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Special Event: atrlcritic | Ed Sheeran's new songs after the upgrade
Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Pretty Girls will end on Wednesday.
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 7/22/2012
Posts: 8,060
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Britney Spears ft. Iggy Azalea - Pretty Girls
While everyone rushed to dislike the song from the first listen, I have taken my time to just understand the song so I can't be neither biased or quick to judge. Musically, the song does not offer a lot, but that's not what it's for. The song in my opinion is just a carefree summer song, you shouldn't be taking it seriously, you should just enjoy it. A lot of people have said that the song sounds like Fancy, and as a music writer, I don't see anything similar to Fancy besides the bass pluck. The more I listen to it, the more I like the beat more.
In the end, I like Pretty Girls, but I don't love it.
7/10
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 8,890
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“Pretty Girls” by pop veteran Britney Spears and newcomer Iggy Azalea was clearly made with the intent of crafting a fun song for the summer, and the two artists found great success together in accomplishing this goal. Those looking for complex lyrics, experimental production, or powerhouse vocals should look elsewhere, but in the process will miss out on more than the track’s short length of two minutes and forty-four second would have you believe. The track was written by UK girl group Little Mix with additional writing from Maegan Cottone, Alfie Grant, and Azalea with production helmed by UK production trio The Invisible Men, best known for their work with Azalea on her number one hit “Fancy” and debut album The New Classic. The lyrics are not anything overly complex, but they pack a punch nonetheless, with the pre-chorus “girls roll up / windows roll down / eyes on us / jaws on the ground / watch them go / it’s just so funny / like bees to the honey” sure to get stuck in your head. Azalea’s verse, while short, still packs a punch and makes a reference to Spears’s iconic debut hit “Baby One More Time.” Although Spears is not known for her powerhouse vocals, the true strengths of her voice are its versatility and instantly recognizable tone, both of which are emphasized on this track. The song provides a refreshing change from the auto-tune laden and poorly produced vocals of Spears’s previous effort, Britney Jean. Spears sings with confidence on the song, with vocals reminiscent on those of her first self-titled album, Britney. The ad-libs found throughout especially harken back to a younger Spears. Azalea also does not get lost on the track, providing vocals on the chorus and delivering her verse with confidence. The production of the track brings everything together, adding yet another punch to the song. Listeners may notice similarities to Azalea’s “Fancy,” as both tracks share the trademark sound of The Invisible Men, but the songs are no more similar than Britney’s early hits with Swedish producer Max Martin: similar enough to be instantly recognizable as Max Martin songs, but different enough to give each song its own unique flavor. The story is much the same here. “Pretty Girls” and “Fancy” are quintessential Invisible Men tracks, but each song has its own unique flare that allows both tracks to coexist peacefully, and at the end of the day most listeners will probably be able to listen to and enjoy both songs without a problem. The fast-paced production of “Pretty Girls” features an addicting beat assisted by a vibraslap and high bells during the chorus. Although “Pretty Girls” packs a big punch in just over two and a half minutes, the song could have been even better if it included the breakdown featured in the version of the song used in the music video, or even another repetition of the chorus at the end of the song. Although this track is sure to receive hate due to the negative press surrounding Azalea, there is no denying the catchiness of this tune. Some may also knock Spears for choosing to work with Azalea and not crafting a song more experimental and groundbreaking, but at the end of the day it finally seems that Spears is getting what she wants out of her music: she picked the song because she liked it, she worked with Azalea because she wanted to and did not care what everyone else had to say, and she gave the song her first televised performance in years with a smile on her face the whole time. It’s okay to expect Britney Spears to deliver experimental and groundbreaking material like that on her albums In the Zone and Blackout, but you should not be disappointed when she instead decides to do what she did with her first effort …Baby One More Time: deliver carefree, infectious pop music. “Pretty Girls,” is certainly not groundbreaking, but after you listen to this track, don’t be surprised if you feel the urge to hit it one more time.
