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The year in music By MIKE ROSS -- Edmonton Sun
Oh, to hear those whining voices: "The Internet killed us!" We heard it again and again from the movers, shakers and bellyachers of the music industry in 2004: "The Internet killed us!" Of course it did. It's rather like what we'll be saying 20 or so years from now when it becomes clear that global warming was more than a wacky theory: "Harmful ultraviolet radiation killed us!" Didn't see it coming, didn't do anything about it, now we're screwed. You could argue that since musicians simply can't rely on record sales to make a living anymore, they have to concentrate on live concerts, so that's actually good for music. But it's too early to tell. When we look back on the Year in Popular Recorded Music in 2004, there can only be one word to sum it up: Pathetic. That William Shatner may turn out to have one of the best albums of the year is a bad sign. Consider: The top tour of the year was Madonna. The biggest album seller was Usher. Shania Twain's Greatest Hits ends the year at No. 1 in Canada. The replacement Britney Spears was Hilary Duff, which is like trading cheesecake for cotton candy. Then came Lindsay Lohan. The only new American superstar of any note or substance was Gretchen Wilson, whose "I'm a redneck mama who lives in a trailer park" shtick hit nerves with redneck mamas in trailer parks across the heartland. Country fans were also subjected to Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy from the wacky duo Big and Rich. Toby Keith then became the official court composer of the Republican party. Please come back, Garth Brooks. There was some brief amusement in the early part of the year from a misogynist cad named Eamon, whose heartbreak anthem, F--- It (I Don't Want You Back) was answered by a song called F--- You Right Back by a female artist whose name I can't recall. Both she and Eamon have since disappeared. Meanwhile, as Justin Timberlake dealt with fall-out from the Janet Jackson "Nipplegate" incident, fellow 'N Syncer JC Chasez was singing lines like, "When I'm all alone I lie awake and masturbate." How can these people stand to go out in public? To continue on our journey through the annus horribilus, we witnessed the unpleasant spectacle of artists like Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam putting their rock against George W. Bush. Despite lofty motives, it's sad when rock is used this way. Plus it didn't work. While the release date of the new Guns N' Roses album remains unknown by press time, a big rock hope of the year turned out to be G N' R-lite - the similarly named Velvet Revolver, living down to its name as a gun that can't be fired. U2's much anticipated new album was nothing but a new U2 album, kinda OK, but it said nothing and broke no new ground. "Takes a while to grow on you," U2 fans bleated, which I always thought was crap. I challenge anyone to name the album by this time next year. Hell, name it now. On the hip-hop side, the big name rappers continued filling stereotypes and status quo and collecting bling-bling. Eminem has the same old chips on his shoulder and is responsible for what is considered in hip hop circles the worst rap single ever recorded: Just Lose It. Even nostalgia sucked. When the Nirvana box set finally came out after much legal hooey involving Courtney Love - who was in the press more for arrests than music - it turned out to contain scrapings from an already empty barrel. As a historical document, very interesting. As music, feh. There were far too many "previously unreleased" songs from a band whose music had already been thoroughly rereleased. Why were these tracks previously unreleased? They sucked! Same goes for the Bon Jovi box set. Times a billion. Speaking of suck, the less said about the loathsome careers of American Idol contestants, the better. That goes double for Canadian Idol. Sadly, the best-selling testament to the late, great Ray Charles turns out to be a whitebread compilation called Genius Loves Company that features Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Willie Nelson and Elton John. Who do they think they're kidding? The Grammys were so dumbfounded as to what went on last year that they coasted on the hip-hop trend autopilot and anointed as the wonderchild (and a leading 10 nominations) the new rapper Kanye West, whose music was not nearly as ubiquitous as OutKast's Hey Ya was last year. It could've been worse. It could've been Usher and Alicia Keys, and whoops, they got eight Grammy nominations each. Rock 'n' roll has withered under the harsh light of hip-hop. As proof, the year began, middled and ended with the stain of one of the most malignant bands to come along since Captain and Tennille, one that managed to combine the worst elements of three different genres, heavy metal, rap and precious chick singer piano ballads. I speak, of course, of Evanescence, similarly casting a pall on 2003 and failing to live down to its name by press