Lady Gaga - The Edge of Glory

Okay, so I have another small complaint—what is up with those protrusions?!

In celebration of the single's video premiere tomorrow night, I've decided to do a review for Lady Gaga's latest single, "The Edge of Glory". For those of you who are in a rush and need to go somewhere in a few seconds, I can conveniently summarize this single review in one word: Yeeeeesssssss!!!!!!

Honestly, I only have one complaint for this song: it unfairly took the spotlight away from "Judas" before Judas could really blow up the charts, and unfortunately I cannot forgive this song for doing that. (I'm telling you, if Judas had just a little more promotion, it would've climbed the charts!) Luckily, this song is so damn good that I don't even care. The sound is bigger than life—it's as if Gaga created this song just to perform it in a gigantic stadium—and you get pulled into the song the moment it starts playing. From the heartbeat sound at the beginning all the way to end when you actually feel like you've reached the edge of glory, this pop/rock power ballad is by far one of the best songs on Born This Way (and one of Gaga's best songs ever), and even if you don't get the whole album (you should get the whole album!), at least get this single.

And of course, I must mention the best part of the song: Clarence Clemons's saxophone solo. Hands down, his solo is what keeps the momentum of the song going. If it wasn't for this solo, "Glory" probably would've lost some of its power by the end. But the song doesn't, and that's all that matters.

Until the official video comes out, watch this beautiful performance of "Glory" that Gaga has done recently (preceded by snippets of the equally awesome "Scheiße" and the first single, "Born This Way"). If your paws aren't up, you better get them up soon, 'cause Gaga is here to dominate!

Katy Perry - Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)

Kathy Beth Terry (Katy's "Sasha Fierce") and her beautiful beautiness grace the single cover.

Man, I love this woman.

I remember my first play of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream CD. When "Last Friday Night" came on, I literally jumped off my bed and busted out some moves from beginning to end. After the song finished, I found myself in a tight spot. I really wanted to put the song on repeat, but I also wanted to listen to the rest of the album. (Mind you, "LFN" is only the second song on the album, after the current single at the time, "Teenage Dream".) Should I listen to the rest of the album while having "LFN" subconsciously playing in the back of my head, or should I put that sucker on repeat and have a full album listening party later?

Ya darn tootin' I put that listening party off for later! I jammed to "LFN" for the rest of the night. (Unfortunately, it wasn't a Friday.) It was a wonderful workout session.

"LFN" is an addictive song of debauchery that makes you want to reconsider if you've actually been to the best party ever. From the ridiculous scenarios that Perry describes (Barbies on the barbecue? Chandeliers on the floor?), to the crowd chanting of "T-G-I-F!", and even to the saxophone break near the end (and yes, Katy Perry DID do it first), "LFN" joins the ranks of Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" and Ke$ha's "Tik Tok" as yet another song that can be summarized in one simple sentence: Party hard. (Thank goodness I like to party hard, myself!)

And if the song itself wasn't enough, her video for "LFN" complements the single so perfectly that I had to watch it at least ten times once it came out. The colors! The throwback look! The actors (Rebecca Black looks amazing, might I add)! Everything about this video perfectly captures the feeling of this feel-good number, and the video couldn't get any better than this. I had a feeling this video would deliver the moment I saw Perry's tweet that her "Sasha Fierce" has been born—and let me tell you, it MOST DEFINITELY delivered.

But if you don't believe me, just watch the video below and see for yourself. And... um... if you're gonna have a party like this, could you... um... send me an invitation in the mail? ... Or an e-vite? ... Or a tweet-vite?

... Please?

Nicola Roberts - Beat of My Drum, Porcelain Heart & Dance in the Rain

So I was originally going to do a review for another song, but then I heard "Dance in the Rain", and I was like... MUST. REVIEW. NOW.

Everyone, I present to you—Nicola Roberts!

In 2009 the girl group Girls Aloud announced that they would be taking a temporary hiatus so that the members could pursue solo careers. (What is up with groups always wanting to do solo stuff? Is that just part of being in a group act?) To be honest I know nothing about Girls Aloud; from what I can tell the group is (almost) exclusively marketed to the European market, and up until recently I did not hear much about them. I'm not even sure how I first heard of Nicola Roberts, but damnit I'm so glad I did!

It all started with her first single, "Beat of My Drum". The Diplo (and Dimitri Tikovoi)-produced track is a 3-minute song of pure awesomeness. Diplo's style is written all over this song: just imagine Major Lazer mashing together Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" with some M.I.A. action and a piece of Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)". (Of these, only "Hollaback Girl" does not use Diplo's work.) Also, if I'm not mistaken, "Beat of My Drum" samples Major Lazer's "Pon de Floor" (or at least interpolates part of it). But unlike prior songs that sample "Pon de Floor" *cough*Run the World*cough*, this sample was done brilliantly and is more of a complement than a hindrance. Four for you, Nicola Roberts, you go Nicola Roberts!

So, here I am, jamming my butt off to this song, when Roberts releases another iTunes pre-order exclusive song, "Porcelain Heart". Before I could even finish jamming to "Drum" I was already hooked to this wonderful gem of a song. This darker sounding track features a more vulnerable side of Nicola (giving it that porcelain-like vibe), but at the same time her vocals are much stronger in this song compared to "Drum". Following the release of "Porcelain Heart", a demo of her "Dance in the Rain" reached the Internet. It has a similar sound to "Porcelain Heart", but in my opinion it's an arguably better track. After listening to these three songs, I could only think of one thing: Nicola Roberts is gonna be successful and a HALF, y'all. And a HALF.

So, listen to these three songs, and if you like them as much as I do, let's get together and have a jam session! 'Cause I WILL be jammin'!

"Beat of My Drum" video:


"Porcelain Heart" audio:


"Dance in the Rain" audio:

Welcome to #NPOR (Now Playing on Repeat)!

Hello everyone! Welcome to #NPOR (Now Playing on Repeat)!

#NPOR is a music review site where I discuss music that I love (and sometimes music that I not-so-love, but mostly music that I love). There will be a mixture of new songs & old songs, and albums from well-known celebrities & from up-and-(hopefully) coming artists. (I will admit, however, that most of the music will be from the pop/Top 40 genre, but I will make an effort to diversify my choices as much as possible). Also, I’m all for recommendations, so don’t be afraid to suggest anything to me! I will at least give your suggestion a chance. My main goal for this blog is to introduce you to new artists, albums, and/or songs that you probably did not know exist. And hopefully with your comments & recommendations I’ll be introduced to more music as well!

If you want, follow me on Twitter! I’ll be tweeting about #NPOR and about my life in general. I’ll also have my latest tweets in the sidebar over there, in case you don’t have an account.

Thanks so much for checking me out. I’ll try not to disappoint! :)