Delta Goodrem ‘Dancing With A Broken Heart’ Music Video

I am not sure how I should be feeling after watching Delta‘s new video ‘Dancing With A Broken Heart’. I mean, should we be feeling empowered by the song, aroused by the sexual faces she’s serving, or feeling sorry for the crestfallen characters sharing the clip with her?

The Australian pop princess keeps falling short of ‘excellent’ when it comes to this new single. I’ve noted in my review that it’s not so much about her so-called foray into dance music that’s causing me to shift uncomfortably in my seat, but rather the basic-level effort that has gone into the song. I was half-hoping that the video would help pick up its grades but sadly, I’m left furrowing my brows even harder than before.

Director Hannah Lux Davis – who has done videos like Anjulie‘s ‘Stand Behind The Music’ and Breathe Carolina‘s ‘I.D.G.A.F.’ – fires a fast-faced juxtaposition of Delta serving various modes of ethereal elegance with flashes of three different story lines of characters overcoming brokenness.

There doesn’t appear to be a cohesive connection between Delta and these characters, which is generally not a problem because we understand that popstars need to focus on serving modelesque beauty in music videos, not come for Oscars. However, in the context of ‘Dancing With A Broken Heart’ and the “empowering message” I think it is trying to deliver – it is concerning when you have such a drastic visual contrast between Delta’s magical world and these characters’ grim, pedestrian-looking lives.

On the whole, this great disconnect between Delta – who you see basking in her symbolic elements of water, wind, light and fairy sparkles – and these poor suffering folk really renders a whole new level of awkwardness to the story.

Is she singing for them or for herself? Is she shown as being able to relate to these characters? If so, how can we believe her?

Perhaps right now you’re giving me the side eye for over-analysing a pop music video, but you can’t say that this wasn’t the intention of the clip.

If Delta had simply filmed this video with her just doing graceful movements in the water and floating around with various new age symbolisms, we wouldn’t be here discussing ‘Dancing With A Broken Heart’ at such length.

Visually, I think there were some real keepers in this reel. Delta looked especially stunning in the scene where she is rocking a ponytail and that burgundy bedspread – it’s no wonder they chose that to be the single cover artwork. It’s a shame that the video’s rapid-cut editing and blurring of shots denied us the pleasure of taking in more of her beauty.

Between her leaning against the door frame looking sexy/despondent in a blast of red and blue lights, the disparate story lines, and the blatant lack of actual dancing, ‘Bathing With A Broken Heart’ has failed to give us a visually exciting and thematically appropriate Delta music video.

Footnotes:

Delta‘s ‘Dancing With A Broken Heart’ is set to make its ARIA Top 100 debut tomorrow. The single has interestingly also been released in the UK.

Brandy ‘Put It Down’ (feat. Chris Brown) Music Video

Never in all my years of being a Brandy fan have I come across an offering from her that made me want to not only bleach my eyes, but also my memory banks, clean of the fuckery just witnessed.

This whole minute with ‘Put It Down’ and its bad-tasting Chris Brown accompaniment has been steadily trying my patience from the beginning. I mean, I tried to be gracious and optimistic about the song when I first heard it – but now that I have viewed the full package and digested the kind of direction B Rocka is stooping down to in order to claim some desperately-needed hit – I’m out.

Fucking dial 13 CABS, open up Tram Tracker, search for the next available flight – anything – just get me the hell out of this place.

Director Hype Williams – who has an uncanny ability to cheapen almost everything he touches – should not have been behind Brandy‘s video. This hook up is one of those classic cases of guffawing embarrassment when you see somebody step out in an unflattering outfit but can just tell that they think they’re hot shit just because it’s designer label.

The prolific director may have had a few memorable videos over the past two decades but unfortunately for Brandy, ‘Put It Down’ veers closer to Hype‘s caca-soaked flops like Jessica Mauboy‘s ‘Get ‘Em Girls’ and ‘Saturday Night’ clips.

