Album Of The Year Review: Taylor Swift

Its time to get back to my annual review of the Album of the Year nominees. As before, I'll review each track, giving it either a "checkmark", and "O" (for a good, not great song), or an "X". To come up with a raw score, I'll multiply the "checkmark" percentage by 2, add it to the "O" %, and then subtract the "X" %. The best possible score is a 200. 

(All Rights to Big Machine & Taylor Swift)

1) "Welcome to New York"

Starts off with a very 80s pop intro. The lyrics show her transition from Nashville to New York; "Everybody here wanted something more, searching for a sound we hadn't heard before". Taylor also shows support for the LGBT community; "and you can want who you want, boys & boys & girls & girls". The message of the track may be a little heavy-handed, but it has a fun and catchy beat that attracts you to it. ( ✔ )

2) "Blank Space"

Here, Taylor shows off her creativity in crafting this song around a character created by the media's perception of her; "ain't it funny, rumors fly, And I know you heard about me". This is just a perfect pop song that anyone could get into. ( ✔ )

3) "Style"

Has a funk intro. The chorus is really well-crafted and built metaphorically. This use of imagery builds the song up. ( ✔ )

4) "Out of the Woods"

This track has a similar feel to co-writer Jack Antonoff's bands Bleachers and FUN. The chorus really drives. The bridge in particular is really moving as well as emotional. This track details the fragility & unknown elements of a relationship. ( ✔ )

5) "All You Had to Do Was Stay"

Has an electro-pop feel. The style of the song really makes it work. Its about a partner always wanting back in when they've left in the first place; "All I know is that you drove us off the road". There's also a cool effect on the call-back "stay". ( ✔ )

6) "Shake It Off"

Much like "Blank Space", Taylor plays off the media's portrayal of her. It features a drum-heavy beat. The track is about just letting things go and acting yourself. ( ✔ )

7) "I Wish You Would"

Has a driving intro. The chorus feels a little clunky. It gives off the opposite message of "All You Had to Do Was Stay", where Taylor wishes that a previous love would come back. A somewhat forgettable track overall. (X)

8) "Bad Blood"

 

"Bad Blood" has an Imagine Dragons/ rock-pop feel to it. Its really a beat-driven track.  The quiet vocal break really hits it home on the messaging. Its a different turn than the rest of the album, as it takes a gritty tone of resentment against a former friend.  ( ✔ )

9) "Wildest Dreams"

A very dreamy, ethereal sounding track. The way she delivers the line "He's so tall and handsome and hell, he's so bad but he does it so well" shows off her growth. One of the more pleasant sounding songs. ( ✔ )

10) "How You Get the Girl"

Guitar-driven song. It sounds like a more traditional Swift song from her country days. All in all its a fun song laid out with advice with odes to prior songs, but there's just something missing. (O)

11) "This Love"

Has an ethereal, tranquil feel. This song shows that through the ups & downs, love is still love; "Been losing grip, sinking ships, you showed up just in time". Lyrically this song shows off Taylor's maturity. ( ✔ )

12) "I Know Places"

Starts off with a haunting intro. The song is about the paparazzi and lack of privacy in a relationship; "Cause they got the cages, they got the boxes and guns, they are the hunters, we are the foxes and we run". The theme really enhances and enforces the message. Overall, this song kind of reminds me of Kelly Clarkson's "My December" album.  ( ✔ )

13) "Clean"

Starts off with a funk intro. You can tell it was produced by Imogen Heap. The track is a little redundant, but good enough to close on. Its about moving on and as the title says, feeling clean of the pain of a relationship. However, the lyrics could lead to different interpretations. (O)

Taylor's previous album felt like she was going between country-pop, but "1989" is a fresh reintroduction to Taylor as she emerges into pop. There's a little mix of everything, from driving tracks to more ethereal songs. This album really shows off her maturity as an artist.

✔ = 77%

O = 15.4%

X = 7.7%

Raw = 161.7

Chris Stapleton: 185.7

Kendrick Lamar: 162.5

Taylor Swift: 161.7

Alabama Shakes: 134

SNL Season 41: Ep.11

SNL continued on through "Winter Storm Jonas" with MMA fighter Ronda Rousey. So was this show a knock out..........onto the review (I'll show myself out)

Palin Endorsement: Cold Open: This cold open was a given, with Sarah Palin's inane endorsement speech earlier this week. It was a little odd how they did this, with Darrell Hammond as Trump having these cut-away scenes on what he thought of the speech. And with how wild Palin's original speech, its almost impossible to parody it (and that's been the problem with this election cycle so far for SNL). But Tina Fey as Palin is always a crowd pleaser, and was still enjoyable here. (8.0)

