Blue Chi’s

I’m still not sure about how feel about Keri Hilson’s debut album. I’ve been waiting for this album forever, and it got delayed over and over and over again. And when it came out, it was not released in the UK! I eventually managed to get one imported through HMV.

Keri Hilson is very talented, she has written the most beautiful songs for people like Toni Braxton (Sposed to be) and Jennifer Lopez (Wrong When Your Gone), and even Britney Spears (Break the Ice). She’s been all over Timbaland’s last album, she had a duo with Chris Brown, and she was also on Diddy last album as well.

Anyway, now that her album is out, I was really not that impressed. I hate the song Turning Me On, I think it’s stupid and I just don’t like it. I was addicted to Energy when it came out more than a freaking year ago, but not so much now. I do like a number of tracks on the album like Knock You Down, Intuition, Alienated, and Change Me, but I was really hoping for a masterpiece that I would be listening for months and months to come, not an album that I would get bored off into a couple of days. 

I am really disappointed by Keri Hilson. I hope that the album grows on me over time.

1. Intro
2. Turnin Me On ft. Lil Wayne
3. Get Your Money Up ft. Keyshia Cole & Trina
4. Return The Favor ft. Timbaland
5. Knock You Down ft. Neyo
6. Slow Dance
7. Make Love
8. Intuition
9. How Does It Feel
10. Alienated
11. Tell Him the Truth
12. Change Me ft. Akon
13. Energy
14. Where Did He Go

2.5/5

I treated myself to a music album in celebration of eid (mine was so uneventful you guys have no idea). I decided to stop downloading illegal music from the internet two years ago and because we have no proper music stores in Oman that practically made me stop listening to new music. Luckily, people stil ‘buy’ music in this part of the world, I’m so addicted to HMV I consider it my shrine.

OneRepublic is a rock/pop/alternative band lead by Ryan Tedder, a super talented song writer and producer (Bleeding Love – Leona Lewis, Apologize – OneRepublic). I’ve never in my life previously purchased/downloaded a rock band music album (Pink doesn’t count, does she?), but I, like the rest of the world, loved Apologized after hearing it on Timbaland’s album, which later became the most legally downloaded song in history in the US.

I’ve never previously listened to an album from the same genre before so I can’t say what it sounds similar to, but I really loved it. The music is nice, the lyrics are great, and Ryan Tedder is really such a good singer.

I got the UK version of the album which actually has the song “Dreaming Out Loud” (the album title) which was not included in the US version of the album! (Strange, but that also happened with Maya’s Moodring).

My favourite songs in the album are “Say – All I Need”, “Stop and Stare”, “Apologize”, “Tyrant”, and “Dreaming Out Loud”.

1. Say (All I Need) < Click for YouTube video
2. Mercy
3. Stop And Stare
4. Apologize
5. Goodbye, Apathy
6. All Fall Down
7. Tyrant
8. Prodigal
9. Won’t Stop
10. All We Are
11. Someone To Save You
12. Come Home
13. Dreaming Out Loud
14. Something’s Not Right Here
15. Apologize – Timbaland, OneRepublic

4/5

I’ve finally gotten my hands on Timbaland‘s latest album TIMBALAND presents: Shock Value. Timbaland is a music producer that has worked with so many different artists from all different genres including Jay Z, Missy Elliot, Brandy, Aaliyah, Nelly Furtado, The Pussycat Dolls, Justin Timberlake, etc. This is the first album he produces under his own name, he previous released a couple of albums in cooperation with rapper Magoo, who appears on the track Boardmeeting here on Shockvalue.

Shock Value is the usual Timbo greatness, it is ALL about the beats. Each song in the album is so much different from the other and features a diverse set of aritsts from Dr Dre and Missy Elliot, to alternative rock bands such as The Hives and One Republic, and ending up with Elton John along with so many more.

1. Oh Timbaland – Timbaland
2. Give It to Me – Nelly Furtado, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake
3. Release – Timbaland, Justin Timberlake
4. Way I Are – Doe, Keri Hilson, Timbaland
5. Bounce – Dr. Dre, , Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake
6. Come and Get Me – 50 Cent, Timbaland, Tony Yayo
7. Kill Yourself – Attitude, , Sebastian, Timbaland
8. Boardmeeting – Magoo, Timbaland
9. Fantasy – Money, Timbaland
10. Scream – Keri Hilson, Nicole Scherzinger, Timbaland
11. Miscommunication – Keri Hilson, , Sebastian, Timbaland
12. Bombay – Amar, Jim Beanz, Timbaland
13. Throw It on Me – The Hives, Timbaland
14. Time – She Wants Revenge, Timbaland
15. One and Only – Fall Out Boy, , Timbaland
16. Apologize – OneRepublic, Timbaland
17. 2 Man Show – Elton John, Timbaland
18. Hello – Keri Hilson, Attitude

 

4/5