Guest Blogger: Andrew L2

“Disturbed.” A band that you may or may not recognize. It is a type of heavy metal group so some people that don’t enjoy or like heavy metal songs will not like this band. This band has released many songs along with many albums. They normally perform music about death or illness or problems. Their music is not for people that enjoy happy and up beat types of music. The lead of the band has lost a loved one to suicide as he has stated in the song “Inside the Fire.” A few good songs for anyone who like this type of music as previously stated should listen to “Indestructible”, “Down with the Sickness” and “Asylum”. They have been around for a long time because my grandmother remembers listening to them back in the 90’s. This band first caught my attention because of my friend. His name is Andrew Frisbie. Some critics say that they are one of the best heavy metal groups to appear since Metallica. They are also popular with people who like to work on cars. I’m not sure how this connection ties in but some anonymous person said that it had a rhythm that made them perfect for working on a car and distracting people from what’s going on. This group is trying to come up with new music and make themselves more known as of recent. They have lost some popularity in recent years due to the increase of Justin Beiber and Taylor swift. The top reason’s why they have not been trying to make more music as of late is also due in large part to a loss of life to one of the band members who went his own way for a while so he could recover from his tragic loss.

Guest blogger: Almedin B2

Kid Cudi’s music is very often classified as Hip Hop with a slight R&B feel to it. While listening to his music one can feel happy, sad and everything in between. His songs are usually calm which make it very easy to listen to and I would say this is the reason many people listen to his songs. If I had to relate Kid Cudi to any other artist I would relate him to Eminem. Even though Eminem is more of a Rap artist than Hip Hop. They relate very well in the fact that they put all of their feelings into the song. Each artist seems to tell a different story of their life through one song or another. “Day and Night” was probably Kid Cudi’s biggest hit. This song really got his name out there but it wasn’t just for the catchy beat, the song has very meaningful lyrics. For example the song starts of with “I toss and turn, I keep stressing my mind, mind (what, what) I look for peace but see I don't attain (what, what) What I need for keeps this silly game we play, play”. From those lyrics alone we can tell that something is on his mind and it is really bothering him. Which brings me back to my earlier statement when I said that both Eminem and Kid Cudi incorporate their feelings and life stories into songs. “ I've got some issues that nobody can see And all of these emotions are pouring out of me I bring them to the light for you, it's only right This is the soundtrack to my life, the soundtrack to my life”. These lyrics come straight from Kid Cudi’s song “Soundtrack To My Life” and he tells us how people don’t really understand him but he tries to let his music speak for him. Those are just a couple of very memorable lyrics in Kid Cudi’s music. A lot of people would say Kid Cudi tries to influence drugs and violence in his songs, when really he is just explain his struggles in life and what he did to get through them. He doesn’t try to influence others to do illegal things and that’s not what his music is for. Kid Cudi is worth every penny. Instead of writing an autobiography, Kid Cudi uses his music.

Guest Blogger: Alex L2

Kendrick Lamar is a singer who sings American hip hop. He grew up in a gang life and his music seems to reflect his childhood and urban realities. He sings about the hard times he had growing up . He uses lyrics such as “Any moment you could lose yo’ life/So kiss yo’ kids or hug yo’ wife,” as well as: “I got good hair /Knowin’ damn well there’s chemicals there.” Lamar said that he has seen relatives who have died in his dreams for years. Tupac Shakur, another rapper, influences not only his music, but his day-to-day lifestyle as well. Kendrick Lamar can be compared to Tupac, Eminem, Nas, and Jay-Z. His music is in contrast to that of Chris Daughtry or at least it is a totally different kind of music choice. Critics say he is the next best in the hip hop spotlight. But unlike most new rap stars, he is humble, composed, mature, and aware of what he’s already lost. Which means he might be the most special of them all. (http://www.spin.com/articles/kendrick-lamar-not-your-average-everyday-rap-savior) Other critics say he is the most important rapper since Jay-Z. But one story that Kendrick Lamar wants to tell is how he got out and away from that life. Lamar's major-label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city , is to mark the distance from where he came. It is, says Lamar, about how "everything in the dark comes to light." I really like this artist. He is very clear and easy to understand. His music tells stories about how he lived through rough times in the gangs and streets. I would recommend him to my friends if they like listening to rap music.

Guest Blogger: Sharmarke I2

Wale Victor Folarin was born in September 2, 1984. He is a hip/hop, R & B, and rap artist. Wale was born in Washington D.C. He was born to Nigerian parents in the United States. Wale’s parents moved stateside so he can get education in Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg. He went to a lot of different schools in the city of Maryland. Wale was a good football player and also played for his school. He used football scholarships to get into Robert Morris University and Virginia State University; he then switched over to Bowie State University. He then dropped out of Bowie State University. Wale tried out a music career in the late 2000s. He recorded his first song "Rhyme of the Century”. He signed with a local label in 2006. In 2008, Wale signed a risky deal with Ronson's Allido Records and Interscope. Wale signed with those labels instead of huge labels like Def Jam and Atlantic Records. He then started going to work and recording tracks. "Attention Deficit” was his first label debut. It came out to be a success for Wale Folarin. His tracks earned the 21st spot on Billboard Hot 200 chart on its first week of sale. Wale has support from big name rappers like Jay Z and Lil Wayne. Wale is currently signed with MMG, with rappers like Rick Ross, Meek Mill, and Omarion. His label has had major success in the rap game making them one of the hottest artists out there. So far Ambition is Wale’s highest selling album, which sold about 164,000 copies in his first week. It came in second spot on the Billboard 200. This was because of Justin Bieber’s Christmas album that came in first place. Wale is a terrific rapper that I admire listening to. I have bought his albums in the past and think it’s worth checking out. Some of his songs tells about the struggles he went through to get on top.

Guest Blogger: Severo S2

I chose Coldplay as the band I like, Coldplay is a Pop/Rock Britpop band. Coldplay’s band is a very powerful fun kind of band; it shows that a lot in their songs. Coldplay show a lot of emotion in their songs such as fun, serious sad and powerful. If you were to compare another band with Coldplay it would definitely be U2. They’re both really similar bands if you listen to their music you won’t find lots of differences, both the band’s music and is very spiritual and powerful they definitely show lots of emotion in their songs. The song that I think that is very memorable from Coldplay has to be “Paradise” because this song is very uplifting very powerful in ways like lets saying you’re having a bad day and all you want to do is be in paradise and you just want to get away from it all in the real life, listening to this song always puts me in a better mood after having a bad day. The song shows that there is hope, you can be happy and be in paradise and that it’s not just a dream. "it's hard to deal with vexingly adequate music." Critic says this about Coldplay; I very much disagree with this person they obviously don’t know what good music is and don’t like joyful music and inspirational music. This is not the only critic Coldplay has they have tons and tons of critics, not everybody will agree with me on this music being great but I think I can live with that! Coldplay is a very cool band, I really suggest you buy/ listen to some of their songs trust me you won’t regret listening to their songs. Coldplay will always be a good band to listen to they’re defiantly worth your time. Also keep an eye out for Coldplay’s new album MYLO XYLOTO!!

Guest Blogger: Chay T2

Jolin Tsai, the queen (earn this nick name) of music in Taiwan, was born September 15, 1980. When she was young, she was influenced and intrigued in music by a singer Terasa Tang. At the age of 18, she joined in the MTV singing competition and won the top prize that made her a famous singer since then. Jolin Tsai music is classified as rock, pop and hip hop. Each of her albums is diverse from one to another; she has been keeping changing her styles and working for perfect dances to show her fans the best of her performance while still keeping the emotion of her songs. Many of her songs express energetic feelings of excitement. One of them is “Sun Never Set;” it reveals a sense of happiness, and you would want to listen to it again and again as it creates the joyful feeling. Anyway, Rainie Yang is also a popular singer in Taiwan, but most of her songs focus more on relationship. Rainie Yang’s songs are so emotional such as “Just Wanna Be a Happiness Person;” this song is really sad and depressing. However, both singers are both great in revealing and telling the story of the songs through their voices. My most memorable song of Jolin Tsai is “Alone;” it is about a broke up story, and the lyrics is so touching and emotional. Phrases that really evoke me are “Alone, I turn of the light to watch memories rolled, without the light the past and the memories are clearer.” It is definitely touching when you put yourself in that situation; you can feel the same thing. Her new album Muse released two months ago; one of the songs in the album is “DR. Jolin,” and I absolutely agree with a critic Addy saying that one can listen to this song numerous times without getting annoying by that; the music video also expresses well the song’s meaning. There is a point I do not agree with Addy saying that second half of the Muse album is “an area that may not be able to attract new fans, but old fans of Jolin would definitely appreciate it” because the album is entirely perfect to me. I would definitely recommend Jolin’s songs to everyone; her songs are worth your time and money because Jolin is the best singer who is willing to challenge the difficult dancing styles and tries to show her best out of her abilities. Jolin’s style on music is unique and she is just amazing. Chay Te

