She just gets better with time. Back to Basics is sure to please many a fan. It may hold 21 complete songs [22 if you count the intro], but take the time to listen and/or weed through it cause there is something for everyone to enjoy. There are plenty songs in the collection I could wax poetic about, but one in particular, Without You, deserves some mention here for getting everything right.
First up: It's subtle. The vocal theatrics are toned down and Christina's voice flows softly to the beat, a smooth bounce with hushed keys, lightly interrupted every other beat with the inclusion of the sound of one clapping to the rhythm. If waking up in the morning to a sun filled sky peering through the window had a permanent sound it would be reminiscent of this.
In other words, if Ain't No Other Man is the bombastic declaration of love gone right, all nervous, anxious, and eager to share, then Without You is the gentle and reassuring afterthought. The realization that what you have may be here to stay and that's a nice feeling.
See for yourself, it's spinning on the playlist over at
Okay so here is where I stand with Beyonce Knowles right now. I am one of the few who loves her first single, Deja Vu. I think it's clever that the horns, Jay, and the subject matter are back, hence the title. Instead of redoing Crazy in Love [which many feel she attempted to do and failed]she simply reminds you of it and why such a love needs to be revisited. Not to mention the old school vibe and the urgency with which she sings which seems less anxious and eager to share than Crazy in Love.
With that being said, one listen to this new track and I am not on the bandwagon just yet. Have you ever wondered what Beyonce would sound like backed by Swizz Beatz? Well you got it. This song is all loud, blaring, and in you face complete with horns and hooks and bridges that'll have you running to play those two Kelis songs they remind you of immediately afterwards. [Those would be Bossy and Caught Out There. People don't realize the impacet some artists often have on their peers.] I'll even go a step further and say I hear a little bit of Touch It, particularly the remix with the ladies. You know, the part where the verse speeds up and gets all intense before the chorus kicks in.
One thought being echoed by many a writer in the blogsphere is that if the single doesn't grab you then maybe a video will, partucularly a video that is larger than life and/or bigger than its britches as is the case with the song. Beyonce is on hand to perform in a few weeks at the VMA's. She gave The BET Awards Deja Vu, so maybe she'll give MTV Ring the Alarm. And maybe, just maybe by that time, the song will have grown on me, but until then, I'll stick with Christina's Without You and Deja Vu.
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