Australian synth/dance-pop trio Cut Copy are at work on their self-produced (and self-pronounced) Tusk-influenced third album. The rhythmic, anthemic (“yeah, yeah, yeah, woo”), smeary, and psychedelic “Where I’m Going”’s likely appearing on said record. Much of it reminds me of the Beach Boys-via-E6 (on an electro kick).
Mysterious Canadians Teen Daze do this melodic, synth-saturated version of Local Natives’s “Wide Eyes.” The Suckers remix of this song was all deconstructed and noisy, but this one has a lush, polished feel unlike either the Suckers version or the original.
When we posted “Fight Song” from We Are The World, I made a bad Bruised Man Group pun — because of the Los Angeles electro dance band/troupe’s distinct, but somehow familiar visual aesthetic. Speaking of which, the Clay Stones standout finally has itself a video. If you recall, when the collection’s title track got the visual treatment, it was all burnt forest, bodysuits, and nature worship. For “Fight Song,” Jonathon Narducci takes things indoors to a green, hazy, somehow windy space to enact what looks like Lovecraft-inspired Kabuki.
Live Nation is continuing on with their fan-friendly approach by eliminating service feeds on any ampitheater tickets for the month of June.
Live Nation today announced “No Service Fee June” with the elimination of service fees on nearly 8 million tickets, more than 700 shows and 110 artists at all 50 Live Nation owned and operated […]
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Casey James gets our only ‘excellent’ grade, and the rest have some serious studying to do!
By Eric Ditzian
The “American Idol” top 12 men
Photo: Patrick Ecclestein / FOX
Call it a case of nervousness on the first day of class, a failure to study hard, or a bunch of students in over their heads. Whatever the case on Wednesday’s “American Idol,” the top 12 men arrived for their first live show test and promptly flunked. Most of them, at least, especially when compared to the top 12 women the previous evening. So, who surprised us, who disappointed us, and who’s in danger of going home? Let’s take a look at the top 12 men’s report card. (And don’t miss Jim Cantiello’s review in the Newsroom.)
Excellent
Casey James: The judges predictably continued to milk the Kara-hearts-Casey storyline, which besides getting a bit tired, is starting to be unfair to the singer who called himself “just some dude.” Drop the manufactured drama, because with his stripped-down acoustic take on Bryan Adams’ “Heaven,” James established himself as a front-runner. He alone among the male contestants looked natural onstage. He alone injected a sense of live show verve to the dull proceedings. He alone deserves two gold stars.
Satisfactory
Andrew Garcia: By now, Garcia’s shtick has become clear: He takes a pop tune and turns it inside out. The judges were not impressed by his remix of Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar We’re Going Down,” but it hardly deserved such vociferous hate from them. If anything, Simon and his crew seem to be knocking down a front-runner just so that he might rise from the ashes later in the season. Make no mistake: Garcia is still the singer to beat this season.
Todrick Hall: Hall took the judges’ instruction to be creative and ran with it … possibly off a cliff. It’s never good when words used to describe a performance include “murder,” “torture” and “verging on stupid.” But you know what? With his re-jiggered version of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone,” Hall displayed guts and creativity, and has us looking forward to his performance next week. He shouldn’t have a problem making it through.
Joe Muñoz: The 20-year-old came into the evening without the benefit of much previous camera time, and he did indeed look like he was having a blast now that he’s on center stage. His version of Jason Mraz’s “You and I Both” was serviceable, but compared with some of the stinkers we heard, Muñoz benefits from a steep grading curve.
Lee Dewyze: At least the goateed guitarist introduced a measure of energy into this drowsy evening. Dewyze was pitchy at times and screamy at others while singing Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars,” and he’d be wise to embrace the judges’ urging to stake out a David Cook-esque raspy rocker vibe. He’ll absolutely have a chance. Dewyze is safe.
Michael Lynche: Big Mike is a head-scratcher of a contestant, a lovable hulk with a melodic voice one minute, an ego-heavy diva the next. Which is it, dude? Either way, his take on Maroon 5’s “This Love” was among the better performances of the night, which doesn’t mean much when everything else was so awful. He’s still a fan favorite, though, and will clearly stick around for at least a few more weeks.