Monologue: Going in, I wasn't sure what kind of monologue they would go for with Ronda, but I liked the direction here. They constructed it like a MMA fight, with some different segments in each round (including slapping Kate McKinnon as Bieber). It had a little bit of everything, and was pretty well done as far as monologues go and what they had to work with. (6.4)


Screen Guild Awards: I was curious how SNL would take on #OscarsSoWhite, and they did it with this "Screen Guild Awards" sketch. This was done perfectly, from Taran Killam as a boxing coach in a "Creed" like movie....all the way down to Bobby Moynihan as "White guy with a camera". What hit this home even further were the looks in the audience from Leslie Jones, Kenan and Jay. SNL was able to effectively take this issue on. (8.4)




Love Struck (short): This was like a "carrie" esque premise. Beck Bennett "invites" Ronda to a date at the gym, where she's filmed by a click of girls headed by Vanessa Bayer eating dogfood. Ronda goes on to beat her up, in what turns out to be a PSA for bullies messing with mixed martial artists. I'm not sure how well the premise worked, but Vanessa Bayer really did her best. (6.6)


Bland Man: A recurring sketch SNL's done a while back, this was a take-off of "The Bachelor", utilizing the female cast. There was some decent writing, but this just dragged on...and on....and on. Really, the only legit "laugh out loud" line was Selena Gomez in the end, describing how on the "25th season" she was conceived back during the 2nd. (5.0)


(Selena Gomez - Good For You/Same Old Love): (4.8)



Weekend Update: There were some good lines, but much like the show as a whole, the energy seemed to be drained from the winter storm. Michael Che had a good riff on #OscarsSoWhite, while Colin Jost had a memorable joke for "National Compliment's Day".

The first guest saw Leslie Jones, who through thick and thin has a solid rapport with Jost now. She gave her take on "The Revenant", and went on to talk about how she's ready to be with Leonardo DiCaprio. This was probably the most Jost has cracked up during a Leslie segment.

Leslie Jones

Next saw the return of Kenan Thompson as Che's Neighbor Willie. Slowly but surely this character is growing on me, but at the moment its still just average. (6.7)


Teacher Trial: This has been another recurring sketch, as we see Pete Davidson on a witness stand playing a teenager who slept with 2 of his teachers. On top of being a little skeevy in dealing with statutory rape, this just came off as pretty lazy (although Kenan was good as the judge). (5.1)


Super Crew: This sketch took place as a bunch of avengers-styled super heroes arrive to introduce themselves before fighting. This certainly seemed like it was trying to be an ensemble sketch. The premise here was that after a while the super powers started to get really lame and suspect. Unfortunately, this sketch was just as lame and suspect. (4.3)


At The Club (short): This short got the show moving again. Jay, Taran and Beck played a group of guys trying to find a hook-up through a rap. Beck in particular really carried this one, as he rapped about being "willing to just leave his pants on and go down on them". Beck can be under-utilized at times, but he certainly wasn't with this. (7.0)


City Council: Yet another city council sketch, as usual this was used to show us a bunch of character ideas thrown against a wall. There was some continuity, as we saw Kyle Mooney's European rapper character. Aidy Bryant and Kate Mckinnon did their best to make this work, but the sketch just closed out on a whimper. (4.7)


(Selena Gomez - "Hands To Myself"): (6.2)


Football Party: This was an incredibly weak sketch to close the show on. Beck and Kyle played some office workers who for some reason had no idea what a party was as Ronda invited them over for a football party......and that was pretty much it. (2.0)



A down show more or less. Maybe it was the blizzard, but the show seemed to lack energy. Ronda Rousey wasn't all that present as a host. I actually think a lot of this could be written off from a lack of enthusiasm from the audience and the travel bans/closures, but we'll see if SNL can kick back up in a couple of weeks.


 Overall Score - 5.78

Tracy Morgan - 7.94
Elizabeth Banks - 7.53

Adam Driver - 7.22

Chris Hemsworth - 7.20
Amy Schumer - 7.18

Matthew McConaughey - 7.13

Tina Fey/Amy Poehler - 7.03
Ryan Gosling - 6.92
Miley Cyrus - 6.07

Ronda Rousey - 5.78
Donald Trump - 4.92

Album of The Year Review: Chris Stapleton

Its time to get back to my annual review of the Album of the Year nominees. As before, I'll review each track, giving it either a "checkmark", and "O" (for a good, not great song), or an "X". To come up with a raw score, I'll multiply the "checkmark" percentage by 2, add it to the "O" %, and then subtract the "X" %. The best possible score is a 200. 

