Rated R and For Your Entertainment album reviews

hey everyone!! so I know I promised a review of the new Rihanna album a little while back, and I am sorry I am just now getting down to it! but I've found some good ass music latley! so I just thought I would make a bigger blog entry!! Today I wanna talk about the much anticipated 'Rated R' by Rihanna, and 'For Your Entertainment' By Adam Lambert.

lets get things started with Rihanna !!!



first of all can we please talk about that hot ass album cover? it clearly paints the picture of what this album is all about, its a dark, moody album, that has a message to tell people, Rihanna dont give a fuck what you think of her, her music, or what happened to her, shes here to tell her story, and say screw you to anyone who stands in her way.

the songs hit hard...her new single is even titled 'Hard' and I guarantee that didnt happen by just chance. Her album opens with a dark, haunted intro joint titled 'Mad House' ...essentially welcoming us to the mad house that now is Rihanna's mind.

She's a woman scorned and we all should realize this new Rihanna is most likely here to stay, and can I please just say , I hope she is? this new Rihanna is hot as hell, shes ghetto fabulous, shes got killer hooks, songs that you wanna give someone a lap dance to, songs you can belt out (which has never really been her style), hell even songs that make you wanna carry around a gold plated gun 'G4L' which stands for Gangsta For Lyfe, is a sexy, bumpin joint and is my new theme song.

Rihanna has always been knowing for her smooth island feel vocals...and on songs like 'Te Amo' , 'Stupid in Love' , 'Photographs' and 'Fire Bomb' all feature that same style of vocals.

songs like ' The Wait is Ova ' , 'Hard', and 'Rockstar' all feature sharp, punctuated vocals mixed in with smooth flowing hooks.

I could probably spend a whole entry focusing on just the lyrics of this album....which are some of the most chilling I have heard in a long time. Even though Rihanna doesn't typically write her own material, you just feel it. You feel her hurt, pain, anguish, longing to be understood, her desire to move on, and the difficulties that come with what happened to her.

Standout tracks to me are ' The Wait is Ova' 'Hard' 'Rockstar' 'Fire Bomb' and 'Cold Case Love' which is possibly my favorite track...tied with 'Fire Bomb'

Rihanna's album "Rated R" was released today and is now on sale for digital download at Amazon.com for 3.99$ ! ! I suggest purchasing it, its a complete step in the right direction for Rihanna in my eyes.


By now i am sure you've all seen the outrageous cover for Adam Lambert's debut. . if not well feast your eyes.




talk about campy! according to Adam the cover is intentionally campy, outrageous and flamboyant.

his album is pretty much the same ! haha.

It took me a while to really get into his CD, the main reason being it wasn't quite the sound I wanted from him....his best performances in my eyes on Idol were his hard rock inspirations 'Whole Lotta Love' , 'Cryin' , 'I Cant Get No Satisfaction' and 'Born To Be Wild' .. though that one featured a little bit more of a techno spin, which is what I should have expected from his debut.

'For Your Entertainment' is what the album is titled, as well as being the title for the lead single. the album opens with a killer song 'Music Again' written by the former front-man for The Darkness, yes it sounds like 'I Believe in a Thing Called Love' but that's what I love!! that song is killer, and so is 'Music Again'.

moving onto the single 'for your entertainment' a song that has for sure grown on me over the past couple of months. . . initially I was really disappointed by it. But now I can appreciate it for what it is, pure pop.

The album then gives us a song written by Pink titled 'Whatya want from me' which is slated to be his second single. Its a good song, but sounds more appropriate as a Pink song in my opinion.

'Strut' co-written by Kara DioGuardi and Adam Lambert...is not too great, and is not very memorable. 'Soaked' however, a song penned by MUSE, is a standout. Opening with a massive chorus of instrumentation, and a lush production, you know this song will be a winner and will be a great addition to any concert tour Adam Lambert goes on!.

There are however, some needless songs, written by Linda Perry 'A Loaded Smile' drags ... and takes forever to get to the best part of the song, the vocal synthesizer that was made famous in the 70s and 80s is back ladies and gentlemen !