Unsatisfactory
Aaron Kelly: Were the judges listening to the same thing we were? That was a seriously pitchy performance, and it bordered on embarrassing when he couldn’t hold a single high note in Rascal Flatts’ “Here Comes Goodbye.” Buh-bye is surely what “Idol” would be saying to Kelly if not for loads of praise from the judges. The 16-year-old will stick around to sing another day, but I’m not sure he deserves it.
Jermaine Sellers: The guy’s got a nice falsetto, but it turned shouty too often during his take on Oleta Adams’ “Get Here.” Sellers’ voice was suddenly so small. Far worse than his performance, though — and the reason he finds himself with a failing grade — is that he flubbed his chance to make up for his diva-ish run-in with the band during Hollywood Week. Ryan Seacrest served him a perfect “let’s all make nice” setup and Sellers clumsily batted it away. He’s in big trouble this week.
Tim Urban: The 25th contestant welcomed into the top 24, Urban went out of his way to prove the judges right in their original decision to send him home during Hollywood Week. Meek on the high notes and cringe-inducing in the falsetto parts of “Apologize” by OneRepublic, Urban won’t be around for long. His only hope, as Ellen put it, is for voters to ignore his singing and focus on his adorableness.
Tyler Grady: His take on the Guess Who’s “American Woman” started off promisingly with a super bluesy intro. When the song segued into full-on rock anthem mode, Grady showed himself as a poseur of the highest order. We’ve all pulled this sort of performance in our bedroom, lip-synching with the blinds closed. But who among us has dragged out this cheesiness for tens of millions of viewers? Grady might be in trouble this week. He might not go home, but he should certainly be sweating.
John Park: What happened to you, sir? Why on earth would you choose a jazz standard like Billie Holliday’s “God Bless the Child” and then perform it like you’re an octogenarian lounge singer on a cruise ship headed straight to the Underworld? Compare that snoozer to your endearing pre-performance interview, when you professed your love for Shania Twain and emerged as this season’s resident comedian? Park, my friend, you’ll make it through to next week, but you better get your act together.
Alex Lambert: This kid was so terrified, his jangling anxiety traveled through the camera and into the home of every viewer. It was uncomfortable, to say the least, listening to him warble though “Wonderful World” by James Morrison. Lambert might benefit from the pity vote, but unless he starts popping Xanax and beats his stage fright quickly, he’ll be headed back home soon.
Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
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Casey James emerges as one of only standouts during the boys’ first performance night.
By Gil Kaufman
Casey James on “American Idol” Wednesday
Photo: Fox
After a number of uneven, forgettable performances by the top 12 ladies Tuesday night, it was starting to feel like Simon Cowell’s prediction that a female would win this year’s “American Idol” was a bit premature. And then the men took the stage Wednesday night (February 24), and for most of the two hours, well, they seemed determined to prove Simon right.
From poor song choices to shaky vocals and clear nerves, one by one, the guys got hammered by the judges, with even front-runner Andrew Garcia drawing some fire for his somber Fall Out Boy cover as pinup cowboy Casey James appeared to slip into the pole position with his mix of good looks and strong vocals.
First out of the gate was Todrick Hall, one of the most experienced singers in the competition. He took a big chance singing a Chris Brown-y funk take on original “Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson’s breakthrough hit “Since U Been Gone.” He satisfied the judge’s desire to hear something original, and Ellen DeGeneres was visibly pleased, applauding Hall’s stage moves but saying the chorus was a bit of a mess. Randy Jackson actually didn’t love how the arrangement was so different that he almost couldn’t recognize it, and Cowell said Hall came over “as a dancer trying to sing,” docking him for completely “murdering” the song.
One of this year’s youngest contestants, spiky-haired 16-year-old Aaron Kelly tackled Rascal Flatts’ “Here Comes Goodbye,” showing remarkable poise and self-confidence as he wrapped his raspy voice around the schmaltzy cowboy ballad. “Bearing in mind it’s your first live show, it actually was quite a good performance,” said Cowell, who suggested that the high-schooler looked a bit embarrassed to be onstage and not confident that he deserved to be in the competition. “You’re a good singer, very likable, very cute, but you have to take control of the song,” he added.
Church singer Jermaine Sellers, 27, who almost blew it in Hollywood when he threw the band under the bus, went the inspirational route with Oleta Adams’ version of the gospel tune “Get Here,” busting out some powerful falsetto amid breathy verses. Ellen liked the song choice but said Sellers seemed to be trying too hard, and Randy suggested he go more contemporary with his big voice and try a tune by Ne-Yo or Maxwell instead. Simon likened it to a corny piano-bar song and said the middle section sounded like screaming. “I think you’ve totally blown your opportunity,” he concluded.
