mixtape maestro (2.0)

Denmark-born newcomer Nabiha makes a strong first impression with her debut single “Deep Sleep”, a spunky ditty about (no kidding!) trying, and failing, to get some good rest.

“BLAM!/ Who’s knocking on my door?/ The pounding is so raw/ It’s hurting my head,” she growls, her vocal packing such a soulful wallop, you fear for what unfortunate fate awaits the person waiting on the other side of the door if she so chooses to answer the rap.

Yeah, the lightweight topic makes for a curious choice for one’s premiere to the world, but A) it’s something we can all relate to, and B) it beats the bazillionth slant on over-tired “matters of the heart” themes (something we’ll surely get plenty of doses of once the album arrives). Plus, it’s damn near impossible to resist the sugary contagiousness captured in the song’s Gnarls Barkley-gone-bubblegum production bop, especially when it’s being topped by punchy pipes such as hers (and not the needle-thin peep of some waif-sized teenybopper, the type of artist tracks like these usually support).

Uncategorized alt-soul, bubblegum, denmark, nabiha

We’re still not entirely sure it’s a good idea for Amy Winehouse to be helming a label right now (since A: we’d rather have her focusing all her energy on shaping up and recording another album, and B: well, would you want her as a boss?), but then again, what do we know. Her Lioness Records imprint is set to be launched this Fall and it’s first order of business is in releasing the debut album by her 13-year-old goddaughter Dionne Bromfield.

Somewhat un-surprisingly, the London-born Bromfield has been groomed to be a Winehouse mini-me. She may not be crowned with a ratty, on-the-verge-of-collapsing-at-all-times bee hive or look disturbingly under-fed, but she’s definitely presented as a precocious soundalike to her God-mama, down to the beyond-her-years soul pipes and penchant for remaking old R&B/ girl group material (her premiere long-player, Introducing Dionne Bromfield, is an all covers set featuring takes on “Tell Him”, “He’s So Fine” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, amongst other cherished oldies).

The project’s first single is a remake of The Shirelles’ 1963 Top Ten hit “Foolish Little Girl” and, as is the case with a majority of Winehouse’s stuff, it’s impossible not to appreciate. Yeah, it makes for an odd fit as a solo performance (part of the campy charm of the original was the way it was set of as a conversation between friends, the different members of the Shirelles’ trading off leads to play both the song’s jealous ex-girlfriend main role and that character’s well-meaning pals), but that can be overlooked with Bromfield having such sturdy, self-assured vocals and the track rocking this adorable lil’ reggae-for-beginners trot we could listen to over and over for hours.

It’s a decent jump-off for the Lioness label (maybe Amy knows what she’s doing after all!!!), but we gotta admit, we’re more interested in hearing what original stuff Bromfield will be serving up for the follow-up album.

Introducing Dionne Bromfield is due October 12th in the UK.

Uncategorized 60's, amy winehouse, bubblegum, dionne bromfield, girl group, retro, the shirelles, UK soul

Remember when Chris Brown was first starting out? You know, when he was winning over both young’uns and adults left and right with a debut album that birthed a string of infectious tweeny-bop R&B entries and crazy choreographed stage performances that gave older cats Usher and Justin Timberlake pause? Back when you couldn’t get through a single article about him without some writer pulling out the old “new young MJ” tag? Back before you realized what a angry lil’ sucker he was, and then listening to his music made you feel all uncomfortable inside?

That’s the only thing we can think of every time we hear “Just A Kiss”, the slowly chart-climbing single by 16-year-old R&B singer/ actor Mishon, and one that nicely taps into that early Chris Brown “Run It”/ “Yo (Excuse Me Miss)” sensibility with a lil’ Ne-Yo-esque melodicism bite to boot.

As twinkly keyboards and whooshing, backward-routed synths serve a winning R&B-for-the-playground production, Mishon uses his tender, mid-pubesceent tenor to coax some young shawty to “play a little game”; one that, refreshingly, stops just short of “going all the way” by being nothing more than an extended lip-locking session, though that may be just because the girl repeatedly makes it known that she’s not comfortable with doing anything further.

Whatever, we respect it’s realistic portrayal of what it’s like to be a horny teen in 2009, but more importantly, we’re just happy to see another cat give us some satisfying teen romance R&B that doesn’t make us feel like we should donate to some domestic abuse charity because we happened to enjoy it.

We’ll be expecting the obligatory Soulja Boy remix in 5..4..3..2..

Uncategorized bubblegum, mishon, R&B

Part of what really made Brandy and Monica’s catty 1998 hit “The Boy Is Mine” work (aside from producer Rodney Jerkins’ catchy strings n’ funk beat) was that most people actually thought that these two R&B/ Pop starlets had some beef with eachother. Throw in the fact that the two ladies were operating on opposite ends of the spectrum persona-wise (with Brandy as the bubbly “America’s Sweetheart” and Monica as a sassy, wise-beyond-her-years mini soul diva) and you had this great soapy set-up, helping give their tug-o-war over a two-timing beau a lot more dramatic weight.