'Fever' a track that sounds like a lady gaga reject...is just that! a tune written by GaGa herself, adds a little bit of the camp we come to expect from the album cover, its a fun song, that starts off rather well, but doesn't really go anywhere for me.

'Aftermath' co-written by Ferras, another one of my favorite male artists , adds that 'inspirational' ballad to the CD. with a soaring hook, and some nice lyrics, the song is a highlight on the album.

closing with the incredibly boring 'Broken Open' was a mistake, and the song should have been left on the cutting room floor. 'Master Plan' an i Tunes bonus is actually much better, and delivers a powerful message to listeners, and should have been included on the hard copy of the album in my opinion.

over all its a pretty solid effort from the Idol Runner Up.

Adam Lambert's "For Your Entertainment" was also released today! go get your copy, if for no other reason than to have that outrageous album cover in your collection.

PS. check out Adam Lambert's ridiculous performance of 'For Your Entertainment' the lead single, at last nights American Music Awards below:




hope y'all enjoyed the blog !! i enjoyed writing it!!

have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!! and remember, eat till you explode, that's what the Holiday is for! haha jk jk

<3MisterTom

Rated R

A review of the new album by Rihanna titled 'Rated R' will be coming shortly.

I need some time to fully understand how terrific this album is

It's a Sad Day

Voters in Maine last night voted to reject Same Sex Marriage. This entry alone is hard for me to write.

Im struggling to find the words to describe how i am feeling right now at this moment.... sort of rejected , I feel unwanted , I feel like I don't even exist. At least not to my fellow citizens of this great Country, yes i still feel like this Country is great for many reasons and I will ALWAYS love America, today however i am ashamed to admit i am American.

Do the people who vote down a bill like this ever take for just one second a step back and think about what if they were voting against themselves ? no they dont, what they do however do is vote FOR themselves, and AGAINST a fellow American... and for what reason?

THE REASON IS HATE.

they will try and justify it in more ways than I care to count, religion, being the main focus. Religion last night drove people to vote against their sons and daughters, nephews, nieces, sisters , brothers , mom's and dad's even grand parents.

every single person who voted on that bill last night has come across a homosexual in their life, and a majority of them clearly couldn't care less to even realize it. because they have no heart. they have no compassion. they have no courage.

im sitting here wanting to continue, but honestly I feel like i've given too much of my energy already today to being upset and heartbroken over this.

THIS IS MY LIFE PEOPLE. is my LOVE any different than yours? no it IS NOT. if anything, we have more in common than they will ever know, we all get hurt, we all feel joy, we cheat, we remain faithful, we have children and raise them to be loving individuals, we PAY our taxes, dammit we should have EQUAL RIGHTS.

and dont give me this civil union bull shit, people who believe that is equal are BRAIN DEAD it is not equal it is FAR from it. so do not come to me with that argument because you will lose.

as a matter of fact, if you read this and you disagree with me, peace out, I have NO interest in knowing you. I am not kidding, I am willing to lose a close friend or 2 over this, I sure hope I don't have to , and i don't think i will need to..but the fact that I am willing to proves that this is far too important of an issue to just ignore.

Tom

Album Review : "Play On"

I was fortunate enough to find an advance copy of the new Carrie Underwood album titled "Play On". This disc marks the American Idol winner's 3rd studio album, and possibly her most versatile.

