mixtape maestro (2.0)

While nothing could match the heights that Snoop Dogg scaled when his lackadaisical delivery was paired with Dr. Dre’s G-funk beat terrains, in his late-career excursions, it’s been The Neptunes who have consistently provided the Doggfather with the material needed to remain just as commercially relevant as he nears closer and closer to age 40 and his twentieth year in the game, whether it’s through digitized updatings of the rapper’s old hood-boy bop (“From The Chuuuch To Da Palace”, “Drop It Like It’s Hot”) or radio-friendly ditties that paid tribute to his undying adoration for summertime soul (“Beautiful”) and sleek, ’80’s-era disco-funk (“Let’s Get Blown”, “Signs”).

For “Special”, the Neptunes’ lone offering to Snoop’s tenth album Malice N Wonderland, that hit-making chemistry is kept afire with the Virginian production duo lacing Snoop’s eased flow and Valentine’s Day promises with another one of their purrty, keyboard-dominant arrangements while Pharrell and (a suddenly everywhere) Brandy blissfully croon sweet nothings back and forth on the hook.

It’s a blatant “Beautiful” re-write and far away from the aggressive, undercover cop-spooking lyricism that Snoop became a household figure with so long ago, but of all the various ‘90 hip hop sub-genre detours Snoop (sometimes awkwardly) skips through throughout Malice, “Special” is the one where he fits in the most comfortably, not only because you could totally envision Snoop giddily vibing with the instrumental on loop as he rides through the streets of Cali, but the “grown man” way he praises Wifey (“I’m puttin out the blunt cause I see/ That I need you more in my life than I need a bag of weed”) carries this endearing grasp of authenticity and intimacy, sounding like something that could have actually been in his vows during his 1997 wedding (or 2008 vow renewal) to high school sweetheart Shante.

“Special”:

BONUS DL: Snoop Dogg featuring Justin Timberlake & Charlie Wilson “Signs (Siik Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized brandy, charlie wilson, justin timberlake, malice n wonderland, neptunes, pharrell, siik, snoop dogg, west coast rap

Even though “Love Sex Magic” has enjoyed time in the Hot 100 Top 10, making it Ciara’s first single to peak that high since 2006’s “Oh”, the original track doesn’t seem like it will have the legs to become the monster summer go-to it was most likely designed to be.

Now, an extended after-life in the remix realm? That just may be the record’s saving grace as it seems like every week some re-tweaked version of the tune is making it’s Web premiere.

The latest remix to get our bums a-wigglin’ comes via Canada’s Skratch Bastid, who matches Ciara & JT’s sexcapades up perfectly with the sketelal White-boy funk of Laid Back’s club staple “White Horse” and Art of Noise’s bump & grind anthem “Moments of Love”.

DL: “Love Sex Magic (Skratch Bastid Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized 80's, art of noise, Canada, ciara, fantasy ride, justin timberlake, laid back, remix, skratch bastid

Would it be asking too much for Justin Timberlake to consider a full-time gig on “Saturday Night Love”? Whether he’s hosting the show or simply popping up randomly in a single sketch (the “Single Ladies” parody; his blink and you missed it cameo in the “Jizz In My Pants” video), Justin (alongside the show’s over-used star Kristen Wiig) guarantees endless laughter, and with it being another three-and-a-half years until the next presidential elections (always the show’s biggest attention-grabber), SNL could really use his usually excellent comedic chops in the interim.

Last night, JT took on hosting duties for the third time, and while not every single minute was a LOL home-run (we thinks the “Target Lady” has worn out her welcome, and the live performance of Ciara’s “Love Sex Magic” felt like the record itself: promising, but ultimately underwhelming), it was definitely the show’s strongest full episode in months.

Of course, the sketch that will gather the most attention will be the latest “Digital Short”, which saw Timberlake and Andy Samberg reprising their Color Me Badd-esque “Dick In The Box” duo for sequel effort, “Motherlover”, another humorous mocking of 90’s R&B, this time based around the group’s brilliant idea to take “special care” of each other’s lonely moms for Mother’s Day (“Cause every Mother’s Day needs a Mother’s Night/ If doing it is wrong, I don’t wanna be right/ I’m callin’ on you ’cause I can’t do it myself/ To me you’re like a brother, so be my mother lover”).

