he'd been David Bowie. "In prison, I was like, 'This is my fault I'm here now,'" he said. "In New York, when I swept up the streets of Chinatown during my probation, I remember I was saying 'This would never have happened to [David] Bowie… I always thought I would be reasonable at 40. It took me seven more years, but now I control my life. The most important thing to me over the past five years is that I grew up. A confession that I would have never imagined before. The idea was like a capitulation. I hated that. I want to stay immature forever. There is a real power when you grow up and it was like a revelation for me." I'm going to be very generous and assume he means that if he was Bowie he never would have committed the crime as opposed to being convicted. Either way, immaturity didn't lead to handcuffing a male escort to the wall, swinging a metal chain at him as he ran and telling police that bruises on the body must have been due to AIDS, all because the guy was trying to snag some pictures off a laptop. That's something far different than "immaturity"; I don't know the legal term but I'm going to go with "criminally stupid."
The only time "criminally" has a good connotation is as an adverb to describe "hot."
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.
*****
Pink Saves a Puppy
Listen, I don't care if you like Pink's music or not. I think she makes decent-to-good pop music and I generally enjoy her work, but if you don't then that's fine. But you have no soul if you don't respect what she did this last week. Pink, who is a known advocate for animals, dropped $5,000 on emergency surgery to save the life of a puppy who she didn't know. Pink was internet surfing recently when she came upon the story of a puppy that was in life-threatening condition. The dog was thrown off an overpass in Los Angeles and when it hit the water suffered three broken legs. Before I continue further, I just want to say that I hope whatever sick bastard chucked a puppy off an overpass ends up on the receiving side of a serious assbeating as karmic payback. Whoever does it can feel free to break a few limbs while they're at it.
Fluffy is on the case. Be afraid, overpass-thrower.
I know there are some cold-hearted bastards out there who don't care about the plight of the poor puppy, but even those of us who do care, in all honesty, probably wouldn't have done what Pink did. Frankly, most of us don't have the money to do so. But Pink did and I'm sure she wasn't the only person with five grand lying around who read about it. She was the only person, however, who grabbed her checkbook and marched down to contacting the Ace of Hearts animal rescue organization, offering to pay for any medical expense it took to save the dog's life. (Disclaimer: Odds are, she actually called instead of marching down but I like my version better.) The dog went in for the five thousand dollar surgery and came out okay, even making a full recovery. TMZ reports that the dog soon found itself in the arms of a loving family that adopted it, making this pretty much the perfect Christmas story for dog lovers.
Now confession time here; I'm a cat person rather than a dog person. It's just the way it is. But either way, you have to love this story. This wasn't the case of a pop star looking for publicity; if that was the case than Pink would have paid for the surgery and probably kept the dog in order to always parade it around like good PR. No, this is the case of someone who saw an animal in suffering who she had no real connection to other than reading a story about it, and then paid up to see the little guy (or girl) fixed up and given to a family that will love it. We focus a lot on the negative at times here in the 5&1 and don't get me wrong, there's some of that coming. But with the holiday season being here, I wanted to just share what I thought was an awesome story that just raises my respect for Madame Moore all the more.
That she's usually pretty damned sexy doesn't hurt either.
Spanish Man Learns That You Don't Screw With Madonna
There are certain things that you just don't do in life. You don't spit in the wind. You don't tug on Superman's cape. And you don't mess with Jim or Madonna. One Spanish man learned that lesson the hard way this past week as he was arrested for leaking a song off her forthcoming album. The man, who is known only at this point by the initials J.M.R., was arrested in Zaragoza, Spain for leaking a recording of the Material Girl's "Gimme All Your Luvin," featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., off her still-untitled solo album that will be dropping in a month or so. Police say that Madonna's lawyers traced the leak to Spain and that they found recordings of the song in a search of J.M.R.'s belongings. The suspect is an alleged "big fan" of Madonna's, though I think it's safe to say that she's not as big a fan of his, having been reportedly "very upset" that the song leaked well in advance.
