Alicia Keys closes the Freedom Tour in Oakland!

Last Night 4/10/10 was the FINAL show of the US leg of the Alicia Keys Freedom Tour along with special guest Robin Thicke And Melanie Fiona. Alicia couldn't have picked a better place to close the tour than Oakland,Ca! Ofcourse I was in attendance! I bought my tickets just before going in and boy oh boy was it slim pickings! Not to mention tickets for Ms. Keys are NOT cheap! They were 50 bucks a pop and this was for the NOSE BLEEDS(sec. 204 to be exact!) The show was set for a 8:00pm start and buy 7:59 with a BARELY filled arena Canadian native Melanie Fiona took to the stage! She came out belting some song from Kill Bill according to my friend. The song was about being shot by a man, and she tied it into a song of her own titled "Bang Bang". Fiona's set was short and sweet:

Kill Bill song/Bang Bang
Give It To Me Right
Monday Morning
Sweet Thing-Chacka/Mary J cover(It must be a law for opening acts to cover a classic!)
It Kills me
AY Yo!

By 8:19 Melanie was thanking us and walking off stage. She definately proved she has VOCALS! But every two seconds she felt the need to remind that her name was MELANIE FIONA in her TWENTY minute set he must've introduced herself a good 8 times! She was good none the less. Keep in mind my seats were in the damn roof so I couldnt see shit! On top of this the screen on my side of the arena was having technical issues! All in all Melanie did her thing so Ill give her 8 on a scale on 10.

Next up was Robin Thicke. Ive never been much of a fan of his so for me his set was kinda boring. Luckily for him the arena was pretty full! He certainly is in good with the ladies becuase, they went BANANAS when he came out The only songs of his I knew were:

Shakin It For Daddy
Shooter
Sex Therapy
Lost Without You

other than those four songs I didnt know what the hell he was singing about! This was not a good thing because Robin spent most of his set singing in a high pitched airy tone(ala Lost w/out you) so it made it hard for me to even make out what he was saying! While performing Shooter Robin and his back up singers made the most saddest attempt "raise the roof" it was HILARIOUS! I think that may have been the the first time it dawned on me that Robin is in fact white! He was moving stiff as hell. Before exiting He decided rep for his Young Money homeboy Weezy by rapping the ENTIRE song of "A-Milli". This is when my night got interesting...on the right of me there was a young lady sitting next to me. She had to be about 16 y.o. She was a "big" girl and had beautiful chocolate skin, however my friend kept reffering to her as PRECIOUS! As soon as the Weezy beat dropped Precious jumped out her seat and started rapping her ass off! The ENTIRE section 204 had thier eyes glued to her and she didn't care Its like Wayne Carter was inside her, she was making facial expressions and all! Just when you thought it couldn't get any better she started channeling Nicki Minaj and making SILLY faces and shaking like she had turrets! All my friend and I could do is watch in amazement. she was rocking so hard her hair clip AND earring flew off! Once the song was over she sat back down and acted like NOTHING had happend! After the brief BET Hip Hop Awards moment my friend and I went down to the lobby to meet up with some of his friends who were also at the show. It turns out that these particular friends had a VIP suite! And they were willing to give us their tickets to get in! These suites are NICE you have no need to leave at all! You get yout own personal bathroom and TWO tv screens to watch the show on and there is even a private bar for you to use to you never have to go down to the main lobby!

After a few short minutes of waiting Alicia Keys took to the stage She had this cool BIG Introduction explaining to you via video what "The Element Of Freedom" meant. The video was made it seem as tho she was behing bars and then she emerged on stage locked up in a cage sing Caged Bird which went into Love is blind, and this where she broke free. The Big Intro set you up to believe that Keys was going to take you on a journey which is what she did NOT do! It was just a regular setlist:

Caged Bird
Love is Blind
Trouble
You Don't Know My Name
Fallin’
Another Way to Die
Karma
Heartburn
Like the Sea
I Need You
Prayer for Forgiveness
Diary
Like You’ll Never See Me Again
Wait Til You See Me Smile
Go Ahead
Put it in a Love Song
Unthinkable (I’m Ready)
Backup singer interlude: Feeling Good
Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart
Superwoman
If I Ain’t Got You
No One
Encore
Empire State of Mind