Tim Urban, 20, revealed that he didn’t even tell his family that he’d made the top 24 after initially missing the cut and then sliding into the 24th spot when Chris Golightly was disqualified, letting them find out only when they watched the final Hollywood Week episode. The floppy-haired Texan went contemporary with OneRepublic’s “Apologize,” strangely staring into the camera and displaying his limited vocal range when he reached too far for the falsetto notes on the chorus and went oddly aggressive on the verses. Cowell congratulated him for coming back. “Having said that, we absolutely made the right decision the first time around by not putting you through with that performance,” he said, telling Urban his voice was just not good enough. For Randy, none of it worked, and Ellen agreed, saying the high notes were just not there, though people might vote for him because he’s adorable, which she mentioned more than once.
One of the least-known semifinalists, California’s Joe Muñoz, 20, tried to prove himself with Jason Mraz’s “You and I Both,” sounding a bit rushed at times as he tried to loosen up and get into the song’s lite-funk groove. “You are so comfortable onstage, aren’t you?” said Ellen, as Randy questioned the song choice and Kara gave props to Muñoz for being the most consistent of the night at that point. Simon, however, said it was safe and forgettable and lacked the star power needed to win.
None of those things were a problem for Nazareth, Pennsylvania, college kid Tyler Grady, this year’s resident retro rocker. He boldly covered the Guess Who’s “American Woman,” starting out with a Doors-like acoustic-blues vibe before busting into a crunching Lenny Kravitz rock groove that had great energy and stage presence amid some flat vocals. “Plus side, people are going to remember that performance; down side, partly for the wrong reasons,” said Simon, who called it the clichéd work of someone who has gone to pretend-to-be-a-rock-star school. Kara agreed, saying the Jim Morrison thing is cute but lacks originality and needs to be updated to this decade. Randy called it style over substance.
Lee Dewyze, 23, a Chicago sales clerk who mostly flew under the radar in Hollywood, strapped on his acoustic guitar for the Snow Patrol ballad “Chasing Cars,” shouting half the vocals in his signature bar-band rasp. Randy and Kara hated the song choice, calling it a bit too soft for Dewyze’s harder-edge voice. Inexplicably, Simon said it was his best performance so far, praising his “authentically good voice.”
College student John Park, 21, who famously got props on his “bottom end” and lips from Shania Twain during his audition, tested his luck with the jazz standard “God Bless the Child,” crooning it in a loungey style and missing most of the notes during a schlocky performance that almost made it seem like a blatant taunting of the judges. “You have got to have an incredible voice to take on that song, and you haven’t,” Simon said, calling the performance flat, devoid of emotion and kind of pointless. Kara said despite a big voice, Park just didn’t show where he would fit into today’s music business.
Proud new papa Michael Lynche plugged in for a peppy, acoustic take on Maroon 5’s “This Love” that scored with the audience and DeGeneres, who praised his big personality and smile and said Lynche benefited from a night of mediocre performances. “Michael, what they’re really saying in a roundabout way is that you were like the support act before the main act,” Cowell said. “You’re a big guy, big heart, but … you delivered so little on that performance. It was kind of like a vague, jazzy version.”
Soft-spoken Texas high school student Alex Lambert, 19, was memorable mostly because he was stuck with overbearing Mary Powers in Hollywood, but he came out of his shell with James Morrison’s “Wonderful World,” trying to shake off a clear case of nerves while showcasing his exquisitely ragged vocals. Cowell said Lambert has a great voice, but called it “the most uncomfortable performance” of the night thanks to Alex’s stage fright. Kara just wanted to give him a hug and praised him for a great vocal tone, while Ellen gave his mullet a thumbs-up. She also pulled out a remarkably spot-on Paula-ism, telling Lambert, “I love bananas, and sometimes a banana is just not quite ripe, and you’re like, ‘Ooh! I wish it was riper, because I’d like to eat that banana right now. … You just need to ripen.”
