Happy Birthday JT!

Yes folks, today one of my all time favorite recording (and other) artists Justin Timberlake turns 30. If only I could be invited to his parties …sigh… Anyways, in order to commemorate this momentous occasion I’d like to discuss my favorite parts of his career (which in my opinion was all highs).

1. D*** in a box: Oh Justin, not only did you come on SNL and become one of the best hosts ever, but you also gave us this wonderful musical gem about the perfect gift for your lady on Christmas.
2. Future Sex/Love Sounds: There is nothing bad that I can say about this album. It is just perfection. You can see more about my love for it on my best albums of the decade post.
3. Tearin up my heart: Yes I’ll admit I was one of those teenybopper girls who needed to hear every boy band song known to man. NSYNC was definitely one of my favorites, and this, their first single, was the key to my happiness for about ten minutes. Immediately I fell for Justin the way only a teen girl fan can; by plastering pictures of him in my bedroom.
4. Bye Bye Bye/ Its Gonne be Me music videos: Bye Bye Bye the first single off of the excellent album No Strings Attached and the video for this song did not disappoint. Working off of their album art the NSYNC boys were marionette dolls under the control of a woman. Taking up where the action left off Its Gonna Be Me features the boys as actions figures of themselves in a toy store, being purchased by the same woman from the Bye Bye Bye video! See both videos below and gush with teeny bopper enthusiasm.


5. Where is the Love?: The Black Eyed Peas/Justin collaboration had many wondering if Fergie was actually singing or if it was Justin. Either way this song is great, but made 100x better with JT’s solo.
6. Carry Out: A more recent addition to JT’s repertoire; Carry out is a silly ode to sex and take out. This duet with Timbo is just as intriguing and awesome as their first SexyBack.
7. The Singles Ladies Sketch on SNL (and various other SNL performances): Justin easily shows his comedic chops every time he is on SNL. Favorite sketches of his include the single ladies dance sketch (the week it aired he wasn’t even a host!) and the Barry Gibb talk show: which combines singing and making fun of the bee gees all in one hilarious package.
8. Alpha Dog: If you haven’t seen this movie, you definitely should. Justin plays the most likeable and sympathetic member of a drug gang, and has to deal ultimately with the rash actions of the other members, and gang leader. It is a dark crime drama, which is definitely intense, but it is also probably Justin’s best acting performance to date.
9. 4 minutes: Another awesome collaborative effort from JT, Timbo, and this time Madonna. In a time when JT was not making music very often this song was definitely a treat.
10. JT as Sean Parker: I’m not exactly sure who had the bright idea to cast JT in The Social Network as entrepreneur and Napster founder Sean Parker, but as of right now I worship the ground they walk on. I was particularly giddy every time he came on screen and found his performance to be excellent.

Britney: High and Lows:

In honor of Britney Spears’ slammin new single Hold it Against Me I’d like to take a look at some of her highs and lows.

Highs

1. Baby One More Time: Arguably one of the best music videos Britney has ever had, and probably one of the best entrances to the music scenes post the Mickey Mouse Club. Britney started a girl-pop revolution that defined my teen years and for that I am eternally grateful.
2. Stronger: My favorite song off of the “Oops I did it Again” album and one of her most catchy tunes, this song inspires girly strength every time I hear it. It also makes me want to jump up and down, or clap every time I hear it (which I do).
3. Me Against the Music: Madonna + Britney= clutch. This duet is one of my favorites. Born out of their performance at the VMA’s, Madonna and Britney collaborated to make a great synth pop anthem that showcases the talent of both performers. It is also probably one of the best dance videos that Britney has ever had.
4. Toxic: My favorite Britney song period features one of the catchiest hooks and some of the least understandable lyrics. This song defined my senior year of high school and is probably one of Britney’s most critically acclaimed songs. Did you know it was first offered to Kylie Minogue but she turned it down? I bet she regrets that decision now.
5. The Circus Album: From the first single Womanizer to the last single Radar this album rocked my socks. I couldn’t have been happier with Britney’s return and am thankful for her chance to redeem herself following the Blackout album (see below). If only I could have seen her perform, I am sure she would have no doubt entertained.

