The Singles Roundup - 4/20

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Chris Brown - Sweet Love
When a Chris Brown song opens with "baby, let's get naked / just so we can make / sweet love," and flows into "you start screaming when I go downtown," one has cause for concern. Sweet Love smells of pulling "a Banks," and by that we mean emulating the entertainment industry's new shock-value goddess / musical messiah, Azealia. Unfortunately, Chris's attempt at sounding sexy ends up somewhere between profane & just plain icky. You should know betta.

Timbaland - Break Ya Back ft. Dev

The good news: Timbaland is back with some dirty-dirty-bass-bass-bass. The bad news: Break Ya Back is choppy at best. The song's finer moments feature Dev, whose swagger shines over Timbaland's incoherent mumble-rap. In the long run it's alright though, because Dev assures us "I'm gonna be around for a little while / ya feel me?"

Maroon 5 - Payphone ft. Wiz Khalifa

Adam's voice has never sounded whinier. We don't even remember the song, honestly.

Cheryl Cole - Call My Name
This is a disappointing track - not because Cheryl Cole does not deliver, which she does (as much as Cheryl can) - but because Calvin put in barely a passing effort. For Cheryl, it's a radio-ready, dancefloor-friendly comeback, but for Calvin, it's a bit of a red flag. Don't go Dr. Luke on us Calvin! We're not interested in Rihanna's sloppy seconds (although, to be fair, Call My Name sounds more like In My Arms than We Found Love). Either way, Cheryl is on her way back. Prepare.
Note from Gregory: I'm SO over this! Beyonce did Say My Name, Rihanna did What's My Name, & now Call My Name? RE-DUC-TIVE.

Unapologetically,

Gregory & Minna

JFF - DEV & "Lightspeed"

When I wrote about DEV a few weeks ago (read our original post here), I did not realize how fast she grows on you.  After quite a few postponements, The Night The Sun Came Up, DEV's debut album, is finally hittin' the USA in 2012.  Most of us have heard Bass Down Low & definitely the infectious In The Dark, which have enjoyed plenty of time on the US airwaves.  However, since the album's postponement, we are thirsty for some more tight tunes.  Which song by DEV should we listen to as we sit & twiddle our thumbs?

My personal favorite is the track Lightspeed - it's pretty flippin' good and it gets even better with time.  The song demonstrates DEV's futuristic, electro-crunk sound - sculpted by her producers & good buddies The Cataracs - while also showing off her rap skills.  "I'm in a pocket / with a rocket, Ima cock it / & blow the roof off this bougie' club / F#c* the haters, give me some love" she raps on Lightspeed.  DEV's simple, catchy singalong rhymes are totally contagious - and over time, endearing.

What about you? What do you think is DEV's best song? Let us know!

Unapologetically,

Minna

DEV - full speed ahead

DEV has a massive fanbase at only 22.

I have to admit, when I first heard DEV on the airwaves I thought “did Amanda Blank actually make a new song?” How little I knew - this girl is much, much more.

Devin Star Tailes grew up on the west coast, the daughter of a painting contractor and a real estate agent. A self-proclaimed music-lover who grew up during the “Warped Tour generation” (like most of us), it makes perfect sense that DEV would favor acerbic lyrics and an edgier image. She “myspaced” her music until she was recruited by future buds the Cataracs. The three started making tunes, and by 2010 “DEV” became a household name when the Cataracs featured a verse from “Booty Bounce” (listen here) as the hook on “Like a G6” – need I remind you of this song?

DEV is nothing if not catchy. Her music is positively infectious, thanks to easy, sing-along rhymes and super-tight production by the Cataracs. Her insipid & sexual lyrics are not clever, but full of female self-promotion, which I generally approve of. Her sound is ultramodern, mainstream “electro-crunk” with a hint of humor (a great thing about the “crunk” sound is its ability to laugh at itself & make others laugh – exhibit A, the King of Crunk, Lil Jon). Lady DEV definitely has a good sense of humor - if only more artists would follow her example.

"The Night the Sun Came Up"

By now, we have all heard her second single, the club-banger In The Dark, which features unforgettable lines like “got a sex drive / just push to start.” The music video is as exciting as the song itself, featuring creepy, oily hands twitching to the beat. Take note: DEV's debut album “The Night the Sun Came Up,” already released in the UK, is set to hit the US next month. Aside from her first 2 singles, the hidden gem on the album is “Lightspeed,” featuring DEV "sing-talking" about something other than sex and/or alcohol (yay! listen to it here). The track also has great remix potential (which I might prefer, since the Cataracs can, at times, piss me off).

It took me a while to see DEV as anything other than a radio-friendly Amanda Blank, but when I did get her, I saw that underneath it all she is a sweet, laid-back girl from California with a fiancée and a baby on the way. Dev doesn’t care that her ‘image’ is completely paradoxical to her natural personality. Why should she? The girl really just loves music. Who are we to take that away from her?

From our end, we love ya girl. Keep doin’ what you’re doin’ - it makes us all so happy. Can "Lightspeed" be the third single please?

Unapologetically,

Minna