Tag: Katy Perry

Wait…WHAT?’s Summer 2011 Playlist

Hello lovely readers! Happy Summer to you all! Every year I always make an iTunes summer playlist with the songs that become my soundtrack, and I thought this year I would share what I’m listening with y’all. Over the past couple weeks I’ve been putting together my playlist of what I have been listening to since summer kicked off.

Since it’s summer, you’re not going to find any ballads on this list. But you are going to find upbeat and fun numbers that probably want to make you dance, or at the very least sing-a-long. You’ll find old songs, new songs, and definitely some of my favorites.

Enjoy Wait…WHAT?’s Summer 2011 Playlist!

 “Summertime” – Will Smith: This the quintessential summer song. For me, it’s not summer without the classic Fresh Prince track.

“Right Here, With You” – David Cook: Let it be known that I love David Cook’s new album, This Loud Morning. For me this is one of those songs that you listen to loudly in the car with the windows down and the wind blowing through your hair. Definitely roadtrip mixtape potential with this one!

“Teenage Dream” – The Warblers/Darren Criss: Last summer I felt like Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” was summer rolled up into a fantastically catchy song. Cue Glee giving the song a slight makeover with the ever so dreamy Darren Criss and his kick awesome vocals, and you have a song that I never ever want to go away.

Continue reading Wait…WHAT?’s Summer 2011 Playlist

Video: Tim Halperin – “Awkward at the Clubs”

Yesterday while I was getting ready to head down to the HP for various shenanigans that go along with the season 10 Idols being in town, an extremely funny video from Tim Halperin called, “Awkward at the Clubs” popped up on my Twitter feed. Check it out below!

Overall, I think “Awkward at the Clubs” is hilarious. I really like how Tim incorporated a bunch of Top 40 songs and managed to include a line about playing Angry Birds! Pop culture references, FTW!

You can get a free download of “Awkward at the Clubs” >>here<<

If you haven’t already, check out Tim’s music video for “The Last Song“!

For more info on Tim, check out TimHalperin.com!

Music Video: Katy Perry – “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)”

Katy Perry released her new music video for her latest single, “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” which features cameos from Glee’s Darren Criss & Kevin McHale, Rebecca Black, Hanson, Kenny G, plus Corey Feldman and Debbie Gibson. Can you spot them all?

This video is hilarious! I love Kathy Beth Terry and her character of friends.

I think Katy Perry picked a great song to kick off summer with; I have no doubts  about “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” becoming a huge hit. It’s a great song, and having a fantastic video can only be a plus!

What do y’all think about the video for “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” and all the cameos?

Video: Mini Warbler Performs “Teenage Dream”

I came across this video on Twitter earlier today, and it’s basically the cutest thing ever. Check it out!

A certain Glee cast member also saw the video and tweeted his thoughts!

That mini Warbler is all sorts of adorable! (And that guy that plays a Warbler on TV isn’t so bad himself!)

Music Review >> ‘Glee: The Music Presents The Warblers’

If you follow my blog here, then you know that I have already reviewed every Dalton Academy Warbler track that has been released up until this new Glee: The Music presents The Warblers album. Basically, this is going to a scrapbook of a review post, because all reviews from “Teenage Dream” to “Raise Your Glass” are coming from my previous Glee Cast reviews. Just a friendly FYI.

Track 1 – “Teenage Dream“

Hands down my favorite track from “Never Been Kissed” was Dalton Academy Warblers’ version of Katy Perry’s huge hit, “Teenage Dream.” The song features lead vocals from Glee newcomer, Darren Criss (Blaine). This is a song that I wouldn’t expect to hear covered by a guy, but I thought Glee’s interpretation was wonderful.

The arrangement for this song is great. Replacing instruments with harmonizing does not go unnoticed. The harmonizing is a huge part about what makes Glee’s take on “Teenage Dream” so successful.

I really enjoy Criss’ voice. His voice is a great addition to the cast this season, and I hope that the audience gets to hear more from him.

Track 2 – “Hey, Soul Sister”

The multiple-part harmonies combined with Criss’ voice breathe new life into one of the most over-played songs on the radio.

Track 3 – “Bills, Bills, Bills”

In “The Sue Sylvester Bowl Shuffle” episode, we once again hear from Dalton Academy’s Warblers who sing Destiny’s Child hit song, “Bills, Bills, Bills.” The song features cast member Darren Criss (Blaine) on lead vocals.

Criss is showing some vocal versatility on his part with this track. If you’ve listened to his EP, you kind have the idea that he’s more of a folk-pop singer. He really embraced the spirit of this track and infused the attitude of the lyrics into his vocal. I really liked hearing Criss on an R&B track, because it allowed him to show a more soulful side to his voice.

I also have to give mention to the very talented singers, the Beelzebubs from Tufts University, who play The Warblers. Their a cappella skills are like none other that I’ve heard in a while. I think they did a phenomenal job on the backing vocals for “Bills, Bills, Bills.”

