By: Jacob Elyachar
Have you voted today?
If you have, jacobelyacharjournalist.com salutes you for doing your civic duty! If you have not just yet or plan to do it later on today, you may run into long lines.
While you are waiting, you should check out Aerosmith, Kylie Minogue and Ne-Yo’s latest albums and the hottest tracks from Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj and a hot duet between Kelly Clarkson and Vince Gill.
Aerosmith’s latest offering features a diverse group of rock offerings ranging from the bluesy Diane Warren-penned “We All Fall Down” to spectacular “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You,” which is the band’s collaboration with Carrie Underwood. (Album cover property of Columbia Records)
Music from Another Dimension by Aerosmith
After eight years of not releasing a new album, America’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band is back on the music scene and currently on their Global Warming Tour. To help the band record this album, they turned to their favorite collaborators Desmond Child, Diane Warren, Marti Frederiksen and Jim Vallance to deliver strong songs. For longtime Aerosmith fans, it is great to hear Tyler’s voice reunite with Joe Perry’s impeccable guitar lyrics. In addition, keep an ear out for the band’s explosive collaboration with Carrie Underwood because it is one of the best collaborations of the year. B+
Songs to Download: “Beautiful,” “Legendary Child,” “What Could Have Been Love?” and “We All Fall Down.”
Steven Tyler’s swan song on American Idol was performing “Legendary Child” and an Aerosmith classic with the band on the show’s finale.
The Abbey Road Sessions by Kylie Minogue
One of the world’s most celebrated dance pop icons has released a 16-track album that features the re-working of several of her hits from her massive catalog. The Abbey Road Sessions highlights Minogue’s superb vocals and the orchestral touch definitely adds an intriguing touch that will attract countless of Ms. Minogue’s fans but also music lovers. If artists have the desire to have an orchestra accompany them on their hits, they should listen to this splendid album. B+/A-
Songs to Download: “All the Lovers,” “Hand On Your Heart,” “Locomotion” and “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.”
Last year, Kylie performed “All the Lovers,” one of her classic songs with an orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London to the delight of her fans.
Ne-Yo’s fifth studio album features impressive songs that he co-wrote with Stargate and Sia Furler to surprise cameos from Diddy and Tim McGraw. (Album cover property of Motown Records)
R.E.D. by Ne-Yo
For his fifth studio album, R&B superstar singer-songwriter Ne-Yo produced an album that showcases a diverse group of music genres that include R&B/Soul, Europop and even Country music. Ne-Yo’s soulful vocals will continue to impress music fans plus he continues to develop as a songwriter with the help of an excellent group of collaborators including Stargate, Emanuel Kirilkou, Calvin Harris, the Bingo Players and Sia Furler. He also has a strong support group of artists including Wiz Khalifa, Tim McGraw and Diddy, who drop by on different tracks on the album. R.E.D. is his strongest album yet and it is always a pleasure to watch Ne-Yo continue to improve himself as an artist and songwriter. A-
Songs to Download: “Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself),” “Miss Right,” “Don’t Make Em Like You,” “She Is” and “Carry On (Her Letter to Him).”
Ne-Yo’s “Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)” video has over 28 million views on YouTube. To watch the music video, click here: http://youtu.be/crrOl0egI00
Young Girls by Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars’s hot streak continues as he released his second single: “Young Girls.” This is an impressive song that features incredible musical elements including Boyz II Men-like a cappella licks, superb Coldplay-like sound and not to mention the strong lyrics. If Bruno keeps this up, Unorthodox Jukebox will be the last successful album of the year. A
You can listen to the song by clicking here: http://youtu.be/aGG12dnjX-w
The “American Idol” judge released her strongest single that actually features more of her actual voice and less auto-tune. (Album cover property of Young Money, Cash Money and Universal Republic Records)
Freedom by Nicki Minaj
Love her or hate her, the American Idol judge always puts out impressive material. “Freedom” definitely is one of Nicki’s best tracks because of her impressive raps plus she actually has a decent voice that she does not need to rely on auto-tune on future albums. B
While multiple people have uploaded her song onto YouTube, the song has been listened to nearly 500,000 times if you combine all of the entries. To listen to the song, click here: http://youtu.be/BVzlx_5ZZqk
Don’t Rush by Kelly Clarkson and Vince Gill
Last week, millions of people turned in to the Country Music Awards on ABC. One of the best performances of the night was the debut of Kelly Clarkson and Vince Gill’s collaboration on “Don’t Rush.” This was an incredible duet between Clarkson and Gill’s vocals plus their musicality makes this performance one of the best country duets of the year. A+
If you did not have a chance to see this collaboration on the CMA awards, click here: http://youtu.be/fwgY4k3zeu0