Guest Blogger: Ryan H2

Peter Gene Hernandez also known as Bruno Mars has been noted for playing a variety of music including pop, rock, reggae, R&B, and hip hop. Bruno started at the very young age of 4 playing with his family band “The Love Notes” as an Elvis impersonator with his uncle. Bruno’s family all has very deep musical backgrounds. Bruno moved to Los Angeles after he graduated in 2003 to pursue a musical career. The name Bruno Mars came from the nickname Bruno his father gave him and Mars because all the girls said he was out of this world saying he was from Mars. He first signed with Motown Records but didn’t make anything that was big time but said it was a very good learning experience for him and he learned a lot about himself. Bruno then started song writing until Aaron Bay-Schuck of Atlantic Records heard him play guitar and sing one song and couldn’t sign him soon enough. Since 2006, Bruno Mars has collected multiple awards for his music. Including Grammy awards for Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance, and Producer of the Year (Non-Classical). Bruno Mars started his musical appearance singing with Far East Movement. Bruno was also featured on Pastor & Hip Hop Artist Jaeson Ma at the very beginning of his musical career. My opinion on Bruno Mars is that he is a very successful musician and song writer with a very unique voice that can be easily connected to him. I think that he is going to make it way bigger than he is now because of the popularity that he keeps gaining. Critics opinions on him are just the same as mine and I couldn’t find anything but positive on his career. One critic said that “his voice is so easily distinguished from any other artist and that makes him so unique.”

Guest Blogger: Randy T2

T.I. Harris born as Clifford Harris was born in Atlanta Georgia. He grew up and started rapping since he was about 14 years old T.I. eventually came to his sense and established himself, as one of rap’s successful MC during the 2000s. His music tells about struggles he’s been through and how he’s gotten out of it throughout his lifetime. He is well known as “The King of The South” and an actor as well. His music varies from all types of genres you can think of from hip-hop, rap, pop, rock and RnB songs. He has featured and been featured by many artists all around in his/their songs from Jamie Fox, Rihanna, Young Jeezy, Lil wayne and much more. The feel of his music varies from many of his songs one of his songs ‘ Live in the sky ‘ which features Jamie fox has a sad reminisce feeling towards someone you have lost, remembering the good times that you’ve had and friendship through the hard and good times. Another of his songs ‘ Whatever You Like’ has a catchy beat and uplifting feel to it and another song that is memorable is ‘Live Your Life ‘ which features Rihanna it is a song that uplifts you and inspires you to live your life and to be thankful for the things you have that others don’t have. Many people have different opinions about his music they criticize him because of the life he’s had or been through and don’t believe his songs are understandable, good or worth listening to and I disagree. His music is good also catchy and others may relate to his story through his music. In my opinion it’s worth your money to spend/buy so don’t mind to listen to his albums and mix tapes.

Guest Blogger: Nick M2

Disciple has been around for almost longer then I have been alive (more than twenty years). They have been a key player in transforming Christian worship music into what it is today. back in the 80’s and early 90’s all Christian music was acoustic guitar with no drums or fast tempos or hymnals, disciple along with many other bands first started using drums electric guitars fast tempos and hard rock sounding vocals in their music during the early 90’s. The band Disciple has changed many members sense its beginning, first the drummer, next the lead guitarist, sooner than later there were no original members of the band Disciple in the band. There has always been people saying that the band is no longer the same sense the switch to all the new members, but they still have the same song writer and the band loves consulting with all of its old members to make sure everything is up to the standards the original members set a long time ago. The new album O God Save Us All is set to come out on November 12, it includes their new single Draw the Line which features some of the old band members on it. The new CD as a whole has a very “who I am now hates who I’ve been” feel to it but as we start getting to the end of the album we start hearing lyrics like “this is where I draw the line this is where the old me dies light a match let it burn kiss it goodbye” which make us remember that no matter what we have done in the past we are forgiven and loved. Many people have some very mixed emotions about the new CD because the band has been going in a different direction with its music but personally I have listened to the whole CD on a demo track and I think that the changes the band Disciple is making are 100% necessary to keep up with the changing culture in this world. Overall I’m looking forward to the new release and upcoming tour starting in December the band has changed a little bit from what it once was but change is always needed and this time it’s most defiantly for the good.

Guest Blogger: Abdi Mu2

Robert Rahmeek Williams better known as “Meek Mill” was born on May 6, 1987 in Philadelphia, PA. He adopted the name “Meek Mill” by family and friends who called him by his middle name. Growing up was hard times for Meek, by the time he was 5 years old he was orphaned. When he was 5 years old his father got shot in the streets of Philadelphia and was killed. As a single He was taken in by his grandmother and uncle Grandmaster Nell. Grandmaster Nell was a huge inspiration on Meek Mill to pursue a career in music. Meek Mill started to take rap seriously when he was 12 and began to rap battle. He only suffered on lose in his first battle to a neighborhood foe and never lost again. Meek Mill then set out and formed a rap group called the Bloodhoundz with two other local rappers. The group lasted long enough to released 4 mix-tapes. Meek parted ways with the group and embarked on a solo career. For the next 3 years he began releasing a series of mix-tapes which established a buzz in his local city. His next step was huge; in 2011 he collaborated with Miami rapper Rick Ross on a song called “Rose Red” which later turned to Ross signing Meek Mill to his record label Maybach Music. He was official signed to MMG in February 2011. Meek Mill released 2 mix-tapes that set the ground work for his highly anticipated debut album Dreams and Nightmares. The Series of platinum tapes; Dreamchasers and Dreamchasers 2 were highly successful. The feel of Dreams and Nightmares evokes emotions of pain, anger, and triumph. With songs of the album like “Traumatized” and “Young and Getting It” you can understand the feel of his music. In the song “Traumatized” meek speaks very clearly and aggressive as he seeks revenge for his father by threading his killer with his life. You can feel the anger and pain in his voice as he smashes the beat. In contrast, in the song “Young and Getting It” Meek speaks to his triumph of being young and having the amount of success he has had so far. In my opinion the only comparable well known artist is T.I., because they both have the same fierce and cut-throat style when they rap. Critics say that the album Dreams and Nightmares was decent but was a raw show of his skills. I agree with this statement because Meek doesn’t showcase his full weaponry on the album. The album seems to be set on specific theme rather than a variety of sounds like his last mix-tape DC2. I feel like he could have branched out more and reach a wider audience. My overall opinion on Meek Mill’s music is that it’s explicit but at the same time motivational. The message being that if you set a goal and work hard you can achieve. His music shows that it doesn’t matter how you start but how hard you work to get where you want to. You should support his debut album and give his music a try it’s worth the money.

Guest Blogger: David K2

Papa Roach is a band I have always admired. The Alt-Metal band has been around a while, releasing their first album, Infest in 2000. The band has since released 6 more albums, the latest being The Connection, which came out October 2, 2012. The band is widely known for their deep, often dark lyrics. The lyrics will take you on a trip through the mind of lead singer Jacoby Shaddix, showing his twisted journey and damaged life. The band has also written some of the most recognizable guitar riffs, in songs like “Last Resort,” and “Lifeline.” The song “Scars” is also very popular coming of the album Getting Away With Murder. The lyrics from “Scars” talk about depression, pain, relationship problems, and alcoholism. “I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut. My weakness is that I care too much, And our scars remind us that the past is real. I tear my heart open, just to feel.” The band continues to thrill crowds, selling out live shows. The critics have had some harsh words for the band, and I disagree. If you are ever feeling left out, down, or alone, they make you realize you are not the only one. Their lyrics can be cruel, but the truth hurts. The instruments that back Shaddix are phenomenal, from the guitar riffs, to the kick drum, from some awesome bass guitar, up through some incredible guitar solos. The band is all about what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and the continue to prove that by defying popular music. They are another band who will sell out shows till the day they die. Papa Roach is a band that I will continue to recommend to people looking for something heavy sounding with deep lyrics, and very good instrumental parts.

