Noughties teen pop sensation Hilary Duff staged her comeback with "Chasing The Sun," a light and airy pop track that is everything one would expect from cowriter Colbie Caillat. "Chasing The Sun" is not a massive hit in the making or a revolutionary comeback anthem, but it seems to be just what Hilary needed to get her name back on people's minds. Lyrically, "Chasing The Sun" stays comfortably within contemporary pop lyric trends, including the "slow down and enjoy life" and "live while we're young" tropes. Fans that were expecting Hilary to reinvent the wheel will surely be disappointed, but if you're willing to appreciate "Chasing The Sun" as the sweet, simple, relaxing, and pleasant song that it is, you're sure to love it.
What can even be said about a collaboration between a child actress-turned Mariah Carey clone- turned "artist du jour" of 2014, a woman who scored her only US hit because everyone thought she was Katy Perry, and everyone's favorite rent-a-rapper?
Well, to start, "Bang Bang" lacks just about everything. The song's lyrics contain no message of any consequence, and are instead loaded with vaguely sexual phrases. The vocal performances, particularly the screaming battle that Ariana and Jessie engage in, leave much to be desired. There's no reason to criticize Max Martin's production, but there's also no reason to praise it. Nicki's verse is a typical "say something without really saying anything" rap feature that somehow still manages to be the highlight of the song. The song lacks energy and excitement, despite (or because of?) all of the boxes that it ticks: prominent feature, hit-making producer, sexual lyrics, somewhat catchy chorus, rap feature.
Given that "Bang Bang" presently sits atop the US iTunes chart, it appears that the power of three stars (note that I use this term loosely) combined was enough to make a successful collaboration out of an unimpressive song on which none of the actual stars aligned.
Hilary Duff is finally making her comeback with a new single. Unfortunately, the song doesn’t serve its purpose: re-introducing Hilary back to people.
Undeniably, the song is a good and relaxing tune. Unfortunately, it’s nothing special. It lacks that feeling that makes you think that it’s something different.
The lyrics are average, the tune is good and Hilary’s voice fits the song perfectly. However, the song goes nowhere. “I’m chasing the sun” is repeated way too many times for a song that is less than 3 minutes long.
Lastly, I hope the album delivers better material.
Highlight/Favorite part: Love the life I live
and I will live the life I love
Open up my eyes
and I will take whatever comes
First thing first let me say that the best impact this track had on me is making me appreciate way more her previous lead single, Wild (no rap edit, please). That felt a hundred times more authenthic and she was clearly confident in it. Here she just lacks it. We can only see her being desperate for that second US hit.
An all over the place loudy mess. I felt overwhelmed after listening to it a few times. I guess they wanted to pull some epic collaboration.. mm ok. Jessie needs to learn that shouting is obnoxious and annoying plus we know you're a talented vocalist, we got it, you put it in our face quite enough. The chorus is not that memorable, it's like the calmest bit of the song. Then there's the Ariana's verse. Well, she did a great performance vocally but I just can't believe her singing those lines. Makes me uncomfortable. Nicki's verse is the breath of fresh air I was CRAVING for circa 3 minutes. A 2010-11 features throwback that reminded me why she was so requested during that couple of years and definitely the only great part in this pot of sounds. The production is quite good too but it gets totally lost amongst Jessie's screams and Ariana's belts. Guess we still have to wait for that Lady Marmalade 2.0 cause this was honestly lackluster.
What can even be said about a collaboration between a child actress-turned Mariah Carey clone- turned "artist du jour" of 2014, a woman who scored her only US hit because everyone thought she was Katy Perry, and everyone's favorite rent-a-rapper?
Jessie J, Ariana Grande, & Nicki Minaj - Bang Bang
“She got a body like an hourglass, but I can give it to you all the time / She got a booty like a Cadillac, But I can send you into overdrive,” is what you are immediately assaulted with when Jessie J’s latest single kicks up. If the slightly offensive line about the Cadillac doesn't turn you off (what woman wouldn't want her booty compared to a sedan?) and you decide to see the song through, it doesn’t get much better lyrically. The chorus consists of: “Bang Bang into the room (I know you want it / Bang Bang all over you (I’ll let you have it)” which is awfully presumptuous considering that this single is Jessie's first major single released in the U.S. since Domino in 2011. Although, clunky lyrics have never destroyed a pop song if the music is good.
