Another Year In America October 29, 2009
"Fireflies" at number one. Ack. Or shrug. Top three tracks ("Fireflies," "Whatcha Say," "Down") are mediocre sugar goo, number four ("Party In The USA") at least tries something and is in your face with the rawness of Miley, though it took a bootleg Miley-Biggie mashup to make this sound really good, and number five ("Run This Town") is dull for the luminaries involved, but fortunately Rihanna puts on the dark sorrow voice she uses so well. "Paparazzi" at six is a definite grabber that genuinely engages with Sounds And What They Do, even if GaGa never seems to quite know what she's on about. (To be fair, the boring sugar pop at one-two-three also engages Sound; problem is that it settles for one good element and has nothing worth adding from there.) Number seven ("Meet Me Halfway") has its own engagement with Sound, though not engaging me as much as the last couple of BEP hits did. Number eight ("3") is more sugar slime but this one successfully gets under my skin, number nine ("I Gotta Feeling") is ol' Sound-engaging BEP hangin' around, and on number ten ("Sweet Dreams") an awesome pro wrestles with Sound and self, even if she's still something of a cipher.
So while the top of the ten is pop and r&b sweetening itself to death, there is creativity jiggling just underneath. July through October has been the worst Top 40 of the decade, but not altogether dire.
Ke$ha "TiK ToK": Ambitious, shiny party girl who's done guest spots with everybody has OK sparkle here, while Luke accompanies her on OK toy-gizmos. Not as bright and sassy as she wants to be; I'm giving her the borderline on hope. BORDERLINE NONTICK.
Usher "Papers": Tuneful and angry, starts with punch and beauty and holds steady, which isn't quite enough, though the chanting divorce-ready women near the end get to me. BORDERLINE NONTICK.
Glee Cast f. Mark Salling "Sweet Caroline": Don't have a TV and for all I know the show is terrific, but that doesn't give it the right to ruin my Thursdays. Guitar playing rolls over itself nicely at the start; singer is reasonably forceful but with little expressivity. Horns and choir and song make this half bearable. NO TICK.
Gucci Mane f. Plies or OJ Da Juiceman "Wasted": Slow pomp, Mane and Plies sounding numbed out and refusing exuberance, so the action goes to the instrumental drama in back. Meanwhile, the real drama is unauthorized slowed-to-syrup remixes on the Web. Slow seems to be the concept, and I'm not feeling it, but I'm interested enough. BORDERLINE TICK.
So while the top of the ten is pop and r&b sweetening itself to death, there is creativity jiggling just underneath. July through October has been the worst Top 40 of the decade, but not altogether dire.
Ke$ha "TiK ToK": Ambitious, shiny party girl who's done guest spots with everybody has OK sparkle here, while Luke accompanies her on OK toy-gizmos. Not as bright and sassy as she wants to be; I'm giving her the borderline on hope. BORDERLINE NONTICK.
Usher "Papers": Tuneful and angry, starts with punch and beauty and holds steady, which isn't quite enough, though the chanting divorce-ready women near the end get to me. BORDERLINE NONTICK.
Glee Cast f. Mark Salling "Sweet Caroline": Don't have a TV and for all I know the show is terrific, but that doesn't give it the right to ruin my Thursdays. Guitar playing rolls over itself nicely at the start; singer is reasonably forceful but with little expressivity. Horns and choir and song make this half bearable. NO TICK.
Gucci Mane f. Plies or OJ Da Juiceman "Wasted": Slow pomp, Mane and Plies sounding numbed out and refusing exuberance, so the action goes to the instrumental drama in back. Meanwhile, the real drama is unauthorized slowed-to-syrup remixes on the Web. Slow seems to be the concept, and I'm not feeling it, but I'm interested enough. BORDERLINE TICK.