Rihanna: Man Down Single Review

Rihanna will follow her California King Bed ballad with Man Down, another single taken from her multi-platinum album Loud. Man Down is already being played by radio stations and the video will follow very shorty. The reggae-flavored track tells the story of a woman who shots down a man and is seeking some forgiveness for her actions. Here's what director Anthony Mandler had to say about the video:

“We’ve done 16 videos together; they’re not all tough,” Mandler said when asked about what fans can expect from the new clip. "What we’re coming with next … is certainly gonna flip peoples' minds with ‘Man Down.’ 

“We shot the video in Jamaica and it’s my favorite song she’s ever recorded, so I was really excited to get involved,” he said. “And it’s just one of those songs that demands a strong narrative and visual, and let’s just say she let me go all the way. So I think you can expect something that’s dramatic and shocking and intense and emotional and uplifting and enlightening.”

Man Down sees Rihanna go back to her Caribbean roots, which is nice, and leave the 'safe' pop/dance territory for a while. Doing so and releasing a track in a music genre that is not 'IN' at the moment (and it's been put on shelf for too long) is a rather bold move, but Rihanna has a solid fan base right now and plenty of star power to carry this song on top of the charts, even if it's a reggae number.

It also happens that this is one of the best tracks on her Loud album; matter of fact it's one of the best songs Rihanna has ever recorded. The slightly offbeat lyrics and the raw production both work here and the 'double' chorus (Rum pu-pu-pum/Oh mama mama) is catchy and already a favorite with the fans. I personally wouldn't mind at all if Rihanna went back to chill reggae vibes more often and released more summery, Caribbean-flavored songs.

It's also nice to see Bob Marley's legacy live on - I can't help but think of Marley's I Shot The Sheriff due to the same lyrical content, 'the murder tale' - and Rihanna paying tribute to the legendary reggae artist who is actually one of her favorite musicians ever.

Here's what others had to say about Man Down:

Emily Mackay of NME commented that the album's experiments feel more organic, its tone better paced because of the Caribbean-tinged anthem for doomed youth of "Man Down".

Jon Pareles of The New York Times said that Rihanna plays up her West Indian accent in the electro-reggae of “Man Down” about shooting a lover in a moment of passion.

Entertainment Weekly writer Leah Greenblatt said that "Man Down" burrows neck-deep in island rhythms.

James Skinner of BBC Online viewed "Man Down" as a Caribbean rhythm, where Rihanna relays a break-up as murder metaphor in thick Barbadian patois.

Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine named the song the album's biggest highlight, a full-fledged reggae tune about a woman who shoots a man. He praised the song saying that Rihanna is surprisingly agile in this genre and is one of her finest, most confident vocal performances to date.

Man Down video will premiere on Tuesday, May 31.

Pink - "Greatest Hits...So Far!!!" Brief Album Review

I love Pink. She is an amazingly talented singer-songwriter who speaks her mind and stands for what she believes in. She's funny, witty, true to herself and a rocker at heart. Pretty good combination, if you ask me.

"Greatest Hits... So Far!!!" is her first compilation album and it has been released in 3 editions : US, UK and International. The track listings are slightly different for both the CD and the accompanying DVD, but whatever version you choose to buy, it's worth it.

Here is the track listing for the International edition CD: 

1. Get The Party Started
2. There You Go
3. Don't Let Me Get Me
4. Just Like A Pill
5. Family Portrait
6. Trouble
7. Stupid Girls
8. Who Knew
9. U + Ur Hand
10. Dear Mr. President
11. Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)
12. So What
13. Sober
14. Please Don't Leave Me
15. Bad Influence
16. Funhouse
17. I Don't Believe You
18. Whataya Want From Me
19. Raise Your Glass
20. F**kin' Perfect
21. Heartbreak Down

As you can see, you get 17 of Pink's biggest hits plus 4 new tracks, including the newly released single, "Raise Your Glass". What makes me happy about this edition is Pink's version of "Whataya Want from Me". Fact: this song was actually co-written and originally recorded by Pink for her "Funhouse" album. It eventually didn't make the cut and it was later offered to Adam Lambert.