We would have to agree about it being the “second best idea (they’ve) ever had”, cause the Emmy-winning (!!) “Dick In A Box” was major, but damn if we’ll ever think about the Mother’s Day holiday the same way ever again.

Catch the hilarious clip below, followed by the SNL performance of “Love Sex Magic”:

Uncategorized andy samberg, ciara, justin timberlake, lol, sex jam, snl

For those that are still not quite feeling “Prom Queen” or wish that Ciara and JT’s “Love Sex Magic” didn’t feel so FutureSex-like, producer/ remixer Russ Castella has come to your rescue, tinkering with both records in interesting enough ways they might reverse some listeners’ initial underwhelmed reception.

Of the two, “Prom Queen” is obviously in need of the most help, so it’s not surprising it gets the more drastic makeover. This involves Castella completely stripping away it’s “rock”-y sonic terrain, then orchestrating an entirely new backing arrangement based in moody piano dramatics.

Surprisingly, casting the song in this Evanescence AC ballad-like form ends up sounding far better than one might at first assume; but a delicate sprinkling of keys can’t really solve the major problem that is Wayne’s choked robo-vocal. The man still sounds horrid.

DL: “Prom Queen (Russ Castella Piano Remix)” (alt)

For “Love Sex Magic”, Castella simply colors within the lines of it’s taut funk strut a lil’ melodic synth groove. It’s a minor updating, but damn if it doesn’t wiggle the song out of it’s re-heated feel and elevate it to a whole new plateau of post-disco sexiness.

DL: “Love Sex Magic (Russ Castella Remix)” (alt)

Uncategorized ciara, fantasy ride, justin timberlake, lil' wayne, remix, russ castella

Just when it looked like Ciara’s Fantasy Ride wasn’t going to be that great of a commute, she hooks up with the great Timba-lake team and scores herself a sure-shot chart climber.

“Love & Sex & Magic” was first heard as a Justin-starring demo (then simply called “Magic”) that was somehow leaked to the masses last year. A lean Timbaland-sculpted funk-pop jam, the track definitely feels like a FutureSex knock-off, but who ever said that was a bad thing?

“Imagine if there was a million me’s talkin’ sexy to you like that/
You think you can handle boy, if I give you my squeeze/ I’m-a need you to push it right back,” Ciara flirts, preparing her nastiest lap dance routine. Justin’s response? Simply sit back and enjoy: “Just do what I taught you”. Then, out of nowhere, a fluttery ballad-leaning bridge cuts through all the hanky-panky foreplay so the duo can get a little mushy: “Let’s slow it down so we fall in love…”.

Miss Ciara, you can rest with all the album push-backs now, ’cause with this sexy groover, you’ve finally grasped that jump-off mega-hit you’ve been searching for.

Uncategorized ciara, duet, fantasy ride, justin timberlake, sex jam, timbaland

A Belgian singer-songwriter remaking a 50 Cent/ JT/ Timbaland strip club jam in the form of an acoustic ballad strum-along!?! And it works (maybe even better than the original)!?! 26-year-old Milow accomplishes just that with this striking entry.

One of the original “Ayo Technology”’s biggest flaws was that the sheer weight of the A-list crew behind it (pre-establishing it as a hit before it even dropped) sort of distracted away from the scary-cool intricacies of what the song could really be about: a tale of an introverted porn-addict on the verge of randy implosion at the mouth-drying gyrations of the talented pole dancer in front of him and how seeing her in a three-dimensional form could inform some dastardly deed later on. Neither 50 nor Justin could really be all that believable in bringing that creepy role to life since at the end of the day, they probably would get the girl to their respective cribs to bring their private fantasies to fruition with little to no hesitation.

