Archive for the 'Eminem' Category
TOP 10 SONGS OF 2009
Hey, it’s me. J. Stone. The guy who writes wrote That’s So Fetch everyday for a year and a half.
Good to see you again. Looks as though you’re doing well. I started this blog in July of 2008 with an audience of zero. As an up-and-coming blogger, I devoted my life to entertaining you people. You’d awake every morning with an email from That’s So Fetch at 7am Central Standard Time … then one day, you wake up, and it’s over … Oh how spoiled you were.
Then the blogger moves to New York and writes for various publications. I guess you could say I’m a sellout. Blame it on the man. Blame it on a rent payment or the fact that I buy my Golden Retriever $600 in cashmere sweaters a month.
Enough banter, more list. Don’t you ever think I wasn’t paying attention in 2009. Just because I dropped off the face of the earth does not mean I wasn’t planning this list all year.
Album, movies, and more lists coming soon…
THE TOP 10 SONGS OF 2009
10. CAGE THE ELEPHANT
“Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked”
“Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” is a song with an identity crisis: an un-categorizable mashup of genre-crossing awesomeness. A song with a strong Jack White influence and just enough country, folk and rock to satisfy your musical taste buds.
9. NEKO CASE
“People Got A Lotta Nerve”
Neko Case is an artist you’ve probably never heard of and her 2009 album Middle Cyclone is probably an album you’ve never listened to — how unfortunate for you. She’s a brilliant songwriter and her voice is angelic. She has a diction that would allow her to interestingly sing the alphabet without the slightest hint of incurring boredom upon the listener.
8. THE AVETT BROTHERS
“The Perfect Space”
I was contemplating writing down every song from The Avett Brothers‘ major label debut, I and Love and You, onto tiny pieces of paper and drawing one out of a hat, but this song sticks out on the best record of 2009. Two songs in one: a soft ballad collides with a lil’ up-tempo folk ditty. The most musically appealing song from the album, but not necessarily the most entertaining — that distinction goes to “Kick Drum Heart”.
7. EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS
“Home”
By far one of the most unique songs released in the decade-ending 2009. A song driven by infectious whistling partnered with just the right amount of high school band instruments. Two simple vocalists are perfect for this folk tune, making it the 3rd best duet of the year (see nos. 5 and 1).
6. ZAC BROWN BAND
“Toes”
Just about every song on this list was an immediate addition to my iPod within minutes of hearing it, and “Toes” is no exception. It’s a song that - on first listen - by the end of the second chorus, you feel like you’ve been listening to it your entire life. Nothing is better than a hook that’s fun to sing-a-long to, and “Toes in the water, ass in the sand / not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand” might be the best of the year. “Toes” is my number one most played song of 2009.
5. KID CUDI
“Soundtrack 2 My Life”
Kid Cudi is the best thing to happen to hip-hop in years. I knew from the first 60 seconds of his winter ‘08 smash hit “Day N Nite” that his subsequent debut album, Man On The Moon - The End Of Day, would be incredible. Stocked with great singles, the #2 track on the album is the standout. If you like hip-hop, you must have this song in your collection.
4. WHITE LIES
“E.S.T.”
The best and most original rock song of 2009. White Lies has finally released a rock album worth listening to, and one of the better rock albums of the latter ‘00-’09 decade. Sonically impressive and a song that can but put on repeat … and repea … and repe … and rep … and re … and r …
3. EMINEM
“Beautiful”
Eminem = best solo rapper of all time
“Beautiful” = top 3 Eminem songs of all time
“Beautiful” = one of the best rap songs of all time?
2. LADY GAGA
“Speechless”
“Speechless” is Lady GaGa’s coming out party. And no - not out of the closet. This song is 100% proof that she’s an amazing talent and can write one hell of a song. If you haven’t heard this song, then you don’t know Lady GaGa. This isn’t “Poker Face” … it’s a maturation, a statement and a masterpiece.
1. JAY-Z FT. ALICIA KEYS
“Empire State of Mind”
I would put the top 3 songs of 2009 up against any songs from the entire decade. “Empire State of Mind” is easily one of the best songs released in the last 15-20 years. If you don’t like this song, you don’t like hip-hop. If aliens came to earth and asked for one song from each genre to define our race, I’d have no problem with “Empire State of Mind” representing the entire hip-hop genre.
