20/20 2 OF 2- The Verdict!

So Justin Timberlake’s hotly anticipated final part to the 20/20 Experience is out and I have to say in my opinion the whole thing is a masterpiece. It’s clear to see how much JT has evolved as an artist, whilst still being able to pull out the old school tricks that his die-hard fans know and love.

One of my favourite things that Justin Timberlake does is blend two songs together and there are couple of these double whammies to keep us entertained- making 11 a satisfying and entertaining amount of songs.

In comparison to the 20/20 Experience 1/2- I would describe this second offering as chilled and smoother, packed with plenty of soulful vibes of course. Lots of strings and classical sounds combined with modern beats. There’s some typical JT style r’n’b, such as Gimme what I don’t know (I want), Take Back The Night and a track called Amnesia, which kind of reminds of Cry Me A River vibe and lyric wise.  It’s a flashback of the ‘feistier’ Justin Timberlake as we did hear a lot of love songs in the 20/20 Experience. Speaking of love songs, every JT album has to have a couple.  If that’s what you want to hear then be sure to check out Not A Bad Thing. It’s one of my favourite tracks, and it’s real and raw lyrically, the kind of honest and open song that I think wins him so many fans. You Got It On is another love song to look out for. It has a smooth, warm tone complete with sultry strings and perfect harmonies. There’s a few things we didn’t get in 1of 1, such as Drink You Away, a soulful yet country sounding mid tempo R’n’B tune.

I am a big fan as you’ve probably guessed by now, but I can’t be biased. There’s an eyebrow raiser in the midst of these 11 gems and it’s called True Blood. I would say it’s the album’s standout track, just like Let The Groove Get In was for me in the last one. I got that, but I just don’t really get this. I’m all for artists doing something different and experimenting but True Blood just makes me think of vampires and not in a good way! Timberland no doubt has something to do with this one, you can hear it all over the beat.
There’s a surprise appearance from Drake on sexy r’n’b tune Cabaret, which is my favorite song off the whole album, and I must say it was the perfect song for him to feature on. His verse is good- nothing too out there or different from what we’ve been hearing from him lately.

All in all, Justin Timberlake has made a very impressive comeback. 2 of 2 compliments 1 of 1 perfectly, with a darker, less ‘just married’ vibe than 1 of 1. If you are a JT fan this won’t disappoint as it doesn’t stray from his typical signature style. If you’re not such a fan you might not appreciate this for the same reason…but less face it, most of us are JT fans…so enjoy!

Guess who's back!

Hi Guys!

It's been over a year since I posted anything on my blog and I want to write a really honest, open letter to explain why.

2012 was a big year for me. I graduated from University and after three years studying Creative Writing with Journalism, I was ready to take everything I'd learned about writing and use it to start a career doing something I really love. That's when I started blogging, applying for internships, going on work experience at radio stations and really trying to put myself out there. I wasn't going to let any negative statistics about graduates and finding work (you know the ones I'm talking about!) deter me from living my dream. Then after about six months, it started to feel like I'd applied for everything, written about everything, been rejected by everyone and pretty much gotten nowhere. I felt uninspired and I got writer's block, and the less I wrote, the less confidence I had in my writing.

This was a really depressing time for me. I missed writing, but I couldn't do it. I'm literally only just picking myself up from this writer's block now. I thought these things only lasted days, sometimes weeks or months in extreme cases, but guys, I had writer's block for a whole year. It sounds crazy to me too, but it's true. When you literally cannot do the one thing that you love to do, something that you have always been able to do as well, it's frustrating. However- I now think that maybe I had to go through this to become a better writer. 

I managed to find work in retail, where I discovered I had more of an interest than I thought in fashion and trends. I gradually changed my style and started being more open and daring with my clothes and I started paying attention to what people in the media were wearing as well. My taste in music also changed. Commercial, mainstream music started to do my head in. It all sounded the same to me. Artists I used to love, some of which I have written about in detail in this blog, no longer inspired me. Watching the music industry destroy certain artists, and watching people buy into these artists, who to me, were nothing but money making puppets for the industry is frustrating to me. I went through a stage where I loved rap, and I can still listen to some of it now but that got annoying for a little while too. I felt like most rappers were talking about the same thing, bragging, look at all my money, bitches and hoes, boring!!!

I rediscovered my love for garage, music from back in the days where it wasn't so much about money. It was about making music that people genuinely loved. It was about making anthems that people still dance to in clubs ten years later. Most of the music we hear now is forgotten about in ten weeks! I also started listening to house music, deep house and soulful house. Music that really is all about music without too many lyrics to distract us from what is really important. Most of the music I listen to now is from undiscovered, kind of underground artists and producers and this is what I prefer. No corruption! 

So that brings me to where I am right now. I feel inspired again. Of course there are still artists that I have always been a fan of who are considered mainstream and commercial that I am always willing to give a chance, so I'll still be posting about them. My musical taste is always changing and evolving as I discover new things that inspire me so there's going to be a noticeable change in the type of music and things that I blog about and I hope you enjoy it.

JJ xxx

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @janahjack
and Instagram @jljxx

Rihanna and Fazer To Collaborate!