For the relatively unknown Milow, that option isn’t there, so his take on “Technology” lends itself easier to the song’s inherent skin-crawling air, his every-man vocal yearns (and nerdy adoption of Fiddy’s “make it rain” prose) against the guitar-lain frame conveying the spooky intimacy of a computer screen ogler tracking down his ideal porn beauty at the local strip joint and mind-conjuring up some nefarious after-hours plot that involves him following his target to her home and really finding out “just how it be/ On top of me/ Backstokin’, sweat soakin’”. When he sings “I’ll be in this bitch ’til the club close” or howls “I’m tired of using technology/ I need you right in front of me”, the creepy desperation in his vocal paints him as a haunting figure who’s en route to doing something really really wrong.

Now if only we could get him to do a whole entire album’s worth of 50 Cent remakes; could you imagine how much more menacing tunes like “Wanksta” or “Many Men” would sound “unplugged”?

DL: “Ayo Technology (50 Cent Cover)” (alt)

Uncategorized 50 cent, Belgium, cover song, justin timberlake, milow, singer-songwriter, timbaland

Robbing the same folk & b soundscape as another Timbaland produced joint (JT’s “What Goes Around”) and sharing the same title as one the best singles of the decade, Rihanna’s “Rehab” has too many strikes against it to be judged as highly as the rest of her outlandishly good output, but damn does she win again with another great set of lyrics in her already bulging, quote-heavy arsenal.

It’s been a minute since we had a good heartbroken/ drug addict pop metaphor to latch onto and while it lacks the greasy imagery of Pink’s “Just Like A Pill”, “Rehab” works as a well-written runner-up. It’s rolling melodicism supporting the tear-streaked, lost-in-love poetry, “Rehab” finds Rihanna torturously replaying the scenes of a recent romance in her head, wishing there was some way she could do it all over again a different way over gently cascading acoustic guitar strums, beat-box percussion and Timbaland’s usual ghostly ad-lib support. It seems another Not-Prince-Charming (he was like her lover and best friend “all wrapped up into one with a ribbon on it”) has taken her heart and left her in a less-than-attractive crazed state of mind. Taking on chain smoking and breaking into cold sweats at just the thought of him not being near her, Rihanna wants to break from this un-healthy cycle, but just as strongly knows that if he was to knock on her door within the next five minutes, she would gladly let him re-enter her life.

“It’s like I checked in rehab/ And baby, you’re my disease” the hook dryly states, as if to confirm that she’s been reduced to a soul-sapped, walking zombie. For whatever reason (maybe she’s too young to understand that some songs require personality to sell it) Rihanna has always approached her songs in the same ice-cold, detached way. Though the intention is likely not as calculated as would like to believed, such a robotic vocal style is what makes her uptempo cuts sparkle and her ballads take on an oft-putting allure (remember the cold-hearted adulteress conveyed on “Unfaithful”?). Here, her distance captures the “Rehab” character’s blank-faced hollowness well.

Download: “Rehab” (Amazon)

Uncategorized diva pop, good girl gone bad, justin timberlake, rihanna, timbaland

Maybe out of concern that simulating sex with his girlfriend in a music video wasn’t getting him enough blog attention, a determined Manson has found a new gimmick guaranteed to get a rise out of the Internet crowd with this baffling cover of Justin Timberlake’s “What Goes Around”.

Manson’s past Satanic remakes run the gamut from great (“Sweet Dreams”) to okay (“Tainted Love”), but this one really doesn’t translate as more than a cheap moment of ultimate WTF-ery! The original, a blissed out retread of “Cry Me A River” theatrics, was really only saved by it’s twisted “…Goes Around” outro when JT stopped being such a pretty-voiced wuss and moved into one of the most awesomely bad “good-pop-star-gone-bad-guy” acts since Michael Jackson sneered at Wesley Snipes amid Fosse choreography in the “Bad” music video. Unfortunately, Manson avoids that section and instead focuses on the “What Goes Around” halve, reducing it into some lame acoustic pity fest.

Without studio trickery to hide his tattered voice, Manson’s worn growl comes across like a battered, old wolf howling through the night. The fact that he plays it so straight, with no trace of smirking to reveal he’s in on the joke, makes this whole moment even more bewildering. What did he think he could possibly gain from displaying himself so horribly? A lower than low point for a man who has built an entire career by trying to scare us to death, Manson really freaks us out on this one and not in the way he was probably aiming for.

