Band: Nicki Minaj
Album: Pink Friday
Best song: “Moment for Life” and, more so, “Blazin'” are excellent.
Worst song: “I’m the Best” isn’t the best.
Let’s get this out of the way. Pink Friday isn’t much of a record. It has its ups and downs, certainly. But, for whatever reason, Nicki Minaj’s first proper release is a forgettable album. Continue reading
Band: Kelly Rowland
Album: Here I Am
Best song: “Motivation” is great, even with a terrible guest spot.
Worst song: “Keep it Between Us” isn’t much.
I wonder if Kelly Rowland, barely a week younger than I am, ever gets really jealous of Beyonce? I have no idea if they’re friends or not, but I have to think there’s a jealousy in the difference in the amount of attention the two of them get. Continue reading
Band: Carmen Consoli
Album: Elettra
Best song: “Sud est” is my favorite, though “‘A finestra” features some pretty great Sicilian lyrics.
Worst song: “Ventunodieciduemilatrenta,” the album ender, is the weakest song on a very strong record.
Part of the issue with listening to music in a language/culture I don’t understand very well is that I don’t get the entire gist of the music’s place in said culture. I have no idea if, say, Dente is the Italian equivalent to Jack Johnson, Brendan Benson, Matt Nathanson or Bill Callahan. I really don’t know. Continue reading
Band: Dirty Three
Album: Horse Stories
Best song: “Hope” is one of my favorite songs in history.
Worst song: “Red” is not a highlight.
I’m not sure I’ve outlined my feelings on lyrics in this space, but I did do a little bit of it on my old site. In a review of one of my favorite albums, Elliott Smith’s Either/Or, I wrote: Continue reading