Kara crush Casey James, 27, let down his golden locks and went with Bryan Adams’ “Heaven,” cowboying the song up with a yodely edge, staring into DioGuardi’s eyes as he confidently strummed his guitar. Kara joked that she didn’t recognize him with his shirt on, Randy said he loved the song and James’ swagger (though not in that way), and DioGuardi finally gained her composure enough to admit, “You are eye candy, but you are also ear candy.” Even Cowell got in on the jokes about James’ looks, though he too got serious and said Casey chose a great song and came across as honest, sincere and likable.
Andrew Garcia got the primo final spot, doing exactly what you’d expect by singing an offbeat, strummy acoustic version of Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar We’re Going Down,” adding a Mraz-esque jazzy swing to the song. Though he was looking forward to him the most, Cowell said the redo was too indulgent, too serious and not original enough. “I don’t think tonight you took a risk,” Simon said, referring to the attention-grabbing cover of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” that made Garcia’s mark in Hollywood. Ellen suggested he be less morose and show some of the personality he flashed when he looked over to where his family was sitting midway through the song. “I think you’re gonna stick around,” she predicted. “We like ya.”
Two men and two women will go home Thursday night, when last year’s winner, Kris Allen, will perform and talk about his recent trip to Haiti, and finalist Allison Iraheta will sing her new single “Scars.”
What did you think of tonight’s performances? Were the guys better than the girls? Who do you think will go home? Add your comment below.
Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
Andrew Garcia is an early front-runner, while Joe Muñoz has to gain a lot of ground.
By Eric Ditzian
Andrew Garcia
Photo: Michael Becker / FOX
Lilly Scott soared and Ashley Rodriguez bombed on Tuesday during the premiere performances of the top 12 female “American Idol” hopefuls. On Wednesday night (February 24), it’s time for the top 12 men to take their turns on the stage. Who’s sure to be voted through and who might be going home? Let’s take a look at how these 12 gentlemen stack up.
Andrew Garcia
How much does Twitter tell us? Garcia should hope it portends a lot, because the guitar-strumming daddy has 6,500 more followers than the next closest competitor, making him far and away the most popular “Idol” contestant on the social network. Garcia has brought a measure of funky creativity to the show — with his remixes of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” and Adele’s “Chasing Pavements” — and his sweetly blubbering reaction to making the top 24 only made him more likable.
Casey James
He seemed like a reality-show novelty act when he undressed at Kara DioGuardi’s behest during his Denver audition, but during Hollywood Week, the drowsy cowboy awakened to showcase a soulful voice and a smoldering stage presence. His ride on the “Idol” rodeo will continue for a long time.
John Park
When the 21-year-old opened his mouth at the Chicago auditions and unleashed a rich and expressive voice, we knew Park would be one to keep an eye on. His group bombed with Gwen Stefani’s “The Sweet Escape” during Hollywood Week, but the judges saw enough in Park as a solo act to give him a pass to the semis. Voters are sure to keep voting him through for a while.
Michael Lynche
Thanks to the Hollywood Week birth of his son, Big Mike received oodles of camera time. That recognition — plus an admirable vocal dexterity — has made him a fan favorite. He busted out the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” during his audition, then donned a guitar in Hollywood for John Mayer’s “Waiting on the World to Change.” It will be interesting to see which direction Lynche goes Wednesday, but we know this much: Big Mike ain’t going anywhere.
Tyler Grady
Now that we’ve come to see that the mop-topped rocker’s devotion to all things ’70s is genuine and not a gimmick (though certainly a bit clichéd), we’ve been able to embrace his inventive take on Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” and his competent rendition of Daughtry’s “Home.” While Grady should be safe for a while, we’d be very surprised if he does as well as Chris Daughtry did in season five.
Tim Urban
The Texas native is technically the 25th member of the semifinalists, as he was a last-minute replacement for booted crooner Chris Golightly. Still the shaggy-haired Urban, who has shown a propensity for folky rock songs from the likes of Matt Nathanson and David Cook, has the boyish good looks that might win him fans for weeks to come. Even more so than Grady with Daughtry, it would be a crazy shocker if Urban followed in Cook’s “Idol”-winning footsteps.
Todrick Hall
Fantasia has already given Hall her vote of confidence when she welcomed him into the production of “The Color Purple.” The humble 24-year-old made the risky decision to perform a jokey original tune during his Dallas audition, but he sang it with verve. His vocal-run-heavy rendition of Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” was one of the most original tunes of Hollywood Week. Expect Hall to keep coming back week after week.
