|
PussyCat Dolls
PCD
A&M Records
PussyCat Dolls is the hot new female group that can probably best be described as Destiny's Child meets the Spice Girls,
with a whole lot of spice! Truth be told, it's basically one slick chick (Nicole) with five back up singers diverse enough
to attract just about every young male demo on the map!. PCD jumped out earlier this year with "Don't Cha" featuring
Busta Rhymes. The record was uptempo enough to gain some urban play, but even though Busta was kickin' on it, there wasn't
enough bass and/or crunk to give it the umph it needed to go to the top. The 12-track CD seems to be aimed at Top 40/Rhythmic;
in addition to Busta, Will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas) and Timbaland also guest shot on the CD, which just isn't hard enough to
be a hip hop or young end urban popular. That's not to say it's not a good CD. It certainly is refreshing. "Wait A Minute,"
the Timbaland track is slammin' and will probably be hot on Top 40/R charts. It's a little raucous, but not enough to fly
up urban charts. Again, it needs some crunk or hip hop boom. On the slow tip," Stickwitu" is sweet and catchy and
is good for middays. "I Don't Need A Man" is a female anthem that would be hit bound if the production was a little
harder. Honestly, Nicole shines best on the slower or midtempo tracks, such as the crystal-licious yet melancholy "How
Many Times" and the smoldering "Feelin' Good." Hot, hot, hot sexy track! No doubt this young siren will look
to go solo, and rightfully so. There's one weird but enjoyable track - "Right Now" has a Latin Vegas-style persona.
This is a nice debut album, kind of poppish, but with the right remixes, it could be a hip hop hit.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Santana
All That I Am
Arista
Carlos Santana is one of the most amazing and talented musicians of our time, evidenced once again by his spectacular performance
on the recent Vibe Awards with Los Lonely Boys. His latest CD, "All That I Am," has something for everyone (Santana
has three different songs on the charts) but seems to be especially full of urban flavors. "My Man" features the
street chic savvy songstress Mary J. Blige along with the vocal musing of Big Boi, The fast-paced track is back by Santana's
prolific guitar. The Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am adds his unpredictable style to the eclectic "I Am Somebody," while
the soulful yet gritty voice of Anthony Hamilton checks in on the bluesy yet uptempo "Twisted." Hot, hot, hot is
"Cry Baby Cry" with Sean Paul and the incredible Joss Stone. This will surely be a hit that will cross over into
urban pop and more! Then there's that killer Latin track, "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love" with Los Lonely Boys and
"Brown Skin Girl" with American Idol runner up Bo Bice. Man, that white boy can sing! Carlos and Bo - a match made
in music heaven! One other noteworthy track is the instrumental cut, "Trinity," with Robert Randolph (who many have
compared to Jimi Hendrix). Santana himself is worth his weight in gold, but he also has the uncanny ability to bring out the
best in other artists. He is unselfish in his musicianship and often puts his guest artists out front. The thing about Carlos
Santana that is so admirable is that he does not think of formats or boundaries when he creates - he just creates great music
that happens to feature artists from a variety of genres.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
