Saturday, October 9, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Pink - "Raise Your Glass"
There are few artists currently working in the music industry that I admire more than Pink, as I've mentioned before along with the curious fact that despite my high opinion of her as a musician I don't especially care for a good percentage of the actual songs she's done, even while appreciating and enjoying the way she's done them. And since Pink is one of the few veteran acts whose healthy career has been marked or even defined by continuous adaptation and exploration of musical style, I am particularly looking forward to her first hits collection, Greatest Hits...So Far!!!, which she announced yesterday (the set lands November 16).
Of course, even a compilation album requires a lead single or two to promote the release, and the 31 year old unleashed the first of two new tracks to be included on the hefty track list, the giddily enjoyable girl-party anthem "Raise Your Glass." As may be obviously early on to those familiar with production at all, Pink's producer and co-writer on the track is Swedish pop legend Max Martin, who last year helped get Britney Spears' own hits collection lead single "3" to the top of the Hot 100 in its first week on the chart and who worked with Pink on her latest two albums, I'm Not Dead and Funhouse. Martin and erstwhile protegee/collaborator Dr. Luke (the latter more so) have lately been walking a thin line between success and overexposure, and, perhaps accordingly, churning out a high volume of work that on too many occasions has been too reminiscent of previous work done for other artists too recently to go by unnoticed. It's a shame, really, as Martin truly is one of the greatest producers of all time, and Dr. Luke one of the great hit-making engineers working right now, even if he lacks the musical sensibilities that set Martin apart; in any event, getting recycled tunes from those two is like Julia Child making you peanut butter and jelly.
But what typically makes Pink's collaborations with Martin work so well is, broadly speaking, their actually "collaborative" feel. Pink is an older, more experienced, and with a more fully developed persona as an artist than Martin's usual clients, who tend to be younger girl-pop-rock stars (he's produced for Katy Perry, Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, and the first three of Britney Spears' albums) whose contributions to the track, while always a good deal beyond the anonymous vocal trend of dance and electronic music in terms of personality, were still only half of the magic (if that), sharing or overshadowed in glory by the greatness of the entire sound. Pink is not the kind of artist who takes a back seat when she's in the studio - she's demonstrated a unique and enjoyable expertise in the incidentals that often spice up her backing vocals with typically playful banter and musical asides, and "Raise Your Glass" is no exception. There's even a riotous moment just before the final chorus in which the singer channels the Mamas and the Papas by launching into the chorus a few bars early. "Ah, fuck," she says, before launching into the high-octane chorus for nearly a full minute of climactic, girl-rock bliss.
Sure, the song sounds a bit like Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" with a splash of "Since U Been Gone," (both written and the latter produced by...you guessed it! Max Martin) but at no point is "Raise Your Glass" not clearly Pink's song. Where younger and less established singers can come off as either one-note party obsessives (Ke$ha) or posers (Avril Lavigne) when singing of boozing and merrymaking, Pink's relationship with the world of recreation has been a consistent theme in her music throughout her genre-jumping career, from Linda Perry's "Get the Party Started" to the rock-infused barfight style "U + Ur Hand" and "So What," to the disarmingly contrite "Sober" and the just as disarmingly hedonistic "Bad Influence," so when Pink sings about a party, you know she knows of what she speaks. (The only insincere moment on "Raise Your Glass," actually, is at the beginning of the bridge, where after a beat or two she muses, "Oh shit, my glass is empty. That SUCKS!" As if Pink would find such a situation the slightest bit concerning.)