Alex Lambert
Lambert also delivered an original take on “I’m Yours,” strumming the ukulele as he sang. Surely it was that performance — and not a sizzle-less version of Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning” — that convinced the judges to send him to the top 24. Lambert had better search for some elusive stage presence if he expects voters to send him forward for more than a few weeks.
Lee Dewyze
Dewyze seems to be the consensus pick for the less well-known “Idol” hopeful who nonetheless will sneak his way through week after week. Why? It could be his equally authentic covers of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” and the Fray’s “You Found Me.” Is Dewyze the singer/songwriter type that will rise this season? We’ll wait to see if he indulges his old-school-soul-flecked side or his pop-radio-friendly potential.
Aaron Kelly
It seems like every year “Idol” selects a precocious 16-year-old. David Archuleta, this kid ain’t. He flubbed the start of Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” during Hollywood Week, but recovered to show off an undeniable vocal talent. But somehow, that song just didn’t click coming from a young kid like Kelly. He’d be wise to skew his song choices to something written in the 21st century. That’s his best bet to stay in the competition.
Jermaine Sellers
The 27-year-old’s backstory — a church singer who cares for his disabled mother — made him an early breakout personality, as did his potent take on Joan Osborne’s “What If God Was One of Us.” Then he tanked during his group performance of Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son” and then called out the band’s mistake later in Hollywood Week. If Sellers returns to the promise of his audition, he might survive for a bit. If not, he’ll be headed back to church soon.
Joe Muñoz
Muñoz suffers from a case of “Who the heck is this guy?” That’s not his fault, and clearly he has talent — on display during a rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” — but the 20-year-old needs to bust out a memorable performance on Wednesday night or it will be one and done for him.
Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
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Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens, Janell Wheeler, John Park and other early front-runners make the cut.
By Katie Byrne
Janell Wheeler on “American Idol” Wednesday
Photo: Fox
In an “American Idol” first, seven contenders for the season-nine top 24 were revealed during Tuesday’s show. On Wednesday (February 17), the 17 remaining semifinalists were unveiled. Now, you can reacquaint yourself with those singers before next week’s live shows kick off:
Andrew Garcia
While Garcia’s story about his parents’ gangbanger past and trying to make a better life for his kid earned him some audition-round screen time, his Hollywood Week performances are what set him apart from the pack. His acoustic reworkings of female-fronted songs — Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” and Adele’s “Chasing Pavements” — earned him a ride to the top 24.
Katie Stevens
The precocious 16-year-old caught our attention with her old-soul vocal chops and compelling backstory. She backed up the positive first impression with Stevie Wonder’s “For Once in My Life” and her group performance of Alicia Keys’ “No One.” Her age begs the question: Will she be the next Jordin Sparks and go all the way or Lisa Tucker and flame out?
Janell Wheeler
Wheeler’s Hollywood Week was filled with ups and downs, between nailing her acoustic take on Estelle’s “American Boy” and choosing the “wrong song” (according to Simon) with Taylor Swift’s “Love Story.” But the judges must have kept her silky-smooth “House of the Rising Sun” audition into account, keeping her around for the semifinals.
John Park
Guest judge Shania Twain praised Park’s “bottom end” during his audition performance of Gary Moore’s “I’ll Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know.” The 20-year-old college student was able to show off all the other facets of his voice during Hollywood Week, earning a coveted spot in the top 24.
Ashley Rodriguez
The Berklee College of Music student proved she knows her way around a diva anthem, tackling Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You” in her audition, Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable” in the group round and Jordin Sparks’ “Battlefield” for her final Hollywood Week performance. Let’s see what divas she’ll take on next.
Jermaine Sellers
Despite Randy Jackson dubbing him “the real deal” during his audition, Sellers made a diva move that could have cost him his dreams. The judges called him out for throwing the band under the bus after his Hollywood Week performance of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror,” but his talent apparently won out.
Crystal Bowersox
How could the single mom not make it after her performance of Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” was so infectious her competitors joined in as her backup singers at the start of Hollywood Week. She also proved to be quite the threat with her take on Sheryl Crow’s “If It Makes You Happy,” pulling double duty on harmonica and guitar. Will she attempt three instruments at once in the top 24?
Alex Lambert
Will this Lambert fare as well as last year’s same-named runner-up? Well, his wonky track record in Hollywood would seem to indicate otherwise. Alex somehow survived the group round even though he was part of the nightmare ensemble that featured a frazzled Mary Powers. He was then told he had “no spark” while performing Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning.” But his ukulele-strumming take on Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” apparently won the judges over. Either that, or the last name.