Guest Blogger: Evan P2

A Day to Remember is also a metal/rock band that is known for being either absolutely loved or absolutely hated by their fans or “enemies.” Like Memphis May Fire, they started as a rock/alternative band and grew heavier as they go, but they differ in that they have as many regular rock songs with no screaming or breakdowns as they have heavier stuff. Their most recent album is What Separates Me From You and has a good mix of the types of music I talked about above. ADTR’s music brings the emotion of confidence, anger, and almost power in their songs. “Sticks and Bricks” one of the heavier songs on What Separates Me From You gives a great example: “I am fueled by all forms of failure I paid the price So, I'll take what's mine!” and “I won't be held back, I can't be held down!” In another song of their 2nd most popular album, Homesick which came out in 2009. A Day to Remember is closest to Sleeping with Sirens and August Burns Red. They sound different because they have a pop sound in there more often than most other bands in the genre. One review stated that “What Separates Me From You is still a worthwhile listen and will undoubtedly be a staple on my iPod for the next couple of months, it's just a far cry from the well-rounded album that I know A Day to Remember is capable of producing.” While another said “They took things they did before with more success this time, while trying a couple of new ideas and getting rid of some things that were holding them back.” I agree with both statements; however I think the album is better than “a staple on my iPod.” I am looking forward to their next announced album, Common Courtesy to see how they can improve and bring new stuff to the table. Buying What Separates Me From You would be a great choice for music to listen to for the next couple months. They have great lyrics, hardcore breakdowns, but a great mix of pop/post-hardcore sound that is individual to their band.

Guest Blogger: Devin P2

Another band I think is great is Green Day. The kind of music they have is Punk rock, pop rock, and alternative rock. I feel that Green Day has a couple of good songs with rock and personality. Even though it’s been a while with them bringing out an album after 5 years couple of them is pretty good. With their songs it sort of acts like Linkin park but Green Day has more punk than Linkin Park. With some of their songs they have good hard rock in the songs but sometimes they even have sad songs in their albums. My favorite song from Green Day is “Holiday” because they act like they are on holiday by driving around. But in their music video it’s kind of good when they act like tourist but I don’t get when they show a little party without them. Through the whole song they did a pretty good job on the music video. My second best is “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” because it’s sort of an extension to the music video of “Holiday”. With their song its acts like a sad but also it sort of has some rock into the song. With the music video they did a pretty good job on the back ground because it goes with their song and they made a little empty town that sort of goes with their song. I mostly agree with the billboards review because it’s been a while with their last album was released but it’s enjoyable with the songs. I disagree on the New York daily news on how they think about the new green day album because they explain that the new one is loud, noisy, and don’t make any sense but I don’t care what they say Green Day is still a good band to me. With their songs I think you go get the album you and see what you think about it. You should go and buy the their album and you should spend time on listening to the album.

Guest blogger: Courtney S2

Known most for his popular song, “Thinking About You,” Frank Ocean has risen to one of the most talked about artists. His style could best be described as an R&B feel with a hip hop undertone and electronic funk. The critic from Rolling Stone also described him as “hippie-ish “ and that seems to fit accurately. He’s collaborated with many different people from the pop artist, John Meyer to the rapper, Jay-Z. Frank Ocean has talent for writing songs; he’s written songs for John Legend and even Justin Bieber. His mix tape Nostalgia, Ultra became quite popular from songs such as the “Eighties-inflected” “Novacane” and “Swim Good.” There is 64 songs on the Lonny Breaux Collection mix tape. Some of my favorite songs on the mix tape are, “Miss You So,” “If I’m in Love,” and “Can’t Be the Last Time.” They have more of a romantic R&B ambience. His newest album, Channel Orange came out on July 10th of 2012. As a fan myself, I could say it didn’t disappoint. However, I was expecting something a bit different from him. A popular song on the album is “Cleopatra.” The song references a woman, who is most likely a stripper as Cleopatra. An example of this would be the clever line, “tonight, she’s working at the pyramid.” In another song off the album, “Bad Religion,” the lyrics are “I could never make him love me.” There was a bit of controversy after the artist came out to the public. It was slightly a big deal to come out in the hip hop community, but Frank Ocean has appeared to have been given more respect for it. Some people say Frank Ocean is similar to The Weeknd, Drake, Big Sean, and Childish Gambino. I see similarities, but all of those artists are definitely different from one another. When comparing these artists directly to Frank Ocean, Drake is more hip hop, while The Weeknd is more of a sleazy type of R&B. All in all, Frank Ocean has a unique sound just like most talented artists do. I agree with the critic “Each song, each detail, can mean so much, but it's really an album that, like a human being, is best viewed as a whole.” His album is best viewed as a whole because in away, that’s how it tells a story of Channel Orange. I highly recommend checking out his album.

Guest Blogger: Cody S2

Blog #2 The music group I chose for this blog is Staind which is a hard rock group. The feel for his songs are very emotional because of the bad things that happened in their lives. In comparison with other groups like creed, they both share something in common; both have lyrics that tie into their lives. The contrast to other artists is that their lyrics have meaning to them unlike others where they just make it up as they go which sometimes makes the song bad. Two songs that I think were memorable were 1. It’s Been Awhile and this song makes it memorable is that this song was a song that I listen to all the time as a kid. The most memorable lyrics of this song went “And it’s been awhile since I could hold my head up high and it’s been awhile since I first saw you and it’s been awhile since I could stand on my own two feet again and it’s been awhile since I could call you. The other song is called Outside and the lyrics that are memorable went All the times that I cried All this wastin It’s all inside And I feel all this pain Stuffed it down It’s back again And I lie here in bed All alone I can’t mend but I feel Tomorrow will be okay. All critics say Staind is really good and all there albums are the best. Overall in my opinion Staind is a really good band because of how there lyrics are really good and Staind has been one of my all-time rock groups of when I was a kid and is still a favorite today. I would highly recommend you either buy their albums or listen to their songs on YouTube I promise you will like this band

Guest Blogger: Tony L2

My singer is Sam Sparro. Five generations of Sparro's family are musicians. He got his name from a radio man. The reason I love this artist music is because he’s got the good funk sound. He’s a really good r&b, soul, funk, and pop. His voice is said to have that soulful power. And his music’s deep. You usually listen to him if you’re in love. He is more than worth going out and spending 19$ for a cd. He’s from New York and is very heavy into fashion. I think his most famous song is black and gold. But his song that makes me laugh so hard is probably American boy. Cause he’s gay and doesn’t hold it back in the song. Here’s the first verse in black and gold “if the fish swam out of the ocean, and grew legs and they started walking, and the apes climbed down from the trees, and grew tall and they started talking, and the stars fell out of the sky, and my tears rolled into the ocean, now I’m looking for a reason why, you even set my world into motion, 'cause if you're not really here, then the stars don't even matter, now I’m filled to the top with fear, but it's all just a bunch of matter, 'cause if you're not really here, then I don't want to be either, I wanna be next to you, black and gold. If you see he’s a clever lyricist. He’s talking about loving someone breaking up and his world crumbling without his man. He doesn’t say man but he’s “strictly *****”. His father was a minister so he’d always sing. Critics say he’s got actual talent and I very much agree. If he’d come to Rochester I would buy a ticket get his CD and jump on stage for his autograph. Sam Sparro is beyond worth 2 hours of pay check. His cd would entertain you for days.

Guest Blogger: Jamie H2

Taylor Swift is a musical icon in today’s world. She is a big star with her mix of music genres of country and pop. She has the southern feel of country music but she also has the catchy feel of pop music. She is played on both types of radio stations because she is such a hybrid. If I were to compare Taylor to another artist I would have to pick Miley Cyrus. They both provide the same kind of feel between the mix of country and pop. The feel of her songs is quite emotional. She often sings about her break ups with the feel that she is getting over the guy. She often gets a lot of beef from critics because a vast majority of her songs are about her breaking up with her boyfriend. I feel that this is a poor thing for a critic to say because it’s obviously what her fans want to here. Taylor’s brand new album Red sold over one million copies in the first week. This is her second album to sell that much in the first week. In one of her newer songs called “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” she talks a lot about her break up. She uses lyrics that say “I’ve had enough” and “This is exhausting” which show how her songs really are about break ups. Overall I think Taylor Swift is a great artist. I personally am not the biggest fan of her music just because it is not my type of music. However, she is an inspiration to all of her fans, and she has got a lot of them so I think she deserves to be respected even though she does not get it from a lot of the critics out there.

Guest Blogger: Kyle W1

Even though at first glance, the music producer Deadmau5 might seem like any random person that dances around on a stage wearing a giant mouse head. But underneath the helmet is one of the world’s greatest electronic house producers. Electro house is widely known as a form of music that uses computers to create beats that are easy to dance to. This makes his songs seem to flow together on an album. One album where this is noticeable is on his newest one >Album Title Goes Here< which came out September 25, 2012. Specific songs like “There Might be Some Coffee” and “The Veldt” are perfect examples of this albums flow. Because of the slower tempo of “There Might be Some Coffee” it really comes to a good contrast with the hard beats of “The Veldt”. In comparison to Deadmau5, the fairly new producer Avicii and his song “Levels” are another very popular electro house genre. Both producers have large fan bases because songs like “There Might be Some Coffee” and “Levels” due to their trance inducing sound. Most songs in house music only have a couple lyrics if they even have any at all. This makes the words that are said memorable for their importance in the song. When the words “Ripping through like a missile” are said in Deadmau5’s song “Raise Your Weapon”, it reminds everyone that their actions affect all of the people they are in contact with. Critics say that >Album Title Goes Here< is a fairly significant advancement Deadmau5’s career. Because of how he “Introduced new elements from pop music” says writers for Billboard magazine “It fits well in his image”. I agree with their complements for Deadmau5 also think that using singers form semi popular bands is a great way to become more noticed. Overall not only is >Album Title Goes Here< worth the money for the people who buy it, but many other’s from Deadmau5.

