Tag: Music Monday

#PopMusic: Seven songs to End 2019 in Style

Posted on by The Smart Cookie

This post was proofread by Grammarly

Pop music has always been my go-to listening genre. If I want to see how music is evolved or how emotive it’s become, I listen to pop music.

If I want to dance around and act crazy, I put on rap music.

And pop music always has simple melodies, lyrical cadences, and upbeat musicality that makes it an addiction to listen to.

With that being said, here is 7 songs I came across in pop music that I think are noteworthy and you should give them a listen

You Were Good To Me:pablo (37)

A heartfelt piano ballad about lost love. This emotive track musically reminds me of “Say Something” by Great Big World, it tells the story of a break-up which leaves both parties wrecked.

Good Thing:pablo (36)

As someone who doesn’t get the hype of dating and marriage, this song feels like my personal anthem. It’s a song that shares about standing alone in a world who constantly couples up and being ok with it, is okay.

If The World Was Ending:pablo (35)

A soft and emotive song reminiscing over a past and flawed relationship, hopefully it can start again with the best intentions and more patience.

How Do You Sleep?pablo (34)

As soon as I heard this track I was obsessed with it. Despite the heavy yet relatable content matter of this song, heartache and resentment, it has a hypnotic beat, danceable rhythm, and the distinctive timbre of his voice within the melody.

10,000 Hourspablo (33)

10,000 hours is the amount time taken to master a skill, or in this case, truly fall in love. It is a country pop crossover love song.

Look at Her Now: pablo (32)

An upbeat song about becoming a stronger person after a turbulent relationship.

Falling For Boys: pablo (30)

A soca-styled musicality builds the atmosphere of this track about how women tend to fall for boys mistaking them for men.

2020 music is right around the corner. January 2020 looks to have seven big names release new albums. Stay tuned to the Smart Cookie for all music updates.

Starting yesterday until 1/2/2020: Save $35 on the Winter Box from Box of Style with code LASTCALL

#MusicMonday: Panic At The Disco’s Pray For The Wicked will take you to the church of rock and roll

Posted on by The Smart Cookie

Oddly enough, the first album I ever reviewed on this site was a Panic at The Disco album.

Panic at the Disco are back with their sixth studio album. Fronted and held on the shoulders of original band member Brendan Urie, Pray For The Wicked actually has a lot of personal notes from Urie regarding his time on broadway, his Mormon roots, and his now simpler life married to his wife Sarah.

Pray For The Wicked was released on June 22, 2018 with one of it’s singles making the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100. The album peaked at #12 as a whole.

Song by Song Review

**** a Silver Lining: A song about wanting to excel at everything and wanting to get the best out of every possible situation, with the musicality of a song you may hear in a 70’s roller rink. Centered around such common phrases such as, “every cloud has a silver lining” and “cherry on top,” the former means that every difficulty or setback that causes harm also contains the potential to be positive while the latter refers to something good that follows a series of other fortunate events.

Brendon flips these idioms on their head, endless cherries and a silver lining aren’t that enticing to him. One of my favorite lyrics from the entire album is below: pablo (36).png

Say Amen( Saturday Night): A fun electro-pop track with a sound effect that sounds like gnashing teeth that comes a song about those who parade around in religion and use God to judge everybody. Urie was raised Mormon but wanted to write a song without making a dig at anyone who worships and praise, and prays regularly.

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Hey, Look Ma! I Made It: A tongue in cheek celebratory song about finally tasting lasting success. It has a big band musicality that makes you want to dance. Urie tips his hat to his mother, and reflects on his journey to success, examining the thirst of record labels for new material and the quest to avoid people, who only want to be associated with him due to his fame.

pablo (38)

High Hopes: My favorite song on the album for it’s overall message of seeking your dreams without hesitancy and seeing those dreams come to fruition beyond your wildest imagination. I also love the big band mixed with electopop sound to this track. This song peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

High Hopes Music Video

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Roaring 20’s: The musicality of this track mimics that of a speak easy in the 20s or 30s. Urie who was raised on musicals recently got a starring role in the Broadway musical Kinky Boots playing Charlie Price.

Dancing Is Not a Crime: This light-hearted song showcases the purities and youthfulness of young love, with simple things such as dancing with someone or being their boyfriend or girlfriend.

One of the Drunks: This track explores the consequences and downfalls of the party lifestyle. It discusses in a very blatant manner and it talks about how we as a society really celebrate an excess of drugs, alcohol, all this stuff, and how we don’t need to binge and go crazy on shit. Ultimately, the endless cycle of alcohol and parties is fruitless.

Overpass: Catchy big band musicality that reminisces a “Bonnie & Clyde” feel paints a track about a relationship that has been torn apart but is longed for. He proposes they meet  at “The Overpass” where they can truly be together and who they are. Musically, it contains samples of Chase by James Brown.

King of The Clouds: Styled in 6/8 time signature comes a dreamy track that explores the ideas of inter-dimensional travel & multiverses.