In the remaking hands of J-Pop successes Beni and Tynisha Keli (God, has it really been ELEVEN YEARS since this record first premiered), “The Boy Is Mine” simply feels one-dimensional and high school talent show, with the production and the duo’s respective vocal performances being nothing more than a note-for-note mimicking of the original (even down to the single cover’s artwork). Borrrrring.

Maybe Brandy and Monica could re-team over some kind of “Boy Is Mine” sequel of sorts (under the title “Not This Bitch Again” or something) and show these two teenyboppers how you’re really supposed to get down when trying to claim your man.

DL: “The Boy Is Mine (Brandy & Monica Cover)” (alt)

Uncategorized '90's, beni, brandy, bubblegum, cover song, duet, J-Pop, monica, tynisha keli

Given props waaaayy back at the beginning of the year as a guilty pleasure crush we just knew was going to dominate the Spring, “Delirious”, by Atlanta teen duo Vistoso Bosses, unfortunately never really managed to catch fire beyond a few blog-world hypes. So we subsequently forgot about it…that is until they decided to bless the people with a recently unearthed new vid for the Soulja Boy-featured remix.

And while we wish they could have linked up with someone like Drake (imagine the tender melodies he could’ve lain here) rather than Mr. “Turn My Swag On”, who has the nerve here to claim to be like “Hov back in ‘96″ (he wishes), we can’t help but A: admit how much this perfectly compliments Soulja Boy’s equally charming bubblegum-rap tune “Kiss Me Thru The Phone” and B: just be so highly stoked that “Delirious” actually has a second shot at smash hit-dom now, even if it is only because of the groan-worthy teen-rapper’s presence.

DL: “Delirious (Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized Atlanta, bubblegum, remix, soulja boy, teen rap, vistoso bosses

Raising “Kiss Me Thru The Phone”’s bubblegum level of a couple more notches, this uni-sex remix sees seventeen-year-old R&B singer Karina Pasian (fresh from last year’s surprising Best Contemporary R&B Album Grammy nomination) more than eager to send smooches back to Soulja Boy through her cell phone screen.

“It’s crazy how I cannot be without your loving/ And when we’re far apart the distance’s got me buggin’”, she replies (probably) Tweets back, her silky, young woman pipes a perfect fit with the track’s nursery rhyme bounce. Aww, puppy love. Back then, being separated from a boy- or girlfriend really did seem like the end of the world, didn’t it?

Is it bad, though, that we wish this could have been her own solo song from the get-go, so that we wouldn’t have to admit to admiring another Soulja Boy record?

DL: “Kiss Me Thru The Phone (Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized '09 grammy's, bubblegum, duet, karina pasian, remix, soulja boy, teen rap

There may be “dark times ahead”, as frontwoman Ali Howard so delicately coos at the beginning of “Woah Billy”, but not even her edge-of-suicidal, teenybopper longing for the titular heartthrob can disrupt the sugar-high that this new Lucky Soul single produces.

The track’s glammy stomp and handclap-laden girl group giddiness damn near emits rays of sunshine through the speakers, showing little compassion for Howard’s depressed diary entries (“I’m like a flower in the shade,” goes one whine); throw in a sudden gear shift when the production makes a pit-stop at the Studio 54 and briefly get it’s “Hustle” on, sending disco lasers every which way, and you’ve got yourself one of the best pop confections of the year.

It’s only too bad that we’ll have to wait all the way until October to snatch up the rest of these London lads’ much-anticipated sophomore collection.

DL: “Woah Billy” (alt)

Uncategorized bubblegum, disco, indie pop, london, lucky soul

Tween pop siblings closely affiliated with the Mouse and The Man Above, Aly & AJ make a Duff-like bid for the mainstream world on their catchy, quirksome new single, “The Potential Break-Up Song”. It’s the kind of song you feel obliged to hate but for some reason gets up under your skin as a near-perfect pop entry.

Anchored in a speedy wave of vocoder-inflected sass and nerdy new wave synths alongside other electro-pop skirmishes, it’s hard to fully digest the fireworks display of sound the first time around. But that killer opening line (“It took too long for you to call back/ And normally I would just forget that/ Except for the fact it was my birthday/ My stupid birthday”) revs you up for a the kind of slightly dumb/ secretly clever tune you wish every pop song could be.

A White Chicks version of “Irreplaceable” or anything the ladies of En Vogue have done, “Potential Break-Up Song” aches to be a rallying female anthem, managing to strum up major drama out of that single thoughtless incident in order to justify kicking boyfriend to the curb. As disparate melodies fly all over the place (this is almost like four songs in one!), the meta-hook brings it all together in a way that would make Fall Out Boy proud (“This is the potential break-up song/ Our album needs just one”).

