Music Review by Rebecca Haven

We’re Baaack…Best and Worst of 2007

It’s been nearly nine months since this music column has actually made it to print (due to technical issues with the mag.) and a lot has happened since I went out on St. Patrick’s Day and my friends had to send me home at 9p.m. in a cab (don’t ask).
Since then, several columns were written and then scrapped as the months slipped by. My June column was to be a tribute to 80’s music and a taunt about how Amy Winehouse has been quickly falling out of favor (see below). My September column was going to be dedicated to not only some awesome new music, but to all the “comeback artists” popping up—just to name a few, the Backstreet Boys (ha!), the Spice Girls and Britney Spears, whose soon to be released album (at that time) was causing quite a stir on the internet–tracks were “leaking” left and right.
I’ve also been finding myself horribly against i-tunes. I know, everyone says it’s fantastic and I do have it on my computer so I can upload onto my i-pod, but I’m a firm believer, still, of the album. A singer–and producer and the thirty other people involved–makes an album as a piece of art to be enjoyed as a whole.
I-tunes makes it possible for you to go and download the two songs you like off the album. And then you don’t get the whole experience the artist wants you to have, from start to finish. It’s like cutting up a Picasso and only looking at the right hand corner. Or watching the first fifteen minutes of a movie. You don’t get the whole “experience” if you don’t listen to it all. I still find myself at the store digging through racks and purchasing full albums, even if I know I might not like half the songs.
So here I am, at the end of the year again, and you know what that means:
Best and Worst albums of 2007.
BEST (in no particular order)
· Sara Bareilles – Little Voice – I was kind of afraid she was going to go the way of Toby Lightman (who?, you say—exactly my point) and have one really strong song and then blow it on the rest of the album, but to my surprise she didn’t. You may recognize the first song on the album, “Love Song” (video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR5xv3pt7KI&feature=related ) that has gotten some limited airplay. This is, by far, the strongest song on the album—sassy and loud with a truly infectious chorus. Her voice is unique and amazing. I love it when someone other than a first soprano gets airtime. I listen to it on repeat when I’m working out.
· Paramore – Riot! – I first saw them playing in between shows on MTV this summer and thought, great, another Good Charlotte with a female lead. After being fairly unimpressed with some of the live snippets I was seeing, I caught them playing “Misery Business” (the one song now getting airplay) acoustic. Their female lead has an amazing voice and it made me buy the CD (which I found at Target for 7.99!) and then wish they recorded their whole album acoustic. The album is stronger and deeper than I thought it would be and they are eventually going to have a lot more hits. Oh yeah, and you have to love YouTube, you can watch the video for “Misery Business” here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCyGvGEtOwc
· Alicia Keys – As I Am – Just released and already a huge success, which is well deserved. Does anyone else remember when Alicia Keys used to not know how to give interviews and used to dress like a guy? I sure do, and what a change a few years makes. She looks gorgeous enough to rival Beyonce and though she’s always had the musical chops, her sound is better and almost more raw and emotional now than it was when she was a prodigy first starting out. The first single off the album, “No One” is amazing and is a song that will play forever. She is very quickly placing herself in the realm of historical musical figures such as Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight.
· Mika – Live in Cartoon Motion – Ok, first off, just look at his website: http://www.mikasounds.com/uk.php LOVE it! My friend actually sent a recommendation to me during February of this year and the minute I bought the disc and put it in my CD player I didn’t take it out for over two months. Every song is fun, infectious and I almost felt like the CD was a game of “who inspired this song?” Bowie, Queen and George Michael (ala Wham! fame) are just a few I came up with each listen. The first song on the disc, “Grace Kelly” is straight out of the Freddie Mercury playbook, and “Lollipop” is something I could see Wham! performing back in the day. The music is so colorful and fun. If you buy one CD this year, or next, make it this one. You have to hear the whole thing to get the right effect.
· Michael Buble – Call Me Irresponsible – I have a special place in my heart for Michael Buble. As much of an ass as I have heard he is in person (name me a famous person that really isn’t) I love his music. Mainly because he reminds me of Harry Connick, Jr., which in turn reminds me of Frank Sinatra (so the chain is kind of backwards here) and who doesn’t love Frank? He also kind of reminds me of Barry Manilow, who everyone secretly loves too (admit it.). “Everything” the first single off the album is in typical Buble style, clean, happy and clear.

WORST
· Amy Winehouse – Back to Black - really the only reason I am panning the album is because she is such a mess and anyone buying it is supporting her sad trainwreck-downfall. Truly, I love this album. Winehouse’s voice is deep, surprisingly pure and not so surprisingly haunting. It amazes me that such a fantastic rich sound can come out of such a tiny person. It kind of reminds me of 1980’s Rick Astley. My real problem with Winehouse is that her life has now overtaken the quality of her music. In just the past few weeks she has become even more frail and sick looking, her husband has been arrested and as a result, she has cancelled the rest of her tour dates. The concerts she did do before the cancellation were horrifying–she sounded terrible and was supposedly snorting cocaine on stage. When her parents called for people to stop buying her album because it was supporting her habit a few months ago, I thought it was kind of silly. Now I get it—she is going to die if she doesn’t get her life together.
· Britney Spears – Blackout – Do I really even need to say it? Just add her to the list of artists whose lives are overtaking their art. The thing is, Spears isn’t a hardcore drug addict like Winehouse, she’s a recreational drug user at best. The real problem is that she just can’t get anything together. She’s trapped in a thirteen year olds brain and doesn’t want to listen to anyone, including her managers, family, friends or even a judge.
My friend and I were out in Vegas plotting about how if we ran into her, she’d probably be such a mess that we could pretend we knew her and she’d probably be our best friend that night. I’m at the point where I just flat out feel sorry for how misdirected she is. And I don’t want to listen to her music anymore. And neither does anyone else.
· 50 Cent – Curtis – I admit, I have never really liked 50 Cent, so maybe I’m biased, but the minute he challenged Kanye this year and said he’d retire if he was outsold I almost threw a party. I knew Kanye would outsell him, just because everyone loves Kanye. My mom loves Kanye. And then the results were in. And he didn’t retire. Even Justin Timberlake couldn’t save him on this one.
· Bloc Party – A Weekend n the City – Ok, admittedly, this album wasn’t terrible, but it also wasn’t good. The album before this one was so strong and had so much energy going for it that this entire album just seemed to fall flat. There are still some good tracks, but this isn’t an album I’d want to listen to as a whole.
· Bon Jovi – Lost Highway – I admit it, I love Bon Jovi. I’ve seen him in concert three times. In college, my friends and I would come home from a long night of partying and put on “Shot Through the Heart” or “Livin’ on a Prayer” or even “It’s My Life” and sing until our throats hurt, but Bon Jovi has been on a downhill slide since Have A Nice Day came out in 2005. And I think with this album, they finally landed in the mud. Sure, the country stations and Habitat for Humanity love it; I do not.
I hope everyone enjoys the holidays and the end of the year, and I hope the beginning of 2008 will bring rehab for Amy Winehouse and some great new music for all of us!

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