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THE BLACK EYED PEAS
CD: The E.N.D.

Reviewed by Jennifer Gonzales-Romero
17, South Gate HS

With its unique hip-hop sound, The Black Eyed Peas’ 2003 album Elephunk blew my mind. The group’s latest album, The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies), has also become one of my favorites.

The first song I heard from The E.N.D. was “Boom Boom Pow,” which immediately got me hooked with its electro-pop beats and lyrics, “I’m on the supersonic boom/ Y’all hear the spaceship zoom/ When, when I step inside the room/ Them girls go ape-sh*t, uh.” It’s the perfect song to play at a party and get crazy to.

Once I bought the CD, I was excited to find so many other great songs on the album, like “Rock That Body,” “Meet Me Halfway” and “Imma Be.”

Every time I hear “Meet Me Halfway” I get butterflies in my stomach as I hear Fergie sing: “Can you meet me halfway/ Right at the borderline/ That’s where I’m gonna wait, for you/ I’ll be looking out, night and day/ Took my heart to the limit, and this is where I’ll stay.” Although the lyrics may seem kind of clichéd the song really touched me, especially when I had trouble admitting my feelings for a special person.

Another of my favorites is “I Gotta Feeling,” which makes my little brother and I sing out loud.

The Black Eyed Peas’ songs mix electronic, pop and hip-hop sounds that are danceable whether I’m at a party or in my mom’s car. Although it’s been more than six months since the CD’s release, you can still catch me playing the songs over and over on my iPod.




PHOENIX
CD: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Reviewed by Carla Love
17, Ouchi HS

The French indie rock band Phoenix’s album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix has just 10 songs and is only about 36 minutes. It’s short and simple with a mellow sound. Despite a few good songs, I didn’t like most of the album.

One song that I cannot stop listening to though is the hit single “1901,” which I first heard in a Cadillac commercial. It is a catchy song about Paris. I can’t get it out of my head because it is so chill. It is followed by “Fences,” which is a perfect song to shop to because the lyrics are hard to make out. It just sounds nice in the background when you are not paying too much attention to it.

My favorite song on the album, “Love like a Sunset Part I,” does not have lyrics. It gives off a dark, dizzy mood. It is my favorite because it has the most complex sound.

But there are a lot of  repetitive lyrics on this album. They sound good on some of the songs, but on others it is overwhelming. It’s bearable on “Countdown,” one of my favorites because it’s a slow song. It reminds me of Los Angeles. It says, “We’re sick for the big sun/ We rumble and trip/ I realize that too.” But on “Rome” I get lost in how many times the word Rome is repeated.

I bought this CD because I loved the single “1901” so much, but I would not recommend buying it. All the songs have the same sound and they seem to blur together. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is just OK, nothing fantastic.




CORINNE BAILEY RAE
CD: The Sea

Reviewed by Michelle Ruan
17, Alhambra HS

Just when I thought I would have to file a missing persons report, Corinne Bailey Rae released her new CD, The Sea, after being missing in action for nearly three years. The Sea is an 11-track album that has a sadder tone than her self-titled first album. But that isn’t a bad thing because her new songs are absolutely amazing. Bailey Rae’s delicate voice became better!

One of the saddest love songs ever, definitely has to be “Are You Here” with its soul-baring lyrics, “He’ll kiss you, make you feel 16/ What’s it even mean?” which is dedicated to her husband who died suddenly two years ago. It’s slow with echoing voices—this is how I imagine a heart breaks. One small problem about this and her other slow tracks is that it’s hard to understand the lyrics because of her high voice.

However, The Sea isn’t just filled with sad love song after sad love song. There are also a few upbeat songs such as “Paris Nights/New York Mornings,” a song about a late night out in the city. Bailey Rae sings, “Elbows on the greasy table cloth/ One more coffee and one last cigarette,” before launching into a series of energizing “ooh hoos.”
I wish The Sea was longer because 11 tracks after three years is a bit of a disappointment. But I still love Bailey Rae’s new CD and replayed all the songs for weeks after I bought it. With its ear-catching songs sung by one of the best female singers today, The Sea is a requirement for everyone’s play list.