Rundown: Testing

It’s really a peak time for music. I’ve managed to miss a couple of tracks completely, which gave me my first opportunity for a full ‘rundown’. Let me know what you think of the new format.

Ciara ft. Justin Timberlake- Love and Sex and Marriage (Link 2)

Ciara finally gets the tone right- her latest album ‘Fantasy Ride’ has had a rocky ride, originally planned for release in 2008 but now pushed back until April 7th, 2009. Two failed singles (with Ludacris and T-Pain) have amped up the pressure, but Ciara plays it safe with Justin Timberlake (everything the guy touches turns to gold it seems) for this potential single. I’m fairly excited over this release- there’s a great list of featuring artists and I believe the muted reception will lead to a superior final product. Either way, this track is her best to date.

Wale- Chillin’ (Link 2)

First and foremost, props must go to Danny Lupu for sending me this. We’re still waiting for the song that will turn Wale into a household name, but Chillin’ will do for now.  I thought W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E. was ‘the one’, and I stand by the fact that an actual physical release would have sold. We’re not sure he’s playing the marketing game very well… what do you think?

Flo-Rida- Right Round (Link 2)

He may not be the best over an album, but give Flo-Rida the chance to run for a chart-topping single and he will take it every time. ‘Right Round’ is breaking records already- a ludicrous 636000 downloads of the song, which features a sample from You Spin Me Round by Dead or Alive. I’ve only listened to it a few times in preparation for the time when it dominates the airwaves and I start to hate it! Be prepared.

Lil’ Mama- I’m A Diva (Link 2)

To be honest, I’d completely forgotten about this pint sized ball of attitude until she rocked up on ‘Randy Jackson’s… America’s Best Dance Crew’, one of my favourite programs at the moment. The new album looks to be a bit more refined- she’s traded her old sound in for catchy tunes driven by vocals, rather than rapping. We also took note of the serious change of pace- ‘Shawty Get Loose’ was moving too fast, whereas things have been reigned in here.

Dr’ Dre ft. Nas & T.I.- Topless (Link 2)

An interesting one- when DJ Envy played it on Hot97FM, he mentioned three artists, but didn’t explicitly say who was featuring and who wasn’t. This led to much speculation, but eventually it was revealed as a song from Dre’s long-awaited album ‘Detox’. The song is incomplete- Dr. Dre hasn’t laid out his verse yet, and unfortunately, this leak means it probably wont find its way onto the album.

Kanye West ft. T-Pain- Flying School (Link 2)

T-Pain really steps up here- you all know how I feel about this guy, but I think that ‘Flying School’ represents his best featuring spot to date. This is potentially a GLC track (they have ‘yet to add their verse’). Either way, its nice to see Kanye rapping again, and T-Pain using what he has to the full potential. It really took me back to the ‘College Dropout’ era.



2 Responses to “Rundown: Testing”

1. monica says:

   February 25, 2009 at 12:05 am

   hey dope blog! these are some great tracks! downloading from your site is really shitty, i hate waiting to download.

   you should make direct mp3 links so people don’t have to wait. i use iron dj for my blog. it is a free service and it has unlimited uploads with no wait time during downloads. iron dj
2. Post-It: Unreleased Kanye | The Cold Cut says:

   March 9, 2009 at 3:05 pm

   [...] do, however, long for the end of this era, even though it has produced some great music (see the lastest, ‘Flight School’). The sooner Lil’ Wayne’s rock album is released (and flops) the better. Hopefully that [...]