(All rights to Mercury Nashville & Chris Stapleton)

1) "Traveller"

Starts with a guitar rift into. Features some moving lyrics; "My heartbeat's rhythm is a lonesome sound, just like the rubber on the ground, Always lost and nowhere bound". A powerful opening with a lot of metaphors and messaging. ( ✔ )

2) "Fire Away"

Slower paced song. Impressive lyrics; "your love might be my damnation, but I'll cry to my grave", it really brings out the meaning. The instrumentals fit the theme of this drawn out verbal fight with a significant other. ( ✔ )


3) "Tennessee Whiskey"

This is a cover of a country classic. Has a very bluesy feel to it. The track features flawless runs in the chorus from Stapleton. Its the kind of sound & male vocal that you don't really hear in the country industry usually, making it a breath of fresh air. ( ✔ )

4) "Parachute"

Has an Americana/rock feel. The lyrics metaphorically shows the regrets Chris has in a lost relationship; "There's a song that I remember, U never learned to play, And a lifetime of forgotten words, I never got to say".  You can feel the longing in his vocals of wanting this relationship back. ( ✔ )

5) "Whiskey and You"

This song brings about more of a folk feel. Features a powerful chorus, comparing & contrasting a lost love & whiskey; "But one's a liar that helps to hide me from my pain, And one's the long gone bitter truth". ( ✔ )

6) "Nobody to Blame"

This has a similar feel to the title track. Stapleton finds a way to play around with the lyrics; "Turned my life into this country song". It may be a simple message, but its the driving beat and his gritty vocals that make the song. ( ✔ )

7) "More of You"

This track takes it back to a more old-school country theme. The duet in the chorus makes this ballad work. A sweet-sounding & pleasant love song, that with the instrumentals never really turns to sap.  ( ✔ )

8) "When the Stars Come Out"

Another ballad with some solid lyrics; "You and I, we're gamblers holding cards that we can't see". It shows how life and relationships are a game. Overall, its a bit of a redundant song. (O)

9) "Daddy Doesn't Pray Anymore"

A very personal track, it describes a turning point with his father. He states that his father even used to pray for him during fights. The outro really hits it home, with his father's passing. ( ✔ )

10) "Might as Well Get Stoned"

Has a southern rock feel, with a grooving instrumental break. The track has a similar message to Carrie Underwood's "Smoke Break", needing time to lay back and forget about your cares. The guitar really lets loose towards the back-half.  ( ✔ )


11) "Was it 26"


A cover of a Charlie Daniels song. There's a real presence here with Stapleton's vocals (he sounds like a legend here). The instrumentals fit in perfectly with the track. ( ✔ )


12) "The Devil Named Music"

Features a gritty into, which fits in with the message. Here, Stapleton is describing being on the road for his passion (music), yet being away from his family. It shows the difficulties of life on the road. This is just a great use of imagery; "The devil named music is taking my life". ( ✔ )

13) "Outlaw State of Mind"

At times, the instrumentals feel a little jarring going from the verse to the chorus. The back-half feels a bit empty, but the chorus really grooves. (O)

14) "Sometimes I Cry"

A half-time feel intro with a soul/r&b theme. Stapleton really seems to be singing from the soul. The track really shows what he's capable of vocally.  ( ✔ )

Chris Stapleton really arrived with a vengeance with this first effort. This isn't just another country album. He expands what country music can be about (not just trucks and beer). There's some real soul & grit here. Its both rocking, moving, and a very personal album.

✔ = 85.7%

O = 14.3%

X = 0%

Raw = 185.7

Chris Stapleton: 185.7

Kendrick Lamar: 162.5

Alabama Shakes: 134

SNL Season 41: Ep.10

SNL came off its holiday hiatus with Adam Driver this week. So would SNL's return drive Kyle Ren into a fit of blind rage? Onto the review

Cold Open: GOP Debate: SNL has widely been known for their political writing and sketches....but they've been fairly weak politically this season, and it continued with this cold open. Maybe its just that you can't quite parody these set of candidates? It seems Darrell Hammond is going to be Trump here on out, with Taran Killam sliding over to Cruz. Jay Pharoah's Ben Carson is still brilliant, but there just was little bite with this. (4.5)

Monologue: It was expected that they would bring up Star Wars with Driver's monologue, so they had Bobby Moynihan and others impersonating Kylo Ren. As far as monologues go, this was fine, nothing special, nothing awful. (6.0)

