Music Monday | Linda Perry

Hello!

This series is suppose to be about my favorite music producers, people who basically inspired me to study become one in college ten years ago. What I didn’t plan on was second guessing myself on whether or not Linda Perry is a producer. I knew she was a songwriter and musician in her own right, but I wasn’t so sure about the other part. Just before I started writing this post, I finally broke down and checked online to see if she is and everything says she is in face a producer.

Although I wanted everyone to be an established producer in these posts, I felt that in the end, it really didn’t matter if she was or wasn’t. I mostly knew her as a songwriter to artists such as P!nk and Christina Aguilera.

I didn’t write my first song until probably fifth grade, I didn’t even keep it because the words just kind of came at me all of a sudden and I wrote them on a small piece of paper. Some people would think they were poems, but I always found myself correcting everyone that they were songs, but then they would come back and ask if I had any music with it, and I’d say no. As most songwriters, they like to come up with the melody and music before figuring out the lyrics. I was the total opposite, but only by default, I can’t play any instruments and never really wanted to, so maybe they are poems after all!

For most of my middle school years, I was writing songs about what was feeling and going through during my preteen years. I still have folders upon folders of songs I wrote in classes and even at home too. I hardly ever look through them even though I want to keep them safe for later. I don’t quite know what or why I would want to do that because I was more abstract in my words back then; I hardly ever made a song specifically for one person and I definitely never put the person’s name I had in my mind while coming up with the lyrics. I was smart that way I guess!

I remember the first time I ever listened to “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera. I always wished I could be that brave to release all of my emotions into creating something as wonderful as that song. I watched a documentary where Linda was discussing when she worked with her on second album “Stripped” back in 2002, and how she was teaching her how to let go and give herself up to the world and exposing feelings that we all feel at one point or another, and that obviously meant a lot to me in my teen years, leading up to high school. By the time, I became a freshman, I think I stopped writing them, and turned my attention to books. The last one I ever wrote was published on my old blog at the end of 2009 I think.

I do tend to like a person’s music better if they are the lead songwriter. I generally love what Linda has created for other artists, especially female singers. I have a slight obsession with singer-songwriters like Natasha Bedingfield, Halsey, Banks, Phoebe Ryan, Alessia Cara, Charlie Puth and Julia Michaels because I know they all have written songs. I hope one day I can help make my nephew understand why it’s important to start writing in a different platform; whether it’s blogging, bullet journaling, poetry, or songwriting. It’s a important habit to keep.

Have you ever written a song before? If you have, do you remember any specifics about the first one you wrote? Did you keep it? 

snowflake

 

Album Review: “Glory Days” by Little Mix

12963825_581651975344801_7071364152317692484_nI’m back with another review and it is all female British group Little Mix newest album “Glory Days” and I was very intrigued about having a new album to listen to but has it really been a year since “Black Magic” came out? It’s shocking to me how much time can pass! And also how these singers can put out another album within a year since all they do nonstop is touring and promotion! That’s one thing I’ll never understand I guess!

If you’ve never heard of Little Mix they consist of Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards, and Jade Thirwall. They competed on the British version of The X Factor and was the first girl group to win on the show in 2011.

The first song to start off the album is “Shout To My Ex” and I love this track a lot, I just wish it got more air time on the US radio ways. It’s the ultimate pop, break up and motivational song. There’s not too many times a song can bring out three different topics but in this, it works. Second is “Touch” and I get an airy vibe out of it. It is very catchy in the choruses and that works great with the exotic groove it has throughout. There is an acoustic version of this song on their deluxe edition. “F.U.” is next and it has a very simple introduction, light beat and the girl’s vocals shine. It has a jazz/soul sound but it is definitely a “screw you” to a boyfriend, somehow this works and what really gets me is that I actually really like it.

Next is a track called “Oops” and again, it has this cute, soul/bluesy feeling with the piano and drums. It features American singer Charlie Puth and I love how deep his voice against the girls – they’re not going too crazy but it’s a nice balance. Fifth is “You Gotta Not” and again, I love their sassy attitude! This is what got me interested into the group so much; the introduction to this one kind of had my name written all over it. It’s fun and has a perfect dance beat I think. If you think it sounds like a Meghan Trainor song, you should probably know that she was one of the co-writers! This next one is down to my style as far as the amount of bass it has, it might actually rival “Grown” in their last album. It is called “Down & Dirty” it has a deep bass-y and electronica sound, and they don’t really do these normal EDM sounds but it has a nice tone to it. It makes it raw and dirty, it’s really good!

I was very happy to see how another badass song was after that banger, it is appropriately titled “Power” and it starts out with these fierce stomps, it has that pop but in-your-face sound and between both Perrie and Jesy’s vocals. I’m just blown away, it’s so good! I actually hope some DJs make a few remixes out of it, because it’s worthy of it for sure! Of course, nothing lasts forever and we have to go back to discussing the ballads on the album, the next is “Your Love” and even though it is slower, but it’s still a mellow beat. I guess if you’re going to talk about how love makes me feel like, you’re going to want something that would go with that feeling, so it works!

This next track is called “Nobody Like You” and this is a ballad at its best. Little Mix has the best ballads, that’s one thing that they truly rock at because of their diverse voices. I also love the eternal sound, as it continues the true sound never fades it actually grows with increased tempo. It’s gorgeous!

I love the fact that “No More Sad Songs” has an upbeat sound, there’s nothing more annoying when certain people title songs like this and they’re disgustingly slow and sappy. This one is in the middle but it’s still something I’d prefer to listen to any day! And we are back on the dance-y side of music again, the first thing I thought of what it started was old school hip hop, like something of Will Smith in the late 90s! Anyways, I think the song is really good even if it has a sexual motive behind it… Last song of the standard edition is “Nothing Else Matters” and surprising it’s not a slow track! I know this will be another weird description but I get like an early 2000’s pop song, at least that’s what I pictured into my head when it first started playing! It’s pretty good too!

It’s so hard to put together a summary of an album at the end of these reviews because you feel like you just put all of your thoughts while talking about each song, but as a whole you have to basically give it a mental rating. I do think it’s a great pop album, very different from their previous albums as far as how many ballad-like tracks are included, but I don’t think it’s so good that I would give it a full 10/10, you know? Which I hardly ever rate my reviews, but for this I think it would be fair to give it an 8 out of 10, and that is still very good!

Have you heard of Little Mix’s “Glory Days” yet? Which songs are your favorites?

snowflake

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