Top Albums of 2012: Numbers 7, 6, and 5

Another day; another post. I know I’m getting down to the wire with this one – good thing I’m not a professional. Here we have numbers 5-7 of my favorites. Wish me luck on having better timing with the next post.

7. Trespassing by Adam Lambert

            Lambert was boosted into the public eye after appearing on American Idol. Unfortunately, when you’re on Idol, you’re rushed to make your first album so that the public doesn’t have time to forget who you are. Because of this rushing, Lambert’s first album didn’t represent him as well as it could have. For his sophomore album, Lambert took his time, was much more involved in the writing of the album. He also drew from the wealth of experiences he’s had with Idol, recording his first album, and touring; as a result, Trespassing is a much more cohesive body of work. He went for a sound that was more Pop than his first album and added a bit of Funk. My favorite songs include the title track, which is upbeat with tongue in cheek lyrics; a song funny about that one friend who parties too hard, is entitled ‘Kickin’ In’; and last but not least ‘Outlaws Of Love’, a vulnerable song about prejudice against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered individuals.

6. Perfectly Imperfect by Elle Varner

            Originally, the R&B singer’s debut was farther down my list but when I listened to it again I found a new favorite song off the album so I bumped it up. I found Varner’s music when I was trolling the new releases on iTunes. I ended up listening to ‘Only Wanna Give It To You’ and her cover of Miguel’s ‘All I Want Is You’. I liked the song well enough but I was enamored with the cover so I had my eye on Ms. Varner. When ‘Refill’ first came out I was put off by the use of a fiddle in it because I’m pretty biased against Country music. Now I want to commend Varner for stepping outside the box and for mixing two genres that I wouldn’t have thought to put together – especially as a newcomer, that kind of experimentation takes guts. The risk paid off in my opinion. ‘Stop The Clock’ and ‘So Fly’ are my favorite songs that haven’t already been mentioned. In ‘So Fly’, Varner starts out telling us all of her complaints about her body and wishes to be perfect but by the end of the song she’s changed her tune and I think it’s so clever and very powerful.

5. The M.F. Life by Melanie Fiona

            Ms. Fiona has a beautiful voice with so much soul that she can sing a song that someone else wrote with such conviction that you believe that she is singing from experience. Fiona’s debut album was a bit shaky, but it did the job of getting her name out there and showcasing her vocal ability. With her sophomore album you see so much artistic growth; “The M.F. Life” is a cohesive body of work, the songs are well written, and Fiona proves that she can hold her own alongside industry heavyweights such as Nas and Snoop Dogg.  My favorite songs are ‘Bones’, a clever and unique but slightly creepy love song; ‘4AM’, a late night/early morning lament about an unfaithful lover; and ‘Wrong Side Of A Love Song’, a song in which the heartbreaker has a lover who turns the tables on them and leaves them all alone.

Never Close Our Eyes by Adam Lambert

Refill by Elle Varner                                  

4AM by Melanie Fiona

            We’re getting closer and closer to revealing my pick for Top Album of 2012. Do you have any guesses as to what it might be? Are any albums that you think I should have on my list? Don’t be shy!

Comment responsibly,

Nico Black

Top Albums of 2012: Numbers 10, 9, and 8

Here we go. This is the first post of the “Top Albums of 2012” series. I hope I don’t confuse anyone by going in descending order – I think that it’s more fun because it’s suspenseful in a way. Albums ranked 10-8 are up!

10. Lotus by Christina Aguilera

            Some of my friends would be surprised by this pick because I haven’t been fond of Aguilera in the past. But once I got past her image I found some really beautiful vulnerable or toned down songs. The music video for her first single, Your Body, highlights the over-sexualized image that puts me off but the creators of the visual were quite creative and unique. They managed to make the video interesting instead of just off-putting – I still can’t decide if I like it or not. My favorite songs off “Lotus” include lead single, ‘Your Body’; brazen kiss-off to naysayers, ‘Circles’; and a sweet ode to her fans, ‘Sing To Me.’

9. Push And Shove by No Doubt

            The band’s sixth album was a long time coming and not just because of their break and lead singer Gwen Stefani’s foray into a solo career and other ventures. The album took two years to make. The cover art is a very intricate painting done by an artist named El Mac. I also liked the concept for the music video for first single ‘Settle Down’ because it showed the band members driving personally stylized trucks to rendezvous in the middle of nowhere so they can jam out. Adrian Young’s drum set was really well done; I’ve never seen a more interesting drum set in my life. My favorite songs off the album are the ska title track featuring Busy Signal and Major Lazer and the second single ‘Looking Hot’, a fun track that teenaged girls everywhere will be singing into their brushes to while they pose in front of the mirror.

8. Our Version Of Events by Emeli Sandé

            Before her music career, Emeli Sandé went through college to become a doctor because her parents had instilled in her the importance of an education. With a medical degree to fall back on, Sandé began writing songs for other artists before receiving a record deal as an artist. I don’t like drawing comparisons between artists because everyone is a unique individual, but Sandé’s soulful and emotionally charged songwriting has earned her a comparison to Adele. Ironically, Sandé’s given name is Adele; when Adele gained worldwide acclaim as an artist, Sandé started going by her middle name, Emeli. I love Sandé because she is dynamic in her performance and her songwriting. She has slow, moody songs as well as upbeat songs. My favorite songs from her debut are the moody ‘Easier In Bed’, the uplifiting ‘Wonder’ (which would be perfect for use in a movie if you ask me), and the brutally honest and unwavering declaration, ‘My Kind Of Love’. You should also check out the delightfully dark ‘Kill The Boy’, which she performed acoustically for Angel Studio Session. In a behind the scenes video tour diary, Sandé expressed her gratitude to her fans for her success and while she is enjoying her success here and now, she is very eager to make sure that album number two is just as solid as her debut. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for the future.

            Your Body by Christina Aguilera

                      Settle Down by No Doubt

 Wonder ft Naughty Boy by Emeli Sandé

I hope that you enjoy at least one of the artists or one of the mini-bios I did on them, but I know I won't please everyone. Feel free to let me know what you think of these artists and who your picks would be. As always, comment respectfully.

Thank you,

Nico Black

Top Albums of 2012 Announcement

Wow. I am horrible at keeping up with a blog; my apologies to anyone who reads it – you must be frustrated with me. Or perhaps you’ve forgotten all about this blog as I have. Oh well.

Since the year is coming to a close I decided to make a list of my favorite albums of the year. It will be done in four sections that will come out daily starting with today. The sections are as follows: albums ranked at 10, 9, and 8; albums ranked at 7, 6, and 5; albums ranked at 4, 3, and 2; my number 1 album of 2012. I would also like to make other posts about my favorite music related moments from 2012 but we will see how ambitious I am after I’ve gotten through my Top 10 list.

            I hope you enjoy looking through my list. Maybe you’ll hear about an artist that you hadn’t heard of before. Keep in mind that this is purely based on my taste in music and that they aren’t ranked in terms of their musicianship. They are ranked by how much I enjoy listening to them – it’s that simple. It is an opinion that you may not agree with – which is fine because everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. Feel free to leave a comment and tell me about an artist that you think I missed. You can even post a list of your Top 10 Albums of 2012. But don’t bash my list and my opinions. I will respect your opinion and I hope you’ll do the same with mine.

Thank you,

Nico Black