Wednesday, September 23, 2009

YiR'09: The Blog's Musical Review, Part 3.

Vocal performances are judged separetely in this review from artistic efforts for a very distinct reason: Sometimes an artist can score that one song in a year a hit it big time, whereas another artist can solidify its fame further than that one hit, his efforts went well beyond that combining artistic innovation, sales, touring, the works. But that doesn't mean that a song, by not having the same exposure, looses its beauty, so thats why we hit it separately. Just like a really sucky song can have a great video, same premise works here.

That said, we kick of the Vocal Performances Categories (Songs):

BEST ALTERNATIVE
MUSIC PERFORMANCE








"TU VERSUS YO" PERFORMED AND 
PRODUCED BY JUANGO DAVALOS

From the EP "Un Niño Antiguo" (DR, 2009)
Runnerups: "Happy Up Here" by Royksopp; "El Blues del Ping Pong"by Rita Indiana 
y Los Misterios; "Si No Fuera por Tí" by Enrique Bunbury and "Electromovimiento" by Calle 13.

Juango Dávalos is one of the best kept secrets our country has to offer the market right now. His debut single, "Té Versus Yo" has been Number 1 in all pop-rock radio stations in Santo Domingo, based on catchy vintage tunes, melodic vocals and great effects on a very well achieved album. One can only imagine this product placed under the right hands where top would be for this promising new dominican solo artist. The other noteworthy song in the runnerups post, is probably dominican gazelle Rita Indiana and her band "Los Misterios", composed of well known rockers, that are experimenting with the music arround them, namely, street mambo. Rita's most important contribution, if any, has been bringing a new crowd of listeners to her concerts and present them with a brand new sound and melodies very attipical for what the crowds in Cinema Cafe or Quintana are used to, and that is probably as award-worthy than anyone else here.

BEST URBAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE




"RIGHT ROUND" PERFORMED BY FLO RIDA
PRODUCED BY DR. LUKE
From the Album : "R. O. O. T. S." (USA, 2009)
Runnerups: "I Know You Want Me (Calle 8)" by Pitbull; 
"Electromovimiento" by Calle 13; "We Made You" by Eminem;

Even over the pop sensation "I Know You Want Me" by Pitbull, Flo Rida's rendition of Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" excells by literally remaking the sucess of the original song, and vilelly I dare say, overcomes it. No, Flo's version will not be an instant classic, but boy is it good on the dance floor!

BEST ROCK MUSIC PERFORMANCE




"QUIMICAMENTE MEJORADO" PERFORMED BY POOLPO
PRODUCED BY POOLPO
From the EP "Octopus" (DR, 2009)
Runnerups: "Funny The Way It Is" by Dave Matthews Band;
"Wrong" by Depeche Mode; "For What It's Worth" by Placebo.

The sound and the energy that oozes from this single, the last from the "Octopus" EP that featured singles like "Hacia el Final del Arcoiris" and last years nominee for Best Dominican Rock Single, "Popular", rock though all six songs of the ep. It still amazes me how low key dominican talent is kept, with so much of it growing everywhere. The single has a video directed by Jean Gabriel Guerra, not exactly a masterpiece but delivers in showing the strong, sound blasting performance that the band brings to every live show they're in.


BEST POP MUSIC PERFORMANCE





"JUST DANCE" PERFORMED BY LADY GAGA 
FEATURING COLBY O'DONNIS AND AKON

PRODUCED BY RedOne
From the Album: "The Fame" (USA, 2009).
Runnerups: "Vuelvo" by Beto Cuevas; "Single Ladies (Put a 
Ring on It)" by Beyoncé; "Womanizer" by Britney Spears.


Most definetly one success story for the ages. "The Fame" has been out since late 2007, but Lady Gaga didn't really come into our televisions until well into late 2008 when her song "Just Dance" rumbled through every chart possible, even becoming 2009's first Number 1 Song in Billboard Magazine's Top 100. And more so, the re-issuing of "The Fame" saw the rebirth of singles like "Poker Face", "LoveGame" and "Paparazzi", this last one a tribute to said professionals and the media in general. Britney made her comeback, but we were busy Just Dancing.

Tomorrow we round up the Recording catergories with Best Male, Female and Group Vocal Performances, and 2009 Song of the Year.

Ehl.


If this is a scam...

... I'm ging to get really, really mad. I was sent this on an email chain, for whatever reason I opened it (I don't open chains) and I don't know, it's the first email since I got my first chain letter back in 2000 that actually touched me, so here goes!


Christian the Lion - The funniest home videos are here

Ehl.

El Dominicano y la Bocina



Una de las mañas del dominicano que más me irritan es la necesidad que tienen de, por cualquier motivo, sonar la bocina del vehículo. Pareciera que la primera clase al momento de prestarse a abordar un vehículo por primera vez sería algo así como: "No importa lo que pase, no importa lo que pienses, toca la bocina".

Y mientras más veces mejor.

Resulta increíble que el cuento aquel de los tres colores del semáforo pudo haber tenido su orígen en Dominicana, lo creo hoy más que nunca: "Rojo Pase, Amarillo Acelere y Verde Bocina". Y lo peor de todo es que tenemos choferes que predicen el futuro también... Si el semáforo está en rojo, todos empiezan a tocar la bocina como quien cree que al momento de tocarla, se pondrá verde más rápido. Tambien choferes impacientes: Pues si el semáforo tiene reloj, a los 3 segundos ya están tocando bocina como quién dice "vaya saliendo que ya no importa ya casi está verde".

Y en los tapones? Me resulta exasperante cuando estoy en un embotellamiento en (Nombre su calle capitalina preferida aquí) entre 7 y 8 AM, y luego de 5 a 7 PM (Sin nombre el break de las doce porque almuerzo en mi trabajo) y fíjese usted que el hecho de estar parados es ya motivo de tocar bocina. A ver si haciendo eso se mueve el tráfico....

De pol dió sean pacientes!!!


Será que estoy en un proceso de mi vida en el cual debo pasar pro este tipo de pruebas? O a lo mejor soy yo el raro y es que así es como deben ser las cosas? Sí defintivamente debe ser eso, porque no entiendo como sólo soy yo entre 2 millones de personas en la ciudad que he notado esto...

Es por esto, entre otras cosas, que cada día me convenso más de que mi futuro está en residir en la comodidad de un pueblito desconocido y comprarme una jock para trasladarme, como a sus quince Emilkis lo quizo. Ella tenía razón.


Ehl.