It's the first time Pink's party has been an actual celebration, too, which makes it all the more fun to come along: here there are no pervy drunk men, no exes starting fights, no kissing Benz drivers' asses, no football captains' angry mothers. Pink's not fighting anymore, she's inviting: she reaches out to "all my underdogs" and encourages them to be "dirty little freaks," a technique that's proven pretty effective for Lady Gaga, although they're not singing to entirely the same audience, I believe. Pink, like Robyn, has blossomed from an exciting and volatile 20-something into a strong, reliable 31-year-old who is still a ton of fun - like a big sister, perhaps, who seems to have everything under control and figured out with herself, which allows us to revert to carefree teenagers for a few minutes. We don't have to worry about Pink, be it in with her historically solid personal life, or her live performances (also like Robyn, Pink is a uniquely gifted live performer), or her next album(s) or singles - we know she'll come through. On "Raise Your Glass" Pink's fun-filled vocals and Max Martin's stellar if manipulative production team up like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: here are a pair of artists at the top of their field who have worked together to deliver a charming and enjoyable fall anthem, a worthy addition to Pink's already formidable list of great singles.
Of course, even a compilation album requires a lead single or two to promote the release, and the 31 year old unleashed the first of two new tracks to be included on the hefty track list, the giddily enjoyable girl-party anthem "Raise Your Glass." As may be obviously early on to those familiar with production at all, Pink's producer and co-writer on the track is Swedish pop legend Max Martin, who last year helped get Britney Spears' own hits collection lead single "3" to the top of the Hot 100 in its first week on the chart and who worked with Pink on her latest two albums, I'm Not Dead and Funhouse. Martin and erstwhile protegee/collaborator Dr. Luke (the latter more so) have lately been walking a thin line between success and overexposure, and, perhaps accordingly, churning out a high volume of work that on too many occasions has been too reminiscent of previous work done for other artists too recently to go by unnoticed. It's a shame, really, as Martin truly is one of the greatest producers of all time, and Dr. Luke one of the great hit-making engineers working right now, even if he lacks the musical sensibilities that set Martin apart; in any event, getting recycled tunes from those two is like Julia Child making you peanut butter and jelly.
But what typically makes Pink's collaborations with Martin work so well is, broadly speaking, their actually "collaborative" feel. Pink is an older, more experienced, and with a more fully developed persona as an artist than Martin's usual clients, who tend to be younger girl-pop-rock stars (he's produced for Katy Perry, Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, and the first three of Britney Spears' albums) whose contributions to the track, while always a good deal beyond the anonymous vocal trend of dance and electronic music in terms of personality, were still only half of the magic (if that), sharing or overshadowed in glory by the greatness of the entire sound. Pink is not the kind of artist who takes a back seat when she's in the studio - she's demonstrated a unique and enjoyable expertise in the incidentals that often spice up her backing vocals with typically playful banter and musical asides, and "Raise Your Glass" is no exception. There's even a riotous moment just before the final chorus in which the singer channels the Mamas and the Papas by launching into the chorus a few bars early. "Ah, fuck," she says, before launching into the high-octane chorus for nearly a full minute of climactic, girl-rock bliss.
Seriously, is this not the cutest woman ever?
It's the first time Pink's party has been an actual celebration, too, which makes it all the more fun to come along: here there are no pervy drunk men, no exes starting fights, no kissing Benz drivers' asses, no football captains' angry mothers. Pink's not fighting anymore, she's inviting: she reaches out to "all my underdogs" and encourages them to be "dirty little freaks," a technique that's proven pretty effective for Lady Gaga, although they're not singing to entirely the same audience, I believe. Pink, like Robyn, has blossomed from an exciting and volatile 20-something into a strong, reliable 31-year-old who is still a ton of fun - like a big sister, perhaps, who seems to have everything under control and figured out with herself, which allows us to revert to carefree teenagers for a few minutes. We don't have to worry about Pink, be it in with her historically solid personal life, or her live performances (also like Robyn, Pink is a uniquely gifted live performer), or her next album(s) or singles - we know she'll come through. On "Raise Your Glass" Pink's fun-filled vocals and Max Martin's stellar if manipulative production team up like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: here are a pair of artists at the top of their field who have worked together to deliver a charming and enjoyable fall anthem, a worthy addition to Pink's already formidable list of great singles.
"Raise Your Glass"
Pink
Greatest Hits...So Far!!!