Download: “What Goes Around…Comes Around (Justin Timberlake cover)” (RS)

Uncategorized cover song, justin timberlake, marilyn manson

Those who thought “Give It To Me”’s guest list was a little too TRL-baiting may approve of the producer’s harder remix…but then again maybe not. Replacing the sparkly riddim of the original with a tougher, low-rumbing electro-hop sway, “Laff At Em” is a lazy shot to get Jay Z in on the current “Timbaland Rules” bandwagon while offer another dose of the thus-far spectacular Timbo/ Timber love affair that’s been going on recently.

The song extends the whole “lets laugh at everyone not as popular as us” vibe that fueled “Give It To Me”’s schoolhouse beefing, a topic that might sting further since that single managed to become a #1 pop hit in both the US and the UK, but “Laff At Em” doesn’t register as much beyond a curious side piece in the wave of Shock Value’s hype.

Timbaland’s drops a couple played out one-liners (“Bimbos like Timbo/ He’s bad/ Bitch I never liked you/ Get off your kneepads”) and Timberlake basks in the glory of being placed next to a hip hop giant who adorns a nice, speedy flow in another verse full of hot air. It’s a less impressive cocky rant that wastes the opportunity for all the members involved to REALLY dish on their rivals (especially with Lil’ Wayne stealing most of Jay Z’s thunder these days), but with Timbaland in the midst of a much-deserved career high, not even this C-rate track could kill much of his momemtum.

Uncategorized jay-z, justin timberlake, remix, shock value, timbaland

When’s the last time you’ve been really brought to your knees by a female rocker? Lucas Silveira is sure to bring about memories of Chrissie Hynde with her emotional honesty, alarming range and appreciation of both pop melody and good old fashioned rock and roll fire. Backed by the all-female Toronto band The Cliks, the cherub-like Silveira looks like the boys (she endorses an androgynous image that hasn’t been pulled off since Annie Lennox began donning male garb and shorn locks) and promises to get down and dirty like the boys all without losing a certain softness that keeps her in touch with her femininity.

“Oh Yeah” is a charged force of purity. The tight trio deliver an intense, chugging rhythm section that paves the way for Lucas’ impassioned battle cry against the world. “Oh yeah oh yeah I’ve fallen down,” she spews in solid clarity, “There’s no use faking/ And everyone in this ol’ town/ Can hear me raging”. As the lyrics come into focus, it becomes clear that the usual songform standby, heartache, is at the base of such an outburst.

When the beat falls away to a hushed bass purr, Silveira’s pain comes to light through choked tenderness. “He’s not listening”, she cries to herself before exploding into the raw feelings of her soul: “I WANT MY BABY BACK”, emphasizing each syllable to describe the hurt that comes with confessing such closted emotions to the ears around her. The toughened facade and revelation of naked honesty on the chorus feels so believably earnest, you’re almost embarrased for her gall to share such intimacy with the public. Meanwhile the accomplished musicians that support her push forward a polished backing that reminds you of the power that classic rock and roll can have, all it’s familiar chords and melodic tricks perfectly in place.

Anyone still with doubts as to this being another gender-bending repeating of Linda Perry and 4 Non-Blonde’s brief, here-today-gone-tomorrow peak need look no further than The Cliks’ awe-inducing cover of Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me A River”. Yes, attaching oneself to the former ‘Nsync-er’s solo catalogue has become a rite of passage of all new bands, it seems, but few have come close to re-defining the material the way The Cliks does. They don’t approach “Cry Me A River” in a drunken, karaoke fit of ironic wit. Instead Silveira successfully re-adopts the anti-Britney rant as her own bitter dialogue while the band shift the song’s memorable haunted house ambiance into a sexy, reggae-inflected grit that’ll have you forgetting a Mousketeer and mad scientist producer had ever had anything to do with the song.

Giving rock a much-needed deviation from it’s frat domination, Lucas and The Cliks do more than just inject estrogen into the playing field, but launch what promises to be a long-lasting career that’ll hopefully influence a new generation of grrls to start garage bands and make lipstick and guitars more than just a brief fad every blue moon

Uncategorized Canada, cover song, justin timberlake, the cliks