June Favorites

We are OFFICIALLY half way through 2014 and it’s crazy how fast the year has gone by thus far. In this edition of monthly favorites I have incorporated some of my other favorites aside from music so let’s get to it. As always be sure to click the links to take you directly to the item, or something similar.

I have fallen in love again with my iPad 3 and since I haven’t used it in so long, I’ve forgotten just how much I love it. I have a 32GB and it holds just about everything from my music to games and lately my summer reading list. The book that I’ve currently downloaded to my iPad was The Fault In Our Stars (John Green). I hope to be finished within the next week or so, so I can go see it at the movies.

Next up are my TWO fragrances of the month. Something else I’ve fallen in love with again, ‘Sensual Amber‘ from Bath & Body Works. A new scent I’ve discovered that has taken the place of my current fav, ‘Beautiful Day‘, is ‘Pure Paradise’. Love these two and I always prefer BBW triple moisture body creams over the body lotions.

I purchased a new pair of sneakers within the last month and I never blogged about them because I wanted to get some wear out of them. I purchased the Nike Free 5.0 on eBay and I could not be happier. My old sneakers  were getting a bit too tight and I new that I wanted my new sneaker to be lightweight. I could not have chosen a  better shoe and working with kids it’s really easy to move around in these. I can’t wait to snag a neon yellow pair for football season (#STEELERNATION)!

I found this beautiful floral notebook in Barnes & Noble as I was looking in the business/entrepreneurship section. I wanted a new notebook although I’m not sure what I want to write in it, BUT I wanted something new and when I came across this floral journal for $10, I bought it without hesitation. I’ve been using my planner like crazy this past month and with my schedule about to get hectic (stay tuned for details) I’m so glad to have the one I have. Click here for my full planner review. Lastly I have my Clinique bag that holds all my essentials. Check out what’s inside by clicking here. I featured it in my ‘What’s In My Beach Bag’ post.

Moving on, the TV show that I have been obsessed with is Law & Order. I know what you might be thinking, “Why not Orange Is The New Black?” Well that’s a show I plan on binge watching 4th of July weekend with my boyfriend and Law & Order, I’ve just been hooked on. I’ve been a DIE HARD fan of SVU, but now I get to catch up on episodes from the original series, ones I’ve never seen before and I love how the show was put together. Hopefully they’ll add episodes past 1996. I’m so glad I renewed my Netflix membership. Secondly, I’ve been loving WWE Countdown over on the WWE Network and my new favorite on YouTube are ASMR videos. They’ve been the only thing to get me to sleep.

Now it wouldn’t be a monthly favorite without MUSIC! (I mean duh, that’s what the blog is centered around). Enjoy the playlist below of my favorite tracks of the year, thus far (in no particular order):

 

 

NEW MUSIC — Chris Brown x Usher x Rick Ross, ‘New Flame’

I heard a snippet of this track sometime last week and I didn’t pay much attention to it. After hearing it in its entirety, I love it. I really love that Chris Brown is back to releasing music, well able to release music, because I’m tired of hearing ‘Loyal’. Catchy, infectious song, BUT I could go for another Breezy track. This time around he teams with Usher and Rick Ross. If you haven’t noticed, Chris Brown has a formula. Put his vocals with a rapper and it’s a banger. Put his vocals with another R&B singer and it’s a banger. He can fit in on a track whether it’s his or a feature. His voice just works. I really like this track, I’m just not the biggest fan of Rick Ross. Oh well!

Check out the track below and CLICK HERE for purchase:

Video Review: Coldplay, ‘Sky Full of Stars’

Words cannot express how much I love this song. Coldplay is getting a lot of flack about this track as far as the sound being too Pop/EDM, they’ve lost their touch, it’s not real Coldplay, etc. I mean artists have the right to experiment. I say this time and time again in any review that I do simply because it’s true. As a fan of many artists i don’t necessarily love everything about their music that the artists will put out.

I absolutely love ‘Sky Full of Stars‘ because it’s simply beautiful. The lyrics are straight to the point and the beat does have that whole EDM vibe to it, but it works with the lyrics not to mention it’s radio friendly.

The video is not ‘new’, I meant to post the review last week, but better late than never. The video features the group, more so Chris Martin walking around town with a musical contraption on his back consisting of a drum and a guitar.

