Album Review

Album: Back to Black

by Amy Winehouse

     I wanted to review this semi-recent album because i was introduced to it in class. I had never really been exposed to her music for some reason but when i heard it i had to do my research! I was pleasantly surprised! Her style was very much like Ronnie Spector from the Ronnettes. She has this old time tone to her voice that is just so smooth. Two of my favorite songs on her Back to Black album is 'You know I'm No Good' and 'Rehab.'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-I2s5zRbHg&ob=av2e

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUmZp8pR1uc&NR=1&feature=endscreen

       It's really hard to find an artist of her kind especially now. It is so sad that she passed away, a talent that great should not be wasted. This particular album led to six Grammy nominations and five wins. Making her the first British female artist to win five Grammys.
       Amy Winehouse was such a powerful singer that she helped revitalized British music and influenced the rise of many other female artists. A couple examples would be Adele and Lady Gaga. They both give Winehouse credit for helping them pave the way for their careers.
      Over all this album is very dynamic. I bought loads of her songs online and each song continues to amaze me. She can bring different tones to each song, she is not one dimensional in any way. In no way is her style or this album mainstream but that doesn't mean its bad. The radios tend to only play the mainstream tunes and i think that's why i initially missed out on such an amazing artist. This class has definitely taught me to expand my horizons when it comes to music!

Sound Track of My Life!

Going into this assignment i didn't think that it would bring about so many memories! There were so many different periods in my life and thinking of just the right songs to express those times came very easily. The first song i wanted to use to expresses a darker time in my life, a song by Evanescence called Hello. This songs describes the difficult times i went through during my parents divorce and other family turmoils.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih61MJ72v1Y

During the next stage of my life, in my earl teens, i felt very alone and found it hard to fit in. I'm pretty sure it's a normal during that time in life to feel lonely and unsure of who you are because it is an awkward stage in life. This is a song that very much described how i was feeling during that time and it helped me get through that period.
Another song by Evanescence: Missing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06d33K1ei6I
I don't know what it is but their music has the ability to touch anyone who listens to it in one way or another. The lyrics are so deep and are easy to relate to especially if your in a darker place.

The next soundtrack of my life describes a much happier and lighter time for me. Things were still hard for me of course but for once in my life i was happy with who i was and much more confident. My attitude made a complete one eighty and i looked at things in a much better light! That is why chose this song to describe how i was feeling.
One Republic: Good Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZhQOvvV45w&ob=av2e

Right after this i met someone who made me feel really good about my self and became one of my first boyfriends. He was obviously no good for me but when you 16 your naive to many things and he was one of many. Anyways, the point is at that time i thought i was in love and that sparked a whole new feeling in my life, which brings us to this song:
Bruno Mars: Grenade
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR6iYWJxHqs

Obviously that relationship didn't last long which led me directly into my care free phase. All i wanted to do was socialize with multiple men and not be held back. It was all completely harmless, innocent flirting and i have to say it was fun! I grew so much  and learned so much during this time in my life but i also had a blast. So to express this feeling i chose this song:
Shania Twain: I Feel Like A Woman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7auzP9RhCY

So for the last soundtrack of my life I chose the song that i danced to at my wedding. It expresses my feelings of uncertainty of how my life is going but of my certainty of how much i loved the one person i had waited for all my life. Your early twenties is a time to find who you are and I'm still trying to figure that out but the feeling of having someone there for you no matter what, makes it that much easier. Everyone needs someone and this song says just that.
Boys Like Girls: Two is Better Than One
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW3RspM7v9M&ob=av3e

Chapter 6 and 7 of Fever

      In chapter 6 of Fever the rock icon of choice is Bruce Springsteen. Tim Riley describes him as, "the only American rock star Worthy of comparison to the original Elvis..." After reading this chapter i learned things about Springsteen that i never knew. He was obviously a rock icon of his time and had a huge range when it came to his writing style.
    What i found interesting was that Springsteen sang more songs to his father more than any other writer. His lyrics were fueled by typical father-son tension that most people could relate to. Most songs focused on love, either acquiring it or ending a relationship so a different focus made his songs very popular. Springsteen paints a picture of his father through his songs, "Springsteen is torn between seething resentment for hi father and embittered respect," said Riley.
     In chapter 7 of Fever i found the material written by Tina Turner most interesting. The chapter discusses the fact that most songs during that time were fictional statements of perfect relationships. They wanted listeners to believe everything was like a fairytale and no other couple could compare. It worked very well because we all want that and we all strive to get it. Things were much different than what people assumed and that comes to light with Tina Turners story.
     Few women compared to Tina in any medium and when she broke out from her abusive relationship she shined even brighter. In 1984 she was one of the first artists to sing about such hardships explicitly. It was very inspirational to read about her life and how she used her lyrics to reach out to women that were in the same situation as her. Those trapped by domestic abused could use her as an outlet.
    It's clear that in both chapters music can be a very powerful and inspirational outlet for whatever subject. Love, pain, anger and sadness have a long history of dominating the charts. That's because people want songs they can relate to and they want songs that can relieve some of their everyday tribulations. That is one thing that i think will never change.