The dizzying collision of primary colours in cheap graphics and paint splattered backdrops look amateur. Tired and abused conventions of “young money” hip hop videos – like the sports cars, blue lighting on streets, and ostentatious bling – do nothing but breed ennui in the brains of the viewer.

How did Brandy‘s all important declaration of relevance back fire with such dated elements?

In terms of her appearance, Brandy is probably more stunning than ever and you really relish the moments where you’re fed close ups of her with proper lighting.

The brilliant return to her signature braids highlight how ageless her fine self has remained after all these years. It’s a crying shame that so much of the video was focused on her silhouette and movement when it could’ve delivered reels of tireless Covergirl material.

Now let’s talk about the choreography, which actually happens to be Brandy‘s fiercest effort yet, whether you liked it or not. Y’know, we gotta award some serious snaps for her execution and dedication here.

However, even though the dancing looked technically on point, there’s still something rather unconvincing about this whole set up. Perhaps the idea of her being some seductive siren of dance harks too much to the awkward sensual movements of her ‘Afrodisiac’ video when she was clearly trying to be something she wasn’t?

At this point in Brandy‘s career, the respected R&B diva could go further by capitalising on her reputation as a legit soul/R&B artist and styling herself accordingly.

The classy editorial look she was rocking in her last video with Monica ‘It All Belongs To Me’ is precisely how it should be done – not dressing like Kelly Rowland circa Simply Deep and luring thugs like she was Nicole Scherzinger.

Team Brandy desperately needs to focus more on the wealth of natural qualities the singer already has and package it in a way that not only presents her a relevant R&B artist in 2012 – but one with integrity.

Watch ‘Put It Down’:

Footnotes:

Brandy‘s ‘Put It Down’ is currently at its charting peak of #23 on the US Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Songs. Looks like it’s a grower in the American urban music market despite the much-criticised, long-drawn campaign.

Remember, this song was released digitally in early May, then went to rhythmic stations in June, and now two months after, we’re copping the music video. Shaking my damn head.

Amelia Lily ‘You Bring Me Joy’ Music Video

I won’t lie. A big part of my delight in Amelia Lily‘s debut single is knowing that Xenomania is behind this. In fact, so strong was the hit factory’s governing influence over all matters pop that I knew I was going to approve of this song even before I heard it.

‘You Bring Me Joy’ is a straightforward, pulsating pop track that glistens with subtlety, which is something I wouldn’t have expected from Amelia, who was quite known for belting the shit out of everything on last year’s X Factor.

As for the video, it’s a lot more low-key and at ease than other teen X Factor contestants’ outing. I mean consider the hectic production values in Cher Lloyd, Misha B and Little Mix‘s recent videos.

Amelia‘s video – which was shot in L.A. – seem to glow with an effortless summer sheen with a plot that conveys an idyllic teen summer outing: road trip with the top down, wind blowing through your hair, mucking around with your mates and finishing up at a beach party.

The blonde starlet herself looks stunning but I do have a serious issue with her overactive hands. I mean the excessive pointing and air grabbing makes me think that she’s lip synching to ‘Genie in The Bottle’ in her head rather than her own single?

Check out ‘You Bring Me Joy’:

Footnotes:

Amelia Lily‘s ‘You Bring Me Joy’ is due out in the UK on 2 September, just a week after series winner Little Mix drops their debut single ‘Wings’.

Jennifer Lopez ‘Goin’ In’ Music Video

There are only two types of music fans in the world – ones who know they are J.Lo apologisers and ones who are only just waking to realise that they are.

I think there should be a research team out there studying Jennifer Lopez‘s recent singles approval ratings before and after the music video is launched because I swear I felt the tide turn a little with ‘Goin’ In’.

After letting out a torrential amount of piss on her last effort ‘Dance Again’ (featuring the omnipresent Pitbull), I really had no excuses left to make for my favourite Latin pop diva.

By the time ‘Goin’ In’ surfaced on the interwebs, I was already packing my suitcase with thoughts of leaving the blogosphere and, in a more literal sense, the country. I was not going to be available in anyway to defend her crass and disposable new track.

Director Ace Norton (who served us the spectacular Scissor Sisters clip ‘Any Which Way’) rams a visually bonkers collision of high energy dance, colour and action onto your screen. So captivating it is, that you’re not even sure how you’ve just sat through one of the most irritating J.Lo singles to date without blinking and then rousing to find a discreet discharge of glitter in your panties.

The majority of the action shots like slow motion of paint clashing mid-air, people smashing through glass and shit exploding were already piloted on the aforementioned Scissor Sisters clip.

However, this being the single to usher in the Step Up Revolution movie, there was an abundance of choreography and laser lights present, coupled with street elements like brightly coloured fire hydrants shooting out paint.

I mean, look at the above. Is this real life? We are not worthy.

I’m glad the video wasn’t a mindless surrender to the movie’s themes. J.Lo still appropriately commands the clip with her own moments in that reinvention of Little Red Riding Hood with diamond-encrusted lips, and that devastating strut she did in front of the wind machine, which mind you is precisely how I look on the treadmill at Fitness First every other morning – so gag, bitches!

‘Goin’ In’ – produced by GoonRock, the man who had a hand in co-writing and co-producing several of LMFAO‘s Sorry For Party Rocking jams – is a damaging blend of present day crunk and Europop synths.

The presence of rapper Flo Rida and an uncredited Lil Jon adds some street heat to ‘Goin’ In’, and this point I’m prepared to concede that their contribution is rather necessary to the overall experience of the track – which is not something I would say for every J.Lo single that has featured a rent-a-rapper.

Look, put it this way. If this is a signifier of the kind of hectic uptempo to come on some future J.Lo album that she may or may not be working towards, then it’s not a completely bad thing. I think we gotta acknowledge that Mami Lopez has always had her feet firmly in both urban and dance sides of the pop arena and the time has never been better to combine the two.

Watch the eye-popping video for ‘Goin’ In’:

Footnotes:

Jennifer Lopez‘s ‘Goin’ In’ has to date climbed up to #3 on the US Billboard Dance/Club charts. I would highly recommend the aggressive Jacob Plant dub step remix and mildly tribal Gustavo Scorpio remix.

Do you think she will extend her Dance Again world tour down to Australia in the new year? I am desperate for this to happen.

Ricki-Lee ‘Crazy’ Music Video

I am not sure at what point Ricki-Lee music videos became such an event that I couldn’t even let myself experience it until I was able to give it my “optimal viewing condition”. I could’ve easily clicked on the link and watched it on my phone when it was uploaded on YouTube yesterday but no, I insisted on having a facial, then getting comfortably tucked into bed with a bucket of M&Ms close by first before hitting ‘play’.

Check the reel from start to finish, this is without doubt the best overall styled Ricki-Lee video yet. Just like it was with her last effort ‘Do It Like That’, ‘Crazy’ comes correct with a level of international popstarly excellence that we should now expect without reservation from Australia’s premier upcoming pop princess.

They somehow found an actual abandoned mental asylum in Sydney to shoot this, which kinda blew my mind because I thought those places only existed in Gotham City.

As you know, our beloved Instagram Queen had teased us relentlessly for weeks with sneak snaps of the video shoot, sending us barking and drooling like a couple of chained dobermans smelling fresh game. Anticipation levels were high. I even clocked a few queens collapsing after hitting ‘refresh’ on their feed, clearly unable to handle the severity of Ricki-Lee‘s fierceness.

These remarkable flauntings of top range popstarly fashion and “character playing” were unlike anything we’ve seen Ricki-Lee do before and it was positively exciting. The stylish looks were fleshed out by a basic enough narrative with Ms Coulter portraying three different archetypes in a mental institution – a deranged patient rocking straightjacket couture, a sexy therapist, and a cold nurse who was evidently fresh out of fucks to give that day.

On paper, this multi-player challenge excited me a lot because, again, we’re looking at a brand new territory for Ricki-Lee but alas, it is one that has been executed with legendary results in the past – see: Kylie‘s ‘Did It Again’ and Victoria Beckham‘s ‘Not Such An Innocent Girl’. There I was sitting in bed clutching my bucket of M&Ms close to my chest thinking, “can this bitch turn the party?”

Thankfully, our boss lady didn’t leave guests hungry because there was definitely an abundant of cray-fish being served here with all that jerking and manic faces she was pulling.

Look. It is a little camp, a little over-the-top, and frankly, if your first instinct was to overconceptualise a video for a straight-up, guilty pleasure pop record like ‘Crazy’ – then you done already lost your muhfuggin’ mind.

Believe me, I had to check myself and my expectations too while writing this review. I think as fans, we really sometimes take matters like single choice, styling and video concepts to a whole new level of obsession that we almost miss the point?

Sure I must confess, as much as I’m living for this era of Ricki-Lee‘s discography, my appreciation and acceptance of ‘Crazy’ – both single and video – is something close to tepid. I do think lyrically, our girl could do better.

Y’know, in this day and age where there are literally party records written and posted online every minute, I think it’s absolutely crucial to find more creative ways to convey “letting loose” than simply telling your listeners to “go crazy”.

But at the same time, ‘Crazy’ is quite an appropriate headlining single for radio and TV in a period of time where Ricki-Lee needs to sustain energy and excitement for her forthcoming tour and all important Fear and Freedom album.

The song serves a purpose as a fun, well-manicured party record with easy-to-digest themes about dance floor emancipation. The hook is actually designed for crowds to fist-pump to at her gigs and there’s even a trendy dubstep breakdown to boot, for those inclined to pop a squat and thrust their pelvis in a circular motion while hair-flicking to the rhythm (not that I tried this in front of the mirror).

From a devout Disciple of Ricki-Lee’s perspective, it might be a little tedious to fasten yourself onto another feel good uptempo – especially following so closely after ‘Do It Like That’ – but I’m sure once the album arrives and we hear these two singles juxtaposed with more personal tracks, it won’t feel so same-ish. So “Keep Calm and Just Go Crazy”.

Watch Ricki-Lee‘s ‘Crazy’ music video:

Footnotes:

Ricki-Lee‘s ‘Crazy’ is out now and her forthcoming third solo album – Fear and Freedom – is due 17 August. Check out the fantastic Bombs Away remix of ‘Crazy’.

I will see your asses on the floor at her Melbourne gig in September.

Cheryl Cole ‘Call My Name’ Music Video

Forget how Cheryl Cole feels when we call her name – isn’t it time somebody assigned a name to that wandering mole we last saw touring all over Kelly Rowland’s face? That shit is now getting viewed more times than Nadine Coyle because it just found itself a sweet spot on our Geordie Goddess’ right cheek.

Seriously, though. If the cosmetically-bestowed mole was the only subject of your fixation throughout this 4:29 production then I suggest you reassess your life choices.

Cheryl Cole serves an endless reel of fashion editorial realness in her brand new video ‘Call My Name’ that really could have doubled as a commercial for a number of top-end designer labels. What’s up, D&G?

Lady of the concrete jungle.

Director Anthony Mandler, who has hemmed quality videos for Rihanna and Jennifer Hudson, made such a sensible juxtaposition of Cheryl‘s alluring feminine movements with these cold, urban and structured streetscapes.

I really enjoyed Cheryl‘s visual presentation here – the full voluminous hair giving us movement in the wind, those stunning display of legs and womanly silhouette? Excuse her beauty but it truly was the main attraction of every scene in this video.

Hard and soft.

The well-groomed contrast I mentioned didn’t just start and end with the visual make-up of the outdoor shots, but also extends to the kind of energies mixed throughout the whole ‘Call My Name’ video.

You see some seriously on-point choreography delivered with slick precision mixed in with these really glamorous and almost ethereal movements in the mirror scenes, where it’s just Cheryl giving face to the camera.

It’s just the kind of pace this video needs to reflect – especially for a song like ‘Call My Name’, where there are massive fairground synths pounding the chorus, offset by a pair of very sensual, alluring verses.

You almost can’t go too hard by heavily featuring dance moves in every single shot for the entire video.

“You got me confused by the way I changed…”

‘Call My Name’ – concocted by pop’s it producer of the moment Calvin Harris – isn’t a defining smash by any stretch of the imagination. But just like a lot of the music Cheryl has handed me before, however heavily soaked in mediocrity, I’m gonna eat this shit up like it’s the last goddamn box of KFC Wicked Wings on earth. I am full-blown obsessed and am in dire need of help when it comes to weaning myself off this basic pop event.

Watch Cheryl‘s ‘Call My Name’ video:

Footnotes:

Cheryl Cole will release ‘Call My Name’ on 11 June in the UK. Her third solo album A Million Lights hits shelves the following week.

Alexandra Burke ‘Let It Go’ Music Video

A+ for effort, Miss Burke. Look at the bitch go, giving us more “street smart popstar” realness in a video that successfully transports some very important emancipatory themes with a world class-standard dance breakdown.

I’m making a conscious effort to be “more involved” with this new Alexandra Burke single after leaving ‘Elephant’ waiting by the post. For one, I immediately enjoyed ‘Let It Go’ from the moment I heard it so there was no awkward waiting period where I decide to whether ignore it and head to the bar, or politely nod along until Cheryl Cole comes on.

‘Let It Go’ is produced by Cutfather (who has carved workable singles like Kylie‘s ‘Get Outta My Way’ and Eric Saade‘s ‘Backseat’) so really – as far as the children are concerned – this is probably as close as Alexandra can get to “sounding relevant” in the dance/pop circuit without the aid of current MVPs like Calvin Harris and David Guetta.

But you know what? Fuck that shit. For me, the track’s real selling point is the emancipatory hook and that 90s house/pop kinda mentality where the melody and diva vocals take the lead, as opposed to the beat – which is very much the driving force behind a lot of hits on the radio these days.

‘Let It Go’ is enjoyable in a way that uplifting dance pop should be. It taps into that natural, intrinsic good feeling you get when you hear proper melodies taken to a new level by a right combination of supportive beats and the right vocal delivery. It is a song-driven single not a producer-driven single, if you catch my drift.

This is an express service, running directly to Hitsville.

The video for ‘Let It Go’ picks up where the ‘Elephant’ video left us, with this nocturnal, urban city chic theme. However, just like it was with the song – I’m pleased to find that ‘Let It Go’ (the video) is a clearer hit to the system than Alex‘s last effort.

It’s such a straight-forward, no-brainer of a concept, y’all. Alexandra gets dropped off at the station looking all pensive and shit, then she gets on the train and comes alive as she is transported to another destination, leaving behind the burden of her past as she strips off her jacket and dances wildly in her gold bra.

The liberating energy she carries with her as she purposefully catwalks through the carriage obviously inspires commuters to “let it go” and dance along with her. Conclusion: they all leave together, rising from the Underground to take up proper dancing under the bridge somewhere after.

I could dance all nite.

While Alexandra now joins the ranks of the fiercest to have served head-turning performances on a train, including Pussycat Dolls circa ‘Wait A Minute’ and Lady Gaga in ‘LoveGame’, I think the real popstarly excellence in ‘Let It Go’ was in the way she worked the dance breakdown.

This is definitely my kind of pop music video. We’re talking proper scene stealers where all the energy and spark peaks at the dance breakdown, showing the artist in complete control of the shot while she masters choreography like a boss with her pack of dancers. Lord knows this is something Alexandra has committed to ever since she broke out with ‘Bad Boys’, so y’all need to give props where props are due.

Watch the music video for Alexandra Burke‘s ‘Let It Go’:

Footnotes:

Alexandra Burke‘s ‘Let It Go’ comes out on 27 May in the UK with her eagerly anticipated second album Heartbreak on Hold following it on 4 June. Hopefully I’ll be able to catch the girl at a gig somewhere in LDN when I’m there during the month.