She is imagining ripping his liver out with her teeth in this picture.
This is something I've never understood. As I've said before, I don't advocate the illegal downloading or distribution of copyrighted material, but as a fan of certain musical artists, movies or such I won't deny that there are times I would kill to hear/see new stuff before it came out. If I ever got my hands on it though, there is nothing in the world that would possess me to upload it online for the world to see. One, I'm no longer the guy who has sole access to this content among fans and two, I have exactly zero desire to get the brunt of the entertainment lawyers in the world focusing their collective glares in my direction while starting to write lawsuit that will be the end of life as I know it. Incidentally this is one of many reasons why I would be a terrible torrent user; I would be too paranoid to actually share anything once I downloaded it.
Anyway, I'm getting off track a bit. The point is that self-proclaimed "big fans" that do this kind of thing really befuddle me. Who walks around with their "#1 Madonna Fan" foam finger and replica cone bra, comes across something like this and thinks, "You know what would be the right thing to do regarding the work of someone whose music I love and who has spoken before about their issues with illegal downloading? Release it on the internet. I'm sure she'll understand!" Except, of course, she didn't understand and now homie's facing some serious legal trouble. Again I say: she may not be the Queen of Pop anymore, but don't screw with Madonna. She'll end you faster than Fluffy the Destroyer of Worlds.
Don't be fooled: that cat of hers is a stone cold killer.
Axl Rose Sets Off My Bullshit Detector
Ahh, good old Axl Rose...he never ceases to make my eyes roll. Don't get me wrong; I'm firmly in the camp that believes Axl is one of the great frontmen of metal. But the guy's douchebaggery knows no ends; he's the kind of guy that even Kanye West looks at and says "Damn, that dude's an arrogant dick." Case in point: the Guns N' Roses reunion. There are people on all different sides of the fence regarding whether we'll ever see it, and that includes members of the band. The sentiment among many people close to or within both the original and new lineup is that it would never happen due to the bad blood between Axl and Slash. That didn't stop Axl from stirring the pot this week, dropping some hints that the band might reunite but intimated that he's reluctant to do so because of people making money at their expense.
"I've got mixed emotions about what the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame actually really is, but at the same time, there's a lot of people the fans that it just means something to them, and they're happy," he said. "So I don't want to take that away from them. All these managers, they all believe in one thing: sell a reunion tour and get their commission. It's just a phone call. It's a half a day's work, or however long they want to keep the bidding war going. They get their commission and they don't care if it falls on its face. The only thing that would make it would be Duff and Slash, really. It's nothing against Izzy and it's nothing against Steven, or anything like that. Steven may want it, but these guys I'm working with right now, they work really hard and it's hard work. I've toured with the other guys and I've also seen what they've done since, and I just know the difficulties. So it's not really even a full reunion."
So that's a...no? Yes? I don't even know.
Seriously, can you get more passive-aggressive, Axl? To translate Axl-to-English, it basically comes out as, "Well, I hate the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and everything they stand for, but I want to string the fans along into hoping there might be a real Guns N' Roses album coming out some time so I'll say it's about the fans. But I don't want to promise something and get called out on my crap, then finally get my act together at the point where the whole thing is so overdue that people are making jokes about it like what happened with Chinese Democracy. So instead, I'm going to suggest that a reunion might happen between me and Slash, which is what would gain the most press, without alienating the guys in my current line-up. Then I'll use managers making money as an excuse because unnamed executives are easier to blame, then mention the difficulties in pulling the whole thing off and point out it wouldn't be a full reunion to lower expectations. How's that work?"
And there goes my Bullshit Detector budget for the rest of the quarter. Good thing the quarter's almost over or I would have been in trouble.
To his credit though, he's at least timelier than Dre.
Not that this is a compliment, exactly.