The production of Bang Bang is good. The music is fun and brassy with kind of a Motown flavor that also rides the urban trend of songs like Talk Dirty and Ariana’s own Problem. However, all the fun of the production is nearly undone by Jessie J’s vocals. She sings every syllable within an inch of its life, which makes sense, why would a label spend so much to feature Nicki and Ariana (two of the most buzzed about stars at the moment) with a woman who’s second album wasn’t even released in the U.S., unless this was the labels last push to make Jessie J’s happen. Jessie's shrieked vocals, much like a steamroller being used to iron out a wrinkle in a shirt, are complete overkill and derail the track. Ariana and Nicki are highlights of the song, Nicki rides the beat and spits off a rapid fire verse that shows her skill, yet even she doesn’t sound fully engaged: it’s a cash-in for her. Nicki takes user her time to kill 2 birds with one stone and take the opportunity to remind us of her endorsement deal with Myx. She also, bizarrely, voices her reluctance to appear on the track (“Queen Nicki dominant prominent / It’s just me, Jessie, and Ari If they test me they sorry”). Ariana is the other highlight, effortlessly displaying her vocals, sounding cool and engaged and demonstrating what vocal control can do. Bang Bang will take off based on the star power of the features, the real test for Jessie will be for how long Bang Bang lasts and how her next non-featured single does.
The Lowdown: Sassy song with powerhouse vocals and a rousing chorus is decent, silly pop.
Bang Bang is Jessie J's return to the American pop charts, and she gets two assists; a solid if unnecessary and not extremely noticeable one from Ariana Grande, and a valuable rap from Nicki Minaj. The song starts off with a dose of Jessie J's almost diva-style powerful vocals that immediately hooks the listener into the song. The hook, which is boosted by backup singers and a peppy attitude, follows Jessie's opening verse. Ariana then comes in and sounds like she is trying to imitate Jessie's power, but is not quite able to match it. Nevertheless, the two have fairly similar voices that blend well together during the song. Ariana's verse (the only time she sings solo in the song) is so short it almost seems insignificant, but it doesn't hurt the song. Nicki Minaj improves the song with a well-timed typical Nicki verse. It's nothing unexpected from Minaj, but it is enjoyable and totally fits with the mood of the song.
Although semi-catchy, the hook is quite silly and even seems childish and cheerleader chant-like at times. Also, I can imagine Jessie and Ariana's parts getting annoying after a while. They are so loud that one could mistake them for angry screams. Bang Bang doesn't innovate in any area, nor does it strike me as incredibly original. Lyrically, the song is just silly without memorable content. However, this is the fun-filled power pop song that the GP has been thirsty for lately; it definitely fills that niche respectably.
I gotta say, I wasn't expecting a lot when I first heard that these 3 were collaborating.. However, I was actually pleasantly surprised by it! All three ladies do great: Ari and Jessie show off some great vocals and Nicki says a pretty decent verse. The production is not what I was expecting and has a very upbeat poppy feel to it, and the gospel chorus was a nice touch. The lyrics can be a bit dumb, but who cares? It's super catchy and just a fun listen, and exactly the kind of thing that should be topping the charts right now (please, no more Dark Horses and Fancy's!).
Can I make my reviews in Spanish please? I'm not a good English writer.
JESSIE J, ARIANA GRANDE & NICKI MINAJ - "Bang Bang"
The classic sound and catchy melody are outstanding. Maybe it's a little bit too forced considering all the pressure that these three artists had when decided to make this song, one of the most anticipated in the last months.
Great vocals by Jessie J (maybe too much screaming at some parts) and Ariana Grande, plus the fresh rap by Nicki Minaj.
The lyrics are too sexual but without trespassing the limits of vulgarity.
This will definitely be one of the most memorable collaborations this year, a Lady Marmalade similar event, and luckily was not disappointing at all.
SCORE: 7,5 / 10
AZEALIA BANKS - "Heavy Metal and Reflective"
Soon
Wait your English is good.
