Hello! Today’s song is R&B sensation Rihanna’s latest single. “Diamonds” is a bit of a departure for the artist. She’s deviated from her usual pop/dance formula changing the tempo and tone up. Her vocals are on full display and we actually get to hear the range of that gorgeous voice of hers. The video is equally as stunning and reminiscent of Drake’s “Take Care” video, which she was featured in. The song touches on a common theme of Rihanna’s: love and relationships. What’s different is how hopeful and even happy she sounds, a welcomed change from much of her music. Enjoy!
June 29, 2012
Entry 235– "Take Care"
Song: “Take Care”
Artist: Drake feat. Rihanna
Comments: Hello everyone! It’s Amanda again. Today’s song was released back in February but as sometimes happens when I send Chris a new song he forgot about it and discovered it later on his own .So here I am, talking about one of my favorite songs of 2012 thus far. Admittedly, I had some doubts about Drake in the past but “Take Care” was a real game changer in my book. It features two incredibly successful recording artists in a dynamic duet and reveals a softer side of them both that music fans rarely get to see. The song in itself is a work of art. The lyrical content, the use of piano and drums, and the vocal performances delivered by Drake and Rihanna are astounding. The video lacks a storyline but instead relies heavily on breathtaking visuals to convey raw emotion. All-in-all, it’s a sublime collaboration between two talented individuals. Enjoy the song and happy Friday!
May 15, 2012
Entry 202– "Where Have You Been"
Song: “Where Have You Been”
Artist: Rihanna
http://youtu.be/HBxt_v0WF6Y
Comments: Oh, Rihanna. It’s about bloody time. “We Found Love” was decently good, but it wasn’t quite the level that I expect out of Rihanna. This song, on the other hand, bumps the bar up even higher. It has everything I like in a song of this genre: decent vocals that aren’t completely trite, a steady and danceable beat, and a nice dose of electro. The sound is unmistakably Rihanna, which is refreshing. I’m sick of songs that you can’t tell who the artist is without having to work at it. (Thankfully, there aren’t too many of those.) Also, the video is pretty excellent. It has the best choreography I’ve seen in awhile, and isn’t selling itself solely on sex appeal or special effects. It’s actually a video, not an advertisement (I’m looking at you, Pitbull) or a sex scene (I’m thinking Nicki Minaj here, but I couldn’t find more and better examples). Anyway, both this song and this video are excellent– check them out!
December 21, 2011
Entry 109– Heart Week, Part 3: "You Da One"
❤ Week, Part 3
Song: “You Da One”
Artist: Rihanna
http://youtu.be/2iAczjvLoi8
Comments: And ❤ Week continues! This song says it all. "You are the one that I dream about all day / You are the one that I think about all day." Approaching this more musically, the song is easy to listen to, uptempo but not fast, and if my ears aren't deceiving me, has a hint of dubstep around 2:32. Anyone else noticing a trend towards dubstep-y beats in pop songs? I'll find examples of that for some other post. Anyway. There's supposedly an official video in the works for this song; I'll post it if/when it happens. To the one that I love, <3!
*edit: Finally got the titles working for this week. Oh well, I guess it will have to be “Heart Week” instead of “<3 Week" in the post titles. So be it– the meaning is the same.
*edit 1/8/12: Well, the official video happened awhile ago, and I kept neglecting to post it. Here it is, but frankly, I don’t like it. It makes the song sexual and not in the least bit romantic… http://youtu.be/b3HeLs8Yosw
December 7, 2011
Entry 101- Pop Week, Part 2: "We Found Love"
Pop Week, Part 2
Song: “We Found Love”
Artist: Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris
http://youtu.be/tg00YEETFzg (NSFW)
http://youtu.be/GchEVSx9XEA (Audio)
Comments: Currently number one on the Billboard top 100 and number three on YouTube music, “We Found Love” is Rihanna’s latest single. The video for it borders on Not Safe For Work, so I’ve included a link to an audio-only video. The song is quite good, and exceptionally catchy– the chorus keeps getting stuck in my head. Enjoy!
November 10, 2011
Entry 88– "All of the Lights"
Song: “All of the Lights”
Artist: Kanye West ft. Rihanna, Kid Cudi
http://youtu.be/jjDdGKBhTuo (lyrics)
http://youtu.be/HAfFfqiYLp0 (Official Video – Epilepsy Warning)
Comments: Sorry for the late entry. This song definitely sounds like it has significantly more people than just Kanye, Rihanna, and Kid Cudi in it, but those three are the only ones listed. More and more, it feels like I’m noticing unlisted or uncredited artists in songs, and it’s beginning to bother me… But enough about that. “All of the Lights” has been stuck in my head all day. The horns and drums in this song make it stand out from contemporary songs of the genre, and make it catchy. Take a listen.
A cautionary note– the epilepsy warning on the official video is serious. If flashing lights give you seizures, do NOT click that link.
*Edit: I went looking for more info on the song, and as it turns out, there are significantly more than three people involved in this song. Wikipedia’s image of the album cover for the single shows a whole list of people. Also, I am twice the fool. I clicked on the “show more” button on youtube, and it does in fact list the additional vocalists: “All Of The Lights” by Kanye West feat. Rihanna and Kid Cudi with vocals by Fergie, Charlie Wilson, John Legend, Tony Williams, Alicia Keys, La Roux, The Dream, Ryan Leslie, Alvin Fields and Ken Lewis.
Stuck In My Skull 