Guest Blogger: Jillian M1

Throughout the album House of Balloons, The Weekend, using his silky smooth R&B voice blew artist, Frank Ocean, out of the water. "You don't know what's in store, but you know what you're here for." Immediately, the stage was set for a sultry slow jam album, and with slow distorted beats, it makes for a hypnotic and intoxicating effect. The Weekend’s vocals, intermixed with heartache, tragedy and relationship misfortune, House of Balloons was produced with such emotional honesty and rawness that the listener can’t help but be swayed by the music. In my personal favorite, “Wicked Games”, The Weekend brilliantly amplifies emotions of tragic pain, defeat, and desperation. With the haunting lyrics, “Bring your love, baby, I can bring my shame/Bring the *****, baby, I can bring my pain/I’ve got my heart right here/I’ve got my scars right here,” Abel showcased his disturbing and brutally raw lyrics. In his review giving the album an 8.5, Joe Colly perfectly describes what makes House of Balloons so original and intoxicating, “What makes this whole thing work in an album context is that all the thematic and sonic pieces fit together-- these weird, morning-after tales of lust, hurt, and over-indulgence … are matched by this incredibly lush, downcast music. It's hard to think of a record since probably the xx's debut … that so fully embodies such a specific nocturnal quality. And even though the image of nightlife painted by the Weeknd isn't a place you'd ever want to live, it's one that's frankly very hard to stop listening to.” (Colly, Pitchfork.com). Rolling Stone also gave a worthy 4 star review of House of Balloons commenting, “It can all be disturbingly raw…The wormy hooks and earnest falsettos suggest the possibility of ginormous hits…” In my overall opinion, with the awesome beats that are not lacking meaningful lyrics, House of Balloons is absolutely brilliant and worth every cent, a mix of R&B/Indie album like none I have never heard. In every song, there is at least one thing the listener can relate to and empathize with. I have no doubt that The Weekend has even further enormous potential in the future.

Guest Blogger: Austin R1

When I first heard Cruise by Florida Georgia Line it instantly became my favorite song. It hooked so fast and I couldn’t get the song out of my head. The song is so catchy and I learned the words very quickly. I’m a big country song guy and I love this song it makes me feel happy and excited. When I hear this song come on the radio I start singing along like I’m at their concert. The difference about Florida Georgia Line then other country singers well some is that a lot of them are sad or just kind of boring. Don’t get me wrong I like other country singers but Florida Georgia Line just makes country music the way it is supposed to be fun. The most catchy part and most memorable part of any of their songs has to be the Start of the song Cruise “ Baby you’re a song that makes me want to roll my windows down and cruise”. One music Review I read about Florida Georgia Line is on tasteofcountry.com by Bill Dukes. Everything Bill Dukes said about Florida Georgia Line is ten times better than all the good stuff I just said. He said that it’s a new beginning to country music with his catchy lyrics and his raspy voice. I couldn’t agree more with Bill. If anyone asked for my opinion on Florida Georgia Line about anything such as a concert, or a CD, anything. I would say YES. Even if you don’t like country music listening to this group sing would change your whole view on country music. It makes you feel alive it makes you want to go for a long car ride with your windows down and blare country music tell you can’t drive anymore. The group knows how to entertain their audience and let me tell you what they do it really good.

Guest Blogger: Mitch M1

Blake Shelton has been a country artist for many years now. Of course many years ago he used to be the type of country singer that would sing about the “sticks” and being “country”. But the current Blake Shelton sings more about his love life and how to properly treat the ones you love. The emotions that are evokes in his songs can vary from song to song. You could be listening to “Hillbilly Bone” where in the song he sings that everyone has a country side to them and it make you want to go out and party. Or you could be listening to “Who are you when I’m not looking” which he is wondering if the girl he loves is the same girl he sees even when he is not around, which kind of has a love tempo to it. The songs of Blake Shelton relate very similarly to other artists who seemed to have lived the same past life of Blake and in Brantley Gilbert, Trace Adkins, and Craig Morgan. They all will sing about how they work hard during the day and will go out partying at night and celebrate being off work with a cold one. “Hillbilly Bone” and “Who are you when I’m not looking” are two of Blake’s most known songs due to the fact that “Hillbilly Bone” is a song that you would play at a party or sitting around a bonfire or just cruising around in your pick-em-up truck. The critics’ are saying that Blake Shelton has the best voice in country and he is climbing the billboard to #1 which I personally agree with because I believe that Blake has been dedicating himself to his music and he deserves those titles more than any others in the country music industry. Blake Shelton is somebody that I would greatly recommend going out and purchasing his albums because you will not be let down.

Guest Blogger: Shelby G1

When it comes to music, pop and country is what I love listening too. Taylor Alison Swift is a successful pop star. Taylor Swift was born December 13, 1989, In Wyomissing, PA. She earned the name The Princess of Popin in 2008 after selling over six million copies of her first and second album. Taylor has put a lot of thought and sometimes even emotion into her song. She isn’t the type of artist that will write about her own life daily experiences and bad love problems. She also likes to bring her friends into her music. For example, when Joe Jonas and her broke up, she wrote a song about her break up with him and what she was going through without him, which wasn’t always a negative things. There are many different thoughts about Taylor Swift. In the article “Are you Surprised Taylor Swift Is Music’s Highest Earner?” I disagree with comment made by Jill Anderson who said “I don’t care for her singing but obviously millions of other like her. To each their own”. I disagree with this because I think her music is fabulous! She has many different meanings to each song with different rhymes and beats to it. She makes songs from her break ups, to songs of her having a good time with her friends. Taylor Swift’s music makes people want to listen to it over and over again and sometimes get out of there seat to dance and sing to it. I think it is really worth people spending their time to listen to her music. Also if you are looking for a good CD to buy I recommend Taylor Swifts CDs. I love all her CDs and always will. If you do buy a album of hers, you will find a new love to music. Taylor Swift is my favorite pop/country singer.

Guest Blogger: Caleb T1

Kottonmouth kings a hip hop group started back in the early 90s they became main stream in 1998 with their debut album ‘Royal Highness’. They had their first major hit ‘Bump’ in the UK on September 25, 1999. The song ‘Bump’ is an upbeat song along with the rest of their music which is upbeat, about living free and freeing your mind. Their music is inspirational amongst the younger generation they are anti-government and believe there should be a change. One of there more memorable songs is ‘Cruzin’ it talks about being free in the California sun have a good time with friends and being free. The group is different from others they are up beat have a fast flow, lots of bass and do a lot of types of music in the songs, such as hip hop, rock, dubstep and others. In my personal opinion they are well worth every dollar spent on their albums and concerts.

Guest Blogger: Dina B1

When it comes to music, my favorite genre would be rap or hip hop. My favorite rapper would be Drake. Drake has lyrics that have meaning to it and that people can relate to. He makes songs that relate to a lot of different problems. If I am feeling upset, I play some drake, and it usual cheers me up. If I am going through relationship problems, he has songs for me. If I just want to dance or mess around he also has songs for that mood. A lot of people would agree that Drake is one of the best rappers. One of my favorite songs by Drake would be “The Resistance”. He raps about his friends and family changing as time goes on. He raps about missing the past and to always have your head up and follow your dream no matter whom or what brings you down. “The Resistance” comes from the 2010 album Thank Me Later. Other songs that I enjoy listening to from that album would be, “Over”,” Shut it down”,” Show Me a Good Time”, “Miss Me”, and “Up All Night”. My all-time favorite album by Drake is Take Care, because the first song I ever heard by Drake that I fell in love with was from that album. According to reviews, many people would rate the Take Care album 3 stars. According to Rolling Stones, they rated the album as 4 stars. I personally would rate the album 5 stars because of songs that actually help me out through hard times I go through. Many people would say that Lil Wayne or 2 Chainz are better rappers but I disagree because their lyrics are random and have no meaning to them. When people tell me that Drake sucks, I learn to laugh and ignore because I know eventually they will be listening to a song by him and enjoying it. Drake over everything.