Opinionator #2

      Violence through the media is one of the largest issued effecting all demographics. It seems now more than ever that the type of violence being shown has changed. Viewers are experiencing huge increases of violence through every media outlet whether they are aware of it or not.
       There is violence in television shows, the news, video games and movies just to mention a few. It is hard to notice the difference unless you look at a longer timeline. As a society we are being desensitized to the content we are being show. Personally i use to be scared by the some of the least graphic movies but now when i see someone get stabbed in a movie it doesn't even phase me and i think its boring. That's because networks are doing anything they can to get ratings, and one of the ways they do that is their content becomes more and more violent to keep our interest. We watch T.V. and go to movies for the shock value!
     In the 1930's and 1940's audiences were shocked if there was any kind of sexual or violent content and now we wont watch it if it doesn't. The sad part is that since we have been exposed to such violence in the media we can never go back. I see no chance of the media ever going back to the way it use to be. All we can do is try to sensor our children to the violence as much as we can.
     That bring some to another issue with violence and the media. Since we have made so many strides in technological advances, censoring content to the younger generations has become almost impossible. Access to the Internet on not only computers but cell phones and things like the I Pad give parents no way to shield their children.
     The news media is not innocent of it either. News is constantly sensationalized and thrives on violence to get ratings. News networks have no problem showing graphic material to get those ratings and keep viewers. It is an endless cycle that every media outlet is doomed to repeat. Human interest stories will always dominate and so will violence.

Songs that make you dance!

1. No Hands by Waka Flocka Flame
This song is great for the younger crowd at any club. It's not one of the best songs but it gets people in the mood to dance when they go out.
2.Salt Shaker by Ying Yang Twins
The ladies love when this song comes on. I'm pretty sure you can picture how they would dance to this! It wil make you want to move and shake you salt shaker!
3. Wall to Wall by Chris Brown
I like this song because it makes you want to move your entire body in an awsome way. This is a different style song then the others and it does take more talent to dance to tis song but it's so much fun!
4. Like a G6 by Far East Movement
I also like this song because it has more of a techno feel to it instead of just beats. This song is gauranteed to get your blood flowing and get you moving on the dance floor. The songs not that great but it gets you in the mood to dance.
5. Work It by Missy Elliot
What can i say about Missy Elliot except that any song she puts out is gauranteed to make you want to dance!
     I prefer the older songs when i actually want to dance and have a good time! Unfortunately when you go out hese are the songs that dominate the dance floor. Don't get me wrong i love dancing to these songs but sometimes i just want to do the twist!

opinionator #1

        A controversial topic in media right now is over sensationalized news. There is more of a focus on human interest stories and less accuracy in hard news stories. The medias main goal is to make ratings and to make ratings people want to hear about sensationalized news first and then maybe actually important news later if they have time.
      I admit i get wrapped up in The Kardashians from time to time or i laugh at the fact that Lindsey Lohan went to jail again but at the end of the day i want to know what is happening in the real world. If only people put as much effort into protesting against school budget cuts instead of following celebrities on Twitter than our country would be better for it!
       Before media evolved so much people were aware of our countries hardships and they spoke up. Our generation has been blinded by sensationalized media and whether we are aware of it or not, it is going to become a huge problem. It is in our nature to be suaded by such things but how do we change it?
      I'm sure there are plenty of media outlets out there that would love to inform us as well as catch our interest but like any other business, the media is about profit. People that are providing accurate news coverage are sadly not getting as good of ratings as the reality shows are. People are adapting in any way possible and it will be interesting to see how the media will change 20 years from now, if it does.

music memories #2

     For this assignment i interviewed my mom Gwynne. She as born in 1950 and experienced the great hits of the 60's and 70's. She would kill me if she knew i gave away her age! Anyways, during that time she said that her favorites had to be The Beatles and The Rolling stones. I have a feeling that the majority of the reasoning behind why she liked those bands was because she liked looking at the guys. "All the girls loved them at that time," said Gwynne.
     Rock was a big part of her generation stepping  out and making a statement. She said the music was a way that they could express themselves and their beliefs. Her favorite concerts to go to were Beatles concerts when she was young.
    As she got older her taste did start to change but so did the styles of music. Instead of listening to rock and expressing her rebellious teenage nature she was older and developed more of a refined taste. She started to listen to more female artists like Madonna and Whitney Houston.
    It was around that time that my brother and i were born. I remember her listening to Mariah Carey in the early 90's when i was around five or six. Her tastes have always changed with the times but she has never stopped appreciating classic music. "I can appreciate any artist that has genuine talent, whether that's vocal or instrumental," said Gwynne. Although there are some genres that she claims she cannot get use to, like "hard core screaming music" as she calls it and "hard core rap."
    "Music is changing all the time and it is so cool to have seen how its changed over the past 60 years," says Gwynne. Right now she mostly listens to Katy Perry and other popular female artists. "I have always been a strong supporter of female artists," says Gwynne. When she was growing up it was very difficult for female artists to make it big but now they have just as good a chance to make as any other artists.
    Gwynne doesn't attend concerts anymore but in her youth attending concerts was a way for her and her friends to express themselves and make their voices heard. The music inspired their generation to speak up about the war and change the times.