Did Britney Spears Rip Off Mika??

I've been thinkin'
Just sittin' thinkin'...

These are the opening lines of Brit-Brit's new song "It Should Be Easy ft. will.i.am."  The song has got me thinkin'...

Now, before we say anything critical, just for the record, we like the song.  We like Brit-Brit.  She has the voice of an angel with a sinus infection.  It's all part of her charm.

Not so charming is that the song feels like a total ripoff of a Mika song--and it seems like nobody's even concerned with hiding that.

Britney's new song is "It Should Be Easy."

Mika's old song: "Relax, Take It Easy."

The choruses are just too similar to be a coincidence.

What do you think: are the producers behind the Britney curtain just "inspired" by Mika's 2006 song, or is this a case of plagiarism?

Listen, and then discuss.

Thankful For...Regina Spektor

I'm not going to post a full review of Regina Spektor's newest release--Regina Spektor: Live in London, a CD and full blu-ray concert DVD--because there's no real point in gushing about her brilliance. I watched the full concert last night and was simply blown away by Spektor's talent. I'm watching it again right now. If you haven't given Spektor a chance for whatever reason--maybe you heard "Fidelity" on the radio and thought it was stupid, maybe you think she's too girly, maybe you just don't like her style of music or writing--you ought to go see her perform sometime. The New York-based Russian immigrant plays piano, keyboard and guitar. She sings a cappella. She writes all her own music and lyrics. And she's completely genuine, and even seems to be embarrassed by the attention she gets.

Just watch this performance of "Eet" before you make up your mind.

Robyn Goes Back To The Future

Body Talk Pt. 3 came out yesterday, fulfilling Robyn's newest perfect pop formulation. Pt. 1, released last spring, was a mixed bag of dance-pop (Dancing On My Own, Fembot), electro-hip-pop (None Of Dem), and avant garde or unexpected acoustic tracks (Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do, Jag vet en delig rosa). The song Hang With Me takes up real estate on parts one and two of Body Talk--acoustic on the first and mixed perfectly on the second. Body Talk Pt. 2 overall is edgier, with explicit (but fun) tracks like Criminal Intent and U Should Know Better, featuring Snoop Dogg. Part two ends with the stunning ballad Indestructible--Acoustic Version. From that name, we knew to expect a dance mix on Body Talk Pt. 3. Robyn doesn't disappoint.

Just as she did with her two versions of Hang With Me, Robyn pulls off the rare trick of making both an acoustic and an electronic-mixed version of Indestructible sound like the original. The acoustic version is as close as Robyn gets to a power ballad; the part three version is power pop. On the whole, Body Talk Pt. 3--brief at five tracks--is the most cohesive third of the trilogy.

On yesterday's issue, every song is pure dance-pop--no balladry, no hardcore. In Indestructible, she opens the EP singing, "I'm going back through time at the speed of light." The sound is very retro--a sonic theme that continues through every song on the EP. When she revs up her Time Machine engine (the second song on the album), we're solidly in the 1980s. And if you weren't sure from what decade Robyn was pulling, she gives you a handy Back to the Future reference ("All I need is a time machine/All I want is a delorean"), which is the song's extended metaphor. Call Your Girlfriend, the third song, opens with a fairly contemporary sound, but we're in full ABBA mode by the chorus. You'll love it, even if you didn't know how much you missed Electric Light Orchestra. Get Myself Together and Stars 4-Ever would have been perfect in the mid-90s, and they're pretty perfect now (although probably the weakest two songs on this mini-album, in my opinion).

Considered as a whole, Body Talk--parts one, two, and three put together--make for an astonishingly polished, diverse, and failure-free album. Normally an album with 24 original songs has some serious misfires, but at its worst, the weakest songs in the bunch (In My Eyes, Love Kills) are better than serviceable. It's incredible that Robyn isn't better known in the U.S., but at least she's appreciated by critics and the people who know her music.

Here's a taste of Part 3, if you're one of the sad few who don't have the album yet. Let's go back in time...

