Pop Blitz 6/17/11

Black Eyed Peas - Don't Stop The Party
I'm not sure that BEP has released any singles from this latest album that I've liked. This definitely doesn't break the pattern. It's not as irritating as a few of the others, but it's not as effortlessly catchy as their best work. The production's better than the hooks. C-

Selena Gomez & The Scene - Bang Bang Bang
Not technically a single (just a promo release), but I wanted to include it because I (surprisingly) have really fallen for this song. It's like a tween version of La Roux's Bulletproof. I LOVE the synth production and the general laid-back coolness of this. She's growing up! A-

Nicole Scherzinger - Right There (ft. 50 Cent)
It's not up there with the prior two singles (particularly the brilliant Don't Hold Your Breath), and I hate the unnecessary 50 Cent feature, but this has grown on me. I like the hook, and that's about it. Problem is, it doesn't have much of an impact when all's said and done. B-

Eric Saade - Hearts In The Air (ft. J-Son)
It's not as strong as Popular, but this is still a decent follow-up. The verses are better than the chorus (which sounds a little too familiar). It's enough to get me excited for the album, though. B+

Shania Twain - Today Is Your Day
It is so GOOD to hear Shania again. This gets instantly higher marks just for that. The song itself is pretty underwhelming... not one of her better ballads. But she sounds great and there's a catchy guitar hook buried somewhere in here. B

Jason Derulo - Don't Wanna Go Home
This is probably the most important single for him as far as longevity is concerned. The multiple samples used make this more of a hodgepodge than an actual original song, but the production's reliably glossy. I think the jury's out. All this has done is confused me. B-

Cher Lloyd - Swagger Jagger
Oh, how I loved Cher Lloyd in X-Factor last year. However, this track is all of her worst tendencies thrown into one song. Whereas I'm not sure about the Jason Derulo song, the sample here (Oh My Darling Clementine? Really??) does not work at all. What the hell did they do to her? D+

Track-by-Track: Jason Derulo

As soon as Chris Brown's Forever hit it big, I knew that the same swooshy, synthy r&b sound would be ubiquitous in years to come. Now Jason Derulo's made an entire album of the stuff, and despite being pretty concise compared to other albums of this genre, it's certainly a mixed bag.

1. Whatcha Say - It's hard to accurately review this, since so much (aka: the best part) is borrowed from the Imogen Heap song. Without the lengthy sample, this would be pretty boring. Luckily, the hook transforms this into something better. Annoyingly, this begins the trend of Jason singing his name over the beginning of almost every track. 8/10

2. Ridin' Solo - Autotune to the max! Beyond that, though, the uptempo hook is ridiculously catchy. The verses less so. His voice sounds so strange here, but it gets high marks for that chorus. 7/10

3. In My Head - The second single, and one of the strongest tracks on the album. It's derivative in so many ways and sounds like so much already out there, but the melody is dangerously catchy. 8/10

4. The Sky's The Limit - This adheres to that Forever sound I mentioned earlier. Swooping atmospheric synths build up to a chorus that should be stronger than it is. Still, I'm happy to see another reasonably strong uptempo. 7/10

5. What If - Beginning with a ridiculously dramatic spoken intro, this is where the album takes a potentially dangerous turn into the banal. It's an average r&b ballad with one catchy bit in the chorus. Otherwise, completely forgettable and too overproduced for its own good. 5/10

6. Love Hangover - Thankfully, we're back to uptempo territory here. This is really pretty fantastic... probably my favorite track on the album. Everything works here. It's a great combo of dance/synth elements and straightforward r&b. 9/10

7. Encore - The last strong(ish) track of the album (though it begins with him singing is name again). His vocals are pretty strong here and I love the drums in the verses. The chorus is less than spectacular, though, which stops this from being a standout. 6/10

8. Fallen - Boring stuff. The lyrics are stupid and the melody goes nowhere. It's instantly forgettable. 4/10

9. Blind - A big ballad to end the (short) album, and it's nothing to write home about. The chorus is a letdown, yet again. It just stops the song from going anywhere. 4/10

Album Grade: 6.4/10

Pop Blitz 2/3/10

Marina & The Diamonds - Hollywood
I'm still not entirely in love with Marina's voice, though that's more of a personal thing. However, the song's quite nice. Subtle in a way... it doesn't really hit you over the head the first time. It's a real grower. Hopefully that means longevity. B+

Lady Antebellum - Need You Now
I'm not a country fan but I can see why this is taking America by storm right now. Somehow it sounds more like a big 80's ballad than anything. There's nothing like it on the radio right now. Very pretty. A-

Jedward - Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby) (ft. Vanilla Ice)
I'd probably hate this if I hadn't followed John & Edward on X-Factor. As it stands, it's a super fun slice of novelty pop. And it does the impossible: makes Vanilla Ice tolerable! B+

Pink - Glitter In The Air
Her performance at the Grammys catapulted this non-single to hit status and unearthed a buried gem. It's one of her most delicate ballads. Reminds me of the late 90's. A-

Black Eyed Peas - Imma Be
This is absolute crap, and represents the worst side of BEP. It's not a song. It's noise. The military could use it to drive Bin Laden out of hiding. F

Iyaz - Solo
Horrible. Basically, he took a classic song, changed the lyrics and sang it horribly. I can't believe that something like this could even be deemed radio-worthy. D-

Jason Derulo - In My Head
Maybe he won't be a one hit wonder, after all. This sounds a hell of a lot like Chris Brown, and possesses exactly 0% originality, but it's pretty catchy. Could've been a LOT worse. B