time. The band won best new artist at the Grammy awards in February, prompting category favourite 50 Cent to whine like a spoiled little boy - much like Kanye when he was recently denied best new artist at the American Music Awards. And who won that? Gretchen Wilson. For the rock radio listener, this summer was marred by that godawful song Broken, a duet between Evanescence singer Amy Lee and her dour, Kurt Cobain-aping boyfriend from Seether. "I'm broken when I'm lonesome," they moaned. Now the year ends with news that Wal-Mart is being sued for big money because they allegedly sold Evanescence CDs without warning customers it contains the f-word. Coincidence? I think not. All the while, as we witnessed millionaires like Eminem and U2 scrambling fruitlessly to thwart illegal downloading, we heard the cry, "The Internet killed us! The Internet killed us!" Pathetic. There is a bright spot in this cloud of sour gas. Let us call it "The Year (Or So) Punk Grew Up." Two popular bands in the punk rock genre released important albums, at least for them. Blink-182's self-titled album was released in November of 2003, but had plenty of radio momentum into the new year. Musically and lyrically it was elegant, sophisticated, yet not lacking the band's "edge," especially for fans who know them only for such tomfoolery as Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. This September, Green Day upped the stakes and came out with American Idiot. It's an ambitious and largely successful crack at a concept album, more or less summed up in the title, a deep-thinking fusion of satire and powerful pop-punk riffery. Following this trend somewhat was Canada's own Sum 41, whose uncharacteristically serious offering Chuck was inspired (and named) from nearly being killed in the middle of the civil war in the Congo. Of course, all these guys might argue that they've been mature and serious all along and that it only took the public this long to notice. Does it matter? Speaking of slow burners, Scottish quartet Franz Ferdinand was the new big deal of the year, though its self-titled album sounds like the Clash with Bowie on vocals, or the "disco Strokes." It took a while for people to catch on, however - so the album was rereleased recently with "previously unreleased" bonus tracks. Where have we heard that before? Lots of deja-vu last year, come to think of it, what with the rampant rereleasing, remixing, redoing and repackaging of old music that wasn't very good to begin with. The front racks of record stores and album charts are clogged with so many sets of greatest hits, live albums, compilations, DVDs, American Idol contestants and on and on, there's hardly room for the original, the fresh, the previously unreleased. God help a new artist these days. Gotta do something to make money, say the record companies. The Internet killed us. The death throes made 2004 a rough year for popular music - effectively ending with the bizarre murder of former Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott at the hands of a crazed metalhead during a show on Dec. 9. It's the first time in history a well-known musician has been murdered while on stage. What a depressing and dubious milestone. What a bad year. *** As this is a review of the year of mainstream music, here are the Top 10 Albums That People Actually Bought in 2004 - and it was slim pickin's. Sure, there were much better albums than the ones listed below. It's just that so few people heard them. So here is the best of the popular, for what it's worth: 1. JOYFUL REBELLION: K-OS -- Smart rhymes and cool beats from this Canuck makes 50 Cent look like a nickel. 2. VAN LEAR ROSE: Loretta Lynn -- A bluesy collaboration between the Coal Miner's Daughter and an alternative rock wunderkind (Jack White) injects new life into country music. 3. AMERICAN IDIOT: Green Day -- A punk rock opera in the best sense of the term, this contains tragedy, comedy, Gods and monsters, like any good opera - but it is all, somehow, so punk. Key line: "I don't care if you don't care!" 4. FRANZ FERDINAND: Self-titled -- Bare-boned like the Strokes, androgynously sensual like Bowie, new-wavey like the Clash, it's got a good beat and you can dance to it, too. Yay! 5. YOU ARE THE QUARRY: Morrissey -- Smiths singer makes a comeback with politically charged anthems that leave no sacred cows unslaughtered, no Bushes unburned. 6. BEAUTIFULLY HUMAN: Jill Scott -- Best new soul voice on the scene, laid back and Beyoncelicious all at once. 7. HOT FUSS: The Killers -- Like the new and improved Oasis and they're not even British! 8: HAGGARD LIKE NEVER BEFORE: Merle Haggard -- He said it, we didn't. A solid, intelligent album from the ground up. 9. A GHOST IS BORN: Wilco -- Band stays relevant by shifting with the scenery. Result is a contemplative, careful, beautiful record that raises the "alt-country" bar to new heights. 10. TO THE 5 BOROUGHS: Beastie Boys -- Socially conscious raps that make you laugh, think and breakdance all at the same time. Neat trick.
