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Does John Legend’s Surefire sound familiar?

Well it should. What’s soon to be a sure fire hit, the new John Legend song had me reeling for a few minutes, because the main riff sent me immediately back to my childhood. 

That’s right: Peter Pan. Sound familiar? (Go to 1:44 in the video)

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Avicii - Sunset Jesus This song is the clear winner for best song off of the new album, Stories.

http://youtu.be/9bljFUfIshM

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Related or Ripped Off? It's very easy to tell what the verdict is here. Without further ado, the song that Thomas Rhett ripped off: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4OeP53BeYPs

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Taio Cruz is back. I love this guy! Underrated, and since World In My Hands, I’m excited to see what he comes out with next.

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Sure hope this is a new album coming out

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What a great Fungus Amongus-style track. Oh boy can I not wait til both of these EP's http://open.spotify.com/track/3t85XVG1R3wVWrp0WzUlkB

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Listen Now: Mumford & Sons - Believe What a vast departure. Still a fan, but it is a bit different. http://open.spotify.com/track/7HqtFBLJcilvyUuMav4Y5W

Wilder Mind comes out May 4th, 2015

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Related or Ripped Off?

Akon - Better

vs.

Kesha - Die Young

I was stoked when I found out that Akon was coming out with a five-part album, Stadium. Hitting the first single on his website, I hesitated a bit. Hoping for a big drop since the Euro implied something dance related, it totally delivered.

... delivered something I've already heard before.

Listen to Better featuring Niko The Kid.

Then listen to Kesha's Die Young:

The drops sound too similar, no? I'm still super excited for new Akon since 2008.

VERDICT: Ripped Off

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Taylor Swift - 1989 Album Review

She's not country anymore. Straight up pop. Some have said that she's lost her comparative advantage; some have even said that she's sold out. But one thing's for sure: It's October, and that means it's time for another TSwizzle album.

Taylor Swift broke the mold when I Knew You Were Trouble came out. That song was a test to see if she could fully embrace the pop culture, and go toe to toe with the likes of Katy Perry and other superstar peers. Based on how huge that song blew up, the bigger philosophical question arose: Can Taylor cross over into popsclusive territory without alienating her long-time loyalist country fans that helped get her to where she is today?

Yes. It's a bit of a departure from any of her past work, and it's more like Red than any other album she's come out with.

I think the reason I love this album so much is the theme. 80's music? Check. Ridiculous synths that would make Flock of Seagulls blush? Check. Polaroids, patterned sweatshirts, Sharpies? Check, check, check. As much as she doesn't sound like Taylor Swift, she's carved out her own presence that will set the ground work for much bigger opportunities.

Opening the album is the easily overplayed Welcome To New York. As corny as the chorus is, it gets stuck in your head quickly, which unfortunately means it will get old just as fast. (Same with Shake It Off, but that's already off the rotation, right?)

Track 2, Blank Space, should be radio's next victim. It's super poppy, but the songwriting is phenomenal ("Oh my god, look at that face / you look like my next mistake"), as per usual. Expect this one to blow up big.

Consider Wildest Dreams shots fired at Lana Del Ray. Still bubbling up from the underground, this track of flip flopping falsettos and vibratos drown you into a state of trance, like no other mainstream pop star can.

"I want you for worse or for better / I will wait for ever and ever" she belts on How You Get The Girl, almost sounding like it should be in Love Actually.

This Love is the only track with a clearly audible acoustic guitar, and it was almost like an obligatory throw-in for her country based fans... and even that song isn't on par with her old stuff. It's like she said, "I'm done with anything remotely country; here, let me show you with this half-assed country ballad This Love."

The penultimate song, I Know Places, is a Top 10 hit in the making. Expect this to be a tour favorite once she inevitably announces her 1989 tour that won't have any live drums.

There's a standout track with Imogen Heap called Clean, but I don't want anyone to know how much I like it so it doesn't get really popular. Nothing to see here... Move along to the bonus tracks and voice memos...

Conclusion: Swift is back, and she's on a mission. Anything she sets her mind to, she does well. With Max Martin and Shellback on board to help her forge new ground, she could go bluegrass and still have a rabid fan base. 1989 is different, but give it a chance, and it will slowly grow on you and convince you that this new Taylor is a journey of growth. You'll enjoy every minute of it.

Favorites and likely radio singles:

Blank Space

I Know Places

How You Get The Girl

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A little mixture of Drake vids from the Las Vegas concert last November 2013 at MGM Grand. #MadeWithFly

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Maroon 5 - Maps

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Related or Ripped Off?

Tiesto - Last Train

vs.

Gavin Degraw - Not Over You

This one is EASY! Right at the 0:15 mark of Tiesto's Last Train, I start singing, "Dreams! That's where I have to go / To see your beautiful ... face."

It was even featured in Snapchat's latest "Our EDM Story" spot.

VERDICT: Ripped Off

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ALBUM REVIEW: Linkin Park - The Hunting Party

It has been quite some time since this Linkin Park has shown it's melodic scream roots. And there's a reason it sounds like the first two LPs. The Hunting Party is the first album since Meteora NOT to be produced by Rick Rubin. As the name of the album implies, they try and succeed to hunt for bringing rock back. It's just like them to go all metaphoric on us, rather than pull a Justin Timberlake and call it "RockBack."

I've opined over the years with my cousin and best friend that Rick Rubin's presence hurt their image and brand as a rock band. Yes, they are a mainstream band, but from a production standpoint, Linkin Park has evolved dramatically since Meteora (which was my favorite album). Don't get me wrong, I adore Rick Rubin; he's a sage, a meditator, a transcendentalist, let alone a music genius (have you HEARD Ed Sheeran's X?). But when it comes to my favorite artists, (**cough** Yeezus **cough**) I have to take caution with what the end result sounds like.