His bandmates meet up with him in an alley as they play music and then Chris proceeds to walk through fans who are taking videos and gets to this stage by the end of the video with the rest of his bandmates. You could hear the actual audio in certain spots, but for majority of the video it’s them singing to the studio version. It would’ve been really cool if the video was like a full out live walking performance with those contraptions on their backs. That would’ve been really dope. Check it out below:

 

Then & Now Thursday (V. 12): Maroon 5

First, let me just give a round of applause to one of my favorite bands of all time, Maroon 5. I remember the first time I heard Maroon 5. I was listening to it on a CD which for the life of my I can’t remember. I do remember that I kept switching between ‘Harder to Breathe’ and Jet, ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl. Still I wasn’t sure who this band was until I saw ‘This Love’ as one of the morning videos on MTV. Then came the release and video for my favorite Maroon 5 song of ALL TIME, ‘She Will Be Loved’.

Still I didn’t know much about Maroon 5 and then I heard Songs About Jane (2002) which by the time I had heard it, it was two years old.  The entire vibe with Adam’s voice was just amazing. I became a fan instantly and couldn’t wait to hear more. To date the album has sold over 5 million copies.

As time went on with Maroon 5, Adam Levine became more AND MORE attractive. I think that his sex appeal really took off by the second album, It Won’t Be Soon Before Long (2007). That album featured ‘Won’t Go Home Without You’ and radio smashes  ‘Makes Me Wonder’ and ‘If I Never See Your Face Again’. What really took that album to the next level was the remix/collab with Rihanna of ‘If I Never See Your Face Again’. That video showed off just how HOT both Adam and Rihanna were. I love that version more than the original and after seeing them perform it live on FNMTV (Friday Night MTV) I could only anticipate that they would collab again (still waiting).

Next up came Hands All Over (2010) which had two of my favorites ‘Misery’ and “Never Gonna Leave This Bed’. It wasn’t until its rerelease that the album got real buzz and took Maroon 5 to the next level. They had officially become rock stars. The album was rereleased in June of 2011 and featured the mega smash hit and song of the summer ‘Moves Like Jagger’ featuring Christina Aguilera. The song was all over the radio and it was hard not to sing along. The collab was first performed live on The Voice as Levine and Aguilera were judges on the show. With a platform like that there was no denying that the song would take off. Aside from The Voice it was also performed at the American Music Awards and at the 2011 Victoria Secret Fashion Show as Adam held hands and walked down the catwalk with his girlfriend, now fiancé, Behati Prensloo.

I went to their concert at Jones Beach Theater in July of 2011 where they co-headlined with Train and it was AWESOME! I was close enough to the stage to see Adam’s face and the atmosphere of the crowd when this song came on was amazing. They ended their set and the show with ‘She Will Be Loved’ where the fans sang along as he pointed to the right and the left having each side sing something different. Awesome concert!

As Adam’s popularity skyrocketed due to the success of The Voice his sex appeal sky rocketed as well. He was always a good looking guy, but as time has gone on he’s gotten HOTTER and HOTTER! Hence why he’s became People’s, Sexiest Man Alive.

Their fourth album, Overexposed (2012). Click here for my initial review. I gave the album a 3.5/5 and here it is two years later and I can say that it’s still my least favorite Maroon 5 album and my favorite song off the entire album is ‘Love Somebody’. I don’t know with this album I just wasn’t really into it, but they had smashes on the radio such as ‘Love Somebody’, ‘Payphone’, ‘One More Night’, and ‘Daylight’. I’m so glad they stopped playing the Wiz Khalifa feature on the radio, then again they never really played it to begin with.

Now they’re back with a new track and count down to their fifth album, V, which is to have a feature Gwen Stefani. Their new track ‘Maps’ is a nice segue back to the radio airwaves and as the first single I like it so much better than that of ‘Payphone’ from Overexposed. Take a listen below.

I’m amazed with the success of Maroon 5 and the commercial success is really owed to that of the success of Adam Levine. He’s become like this sex symbol and there’s a whole bunch of ‘Maroon 5’ fans when it reality they’re just there for Adam. That’s fine, whatever takes the group to the next level I suppose. I just know that there are a lot of people claiming to be Maroon 5 fans. It’s ok, they’re really infatuated with Adam.

