Big Sean Concert 8/31

I saw Big Sean this weekend at the DTE energy music theater. It was in Detroit in celebration of his sophomore album Hall of Fame.

 If you've ever heard any of Big Sean's songs, you know that he loves his home state and his hometown. It really showed in this show.

He performed most of his new album and several of his hits from the first album. After about an hour and a half I thought the concert was winding down and I remember thinking to myself that I wasn't disappointed that he didn't bring specials guests because he really put on a great show.  That's when "All Me" came on and Drizzy Drake stepped out. 

Not going to lie, I pride myself on keeping my cool in most situations but I freaked out when I saw Drake. The highest pitch scream to ever leave my vocal chords escaped in that moment, I couldn't help it. I love love love love Drake (I am seeing him perform in October) and it was amazing to see him perform. What a surprise!!

Luckily for us, the fun wasn't over yet. After Drake walked off stage, "A$$" started playing and Nicki Minaj stepped out onto the stage. Funny to think that after Drake walked off I thought the concert couldn't get any better. Well it did, Nicki was awesome. She spoke about her respect for Sean and how he is a really good and genuine guy.

Side note: for any Gleeks who know that Big Sean is dating Naya Rivera aka Santana Lopez: Naya was there in Detroit supporting her man, reppin like a mascot. She was on stage on the side where the audience could see her and she could watch the show. She knew all the words and danced the whole time. It was really cool to see her there and getting to see him in his element. Plus I love Naya so it was cool just to be in her presence haha

This was my second time seeing Big Sean and he didn't disappoint at all. Liked the album a lot, loved the show and it was well worth the 2 hours traffic jam trying to leave the concert. Gotta love Detrot traffic!!

Album Review: Ariana Grande Yours Truly

Yours Truly is the debut name from newcomer Ariana Grande. She is a talented young artist that is taking the music industry by storm. If you read my previous post about her from a few weeks ago, you know how excited I was for this album release.

I bought the CD on Tuesday when it was released so I have had a few days to listen and gather my thought about the tracks. 

Let's start with the singles: "Baby I", "The Way" and "Almost Is Never Enough". These are the only singles that I have heard on the radio or that have music videos. She did release several songs before the whole album was released but I will get to those later. I really like all three of these songs. This trio of singles is a really solid start for her career. They're all catchy, her vocals are impeccable on all of them and they stay true to her age range. Again, I like that she doesn't try to sound too grown but she also doesn't play up her Disney role and tap into the kiddie, innocent act. She really finds a relatable happy medium.

Lets get this out of the way now: Don't like "Popular Song" at alllllll. Deleted it from my iTunes as soon as I imported the album. I realize this is a song Ariana is featured on so she doesn't take a real responsibility for the song. It just isn't my idea of what I want to hear from her. Hopefully she can avoid fatal collaborations like this in the future but I definitely didn't hold it against her.

Songs that I think are listenable but not my favorites are "Tattooed Heart", "Better Left Unsaid", "Piano" and "Daydreamin'". 

Ariana could really sing the dictionary front to back and I would still find it listenable, her voice is super appealing. I don't dislike these songs and I don't necessarily skip them when I'm listening to the album, they just aren't my faves. Plain and simple.

My favorite songs are "You'll Never Know", "Right Here", "Honeymoon Avenue" and "Lovin' It"

On first listen, "Honeymoon Avenue" was just okay to me but that damn line about "my heart is stuck in bum buh da bum bum traffic" gets me every time! I sang it in my head all day in class today. It's super catchy and it grew on me.

I love "Right Here" with Big Sean. She released this one weeks before the album but I don't know if it's a single. Love Big Sean, (saw him in concert this weekend, look for a post on him soon) and it's a really good song with a good beat. Can't complain.

I like "Lovin' It" because again it's super upbeat, it's catchy and her voice just really puts every other pop artist to shame at this point. 

My favorite song on the album by far is "You'll Never Know", which she also debuted a few days before the album release. I am not really sure what about this song makes it my favorite but when I start the CD in my iPod I always start with this one. I push restart on this song when I listen to the CD in my car. I am definitely drawn to it. It has a good beat, good lyrics and a catchy hook/chorus but a lot of her songs possess this as well. Hmm I actually really want to pinpoint what it is that I love so much about this song besides a short intro, gotta love when a song gets right into it.

