Sunday 29 December 2013

Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience - The Video Collection

With what I consider to be the best album of the year, there have been some pretty brilliant music videos attached. So here they all are together in one place.

TV Show Of 2013

This year alot of TV shows have taken a turn for the worst. 

Grey's Anatomy has been dragging this year. Repetitive and dragged out storylines and lack of a strong original cast. While there have been some engaging storylines they end up being predictable and a copy of something done in its previous 10 year history.


Family Guy had an interesting moment but killing off one of the main characters, only by bringing him back 2 episodes later, so obviously a ratings ploy on a slowly dying show. 

Dexter closed its 8 year run with an awful final season. The whole eighth season was slow, boring and very unrelated to the past Dexter seasons. Like everyone, I was hoping for an all out manhunt on Dexter with everyone finding out his true identity. However we were given a slow catch the killer and spent the entire season finding out about a woman who had never been in a previous season, so it felt a little too little too late. With a very poor, 'easy way out' ending, it left viewers feeling cheated and for me tarnished the entire show. Which is a shame because when it was good back in the days of season 2 and 5, Dexter was one of the best, only to die out slowly and painfully.  


While other shows such as The Big Bang Theory, Game Of Thrones, Fresh Meat and Moaning Of Life supplying pretty decent entertainment one show stood above the rest and showed everyone how it was done. 


Breaking Bad closed its 6 year, 62 episode run with a fantastic final season this year. Keeping every single viewer hooked until the literal last second it has fast become one of the greatest shows ever made. The character development, acting skills and directing stayed fresh and at its best until the very end. This makes it the best show of 2013.

Top 5 Worst Albums Of 2013

This year saw some amazing albums but also saw some surprisingly bad ones. All of the people in this list usually release really good albums and music but this year just wasn't their year.

5. Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke
One you get past the brilliant title track the album drops for me. There is little of Robin Thicke's usual soul and sex sound. Instead it sounds like he tried to be too mainstream and lost his usual sound.
 
4. Journals - Justin Bieber
Each song was released individually once a week and then compiled into an album. This isn't strictly speaking an album but it was released as one. The songs are all the same on this album. With the odd interesting moment, this album really does make you want to hurt yourself for its obnoxiousness and dull sound.

3. Britney Jean - Britney Spears
Britney's albums are never exactly earth shattering but like this one they usually have a few good singles on them. 'Work Bitch' is obviously a very fun song, but from then the album dips into club crowd pleasers with not much thought. The track with her sister Jamie Lynn is just awful. Without that song it is alot more pleasant but still a 10 track album thats about 7 tracks too long.

2. Alive - Jessie J
After such an amazing debut album, 'Who You Are', I was expecting more greatness from Jessie J with this one. However this album lacks alot of depth and it seems like she has done the same as Robin Thicke this year and tried to be too mainstream. There is no individual sound of 'Who's Laughing Now', 'Mama Knows Best' and 'Nobody's Perfect'. Instead we are given lame pop tracks like 'It's My Party' and 'Wild'. There is one very good song 'Thunder', but the other emotional attempts on this album just lack the depth of her previous efforts.

1. Loved Me Back To Life - Celine Dion
After some of the best albums on the planet ('Falling Into You', 'The Colour Of My Love' and 'A New Day Has Come') I was hoping for a fresh yet classic Celine Dion on this album. Instead the production of the songs seems sloppy and the song choices even sloppier. This is Celine Dion and yet we get weak songs such as 'Incredible' and 'Save Your Soul'. The album has some good moments, 'Water And A Flame' is Celine back to her best, but with single choices like 'Breakaway', this album just falls on its face.

Top 5 Artists Of 2013

Here are my top 5 artists of 2013. A few names such as Avicii, One Direction, Lady Gaga, John Newman, One Republic and Pharrell Williams missed out. 

5. Beyonce

4. Rihanna

3. Cher

2. Pink

1. Justin Timberlake

Saturday 28 December 2013

Top 5 Singles Of 2013

These are my favourite singles of 2013. 'Blurred Lines' by Robin Thicke, 'The Monster' by Eminem and Rihanna, 'I Hope' by Rebecca Ferguson, 'Story Of My Life' by One Direction, 'Counting Stars' by One Republic and 'Wake Me Up' by Avicii just missed out on the list. 

5. I Hope You Find It - Cher

4. Do What U Want - Lady Gaga & R. Kelly

3. Get Lucky - Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams

2. Just Give Me A Reason - Pink & Nate Ruess

1. Mirrors - Justin Timberlake

Top 5 Albums Of 2013

Here are my top 5 favourite albums of 2013. There are some that just didn't make the top 5, like Midnight Memories by One Direction (which is a pretty fun album with some good serious songs on it) and Random Access Memories by Daft Punk. 