The show didnt have a story at all it was just song after song after song...Alicia However did sound good but not as good as her back up singer Whitney! She stole the show!! Alicia changed outfits twice(Lil Wayne changed more at his show!) and the second outfite wasnt until the AFTER her background singer sung. The Visuals were cool but weird at the same time. I cant remember which song it was but her backdrop was colorful images of Princess Diana, Ghandim, Bob Marley, and a few other well known ppl and but the one thing they all had in common was that they were ALL dead! It was rather eerie to me. The show was still good. She did most of my faves I never really listened to her her latest album so I didnt really know the songs that she performed off that cd except the ones that come on the radio. Alicia is a good performer. This is the second time I've seen her live but I think this may very well be my last. Her show wasn't bad but it wasnt the kind of show that made me wanna go back and watch again. I think her set on the 2004 Verizon Ladies First Tour was WAY better....I give the Freedom Tour 7/10 stars. Here are my highlights:

Give It To Me Right:


Sweet Thing:


It Kills Me:


Shooter(just for the laughs!)


Lost Without you:


Alicia Intro/Caged Bird/Love Is Blind:


Diary:


Put It A Love Song:


Feeling Good(AK Back up Singer Whitney Keaton):


No One:

Robyn is taking over my summer!

Today I got the best news ever!!! My bff(in my head ofcourse) Robyn RIHANNA Fenty announced the dates of her US "Last Girl On Earth Tour"! She's coming to Sacramento July 9th and Mountain View July 10th, so you know that means....double the fun!!! RiRi wouldn't dare hit the road alone, it has been confirmed that Ke$ha will be joining her along with the Harajuku Barbie/Mistress/Black Hannah Montanna/Nicki Lewenksi aka Nicki Minaj!!! This just can't get any better(although I can do without Ke$ha). Surprisingly enough it does! Ticket prices are EXRTEMELY low! Some cities are under $100.00 for front row! Im so happy I could just scream! I originally had a weekend trip to LA in the works with a friend of mine for 4th of July weekend but that has been cancelled cuz I need to save ALL my coins for Rihanna! I need not one but two ALL black ensambles eqiupped with nasty eyewear and other acceroies. I only have a little over 2 months but I think I can pull it together...atleast I hope I can!



Last Girl On Earth US Tour Dates:
•Friday, July 2 - White River Amphitheatre – Seattle, WA
•Sunday, July 4 – General Motors Place – Vancouver, Canada
•Tuesday, July 6 – Pengrowth Saddeldome – Calgary, Canada
•Friday, July 9 – ARCO Arena – Sacramento, CA
•Saturday, July 10 – Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA
•Wednesday, July 14 – Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque presents The Pavilion – Albuquerque, NM
•Thursday, July 15 – Comfort Dental Amphitheatre – Denver, CO
•Saturday, July 17 – Mandalay Bay Events Center – Las Vegas, NV
•Wednesday, July 21 – Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA
•Thursday, July 22 – Cricket Wireless Pavilion – Phoenix, AZ
•Wednesday, July 28 – Philips Arena – Atlanta, GA
•Friday, July 30 – Ford Amphitheatre – Tampa, FL
•Saturday, July 31 – American Airlines Center – Miami, FL
•Tuesday, August 3 – Verizon Wireless Music Center – Indianapolis, IN
•Thursday, August 5 – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre – Toronto, Canada
•Saturday, August 7 – Bell Center – Montreal, Canada
•Sunday, August 8 – Comcast Center – Boston, MA
•Wednesday, August 11 – Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, CT
•Thursday, August 12 – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
•Sunday, August 15 – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY
•Wednesday, August 18 – Susquehanna Bank Center – Camden, NJ
•Friday, August 20 – Jiffy Lube Live – Bristow, VA
•Saturday, August 21 – Hersheypark Stadium – Hershey, PA
•Sunday, August 22 – DTE Energy Music Theatre – Detroit, MI
•Wednesday, August 25 – United Center – Chicago, IL

Rihanna's New Video "Rude Boy"

Robyn Fenty better known by her middle name Rihanna released her new video yesterday. The video is for yet another uptempo track off her Rated R album called Rude Boy. This is the 4th video to be shot and it was directed by the great Melina! Melina also directed Rihanna's video "Hard" aswell as Solange's "I Decided" and Beyonce's "Green Light" & "Upgrade U" just to name a few. Check out the video:



I love it! This video rocks! I think I may be having a Wendy moment but Robyn & I a bff's in my mind! Maybe my opinion is biased but Rihanna never fails when it comes to the music videos. The next one is ALWAYS completely different from the last. This video takes Robyn back to her Barbados island roots which is LONG overdue. The little choreography was cute especially giving that RiRi damn near NEVER dances...I must admit that video was definitely giving me a mixture of Solange's I Decided & M.I.A.'s Paper Planes. But Robyn made it her own. The video is VERY colorful and fun. I am so excited for her to go on tour this summer!! Rated R is instores now

LeToya Luckett's New Video "Good To Me"

Yesterday Lady Love herself Ms. LeToya Luckett released her new viral video for her new single Good To Me. This is the 4th. single to be lifted off her sophmore album Lady Love. I was very excited when I found out the song was getting a single treatment because it one of my fave tracks on the entire album. Check out the video:

LeToya Luckett - Good to Me- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

The video is very raw to say the least....it is obvious that it was made on a tight budget which is not surprising due to the fact LeToya is signed to a WACK record label. However the rawness is what I like most about this video. It works really well. This video is more about the song rather than the video and LeToya looks FLAWLESS and so does her love interest! Now all we need is a live performance so Toya can prove she can hit that note! Lady Love is instores now!

Top 5 albums of 2009

I can't believe we are already two days into 2010!!! Time REALLY flies! I can't deny that 2009 was a great year for me. A lot of good things happend, but I must admit Im very excited to see what this new year has instore for me! Before I jump head first into 2010 Im going to take the time to list my top 5 albums of 2009. Anyone that knows me well enough knows that my life revolves around music!(Id probably die if I had to go without my iPod!!)A lot of decent music dropped last year but there were 5 albums that really stood out for me and they are(in no particular order of course):

1. Jay-Z The Blueprint 3:



Im not really much of a rap fan...Im WAY more into R&B but, the older I get the more I appreciate rap/hip-hop music. Now I'll admit I never paid Hov much attention until '03 Bonnie & Clyde(for OBVIOUS reasons). But I have learned that Jay-Z is the shit! And in my opinion this album is a CLASSIC! I can literally play this album all the way through! Every song on the album is single worthy. But what can you expect from the "best rapper alive"? I don't have the entire Jay collection(but i definitely plan on getting it before his concert in March!) but the 5 albums that I do have are all the shit! I honestly like every single one! The Blueprint 3 was farthest thing from a disappointment. And it is most definitely worth the 15 bucks!

Stand out tracks:
Real As It Gets
On To The Next One
Off That
Venus VS. Mars
Already Home
Young Forever
What We Talkin About


2. Electrik Red How To Be A Lady: Vol. 1:


Mega producer The-Dream introduced the world the his female group Electrik Red. Consisting of four beautiful girls Naomi Sarah Lesley and my personal fave Binkie! These girls went from being back up dancers/video vixens to starring in their own music videos. The girls painted the world red with their music but unfortunatley the girls didnt get the reopsonse they deserved. Now I will be honest, if you want a album with deep and meaningful lyrics and some Beyoncé style vocals this is NOT the album for you. But if you're into colorful music with hot beats and sultry singing(with a few spoken verses from Binkie's fine ass!) then this is the album for you! These girls are the modern day Vanity 6 without a doubt! This is one of those albums you can can play from start to finish! And I can't wait wait until the next one!(crosses fingers for sophmore album!)

Stand out tracks:
Muah
Devotion
Friend Lover
W.F.Y.
On Point
Go Shawty

3. Rihanna Rated R:


Say what you want about her but Robyn makes G.O.O.D. music! This was one of the top two albums I anticipated the most this year. And it was most definitely worth the wait! This album is one those that have to grow on you because it is so different from anything she has ever done. The music is very aggresive(she cusses like a sailor!) and and emotional. She showcases so many different sides, one minute she's hard and the next she is vulnerable. You can tell she put her heart into this album because it appears to be a bit more personal than her others. I have all 4 of Rihanna's albums and if I had to rank them all this would be no.2 coming rite behind her debut Music Of The Sun. On each album Rihanna grows and evolves into something different and this album DEFINITELY show's the growth from her last album.

Stand out tracks:
Stupid In Love
Rockstar 101
Russian Roulette
Fire Bomb
Rude Boy
Photographs
G4L
Te Amo

4.LeToya Lady Love:


LeToya Luckett FINALLY made her return to the music scene with her sophmore album Lady Love this past summer and I was in love at the first listen! Now as you already know LeToya was an original member of Destiny's Child(and also my original favorite girl!). Lady Love is pure R&B. I honstley have no idea why people sleep on her because the girl is BAD! She is beautiful makes good music and can actually sing. This is a album every true R&B lover should have! There isnt one song on this album that I don't like. The music is so real and relatable. This album is undeniably a classic!

