By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
It’s time to face the music! (Oops! Wrong show and media platform, that phrase belongs to The X Factor!)
Welcome to Jake’s Take’s New Music Reviews! It’s time to get this party started.
Lady Gaga triumphantly returns to pop music with her latest studio album: “Joanne.” (Album cover property of Interscope Records & Streamline Records)
Joanne by Lady Gaga
Attention, Little Monsters! Lady Gaga is back with her fourth solo album (technically, fifth studio album if you count her 2014 collaborative album with Tony Bennett). This is Gaga’s first venture in pop music since 2013’s Artpop, and the Golden Globe-winning actress has not lost her edge that won her one American Music Award, six Grammy Awards, seven Billboard Music Awards, and 13 BMI Awards. She co-wrote a bulk of her tracks with some of the hottest names in music such as Mark Ronson, Hillary Lindsay, Jeff Bhasker, BloodPop, and the man who introduced us to Ms. Gaga: RedOne! Also, keep an ear out for her duet with Florence Welch: “Hey Girl,” which might give “Telephone” and “Do What U Want,” her respective collaborations with Beyonce and Christina Aguilera, a run for their money. Lady Gaga poured every ounce of her being into these tracks and I firmly believe that her fans will not be disappointed! I cannot wait for the 2017 Grammy Awards, because it will be interesting to see if Gaga would throw a monkey wrench in the inevitable “Adele vs. Beyonce” race. Congratulations, Lady Gaga! Joanne is my Album of the Month! A+
Tracks to Download: “Diamond Heart,” “A-YO,” “John Wayne,” “Perfect Illusion,” “Million Reasons,” “Hey Girl,” & “Angel Down.”
Nobody But Me by Michael Buble
Speaking of returns, Michael Buble is back with his first studio album since 2013. Nobody But Me features several covers that will transport not only back to the Big Band era, but also to the intimate studio sessions that he had with guest collaborators Meghan Trainor and The Roots’ Black Thought. Listeners will be satisfied with several up-tempo tracks such as “I Believe in You” and “Nobody But Me,” while having their cake and eating it too with classics such as “The Very Thought of You” and “God Only Knows.” Great album, Michael! B
Tracks to Download: “I Believe In You,” “Nobody But Me,” “Today is Yesterday’s Tomorrow” & “Someday.”
Reeve Carney’s “Youth is Wasted” is one of the best alternative albums of the year. (Album cover property of Scissorhand Records)
Youth is Wasted by Reeve Carney
Reeve Carney is one of his generation’s most talented performers. He has played a diverse group of roles such as originating Spider-Man on Broadway, Dorian Gray in Penny Dreadful, and Riff-Raff in FOX’s Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again. Recently, Reeve released his debut studio album: Youth is Wasted. While the album title might be considered an insult to the digital generation, Carney proves that talent can be more valued than youth. His album brilliantly blends numerous musical genres such as the electric blues, doo-wop, alternative acoustic and Indie rock. Carney’s gritty and raw vocals will also give listeners chills. I guarantee you this record will make you smile and think! A-
Tracks to Download: “Truth,” “CheckMate,” “There She Goes,” “Father’s House” & “Mad Mad World.”
“Skyscraper” by Musicality Vocal Group
One of my favorite acts from this past season of America’s Got Talent was Chicago-based music group: Musicality. They may be in high school, but this team put numerous vocal groups to shame. They just released their version of Demi Lovato’s “Skyscraper,” a song that they performed during the Season 11 Judge Cuts. They are the only group on the show that has moved me to tears every time they came on stage. I want to give a special shout out to the fantastic soloists, Anna Huang and Zazz, and to the group’s impeccable director, Michael Gibson, who arranged this brilliant song! These students are truly artists in their own rights, and I hope that several music industry executives such as L.A. Reid, Jimmy Iovine, Kara DioGuardi, Scooter Braun, and Max Martin sign this outstanding group! Congrats, Musicality! “Skyscraper” is my Song of the Week! A+
Producer extraordinaire Alex da Kid recruits some of Top 40’s best artists for a haunting single. (Album cover property of KIDinaKORNER Records)
“Not Easy” by Alex da Kid featuring X Ambassadors, Elle King & Wiz Khalifa
Super producer Alex da Kid rounds out this edition of New Music Reviews. His new single, “Not Easy,” features an all-star group of supporting acts such as one of Jake’s Take’s favorite bands, X Ambassadors; rising singer-songwriter Elle King and rapper Wiz Khalifa. I could replay this song over and over again. Between the overlapping acoustic guitar riff and the song’s impeccable production value to Elle King’s brilliant vocals and one of the most honest raps I have heard from Wiz Khalifa, “Not Easy” is probably one of the best alternative/hip-hop tracks of the fall. A-
I do not own any of the clips that are featured in this article. They belong to the artists and their respective record labels.