Ricky Martin Gets Inked

In case you missed it, Ricky Martin recently tweeted this picture of himself getting a tattoo on his shoulder/chest...looks like it hurts! We wonder what it'll be??

Even The Vatican Knows Better Than To Fuck With Robyn

Even the French know better than to fuck with Robyn.

Part two of Robyn's 'Body Talk' sonic triptych reveals the genius behind the body of work's three-part structure. Part 1, released earlier this year, showcased Robyn's diverse talents, but felt incongruous and stunted by its short conclusion. The album gave us the straightforward dance-pop track "Dancing On My Own," aggressive electro-hip-hop "None of Dem," and two acoustic tracks, one a traditional Swedish ballad, and the other, "Hang with Me," quiet standouts from the rest. The first album didn't have a weak song, but taken together, it felt like a bit of a mishmash. But the second mini-album brings it all together; "Hang with Me," for example, gets a spectacular dance-pop treatment. Without the time and space that separates 'Body Talk Pt. 1's' acoustic version from this one, either might seem like a weaker version; but given the distance the staggered release gives us, each version can be appreciated on its own merits. And to Robyn's credit, both versions are great successes, taken on their own or together.

Part two also gives us a bit more of the Robyn that impressed us with her recent self-titled release, with the bitingly hilarious "Criminal Intent" and the self-aggrandizing "U Should Know Better," a duet with Snoop Dogg. In turns, Robyn informs us on "U Should Know Better" that everyone, including the French, the Russians, the FBI, the CIA, and (most bravely?) the Vatican "should know better than to fuck with me." Robyn's strengths are her delivery--such hip-hop bravado from a blonde Scandinavian pop tart never ceases to surprise--and her writing. She disguises unexpected moments of hard-hitting emotion with a unique wit, achieving something more than run-of-the-mill entertainment value. The final track on 'Body Talk Pt. 2,' "Indestructible," is a fragile and heartfelt piece, but the (Acoustic Version) tag keeps us looking forward to part three. We expect a stomping dancefloor-friendly version to follow, but with Robyn, it's hard to predict. Which is exactly how she keeps us wanting more.

Check out "Hang With me" and "Criminal Intent":

My New Sarah McLachlan Interview!

I've been really under the weather for a couple of months, so I've hardly written anything here. I just don't have the energy. But with my medical mysteries still unresolved, maybe this is a good time to start looking at my bucket list.

Everyone's talking about their bucket lists these days, so here's one more check mark on mine! I have interviewed a few of my favorites--Tori Amos, Jewel, even Kathy Griffin--but a few have remained unreachable thus far...Fiona Apple, Sarah McLachlan, and Gaga to name a few. But wait! One of those is coming off the list!

I just interviewed Sarah McLachlan, one of my very favorite musicians! She was exactly as expected--gracious, forthright, and smart. We discussed her upcoming album, The Laws of Illusion (that's the beautiful cover artwork above), her new single, "Loving You is Easy" (video below), and Lilith Fair.

I also had the opportunity to talk with one of Sarah's three Lilith Fair partners, Terry McBride, who is a major force in the music industry, as president of Nettwerk Music Group. He revealed exciting--and very ambitious--plans for Lilith Fair, including the establishment of a new charity program called i4c.

The interview is up at Advocate.com. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Tori Amos & Cyndi Lauper Duet: No Joke!

It's called "Why Don't You Love Me?"

What do you think??

As one would expect from these two geniuses, there's a lot more to the song than meets the ears. It is, er, an imagined duet between Estrella and Imelda Marcos. Uh huh. That's what it is.

For the full story, go to Undented.

Gay Music Video Hits #1 On MTV!!!

Uh-mazing.

I just cannot believe how much the world has changed since I graduated from high school in 1996. I lived in fear every day back then, trying to avoid going to school (which I successfully did 35-45 days a year) for fear or being beaten or shamed to death because of my sexuality. Now, we have shows like "Glee" and (the nearly departed) "Ugly Betty," which include openly gay young characters.