Paris Hilton was the bomb, all right Before the fireworks exploded on New Year's Eve, there was the colossal bomb on Church Street -- the invite-only grand opening of Club Paris. There had always been skepticism about the A-list celebrities who had been promised to attend. To that, club owner Fred Khalilian repeatedly told Taking Names: "As long as Paris is there, it will be a success." Oops. Hilton was not there, in fact -- not until more than six hours after she was supposed to be, long after the ribbon had been cut and many of the guests had left. As for the celebrities, the biggest was our local and affable boy-bander-turned-Broadway star Joey Fatone. No Sly Stallone. No Usher. No anyone else who was touted. (Denzel Washington? Please.) Yes, Central Florida glitterati were there. (Among the many: Pop-music managers Johnny Wright and Lou Pearlman, Orlando council members Daisy Lynum and Patty Sheehan, attorney John Morgan and scads of radio and TV personalities, ranging from oldies expert Mike Harvey and WTKS midday guy Shannon Burke to WFTV anchors Barbara West and Bob Opsahl.) But Club Paris without Paris was, well, just a club. One of the nicest in Central Florida, with a kicking sound system and interior that could breathe new life into the increasingly forgotten Church Street Station. But still, just a club. And many were none too happy early on. Pink-carpet walkers such as Wright emerged from limos in front of dozens of cameras -- only to be asked to step off the carpet and wait an hour for a woman who never showed before the club opened. This meant clout-flaunting fell flat. Time-share magnate David Siegel and his entourage were able to drop his name (and the fact that they came in a stretch Hummer) to jump ahead of regular old VIPs at the checkpoint. And Siegel actually hopped a velvet rope meant to keep people back (other people, obviously). But after all that, with Hilton absent, poor Siegel had to wait like everyone else. The official reason given for Hilton's quarter-day delay (arriving after 1 a.m. for her 7 p.m. party) was that she missed a return flight from a Swiss Alps ski trip. That seemed odd, seeing as how it was announced about 7:45 that she was running a bit late but "on her way." When Lynum got the microphone, she scolded Khalilian for the mess. "Next time, don't keep this many people waiting." Murmured one radio personality: "They might be able to get away with this in L.A. But not here." Keep in mind: This was supposed to be Hilton's attempt to show her serious, business side -- unveiling the first in a string of clubs. If she had been serious about that, she might have been within four time zones of her new club when she woke up Thursday, so scuttled flight plans wouldn't have even been an issue. For his part, Khalilian was apologetic Saturday. He admitted to being new at the club game, saying he thought all the celebrities he promised were coming. "I tried really, really hard," he said. "I swear I never meant to mislead anyone." He asked for a second chance and stressed that Hilton did ultimately arrive. Maybe the club will ultimately fly, with people enjoying it simply for being a high-grade nightspot. That's what many did Thursday after the absent-heiress hubbub semi-subsided. But right now, Khalilian will have to fight the perception that he has a club that looks higher on hype than substance, much like its namesake.
