East Bay View (a blog about several things)

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Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Hit count: Rock and roll? Jesus!

Kid Rock, "All Summer Long": The music isn't as good as in "Sweet Home Alabama" but is better than in "Werewolves of London"; the lyrics, vice versa. As a whole, the song shows there's some residual value in spending most of your life living in a redneck's paradise. (Not meaning London.)

Ne-Yo, "Closer": Stargate goes mostly electric; where are the "Irreplaceable" fans crying Judas? Right, Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music" preceded it, but it had the advantage of sampling a classic. With no such luxury, Ne-Yo relies on something Rihanna doesn't have: a personality. I hope his first really good solo song turns out to be one of many.

Pussycat Dolls, "When I Grow Up": They haven't really earned the right to self-parody the lust for fame they represent. But it's enough to hold the song together, and it's good to see Rodney Jerkins giving a damn again. And isn't it better to aspire to have groupies rather than be one? Answer: marginally.

Leona Lewis, "Better in Time": Not as daft as "Bleeding Love", but if there's no substance, daft's not the worst option. She does have an export-quality voice, and if Simon gets out of Sir Clive's way, she might prove useful one day. Not yet, though.

Arashi, "One Love": Japan's Oldest Relevant Boyband -- sorry, SMAP -- hit #1 for the twentieth-yes-twentieth time (I'll get to their twenty-first in coming weeks). This one's Boyzone-negligible, with too much unison singing and not even a Sakurap to enliven it.

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