Guest Blogger: David K1

One band I have always followed is Avenged Sevenfold. I have every song they have ever released, and I couldn’t pick a favorite. The Metal band released their latest album, in 2010. Off their latest album Nightmare, comes a song called “So Far Away.” The song, ad he entire album create a feeling of sadness, as the band mourns the loss of drummer James Sullivan (aka The Rev) to an accidental overdose. Nightmare is the bands fifth album. The drummer/songwriter’s voice and piano can be heard in the song “Fiction,” also on the album. “So Far Away” is a powerful ballad, changing pace a few times, but never losing sight of how much the band misses the legendary drummer. The lyrics “Plans of what our futures hold/Foolish lies of growing old/It seems we're so invincible/The truth is so cold” Show that the band wasn’t ready for him to go, especially in such a tragic way. They were in the process of recording the album when The Rev died. Many of the lyrics were rewritten, and songs changed entirely. “God Hates Us” was most likely a first reaction to finding out, “So Far Away,” a question of how to move on, and the non-album track “4:00 Am,” brings across a last tribute, and that the band will live on, and continue. Avenged Sevenfold is very hard to compare to other bands because of the singer’s voice and the band’s style. The heavy side of the band was influenced by Pantera, hence the band’s cover of the world famous Pantera song “Walk.” The softer side of Avenged Sevenfold is comparable to something more like Metallica, soft, but still heavy at the roots. Most heavy metal critics agree that the band is hugely successful, stealing the show wherever they travel, selling out every concert they play, even headlining the biggest Rock-N-Roll bash ever created, Rockfest. When people ask me to recommend a good metal band, I always say Avenged Sevenfold.

Guest Blogger: Lane S1

If you have never listened to Seether before, you may notice dark lyrics and heavy feel in the music. Seether which is one of my favorite bands is an alternative rock band. They’re from South Africa and came out to the U.S in 2002. Their original name was Saron gas back before they moved to U.S. Lead singer Shaun Morgan, guitarist Dale Stewart, and drummer John Humphrey have created a sound similar to three day grace and Nirvana. They play Grunge type style music with a heavy message. They have come out with some popular albums such as Disclaimer and Karma and Effect. “Remedy” one of their most popular songs has a fast pace with a metal sound. Most of their songs are heavy style rock or slow quiet rock songs with a certain meaning behind it. Album Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces came out shortly after Shaun’s brother’s suicide. Leaving this album to be darker than the other ones released. It had subjects everywhere from suicide, relationships, and depression. Their newest album released in late 2010, Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray is more of the style from three day grace, going to the normal style of rock heard by most bands. On the album songs such as “Country Song” was a major hit, leaving them with awards and nominations. Some of the awards were Billboards charts active rock song of 2011, Canadian Hot 100 active rock song of 2011, and Mediabase No. 1 song of the year. They were nominated for Revolver Golden Gods Awards best live band. This proved that Seether could still produce popular music. With the falling of rock popularity, Seether will forever have a mark on alternative rock. This is why the dark sound of Seether will always have a spot on my playlist.

Guest Blogger: Ryan H1

Maroon 5 is a music group consisting of 5 members that play pop music. They are one of the best pop bands out right now. Maroon 5 has a very upbeat and fun feel. You feel like you can sing right along with all of their songs. When listening to Maroon 5 happy emotions are evoked and it makes you want to sing yourself. Maroon 5 is a band that has its own kind of style and there’s not many groups that can match the sound of them. Some of their older music such as “She Will Be Loved” is a song that has had lots of positive attention and most everyone can identify that song right away. Another song by Maroon 5 that is very popular and easy to pin onto right to their band is “Payphone” with featured artist Wiz Khalifa. Maroon 5’s music is a type of music that is very catchy and easy to listen to. Some music by Maroon 5 that is particularly catchy is “One More Night”, that is very big on local radio stations and around the United States because this song has been on the Billboard Top 100 for the past 3 weeks and it doesn’t appear that it’s going to lose its position anytime soon. This song is very memorable because the song is so catchy you start singing right along with them because the chorus and beat are easy to catch on to making it a song everyone wants to sing. I don’t think there’s many if any critics out there that don’t like Maroon 5’s music making it easy to top the charts. I think that Maroon 5 is a band that has been around for a while and isn’t going to be leaving anytime in the future because of their recnt success with almost every song that they produce. Maroon 5 makes it so easy to listen to their music and most people can listen to it and enjoy it. I believe that if I were to go out and buy Maroon 5’s newest album it would definitely be worth the money and time because of all of their great music. I wouldn’t be surprised if they came out with another song in the near future that tops the charts as well.

Guest blogger: Chay T1

When I have the opportunity to talk about music, it is mostly about Chinese music. I like listening to Chinese songs since I have been brought up with this language. One Taiwanese girl band I really like is SHE, whose members are Selina, Hebe and Ella (that is their stage name.) and was chosen by HIM international music. Their albums are the combination of rock, hip hop and pop music. This band is really wonderful, and they have earned the fame by their different personalities and devotion on their careers. Their 6th album Encore which consists of a song “I love you” is one of my favorite, this song is so touching and meaningful. In addition to the song meaning, the MV is a film and watching it produces sad emotions due to the fact that is based on a real story of a couple who were apart from each other during the civil war in China. Both the lyrics and MV really go hand in hand and best express the theme of the song. Most of their songs focus on relationships, which basically creates different feelings based upon the songs’ meaning. Moreover, their songs are perfectly expressed; the songs reveal the emotions of sadness and happiness, which make them my idol. However, there are also some other groups like Twins (Hong Kong). Twins ‘music also targets young adult s much like SHE does. Both groups are compared with how they perform by their supporters. Mostly, both group’s songs are the same, but we as the fans can tell the difference in how they sing, I mean how they distribute the feelings throughout the songs. One of the members of the groups , Hebe, debut her first album To Hebe, “love” is one of the best tracks because of the lyric “I love you, you love him, he loves her, she loves her, what is going around the world? Everyone loves others, but we do not know how to love ourselves.” The most memorable song to me is called “love” since it is really the truth that some people only know how to love others and don’t know how special and unique they are. Another reason I like the song is because I think that everyone should know their value or love themselves first before they love others. Hebe, releases her new album My Love. I would say I agree with the critic about her latest album, My Love, the songs are so beautiful and unique, especially her vocal varieties and expression. In my opinion, I would recommend their songs to everyone because their songs are just fabulous, and their music is like a magic that could calm and relax you, and especially they are just so different from others singer in the music industry.

Guest Blogger: Kelly C1

Kendrick Lamar was born in Compton, California. When he was eight, in 1995, Lamar watched his idols, Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre film the music video for their hit single "California Love," a very significant moment in Lamar's music career life. Kendrick Lamar likes to compare himself to Tupac Shakur. But Tupac wasn’t from Los Angeles and didn’t know his father growing up. By the time Tupac was 23; he had already been shot multiple times and begun serving a prison sentence. Lamar, on the other hand, was born and raised in Compton. His parents are still married. He’s 23, and so far he has dodged bullets that dart through what he calls his “mad city.”. Lamar is classified as a Hip-hop artist. His song and lyrics fit the genres because of the emotional/upbeat feel to his songs. Lamar most recent album Good kid, M.A.A.D. city exceeds the unique anticipation with its convincing, well-spoken storytelling, which describes a reflection of the strict reality that was Kendrick's childhood while living in Compton in the 90s. The album reveals secrets of his family and friends that intertwined within the overall album release to showcase the impact, from pain to beauty that those around him. Lamar has a unique style to his music. Compared to other songs that I have listened to his songs are more touching and actually have a meaning to them. Those are the songs that attract me to an artist; one that I can relate too. One song that has a deep meaning is “Poetic Justice” a line in the song caught my ears was “If I told you that a flower bloomed in a dark room, would you trust it?”. That line in the song is stating if you would trust anyone under any circumstance. I agree with the critics because of all they’re positive comments they are stating about Lamar. One of the critics by the name of Kartik left a deep and positive review “One of the best hip-hop Album released in recent years truly a CLASSIC!! Ladies and Gentlemen it is history in making.” My overall opinion about Kendrick Lamar and his new album is tremendous, it is worth your time and money if you want to listen to a deep and real hip-hop artist that tells his story through his new album Good kid, M.A.A.D. city.