Football (Arizona-Green Bay): So this sketch was certainly something. It was a take on injuries and our obsession with football and replays. Pete Davidson played a 3rd string QB for the Packers who suffered a devastating knee injury (to put it lightly), and Beck Bennett/Adam Driver apologizing time and time again for showing the replay at various angles. It was trying to make a point, but it didn't quite click enough. (6.2)

Undercover Boss: Star Killer Base: Some form of Star Wars sketch was to be expected, but this one was pretty creative. Kylo Ren (Driver) went "undercover" as Matt, a technician at the Star Killer base. Safe to say, that with his rage he was quickly found out. The interactions here with Driver were just fantastic. (8.3)

Aladdin: So this one was certainly out there. Adam and Cecily Strong played Aladdin and Princess Jasmine on a modern day magic carpet ride, with Jasmine dealing with flying birds, bombs, and sewage. This was a pretty bizarre idea that didn't quite work, but Cecily really did her all to sell it. (5.9)

America's Funniest Cats: Another out-there sketch, Adam played a TV show host of a show that played cat videos. He got interrupted by a pair of French hosts of a similar show (Cecily, Kate McKinnon), who got pretty dark and morose. This didn't have that great of a close, but it certainly was an interesting idea for a sketch. (6.5)

(Chris Stapleton) - "Parachute": (9.2)

Weekend Update: The Colin Jost-Michael Che team is slowly starting to come together. They at least some like a collective duo, working and reacting to each other. As far as the writing for the week, it was just okay, but it was the guests that made this week's update.

Pete Davidson talked about gun control, especially when it comes to mental health. Pete actually got pretty personal, admitting a couple of times he's been in a mental institution for depression. He was able to mix in humor while still making a lot of good points.

Pete Davidson: Gun Control

Next was what I think right now is the best Update guest, Laura Parsons (Vanessa Bayer).  A 12yr old Disney actress reading the news, this character is just great. The way she's able to sing and deliver lines on serious stories like Cosby, its like she's the new Stefon. (7.7)

Laura Parsons

Awareness Week: In this sketch, Adam and Cecily played advocates talking to a high school about "social puppeteering"...bullying to make people believe anything (like Cecily's in-depth 'honey i shrunk the kids' routine). This was an idea that probably killed in the writing room, but it just didn't play out. (4.9)

Fred Armisen - David Bowie Tribute: With the news a couple of days that Alan Rickman had passed away, I almost forgot that we'd also list David Bowie to start the week. Fred Armisen gave a classy tribute about how he stayed up to watch David Bowie's old SNL performance. That was followed by a clip of a Bowie performance. Just all class from SNL (10)

Golden Globes: This short was really something else. Adam and Vanessa played a couple that had won a Globe, and in their speech they playfully told their kids at home (Kyle Mooney, McKinnon) to go to bed. From there we got the perspective from the kids at home, going to bed alone, wondering when their parents would get home (as they partied throughout the night). It was that rare sketch that was both humorous, but also touching. The Liev Schreiber cameo at the end was a great closing punchline.  (9.1)



(Chris Stapleton) - "Nobody To Blame": (9.0)


Porn Doctor: A recurring sketch from the Amy Schumer episode involving a teacher, this involved a doctor (Driver) in a porn scene with Beck Bennett....and then Aidy Bryant shows up thinking its an actual doctor's office. This time around, the sketch lost some of its surprise factor, but it still was a good closing "10 to 1" sketch (especially that last scene). (6.6)


This show was certainly random (and they continue to fall behind with their political writing), but SNL had a solid return to begin the 2nd half. Adam Driver came off as a natural, who was willing to pretty much do anything thrown at him, which makes for a good host.

Overall Score - 7.22

Tracy Morgan - 7.94
Elizabeth Banks - 7.53

Adam Driver - 7.22

Chris Hemsworth - 7.20
Amy Schumer - 7.18

Matthew McConaughey - 7.13

Tina Fey/Amy Poehler - 7.03
Ryan Gosling - 6.92
Miley Cyrus - 6.07
Donald Trump - 4.92

Album Of The Year Reviews: Kendrick Lamar

Its time to get back to my annual review of the Album of the Year nominees. As before, I'll review each track, giving it either a "checkmark", and "O" (for a good, not great song), or an "X". To come up with a raw score, I'll multiply the "checkmark" percentage by 2, add it to the "O" %, and then subtract the "X" %. The best possible score is a 200. 