Stand out tracks:
She Ain't Got...
Good To Me
Over
Regret
I Need A U
Drained
Matter
Love Rollercoaster

5. Keri Hilson In A Perfect World...


Now this is the album I anticipated the most! I waited 3 LONG years for this album to drop. I think this may actually be my all time fave cd of 2009 by far! Although there is ONE song that I just can't stand but it's not Keri's fault, it's Akon's for trying to sing!! He ruined a perfectly good song. This album came out back in March and I still play it like it came out last week! A lot of people hated on Keri this year but she did her thing and definitely deserves the success she has been getting. If you don't have this cd GO OUT AND GET IT NOW!!!!!

Stand out tracks:
Knock You Down
Make Love
Intuition
How Does It Feel
Tell Him The Truth
Where Did He Go
Energy

All of these albums are classics on their own rite to me. I recommend all five!

Discoverd a new jam!

So while putting songs on a friends iPod I ran across a song called "Make Up" by Jazzy(Formerly of Black Buddafly). I like the German group Black Buddafly so I took a listen and to my surprise the song is PURE FIRE! Like seriously this song is my new sh*t! I did a bit of research and by the grace of God the song just so happend to be on iTunes!!!! But the "Jazzy" is not the same one from Black Buddafly Idk who this chick is but she has a EP on iTunes called "Oh Jazzy". I only purchased Make Up so I dont know if the whole thing is good. I'll probably get the rest when I get some more coins to trick off on iTunes. The song is NOT new at all its actually from 2007 but who really cares??? Check out this hotness!

Rihanna "Rated R" Review

After her 2007 release of Good Girl Gone Bad Robyn Rihanna Fenty FINALLY Released her new album Rated R last month. Here is my review.

1.Mad House- Interesting start to the album, very dark and kinda spooky! Definitely sets a tone for what is to come.3/5
2.Wait Your Turn- Rihanna goes back to her island roots on this one! The beat is hard and is a fusion of rock and hip hop but Rihanna serves it up island style on the verses with a THICK carribean accent. Im not sure if I get the song but it sounds nice 4/5
3.Hard ft. Young Jeezy- If Beyonce's song Diva had a little sister this would be it! I like the song a lot and I hate to compare the two women but this is just sounds like her version of Diva...3/5
4.Stupid In Love- This is where the album takes a more personal turn. This song is about realizing that the bad relationsip you're in will never work and finally giving up.
5.Rockstar 101 ft. Slash- I LOVE this song! Its so aggressive! This song is basically her saying "Im the sh*t b*tches!!" favorite line "6inch walker/big sh*t talker/I've never played the victim/I rather be a stalker/so baby take me in/I disobey the law/make sure you frisk me good/check my panties & my bra!"
6.Russian Roulette-This song is like crack to my ears! I dont know how many times Ive played it but I know its a lot!
7.Fire Bomb- This song was a grower but I absolutely love it! Its pop mixed with alternative/rock.4/5
8.Rude Boy-Rihanna gets naughty on this song! The only thing that comes to mind when I hear this song is sex! And for some reason the song reminds me of Beyonce...I like it! 5/5
9.Photographs-It took a while for me to like this song because i used to HATE it but this is really good song about love lost. 4/5
10.G4L- "I lick the gun when Im dont cuz I know revenge is sweet/ Im down for life, b*tch Im wit you/we got our guns in the motherf*ckin air/Gangster 4 Life!!" 3/5
11.Te Amo- The beat SCREAMS Ms. Independent but the song is hot. Its about going out to dance and girl coming onto you on the dancefloor. Rihanna is thrown off but keeps on dancing! 4/5
12.Cold Case Love- Another personal song. The lyrics are good but something makes the song seem kinda...boring...3/5
13.The Last Song-Rihanna shows a lot of vocal growth on this song! The song is repetitive tho...but I love her vocals! 4/5

This is a GREAT follow up to Good Girl Gone Bad. Out of all four of Rihanna's albums none of them sound the same. Rihanna always seems to find a way to reinvent herself each time which is what a artist SHOULD do! She definitely is not afraid to take risks! The album is very aggressive and has quite a bit of profanity which is not something youre used to hearing from Robyn but its all good with me! Another GOOD album from RiRi!! Definitely worth BUYING!!!