Like all experiences as you evolve and grow, though, you can't just erase them and admit they never happened. Rubin still has influence in this album, for better or worse. At least they shed the "let's go ALL CAPS for our song titles" thing...

Keys To The Kingdom starts out with a very Hybrid Theory feel. Chester kicks us off with a vocoded yelp to set the stage, almost as if to say, "If you think any of this will be scored in a Transformers movie, you're dead wrong."

You can't have Chester without Mike, though. All For Nothing starts strong with Shinoda's powerful pipes. Everything is strong about this song except for Page Hamilton (of Helmet...?); for some reason he's the weakest link. I beg to think, how much better would the song sound with Chester in Page's place?

I lump The Summoning, Guilty All The Same, and War together as the album's low points. I'm personally not a fan of Rakim on Guilty, even though they thought he was perfect for the track. I do like the guitar riff, though. And Summoning? Maybe just add another minute to Rebellion and scrap that track. War sounds like a really bad 90's punk song; I just can't identify with any element of this song. I might even venture to say it's one of their worst.

Wastelands is a great, but weird, amalgamation of Hybrid Theory, A Thousand Suns and LIVING THINGS. I love Shinoda's verses here. He's spot on, as per usual, and the lovely assist from Chester gives the entire song a dark, but hip rock gem.

Until It's Gone is the Chester Show, and I'm ok with that, even if the message is very cheesy. The crescendo and hold of the chorus is something to behold.

Rebellion sounds like System of a Down is back, so that's good. You must hear this song, and if you haven't, I suggest you WAKE UP! Grab a brush and put a little makeup.

Mark The Graves is my least favorite of the album, mainly because it sounds the most like Iridescent. They could've actually used THIS one for Transformers instead.

Final Masquerade is my very favorite of this album. It's like the "In The End" of The Hunting Party, and the one I keep going back to listening.

A Line In The Sand is like Final Masquerade, but the Mike Shinoda version. Same power, same Linkin Park signature sound where no beat or bar goes without something aurally awesome.

In the end (no pun intended), I've been holding out my very high expectations with each new Linkin Park album for a Hybrid Theory II. Stupid, I know. But after accepting the fact that lightning can't strike twice (except for Eminem's MMLP2), I've come to really love The Hunting Party. They've grown a lot with Rick Rubin's influence, and they've taken a big step by producing this album themselves. Rick Rubin's genius is allowing artists to find themselves whilst making them better and not knowing it. And you can't appreciate that until he steps out of the process, much like a master who cannot teach his apprentice any longer.

Score (out of 5): 4.5

My Favorite Songs: 

Until It's Gone

Rebellion

Final Masquerade

Likely Radio Singles: 

None (as it should be)

Likely song to be the sequel to Until It's Gone:

"One In The Hand (Is Worth Two In The Bush)"

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Related or Ripped Off?

OneRepublic - Love Runs Out

vs.

Kanye West - Love Lockdown

This one is a little bit trickier. Once I heard the track OneRepublic was re-releasing Native for, something struck me as odd. No wonder Ryan Tedder tabled the song from the first cut of the album. He mentions he "couldn't crack the chorus." Well, I think he cracked it, because it (and the build-up to it) sounds suspiciously like Kanye West's Love Lockdown.

VERDICT: Related

https://soundcloud.com/incrediblelove4ever1/new-song-oh-oh

https://soundcloud.com/die/onerepublic-love-runs-out

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Related or Ripped Off?

Rixton - Me And My Broken Heart vs. Rob Thomas - Lonely No More

https://soundcloud.com/igapromotion/rixton-me-and-my-broken-heart

Start the song below at 0:47, and you’ll see how similar these two songs sound. They’re a little TOO similar. The only thing Rixton is missing is “You’re just another heartache on my list.”

https://soundcloud.com/bigmamma9048/rob-thomas-lonely-no-more#t=0:47

Also, who the hell is Rixton anyway? It sounds like all they wanted to do was take a popular melody from the old days, adapt it for a younger (and somewhat different) audience, and hope for the same success.

VERDICT: RIPPED OFF

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LISTEN NOW: Lil Wayne - D'Usse Song Review

Ok, enough of that lame country stuff. Getting back into the groove with some hip hop, Weezy follows up Believe Me with what looks like a promising preview for Tha Carter V. No, he doesn't have his old ghostwriting team, and some may say he's fallen off after Tha Carter IV failed to spark any sort of lasting buzz, but like Kanye did with his Drunk In Love remix, I feel a little hope that this album may be a banger.

There are so many notable quotables that I'm surprised it hasn't gotten bigger buzz. It's no Lollipop, but some of his bars sting you sharply:

Blessins on top of sins, restin' with topless twins / Picture me broke but forgot to take the top off the lens

How many fish did Hootie blow? I don't know / Fuck who knows? I got a redbone with two golds / And she snort too much of that Michael Jackson, that bitch gon' Need a new nose

Shit I only have two goals And that is "Get Money, Get Money"

At least he's got some focused goals, eh?

Another reason I am bullish on Carter V is because he's back in great mixtape form. Who else could make people see sounds with a song titled Tina Turn Up Needs a Tune Up?

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LISTEN NOW: Rascal Flatts - DJ Tonight

Man, it's been a long while since I've posted! There's so much great music out right now, that I've got to shout it from my rooftop (i.e. Tumblr account).

I'll be posting a few good "Related or Ripped Off" posts soon, but until then, NEW RASCAL FLATTS!!!

I thought my favorite on the album was Life's A Song, but after wearing that one out, DJ Tonight is my new favorite summer jam! And I think that's more than just the liquor talkin'!