Tyler Grady
While Grady’s first impression made us nervous (shaggy hair, bellbottoms and “Let’s Get It On”? Next!), he surprisingly infused the potentially cheesy Marvin Gaye hit with soul and sensuality. Here’s hoping he surprises us again with new takes on old songs in the semifinals.
Haeley Vaughn
The 16-year-old has been charming the judges since the start, with her desire to be “the first black pop-country mainstream singer.” Her bubbly takes on Carrie Underwood’s “Last Name,” Taylor Swift’s “Change” and Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” sealed the deal.
Lilly Scott
Scott’s bleach-blond hair and peacock-feather earrings might be the first thing you notice about this eclectic songstress, but after hearing her acoustic-guitar cover of Ella Fitzgerald’s “Lullaby of Birdland,” “Idol” fans realized there was a lot more to the sandwich maker.
Lacey Brown
Brown lost out on a top-24 spot last year to eventual finalist Megan Joy, but now it’s her turn. Her quirky “Over the Rainbow” would seem to indicate that Lacey was well worth the wait.
Michelle Delamor
We haven’t seen much from the 22-year-old Miami native, but she proved she could hold her own with other powerhouse singers, joining Charity Vance and fellow semifinalist Ashley Rodriguez for Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable.” She’ll have to make an instant impression next week so she doesn’t fall victim to her lack of exposure.
Siobhan Magnus
Ellen DeGeneres had some harsh words for the 19-year-old — “Don’t be so old” — but Magnus apparently let loose enough on Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City.” Now “Idol” viewers will be able to see another side to her besides her group’s bananas performance of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.”
Tim Urban
While his shaggy hair seems to be his most interesting attribute, the judges were won over by Urban’s cover of “Idol” winner David Cook’s “Come Back to Me,” with Simon even saying under his breath, “He’s got a good voice.” Perhaps he’ll show a little more personality in the semifinals.
Joe Muñoz
Muñoz only got a split second of screen time, capably performing “Man in the Mirror” during Hollywood Week, but the judges saw enough in him to send him through.
Paige Miles
While Miles’ name popped up during her group’s performance of “Bad Romance,” all we heard were background vocals from the singer. We’re excited to see what the judges saw in her next week.
Did your favorite make the cut? Are you excited about this year’s top 24? Let us know below!
Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.
Original featured classic voices, update has many less-recognizable stars.
By Gil Kaufman, with additional reporting by Jayson Rodriguez
Celine Dion, Joe Jonas, Kevin Jonas and Justin Bieber perform on We Are The World
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ Wire Image
The organizers of the “We Are the World: 25 for Haiti” pulled off a Herculean feat, rallying and recording the track and video for the earthquake-relief effort in record time. Like the sessions for the 1985 original all-star famine relief tune, producer Quincy Jones and songwriter Lionel Richie were able to get a galaxy of contemporary and classic voices to drop what they were doing to lend their time and vocals to a higher cause.
But whereas the original features vocals from such still-classic megastars as Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Ray Charles, Jones and Richie said they purposely shuffled the deck on the reboot to focus on contemporary acts. That explains why the track opens with newly minted star Justin Bieber, followed by Jennifer Hudson and Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, and quickly segues into solos from Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles, Jamie Foxx, Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, Fergie and Nick Jonas, among many others. While there are major, undeniable stars on the new version — Mary J. Blige, Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Pink among them — some are wondering if the song’s lineup was too contemporary?
“I looked at the video the other day and I will admit I had several ‘Who the hell is that?’ moments,” said Christopher Morris, contributing music writer for Variety magazine of the 8-minute clip for the song shot by Academy Award-winning director Paul Haggis. “Some like Kanye West leap out at you, but it took several go-rounds for me to identify Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls. In terms of legend power, it’s on the shorter side.”
As the new video unfolds, such modern standard-bearers as Celine Dion, Janet Jackson, Toni Braxton and Josh Groban are thrown into a mix that also includes old-schoolers Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand, alongside the 1985 vocals from Michael Jackson, who co-wrote the song with Richie, and bits from gospel singers BeBe Winans and Mary Mary.
The update’s concentration on contemporary stars, some of whom have voices that are not as instantly recognizable, might have contributed to the song’s relatively low profile at radio (although it did debut at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100).