Grade: A-
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Banned
Member Since: 5/15/2010
Posts: 15,858
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Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea- Pretty Girls
Review by Music&Gamers.net
Pretty Girls, is a hook up between the Greatest Female Pop Star of her generation and the African cultural messiah of Australian heritage Queen of Current Rap. The song is considered by Britney Spears as artsy-fartsy . For whatever that means, its probably within the vicinity of trash and Mona Lisa or maybe a Mona Lisa painted by Picasso. Closer to an art with hints of plagiarism courteasy of Iggy Iggs' Fancy(well at least she won't be caught appropriating herself this time around). Pretty Girls had it all, that infectious intro beat followed by a masterpiece vocals by Britney with hints of distorted autotune which frankly, I say should've been better without an abundance of that and a priceless rap sung bridge by Iggy with a cheerleader Britney on the background. The chorus had been that rinse and repeat sentence which is reminiscent of Britney's worldwide no. 1 Me Against The Music but ultimately follows into a sound lapse at the end that returns us to the same samey old old repeat of the first verse with different lyrics and ends with a particular iconic Britney customized-melisma that leads to a rap portion of Iggy and even referencing Britney's first Billboard no.1 , ...Baby One More Time. Britney ends Iggy's part with her iconic vocal fry masterfully done and returns us to another gut-wrenching repeat of the songs chorus with no particular improvements musically or vocally which what makes the song a bit disappointing. The song's lyrics are significantly shallow and just one of those songs that you probably wanna hear during the summer to celebrate your feminity and explore your vanity. Overall, I enjoyed the song.
8/10
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Member Since: 2/5/2014
Posts: 29,111
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Britney Spears - Pretty Girls
"All around the world, pretty girls / Wipe the floor with all the boys / Pour the drinks, bring the noise / We're just so pretty!" It doesn't get any deeper and more profound than this opening line. It truly is a Warholian exploration of the surface aesthetics of the feminine and the gender dynamics... nah it's not really any of that and the song would be pretty insufferable if it were; it's Britney! Britney has always been about entertainment and Pretty Girls isn't any different. Pretty Girls is clearly designed to be a dumb fun song for summer, and it definitely is! It's something that requires you to shut your brain off and chant along with; it's fun, but the problem with Pretty is that it truly comes across like it was designed to be a dumb fun summer song.
Pretty Girls feels too coldly calculated, too measured, to really be that knockout summer song. The song fails in its casting of Iggy Azalea as Britney's co-headliner. Sure her "Fancy" worked as the song of the summer of 2014, but her addition here, coupled with the "Fancy 2.0" styled beat, feels too much like an attempt at forcing lightning to strike twice. Also, despite being billed as a Britney Spears & Iggy Azalea co-headliner, the song feels light on both artists; mostly centered on the ongoing chant of the chorus which gives the song an anonymous feeling and adding to the thought that this single was constructed to have the greatest chances of being a hit. "Pretty Girls" isn't bad, but comes off as slightly uninspired and route, but it will do to fill that dumb fun summer song niche.
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Grade: B
 My Reviews
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Member Since: 3/3/2014
Posts: 1,386
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Request Brandon Flowers' album The Desired Effect
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Your're fine, Bloomers. I said that I would end this "tonight" for two straight nights.  I'll probably wrap it up this weekend, though.
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Member Since: 4/4/2014
Posts: 17,141
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Are we going to do Hilary's album? I've done a track by track already for it.
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Member Since: 1/6/2014
Posts: 21,185
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Can we review Hilary's new album?
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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We can do Hilary's album, Carly's album, and Selena's new single starting on Wednesday. 
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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And yes, I'll (mercifully) end Pretty Girls then.
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 43,104
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What about Carly's album? Could I submit early? 
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Member Since: 4/4/2014
Posts: 17,141
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Can we do Carly after Hilary. Remind me to do Hilary tomorrow pls 
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 43,104
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Quote:
Originally posted by RihannaRTT
Can we do Carly after Hilary. Remind me to do Hilary tomorrow pls |
Same
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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I can start Carly's album tomorrow as well. It'll be nice to have this active again. 
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 68,548
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I'll do Selena now, while I'll give a second listen to both Hilary's and Carly's albums before reviewing them.
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 68,548
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Selena Gomez f/A$AP Rocky - "Good for You"
Here is Selena's new single, "Good for You". Sexy lyrics? Check. Sexy voice? Missing. This song is well produced and well written, and A$AP Rocky's rap is definitely the most interesting part of the song, if not the only one.
Selena tries to pull a Tinashe/Natalie La Rose on "Good for You", without considering the fact that her voice is a huge limit for her. She sounds bored rather than seductive.
After four albums and a greatest hits compilation, it seems like Selena still hasn't found her own musical identity, as she continues to borrow her style from other artists. "Good for You" is just another Selena song that doesn't say anything about her as an artist.
2/10
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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I'll officially start the 2 albums and single this evening, but feel free to get your reviews up early like the one posted above me.
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 4/24/2011
Posts: 8,547
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Wait, can we do the Florence album? Or is it too late?
Honestly, TRF.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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^ You're the third request, but it might be a bit of a packed schedule.
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