Collectively, Maroon 5 hasn’t done too shabby during their 12 year span as they’ve won three American Music Awards, four Billboard Music Awards and three Grammy’s. I can’t wait to see how their album pans out. Fingers crossed it’s a smash. It all comes down to, did Maroon 5’s sound REALLY change? I wouldn’t say drastically, but with time a sound would change as artists take chances and experiment more. To me that’s not change, that’s growth. As for my favorite Maroon 5 album, Songs About Jane. 

Original v. Cover [V.5]: Whitney Houston, ‘How Will I Know’

It’s very hard to do a rendition of a Whitney Houston song and just about everyone in the business attempts to put their twist on one of her many illustrious hits.Newcomer, Sam Smith, has been added to that list as he covered ‘How Will I Know’ for SiriusXM.

Album Review: Think Like a Man Too Soundtrack

I’ve been talking about this soundtrack in numerous posts and now it’s time for another edition of ‘My Top 5’. It’s short and simple so, let’s get right to it (no particular order):

• ‘A Night to Remember’
• ‘Moment of Love’
• ‘Suitcase’
• ‘I Want You’
• ‘Propose’

I love the balance on this album of ballads mixed with a modern groove. It starts off upbeat and gradually gets slower as far as tempo. To go from an upbeat song in the beginning, ‘A Night to Remember’, to ending with ‘Propose’, it’s clear to see in tempo the drastic difference. Out of my FIVE my favorite would be ‘Moment of Love’ followed by ‘I Want You’. I was skeptical at first when I initially heard the singles, but I’m so glad I gave it a deep listen. Be sure to click the picture to take you directly to purchasing the album/singles.

 

NEW MUSIC — Jim Jones x Trey Songz, ‘The Shit’

It’s been nearly a decade, 2005 to be exact, since the first collab between Jim Jones and Trey Songz, ‘Summer Wit Miami’. Since then they have had a few more: ‘Fly Together’ ‘Cocaine’, and ‘No Drama’.

Check it out their latest collab below:

This Week In Music (V.13): Videos, Biopics, & MORE

There’s been a LOT going on this week, hence why my posts have been sparse, but as always welcome to another edition of This Week In Music. Let’s jump to chart news quickly. Please be sure to click links that’ll take you directly to the album/track.

As for the Billboard 200, Jack White’s Lazaretto came in at #1, Miranda Lambert (Platinum) moved to #2, and Frozen is in at #3. Iggy Azalea’s, ‘Fancy‘, is still atop the Hot 100 for 4th week and ‘Problem‘ still sits in at #2. Magic!’s, ‘Rude‘, moves up for spots to #3. Over on Billboard you can vote in the 2014  Mid-Year Music Poll. Click here to do so.

Back to Iggy Azalea for a moment, she is very busy on the charts and not just the pop one. She’s teamed with Hustle Gang General, T.I., for their latest collab ‘No Mediocre‘. I reviewed the track, but be sure to check out the video below. As for my thoughts, it was okay; nothing special.

Keeping along the lines of new videos this week, Trey Songz has released a new video for yet another single off Trigga titled, ‘Foreign’. I wasn’t really expecting to like this song as much as I do, but it’s catchy, the beat is there, and Trey Songz in the video is a major plus. The video starts the same as his ‘SmartPhones‘ video did and then he heads to a video shoot where he dances around with various women which matches every word he says, he likes his women foreign. Check out the video below. Trigga hits stores/online July 1st.

Mary J. Blige released two videos this week in support of the Think Like a Man Too Soundtrack. The soundtrack features 14 original songs from Mary J. Blige. The first video released was the cover of Shalamar’s ‘A Night to Remember’. The video featured a cameo from style ICON, June Ambrose. Then there’s the video for ‘Suitcase’ which was AMAZING! I’m very happy about this MJB compilation and YES a ‘My Top 5’ will be coming soon. Check out both videos below:

Now switching gears a little bit let’s get into TWO biopics that will be coming soon, well in 2015. The first is that of N.W.A. titled Straight Outta Compton. Dr. Dre will be played by Corey Hawkins, Cube by his son O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Eazy E by Jason Mitchell. The film will be directed by Gary Gray, production starts this summer, and is set to hit theaters August 14, 2015.