I wish the album was longer, not because there aren't enough good songs but because I want more good ones! I'm kind of annoyed that a lot of albums this year are in the 10-14 song range. I prefer 15-20 if they are quality songs. Oh well, I will take what I can get. As long as most of the 12 songs are quality I can live with that!

Overall, I am really excited about her as an artist. She seems really sure of her style and what she wants to sing and I hope she stays consistent with the pop/R&B sound because it's killing the game right now!

PLL Mid Season Summer Finale

Holyyyyyy crap!! Ezra is A 😳😁😳😁

I don't even know how to handle this right now. When they showed his face I think my stomach dropped. Ezria fans everywhere are crying I'm sure. I loved Ezra too, so I get it. He was never even a suspect in my mind.  I really thought it would be Wren. Reveals like this make me want to rewatch every episode now that we know he has been A all along. Did he ever really love Aria or did he use this as a way to get closer to the girls and get more info? Uhhh such a hard thing to accept for me. But we have to face it guys, Ezra is A.

Okay so besides the huge reveAl, we did get some other information last night. CeCe was one of the red coats and maybe Ali was too. CeCe took a tough fall but of course walked away when the girls weren't looking. So she isn't dead but maybe a little bruised.

That scary Mrs. Grunwald with the weird glass looking eyes told the girls that Ali may very well still be alive. As far as she knows, Ali is waiting to find people to trust and until then, doesn't want to be found. Not sure whether to trust this creepy old lady or not, but if she's right, then the girls haven't been crazy when they've spotted Ali around town or in hazy moments like the fire incident.

Unfortunately there are some more questions that we need answered. Last night's episode cleared up a lot but it also added more questions. Why is Wren in contact with Melissa? Why was Shana in contact with Mona? And is Mona on the side of the girls or is she working with Jenna and Shana?

Until October bitches!!

-Kaye 

Free JoJo

Have you ever wondered what happened to the voice that provided us with songs like “Leave (Get Out)”, Baby It’s You“ and “Too Little Too Late”?  Well I am sure you aren’t the only one wondering where the fudge JoJo Levesque went.  She didn’t die, she didn’t get dropped by her label and just an FYI, she sure as hell hasn’t stopped making music.

Some artists are one hit wonders, it happens.  Some artists are one album wonders, it happens.  It’s not often that an artist falls of the face of the earth after several great songs and two really solid albums.  And it’s even more rare than an artist of JoJo’s caliber (have ya heard this bitch sing? She can blow) isn't at least putting out albums every few years that are adored and appreciated by her fans.

 I am sure JoJo would be putting out albums if she could, but she cannot.  Instead she can only make free mixtapes for her fans.  For a full breakdown on what happened with her label check out these articles:

http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/1537945/jojo-talks-agape-mixtape-touring-and-having-no-relationship-with

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/popwrap/jojo_an_expose_Ohz4GmJ5sHRUpjzzGnl1sM#axzz2aYIqp2mA

http://thehonestyhour.com/2013/03/free-jojo-singer-bound-to-record-label-misery/

 

or you can just Google “wtf happened to JoJo” and weed through the searches that are about Rev Run’s rapping son JoJo Simmons having beef with Juelz Santana (you learn something new every day, I did when I Googled that).

Basically, JoJo can’t get signed to another label while Blackground still has her tied down.  She can’t release an album and can’t go on tour; but she CAN still do what she loves to do…and that’s sing.  And maaaaaaaaan can she sing.

The release of her mixtape Agape on December 20 of last year, was everyyyyyyything.  I was still reeling from the release of Brandy’s Two Eleven from October (which was dope AF) so when Agape was released I couldn’t afford to leave my iPod behind anywhere I went.  Thank god I was on Christmas vacation from college and spent my new years on vacation where I had plenty of time to listen to the mixtape. 

Agape was released 7 months ago and I can tell you that I haven’t gone a single week without listening to it all the way through at least once.  I can’t rave about it enough because I can't think of another artist who has had to struggle so much to produce something that great. 