Continue reading Music Review >> ‘Glee: The Music Presents The Warblers’

‘Glee: The Music Presents The Warblers’ Out April 19

Glee: The Music presents The Warblers is due out April 19, and will highlight Glee’s Dalton Academy Warblers, the all-male a capella singing group featuring Darren Criss, Chris Colfer, the Tufts University Beezlebubs.

The album will include “Teenage Dream,” which still holds the record of having the best first-week sales of any Glee track, along with “Bills, Bills, Bills,” and “When I Get You Alone.” The album will additionally feature two exclusive songs, one of which being Barbra Streisand’s “What Kind of Fool,” which Darren Criss and the Warblers performed as the opening number at the 2011 MusiCares Person of the Year gala.

Songs from Glee’s Dalton Academy Warblers have sold 1.3 million tracks to date. In the last week, Glee had it’s highest first-week sales from a single episode with 722,998 downloads of tracks from “Original Song.” Combined with their other music, Glee sold 964,000 downloads in the last seven days, which breaks their own record that they set this past February with 880,000 tracks sold in one week.

Glee: The Music presents The Warblers is set to be released April 19. For more information on music from Glee, check out their official music website.

Glee: The Music presents The Warblers track listing:

1. “Teenage Dream” (Katy Perry)
2. “Hey Soul Sister” (Train)
3. “Bills, Bills, Bills” (Destiny’s Child)
4. “Silly Love Songs” (Wings)
5. “When I Get You Alone” (Robin Thicke)
6. “Animal” (Neon Trees)
7. “Misery” (Maroon 5)
8. “Blackbird” (The Beatles)
9. “Candles” (Hey Monday)
10. “Raise Your Glass” (P!nk)
11. “Somewhere Only We Know” (Keane)
12. “What Kind Of Fool” (Barbra Steisand)
13. “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” (Rod Stewart)

Originally posted on BlogCritics.

Video: Clay Aiken Live at The Warfield

Yes it’s true, last night I went and got my Claymate on in San Francisco.

I may get around to writing a review this week, but in the meantime, enjoy a couple videos! The first is a medley of songs from his earlier albums, and the second is Clay getting his Katy Perry on!

Music Review >> Glee Cast – “Silly Love Songs”

Glee is getting lovey-dovey this week with the song selections from their Valentines’ Day-themed episode, “Silly Love Songs.”

For the second episode in a row Kevin McHale (Artie) takes a Michael Jackson hit. In his episode, he’s singing “P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing).” Out of all the males, I think McHale was definitely the right choice to sing this song. His voice has the right tone and flavor to pull this song off. I think it was important for him and the show to not have a carbon-copy vocal, but still manage to keep the essence of the song intact, and I think they succeeded on both levels.

This week Mark Salling (Puck) is singing Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls.” I know this song fits in with Puck’s storyline for the episode, but I feel like the song was in the wrong key for him. At times it sounded like he was straining to hit the higher notes. Because of this, I have to wonder if the backing vocals are purposely drowning his voice out. It seems depending on the song selection for him, Salling’s vocal performances continue to be very hit or miss this season.

We’re treated to two songs from Dalton Academy’s Warblers during the episode. Per usual, the vocal stylings of Darren Criss (Blaine) are featured on both tracks. First up with Robin Thicke’s “When I Get You Alone,” Criss continues to impress. His vocal performance is flirty and has some swagger to it, which really adds to the song overall. There’s a big note that he hits at the end of the song which is absolutely fantastic. I really like that the Warblers sing songs that are more pop/R&B, because it distinguishes their style from New Directions.
Continue reading Music Review >> Glee Cast – “Silly Love Songs”

Music Review >> Darren Criss – ‘Human’

Darren Criss made a huge impact during his first singing appearance as Blaine on Glee in episode 2×6, “Never Been Kissed.” As a fan of Glee, I definitely took notice of his presence, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one.

The Glee version of Katy Perry’s hit “Teenage Dream,” which features Criss on lead vocals, hit number one on iTunes selling 214,000 copies during it’s first week according to Entertainment Weekly.

Criss independently released his acoustic EP Human this past summer. In five tracks, the singer-songwriter proves that he is the real deal.

Human touches on the basic emotions that we all experience throughout our lives, like love, heartbreak, and jealousy. Criss’ voice exhibits sincerity and passion in each of the songs on his EP.

One of the songs, “Not Alone,” which Criss performed live at the Trevor Project benefit earlier this month, showcases his vocal range from his larger drawn out notes to his falsetto. The chorus also happens to be quite catchy. I promise that you will be singing-a-long by the end of the song. Also, there’s a feeling of truthfulness in the lyrics, which serves almost as a reminder that we’re all capable of these emotions that make us inevitably human.

Production-wise, one can only imagine what Criss could accomplish if he had the time to record a full-length studio album with a full band. For recording the EP at home, the overall sound is pretty good. It’s nice to hear Criss’ raw vocals that are not glossed over by studio magic.

Listeners can experience soul-filled songs from a very talented Criss, who demonstrates great potential with his EP.

For more information on Darren Criss, check out his official website.

Definite Downloads: “Not Alone” and “Jealousy”

Originally posted on BlogCritics.

Follow me on Twitter! @KirsCoachman