Moving on to the next biopic and one of the most controversial stories of the week is that of Zendaya Coleman begin casted to play Aaliyah in the upcoming biopic about her life. Now the controversy is that Zendaya is not ‘black enough’ to play Aaliyah. No her skin tone is not spot on to that of Aaliyah’s but it just utterly rude to make a comment as such. Personally, I feel the same way about Aaliyah having a biopic straight to TV (Lifetime) as I am with Whitney Houston’s going straight to TV. Artist of a certain caliber need to go to a theater. Even if it’s for a few private screenings, etc.,I think a movie screening is appropriate as well. Now Aaliyah’s family is fighting the production of this film not as far as casting, but as far as the movie not being on a theatrical level yet being put straight to TV. Aaliyah’s family is very territorial over her name, as they should be, BUT if this movie is gong to be stopped for going to Lifetime it’d be great to get one in theaters sometime soon.

 

Lastly, it all comes down to the HEADLINE for me of the week: ‘Angie Martinez Resigns from Hot 97’. after studying broadcast journalism, primarily radio, throughout college I’ve been obsessed with the formation of radio and my favorites have always been Wendy Williams and Angie Martinez. I loved that Wendy Williams asked any and everything not caring and not holding back and then there was Angie Martinez who was like every superstars friend as her essence just radiated that. After 25 years on Hot 97 and the past 15 as the Voice of NY from 3pm-7pm (The Angie Martinez Show), she has resigned and moved on to RIVAL Power 105.1. Her friends at Hot 97 seem to understand,I mean not that they have a choice. The difference between Hot 97 is like comparing it to that of a local grocery store and Walmart. There’s local attention then theirs global. Moving from Hot 97 to Power 105.1 expands Angie Martinez’s brand as its owned by Clear Channel. No word on her start date just yet, but she’ll be taking over the 2pm spot currently held by DJ Prostyle and then she’ll be on the sister station Miami’s 103.5 FM (The Beat of Miami). Congrats to Angie for making such a huge move.

 

 

This Week In Music (V.11): 4 for 4 Review

Another week has come and gone and it’s time for the weekly recap. Be sure to check out my posts for this week.

Let’s get into Chart news. Iggy is still atop of the Hot 100 with ‘Fancy’ and ‘Problem’ and has taken to the cover of Billboard. Mariah Carey’s, Me.I Am… The Elusive Chanteuse, has debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 with 58,000 copies sold. It hit #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart making it her 7th album to do so. Coldplay remains in the top spot with their latest, Ghost Stories. 

Moving on to videos this week. There wasn’t nearly as much music as there was last week and last week I didn’t even touch on every single song released. I did not mention that Nicole Scherzinger has a new track titled, ‘Your Love’ and Jagged Edge is making their way back to the scene with a ballad ‘Hope’. Both songs aren’t my favorite, but I’m always interested in a musical comeback from any artist that once peaked. Check out both tracks below:

For this week there’s two videos that caught my eye. First off was Tyga’s ‘Hookah’ featuring the annoying auto-tune rapper, Young Thug. I just get SO TIRED of hearing certain stuff on the radio. The beat can easily lure me in, but Young Thug’s voice is BEYOND annoying and I just can’t take it. The video switched between a safari and club theme. Typical Tyga video. All his music is for the strip club.Check out the video below:

Another video released this week was One Republic’s, ‘Love Runs Out’. I like the song and I’m interested in hearing more from them. The video is set in a dessert and it’s the band performing basically with horses in certain scenes.I really miss videos with story lines. Anywho, check it out below:

No new music really caught my eye this week. Hopefully there will be more to come in following weeks especially with Summertime right around the corner. Let the battle for Song of the Summer begin!

Then & Now Thursday (V.11): Mariah Carey

It’s been quite the week for Mariah Carey. She’s released her 14th studio album, Me. I Am Mariah … The Elusive Chanteuse (5.27) and was horned at the World Music Awards (5.27) with the Icon Award. She had previously received the Pop Icon Award in 2008. Her latest album has debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 and although the sales might not be to the standards of her previous works, there’s no denying that she is and will forever be a legend in the industry.

When it comes to her most recent work, my favorite release would have to be The Emancipation of MiMi. That album from beginning to end was amazing and was a great segue for her back into the limelight. If all else failed with the success of the album, ‘We Belong Together’ would be engrained as an instant classic. My personal fav from the album was ‘Fly Like a Bird’.

Enjoy the playlist of her biggest chart toppers below: