Let The Beat Drop

DJ iShine recently released his mainly instrumental debut album “Suite 11” after much anticipation and I’m here to tell you it was definitely worth the wait. Known around the campus of Ohio University as a producer of beats and founder of his own record label, 1Side Music, iShine has been gaining recognition and respect while turning out hits for his artists for a little while now, finally releasing some of his own personal work. A mainly instrumental album can be a hard sell. It has to be done just right to be able to reach a nice-sized audience and not just a select few. The album is a perfect blend of iShine’s crafted beats mixed in with guest vocals on a few select tracks from artists on his label. The tracks have a great flow to them that allow for the album to move well from track to track. The beats are interesting and set a mood, not just acting as elevator-type music or background music. The songs with vocals are well placed within the album structure to help break up the songs that are straight beats. The featured artists really impressed me as well with their added talents to the already good album. The opening track “Evening Hour” features rapper DC da King of Hearts who helps set the tone and get the listener pumped for the rest of the album. Natalie Chapman’s vocals on “All 4 You” sound crystal clear and flawless and Ethan White brings the hint of mystery needed to “Schizophrenia.” It is truly a hot album to play at parties or social gatherings. It’s an album you can have fun with or just chill and enjoy on your own. It is definitely an instrumental album done right, meant to be shared with the masses and played in the clubs.

To download Suite 11 for free straight from DJ iShine himself:
http://www.myspace.com/djishine

"Climb On, Climb On Board"

iTunes recently featured the Friendly Fires in their free video of the week segment for “Skeleton Boy.” I was immediately drawn to the video’s creative nature and really began to love the song that went along with it. Before I knew it, I kept listening again and again. I looked for their album to see if the rest of it was as good as this single and was not disappointed. The Friendly Fires’ self-titled release is a fun electro-pop record that is both creative and original in its own way. It’s like a combination of 80s meets current pop that has you wanting to play it over and over again and jam and sing along. The album features a variety of instruments in the beats that add to its overall appeal, like that of Hellogoodbye or Wired All Wrong and hits you with things reminiscent of Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears or Duran Duran. The vocals are pleasing to the ears and their videos are pleasing to the eyes, almost mesmerizing. It is truly the right unique combination of sounds that you come to love more and more with each listen. Definitely a great album to listen to when you have nothing else to do or to go on a long drive with to your favorite destination with the windows down and the volume up (like there’s any other proper way).

Do You Want To Be Free?

Sometimes you just need that relaxing type of music that just makes you feel good and put you in a sense of ease. The type of music that you can sit back after a hard day at work and just enjoy with a cup of coffee, tea, or your favorite drink of choice. The type of music you can just listen to and love for what it is while it accompanies you on a stroll around the neighborhood. For times such as this and more Gavin DeGraw’s latest release, “Free” is a perfect fit. The album is melodic and DeGraw’s vocals give off a raw feel, which draws you in to listen. The songs all have relatively low tempos and can be great background music to finishing up projects, your thoughts, or just taking it easy. The songs seem powerful and have a certain quality about them that makes you want to keep taking a listen over and over again. My personal favorite track by far on the album is “Dancing Shoes.” The song is really fantastic. It is one of those songs you will find yourself singing along to when you get in a certain mood while it takes you to another place. Of all of the songs on the album that one definitely stands out among the rest and has definitely become one of my new favorite songs.
Gavin Degraw’s “Free” shows off a slower side in comparison to some of his other songs such as “I’m in Love With a Girl” and “I Don’t Wanna Be.” It is an album that just feels raw and real and easily relatable to anyone. The songs are either your classic ballad types with piano or songs that just have a unique groove to them that you just learn to love. It is truly a great slow album to just sit back and enjoy any time of the day.

Ms. Keri Ba-by

When Timbaland sent his shock wave through the music industry, he introduced the world to a relatively unknown talent named Keri Hilson. (Some may also remember her having a cameo in Nelly Furtado’s “Promiscuous” video along with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland.) Upon hearing Keri’s verses many began to wonder who this girl with the excellent vocals was and when she would be releasing an album of her own. After much anticipation, especially due to the mass amount of singles released before, Ms. Keri’s debut album dropped on March 21, garnering much positive feedback. It seems it was well worth the wait.
Hilson has many collaborations on the album, all of which work wonderfully, including Lil Wayne, Keyshia Cole, Trina, Kanye West, Ne-Yo, Akon and of course Timbaland. Most of the songs are mid-tempo R&B tracks with a few surprises along the way. My personal favorites on the album are currently “Get Your Money Up (feat. Trina and Keyshia Cole)” and “How Does It Feel.” Both have great beats, which only add to their song’s overall appeal. Every song on the album however has something about it that sets it apart to make it great. With every listen a new track stands out to me. It’s truly a fun album with tracks that have much club appeal that new and old fans of Hilson will love.
Hilson needed an album that would stand out and showcase her talents and she definitely got it right with the release of this album. “In a perfect world” all artists would find an album that suits their style and is able to appeal to broad audiences as well as this album is able to do.