But nothing is as reflective of a cultural landscape as popular music and--in particular--music videos.

So it is astounding that a gay-themed music video by a Guyanese-born, Trinidad-raised (i.e., black) artist just hit number one on the MTV music video charts.

Behold, the appropriately titled video, "Love," by Nhojj.



Read more about why this is important at Billboard.com.

And read more about Nhojj on his Web site.

More New Gaga: "No Way" and "Second Time Around"

These are more conventional-sounding pop tracks, but solid. If her fashion icon pop star ever fizzles out, she's definitely got longevity as a songwriter. No question.

Listen To New Gaga Now: "Telephone" Feat. Beyonce

More Gaga awesomeness.

In addition to this and "Bad Romance," we've also heard "Alejandro" (love it!!) and "No Way" (jury's out) from the new Fame Monster album.

Even if you hate her unconventional image and antics, you've got to give Lady Gaga credit for musicality. Her music is '80s, '90s, '00s and beyond.

PS22 Students Sing Tori Amos's "Winter's Carol"

Soooo good!

This song is on Tori's new "Midwinter Graces" album, and it's also in her musical, "The Light Princess."

Adam Lambert Q&A: Gaga "Down to Earth"; Gene Simmons "A Dick"

Rolling Stone's new Q&A with Adam Lambert reveals a few more details about his forthcoming album, For Your Entertainment.

On the campy album artwork:

But that's what I was like when I was on Idol! When I did 'Ring of Fire,' that was pretty camp, so I don't understand why the cover is a surprise. People are forgetting me at my wildest--with platform boots and rhinestones around my eyes. Is the album cover that much of a departure?

On Gene Simmons sucking:

Gene Simmons spouted something, that he thought I'd ruined my career by coming out. He's obnoxious, and what a hypocrite--all he talks about is his sex life. He was being a dick--and he's not the greatest singer. I guess he's a good businessman, I'll give him that.

On his favorite songs:

Goldfrapp's Supernature was on heavy rotation for, like, a year. It's electronic, but it has an organic, psychedelic feel to it. When I heard they were working with Christina Aguilera, I was like, aww, she beat me to it.

On working with Gaga:

Even though she seems super-eccentric and out there, as a person, she's really down-to-earth--very New York. The song was a demo of hers from three or four years ago. At the end of the session, we had a drink--and then recorded more after some whiskey. The song captures us partying.

We haven't been totally blown away by his first couple of tracks--from the 2012 soundtrack and the title album track, "For Your Entertainment"--but we still love Adam Lambert for his vocal prowess, style, and oozy sexuality. And we are SO looking forward to the Gaga collab!

Tori Amos: "Midwinter Graces'" Previews 'The Light Princess'!

I'm not going to waste your time reviewing Tori Amos's brand-new album, Midwinter Graces, because 1) Others have written excellent and well-researched reviews (see Undented for links to many); 2) I'm obviously biased; and 3) Anyone who is a Tori Amos fan doesn't need a review in order to give any of her new work a chance.

But that doesn't mean I don't have anything to say about it.

First, in my opinion, this is Tori's best album (as a whole) since 2001's Scarlet's Walk. I never stop hoping that she will tap back into the energy that unleased Boys for Pele on the world, because that album's raw emotion and experiemental composition and orchestration is, simply, a beautiful piece of architecture. But Scarlet's Walk, which Tori calls her "sonic novel," is a true masterpiece. Taken in from beginning to end, and taking the months (years?) necessary to parse the human, historic, geographic and spiritual elements that make up the album, it's simply a work of genius. Those who think it is too even-keeled are mostly fans who miss Tori's fire, and those who think it is too esoteric simply are not convinced that it's more than pop music, or aren't interested in music being any more than simple entertainment.

