From Departing to Singing, Dancing, and Stealing Things

I had originally planned to post a review of Jesse McCartney’s new album Departure. I wrote a play by play of every track and selected my favorites. A couple hours later I said, “F this!” I had been playing the first four songs of Jason Mraz’s We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. on repeat, and I couldn’t get them out of my head.

While McCartney makes an attempt at Justin Timberlake-esque sex pop, the album is more of a lackluster Chris Brown album. The first single “Leavin” is good. It’s catchy and appeals to an audience ranging from teenyboppers to twenty-somethings and over. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the rest of the album. As a mass communications major, I tried to figure out which audience Departure attempted to target, but I’m still unsure.

Although McCartney’s vocals are solid for the most part, there are too many highs and lows in tempo and song quality. McCartney should have spent more time perfecting his album than perfecting his J Date profile. It’s almost hard to believe that this is the same person who wrote Leona Lewis’ knockout debut single “Bleeding Love.”

Zac Efron, you have nothing to worry about. You will not be dethroned as king of the teenyboppers.

If you would still like to support J Mac’s 3rd album, the best tracks to download are “Leavin,” “Make Up,” “Relapse,” and “Not Your Enemy.”

Now on to the more mature sounding J.M. …

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. has great summer energy. Unlike Departure, it’s well put together. Mraz blends elements of pop, jazz, soul, funk, rock, and trace elements of Jamiroquai-esque dance seamlessly on his 3rd studio album. You can’t help but sing along, dance, and smile as Mraz steals your heart track after track.

Mraz’s vocals are perfect. They’re as breezy and soothing as the music in each song.

The first single “I’m Yours” has been a big hit since 2005. “Lucky,” a duet featuring “Bubbly” singer Colbie Caillat, has also been the subject of online buzz in recent weeks. Hopefully that will soon be a single. It’s the perfect song for a summer beach wedding (in case you’re still looking for one).

Mraz’s sound has definitely evolved over the years. He may be a geek in the pink no more, but he still has the remedy for the perfect summer soundtrack.

For more Mraz, catch him on a worldwide tour throughout the summer.

Top Tracks: Sorry, don’t have any. Guess you’ll have to buy the whole thing. Worth every penny, trust me! ;-D

SCREAM for Tokio Hotel

If you have not heard of the German band Tokio Hotel, you definitely should. They have been the biggest growing sensation in Europe for the past couple of years now, and are the biggest band to come out of Germany in about 20 years. Now that they have dominated Europe, they are currently working to get recognized in America. Their hit song Ready Set Go has been receiving much airplay by both MTV and FUSE. And the ballad By Your Side is also featured in the horror movie Prom Night.
The English album, Scream, was recently released and is comprised of 13 songs from their two German albums; it also features two exclusive songs - 1000 Oceans and Durch Den Monsun. The songs consist of beautiful, catchy melodies and ballads. The lyrics contain positive messages that stress the listeners to “live on” even in times of bleak hope. The song Don’t Jump, for example, addresses the issue of teen suicide - “Just take my hand and give it a chance, don’t Jump.” There are, of course, the harder rock songs for you mosh pit lovers such as Break Away. And the song Scream, which the album is named after, will make any adolescent teen want to rebel.
Part of the appeal of Tokio Hotel comes from the charismatic, androgynous front man Bill Kaulitz. His bubbly personality and Gothic/Top Model looks demand that everyone give their undivided attention to him. His twin brother, Tom Kaulitz (guitar), however, differs drastically from his brother in both style and personality. Tom leans toward the Hip Hop scene and is never too modest to boast of his experience with the ladies or of how awesome he is. Then, of course, there are the other two crucial band members - Gustav, the drummer, and Georg, the bass player. Put them all together and they form the wonder and fandemonium that is Tokio Hotel.


Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/tokiohotel

Rolling Stone Interview with Tokio Hotel

Tired of Being Prim and Proper? Want to Be in the Know?

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Read the first issue while it's hot. The second issue debuts on June 1st.
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Also be sure to check out prim's MySpace: myspace.com/thisisitmagazine

How It All Started::

• In the beginning, there was Jynx circa June '88. Next came Ace in August '88. Then came Math 143 with Krishnan in August '06. That's where the dynamic duo initially met.
• One year later as they trekked somewhere between Amend and the library, Ace said, "incense," Jynx was all, "Eureka!" and incense became InSense.
• The collaboration was not complete. The duo needed an international sex symbol. That I.S.S. was Johnny, a sandy-haired boy with a band, a great set of abs, and a dragonfly tattoo. The band was born, but they never struck a note.
• Almost one year later, Ace said, "Hey, let's make this a blog." Jynx agreed. Finally InSenseRocks.blogspot.com was born.

Enjoy ♥!
InSense Rocks!

A Work In Progress ...

... stay tuned.