I think you can. I think ATRL needs to know 'oh English is the MAIN language, everyone has to speak it' thing is BS. If you feel comfortable then why not?
Hilary Duff was able to take basic pop production and turn it up a notch with almost insane levels of catchy a lot back when she released music consistently, and has given us some classics like "Come Clean" and "Stranger." But on her new single "Chasing the Sun" there is nothing catchy about this song. The song comes equipped with sunny guitars that remind me of everybody's favorite artists Natasha Beddingfield and Colbie Caillat. Elsewhere, the melody is forgettable and the lyrics are full of boring cliches. To sum it up in one word: BLAND.
I was a little apprehensive when this collaboration was first announced. Primarily because I was fearful that Jessie and Ariana would hijack the song and turn it into a screeching mess; like one would receive when walking into an aviary with a live cat. Unfortunately, I found that to be the case on Bang Bang. There are far too many power notes hit throughout the song, which not only proves irritating, but depreciates the value of the notes in the first place. Nicki's verse redeems the song in some ways.. but by the time she hits the scene, the song is beyond saving. The chorus also lacks that memorable punch that recent hits like Fancy and Rude have; and this frustrates me, a little.
What I will say, is that the song has a recipe for an interesting video. I'll look forward to seeing what they come up with; but for now, this isn't a song I'll be putting in my playlist.
For starters, I didn't expect anything mildly entertaining to come out of this song at all before the first listen. Now that I've survived two whole listens, I must say that this is possibly the worst "song" (if you can even call it that) I've heard in a very very long time. Somehow Duff managed to underwhelm her already low standardized audience with this unoriginal piece of generic trash. The lyrics are just dumb, the production is boring (almost reminiscent of 2006) and Hilary's voice is terribly snoozy and uneventful. Hilary should forget this single ever happened and start her comeback over again because this song legitametly deserves to flop into oblivion.
For starters, I didn't expect anything mildly entertaining to come out of this song at all before the first listen. Now that I've survived two whole listens, I must say that this is possibly the worst "song" (if you can even call it that) I've heard in a very very long time. Somehow Duff managed to underwhelm her already low standardized audience with this unoriginal piece of generic trash. The lyrics are just dumb, the production is boring (almost reminiscent of 2006) and Hilary's voice is terribly snoozy and uneventful. Hilary should forget this single ever happened and start her comeback over again because this song legitametly deserves to flop into oblivion.
F
Pretty much this.
My full review will be up tomorrow morning. It'll probably be my worst review ever
Hilary is back to chase the spotlight she once owned a few years back. What a better way to do so by releasing a summer track. I actually like most of her previous releases in the past so I was looking forward to what she can bring on the table this time. Unfortunately, this track co-written by people like Colbie Caillat doesn't seem like it will bring her back to her glory days. I do like the verses and the calmness of her voice on the song but the chorus ruins it for me. If there's one thing that annoys me in pop songs, it has to be generic and repetitive choruses a la We Found Love or Wish You Were Here. I give credit to the cute music video though.
You mean to tell me that this woman managed to put out a release date and actually stick to it with no pushbacks and without flaking? You're telling me that Azealia Banks managed to get an actual audio uploaded for sale on amazon, itunes, and streamed on spotify all of this by herself? Then I'm convinced that Universal was behind all of the countless delays, poor single choices, and even influenced the spats and twitter beefs. Now I don't want to hear no more excuses from her!
After being dropped earlier this month Banks actually kept her promise by releasing music, and now we have “Heavy Metal and Reflective,” her first track since leaving her label. Banks’ rapid-fire rhymes and flow, the pauses, the sampling, the bouncy and twerk-ready beat with almost video game-esque synths - It may not be as good as "1991 EP" or "Fantasea" but it’s easily the best track we've heard from her in recent memory [on the fence with "Yung Rapunxel"]. What brings the song down is its length and feeling of unfinished-ness. This recent monotone flow that Azealia has been using post-Fantasea has become repetitive, but on "Heavy Metal & Reflective" it actually works and she harmonizes with the production rather than being drowned out. Oh, it is also fun being your own Rap Genius and figuring out some of her ABonics. But let's switch it up, shall we?