“Is it likely that an R&B station will put it in regular rotation? Probably not. As a curiosity, yes. But this is not about airplay, which it won’t get a lot of, it’s about creating a viral hit on YouTube and Vevo, and maybe getting some traction at a few top-40 stations,” said Keith Caulfield, Senior Chart Manager/Analyst for Billboard magazine.
At a time when terrestrial radio playlists are more narrowly focused than ever before, such a broad, multi-genre song faces an uphill climb to gain major spins on stations that might cotton to stars like Jennifer Hudson and Wayne, but risk alienating their listeners with the likes of Streisand, Josh Groban, Cyrus and Jonas.
“I don’t know if, given the way things are right now, you could have gotten a similar lineup,” Morris said of the high-wattage, cross-genre original. “Music is much more niche-oriented right now and there aren’t a huge number of artists who’ve cut across every listening demo. Even someone like Taylor Swift doesn’t command an African-American audience. There’s no Michael Jackson in there, except in the old footage, who cuts through every sector of the international listening audience.”
Despite those challenges, the remake’s #2 Billboard debut easily bested the original, which bowed at #21 in March 1985, then rose to #1 three weeks later, eventually earning four-times platinum certification within a month of release (during that era, singles traditionally moved up the charts much more gradually than they do today). The remake entered the Digital Songs chart at #1, selling more than 267,000 copies in less than three days. Even with that firepower, though, it was unable to unseat Ke’s “Tik Tok” from its nine-week run at the top of the single’s charts.
One music journalist at a major music magazine, who requested anonymity, told MTV News that even with a fresh sound courtesy of co-producer RedOne and a vaunted hip-hop section with fresh lyrics from LL Cool J, the new song falls short in a few places. “The general consensus on this remake is that, while it’s for a great cause, it is absolutely horrible on a musical level, except for Jennifer Hudson and Pink,” the writer said. One artist who was rumored to be participating but who ultimately was not involved, Jay-Z, told MTV News he simply thought the original was “untouchable” and was not something that should be re-imagined.
SiriusXM’s Rob “Reef” Tewlow, an executive for the station’s hip-hop channel Shade 45, agreed with Hov’s take. Tewlow also acknowledged the rap portion of the song was commendable. However, Tewlow suggested the rapper’s contributions weren’t an integral part of the number.
“It’s just hard to combine MCs into that song and into that type of thing,” he explained.” It’s like trying to fit a baseball into a golfball or something. Noble intentions, and it’s good that it’s represented in some type of form or fashion, but it’s not a make-or-break thing for the song.”
Though Bieber’s fame is brand new, Caulfield understood why Jones and Richie frontloaded his vocals into the song.
“Everyone is asking the same question about Bieber, but the creative forces are saying, ‘Bieber is the hottest thing with teens, he’s trending huge on Twitter every day, selling tons of digital tracks and he’ll resonate with little girls going gonzo for his songs.’ If you think about it that way, it makes perfect sense when you’re trying to craft something that will get lots of attention from as many people as possible.”
A spokesperson for “We Are the World: 25 for Haiti” could not be reached for comment at press time.
With their concept of tapping the talent of today, Morris also gave Jones and Richie credit for doing the best they could with the artists at their disposal in a media environment that is very different than it was a quarter-century ago. “This is a charity single after all, so you want to try and pull in the masses, so they did what they had to, which is to enlist people who sold a lot of records,” he said. “It’s not a miscalculation on their part, but it’s just a very different landscape. The way music is marketed and consumed has changed, the delivery system is fragmented.”
Getting the kind of mass audience hit as the 1985 song — which has raised more than $60 million to date — today is elusive, Morris said. “It’s impossible to reach the ubiquity the first one did. It’s a replication of an event that was an unprecedented, huge deal at the time and there’s no way that mining something like that again is going to top it.”
Caulfield credited organizers for getting the song and video out quickly and capitalizing on the buzz of the event, but said he couldn’t predict how the song would end up doing commercially. “Is it going to approach the same impact?” he said. “I don’t know. But I think sales now are from the immediacy of it and the fact that you could see the video and then buy it two seconds later.”
Learn more about what you can do to help with earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti, and for more information, see Think MTV. Visit HopeForHaitiNow.org or call (877) 99-HAITI to make a donation now.
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