 

To be able to put out such a great collection of songs without any label support just blows my mind.  People probably don’t realize the type of help artists get when they have label support.  You think Rihanna ever calls someone like “hey could you help produce some songs for me for free?”  If it isn’t obvious enough, the answer is no.  Rihanna doesn’t ask for help because she has Ester Dean, The-Dream and every other song writer in R&B or pop music at her fingertips. She makes good music because she has a good team.  Imagine if JoJo was signed to Roc and had Jay Z behind her every move?  Deadlyyyy.

JoJo had to create her own songs, find her own team and gather all the support herself.  She doesn't have a label doing that labor for her.  This may scare some listeners into thinking the mixtape may not be very good because she had no help; but trust me when I say that by listening, you can't tell that JoJo had no support.  She's just that damn good.  See for yourself.

 

Check out the Agape mixtape here:

http://concreteloop.com/2012/12/mixtape-download-jojo-agape

 

And some of JoJo’s other songs and performances on YouTube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYPQOuDLU6s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-58oJy_Uq8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqXSeVPGZkA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X4mQveQ7UY

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuOoIXhXUh8

 

 

 #FreeJoJo

 

 

PLL Recap Season 4, Episode 10 & 11

We are getting down to the wire. Next week is the summer finale. Lots to wrap up here so hopefully it's a jam packed hour of answers (doubtful, but a girl can wish right?)

So here's what I am hoping to find out next week...

Who was living in Mrs. DiLaurentis' basement?

What is CeCe Drake's involvement in this whole thing? Is she red coat or one of A's helpers?

The shoe that was found in the remains of Emily's house...will that hurt Hanna's mom in the case?

Is Wren betraying the girls? Something seems really off about him right now so I wouldn't be shocked by this.

Who is everyone on the phone with all the time? CeCe and Wren are both calling someone, so if they aren't calling each other then who are they talking to?

Are Toby and Spencer done? And will Toby finally figure out what happened to his mom?

Who will Aria pick...Ezra or Jake?

Lots of questions that need answers and only one hour left to explain it all!

PLL Recap Season 4, Episode 9: "Into the Deep"

Is it obvious to anyone else that a finale is on it's way? I could really feel the build up to the summer finale in last night's episode.

So it turns out all that practice Mona conducted with Hanna about how to sell a lie to a detective didn't really rub off. Mona's story didn't match the story that the evidence told. She ends up getting released from jail because of lack of evidence. At the end of the episode she checks herself back into her old room at Radley. Not sure how someone can just do that, but it's Mona so I'm sure she paid someone off.

Emily has a pretty shitty bday when she is told her swim career is just about donezo due to her shoulder injury. She definitely wasn't in the mood for the surprise party Paige threw for her. And things didn't really get much better for her as the night went on.  Paige and Emily come to the realization that next year they will probably be apart. This could mean trouble for their relationship. Sad moment here. Not that I care too much for Paige but Emily is my favorite character so I don't really want to see anything sad happen to Em and she's been through a lot of sad shit lately.

Aria sees Jake at Emily's surprise birthday party with a date. She gets super jealous and doesn't do a great job of hiding it.  Jake confronts her and they end up kissing 😘 (finally) and admit they want to be more than friends. I think I like them together so hopefully he doesn't get sucked into the drama that follows the girls around. Lets face it though, he will probably get involved and targeted by A at some point.

In a random story line, Ezra is fighting for his relationship with his son now that his baby mama wants to move away to finish her teaching degree.

Hanna's mom gets out of jail for two reasons. One: Mona's confession loosens the tight hold the court has on Ashley Marin. They decide she doesn't need to be transferred and is allowed to post bail. Two: Her bail is anonymously posted (by Pastor Ted) and she can live back at home on house arrest.  She can make any accessory, even a house arrest anklet look fashionable.

At Emily's surprise party, Aria and Spencer are trying to talk to Jenna about what she knows. They can't seem to get her alone because Shana is glued to her side. Emily and Aria can't find Spencer so they leave the party to look for her, this is when Em sees a body in the lake thinking it is Spencer and runs to it. Upon flipping it over she realizes they finally got Jenna alone, but she just might be dead. Someone hit her in the back of the head and pushed her into the water. 