Old Fashioned: A nostalgic track about reminiscing being young and having time to kill, such as the teenage years and good times with booze and medication. He is envious about the wasted years with alcohol.

Dying in LA: A piano track with somber musicality describing the struggle of someone who came to LA to pursue their dreams, but ended up unsuccessful. It shows how many are captivated by the glamour & opportunities of the city when they first enter, only to be slowly broken down over time. It paints the picture of a person slowly losing hope and becoming who they promised they would never be in the city of (broken) dreams.

 

 

 

 

#MusicMonday: Fight For My Soul by Jonny Lang is a Blues Music Masterpiece

Posted on by The Smart Cookie

Jonny Lang is no stranger to professional music. He got signed in 1997 at the young age of 16, but with a musical maturity and sound that made me and many others, take note. It is no surprise that his 2006 release Turn Around won a Grammy.  Seven years later comes a brand new rock n soul Lang signature with themes of heartache, bluesy emotional musicality, and love and loss.

Fight For My Soul was released on September 7, 2013.

Song by Song Review

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Blew Up (The House): A bluesy guitar heavy track [Lang’s signature style] paint a metaphorical picture of burning down the house or leaving the man you were yesterday.

Breaking In:  A song about temptation (metaphorically or literally) breaking in between you and the person you love, and how you will no longer stand for it.

We Are The Same: 

A song about how God’s love could free each of us to all live with no more disguise.

What You’re Looking For: 

A song about how what you are looking for most in life will eventually chase you down, and find you at the right time.

Not Right:

pablo (4)

A soulful song about being & staying blind to the needs of this world.

The Truth:

A song with guitar interludes that remind me of Carlos Santana with emotional lyrics about wanting to be with someone but you aren’t right for one another, and not wanting to face the truth of that at all.

River:

Jazzy blues musicality about the sanctity of the river and letting it wash away the shame and wrong away.

Fight For My Soul: 

A soft song about a young girl caught up in the wrong stuff and the fight for her soul.

All of a Sudden:

A song about the moment you fall in love with someone & your life is forever changed

Seasons:

A song about the various seasons of life as he reflects during Christmas Time.

I’ll Always Be:

A love song about being your loved one’s biggest fan.

 

 

 

 

 

#MusicMonday: Mandisa’s ‘Out of the Dark’ calls you from depressed to blessed

Posted on by The Smart Cookie

Although this album came out in 2017, Mandisa’s fifth studio album has a strong and timely message for a dark and divided world. After suffering from a deep depression following the death of friend and background singer Lakisha Mitchell who lost a long battle with breast cancer who decided to carry her unborn child instead of treat her cancer with aggressive chemo therapy. This album was born from all that pain and heartache.  Out of The Dark is filled with songs of hope, resilience, & reminders that God is still working, no matter the circumstance.

Song by Song Review

Voicemail Intro: A track showing backstory to the album that a dark trial or tribulation had just occurred and Mandisa’s friends were calling to encourage her and check on her.

I’m Still Here: My favorite song on the entire album for the message of still having unfinished work to do in and through me by God. This track was co-written with Matthew West.

download (4)

Out of The Dark: A song about how God’s grace brings light seeping into the broken messes in our lives and begins to heal us.

pablo (33).png

Unfinished: The message of Unfinished is that even with all my mistakes, God is not done making me into a masterpiece; that he’s still working on me.

Bleed The Same (Intro): This track features pastor and renowned singer in his own right Kirk. He speaks about the injustices and the inequalities facing the world today followed by the song of the same name.

Bleed The Same: (ft. Toby Mac)

My second favorite song on this album because it is a beautiful way to shine God’s love and light into our divisive and hurting world, so we should come together and be peaceable with one another.

Comeback Kid:

A song about having the propensity to come back no matter the difficulty or hardship we faced.

What You’re Worth: (ft. Britt Nicole)

A song written in honor of survivors of human trafficking. It is ultimately an anthem for women to not let your worth be tied to your body.

Dear John Praise Report:

A quick into to the next track (Good News) sharing that Mandisa’s brother became a born-again Christian.

Good News:

Co-written with Matthew West, a pop and dancy praise song about the good news of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice and personal moments of glory in our every day life.

Prove Me Wrong:

A song about the moments when something happens that devastates us & makes us question God’s love and faithfulness. This song was written in memory of Mandisa’s friend and back-up singer Lakisha Mitchell.

Mothdisa:

A spoken story about Mandisa’s revelation about Jesus.

The One He Speaks Through:

A song about being God’s hands & feet.

pablo (34).png

Shine:

A catchy reminder that we weren’t called to be small or dim the light within us but we were called to be a bright light burning bright shining for Jesus.

pablo (35)

My First Love (ft. Jeremy Camp):

A song based on Jeremiah 31:3

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
    I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”

Jesus is and always longs to be our first love.

 

Overall, this album has been on repeat for a while and every time one of these songs comes on shuffle, I smile because I am reminded that because of God’s grace, I will always have good news.