Kanye West Takes a Stand Against Dumb Fans
Some people would be on the man about this, but I'm gonna give him credit. Kanye West recently threatened to throw an entire section of a "Watch the Throne" tour stop out of the arena due to the actions of one particular jackass. Kanye and Jay-Z were performing on stage at the Tacoma Dome just north of me in Washington when one person in the crowd started throwing little pieces of paper onstage. Those pieces of paper, it turned out, were business cards and Yeezy was not impressed.
""I see it come from that direction from like, all four of those guys," the rapper said after the music stopped. "Unless one person raises their hand and says, 'I'm the one who did it', all that whole section gotta go."
Now, to some that might sound rather douchebaggish and even prima donna-like. But put in context, I can absolutely understand. As Kanye explained during the incident, the Watch the Throne set includes performing on a twenty-feet high elevating cube and to quote the man once more, "We risking our lives up here, you can't go throwing shit that we gonna slip on." The offender did fess up after about a minute and was removed before the concert started up again.
Kanye West: Voice of Reason. Who'da thunk it?
There are two things about this whole story that amaze me. First, the video of the incident is above and if you watched it, you noticed how calm and rational Kanye was. We're already in bizarro land right there. Second, what was this guy's plan? Did he honestly think that he was going to throw his business cards up there and it would lead into a freaking job? The stupidity of people at concerts, shows and movies never fails to astound me. We've seen people who smack their girlfriends in front of the guy performing, morons who try to rush onto the stage and then act shocked when security tackles of them, pretentious assholes taking phone calls during Broadway shows, the woman who brought her infant son to a showing of Saw V when I went and saw it a few years back, and this guy with the worst "foot in the door" plan ever. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. In all honesty, good on Kanye for kicking his ass out of the concert and I don't blame him for threatening to boot the whole section if the one guy hadn't come forth (or, more likely, been fingered by the people next to him). These guys are there to put on a show, not potentially break their necks on some jagoff's bone-colored business card with Sillian Rail lettering. Even if it does have a watermark.
"Do you like Huey Lewis and the News?"
Britney Spears' First Ex-Husband Calls Her Engagement a Shame
And here is your unintentionally hilarious news of the week. When most people think of Britney Spears' exes, they think of Kevin Federline or Justin Timberlake. If they're Britney-savvy, they might even think of her short-lived and very ill-advised relationship with paparazzo Adnan Ghalib. Almost no one, however, remembers her fifty five-hour long marriage to her childhood friend Jason Alexander...well, except Jason, that is. To be honest, I bet Britney doesn't even remember it most of the time. But Jason seemed determined that people wanted to know his thoughts about her engagement to Jason Trawick last week so he found someone at Us Weekly who would print his thoughts which, with a lack of self-awareness that can only be described as sitcom-like, could be generously described as cosmically ironic.
"I know everyone wants me to be happy about this, but I am not," Alexander said. "I think it's fake and I think people are afraid to say it. If you look at all the pictures between them there is no connection. They look like they are going through the motions. It seems like an answer to the court thing. Sort of a nice way to sew it all up she marries her handler. That way she always has someone controlling her. It's sort of sad."
"I'm sorry; who are you again?"
So let's see if we all understand this correctly. The guy who was married to Britney Spears for less than three whole days after a weekend in Las Vegas in 2004, a marriage that was annulled because a judge ruled that Britney "lacked understanding of her actions to the extent that she was incapable of agreeing to the marriage" and the two were "so incompatible that there was a want of understanding of each other's actions in entering into this marriage" thinks that her engagement to a man who used to be her agent and who has been dating her for a year and a half is a sham? Do I even need to make a pot/kettle joke here? Now, I don't know how well Britney and Jason the Second really know each other and maybe they aren't really compatible or in love. What I do know is that Britney married Jason the First at the beginning of a long downward slide into insanity and she's made her ascent back into sanity before and during her relationship with Jason II. Also, Mr. Alexander is the only guy who's nay-saying the whole thing. So forgive me if I think he's suffering from a bit of "former friend who didn't really get the girl" envy.