Gild complex: Trump breaks in ballroom The New Year's Eve bash at Mar-a-Lago felt like it could have been thrown by King Louis XIV. Granted, the master of the palace, The Apprentice's Donald Trump, looks nothing like a short French king with bad hygiene. But his new Donald J. Trump Grand Ballroom, on the grounds of the Palm Beach property, glitters like a mini-Versailles. Seven hundred guests toasted the new year inside the $35 million ballroom, which was being used for the first time in a preview of Trump's Jan. 22 wedding there. "I'm very happy about the way this building turned out," Trump told Page Two between bites of stone crab. "The exterior was designed to keep up with the vision of Mrs. (Marjorie Merriweather) Post, but the inside is more me. It's got the feel and look of Louis XIV, and that's my favorite style." The building, one of the few additions to the 1926 property built by the cereal heiress, is breathtaking in its attention to detail and luxury. Since the groundbreaking on Thanksgiving 2003, workers have hand-applied sheets of 24-karat gold to the hundreds of yards of wall and ceiling moldings. The Donald says that the gold alone cost him $7 mill, a couple of million short of what he spent to buy the entire property in 1985. Each of the 17 crystal chandeliers that hung over the New Year revelers, who were serenaded by gorgeous Vanessa Williams, set him back $250,000. There are also mahogany doors; a state-of-the-art sound system that will be used by the likes of Gloria Estefan, Diana Ross and Tony Bennett during the next few weeks; and rare apple-green onyx on the bathroom floors. The bathroom basins are gold, and The Donald insisted that their piping be as well. One topic of party conversation was the 58-year-old businessman's nuptials to 30-year-old pillow-lipped model Melania Knauss, just three weeks away. It'll be marriage No. 3 for Trump, whose first wife, author and jet-setter Ivana Trump, was celebrating the new year in her mansion a few blocks north. "I feel just fine about getting married again," The Donald said. "I'm not nervous about these things anymore." Said his and Ivana's daughter, 23-year-old model Ivanka Trump: "I'm excited for my dad. I don't know if my mom will be here, but I'm happy for him." Elsewhere on The Island and throughout SoFla, partyers jam-packed clubs and restaurants to bid farewell to 2004. Our Leslie Gray Streeter stopped by The Colony in Palm Beach, where the carnation-wearing Coconuts were celebrating New Year's Eve, as the group has for 80-something years. This time around, party (and fashion) designer Steven Stolman had a new curtain, outfitted with thousands of fiber-optic lights, go off at midnight like fireworks. Then came the traditional early-morning pancake breakfast. At Ta-Boo, older folks behaved like club kids, with women dancing under a disco ball with glow sticks intertwined with their blings. Down the street at Amici, socialites boogied while screaming "Play that funky music, white boy!" Across the lake in WPB, Tsunami in CityPlace was the place. Inside, fake snow fell at midnight as the AC was turned down to Northeast winter levels. Nearby, Resort was hopping despite the $95 cover charge. Throngs of younger revelers also descended on downtown. New Year's morning action in Miami shifted to the Star Island home of rapper, fashion designer and party planner Sean Combs, aka P. Diddy. Sources say his party got kicking at 6 a.m. Saturday with many celebs, including: Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton, Dark Angel's Jessica Alba, That '70s Show's Wilmer Valderrama and Desperate Housewives' Eva Longoria (who, I'm told, paired up with 'N Sync-er J.C. Chasez). The soiree obviously was worth skipping some shut-eye. A spywitness
saw starlet Lindsay Lohan, a mere age 18, stumbling into her room
at Miami Beach's Shore Club by the last stroke of 7 a.m. One topic of party conversation was the 58-year-old businessman's nuptials to 30-year-old pillow-lipped model Melania Knauss, just three weeks away. It'll be marriage No. 3 for Trump, whose first wife, author and jet-setter Ivana Trump, was celebrating the new year in her mansion a few blocks north. "I feel just fine about getting married again," The Donald said. "I'm not nervous about these things anymore." Said his and Ivana's daughter, 23-year-old model Ivanka Trump: "I'm excited for my dad. I don't know if my mom will be here, but I'm happy for him." Elsewhere on The Island and throughout SoFla, partyers jam-packed clubs and restaurants to bid farewell to 2004. Our Leslie Gray Streeter stopped by The Colony in Palm Beach, where the carnation-wearing Coconuts were celebrating New Year's Eve, as the group has for 80-something years. This time around, party (and fashion) designer Steven Stolman had a new curtain, outfitted with thousands of fiber-optic lights, go off at midnight like fireworks. Then came the traditional early-morning pancake breakfast. At Ta-Boo, older folks behaved like club kids, with women dancing under a disco ball with glow sticks intertwined with their blings. Down the street at Amici, socialites boogied while screaming "Play that funky music, white boy!" Across the lake in WPB, Tsunami in CityPlace was the place. Inside, fake snow fell at midnight as the AC was turned down to Northeast winter levels. Nearby, Resort was hopping despite the $95 cover charge. Throngs of younger revelers also descended on downtown. New Year's morning action in Miami shifted to the Star Island home of rapper, fashion designer and party planner Sean Combs, aka P. Diddy. Sources say his party got kicking at 6 a.m. Saturday with many celebs, including: Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton, Dark Angel's Jessica Alba, That '70s Show's Wilmer Valderrama and Desperate Housewives' Eva Longoria (who, I'm told, paired up with 'N Sync-er J.C. Chasez). The soiree obviously was worth skipping some shut-eye. A spywitness
