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koganbotIs the music world ready to return to the normality of two years ago? Rihanna's got two songs in the top four. But is it the same Rihanna?
Rihanna ft. Drake "What's My Name?" Nice flimsy synths, like ladies fans standing in for steel drums, carrying us through Drake's boring rap and being a fine complement to Rihanna's strange new anono-lite pop voice. Halfway finished there's a danger of dullness as nothing else of note happens, then a drop in volume and a hint of dub add a speck of drama. There doesn't quite seem like a song's worth of melody or variety here, and Rihanna's choice of delicacy over heat disconcerts me, though doesn't disconcert the song, which is pleasant enough. BORDERLINE TICK.
Tim McGraw "Felt Good On My Lips": Harmonics and pretty slides and sticky drones set the scene; a guitar is filtered for sweetness; the sound of a banana boat is half audible through the breeze; hints of color and cantinas. TICK.
Wiz Khalifa "Black And Yellow": More Stargate-enabled prettiness and light, about as substantial as butterfly wings (though if I were a butterfly I might object to that characterization). NO TICK.
Nicki Minaj "Right Thru Me": Nicki sways back and forth in triple time, as a sensitive guy sees right through her, sidestepping her guardedness and not fooled by her feints, this causing Nicki to waver between grateful and frightened and causing her vocals to start sentimental but progress to nervousness; she's quite excellent in keeping her balance on this tension wire, but the arrangement sounds like soap bubbles, and Nicki's lost in all the sparkle. BORDERLINE NONTICK.
Bruno Mars "Grenade": Takes wounds for her, is wounded by her, thinks it's unfair, violent imagery underpinning his self-destructive feelings of love. Vastly more interesting in its twisted way than "Just The Way You Are" is. TICK.
Rick Ross ft. Drake & Chrisette Michele "Aston Martin Music": Young Ricky Ross dreams of an automotive future, then, future achieved, Chrisette adds custom-car curlicues, an emotional edge, with Drake singing in a burr that is far more touching than his monochrome rapping, and the bass playing hums that carry along that burr feeling for the rest of the song. Ross is more like a mood impresario than the headliner here: Rick Ross Presents Music To Make You Misty. TICK.
Pitbull ft. T-Pain "Hey Baby (Drop It To The Floor)": With no one making any kind of a deal of it, this is as much Pitbull's year as it is Nicki's or Luke's or Ke$ha's or Rotem's or Drake's, the pounding four-beat having force here that his mouth easily matches, Autotuned prettiness attaining gravity. TICK.
Rihanna ft. Drake "What's My Name?" Nice flimsy synths, like ladies fans standing in for steel drums, carrying us through Drake's boring rap and being a fine complement to Rihanna's strange new anono-lite pop voice. Halfway finished there's a danger of dullness as nothing else of note happens, then a drop in volume and a hint of dub add a speck of drama. There doesn't quite seem like a song's worth of melody or variety here, and Rihanna's choice of delicacy over heat disconcerts me, though doesn't disconcert the song, which is pleasant enough. BORDERLINE TICK.
Tim McGraw "Felt Good On My Lips": Harmonics and pretty slides and sticky drones set the scene; a guitar is filtered for sweetness; the sound of a banana boat is half audible through the breeze; hints of color and cantinas. TICK.
Wiz Khalifa "Black And Yellow": More Stargate-enabled prettiness and light, about as substantial as butterfly wings (though if I were a butterfly I might object to that characterization). NO TICK.
Nicki Minaj "Right Thru Me": Nicki sways back and forth in triple time, as a sensitive guy sees right through her, sidestepping her guardedness and not fooled by her feints, this causing Nicki to waver between grateful and frightened and causing her vocals to start sentimental but progress to nervousness; she's quite excellent in keeping her balance on this tension wire, but the arrangement sounds like soap bubbles, and Nicki's lost in all the sparkle. BORDERLINE NONTICK.
Bruno Mars "Grenade": Takes wounds for her, is wounded by her, thinks it's unfair, violent imagery underpinning his self-destructive feelings of love. Vastly more interesting in its twisted way than "Just The Way You Are" is. TICK.
Rick Ross ft. Drake & Chrisette Michele "Aston Martin Music": Young Ricky Ross dreams of an automotive future, then, future achieved, Chrisette adds custom-car curlicues, an emotional edge, with Drake singing in a burr that is far more touching than his monochrome rapping, and the bass playing hums that carry along that burr feeling for the rest of the song. Ross is more like a mood impresario than the headliner here: Rick Ross Presents Music To Make You Misty. TICK.
Pitbull ft. T-Pain "Hey Baby (Drop It To The Floor)": With no one making any kind of a deal of it, this is as much Pitbull's year as it is Nicki's or Luke's or Ke$ha's or Rotem's or Drake's, the pounding four-beat having force here that his mouth easily matches, Autotuned prettiness attaining gravity. TICK.