(All video/audio rights go to Kendrick Lamar/Top Dawg/Aftermath/Interscope)

Parental Advisory (Audio contains obscenities) 

1) "Wesley's Theory" ft/ George Clinton & Thundercat

Has a funky feel to start. The track changes its point of view with the industry and the artist. The 2nd verse is smooth; "What you want? You a house or a car? Forty acres and a mule, a piano, a guitar? Anythin' see, my name is Uncle Sam, I'm your dog". A hard hitting intro. ( ✔ )

2) "For Free?" (Interlude)

Starts with a funk intro featuring sax. It carries over the message from "Wesley's Theory", and packs a lot into a little. ( ✔)

3) "King Kunta"

Backing instrumentals evolve throughout. The title of the track is in connection with Kunta Kinte from "Roots: The Saga of an American Family". Lamar uses the comparison to explain his rise, and also takes a look at the industry; "I can dig rappin', But a rapper with a ghost writer? What the f*ck happened? I swear I wouldn't tell, but most of y'all sharing bars, like you got the bottom of the bunk in a 2-man cell". Everything continues to mesh well. ( ✔)

4) "Institutionalized" ft/ Bilal, Anna Wise & Snoop Dogg

Track gives off the message that in some way, we're all institutionalized. Snoop provides a nice narration to the track, but the backing of the track feels disconnected, and I'm not sire the other collaborators provide much. (X)

5) "These Walls" ft/ Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat

Features a cool instrumental break. The "about" call & forth towards the end of the 3rd verse is incredibly powerful. Very metaphorical track that puts the album back on the right path. ( ✔)

6) "U" 

Starts with an intense opening. The backing almost feels like the "Homeland" theme. The 2nd verse and beyond takes a turn. Kendrick's cracking emotes the pain & grief that he dealt with. Really personal and moving. ( ✔)

7) "Alright"

Smooth intro and a really good hook. Its a track of hope & resurgence, but backed by a struggle, especially on-going police brutality. (✔)


8) "For Sale?" (Interlude)

Intro shows a sense of temptation. We come to know that the "Lucy" Kendrick is mentioning is in fact Lucifer, explaining the temptations he faces with success. You'd think the instrumentals wouldn't fit this message, but it builds to the outro. (✔)


9) "Momma"

Bit of a weak and disjointed hook, but the verses are solid. They show a self-analysis by Kendrick. It goes hard in the outro, enhancing the track. (O)


10) "Hood Politics"

Starts off with a cool flow intro. The track focuses on survivor's guilt, but the 2nd & 3rd verses go deep into politics and the industry in general. (✔)


11) "How Much A Dolla Cost" ft/ Ron Isley & James Fauntleroy


Features a cool hook. The verses are particularly strong as well; "Have you ever opened Exodus 14? A humble man is all that we ever need, tell me how much a dolla cost". The track follows down a path between Kendrick and a stranger that he meets who begs for a dollar. The message has a good build-up and everything clicks together in the end. (✔)


12) "Complexion (A Zulu Love)" ft/ Rapsody

This is sending out a message about standards of beauty, especially when it comes to skin tone. This message doesn't become crystal clear until the 3rd verse by Rapsody however. (O)


13) "The Blacker The Berry"

"The plot is bigger than me, it's generational hatred" - really emphasizes the message. The hook could be better, but Kendrick (as usual) just makes everything work. A solid track with a big message. (✔)


14) "You Ain't Gotta Lie (Momma Said)"

 Has a very fusion sound. The 3rd verse really pops. The track explains the pressure entertainers have, finding a balance with success & anonymity. The message does get a little cloudy at times. (O)


15) "i"

A notably uptempo track, with strong verses; "Everybody lacks confidence, how many times my potential was anonymous? How many times the city making me promises? So I promise this...I love myself". The track shows redemption through societal struggles. (✔)


16) "Mortal Man"

The 1st part is about Kendrick's visit to South Africa. His outro spoken word segments come full circle in a response to 2Pac in the back-half. The backing jazz theme enhances the 2nd half. I found one specific section of this to be the strongest, with the 2Pac sample; "Because the spirits, we ain't even really rappin', we just letting our dead homies tell stories for us". That's exactly what Kendrick is doing to close the album out, continuing a message.

An incredibly deep album. I couldn't listen to it in 1-sitting myself due to other time constraints, but I can see how it could be hard to. However, that doesn't take away from the album. We see Kendrick going on a self-exploratory path, dealing with his own struggles and depression. The album follows down a certain path that's concise and really moving at different points.

✔ = 75%

O = 18.75%

X = 6.25%

Raw = 162.50

Kendrick Lamar: 162.5

Alabama Shakes: 134