In all fairness, I'd be a bit envious too.
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.
Paul McCartney has released the first single from his upcoming album, which features fellow legend Eric Clapton. Check it out below, titled "My Valentine":
James Blake has a new single out called "A Case of You." It's the second single off his self-titled album and you can hear it below:
Now it's time for the reason you're here, the ‘&1 Model of the Week'.
For this week's Model of the Week, I was going to go with a generic Christmas theme of hot music girls, but AJ Grey has been beating me to the punch on that. So instead we'll go with a woman who heated up the already-hot Christmas theme song of "Santa Baby" for Glee in a deleted song that made its way online. Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to your "& 1" Model of the Week, Santana herself...Naya Rivera!
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 Stewart Lange, who has brought the 5&1 to the Octagon with the MMA 5 & 1 and the brand-spanking new Gaming 5 & 1 by Sean Garmer! The 5 & 1 Illuminati is poised for true domination now!
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!
That pic off the pissed off looking dog cracks me up. As much as I have been rooting for Shania to go all the way, I'm afraid that she may have met her match. Finally, I wouldn't surprised if there is no G n'R reunion at all. Axl's overinflated ego won't let it happen.
Posted By: mblund (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 12:39 AM
I am sure Axl probably had his holidays ruined finding out the great Jeremy Thomas doesn't like him. The same Jeremy Thomas who can't get more than 5 people to comment on his column each week, which leads me to believe there is 5 people who read it. Keep on making your family proud Jeremy. Hahaha
Posted By: Guest#4716 (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 02:01 AM
Shania still gets my vote. Her kind of hotness is special. The other chick (whom I've never heard of before) is hot, but a dime a dozen.
Posted By: Soy (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 02:31 AM
Shania Twain right on through to the Hall!
Posted By: Sephiroth (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 02:38 AM
Shania 15 years ago or today, I'd still pick her.
Posted By: DC (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 05:24 AM
Shania! She must be in the Hall.
Posted By: Cabbage (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 08:58 AM
Dickhead Guest#4716
Reads that over 200 people have voted on Vs.
Says only 5 people read the column.
Posted By: Adam Hill (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 01:10 PM
Dickhead Guest#4716
Reads that over 200 people have voted on Vs.
Says only 5 people read the column.
Posted By: Adam Hill (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 01:15 PM
I'm gonna go with Shania. I don't know the other chick. She's very attractive though.
Posted By: Guest#2540 (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 01:21 PM
Shania for the win
Posted By: Goomba (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 01:42 PM
Kalia Williams!!! This should be no contest. Shania is OLD!
Posted By: Guest#0735 (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 02:25 PM
nice American Psycho reference.
Posted By: silent mike (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 05:31 PM
Aren't there any good, I mean good pictures of Shania? Hell, I seem to remember she had better pictures on some of her album covers than what you're showing here. Oh, for the record, she gets my vote.
Posted By: guest (Guest) on December 26, 2011 at 07:46 PM
Shania ftw. (Think you could find some better pics also. Trying to sway the votes Jeremy?)
Pink is now the coolest chick ever.
Posted By: rob (Guest) on December 27, 2011 at 07:24 PM
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"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
"Mike Smith has spent a long time being a guitarist for other projects, and Evolver is his opportunity to stake his own claim as a singer/songwriter. The hard rock/alt-metal sound is not too surprising considering Smith's background, but the abundance of melody built within the songs may surprise a few. Acoustic guitars are prevalent, especially on the second half, and really bode well for the material present. It's a grower, but Evolver's self-titled debut has enough memorable songs to be worth a purchase." - Dan Marsicano
"It's a neat little trick Korn have attempted, and for a while it's certainly a fun diversion, but in the end, The Path Of Totality is just the same Korn we've been stuck with for the past decade: going to great lengths to redefine themselves, or at least grab our attention, and inevitably coming up short. You're not surprised, are you?" - Wyatt E.
