R. Kelly’s “Write Me Back” is one of the summer’s hottest albums because of Kelly’s genius songwriting and powerful vocals. (Photo property of RCA Records)
By: Jacob Elyachar
This edition of New Music Tuesday features a lot of new material from veteran artists Maroon 5 and R. Kelly plus debuts from reality show favorites Casey Abrams and Rachel Crow. In addition, I will also review two singles from Chris Rene and the collaboration between Owl City and rising star Carly Rae Jepsen.
Casey Abrams: American Idol Season 10 will go down as the season with the most alumina that has released albums. In Casey’s self-titled debut album, he showcases his musicianship and care free all throughout the album. Unlike some of his former Idol competitors, Abrams always keeps listeners engaged thru the album with the catchy lyrics and 1970s instrumental rock vibe. Grade: A-
Songs to Download: Simple Life, Get Out, Blame It On Me, A Boy Can Dream & Hit the Road Jack (with Haley Reinhart)
To listen to Casey’s first single “Get Out,” click here: http://youtu.be/LBBvytkPM8o
Overexposed by Maroon 5: The L.A.-based pop rock band’s fourth studio album is one of the band’s best album yet. In order to make this incredible album, the band brought in A-list collaborators including Max Martin, Shellback, Benny Blanco and 30H!3’s Nathaniel Motte to help them co-write these amazing songs. However, while many Maroon 5 fans will not be disappointed with Overexposed, there were times near the end of the album that listeners would get board. Grade: B
Songs to Download: One More Night, Payphone, Lucky Strike, The Man Who Never Lied & Love Somebody
“Lucky Strike” is one of the most successful songs on the album. Click here to listen to the song: http://youtu.be/8g2oDwSQcwU
Rachel Crow: One of the best contestants that appeared on The X Factor USA was Rachel Crow. She impressed America with her personality and vocal chops. Now, the Mead, Colorado native has released a five-song EP that definitely showcases both of the things that America fell in love with. While “Mean Girls” may be the only song that Rachel wrote, she continues to deliver ear candy with assistance from industry veterans Toby Gad and Isaac Hasson plus rising songwriters Autumn Rowe and Dionne Bromfield. This is a darling debut and like her mentor Simon Cowell stated at the beginning of season one on The X Factor USA, we will be “hearing a lot more about her.” Grade: A-
Write Me Back by R. Kelly: In the multi-award winner’s eleventh studio album, R. Kelly delivers an impeccable R&B album that showcases songs from different genres of music including funk, soul and even disco. Write Me Back features some of Kelly’s greatest work as both a songwriter and a producer. It is great to hear that R. Kelly decided to showcase his abilities to sing up-tempo songs as well as continue to sing master class slow songs. Grade: A
Songs to Download: Feelin’ Single, Lady Sunday, Fool for You, All Rounds On Me and Party Jumpin’
Trouble by Chris Rene: The second single from The X Factor USA alum perfectly combines pop, reggae and fusion into one three-minute and five-seconds piece of ear candy. Written by former American Idol contestant Alex Lambert, busbee and Jason Bonilla, “Trouble” has catchy lyrics and a hypnotizing beat that will get anyone through a long summer’s workday. A-
To listen to Chris’s song, click here: http://youtu.be/oX081Cs93CA
Good Time by Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen: “Good Time” is the result if you combine the “Fireflies” singer with the rising performer behind “Call Me Maybe.” Their voices complement each other and the care free lyrics will identity with music listeners. This author has a feeling that 2012 is shaping up to be the year of Carly Rae Jepsen. B+
Click here to watch the lyric video for “Good Time:” http://youtu.be/Agluuflcpos
I do not own any of these clips that were used in this article, they belong to the respective artists and their record companies.
