Some might say that there is an unwritten rule in coverdom concerning the covering of Stevie Wonder songs. I might ask those folks to qualify that statement by asking which era Stevie, because there have been those who have successfully covered every Stevie era but to me there’s always been something special and different about “That Girl”. I think it has a lot to do with the sound and when this recording was released. (more…)
Russ Einhorn for Splash News
The American Music Awards had some very “interesting” performances and winners this year. From Bon Jovi’s medley, Neyo’s sci-fy interpretation of love vs. power and Justin Beiber’s four time sweep, which I’m still scratching my head over. However, one thing stood out the most to me and that was Usher’s performance. While he definitely pulled off a highly energetic performance, it looked extremely similar to another known artist. If I think about it, Bobby Brown sure comes to mind. In this performance, it seems that Usher read Bobby Brown’s play book page by page, slipped in a few James Brown tips and ended with Michael Jackson’s signature stance at the end. Check out Bobby Brown’s Get Away video and Usher’s AMA performance to see the pointers he picked from his inspiraton! (more…)
Usher needs to get on his knees and thank Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for this song. I was getting a bit frustrated with the previous song releases on this album. They all felt like he was trying to woo a teenage audience instead of showing growth. Paraphrasing my man, Jay-Z, “You a grown man! What you trying to do date a 16-year-old?!?” Personally I think Usher needs to be coaching cats not copying them. I just hope this album shows growth, maturity and confidence - not an artist trying to find his audience. Anyway, this song is pretty hot in my opinion. Tell us whatchu think?
Secret Garden from the "Back On The Block" album
Last week was quite the week for the remix. While I’m an advocate of creativity and stamping your own individuality to a song, I do have boundaries when it comes to certain songs. The other week I was glad to see artists coming together for the relief efforts in Haiti however the remake of “We Are the World” shouldn’t have been the song they rallied behind. I can’t say the remix didn’t have “any” hopeful moments but honestly the bad faded out the good efforts. I, like many fans, probably agree with Jay’s statement given to MTV about the remake efforts.
“I’m a fan of music. I know the plight and everything that’s going on in Haiti. … So I appreciate the efforts and everything, but We Are the World is [musically] untouchable like Thriller is untouchable. It was a valiant effort, but for me, it’s gonna be untouchable.”
Truthfully, there are some songs that just have a magic. Maybe the stars are perfectly aligned or Jupiter just happens to rise in Leo’s moon – hell, I don’t know, but they have a timeless, “Sistine Chapel” appeal to them. In this case, “We Are The World” happens to be one of those songs. Unfortunately, when you touch a song of that caliber, it can lose the magic and take an awful turn as we saw in that remake. Another song that’s been placed on the assembly line for a “spit shine” remix is (more…)
This post is a special edition of our “Bridging the Gap Matchup Series” you can find out more about the series and read the inaugural post here.
Prelude
Every generation has its musical heroes and sheroes and as fans we often support the “home team” even through a “rebuilding season”. If an artist is fortunate enough to last beyond a couple of albums and carve out a body of work that spans almost two decades, you can best believe that some material of a very personal nature that chronicles the strife that is concomitant to life will be created.
When this phenomenon occurs: Art imitating life and life imitating art, we find a wide range of reaction from the audience as we should because art should be provocative. But what moves a piece of music from the generic casting of “art” into the realm of “great art”? How do we qualify or even quantify “great”? Is it possible? When we make statements about what we believe to be great how much bias do we bring to the table based on our love of nostalgia? These are some of the issues I would like for us to consider as we ring the bell for the “Main Event”.
Jermaine Jackson tossed a rose after singing in front of his brother's casket during the memorial service on Tuesday. Source: Monica Almeida/The New York Times
Earlier today at the Staples Center, AEG and Ken Ehrlich produced a very respectful and honorable tribute to the greatest entertainer of all times, Michael Joseph Jackson. There were great performances from Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, John Mayer, Usher and many others. Of course, hearing his daughter Paris speak at the end of the ceremony was the ultimate tear jerker for all.
It’s been a long day, and an emotional roller coaster. You can check out clips of all the performances after the jump. Once again, I’d just like to say thank you to Michael Jackson for sharing your gifts of love, creativity and music with the world. Thank you to Katherine and Joe Jackson, as well as the entire Jackson family for sharing your son/brother/family with the world. R.I.P. MJ.