(HONORABLE MENTION)
(11) WEEZER FT. SARA BAREILLES
“If You’re Wondering If I Want You To (I Want You To)”
Coming in as an honorable mention, “If You’re Wondering…” is the only curveball to make the list. Explanation: this song is different from the Rivers Cuomo-only version from Weezer’s latest album, Raditude. I found this version on YouTube and it’s unbelievably better than the song on the album, yet it’s not available to purchase…anywhere.
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EMINEM’s RELAPSE - REVIEWED
I waited so long to review this album because getting past first impressions is important before reviewing an entire album. I’ve listened to Relapse in its entirety over 10 times, and here’s my review:
Eminem’s first album in 5 years is on pace to set a 2009 sales record, and it’s his fifth #1 album in a row. With over 33 million albums sold (and counting), Eminem is the top-selling hip-hop artist of all time. In this case, album sales match talent as Eminem is the greatest solo rapper of all time.
Relapse is a dark look into Marshall Mathers previous 5 years of drug addiction and seclusion. It’s the first of two records, with Relapse 2 being released later this year.
This is an album full of new and old-school Eminem. On some tracks, he has digressed, on others, we are seeing a 5-year progression and maturity. Collectively, Relapse is not Marshall’s best work ever, but some of the tracks stand out as some of the grittiest and from-the-heart songs he has ever released.
I can remember when I purchased Em’s first record, The Slim Shady LP, back in the summer of ‘99. Ten years ago, Marshall Mathers was a nobody destined for greatness. Now a decade and millions of dollars later, he’s still got a chip on his shoulder and hasn’t shied away from what made him a super star: unforgiving lyrics.
Here’s a review of the album song-by-song. Each song is rated out of five - One (1) being the worst songs on the album, Five (5) being the best songs on the album:
1. Dr. West (skit)
[5/5] Great way to open the album. Marshall is visiting his psychiatrist to talk to him about his sobriety. We must assume it’s a dream because the doc turns out to start tempting him to drink to “take the edge off”.
2. 3 a.m.
[4/5] This song took a long time to grow on me, and I am happy that it did. It turns out that this song is the best opener for a gritty album.
3. My Mom
[4/5] A funny song about Em’s mom turning him into a drug addict when he was a child. First signs on the record that he was definitely addicted to Valium. “Valium was in everything, food that I ate, the water that I drank, fucking peas on my plate - she sprinkled just enough of it to season my steak.”
4. Insane
[5/5] This is a song you’d want to listen to in the privacy of your own headphones. I’d feel awkward listening to this on speakers in my own apartment. That’s if you can get past the content, and realize that it’s a great hip-hop song. Eminem changes his voice for the 2nd verse - a voice that I’ve never heard him do before. When I first heard it, I couldn’t even tell it was him. It’s one of the best verses he’s ever done.
5. Bagpipes from Baghdad
[1/5] The beat for this song is annoying. You know how in iTunes you can click that little box next to the song name, and when you are playing an album it will skip over that song? That’s what I’ve done with this one. It’s just monotonous.
6. Hello
[3/5] This is an average effort from Eminem. The lyrics and delivery outshine the beat. It’s a song that I won’t skip over on the album, but I won’t necessarily skip right to it either.
7. Tonya (skit)
[4/5] Listening to a Marshall Mathers record can sometimes feel like watching a horror movie, and this skit is proof. He kidnaps a woman, and sets up the next song…
8. Same Song & Dance
[4/5] At first listen, I didn’t think I would like this song at all. He raps with some weird accent, and much differently that the rest of the record. It’s slowly become one of my favorite songs. I’ve found myself picking this one out, and have listened to it more than a lot of the others.
9. We Made You
[3/5] We’ve all heard this one: the obligatory, satirical Eminem track that we’ve all come to expect. I like it, but don’t love it. It fits in nicely between the more serious songs of this album.
10. Medicine Ball
[1/5] I really dislike this song. I sometimes wonder how someone so great can create such a shitty song. Next.
11. Paul (skit)
[3/5] Not bad.
12. Stay Wide Awake
[4/5] Great beat and a Star Wars reference. The hook is infectious. One of the best on the album.
13. Old Time’s Sake (featuring Dr. Dre)
[5/5] You gotta love when Dre lends a verse or two to an Eminem song. It’s rare that when these two rap on a song that turns out bad. The 2nd Dre verse is badass: “Now where’s the smoke there’s fire, where there’s fire there’s flame, where there’s flames there’s chronic either you high or you ain’t.”
14. Must Be the Ganja
[1/5] I can’t think of anything about this song that I like. He was obviously too high when writing/recording/producing this song. It’s terrible.