Guest Blogger: Jason G1

The Killers are a modern rock group that managed to become one of the last famous artists of the rock era. Their songs always manage to have a rock tune but also usually have a story to them making them one of a kind and memorable. The power that gives their music emotion is that their stories are about relationships and their thoughts about those relationships. One of their newer songs from the album Battle Born, Runaways, is about their relationship with someone and how nothing has changed. You can understand when you read the lyrics “She says she might just runaway somewhere else, some place good” nothing has changed because no matter what, getting married or having a kid they are always going to talk about how they could just runaway. Their response to this situation is that they have always tried to keep themselves from doing so because he doesn’t want her to run away from him. The song Runaways is also a little bit different of a rhythm for The Killers; it reminds many people about U2’s rock music, something that would be great for large concerts. This isn’t their only popular song either, and it’s definitely not there most popular, they have so many great songs that when you listen to all have the Killers vibe. Most people and critics, because critics aren’t people, agree that The Killers are one of the best rock groups still around and are proving that they can still be popular even with the evolution in music. The Killers are defiantly worth listening to and if you don’t like one song try another, they start to grow on you as you begin to understand and admire their creative twist on the rock music style.

Guest Blogger: Haley L1

One of my favorite country singers is Blake Shelton. Born in June 18, 1976 in Ada, Oklahoma, Blake started playing music at an early age, at age ten he learned how to play the guitar and by age 15 he had written his first song. Then at age 17 he moved to Nashville Tennessee to pursue his singing career. Blake is a country singer and many of his songs show how he feels and real life situations. In his song “God gave me you,” he talks about how lucky he is to have a girl that cares so much and she is what he’s been looking for. In May of 2011 Blake married Miranda Lambert. His song “God gave me you,” was aimed at her and she was in the music video. They were recently on the cover of People magazine. Blake has also been nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Single of the Year: God Gave Me You, Song of the Year: God Gave Me You - Dave Barnes, Song of the Year: Over You – Blake Shelton. He is also up for nominations like Album of the year (Red river blue) and music video of the year (God gave me you). Blake is also a huge role in the show “The Voice.” The voice is a show that people compete and try the win at the end and get a record label. There are four judges and Blake is one of them. Blake is one of the most popular I would say on this show because he has won a lot of Grammy awards. He makes sure to be honest to all the competitors. Blake has been working on a new Christmas album called “Cheers, It’s Christmas.” Blake’s music is such an inspiration to many people and I am definitely one of them. Haley L.

Guest Blogger: Evan P1

Memphis May Fire is a metal or post-hardcore band that is known for their songs getting progressively heavier as they release new albums. They started out as a band closer to rock or alternative and began incorporating screams and more melodic, aggressive guitar work in their albums with “Sleepwalking” in 2008 and “The Hollow” in 2010. They recently released their album “The Challenger” adding more energy and electronic sounds to their songs, as well as getting heavier throughout the album. Their music and lyrics have invoked great emotion, whether it’s anger towards people not necessarily mentioned in the songs, like in “Prove Me Right” on The Challenger, “Where were you when they had no faith in us? Where were you when they shut us out? It's funny you show up now & if it fell apart I know that you'd be nowhere to be found.” They also show feelings in general about the world and their own feelings on it, such as in ‘Generation: HATE” speaking about the current generation: “Could it be this is just an escape from all your insecurities? Could it be you're deepest secret is you wish that you were me? Tell me what is it with this love to hate?” Memphis May Fire have been compared to bands such as Of Mice and Men and Underoath, bands that make similar music that is heavy but incorporates regular rock sound and electronic, modern metal sounds. They are differentiated by the fact that they’re heavier and incorporate more screaming or breakdowns than bands in a similar metalcore genre. One critic gave “The Challenger” a 7.5/10, another gave it a 4/5. I happen to agree more with the 4/5, I personally liked this album a lot, I might even go to 8.5 or 9/10. Both also mentioned that their older albums were much worse and not nearly as enjoyable, however I enjoyed “The Hollow” and “Sleepwalking” very much, along with “The Challenger” and disagree with their ratings of the other albums. The older sound of them when they weren’t as heavy is just as enjoyable as their current, more energetic album. In my opinion, any of the albums previously mentioned are absolutely worth the money and time spent listening. They provide a good insight into their lives with the lyrics in the songs and entertaining music that can pump you up but also work for just listening anytime.

Guest Blogger: Devin P1

A good band that people like is Linkin Park. In the band they play a couple of different kind of music like rock, rap, alternative metal, nu metal, and couple of other things. With some of the songs that they play they bring in a couple of rappers in their song and we would enjoy that song if it had a rapper that everyone likes. In other song they play songs with just themselves sand are great even though they don’t have any special guess along with them. I know that there is some singers and band that have good songs but I think that Linkin Park has some greater song than any other people. But with their songs they even have some bad songs that don’t make any sense to me but who cares they are still a great band to me. One of the songs that are good is “New Divide” because it speaks to me with its Lyrics and their music. Even though “New divide” is a good song they music video doesn’t make any sense to me. With their music video they put the song in “Transformers 2” their video makes me know a little bit of their song but it still doesn’t make any sense to me. Another song is “Burn it down” this song also speaks with the same thing with “New divide” their music video is better than “new divide”. I mostly agree with the critics’ decision because they mostly have the same thing that I do, they agree with the songs that I enjoy and they hate the songs that I don’t like. I think it’s mostly worth our time to go see them but it all depends on what they are going to play for the. With the money I think you should still save your money for something important but it is great to go see them.

Guest Blogger: Cody S1

The band I chose was Creed which is a hard rock band. The feel for their songs is happy because it represents the good things that happened to their lives. In comparison to other well know singers like rise against, bowling for soup and hoobastank is that their all really good bands and their music has played on the radio back in the early 2000 and all had really memorable songs but one thing that is different from the rest is that creed uses their christen believes and puts them into their lyrics. Two songs that were really memorable were 1. With arms wide open is because this was one of the first songs I have listened to when I was a kid and really loved the song because the song had meaning to it. The song is about him becoming a father. 2. Can you take me higher that was one of the best songs of when I was a kid and always liked listing to it on the radio. I agree with other critics with creed being one of the all-time best bands of the 20th and 21st century. In my opinion creed is a really good band and always will be and the reason is that they had really good songs and will always be memorable. Also some people think creed is the worst bands that has ever existence but really that’s not true, creed has always been a really good band that has delivered albums that won so many award and music today are not really good and I wish some of the songs would go back to the early 2000 when you listened to the radio for several hours a day. Is it worth the money? Yes because this band has been part of my childhood and still listen to their music today so I would highly recommend either buying some of their albums or just listen to some of their songs on YouTube you will really like it.

Guest Blogger: Allyson S1

When someone asks me who my favorite artists there is one name that pops into my head, Taylor Swift. Why I like here is because of the way she mixes between pop and country. How she mixes pop with country is that a few songs on her albums will sound a lot like a pop song that you can hear on the radio and then she has a few country-er sounding songs. She even has mixed both genres before in a song. A good example of this would have to be “We are never ever getting back together” of her new album Red. In the song “We are never ever getting back together” the emotions that you can hear in the song are happy because it’s over and that there are no being together and then not, anger because of who ever this guy was talking to his friends about the relationship, from his friends talking to her friends who in the end talk to her, and the last emotion that the song has is some sadness to it because of how much the relationship changed and that it dragged on for how long it did. There is a difference between Taylor Swift and Psy. Psy song “Gangnam style” is a song you dance to. It has an upbeat tempo and high energy. An artist that is like Taylor Swift is Carrie Underwood. How these two are similar are that there songs are songs that you can relate to, both are country stars, they have the strong emotions in their songs.I would have to agree with Andrew Hampp and Jason Lipshutz in their article “Taylor Swift, ‘Red’: Track-to-track review” when they say that “Red puts Swift the artist front and center with big, beefy hooks that transcend her country roots for a genre-spanning record”. This album really does show that she has many different styles she can do. My overall opinion about Taylor Swift and her new album Red is that it is a great album! Why I say that is because there are songs that you can connect to. Whether is a bark up, crush, friends, and life. Allyson S.

Guest Blogger: Alex B1

With seven million records sold, and ten number one hits under his belt it’s easy to say Jason Aldean is one of country music’s biggest stars! One reason this man has been so successful is because of his ability to have more than one sound or feel in his music. In his recently dropped album Night Train, there is a variety of music. He has songs like “Take a little ride” Which is an upbeat, fast pace songs which is prefect to listen to when riding around town with some buddy’s. Then he has songs like “I Don't Do Lonely Well” which is a soft lyrical song about love loss. Jason Aldean and another upcoming country artist named Eric Church are very similar artists. They’re both very talented and excess with upbeat high tempo songs like Jason Aldeans “My kind of party” and Eric Churches “Drink in my hand”. Both of these artists are upcoming and very popular. Jason aldean is not so like a country artist named Taylor Swift. The differences between these two are Taylor is famous for sappy love songs, and Jason is not. Both Jason and Taylor just released albums within a few days of each other; I’m very interested to see whose does better. Two songs I really like by Jason Aldean are “Dirt road Anthem”, and “Big green tractor”. The song “Dirt road Anthem” sticks out in my head as one of my favorite songs because Jason does something different in this song that no other country artist has ever attempted to do. Throughout the whole song Jason raps country style, and even features famous rap star Ludacris. My other favorite song by Jason is “Big Green Tractor”. I like this song because this was the first ever song I heard by him. It was the song that really made him famous. I like its soft catchy tune and still could sing almost every word to this day! Jason Aldean has sold over seven million records sold, ten number one songs, and forty record setting sold out concerts on his latest tour. I think this says enough on whether people think he’s a good artist or not. My overall opinion is Jason Aldean is one of the best and most deserving country singer out there right now. In any interview you’ll read all it talks about is his hunger to succeed and work as hard he works to reach that success he looks for. He is my favorite artist out right now and I think anyone you truly listen’s to him should and will love him too!!