It has been revealed that US superstar Rihanna is to work with ex N-Dubz member Fazer on some new tracks. RiRi was reportedly impressed with Fazer’s production work on his former band mate Tulisa’s debut single, Young. Fazer, 25, will no doubt be excited about the prospect of working with such a huge US star. Fazer’s bandmates Tulisa and Dappy haven’t left the headlines since the N-Dubz split, with Tulisa scoring her first solo number one and landing her highly publicized job as an X Factor judge, and Dappy releasing his controversial freestyles Tarzan 1 and 2. However, Fazer has kept a relatively low profile until now and this latest opportunity with Rihanna and the release of his debut solo single Killer could be telling us that it is now his time to shine. I personally think Fazer did a really good job on Young and he is a respectable artist with a lot going for him. He deserves a big break like this, and any song that these two come up with will definitely be fire. Meanwhile, in another unlikely transatlantic collaboration, Tulisa revealed her next single is going to be a hip-hop/bashment track entitled Live It Up featuring Rack City rapper Tyga. Random?!

D'Banj Drops His New Single!

Yesterday saw the premiere of ‘Oyato’, the latest single by one of my favourite artists D’Banj. The singer achieved international success this summer with his previous offering, Oliver Twist, which reached number two in the UK R’n’B chart. Those who know me will know this is one of my TUNES! D’banj showed the world he had no intentions of being a one hit wonder with the no-nonsense video for Oliver Twist which included guest appearances from his friends, Kanye West and Big Sean. To say Oliver Twist is a hard act to follow would be an understatement, but D’Banj might just have yet another hit on his hands with the catchy Oyato which is already causing a stir amongst his fans on Twitter and was even trending in London yesterday. The star has been retweeting the many positive posts about the song and encouraging people to download it. Oyato is a reminder as to why D’Banj has won awards, including a BET award for his contribution to African music. Oliver Twist had a mainstream sound that got him heavy rotation on radio and in clubs, while his new single has a more classic Afrobeat sound to it. Like Oliver Twist, Oyato has a slower but equally infectious beat, but is the UK really ready for Afrobeats? We are about to find out!



What do you think??

Dappy's Controversial Tarzan 2 Sparks Twitter Fued

So yesterday saw Dappy drop Tarzan Part 2 and it certainly did not go unnoticed.

The ever opinionated MC gave us his very interesting opinions on the music industry and everyone in it, from Choice FM DJs Max (he wants to smash her from the back) and Sarah Jane Crawford (he thinks she should give him head) to Simon Cowell (he calls out previous unsuccessful X Factor winners) and Alexandra Burke (her career is getting raped by a mason (LOL) ).

Choice FM's Max responded to Dappy's comments about her via twitter, stating she was 'very disappointed' in the rapper and regarded speaking about women in that way as 'inexcusable' (http://www.twitlonger.com/show/i58i8a)

Her mention of Dappy being a father left his girlfriend Kaye unimpressed, and she responded to Max's tweet, asking her not to speak about their kids and telling her to 'enjoy the buzz around her name while it lasts and calm down' (LOL). Dappy also responded, saying 'do ur job and ill do mine. ive always looked at u as a big sis, youve supported me frm day dot..dnt knw y ur so mad. BANTER'

There was no further responses from Max. I wonder if anyone else targeted in the song will speak out?

Either way, I'm loving Tarzan 2 and Dappy. I think he always keeps it real and I admire his determination to never be changed by fame and fortune. He isn't afraid to speak his mind, and whether or not people agree with him is not an issue which is quite a respectable quality to have. Tarzan 2 is a banger, watch the equally controversial video here!

For the Breezy fans

Chris Brown's new album entitled Fortune dropped July 3rd, and being a big fan of Breezy's music, I got it straight away.

After two listens, I can't yet decide what I think of it, but one thing I am certain of is that my favorite song by a mile on his latest offering is '2012', a sultry slow jam.

The song stands out to me because compared to the rest of the tracks which are of a new sound adopted by Chris, '2012' takes it back to the old school Breezy days with an added touch of maturity in comparison to his previous slow jams. It's up there with Take You Down for sure, and did I mention its SEXY!!!

So far, I've heard some mixed opinions on Fortune, but I think if you like Chris Brown's music you should get it and draw your own conclusion on how Fortunate this album will really make him.

Top 15 Sexiest Slow Jams!

This world has been graced with the sound of some beautiful slow jams over the years- everyone has at least ONE slow jam that they love no matter what they say or how much they try to deny it- "I don't listen to slow jams bruv"- yeah whatever boys! And yes guys have actually said this to me before. Let's face it- as long as people are falling in love and/or having sex, slow jams are here to stay, and I'm not complaining. What's not to love?! They represent passion, emotion and they are fun to sing along to! Here is a countdown of my top 15 slow jams, and damn it was hard to choose just 15 (it was originally meant to be top 10)!

In no particular order...

Usher- Nice and Slow
He's come up with a fair few slow jams but this is definitely one of the classics



Omarion- O
Dammmmmmn......



Marques Houston- Clubbin
Everyone loves this song. Fact.



Joe - I Wanna Know
Joe is definitely a slow jams king



Drake- Brand New
My favorite person ever



Usher- There goes my baby
More recent but he's still got it



Drake- Houstalantavegas
Aww I miss Drake's music like this




Chris Brown- No Bullshit
I love Breezy



Donnell Jones- Shorty Got Her Eye On Me
Mr Jones has many many more slow jams up to this very high standard...check him out



Houston- Aint Nothing Wrong
Whatever happened to this guy??



Lloyd- Lay It Down
He always gets it right!



Mario- You Should Let Me Love You
Its Unanimous..this is a T.U.N.E. There was a debate going on saying it was actually written by Ne-Yo not Mario, and it does kinda have that Ne-Yoish vibe now that I think about it but who cares really!



J Holiday- Bed
One of two



J Holiday- Suffocate



Hope you enjoyed this little countdown! I could have gone on forever! xxx