Below denotes songs and artists of note featured on the Billboard Hot 100 (USA), Hot Dance/Club Play (USA), UK Hot (UK), Japan and KPOP (South Korea) Charts. Italicized items have been discussed on Melismatic.
Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart:
1. Adele - Set Fire To the Rain (AIRPLAY GAINER)
2. Rihanna - We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris)
3. Flo Rida - Good Feeling 4. David Guetta - Turn Me On (feat. Nicki Minaj) (DIGITAL GAINER)
5. Katy Perry - The One That Got Away 6. Bruno Mars - It Will Rain
7. LMFAO - Sexy and I Know It 8. Kelly Clarkson - Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You...)
9. Jay-Z/Kanye West - Ni**as In Paris
10. Jessie J - Domino
Call it bias (because it is), but formally writing a review for TVXQ! (in this formation, as it's a Japanese release, known as Tohoshinki) and their most recent album release in TONE was painstakingly difficult for me. Now, as the duo embarks on their first official concert tour stage since DongBangPocalypse, their first formal headlining tour since 2009's 'The Secret Code', also in Japan, there is no better time than the present to reflect on this not new but certainly different version of TVXQ!
TONE is TVXQ's fifth release in Japan, but unlike its counterpart in fifth Korean release Keep Your Head Down, TONE feels more full, more confident and less jumbled. On the whole, while I'm not nearly as knowledgeable about the Japanese music scene, I've always personally felt that TVXQ's Japanese releases were their strongest (case in point - fourth album 'The Secret Code' being their strongest release top to bottom ever, in any language, period). The reason for this to me is clear -- this material allows them to express what in their native country they couldn't. Part of that comes from the emotions that are exuded through the material. Since Japanese is for most members of 5-TVXQ! their second language, they are continually forced to dig to the heart of the material in order to breathe life into it, whereas, with their Korean material, understanding would come to them naturally.
Confession Time: Ever since the Pastele showcase I attended a few weeks back, I've had one song on constant replay and that is "L.I.E.", a collabo jam between dance rapper Flawless and Amy of Karmin (performed live that night with Pastele supplying the female vocals). So much so, that looking into the rest of Flawless' material seemed like a no-brainer, and when I did, I was momentarily stunned.
A native of Queens, he's opened Ray J, Fabolous & Trey Songz, toured across the US, the UK & China, and was an original finalist for Diddy's first 'Making The Band' (remember The Band? No?). His path to independant success has been non-stop ever since, earning attention from industry elite on the back of his own hard work, so when he says he's on a grind, he really means it.
Few things that I wanna say Still got my dignity No one will love you like me... She's prettier than I'll ever be Got yourself a beauty queen, yeah But there's one thing I gotta say... -Neon Hitch, "F*ck U Betta"
A sure lot has changed since I last formally checked in on Brit (and now Warner Brothers-recording artist) Neon Hitchtwo and a half years ago. She wrote tunes for Ke$ha & Sky Ferreira, released an ace buzz single in "Get Over U" (co-written by Sia) and nabbed featured tags alongside 3OH!3 and most recently Gym Class Heroes (on their current radio gem "Ass Back Home").
As for herself, Ms. Hitch has a brand new single that stands apart from the musical identity of when I first discovered her in favor of more scandalicious club beats. Last year saw the release of club single "Bad Dog" -- a hooky piece of innuendo in tribute to bad boys. This year, we have a formal single release, dubbed "F*ck U Betta", and its is the lead release off her upcoming debut album, Beg, Borrow and Steal, due for release later this year. File this one under Guilty Pleasure Club Pop in the very best sense.
With a name like "F*ck U Betta", you can already guess it's a floor-stomping, in-your-face, pompous party cut. It's exactly that, plus a bag of chips. Neon's trademark baby-voiced cooing comes full-Auto-Tuned-throttle, drawing you in to the brash and repetative hook amid smokey synth thumps. The ultimate self-righteous kiss-off to an ex who's moved on? Pretty much.
2012 brings the revival of my Back in the Day columns, speaking about pop music material from ten years prior, so from here on out, our Year of Pop 2002. In January of 2002, I was still a Freshman in High School (waiting on bated breath for a fourth *NSYNC album that would never come). First up is a girl group I've mentioned once before in this column.
Blaque, a pop-meets-urban trio who saw some success in the late 90's with their Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes-assisted 1999 debut album Blaque, has always remained a question mark in my mind. The majority of this reasoning is becaue their debut record became more than a staple to me during this period.
Their sound and appeal was basically a younger version of TLC gone pop, trading the Fanmail era's space-suits for neon color blocking, bubble wrap and pacifiers (in fact, they even opened for the ladies during the Fanmail tour). Many tossed them off in favor of some of their contemporaries, the biggest being 3LW. Not I -- as Blaque was fully stacked to yours truly. Admittedly, I gathered interest at first due to a bemusing collaboration with *NSYNC's other frontman, but I stayed for other, more R&B-flavored cuts, like "808".
Keep sending in your stellar tuneage to submissions@melismaticblog.com! I don't know why I didn't think of this column idea sooner, but I'm glad I did! On to this week's gems:
EVA Genre: Four-on-the-Floor Electro File Near: Katy Perry
I've mentioned Eva once before on the blog thanks to her dancefloor romp (co-written by Ke$ha herself), "Ashes". She's still on the dancefloor, and chasing the rising dubstep trend with her latest single, sexy "Body On Mine," featuring Young Money protege of the moment, Tyga. While I'm a bit more partial to the club-ready "Extended Dubstep Remix", the radio edit (see below) could very well have legs...
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KAZAKY Genre: Fierce 90's Eurodance meets 2012 House
File Near: Visually, these boys have NO competition.
Picture this: four metro!glam boys from the Ukraine, better known as Kazaky, working it out to House Music in stilletto heels. The video for their most recent single, "Dance and Change," is honestly a piece of art in its simplicity as the main spotlight is on the stellar choreography. While the song doesn't exactly move mountains to my ears, it's the visual that draws you in. This boy band has set the bar for dancing so high, it's almost not even fair. How is it that they can do this in heels in the club, while I can barely make it through one song?
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CONTROLFREAKSUK Genre: Mod-Day Radio Dance meets 60's Soul File Near: C + C the Music Factory, (a 2012 version of) Gloria Gaynor
Burgeoning Brit production duo ControlFreaksUK (or CF-UK to those in the know) have enlisted an 2009 Brit X-Factor flameout Nicole Lawrence and her big soulful pipes in their self-penned current single "Won't Look Back." The cut is a decidedly sunny and tre soulful romp that immediately put a smile on my face and is currently my sing-in-the-shower song of the moment.
Check me out as a Permanent Panelist at the brand new KPOP PANEL. Stop by each week to see musings on KPOP music, and see who wins each week's Blogger Competition!