Guest Blogger: Jamie H1

Mumford and Sons is a music group that is a rock group, but they put their very own style to it. They have banjos and brass and keep up beat for their songs. They feel of the music is upbeat. In the song The Cave there is a steady pace to the song which is very fun to listen to. They use violins in their songs in a fast pace motion in some so you feel energized as you listen. Also, the pitch of the lead singers’ voice makes you want to keep listening. This group is a tough group to compare to anyone group but I’d probably say they sound a lot like The Black Keys or solo singer Ray Lamontagne. In the song The Cave the lyrics talk about not letting you choke on the noose around your neck which is very graphic but it shows how they are looking out for you. This song is a great song especially when you watch the video of the group parading down the streets of Mexico after they gave their instruments to a mariachi band. I completely agree with the critics of this group. They all seem to say that they are a great group, which they are and their album sales prove it. Their new album Babel went platinum which is a huge accomplishment for a music group. The reviews of this group are up there with top notch singers such as Pink and U2. I feel like this group is very good and great to listen to. I would strongly advise any listeners of music to start listening to Mumford and Sons. It is definitely a wise choice to invest the money in their new album Babel which is expected to sell 600000 copies.

Guest blogger: Xavier R1

In 1988, with the double-platinum album Straight Outta Compton, N.W.A brought gangsta rap into the mainstream. The record was among the first to give an insider's perspective of the violence and brutality of gang infested South Central L.A. with songs like "F*** tha Police" and "Gangsta Gangsta" witch have the loud noise of sirens and gunshot sounds, it also foreshadowed the 1992 L.A. riots. In 1986, O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson, who was more interested in music and books than in gangs met Andre "Dr. Dre" Young, who shared Cube's passion for writing rap songs. The two started writing for Eric "Eazy-E" Wright, a former drug dealer who started Ruthless Records with his profits. Eazy needed material for a group he'd signed to the label, HBO. When HBO rejected Cube and Dre's song "Boyz-n-the-Hood," about the South Central town of Compton, Eazy-E decided to record the song himself and the three started working together as N****z With Attitude (N.W.A). The critics of NWA have said that they are a bad influence to their audience and promote violence and the resist of authority. I would agree and disagree with these statements. They do talk about violence in their songs which may give the impression that it is cool or that it solves problems, but in all the interviews with the members they will say that they never wanted to promote violence among their listeners they just wanted to let their fans into their own life. When you listen to an NWA song that’s exactly what you get the music is very real and paints a great picture in your mind. To me that is what music is all about it is to get you thinking and it’s a way to communicate how you feel. NWA does this better than any other artist out there to me and that is exactly why I think that it is well worth it to listen to their music even if you are not a fan of rap music. You get another prospective of what is going on in the world other then the media telling you that there is a bunch of hostile people on the west coast that are disrespecting authority.

Guest Blogger: Taylor T1

Mumford and Sons is an interesting band to come by. The band makes-up their own strange genre of music that still intrigues many. Mumford & Sons is inspired by folk, rock, country, and blue grass. They take all of these genres and combine them into one. The band originated out of London, and started playing together in 2007. They were all playing with other bands at the time; they bonded over their love of music. Mumford & Sons soon after become a part of London’s underground folk scene, which included acts like Noah and the Whale. The band really shows so much emotion through their music. They express this emotion by using strange instruments such as banjos. Both England and the United States hold high expectations for the band as its brand new album “Babel” was released earlier this year. Their songs on this album assert themselves with so much energy, liveliness, and oomph. Mumford and Sons uses incredible fingerpicking and harmonies. It’s almost as if they draw you in. Every song is just like a story. They start out smooth and quiet, then build and build up the anticipation until it peaks. It really takes you for an incredible ride. You can feel the darkness and emotion in every single song. With lyrics like, “Weep for yourself my man you'll never be what is in your heart, weep little Lion man you're not as brave as you were at the start.” And “It's empty in the valley of your heart, the sun it rises slowly as u walk, away from all the fears and faults you've left behind...” from just two of their songs, one can just read the passion off of the page. Whether it is because they distract you with their amazing talent that is not like anything else you have ever heard or that the lyrics really speak to you, this band will be sure to turn your bad day around.

Guest Blogger: Sam W1

Maroon 5’s genre of music would be a pop group. They first got together in the late nineties. They were first recognized as a L.A. grunge group. They all became signed as a group while they were still attending high school. The group that they signed to was Reprise. Their first album was poor selling. They then broke up while they attended college, but after they graduated they reunited and called themselves Maroon 5.They chose this name because it reflected their music as a poppier, more R&B group. They also added a new member to their group named James Valentine as a guitar player. The fell that Maroon 5 brings is an upbeat side of music. Most of their songs are surrounded by love or heart break. One of my favorite songs by Maroon 5 is Payphone. This song is about a guy who is trying to get back together with an old girlfriend after they broke up and he notices how hard it is to move on from her and that it’s all her fault on why they broke up. Basically breaking his heart but he then has to move on from her. Another one of their songs that I like is their newest song that is number one on billboard.com which is One More Night. This was released on June 9, 2012. One More Night is about how he wants to go back in time and spend one last night with this girl before everything between them fell apart. Both of these songs are familiar in the fact that they are both about love and wanting one more last chance with a special girl. Some differences in these songs though is that one time the reason why they ended up like this was her fault and the other time is was the guys fault. “ One more *** love song I’ll be sick, Now I’m at a payphone” these lyrics are memorable because its key to the song in that he is over this girl and doesn’t want to hear anything else about love for a while. I believe that their music is worth the money.

Guest Blogger: Marriah M1

The first time I heard the song “Wanted” I was at my friend’s house and she loved it. We had it on replay for over an hour and right when I got home that day I went to research who sang the song and if there were any other songs he sang. Of course I found out that the artist was Hunter Hayes and he had an entire album out called Hunter Hayes. Hunter is a country singer and after hearing his song it opened up my views to more country music. Now country music is my favorite! Right away I went to download all of his songs to my iPod so that I could listen to him all the time! The reason I loved Hunter’s songs right away because they are very relatable. Another reason that Hunter became so popular is because he is good looking which makes many girls want to see more from him. His song “Wanted” is just about every girls dream on how they would want and love to be treated like by a man, when he sings the words “I wanna wrap you up, wanna kiss your lips… I wanna call you mine, wanna hold your hand forever, never let you forget it.” The songs also have very catchy tunes, they make you want to sing along with the song and never stop. Hunter produced and played every instrument on his album and he is only 20 years old, he is very talented for being so young. People say that Hunter is like the country version of Justin Bieber but I think that Hunter has way more talent than Justin Bieber has. I’m not bashing Justin but I feel his songs are loved by a younger generation then Hunters and should not be compared. The way that I see it is that Hunter really cares about his fans and wants to make them feel what he is feeling when he sings the song, and I would say that he has done more then make that happen. When I’m driving in my car and his song comes on I can’t help but to turn it up and sing along.

Guest Blogger: Kelly P1

Lady Antebellum is an adult contemporary type of music. The band is classified as a country band, but is played on many stations, including pop stations. Most of the music leans towards the slow, relaxing music. For the more upbeat songs, it makes people feel happy and enthusiastic. I tend to listen to the slower songs at night, before I go to bed, or when I’m not in a hyped mood, and the music makes it seem like someone understands what I’m going through. “We Owned the Night,” in the album We Owned the Night is just one example of a song that makes people feel how they feel. When people listen to the song, memories are sure to pop up of being with a special someone. Emotions are translated quite easily through their music. Lady Antebellum is a unique group to me because they produce great harmony in the songs that flow with the instrumental music. Other country singers are always known for their deep, swing style. Not only country style, but others don’t focus on harmony as much as Lady Antebellum. Carrie Underwood is similar in the way that their music can be portrayed as country or pop. In the article, “The 2012 Grammys' Highs and Lows: Didn't We Almost Have It All” a writer described the band as a “milquetoast trio whose name sounds like a slavery-era, soft-core porn star is such a crucial musical force,” and didn’t understand why the band was winning awards year after year. First of all, the name has nothing to do with their musical abilities and they have been winning awards for a reason-because people like their music. Overall, I think it is worth anyone’s time to listen to their music. It doesn’t matter whether or not people hate country music, the music is made for everyone. Anyone can somehow relate to the music and enjoy it.