15. Mr. Mathers (skit)
[3/5] I don’t know if this happened or not, but this skit involves paramedics finding him passed out at his house on a drug overdose and taking him out on a stretcher. The skit pours over into the intro of the next song.
16. Deja vu
[5/5] One of my favorite songs on the album. Old school Eminem fans will appreciate this track.
17. Beautiful
[5/5] The first time I heard this song I was blown away, and nothing has changed. This is one of my favorite Eminem songs, and easily one of the best songs recorded in the last 5 years. It’s 6 minutes and 33 seconds of flawless hip-hop. You must buy this song.
18. Crack a Bottle
[4/5] It’s been out a while now. I first posted it back in February. Great hook.
19. Steve Berman (skit)
[3/5]
20. Underground
[5/5] The second best song on the album. It’s pretty epic. The beat is phenomenal. A must buy.
So where does Relapse fall on the best Eminem albums list?
1. The Marshall Mathers LP
2. The Slim Shady LP
3. The Eminem Show
4. Relapse
5. Encore
Where has Eminem been the last 5 years? He went back to high school, of course. Check out this video promo he did for the 2009 MTV Movie Awards:
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EMINEM’S RELAPSE OUT TODAY
So I picked up Relapse - Eminem’s first album in 5 years - last night. I’m still listening to it, and have a review coming soon. It’s phenomenal so far.
Eminem appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Friday to talk about the album and perform the hit song “We Made You”, which is honestly the worst song on the album - but still not bad. He flew in auto workers from Detroit and put them up in hotels to be part of the audience for the show, and they are joining him this week at the official Relapse record release party.
There’s only a few people on earth who feel like mythical creatures, and Marshall Mathers is one of them. Paul McCartney would be another. Two dudes who just seem larger than life.
He doesn’t smile at all in this interview. Maybe it’s literally because of his relapse. Eminem cites his absence the last 5 years as being the result of a drug problem - which probably explains why he doesn’t smile much.
Here’s the interview + his performance of “We Made You”. There’s probably like two songs from the album he could even perform on national television. The others involve too much homicide.
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NEW EMINEM SONG, “BEAUTIFUL”
Wow. No, really … WOW. Eminem released a new single from his upcoming album today titled “Beautiful” and it’s not only the best song we’ve heard from his new album, but it is one of the best songs he has ever released.
It’s old school Eminem. It’s dark. It’s straight off the Marshall Mathers LP, and will impress you upon first listen. Forget every new Eminem song you’ve heard, this is the real shit.
It’s on iTunes now. It’s well worth the $1.29. Trust me.
Listen below:
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EMINEM “3AM” MUSIC VIDEO + DAILY LINKS
and now your daily links…
The infield at the Kentucky Derby + mud wrestling co-eds = fun time.
Internet Wi-Fi on domestic flights is coming soon.
Time has a great article on the history of the ‘F’ word.
The Simpsons is getting broadcast in HD for the first time, so it’s only fitting that it has a new intro.
The newest American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi may be leaving the show after only one season.
Gossip Girl’s Ed Westwick will be making a guest appearance on Season 3 of Californication.
1 commentEMINEM GETS SERIOUS, NEW SINGLE “3AM”
Finally. A new song from the upcoming Eminem album, Relapse, with no satirical content or 50 Cent’s dumbass attempting to ruin a good thing. Eminem has released the single “3am”, a song in which he plays the character of a serial killer. Gruesome, true … but good.
The first time I listened to this, I wasn’t impressed. His voice is different this time around. But I gave it 2 or 3 more listens, and it started to really grow on me. It’s not on par with the best of his past, but it’s a good start. Decide for yourself:
See the Relapse album cover HERE.
See the TOP 10 EMINEM SONGS THAT AREN’T SINGLES.
EMINEM RELAPSE COVER ART REVEALED
Eminem a.k.a. Marshall Mathers gets an A+ for the day as the cover art for his highly anticipated 2009 release, Relapse, has arrived. What better than Eminem’s mug in a portrait of prescription pills? How shady.
I enjoy the prescription label in the lower left-hand corner. Let’s hope the music lives up to the hype.
This is Em’s first album since 2004’s Encore and officially puts an end to his 5-year musical hiatus. You can catch Eminem live as he will be performing on May 31 at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards.
Relapse hits stores May 15.
Listen to “Crack A Bottle” here.
Listen to “We Made You” here.
See the Top 10 Eminem Songs That Weren’t Singles list.