The album starts with the launch single 'Cowboy Casanova' , a song that grew on me, and one that I definitely enjoy more while she sings it live, did anyone see her on David Letterman last night? OK I'm gay but DAMN I LOVE her legs ! ! , I wish mine looked that good! anywhoodles I'm off track now, after the opening track, one we're all familiar with by now I'm sure, she moves onto a fun mixed-tempo track titled 'Quitter', the song is about her always quitting on her men, which she admits have pretty much always been losers, up until this man shes fallen in love with now. 'when I believe, that nothing lasts forever, you stay with me keeping us together, and make me feel like I never ever wanna give you up, till now I've always been a quitter' she sings on the sudden slow tempo change portion of the song, which happens to be my favorite part.

she then moves onto the beautiful 'Mamas Song' , a track I have discussed at length on here in the past. so moving onto track 4, we have 'Change' a song while very good, sounds a little too poppy for me, it almost seems like a song that could have come from her American Idol days...maybe as the victory single at the end of the season or something, anyways the song features Underwood's often featured strong vocals, with some soaring notes, its definitely not a song to skip, at first....in a month or so however, I will probably be over it.

track 5 is a fun number titled 'Undo It' that is way catchy, and in the vein of some of her more up-tempo hits, but isn't quite as good. track 6 is probably my favorite track on the album and its titled 'Someday When I Stop Loving You' its a very classic sounding country slow ballad, but its the vocals that really bring this song to a totally different level.

first of all , the production is brilliant, its a perfect mix of voice and instrumentation, and the instruments only add to the emotion and sound of the song in such a beautiful way, that the song becomes instantly lovable on a personal level.

everyone of us has gone through a tough relationship or 4 in our lives, its part of the growing process and its really what makes our future relationships healthier, and more beneficial to both partner, and this song really paints the emotions for us. featuring some truly special harmonies from Carrie and her back-up singers, 'When I Stop Loving You' should be and probably will be a single for Underwood.

track 7 brings back the up-tempo selections , with a track called 'Songs Like This' and I LOVE this song!! its way catchy, and I LOVE to sing along to this one!! I think this will be a single, and should be. its irresistible !! the from the opening Banjo to the killer chorus, this is not a song to be missed.

track 8 is 'Temporary Home' and I have also spoken on this song before in the past, so moving onto tracks 9-13.

Nine is titled 'This Time' and though it probably wont make it as a single, its not a bad filler song , and its one I quite enjoy. it features a fun rhythm , with some pretty nice vocals yet again from Carrie Underwood. 'life is short , love is sweet, ain't no time like this time baby' she sings at the end of the chorus, and the lyrics really speak to the feel of the song. its fun, bright and up-tempo , and its one I'm going to be coming back to time and time again !

track 10 is SO close in terms of quality as number 6 that its almost a disappointment, but when you listen through the song as a whole, you really cant help but love it! its titled 'Look at Me' , and its a beautiful love ballad, its almost the answer to track number 6 'Someday When I Stop Loving You', where that song was about losing a lover and finding it difficult to be over the relationship, 'Look at Me' is lighter in subject matter, portraying a relationship full of love and affection.

track 11, 'Unapologize' starts off promising , then when it hits the chorus sort of takes a nose dive for me. come to think of it , the versus are not very appealing either, the song features TOO much of Carrie's big voice, it feels like it reaches the climax at the first chorus!, to those who love big long loud belting songs, this one is probably for you. for the rest of us who don't wish to get a headache while listening to head phones, i suggest you skip this one. I know I do.

12 is a beautiful touching duet ballad that Carrie Underwood sings with the singer from the group 'Sons of Sylvia' and I actually like it a lot. I'm not too surprised to find her adding a duet to this album, it is her first duet to be featured on a Studio Album from Carrie and its a refreshing addition to her repertoire, and it has some killer vocals at the end that any one would love to sing along to !

the closing track , number 13, titled 'Play On' is obviously the title track for the album. It's an interesting choice to title the album after, the message to the song is up-beat and a happy one, but the song just isn't too strong in my opinion. the song is about persevering through tough times, and it really is an appropriate message for today's tough times, that's my guess as to why they titled this album after this song. its catchy, and has a fun to sing a long with chorus, but it doesn't stick with me the way some of the other tracks do.

well that's my album review for the new Carrie Underwood album 'Play On' , if you made it this far and actually read the whole post, then you'll be happy to know the record hit store shelves today ! so run out and grab a copy! I don't think you'll be disappointed !! I sure wasn't !!

MisterTom