Guest Blogger: Joe L1

You may have been listening to music in your car and heard some of their songs on the radio and wondered who the group was that was singing that song. Well new on the music scene is the band Fun! For the longest time they were opening for bigger bands and weren’t that popular, they finally got their lime light when they released their album Some Nights which features their number one single We Are Young. Ever since then they have been all the buzz, but they still aren’t one of the big kids on the block. Their songs have just as many views or more than some of the more popular bands and artists, but their type of music doesn’t really fit in with everyone else in the pop industry, this is because the meaning of the song is often misinterpreted and understood wrong. When people hear the song they often think of it as telling about being young and reckless, but in actuality the song We Are Young expresses the war and how far our country has come and is an uplift for the people of America. The song promotes good vibes and confidence in our country and a strengthening our economy which needs to happen soon. The songs mainly appeals to the younger generation of kids and young adults, but if the older people of America understood the meaning of the song they would like it too. Not only myself but other music critics think that the band Fun. is here and are going to stay for a long time. Their music is definitely worth looking into and purchasing. I myself have a few of their songs and I think you should invest in some of their music to. Overall, the band Fun. is a really good band and their song We Are Young has a great meaning to it.

Guest Blogger: David P1

Taylor Swift is probably one of the best country music and pop artist singer out there since the 21st century has started. Taylor Swift has many albums and probably more to come. The emotion she gives in this particular album RED that has sixteen new songs that goes from Country to pop, dance, and also dubstep which gives off a strong feel of what she is feeling and that she is different from one another. When she reaches out to her fans who love her music she wants them to feel the music and to understand the emotions she is evoking us too. For example in the song she has from the album RED there is a song called “Never Ever Getting Back Together Again” which goes out to her fans that you do not need a spouse to be happy and we don’t need to get back together because you have done a mistake. These break up songs she has created were meant to make us happy and boost up our confidence instead of being sad and mad about what has happened to our relationship. Taylor Swifts music is more different than a lot of artist out there like for example Brad Paisley, Lady Antebellum, and lastly Keith Urban. She is different from all of these artists that I have listed because she sings and expresses much different kind of genres of music; like I said earlier Country to pop, dance, and also dubstep. Unlike Taylor the other artists are mostly sticking to their country music. You can that Taylor has talent. The song “Fifteen” has a memorable lyric“ in your life you’ll do things greater dating the boy of the football team/ But I didn’t know it at fifteen” this lyric I shared with you expresses how it feels to be a teen in a way we could never capture. In a review I have recently ready they say she tries to process life with a song. In all honesty I agree with that opinion, and that’s not a bad agreement because music is probably one of the best ways to express a person’s feelings and putting it into a song like her just makes it so much simpler to understand. Taylor swift is worth anybody’s time and money, her words inspire and we should listen to what she has to say because we could feel the same ourselves.

Guest Blogger: Darrian M1

The band Champs are a classic American rock and roll band. They are mostly famous for their Latin instruments. Their most famous song is “Tequila.” “Tequila” is used in the movie Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, in this scene the song makes the dance movements more emphasized and gets the crowd into the mood to go along with Pee-Wee. The band Champs have a fast paced Latin feel with American lyrics and singers. Champs songs are very fast passed; the band is not a top hits band. Compared to Lil Wayne the champs are much larger in numbers, containing 8 members, whereas Lil Wayne does his music himself, helped by his producer to insert the background music under his lyrics. Lil Wayne also does not have a Latin sound, or feel; also about half of Lil Wayne’s songs are slow compared to Champs’s very few slow songs. Champs do not have most verses rime whereas Lil Wayne has almost every verse rime and flow into the next verse. The song “Tequila” is very memorable, not only because it was used in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, but because it had the name of a drink that crazy bar goers liked. In the lyrics in the song the singer is talking about an experience he had with a girl. Critics loved that the band incorporated stringed instruments into the band. Their first single rocketed to the top of the standings within a day. The band sang about how normal situations can become an interesting experience, and that every moment counts. Even though this band did not do as great as some of the top 90s bands, this band poured their hearts into their music. In my opinion if The Camps would have signed with a larger record label they would be just as big as Lil Wayne, and other well-known music producers.

Guest Blogger: Austin G1

Taylor Swift is one of my favorite singers of all time. She mixes a little rock with pop country and she makes it sound great. She was born on December 13, 1989 in the small city of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. She moved to Nashville when she was fourteen because she wanted to pursue her country music career in Nashville. She signed as a country singer to Big Machine records. A lot of her songs are written in a slow pace. She often talks about love in her songs. Her songs often give a loving tone and are very relaxing. Taylor Swift has a completely different singing style than that of Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne typically has a fast pace beat and raps really fast during his songs. Taylor Swift typically has a soft tracks and sings slower with a softer voice. One of her most popular songs is “We are never ever getting back together”. This song appeared as her lead track in her album Red. This song is about how her and her boyfriend would date on and off, but now she has decided to never go out with him again. Another one of her famous songs is “Teardrops on my guitar”. This song is about her having a crush on a boy who already had a boyfriend. Love is one of her biggest inspirations you find in her songs. A lot of her critics love her and her songs. I completely agree with this. She has a wonderful singing voice and amazing lyrics to her songs. In my personal opinion I think everybody should go out and listen to her songs. She is one of the most talented your singers of our generation. She is a great country singer with a lot of awards already and many more to come.

Guest Blogger: Andrew L1

“Blood on the Dance Floor.” They are not a group for the youth to listen to. They sing songs about sex and having sex and that’s most of what they sing about. I find their music to have a great beat. They do try to make it sound a little bit different from just talking about sex thou. They wind up putting the weirdest of songs together and the lyrics are sometimes a bit tricky to listen to and to understand. The only reason I started listening to this is because of my ex. At first I found it kind of hard to listen to but as time went on I grew to love their music and now they are one of my favorite bands. The music’s beat tends to cheer me up if I’m in a depressed mood. I have really learned a lot after listening to them talk about why. They have been making music for 4 years now and they have gotten very good at what they do. They are not very popular thou and in wish this was not so. They are well known amongst teens that have a “troubled” life. The music does have a dark aura about it from what some people say. Most of the people in our school have no clue who they are or what type of music they make. The band has two lead people in it who are named Dahvie Vanity and Jayy Monroe. They are both Bisexual and they are currently dating. Dahvie is 26 and Jayy is 20. I would like for them to make a new music album soon. The last album they made was released more than two months ago and I have been able to memorize most of the songs on the CD so it gets kind of boring to listen to.

Guest Blogger: Alex L1

Chris Daughtry made it as a famous singer on American Idol. He sings mostly alternative rock songs. His songs seem to bring out a lot of emotions and feelings about life . The lyrics are simple and the rhymes are predictable, which means that there is a lot of emotion in his performances. Chris Daughtry knows how to show his vocal range really well. His voice seems gritty but also deep and emotional. His songs seem to be comparable to Lifehouse, 3 Doors Down, and Nickelback. He is on the other hand completely opposite from the sound of hard metal rap bands such as Metallica and Motley Crue. Daughtry has much more meaning to his songs and they all have good language in them. Some of his most popular songs are “Home” and “September”. “Home” talks about how he got what he always wanted but still missed his family so he is going home to the place where he belongs. He says to be careful what you wish for cause you just might get it all and then some things you don't want. He doesn't regret his choices but home is where his heart is. In the song “September”, he talks about someone he met over the summer and then had to say goodbye to her in September. there was no way to keep the love alive when they were so far apart, so they moved on. Each year when summer comes around, though, he remembers how perfect that one summer was and how it can never be just as it was. And although they couldn't stay together, he looks back to think about how things could have been and that everything turned out alright after all and he can officially move on from her now. One critic says that Daughtry still could learn that a sense of humor helps add depth to his music, or at least he could realize that rock & roll should be fun at least some of the time. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi http://music.msn.com/music/album-review/daughtry/daughtry.2/ Daughtry recently teamed up with “We Can Be Heroes” campaign to stop hunger in Africa. As part of the effort he recorded a version of their song “Rescue Me” and performed it for the first time at their concert in LA. Daughtry is big into many different causes and gives a lot of his money to charities. Most of the critics agree that Daughtry has good music with a lot of meaning and I agree with them as well. It is definitely worth the time and money to buy his CD and listen to his songs. They are easy for everyone to listen to and most people will like his music.