Music: *REVIEW* Solider of Love – Sade

2010 is seriously the year for great music right now. I cannot help but make reviews and comments towards some of these fantastic artists. And its only April!

I grew up listening to Sade. My mother is an avid fan of her work and the band and I own all of the albums. My first song I heard as a child was “Is it a Crime?” and that is still a song that I play on my IPod from time to time.

I was not expecting Sade to drop an album this year, really. I plan to review it because it is just so good that I would be crazy not to.

This song, however, if impressive. My goodness, since it’s the title track, I wasn’t expecting much but this song is cleaver and wonderful as hell.

The instrumentation is unbelievable and the lyrics are very quirky and simple, but convey the message perfectly. Video is even pretty amazing. She is a very beautiful lady and always has been. Her voice is just so smooth and sexy, that I can’t help but swoon when I hear her sing.

It follows so well with the rest of the album too. The album is great and it’s already sold over a million copies. That’s highly impressive.

I’m not sure if I’m gonna have any money left this year, really because there are so many artists coming out with music that I just have to buy them. This one from Sade was a very unexpected surprise, but I’m glad it appeared. I will always be a fan of her.

Music: *REVIEW* Window Seat – Erykah Badu

A lot can happen when school starts. You miss out on so much stuff, but I’d rather miss it and find it than not at all.

First off, I’m going to review the song before I do anything else.

This song is beautifully composed and the lyrics are fantastic. I haven’t been listening to Erykah for a while, and I must say that I am very disappointed in myself that I haven’t. She is a wonderful artist with so much talent and her music is always so great and enjoyable to listen to. I’m gonna have to see if my mother still has most of her music and get it from her because I need to add her back to my music library. I’m really wondering what the rest of this album sounds like now.

As for the video itself, well I’m not sure how to take it. Overall, I’d have to say that I support it.

The concept behind it is very clear if you watch it all the way to the end. “Groupthink” appears and is stated in the video as well, along with the explanation of the idea behind it. The theory is very interesting to ponder over:

They play it safe. Are quick to assassinate what they do not understand. This is what we have become. Afraid to respect the individual.”

The controversy surrounding this video is what makes her point valid. However, I will say that there were some small concerns that can also be valid with the other side of the argument (Children being around, not having a permit, and the symbolism with JFK which I still think are all very silly things to consider in this video and I can argue why they’re ridiculous accusations), but there is an underlying point to this.

Groupthink is indeed what we have become. We cannot think for ourselves. We have to follow the crowd and try to find some place to fit into or try to understand the point behind things in a blinded view instead of seeing the truth. I’ve felt that our society has been this way for many, many decades and its about time that someone has finally made a statement about it in the best known possible way: Through Music and Art. Quit all the crap about how it traumatized children and how it involved nudity and such. Tell me why this video was bad without information that has already been spewed by other sources.

And Lady Gaga and her Telephone video shows that she is a musical genius… yeah, right. That was sarcasm in case no one caught that.

As for her body, hell, I saw nothing wrong with it. After having some kids and getting a little older, I think she still looks good for her age. Take a look at your mother’s nude body and then comment. I wonder if you’ll feel the same about Erykah’s.

Everyone has seen this video by now, and if they haven’t, then I’m quite sure that they will. Maybe it’s because I think outside of the box, but I thought it was a very creative and beautiful video and a fantastic song. Get rid of the controversy, people. Move on.

Movie: *Review* (500) Days of Summer

Staring off my first movie review for this blog, I decided to critique something that I hold at a high ranking.

(500) Days of Summer

This movie is something that everyone with a heart, intelligent mind, and soul should see. The first few verbal lines in the movie sum it up well, “This is a story of boy meets girl. But you should know up front, this is not a love story.”

The casting is as follows:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom Hansen, a trained architect who works as a writer at a greeting card company

Zooey Deschanel as Summer Finn, assistant to Tom’s boss and romantic interest of Tom

Chloë Moretz as Rachel Hansen, Tom’s younger sister

Geoffrey Arend as McKenzie, Tom’s co-worker at the greeting card company

Matthew Gray Gubler as Paul, one of Tom’s friends

Clark Gregg as Vance, Tom’s boss

Rachel Boston as Alison, Tom’s blind date

Minka Kelly as Autumn

Patricia Belcher as Millie

Richard McGonagle as the Narrator

There are a few actors that I have never really seen before or paid much attention to, but I will say that I will from now on because they really show their talent in this film.

The film follows Tom and Summer’s relationship, running through the days that they encountered with each other. The attitudes towards love and relationships as a whole are shown throughout the film from each character. As it states, this is not a love story. It is more so about the trails of being or falling in love.

The format of the movie can throw off viewers a bit, as it skips around on the different days and events that the couple encounters, but it all comes together at the end.

The soundtrack also helps in making the film stand out, labeling it as an Indie film. Such names as The Smiths, Doves, Regina Spektor, & Feist are included in the film.

This film is very memorable for the quotes that are presented, almost making it seem as a cult classic. Considering that it was labeled as “A breakthrough film of the summer,” a lot of people did not know that it existed. It was a limited release, in which you could only see it in certain cities or independent theaters. I will have to admit that this film slipped right past me. I would not have known about it if it wasn’t suggested from someone who stated that I would enjoy the film after having seen it themselves.

A heart-wrenching, but a comedic and romantic film about relationships and life, I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a different perspective on being, falling, and recovering from love.