When Spencer talks to Shana at the hospital, she obviously wants to find out who has Jenna so terrified all the time that she needs Shana around 24/7? Shana explicitly states that it couldn't be Alison because she's dead (duh) and that Shana is afraid of CeCe Drake. Sooooo random! It feels like CeCe is slowly creeping back into the picture here as a great. Maybe she's red coat, she is blonde after all! 

Questions I now have:

What is the fate of Emily and Paige's relationship? Is Pailey doomed?

Why did Mona check herself into Radley?

Will Hanna's mom be cleared of all charges?

How did pastor Ted afford $100,000 bail money...don't pastors give all their money to the church and end up driving broken down station wagons? 

Is Jenna dead?

Who hit Jenna and pushed her into the water?

Where the eff is CeCe Drake????!?!????!! And what does she have to do with all this?

-Till next week bitches!

PLL Recap Season 4, Episode 8: “The Guilty Girl's Handbook"

I've never liked or trusted Mona in any season of PLL but in last nights episode, she may have finally done something to make me like her just a little. 

This episode is kind of all about the aftermath of last episode. Emily and her mom are staying in a motel while their house is being rebuilt.  Her mom is super emotional about everything it seems like and I don't blame her. I feel so bad for Pam! Especially when Emily says she wants to build houses again next summer, this time in Nicaragua, Pam gets really sad about Emily leaving her by herself. I had a slight thought during this scene that Emily could help her family by rebuilding their own house! Haha I don't know if that's possible but if she knows the people she worked with, she could put a team together and build the house back up in no time.  Side note for Emily: did she ever return the key that she stole from her mom? I know she wanted to but didn't get the chance before, but it would save her mom's job! Her mom had her run some papers to the station in this episode and I was expecting them to show Emily returning the key then, but it was never mentioned. Does she still have it?

Aria's brother Mike feels like he is in danger among his own teammates after Mike's teammate's car was trashed and everyone thought it was Mike's doing. Mike is now taking martial arts classes with Jake which brings him back into the picture for Aria once again. 

Spencer does some snooping through her mom's lawyer files and finds that Wilden was the detective who covered Toby's mom's death at Radley. Not all of the dads add up after she talks to Eddie, a Radley employee who believes that Wilden might have been paid to lie on the report about how Toby's mom died. Eddie also thinks that it is odd how Wilden went from being a patrol man to a detective so quickly. No real answers are given in this scene but it does cause some suspicion as how to why Wilden lied on the death report.

Hanna's mom doesn't get released on bail which is awful but even worse, she is being transferred to the state prison which is far from Hanna.

Because Hanna loves her mom so much, she decides she wants to admit to murdering detective Wilden herself. She enlists Mona's help because Mona is a lying expert and can help Hanna seem more convincing.  These scenes were super intense and kind of scary actually! Mona is really good at lying and helping others lie.

The scenes that were reenacted as if Hanna killed Wilden were kinda cool because it made me think that that's how Mona goes through her stories before she lies. That is how she actually does it, she visualizes it to make sure it's flawless and believable then thinks it out so that she too believes it happened. Bitch cray

Hanna's mom talks to Caleb to ensure he is looking after Hanna and making sure she doesn't do anything stupid, like lie and admit to killing Wilden to save her mom. 

In the end of the episode, before Hanna can turn herself in, Mona goes down to the police station and does the unthinkable. She admits to killing Wilden. I don't see any ulterior motives here other than having Hannah indebted to her forever but it was a good thing for Mona to do!!

I thought Caleb might have turned himself in to stop Hanna from doing it, and I was hoping that didn't happen. I was glad to see Mona turn herself in even if it was a lie, but I still don't know why she did it.

I loved the way this episode ended. Something about the girls getting good news for once was exciting. I liked how they showed each girl receiving the news separately and then coming to together at the police station to see Mona getting questioned.

Questions I now have...

I still want to know where Paige has been this whole time?

I heard the actress to plays Jenna is pregnant in real life so I wonder how that will affect her character on the show?

Will Mona's confession free Hanna's mom?

If Aria and Jake start dating will Ezra be out of the picture for good?

What is the link between Toby's mom's death and Wilden? Did she really commit suicide or was she killed?

-Till next week (which looks crazy) bitches!