saw starlet Lindsay Lohan, a mere age 18, stumbling into her room
at Miami Beach's Shore Club by the last stroke of 7 a.m. Britney Previews New Song Just weeks after Britney Spears announced that she was taking an extended break from her career to focus on her family, she's plunging into work on a new album. A spokesperson from Jive Records confirmed that Spears is in the "very early" stages of working on an album, which is not yet on the label's release schedule. In a surprise visit, Spears played a rough mix of a song from the album Thursday night on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles to get some fan reaction. "We got a call on the request line from Britney Spears saying she wanted to come by and play her new song," KIIS-FM music director Julie Pilat said. "Then she showed up and world-premiered her new song," which is called "Mona Lisa." "It definitely has the raw thing going on it," Spears said during her station visit. "I recorded this song when I was on tour, right before I hurt my knee [see "Britney's Fall: The Never-Before-Seen Footage"]. It was done, I think, four or five months ago. My band, we didn't use ProTools or anything with it. It's all live. There's a lot of stuff you can do to make it better. It's going to get better. It will get better — this is a really, really rough mix." Spears dedicated the song — a slinky, midtempo number with a descending synth line that recalls 'NSYNC's "It's Gonna Be Me" — to all the "legends and icons out there." The song's lyrics begin, "Ladies and gentlemen, I've got a story to tell/ About Mona Lisa, and how she suddenly fell/ See, everyone knew her, they knew her so well/ Now I am taking over to release her from her spell." The song continues to lament Mona Lisa's "fall," calling her "unforgettable" and "unpredictable," and cautions listeners not to have a "breakdown": "You will hit the freakin' wall." Though Spears said she wants "Mona Lisa" to be the first single from the new album, she hasn't yet decided on a title for the project, though she's leaning toward The Original Doll. "It's untitled right now," she said during her visit to KIIS-FM. "It's not even all the way done." She also said that she hoped to release the album "probably before summertime, or maybe a little sooner than that." — Jennifer Vineyard
For The Record:Lance on Celebrity Blackjack 'NSYNC's Lance Bass, who nailed four blackjacks in his opening-round matchup, has made it to the finals of "Celebrity Blackjack" — in which the top four of the original 40 contestants battle it out for the biggest chip stacks. Bass will take on Jason Alexander, Jeff Probst and Kelli Williams in the championship episode airing Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on the Game Show Network. The winner's $250,000 prize will be donated to his or her favorite charity.
Diaz and Timberlake to marry Cameron Diaz will reportedly wed boyfriend Justin Timberlake, after she was spotted proudly showing off a glistening diamond engagement ring. The Charlie's Angels beauty was whisked to a posh Los Angeles eaterie by her boyfriend on Wednesday to celebrate their good news with close pals. And Diaz made no attempt to hide her expensive new accessory from the glare of pursuing paparazzi as she made her way into the restaurant. The couple decided to take their relationship - which kicked off in April 2003 - to the next level over the festive period, according to British newspaper The Sun. A close pal says, "Justin and Cameron are really happy. They spent a lot of time together over the holidays and they decided the time was right to get engaged. "Justin spent a fortune on the ring. Cameron was thrilled with it." Despite only being seven days old, the new year has already been crammed with celebrity marriage announcements - Jude Law and Sienna Miller got engaged on Christmas Day, while supermodel Heidi Klum accepted singer Seal's romantic mountaintop proposal the day on Dec. 23.
JC Ringtones Available at ringyringy.com We will be putting the news up on musicfreedom as well as I will now be doing day to day stuff with music freedom and making it a lot more active than once was. We have started the next record and Jive/Sony is very excited as there is a whole new team working on his project at the label. This time round they are giving the push that was lacking last time, I guess thats why they all got fired!!! hehe, Well happy new year to dirtypop.net
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