A Music Moment...

Before I talk about this track, I actually can’t believe I managed to find the official video on YouTube, what with all their legal battles and what not. They need to sort it out, or I may not be able to keep doing this feature…

Anyway, back to the record. I’ve been hearing Jazmine Sullivan’s name floating around for a while now, but it is this track that has made me sit up and pay some attention. ‘Dream Big’ is taken from her debut album ‘Fearless’, which (I think) is out now. This song is an uplifting, catchy R&B song that can inspire even the idlest person to get up and do something productive.

Expect this song to be quoted in various Live Messenger screen names/ Facebook status’s/ Twitter updates. I already have.

Oh and listen to ‘Bust Your Windows’ on her MySpace. Tune.

P.S: One of Jazmine's inspirations. This song is TEN YEARS OLD. Can you believe it? Click.

Still on the radio…

Why do DJs love to talk over the record being played?

I find it so irritating. I’m there, listening to a tune (and it always seems to happen when my favourite tune is on), and it’s nearing the end when the DJ opens their mouth to sprout rubbish ALL OVER THE END OF THE TUNE. The end of the tune is obliterated by the DJ’s nonsense, usually either a random stupid epiphany, or to tell me that they are ‘LOVING THIS TUNE’. Ok, so why talk over it?

DJs on pirate radio stations are the worst when it comes to this (now before comments are left about how I shouldn’t be listening to pirate radio stations as they are illegal blah, blah… I know. But refer to my other post about radio stations. Where else will DJs play oldschool garage, or nineties R&B?). Pirate DJs, for some reason, cannot resist talking ALL OVER the track. Or even singing along to it. And then they reload the track a million times. No. Just stop it.

You may love the sound of your own voice, but I don’t. Just let the song play.

Overheard Articulation...

While watching ‘Daddy’s Girls’ on MTV One:

“His name is Schwe? That sounds like a sound effect like Schweeeee…”

I watch too much rubbish on TV.

On the radio...

I listen to music every single day. If it’s not through the radio or music channels, it’s through my iPod or even that song that is playing in my head. I love music.

However, recently I’ve noticed one fatal flaw with music played on the radio and on TV. It’s all the same.

Not a day goes by where Alesha Dixon’s breathe slow plays (the song makes me physically sick), or the latest repetitive offering from Akon (a blight on the music industry – he must be eradicated), or the latest skinny jean indie band (in a long, long line of them). But why is it that I never hear a Jill Scott song played through the radio? Why do I never see an Erykah Badu video played on MTV One?

Radio stations and music channels seem to promote very few artists, which is a shame, because there are so many out there. Artists with songs that will make your head explode. Some people would say that this repetition is due to the fact that this is what people want to hear, these are the records that people buy. Well how are people supposed to know about any other artists if they are never played on the radio or on TV?

Goapele, Terri Walker, Dwele, Jill Scott, Common, Eyrkah Badu, Angie Stone, Janelle Monae, N.E.R.D (I could go on, but I won’t), all amazing artists but rarely seen in the mainstream. Some would say that this because they are not ‘pop’. Well ‘pop’ is the abbreviation of ‘popular’ and the only way to become ‘popular’ is to be exposed to the masses.

All I’m asking for is a little variety. If I hear Akon holla ‘NA, NA, NA’ one more time, I think I may actually kill myself.

Overheard Articulation…

About a boy and girl who may be conducting a ‘secret’ relationship:

“...well they don’t get along unless they’re touching each other...”

‘The ultimate boardroom battle is back…’

Yes, Sir Alan is back with the fifth series of the UK version of The Apprentice. This is one of the very few respectable programs I watch, and I do watch this religiously. The new set of candidates are an interesting bunch, with one of them (Ben Clarke) proclaiming that ‘making money is better than sex.’ He’s probably not doing it right (not that I would know). He’ll be one of the first four out, you wait. Or he’ll be the snake that gets away with everything. Another candidate (Kate Walsh) says: "My CV speaks for itself. I've always excelled academically and I have really achieved within a corporate environment across sales, marketing and a number of different aspects of business." She could have just said ‘BLAH’ and it would have had the same effect.

One of the candidates even looks like Debra Messing (of Will & Grace fame). I actually think it is Debra Messing. She ain’t had a decent acting role since that show ended. Here she is masquerading as ‘Paula Jones’:

Try and tell me she doesn’t look like her.

UPDATE: Watch this, hilarious...

The Apprentice (UK) starts on March 25th on BBC One at 9pm.

Images taken from here. Thank you.

A Sunny Disposition

There was a change in atmosphere on London’s streets today. As the cloud broke and finally gave way to some decent sunshine, people suddenly seemed a bit merrier as they went about their daily business (however, it was not warm enough for shorts, and certainly not warm enough to be walking around with no top). I, for one, forgot how the sun felt against one’s skin. I took a couple of (bad) pictures, just because, it makes a big change from all the greyness we have had all winter. It got me thinking about the coming months ahead with great anticipation.

Summer 2009. Let the good times roll.

Film Review: Push

Don’t bother. I’m being serious.

‘Push’ stars Chris Evans and Dakota Fanning (and a whole bunch of other people, but you probably wouldn’t know their names, maybe apart from Ming Na who was in ER). It’s basically about these people who have powers, but X-Men it ain’t.

I couldn’t even tell you what the storyline of the film is. Stuff happens, there’s something about a drug, but I don’t know what it does, or who it affects, things explode, people die. There was a bit of unintentional humour, with some Chinese men screaming every now and then because that was their ‘power’. I really want to know what their faces looked like when they saw their script basically consisted of: Scream. Pose. Scream again.

The film is dire, everyone apart from Chris Evans looks like some sort of freak, and there weren’t even any good looking girls to pass the time. Dakota Fanning is made to look like a prostitute, she’s playing a thirteen year old and she is wearing the shortest skirt and sitting with her legs open. What the hell?

An epic failure.

I jumped on the bandwagon

Indeed I did. You ‘lucky’ people can now follow me (and everyone else) on the new Facebook… Twitter. Here’s the link:

http://twitter.com/UrbanArticulate

Yes, I know ‘Urban Articulate’ sounds a bit dumb, but the people at Twitter deemed UrbanArticulations too long to use as a username. So I was lumbered with that. Oh well.

Anyway, follow or whatever and view my mundane rambles between blog posts in 160 characters or less (the unique ‘selling’ point of Twitter). You’ll probably see me type such enlightening points as: ‘I’m eating,’ or ‘I’m hungry,’ or ‘I’m at sixth form. Bored.’

But that’s the point, isn’t it?

Overheard Articulation...

During biology:

“This lesson is so dry it needs E45.”

Ha ha.