5. Tribute - John Newman

4. Beyonce - Beyonce

3. ARTPOP - Lady Gaga

2. Closer To The Truth - Cher

1. The 20/20 Experience: The Complete Collection - Justin Timberlake

Miley Cyrus - Adore You - Music Video

The level of sexual content in her videos is just getting too much now. It takes away from the actual music too much. Just looks like mild porn with better than usual music in the background.

The Best Of Willams Beatdown

This video cracked me up from beginning to end.

Friday 27 December 2013

Ricky Lawson Dies At 59


Studio drummer Ricky Lawson, a collaborator with musicians including Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins and Whitney Houston, has died at a suburban Los Angeles hospital following a brain aneurism. He was 59.

Lawson's uncle, Paul Riser of Detroit, said Tuesday that Lawson was removed from life support 10 days after the aneurism diagnosis and died around 7 p.m. Monday.

Lawson was being treated at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center in Long Beach, Calif., about 25 miles south of Los Angeles.

The Detroit native learned to play drums at age 16 and jumped into the music business even before graduating from Cooley High School, developing into one of the nation's top studio musicians in the 1980s.
His work appears on Houston's version of "I Will Always Love You." He also performed with Al Jarreau, George Benson, Bette Midler, Quincy Jones and many others.

Lawson won a Grammy Award in 1986 for R&B instrumental performance for the song "And You Know That" by his group, Yellowjackets.

He became disoriented during a performance on Dec. 13 and was diagnosed with an aneurism.

Drummer Questlove Jenkins of The Roots called Lawson "the master" on Twitter Dec. 18 in a message saying, "praying for his recovery."

Drummer Sheila E. tweeted Tuesday: "We lost a great man, drummer, father, brother and son. mr Ricky Lawson. He passed away yesterday. Please pray for his family. we will miss u."

Saturday 21 December 2013

A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera - Say Something - Music Video

Stunning song.

A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera - Say Something - AMA 2013 - Performance

This is an amazing performance.

One Direction - iHeartRadio Midnight Memories Release Party

One Direction release party.

One Direction - Midnight Memories - Live, X Factor 2013

One Direction perform the title track from their new album, 'Midnight Memories'.

Lady Gaga - Applause - Jingle Bell Ball 2013

Lady Gaga performs 'Applause'.

Lady Gaga - Do What U Want - Jingle Bell Ball 2013

Lady Gaga performs her latest single 'Do What U Want'.

Lady Gaga - Aura - Jingle Bell Ball 2013

Lady Gaga performs 'Aura'.

Lady Gaga - Born This Way - Jingle Bell Ball 2013

Lady Gaga performs 'Born This Way' at the Jingle Bell Ball.

Lady Gaga - Bad Romance - Jingle Bell Ball 2013

Lady Gaga performs an old classic.

Lady Gaga - Just Dance - Jingle Bell Ball 2013

Lady Gaga performs an old classic.

Lady Gaga - Jingle Bells & Poker Face - Jingle Bell Ball 2013

Lady Gaga performs her take on 'Jingle Bells' and an old favourite.

Conor Maynard - Happy - Pharrell Williams Cover

This is pretty cool.

Saturday 14 December 2013

Beyonce Releases Surprise Self Titled Album



Beyonce surprised fans and critics with the release of her fifth solo studio album on Friday, which features 14 new songs and 17 videos and generated a frenzy on Twitter.The 32-year-old Grammy-winning performer said she wanted to release the music in a new way, not as she had done in the past, in order to connect more directly with her fans.

After she announced the album, it was immediately available worldwide exclusively on iTunes, skipping the advance publicity, critics' reviews and other marketing strategies that usually precede the release of a major musical artist's new work. "There's so much that gets between the music, the artist and the fans," Beyonce said in a statement. "I felt like I didn't want anybody to give the message when my record is coming out."

The move was designed to let fans hear the music first and form their own opinions.

The manner of the release seemed to have worked, generating plenty of reactions on Twitter.

"How is anyone not tweeting about #Beyonce right now?!!" singer Demi Lovato, a judge on "The X Factor" singing competition show, said on the microblogging site.

"Love this!! Shine on mama!!@Beyonce," singer Alicia Keys added on Twitter, while rapper Snoop Dogg tweeted, "my girl @beyonce just changed d game !!"

Fans were equally excited.

"Beyonce. This new album is everything," tweeted fan Jessica Lu. "Only Beyonce can drop an album with no promo and sell thousands in a day," added Virgo@TheDailyVirgo.

Entitled "Beyonce," it is the singer's first visual album and contains videos filmed in Houston, New York, Paris, Sydney and Rio de Janeiro. Many of the shots were made during her "Mrs. Carter Show World Tour."

"When I'm connected to something, I immediately see a visual or a series of images that are tied to a feeling or an emotion, a memory from my childhood, thoughts about life, my dreams or my fantasies. And they are all connected to the music," Beyonce said of the visual components of the album.