Midwinter Graces is Tori's second "librarian" work. It is the product of what makes Tori Amos unique and it is an example of her high ambitions coming together into a master work. All of her personal culture (minister's daughter, mother's daughter, feminist, expat, mother) and spiritual struggles and inquisitiveness (varieties of Western religious history and spiritual and magical beliefs) are threaded through these songs--but they don't suffer from it.

There is not a bad song or a failed experiement on this album. While some songs are straightforward reinterpretations of Christmas music, most are Amos essays, commentaries on her relentless faith that Christianity and other religious beliefs have strong, even holy, roots, but that they've been eroded by time and human corruption.

But don't worry: If that's something that you hate about Tori Amos (it's the main reason I love her, personally), you won't hear it if you choose not to. Midwinter Graces can be received as a simple gift of lovely holiday music that reaches back into history and forward into the future, and which is based on, above all other things, love, family and peace among men and women. There is nothing profane or even objectionable, unless you object to other people having points of view that are not exactly the same as yours.

The one song that pushes the 'holiday' genre envelope is also the best on the album. And most exciting, Tori reveals in the interview video that comes with the iTunes album download, that song, "Winter's Carol," is actually taken from her musical-in-the-works, The Light Princess.

During the period when I interviewed Tori in February of 2008 for Geek Monthly magazine, she wasn't shy about talking about the musical. Since then, she has said little about the project, although some of her comments have suggested that the project might be experiencing developmental difficulties, and might even be on hold. And let's be honest, Tori works best when following her own muse, not the instruction of stage directors and producers, and to imagine a (likely) piano-driven stage musical interpretation of a Victorian fairy tale about a princess who can't keep from flying except when she's underwater...well, let's just say that's classic Tori ambition.

But after hearing "Winter's Carol," I'm not only excited about the musical; I'm confident that it will live up to its potential, at the very least musically. I will be one of the first in line for tickets. And yes, I will fly to London just to see the play.

This album is a gift. If you haven't bought it yet, here is a preview someone made. (Just a note about this preview: It doesn't do justice to a lot of the songs--including "Winter's Carol"--as they typically undulate from verse to verse to chorus and back...so don't judge based upon 30-second previews!)



Happy Midwinter!

Britney Spears Tweets "Glory to Satan!" (Really!!!)

How does Britney Spears greet the new day? Like this:

"I hope that the new world order will arrive as soon as possible. --Britney"

"I give myself to Lucifer every day for it to arrive as quickly as possible. Glory to Satan!"

Well, then!

I was sooo excited to see this on Dlisted this morning, since I've always hoped that Britney actually wrote "666" on her forehead while she was institutionalized several years ago, as rumored.

Unfortunately, it turns out all to be a hoax. According to Brit's official Twitter, "Britney's Twitter account was just hacked. The situation has been resolved and we apologize for any offense the hacker's messages caused."

DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!!

Sane Britney isn't half as fun as demon-worshipping crazy Brit.

} :-<

Preview Tori Amos's "Midwinter Graces" Holiday Album!

The amazingly gifted, insightful and intelligent Tori Amos has graced us with Midwinter Graces, her first-ever seasonal album.

As might be expected, the album draws on historically religious and seasonal arrangements, but Tori tweaks them all, adding surprising (and surprisingly reverent and respectful) elements that make them all her own.

The music speaks (sings) for itself, but the most exciting and one of the most beautiful tracks of all is "Holly, Ivy, and Rose," a duet with Tori's daughter Natashya. It's gorgeous.

This is a great new seasonal album that doesn't bore with "new" interpretations of songs like "Jingle Bells" and "Frosty the Snowman." It's new enough to be revelatory and familiar enough to give you that warm tingle of the holiday season.

But don't listen to me. Listen for yourself:

Midwinter Graces

New Gaga Song! Alejandro (Don't Call My Name)

Aside from "Brown Eyes" (which was actually good live), Gaga seems to have the rare talent for not writing a bad song...so far!

Can't wait for The Fame Monster.

New Madonna Video: Cause For 'Celebration'?