Another thing that makes "Heavy Metal and Reflective" interesting is the fact that it is damn near hookless and less than 3 minutes. While too many other girls rely on a female singer to carry the hook, "Heavy Metal and Reflective" doesn't follow those trends. A hookless song? No catchy chorus? This is something that ATRL knows nothing about, it's kind of a "I'm on that weird part of youtube again" situation; it's not for everyone. I was actually anticipating for a radio-friendly single myself and if she actually wanted to make successful, mainstream, radio-friendly songs she's capable of puling it off [not you "ATM Jam" - "Esta Noche" to name a few] but I'm going to have to accept that the charts are not where she wants to take her music. It's clear as day. Two years ago she seemed poised to launch into hip-hop stardom, but I just don't see it... and that's not necessarily a bad thing. [B+]
Hilary is back to chase the spotlight she once owned a few years back. What a better way to do so by releasing a summer track. I actually like most of her previous releases in the past so I was looking forward to what she can bring on the table this time. Unfortunately, this track co-written by people like Colbie Caillat doesn't seem like it will bring her back to her glory days. I do like the verses and the calmness of her voice on the song but the chorus ruins it for me. If there's one thing that annoys me in pop songs, it has to be generic and repetitive choruses a la We Found Love or Wish You Were Here. I give credit to the cute music video though.
For my first atrlcritic review, naturally, I'm reviewing a Hilary Duff song. What is wrong with me? Well, let me explain why this actually makes more sense than it may seem.
Hilary Duff and I have a long, LONG history. I was in my teens when Lizzie McGuire first aired on the Disney Channel. It was around that time, of course, that she started her music career. To say that she has been hit-or-miss with me would be an understatement. She has released tracks that would qualify as "guilty pleasures" for me, if such a thing existed for someone who willingly listens to Britney Spears and Korn in 2014. Even the most staunch music critic could see something worth listening to in songs like "Stranger", "Come Clean" and "With Love". Of course, there's also the other side of the spectrum, the songs that I loathe: "Why Not", "Reach Out", songs along those lines. Duff has released some of my favorite pop songs of the last decade and some of my least-favorite songs. I was both anticipating and dreading listening to this track. To my surprise, I came across a problem when I first started listening to this track.
I didn't like it or hate it. In fact, I barely felt anything.
One of the worst things I can say about a song is that I didn't feel any sort of emotion when listening to it. I mean, even with a song that I hate, I have strong feelings for the song. I don't particularly have any strong feelings about "Chasing the Sun". It's generic, it's bland, it's unassuming, and it's exactly the type of song that I did not expect to come across with Hilary Duff. Say what you will about a song like "Reach Out", but at least it was TRYING to accomplish something more than being an average, generic track. This just didn't really do anything for me, good or bad. In this case, apathy truly is lethal.
TL;DR:
Hilary Duff has a tendency to make songs that I both love and hate. This song is neither. In fact, it barely made me feel any sort of emotion. Generic, bland, and unassuming, "Chasing the Sun" is Hilary Duff's most forgettable single by a wide margin. 4/10
(Decided to edit this with a more striking overall "look". This "look" will probably change over the next couple of reviews, though.)
Hilary Duff: "Chasing the Sun" Chasing the Sun - Single
In one of the more interesting release strategies I've seen in the music industry, Hilary Duff draws back to the Lizzie McGuire soundtrack released twelve years ago in 2002 to release "Chasing the Sun". I'm positive this is a B-side or a leftover track from the album, seeing as the newly-married-now-mother sounds fourteen as opposed to her real age of twenty-six. With a beat that makes it seem like the less-loved, uglier sister to Paris Hilton's "Stars are Blind", the song doesn't have anything spectacular to offer - besides perhaps a "so good it's bad" feel, if that's what you're into. Piled on top of the beat are the song's extremely cliche lyrics, and her verses appear as nothing more than filler to get to the repetitive chorus in which Hilary wants you to know she is, indeed, chasing the sun. If you were anticipating Hilary to return with a big bang, well, better luck next time (I know for sure I'm waiting for Lindsay Lohan's return!)
GO IN!
I'm not a good English writer.