There is also a Deluxe edition of the album, which, in addition to the CD, includes a DVD of Pink's most popular videos. Below you have the DVD track listing for the International Deluxe Edition:

1. There You Go
2. Most Girls
3. You Make Me Sick
4. Get The Party Started
5. Don't Let Me Get Me
6. Just Like A Pill
7. Family Portrait
8. Trouble
9. God Is A DJ
10. Last To Know 
11. Stupid Girls
12. Who Knew
13. U + Ur Hand 
14. Nobody Knows
15. Dear Mr. President - Live From Wembley Arena London, UK
16. So What
17. Please Don't Leave Me 
18. Sober
19. Funhouse
20. I Don't Believe You
21. Bad Influence
22. Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely) - The Funhouse Freak Show Edition
23. Please Don't Leave Me - The Funhouse Freak Show Edition
24. Funhouse - The Funhouse Freak Show Edition
25. Behind The Scenes Of The Funhouse Video
26. Behind The Scenes Of The Greatest Hits...So Far!!! Photoshoot

(The CD and the DVD have also been released separately if you wanted to purchase just one of them).

If you're a Pink fan, this collection is a must-have. Her 10-year career is well covered by this material and if this is what Pink had to offer in the last decade, then I'm really excited for the next 10 years, since she's only been getting better. If you've never seen her in concert, you're missing out on a lot, because, like all great artists, that's where she really shines: on stage. That's where you realize what a great singer she is. I've seen her sing Janis Joplin songs, Queen, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and she's probably one of the VERY few artists today who can pull those songs off admirably. Until you get to see her on stage in real life, you can watch her shows on DVD: Pink Live from Wembley Arena and Funhouse Tour: Live in Australia., both highly recommended. You'll be impressed by the acrobatics too, but honestly, it doesn't take a lot for Pink to put on a great show. All she needs to do is open her mouth and sing. She's the real deal. There is nothing fake or fabricated about Pink. She is sheer talent and emotion. This woman can sing the phone book and she would still sound amazing.

"Greatest Hits...So Far!!!" is out now.

INXS - Platinum Greatest Hits - brief album review by request

One of my Facebook friends wrote to me a few days ago, asking about this album. She knows that INXS is a band that was always very dear to me. I grew up with them, I own every single one of their records and, when it comes to writing anything about them, you don't have to ask me twice.

So, Vicky, this one is for you.

INXS released "Platinum Greatest Hits" a couple of months ago, a collection that includes some of their best songs with Michael Hutchence. Was there really ever INXS after Michael Hutchence's tragic death? Not really, if you ask me. Yeah, you guessed it. To me, INXS means INXS WITH Michael Hutchence. Any other vocalist just won't do. This is what usually happens when the singer of a band is the very core of it. Michael wasn't just the vocalist, he was the brains and heart of INXS, he wrote songs, lyrics and once he was gone, it was pretty clear things would go downhill.

What we did see after his death were just bleak attempts to keep the band going (which is not really something condemnable after all), but there was only so much J.D. Fortune could do. Nevertheless, INXS did produce an ok album with J.D. as vocalist. Switch, released in 2005, included a very nice hit single called Afterglow (by the way, can you imagine if this song had been sung by Michael Hutchence? Awesomeness to the infinity).

Platinum includes 16 tracks, none of them being from INXS early albums. The oldest songs on this collection go as far back as the Kick LP (1987), which was the album that put INXS on the world's map. What we get here are indeed INXS biggest hits among which classics like Need You Tonight, Suicide Blonde and Never Tear Us Apart. I'm not very happy about the fact that they left out songs like Taste It and The Gift, but in compensation we get The Loved One, a highly underrated song when it originally came out.

At the end of the day, this is a nice collection that should introduce INXS and Michael Hutchence to the younger generations. Something that Michael very much deserves. We're talking here about one of the best and most charismatic band leaders in music history. He had it all: voice, talent, looks and star power.

Platinum Greatest Hits Track listing :

1. Suicide Blonde
2. Heaven Sent
3. By My Side
4. Bitter Tears
5. Mystify
6. Full Moon Dirty Hearts
7. Baby Don't Cry
8. Please (You Got That Need)
9. The Loved One
10. Beautiful Girl
11. Never Tear Us Apart
12. Disappear
13. Not Enough Time
14. Devil Inside
15. Need You Tonight
16. New Sensation

Platinum Greatest Hits can be purchased from iTunes, or, if you prefer an actual CD, you can get it from Amazon or from the band's official website, INXS.com.

However, if you want to experience the greatness of Michael Hutchence to full effect as well as INXS at the top of their game, audio material is just not going to be enough. I wholeheartedly recommend the Live Baby Live DVD - INXS Live at Wembley and the I'm Only Looking DVD Collection, a great compilation of INXS videos and rare footage. They're both getting hard to find, but they do show up every now and then on Amazon UK or Amazon Germany.

Photos from INXS.com