Madonna's new video is surprisingly unexceptional. As Madonna evolved in the '80s-'90s from straightforward dance music (complemented by straightforward, low-budget music videos), she used her platform to introduce music videos that challenged the world to accept a black Jesus ("Like a Prayer"), a flamboyant inner-city dance culture ("Vogue"), right-to-life decisions ("Papa Don't Preach").

The came the Music album, which paved the way for Madonna's new era of writing music about, well, music and writhing in her videos without much else going on.

Not a lot is going on in "Celebration." It's virtually the same as "Hung Up"--Madonna showing she's still nimble at age 50--but, fortunately for us, with a much easier-to-look-at outfit. This time Madonna's pelvis is not the fulcrum at the center of this video. But what is is equally disturbing...and interesting. The center of this video is none other than Jesus himself!

We mean Jesus Luz, of course, Madonna's controversial plaything. Midway through the "Celebration" video, after a couple of minutes of Madonna et al. twisting to the beat, comes Jesus in his lead debut as a DJ. After a couple minutes of making lascivious faces (which would be absolutely disgusting on a man of a certain age) and sexually suggestive movements, Madonna cozies up to the "DJ" and removes his clothes, piece by piece. Like us, Jesus looks vaguely disgusted.

Artistically, "Celebration" may be somewhat of a low for Madonna. Besides looking fresh as a genetically modified daisy in an Andy Warhol wig, Madonna is giving us more message than art. What's the message? It's an interesting one.

Madonna always has been defiant--so much so that this entire statement is a waste of words. But this defiance is a bit less obvious, more subversive. Madonna always has pushed the limit as a feminist working under the guise of a totally independent mind. Let's be honest: Madonna is downright creepy in "Celebration." If she were a fifty-year-old man making faces at a 20-something hottie, and then slowly removing her clothes while she makes uncomfortable faces, there would be a riot. Sure, rock stars are different, but even Steven Tyler has known since the '80s that to keep his fans liking him, he needs to feature hotties in vignettes within his video, not getting nasty with him. That would be nasty.

It's pretty nasty when Madonna does it, too--even if you are a fan of her brand-new face (which we are!). But here Madonna takes feminism to its next level. In "Celebration," Madonna is not on an equal playing field with her male rock-n-roll counterparts: She is above them. There is no such thing as a FILF, only a MILF, and Madonna's creepily meta-video shows who's boss. Madonna is a predator, and her fans would accept nothing less.

As for the song, she phoned it in.

Madonna's New 'Celebration' Video Debut

Madonna's new "Celebration" video is about to debut, and boy is her team making a big deal of it! The video will "have its exclusive world premiere on the iTunes store" free beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, September 1, and then will be available for sale on iTunes (and no doubt all over YouTube free).

The "Celebration" video is directed by Jonas Akerlund, who directed the “Ray of Light” video. "Celebration" was filmed recently in Milan, Italy and features dancers from Madonna's “Sticky & Sweet” Tour. The video also includes cameo appearances by Madonna’s daughter, Lola Leon and her favorite Jesus (Luz), with whom we all know she has done quite unholy things.

Here's the much-hyped non-preview of the video:



Hey, as long as she's not wearing a unitard and thrusting her fault lines in our face, we're happy!

LeToya's Lady Love

I'm diggin' LeToya Luckett's new album Lady Love, and I'm loving her attitude!



Watch her video "She Ain't Got" and then read her new interview in the Advocate, in which she talks about her thoughts on gay marriage, Chris Brown (who wrote "She Ain't Got"), Destiny's Child (she was one of the original members and is a childhood (former) friend of Beyonce's), and the Latex Ball--whatever that is!

Swing batter, batter, batter, swing!

Listen To New Lady GaGa + Michael Bolton Duet!

For real: Lady GaGa wrote this new single for Michael Bolton's new album, and she sings the backup vocals.

The music is all GaGa, but the ballad is totally fitting for Michael Bolton. Totally conventional. But good!