(LaFace, 2010)
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Céline Dion and Peabo Bryson "Beauty and the Beast"
Want to know why the crop of American young adults now between the ages of about 23 and 29 (i.e. those of us born when Reagan was President) are going to rule the world, especially in entertainment? For one, we come from tail-end Baby Boomer/early Gen X parents - the ones after the hippies and racists of the '60s but before the uptight post-Vietnam Gen X-ers of the '80s - who generally struck just the right balance between apathy and helicopter parenting, plus they had fantastic taste in music. We also were the main beneficiaries of the Disney Renaissance, the period between 1989 and 1997-ish when entertainment for children was perhaps the best and most influential it has ever been, led of course by the revitalized Disney animation studios and the string of masterpieces from The Little Mermaid ('89) to (depending who you ask) The Lion King ('95) or Hercules ('97). If you need to ask how that has anything to do with global domination potential, then obviously you weren't there for it (as a kid or a parent) and probably wouldn't get or accept an explanation; if you were, you know what I'm talking about (*high five!*).
The greatest of those films, and in my opinion the greatest of all Disney films, is Beauty and the Beast ('91) which long had the distinction of being the only animated film ever to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture (Pixar's Up made the newly expanded list of ten nominees last year). The second release in Disney's new golden era was exquisitely drawn, elegantly scripted and performed, and features one of the best scores in film history, composed by Alan Menken with songs by Menken and Howard Ashman, the great lyricist who died of AIDS not long before the film premiered. The score and three of the songs were nominated for Oscars, and while glorious opening number "Belle" and showstopper "Be Our Guest" were both fully deserving, no jaws dropped when statues went to the score and the elegant title ballad.
"Beauty and the Beast" was sung by Angela Lansbury in the film, but a re-imagined pop version ran over the credits and was released as a single, starting what would become a lengthy tradition. The adult contemporary cover featured a duet by established R&B star Peabo Bryson and then-little known French Canadian singer Céline Dion. It reached the top ten in the U.S. and many other countries, becoming Dion's international breakthrough and winning a Grammy for the two singers.
Coming from a family of music snobs, I rarely got to hear the duet version before someone got to the VCR eject or the car stereo track skip button, and even as an adult I've had to be rather surreptitious about my occasional re-visitations with the syrupy, overproduced ballad. But since today Disney is bringing Beauty and the Beast out of the so-called "vault," I can't think of a more defensible and appropriate time to indulge my little guilty pleasure. (A new cover by American Idol champ Jordin Sparks has been prepared to support the DVD re-release.)
The greatest of those films, and in my opinion the greatest of all Disney films, is Beauty and the Beast ('91) which long had the distinction of being the only animated film ever to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture (Pixar's Up made the newly expanded list of ten nominees last year). The second release in Disney's new golden era was exquisitely drawn, elegantly scripted and performed, and features one of the best scores in film history, composed by Alan Menken with songs by Menken and Howard Ashman, the great lyricist who died of AIDS not long before the film premiered. The score and three of the songs were nominated for Oscars, and while glorious opening number "Belle" and showstopper "Be Our Guest" were both fully deserving, no jaws dropped when statues went to the score and the elegant title ballad.
"Beauty and the Beast" was sung by Angela Lansbury in the film, but a re-imagined pop version ran over the credits and was released as a single, starting what would become a lengthy tradition. The adult contemporary cover featured a duet by established R&B star Peabo Bryson and then-little known French Canadian singer Céline Dion. It reached the top ten in the U.S. and many other countries, becoming Dion's international breakthrough and winning a Grammy for the two singers.Coming from a family of music snobs, I rarely got to hear the duet version before someone got to the VCR eject or the car stereo track skip button, and even as an adult I've had to be rather surreptitious about my occasional re-visitations with the syrupy, overproduced ballad. But since today Disney is bringing Beauty and the Beast out of the so-called "vault," I can't think of a more defensible and appropriate time to indulge my little guilty pleasure. (A new cover by American Idol champ Jordin Sparks has been prepared to support the DVD re-release.)
"Beauty and the Beast"
Céline Dion and Peabo Bryson
(Walt Disney, 1991)
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