Christina Milian - Us Against The World

[poptasticuk.livejournal.com]

Fear not, she hasn't covered Westlife! This is the first single from her new album. I think it's interesting to see how acts like Christina and Brandy, who were around pre-Rihanna and have been away a while, will fare with their new material now that female r'n'b acts are so prevalent in America and internationally. Will they adapt to the new sound or stay true to what they were known for? Will they be able to compete in a now very competitive area of music? Christina has released quite varied music in the past, and her voice and persona are flexible enough that she can change with the times, which I think she has managed to do here. Us Against The World is a ballad, and there's something very familiar about it (I'm wondering if I've heard it before, but can't think where or when), but what I'm pleased to hear is that it's not just another rehash of Irreplaceable. I love Irreplaceable, but it's great to hear something which fits current trends (should please Umbrella fans) while retaining some originality.

Us Against The World - Official Music Video

There's also a fairly good remix from Jason Nevins, although it's no patch on his take on Tattoo.

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Oh I'm glad you posted this - have been thinking of flagging it up for a while. I really like this post-'Umbrella' trend - these huge, declarative, ryde-or-die ballads which are really consciously epic, sonically and lyrically. The martial crunches at the 3 1/2-minute mark here are just ridiculously massive. This one's most similar to Brandy's 'Right Here (Departed)' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ9I3P8DKdY), and Cassie's 'Soldier 4 Your Love (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nl6I0-hEvU) and Beyoncé's 'Halo' fit in here as well (Cassie's is oddly introverted for this kind of song, but then that Cassie for you).

'Umbrella' is the most obvious influence, and I've no doubt the main reason that this kind of song is being commissioned, but not the only one - it's interesting that Brandy, Milian et al haven't tried to replicate the growling, rocky element of it (which is still present in J Holiday's 'Bed' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82t_UOMHPJY) and The-Dream's 'Fast Car (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHsOEQtt3u4)) (NB: The-Dream wrote 'Umbrella' and you should check out his Love/Hate album, I think you might like it). I think the success of 'Bleeding Love' has been an influence too - a song like 'Halo' is pretty much the exact midpoint between 'Umbrella' and 'Bleeding Love'. But the cinematic, all-or-nothing, devotional feel reminds me of Ciara's 'Promise' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vPyzCHgZ88) - I can definitely hear elements of that in 'Us Against The World' (eg the repeated "you"s to add intensity). Which means that really it's a return of Prince's most epic moments, like 'Adore' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_xuVnavses) - and that brings us full circle back to 'Umbrella', as Prince is pretty much the most obvious artistic influence on The-Dream's own music.

Would love anyone else to chip in w/thoughts - have been mulling this particular topic over a lot but not sure if I've quite got everything down.

I'm glad this song is getting a new lease of life, anyway - it's actually been on itunes for a while, but missed the top 100 completely last year. I live the sepia simplicity of the video (and the eye candy at the end), it really suits the song. When I first heard it I basically dismissed it as Milian trend-hopping - I mean, she definitely is, but it's still a really strong song.

[poptasticuk.livejournal.com]

Ah, so I wasn't imagining it, I most likely have heard this before. I thought if it had been around for a while I would know, because I expected some fuss about it (I know she's no Beyoncé but she's a least a medium-to-big name star). I don't know if it is getting a new lease of life - I just discovered the video today on a blog and thought it was good, so shared it here. I looked on Google to see who others were comparing it to, and found mostly male artists' songs, such as Apologise and Love in this Club.

I have heard of The-Dream before but haven't heard anything by him/them which appealed to me. Any specific songs I would like? I think I have a very 'all or nothing' response to r'n'b. Most of the songs I hear I either love obsessively, or they completely wash over me. Luckily, most of the ones I like become popular and few of the others do, so I'm a fairly good hit-predictor in these cases. Then again, Right Here (Departed) hasn't taken over the world yet and this one seems to be having a shaky start. I hope I haven't lost my touch!

Ooh I just thought I should recommend you a blog that I follow religiously: http://monicamania.blogdrive.com/ Rather than just following the output of artists she likes, she is always looking out for new material by the current hot writers and producers with a heavy bias toward r'n'b. While I'm not a fan of all of those she follows, it's really interesting to see the music industry from that perspective and I've discovered some great new artists as well.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Ah thanks for that link - looks like an interesting blog, especially the interviews she does - useful, it's sometimes hard to keep track of who's writing for who.

The two Dream songs I think you'll like best are his Rihanna duet 'Livin' A Lie' (http://www.imeem.com/people/pBasy2/music/29lPXLcW/thedream_livin_a_lie_featuring_rihanna/) and his big Blackout-esque banger 'Ditch That...' (http://www.imeem.com/people/TpBCf1S/music/xDKno0OS/thedream_ditch_that/) - which are both terrific if not particularly representative of the album. I don't know how you feel about Prince, but I think The-Dream's best when inspired by him - I love the sequence in the middle of the album where 'Fast Car' (http://www.imeem.com/kyarbro123/music/xnfdd09W/the_dream_the_dream_fast_car/) segues into 'Nikki' (http://www.imeem.com/kyarbro123/music/7Ey831-V/the_dream_the_dream_nikki/) which segues into 'She Needs My Love' (http://www.imeem.com/people/TQZ1zY/music/KVqt5boK/thedream_05she_needs_my_love/) - the production is just so massive and gorgeous. You might like his remix of Shontelle's 'T-Shirt', which I think you mentioned on Dirrrty Pop the other day. Pretty sure you won't like his more R Kelly-esque songs though.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

i have noticed this trend. or well, i noticed it with 'right here (departed)' and there's a definite feel of it (or rather, a feel of a failure of it; in the sense that it was you against the world and the world won) on the pussycat dolls' album.

i am not big on the milian apart from the ridiculously massive martial crunches but this is just me not being wild about christina milian generally, i suspect. (i went off her after that scary video where she was covered in oil being spun round a table and just made me feel a bit like i was watching a rape scene :/)

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Haha 'Dip It Low'! I loved that song. The follow-up 'Whatever You Want' is an all-time summer jam.

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

"I Can Be That Woman" is like being an infant playing peekaboo* -- same thing over and over again, and at every repetition a self-satisfied giggle.

(*Not the same as PRETENDING TO BE an infant playing peekaboo, I'm looking at YOU Pandah Be-ah.)

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I *heart* 'I Can Be That Woman' so much.

Actually, the whole of It's About Time is a really strong R&B-pop album.

[mcarratala.livejournal.com]

The other post-Umbrella current trend in force here appears to wearing practically nothing in the video for slowies as well as uptempo songs (unlike Beyonce, I believe).