Lows

1. Don’t Let me be the last to know/ I’m Not A Girl Not yet a Woman: What I’ve learned from these two incredibly boring songs is that Britney should never do slow songs. She shines brightest on fast up-tempo numbers and shouldn’t even bother with these. Give the public what they want!
2. Her Marriage to K-Fed/ Breaking up with Justin: Seriously Britney? You had a chance to be with JT! Yet you ended up marrying gross trashy K-Fed instead and began the downward spiral into crazy town. Good choice.
3. Blackout Album: Where the circus album shined this one flopped. The singles off the album, Gimme More, Piece of Me, & Break the Ice all sound the same, and have the same beat. They are all a boring lame effort on Brittney’s part. Thank god she came back strong with the circus album because she would not want to be remembered for this lack of effort.
4. VMA performance 2007- Performing songs from Blackout probably wasn’t the best idea. Not only was it beyond obvious that Britney was lip synching she had no energy at all and didn’t even look like she was having fun. It was if they had a stand in robot for the otherwise fun and energetic Britney. For shame. See the video below.

5. Crossroads: If any of you have been lucky enough to not see this movie, then keep it that way. I was young and foolish once, and saw every movie that came out, but alas, I regret this one almost as much as Glitter. Moral of the story, singers should stick to singing, and not acting. Note: This does not apply to Justin Timberlake.

What do you think were Britney's highs and lows?

Snippet of the new Gaga Song!

So in the video below, about halfway through you can hear a snippet of Lady Gaga's new song Born This Way. Let me tell you it is worth listening to two minutes of random french runway music! Gaga Fans what do you think? I cant wait for her new album!

Lyric of the Week

Artist: Owl City

Song: Dental Care

Lyrics: When hygienists leave on long vacations/That's when dentists scream and lose their patience.

In honor of my recent dental woes I decided to discuss a song that is not so new, but still so catchy. Dental Care is one of my favorite Owl City songs. It is full of crazy puns like the one above. For example Adam sings, “I’ve been to the dentist a thousand times so I know the drill.” Punny right? The song also makes a light cheery joke about dental fears (which are no laughing matter!) but is still so fun to listen to. Every time I go to the dentist now and see how nice and patient the hygienists are I can’t help but think about this song and how right Adam Young really is. Adam also lends his trademark electronic music to this track which ultimately makes it a really fun silly song.

Acceptable Uses of the Ukulele

When my husband and I took our honeymoon to Hawaii, I was extremely excited for various reasons. The main reason was the fact that I had never been to Hawaii and had always wanted to go, and could now go with my husband. Another, lesser reason was to hear the cool Hawaiian music playing at a luau or other cool event. Yet, once we got to Hawaii I found out that the ukulele is an instrument of evil. In Hawaii the ukulele is used ad-naseum to the point of complete brain melting exhaustion. If you haven’t been to Hawaii, let me spread some knowledge; ukulele players play every song imaginable on the instrument. They then also play their own original music which pretty much all sounds the same. Yet the ukulele has made its presence known today in much more popular and trendy ways. For example, songs like Jason Mraz’s I’m Yours and Train’s Hey Soul Sister are top 100 mainstream success stories, much like I assume the Plain White T’s Rhythm of Love will be. You may ask yourself why I am discussing the ukulele at this point. Well, to answer your question, this week the “ukulele virtuoso” Jake Shimabukuro released his latest full length album Peace Love Ukulele devoted to the art of stretching the ukulele’s limits. My personal favorite is his remake of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody played completely on ukulele and with no lyrics or vocals. As a whole, the album is intriguing but lacks a connective thread from song to song (aside from the ukulele of course). If you are interested in more Jake Shimabukuro songs check out his rendition of Thriller. And if you like a unique ukulele sound, you should definitely give this album a try, but if you are like me then stick with the trendy hipster uses of the ukulele and that’s all. 

How do you feel about the ukulele?