New Music: Namie Amuro with a little "TLC"

                               

Japanese Queen of Hip-pop, Namie Amuro, 35, has released her second single off of her upcoming album "Feel," as well as a collaboration with R'n'B legends TLC!

The single, "Hands on Me," is an upbeat electro-pop dance track sung entirely in English, which adds to the excitement for international fans. This song is perfect for the summer and has all the potential to be a hit in the club and party scene. Check out the clip below!

T-L-C! Freakin' TLC! I for one love it when my favorite Asian pop stars come together with Western musical heavyweights. It just goes to show that music is definitely one of the few things in the world that can surpass cultural and language barriers and bring people together.

Although the ladies of TLC don't actually sing on the track, it was still a pleasant surprise just to see them in the video. However, Amuro is featured on the remake of the hit single, "Waterfalls," off of TLC's 20th Anniversary album, where she fills in for Left Eye. (Check out below.) Unfortunately the general consensuses is that the remake was horrid and Namie butchered Left Eye's rap. Being that Amuro is neither a rapper or a native English speaker, I guess next time she should just stick to the rivers and the lakes that she's used too! Singing in another language comes easy with practice. I did it all the time in school choirs growing up. Rapping however, is a whole other beast and can be twice as hard if you're not even a rapper to begin with.

The video, filmed in Los Angles, California, captured the essence of the song by creating a fun party atmosphere. The foam party scene towards the end was awesome! In all, the video had some great shots, high energy, and amazing choreography. I will say this though: is it me or does Namie look a bit out of place in her own video? Her choice of outfit doesn't suit what everyone else is wearing. The dancers and various bystanders are dressed in T-shirts, tanks, shorts, and other laid back attire. Even T-Boz is dressed in just a track suit. There's no denying Namie is sexy in her  yellow halter pants suite with silver heels, but she's over done for the theme of video. She did work it in those heels though!

So far, the album seems to be going in the right direction. Look out for it in stores July 10th!

WATERFALLS feat. NAMIE AMURO

                                   

Music Review: Baddest Female

The self-proclaimed "Baddest Female in Korea," and leader of popular kpop group 2NE1, Lee Chae Rin (CL), 22, has made her solo debut with single entitled, (take a wild guess) Baddest Female!

CL is the third member of the group to release solo material. After the success of Dara and Bom, needless to say anticipation was high to see what the fearless leader had up her sleeves.

The single Baddest Female, has been warmly received thus far, as it topped all of Korea's real time music charts. This isn't much of a surprise since it's an achievable feat by most of the major acts from "The Big 3" companies, regardless if the song is actually "good' or not. So without further ado, let's take a look at the Baddest Female.

                                       

This was definitely not what I was expecting. I knew the song would be somewhere in the realm of hip hop, but a full-on attempt at a gangster rap song and video to match was a sideswipe, and borderline cheese fest. The overall feel and flow reeks of Nicki Minaj and lots of "American" elements, causing it to lack in originality.

SONG AND  LYRICS

Lyrically, it's your standard run of the mill female rap song about self pride, having looks that could kill, and of course, being a bad girl, with lots of repetition. The most awkward point in the song was the explanation of what she meant by "bad." Honestly, who thought she bad by being a criminal or something? In its entirety, the lyrics lacked and left you wanting something a bit more. I found this disappointing because in an interview earlier in the year, CL had stated it was important for her to release solo music and she has "so much she wants to say." She also wanted it to be just about her apart from fellow group members. So I was expecting a song that would tell more about who CL, the individual, was as a person and artist. I also would have liked to hear some vocals on track, because it would have shown her versatility as both a singer and rapper.

As for the music, it was a pretty decent hip hop beat you could bop to. However, the dubstep/reggae beat towards the end of the song was cringe worthy and kind of ruined it for me.

VIDEO AND STYLING

In standard YG fashion, the video's production quality is high and luxury is present throughout. The aim was to entertain and be visually pleasing.

Whether or not you liked the song, you'd have to admit CL is absolutely gorgeous in the video. I think this is the most attractive she's looked thus far. Her hair and makeup is flawless, and her outfits are sexy and chic, with a bit of a playful side. I especially love the first dance sequence outfit as well as the one worn in the final segment of the video.

What threw things off were the parts with the over the top gangster look, complete with a gold grill, saggy pants, over-sized jewelry, fake tattoos, and headbands. It came off as "wannabe" and made it seem like she's trying too hard to be street. I much rather have CL as a seductive diva than as a rachet hoodrat.

CONCLUSION

I find that I keep saying the same thing with much of the 2NE1 releases as of late: all flash with little substance. You always find yourself thoroughly entertained with their visual concepts but feel like something is missing from the song itself. I was really hoping things would be different with CL and she would raise the bar. I guess we'll have to see what the group as a whole will have to offer when they return in near future.

Song: 2.5 out of 5

Overall: 3 out of 5