The Texas-born singer is one of the most successful performers in the world, regularly selling out concert tours. Beyonce and her rapper husband, Jay Z, were named the highest-earning celebrity couple for the second consecutive year in September by Forbes magazine, with estimated combined earnings of $95 million for the year up to June 2013.

The singer is famed for her energetic stage shows, the song "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" and her promotion of female empowerment. Jay Z, rapper Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and rappers Pharrell Williams and Drake are among the artists, songwriters and producers involved in the album.
The song "Blue" features the couple's baby daughter, Blue Ivy, who was born in January 2012, and Jay Z collaborated on the track "Drunk in Love." Beyonce also was a co-director of four of the videos, including "Blue."

Physical copies of the album in CD and DVD format will be available in time for the holidays.


Friday 13 December 2013

Christina Aguilera - Bound To You - Audio

Recently watched Burlesque and this song stood out to me.

Beyonce - Beyonce Tour - Set List


This is what I would like to see from a tour to promote Beyonce's new album 'Beyonce'.


  1. OPENING (contains elements of ‘Yonce’ and ‘Grown Woman’)
  2. Ghost/Haunted
  3. End Of Time (contains elements of ‘Flawless’)
  4. Partition
  5. Blow (contains mild elements of ‘Grown Woman’)
  6. Grown Woman
  7. Countdown
  8. INTERLUDE I (contains elements of ‘No Angel’ and ‘Naughty Girl’)
  9. SEX MEDLEY
    1. Rocket
    2. Jealous
    3. Cater 2 U
  10. Dance For You
  11. 1 + 1
  12. XO
  13. INTERLUDE II (contains elements of ‘Schoolin’ Life’)
  14. Love On Top
  15. Irreplaceable
  16. OLDIES MEDLEY
    1. Get Me Bodied
    2. Baby Boy
    3. Freakum Dress
    4. Me Myself And I
  17. Crazy In Love
  18. Sweet Dreams
  19. Flawless (features Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche on screen)
  20. Why Don’t You Love Me
  21. Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
  22. Run The World (Girls)
  23. ENCORE
  24. Heaven/Halo

Kelly Clarkson - Silent Night - Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale - Performance

Kelly Clarkson performs the classic on her new TV special.

Kelly Clarkson - Underneath The Tree - Lyric Video

New lyric video from Kelly Clarkson.

Kelly Clarkson - Underneath The Tree - Music Video

New music video from Kelly Clarkson.

Beyonce - Schoolin' Life - Live, Atlantic City

'Schoolin' Life' from Beyonce's new live concert DVD.

Tuesday 10 December 2013

Rufus Wainwright - Vibrate: The Best Of - Tracklisting


Rufus Wainwright is gathering some of his best songs for a collection called 'Vibrate: The Best Of'.

  1. Going to a Town (Release the Stars) 
  2. Out of the Game (Out of the Game) 
  3. Me and Liza (Previously Unreleased) 
  4. Hallelujah (From The 'Shrek' Soundtrack) 
  5. Oh What A World (Want One) 
  6. April Fools (Rufus Wainwright) 
  7. Poses (Poses) 
  8. Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk (Poses) 
  9. Vibrate (Want One) 
  10. The One You Love (Want Two) 
  11. I Don't Know What It Is (Want One) 
  12. The Art Teacher (Want Two)
  13. Go or Go Ahead (Want One) 
  14. Dinner at eight (Want One) 
  15. Foolish Love (Rufus Wainwright) 
  16. Sometimes you need (Out of the Game) 
  17. Grey Gardens (Poses) 
  18. Tiergarten (Release the Stars) 

Bonus Disc
  1. Bitter Tears (Out of the Game) 
  2. The Maker Makes (from ‘Brokeback Mountain’ Soundtrack) 
  3. Across The Universe (bonus track from Poses) 
  4. La Complainte de la Butte (from ‘Moulin Rouge’ Soundtrack) 
  5. Chelsea Hotel No.2 (bonus track from Want Two) 
  6. Chic and Pointless (Previously Unreleased – produced by Guy Chambers) 
  7. WW111 – composed with Guy Chambers (First time on physical release) 
  8. Jericho (Live from the Artists’ Den) - spring 2012 
  9. Montauk (Live from the Artists’ Den) - spring 2012 
  10. If Love Were All – (Live at Kenwood House) – Summer 2010 
  11. Do It Again – (Live At Kenwood House) – Summer 2010 
  12. Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart - )Live At Kenwood House) – Summer 2010 
  13. Memphis Skyline – (Live At Kenwood House) – Summer 2010 
  14. Martha – (Live at Kenwood House) – Summer 2010 
  15. One Man Guy – (Live at KCRW June 2001) 
  16. BBC Jo Whiley interview Royal Opera House July 2011