The only thing keeping this from being a bonafide winner is the fact that Aly & AJ don’t have the cojones to rough their voices up a bit or really lay on the guitars (Disney doesn’t want to scare the kiddies away too bad it seems). But with Kelly Clarkson’s deeper venture into rock leaving “Since U Been Gone” fans (and her record company) feeling a little cold, “Break-Up Song” conveniently fills the void for upbeat power-pop “I can do better all by myself”-type songs to pogo to. One pinky toe out the door from their ultra squeaky clean past, my bet is they’re only one album away from hooking up with Timbaland or BT and attempting some awkward, Pussycat Doll-influenced belly dancing in their videos.

Uncategorized aly & aj, bubblegum, power pop

Jumping on the snap bandwagon last summer, sister quartet Cherish ended up with one of the best songs of the mini-musical movement with “Do It To It”, a bubbly ode to the South that had folks around the globe popping the tips of their fingers in unison. Extending the gimmick further, the quartet (a sort of Ciara X 4 sum) even found a way to incorporate snapping into the decent ballad follow-up “Unappreciated”, causing some talk that somebody might have finally come around to fill up the girl group gap brought on by the retirement of Destiny’s Child.

Twelve months later, Cherish look to hit us with another summer smash but come up short on the tooth-decaying “Keep It Fresh”. Over a corny Saturday morning-stylized melody that sounds like “Yankee Doodle Dandy” (or a blatant biting of Nivea’s equally horrible Lil’ Jon single “Okay”), Cherish cheapen the infectious pulse of “Do It To It” with this poorly conceived re-write. Infusing ghetto chick attitude and gross, candy-oriented come-ons (“I smell like the paper on a Reese’s cup”), the girls do the typical “Don’t think I’m a ho cause my outfit portrays me as one” routine that their obvious idol Ciara mastered long time ago. If these girls were a little more established this could pass for an okay tune, but it only heightens the fact that we could care less about them beyond “Do It To It”. The obvious move to replicate the summertime breeziness of their big hit is well-noted, but if Cherish really wanted to become the new girl group to beat, they should have come with something that would make us want to memorize their individual names, not drop something we won’t care to remember once it ends.

Uncategorized bubblegum, cherish, girl group

All it took was one simple song about how “poppin’” her lip gloss was and seventeen year old female rhyme slinger Lil’ Mama was on the tip of every’s tongue. Though it’s not clear if she writes or not (a thought that we sadly can’t help but consider), Lil’ Mama rocks an addictive flow (listen to the way certain words literally roll out of her mouth) and a charismatic, self-assured persona that already makes her better than a considerable amount of fem-cees currently on the scene. Setting up quite a buzz before her debut album drops, Mama is intent on showing there’s more to her than bubblegam raps about her makeup with a slew of bootleg remixes and new tracks circulating the Web.

First up there’s “No Music”, what seems to be a brief album interlude, that can be found during a mid-break in the “Lip Gloss” video. The minute long cut lives up to it’s title since it’s beat relies on nothing but handclaps (apparently an homage to some Harlem street corner game) as Mama launches a brazen freestyle dripping with G-rated braggadoccio (save for one ‘N-word’ use). Remember when you had to give a twelve-year old Bow Wow credit for handling the mic so well? It’s the same feeling you get from Lil’ Mama. She could teach a lot of grown-ups about breath control, the way words flip so easily from her throat.

On “Umbrella”, Lil’ Mama thankfully takes the place of Jay Z, who garnered many complaints for ruining what’s an otherwise great pop song by believing he could get away with just being a big name and doing no work. Her verses actually pay attention to the track’s premise, adding in her own relationship stories and then ending it off with a killer adoption of Rihanna’s “ella ella ay ay” chant in the form of her name. If all the tyke gave was her breathy “this is the remix” intro, she would’ve trumped Hova, but it’s nice to see her put an effort into her contribution and actually elevate it’s awesomeness.

Lil’ Mama’s strangest work yet falls in a bootlegging of Avril Lavigne’s infectious #1 “Girlfriend”. She once again lucks out with making something that could be oft-putting and silly actually pop. Putting in overtime with a speedy rap to stay in junction with the track’s happy-go-lucky “Mickey” stomp, Mama ends up miraculously sounding like she was meant to be side-by-side with Avril in the first place. Few other rappers would touch this cut with a ten-foot pole, much less be able to not outshine Lavigne or avoid goofiness in the process. Like a pro, Mama meets the challenge head-on and ends up acing another one. With her relentless, Lil’ Wayne-like work ethic and ability to make anything she touches sparkle like gold, the industry could be looking at their next savior with this underage superstar-in-the-making.

Download: Lil’ Mama “No Music” (Rapidshare)
Download: Rihanna/ Lil’ Mama “Umbrella (Remix)” (Rapidshare)
Download: Avril Lavigne/ Lil’ Mama “Girlfriend (Remix)” (Rapidshare)

Uncategorized avril lavigne, bubblegum, duet, female rap, girlfriend, lil' mama, remix, teen rap, umbrella