A estrela galesa irá fazer vários pulsos baterem rápido com o seu novo clipe sexy que mostrará Duffy na cama após fazer sexo.

No vídeo de Stepping Stone, Duffy representará uma garota que é seduzida por um estranho em um clube.

Ela será vista nua na cama somente com lençóis para se esconder.

A música, quarto single a ser lançado do álbum Rockferry, é um cover de Jimi Hendrix lançada originalmente há 18 anos.

Uma fonte revelou: "Esse vídeo será um dos mais quentes já lançados, muito sugestivo, porém de bom gosto. O encontro sexual não será mostrado, porém vai dar para entender."

This past week I spent a serious amount of time traveling on the road, which in turn meant an equal amount of time listening to music.  I make mental notes to self as well as scribbles on a note pad I keep handy while driving.

Who knows if you have heard of the newest sensation on pop radio or not; Duffy.  If you haven’t, pick it up.  Her single, Mercy, is her popular most played song out on the radio.  However the one that struck my attention from her CD is Serious.  The reason…she is asking if “we can ever be serious in love” because she is tired of being a “trophy on an arm”, being an “accessory that suits” or him “wear(ing) me like a charm”.  Fair enough.  Who really likes feeling like that?

So let’s see…women get boob jobs, wear makeup, heels, short skirts, cleavage shirts, accessorize with jewelry and flutter our eye lashes.  I am being a bit over the top to make a point.  We do our best to look our best, but we do not do that to be worn as eye candy nor to be treated as if we do not have a brain.  We are not second or third rate citizens.  We do not like being called stupid or care to be insinuated as stupid.  We are not dumb due to our hair color or breast size.  We are not shallow due to our gender, heel height or skirt length.  Our IQ is not measured by how much skin is showing from our neck to our navel or our navel to our toes.  We do not care to be talked down to.  Our breasts are not our eyes.  We go to school, hold jobs, make a living and have something to contribute to society besides our outstanding and fabulous great looks.  So, men…pay attention.

A female with an opinion and intelligence should not be a threat to the male ego.  The only thing I am clueless about is why men (some men that is - that generality thing will get me every time!) think it is cute, funny, macho, a turn on…to downgrade a woman in front of their buddies.  Or even better yet, make excuses for what a woman does or does not do for a living in front of work mates as if it has any reflection on their own self esteem.  And then on top of all of that, laugh it off and have the high hopes that said woman will fall head over heels in bed with them at the end of the evening as if nothing ever happened.  Oh, yes.  Women really do have a brain in there and tuck all this information away.  It is not cute or funny.  It pops in our head at the dandiest of times, such as mid pucker or as we are trying to get off and climax.  Oops!  That climax just slips away in the “heat” of the angered moment when we remember that we were just eye candy and the butt of yet another joke and it just won’t release from our brain. 

I used to have a friend whose husband would tell her to just stand there and look pretty.  To me it is just a joke now.  Then it sounded awful, as if it were all she was good for.  Sort of a “keep your mouth shut and just look good” sort of thing.  That is the ultimate of “eye candy/trophy” if you ask me.  Not a compliment unless that is all you are into.  Some like that sort of thing.  Good for them.  Not so much for me.  I can keep my mouth quiet for so long and then it all builds up and bubbles forth.  I am not a bubble head mind you; just blonde. 

This song Serious…I like it, the flow of the music and so forth.  I truly hope Duffy goes places.  But my question is, if a woman is being treated this way, why would she want something more serious from that particular man?  Unless of course he decides to straighten up and get his act together…no woman should put up with sort of crap if it makes her feel bad. 

01.Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl

02.Coldplay - Viva La Vida

03.Kid Rock - All Summer Long

04.Pussycat Dolls - When I Grow Up

05.Rihanna - Take a bow

Download From Top 20

06.Chris Brown - Forever

07.Coldplay - Violet Hill

08.Duffy - Mercy

09.Lil Wayne - Lollipop

10.Flo Rida (Feat. T-Pain) - Low

11.Usher (Feat. Young Jeezy) - Love In This Club

12.Miley Cyrus - 7 Things

13.Maroon 5 ( feat. Rihanna) - If I Never See Your Face Again

14.Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown - No Air

15.Coldplay - Life In Technicolor

16.Rihanna - Disturbia

17.Mariah Carey - Touch My Body

18.Coldplay - Lost

19.Madona ft Justin timberlake - 4 Minutes

20.Coldplay - Cemeteries Of London

--------------------------
Top 20 Information VIA : http://www.mp3search.ru/

A cantora inglesa Amy Winehouse vai participar de uma novela na internet ao lado de bandas como Bloc Party e Razorlight. A cantora Duffy, além do Girls Aloud e do The Feeling, farão participações especiais.

Intitulada “The secret world of Sam King”, a novela poderá ser vista apenas por usuários do Bebo, espécie de Orkut do Reino Unido.

A gravadora Universal também está participando da produção do programa, ao lado da empresa Monkey Kingdom.

O personagem principal da trama é Sam King, que trabalha como office-boy em uma gravadora e tem um escritório secreto na companhia. Seu objetivo é descobrir bandas novas.

Fonte: G1

The Dave Clark 5 - London's answer to The Beatles. Well, more some 60 year old retired ex-Colonel's idea of The Beatles. All teeth and lovely hair, they stomped their way through a few forgettable hits, desperately trying to peddle Merseybeat and just not really getting it. As is always proved when a record label cynically apes an act they fundamentally do not understand, it starts off well then dies on its arse. Nothing puts an audience off more than the faint but unmistakeable whiff of desperation - "we don't get this shit you like; will this do? Pleeeeeeeeease buy it!" Long gone and best forgotten.

Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Looking back, it is hard to suspect that this wasn't just one collossal piss-take. Taking their inspiration from Frankie Goes To Hollywood (or, if you prefer, blatantly ripping off their ideas) they too had the ex-muso PR person (Magenta De Vine taking the Paul Morley role), they had their own sense of style (they looked like Terrahawks puppets Gerry Anderson had discarded for being too garish) but sadly, they didn't have the tunes. They were complete, unadulterated shite. Head honcho Tony James was previously in Generation X; staggeringly, this means that Billy Idol's solo career was not the worst thing to come out of that band. Think about that.

Menswear - Ah, those pesky record labels do it again. In the mid-90's Britpop was in full swing, Blur were scene Royalty and the joke went that even drinking in the same pub as them would get you signed. Except it wasn't a joke. It was absolutely true in this mob's case. Yes, because they hailed from Camden and knew Alex James Menswear had a deal before they had played their first gig. Honestly. Were they any good? No. Of course not, don't be so bloody silly. If having the right haircut and looking a bit tittish was enough to guarantee success, I'd be the most succesful A&R man in the world by simply hanging about most Universities. That they died a slow and painful death is, in my humble opinion, a testament to the ethics and good taste of the music fans of this country.

Mika - He's, like six feet six! And gay! And comes from, like, the Middle East! Well, he's just got to be good, right? No. His physical attributes, his sexuality, the accident of geography that is his birthplace - how in the name of all that is holy can that make you a good songwriter? A pathetic attempt to cash in on the Scissor Sisters success, this novelty act is a joke which has worn way, way too thin.

Duffy - Faceless Major Label Boardroom. Sales are down. What to do? Well, that Winehouse girl is selling an ungodly amount of records with an old-fashioned soul sound, but she's a bit of a bugger to control. What to do? I know! We'll get some fame-hungry ex-reality show contestant with the moral code of a demented mongoose and the dignity of an eating contest winner and get her banging out some ersatz soul. We'll put tons of cash behind it, which means Radio 1 will be all over it because the spineless bastards refuse to play anything unless it's already guaranteed to do well. We know she will do what she is told, let's face it, she'd fellate a relative if she thought it would get her on telly. Sorted!

Well, I'm sure they all had fun while it lasted even when, as in Menswear's case, I've had longer headaches. But enough of my chirping - Enjoy the weekend people!

Zu meiner Überraschung befindet sich ein alter Song der White Stripes - nämlich "Seven Nation Army" - zur Zeit auf Platz 4. Mir war zwar bekannt, dass dieser Titel bzw. die Melodie ganz gerne von Anhängern des idiotischen Ballsports gegröllt wird, das dies jedoch einen erneuten und so hohen Charteinstieg bringt, hätte ich niemals vorhergesagt. Vielleicht von daher auch nicht verwunderlich, dass sich auf Platz 2 und Platz 10 mit Revolverheld und Oliver Pocher zwei weitere Ballsporthymnen befinden, die man in spätestens sechs Monaten wieder vergessen hat.

Für mich unverständlich auf Platz Uno 'Kid Rock' mit "All summer long" - nicht etwa, weil ich kein Anhänger des (Ex-?)Pamela-Anderson-Penetrierers wäre, sondern weil dies eindeutig eines seiner schwächeren Lieder ist. Aber das Qualität im deutschen Musikgeschmack nicht über Quantität gestellt wird, beweisen Songs von Shaggy (Platz 3), Leona Lewis (Platz 6 - klingt wie ein Remix ihres ersten Hits), Rihanna (Platz 7) und Thomas Godoj (Platz 10), von dem man ja wenigstens aufgrund seines Superstar-Titels weiss, dass er nächsten Sommer garantiert nicht wieder in den Charts landen wird.

Zwei Hoffnungsschimmer in den Top 10, von denen eine jedoch nur eine Modeerscheinung ist: Duffy mit ihrem Hit "Mercy" auf der Acht und "So soll es bleiben" von 'Ich und Ich' auf der Fünf - natürlich Geschmackssache aber dennoch ein letztes Aufbäumen von deut(sch)lichem Geschmack der Hitparade.

I had heard a previous rumour that aged rockers Duran Duran were tipped to record the all-important title tune, so becoming only the second artist to have recorded more than one Bond theme song. But the tradition of Bond themes has (almost) always been to use an artist who is currently big among young people whose purchase of 45s is recorded in the Hit Parade, so that would seem to exclude Duran Duran for most of the past 20 years. Talk about dodging the zeitgeist.

I just hope they write a decent, iconic theme. Chris Cornell's "You Know My Name" was a stormer and a huge improvement on the bland instantly-forgettable theme songs from all four of its predecessors (Bassey apparently turned down the chance to perform the Bono composition "Goldeneye" because she didn't think it was strong enough. She was right, and singing duties fell to the uninspiring Tina Turner). I mean, who can even remember the meolody of "Tomorrow Never Dies" or "The World Is Not Enough"? As for Madonna's "Die Another Day", that's memorable for all the wrong reasons.

1. Dizzee Rascal Calvin Harris Ft. Chrome - Dance Wiv Me
2. Ne - Yo - Closer
3. Basshunter - All I Ever Wanted (radio Edit)
4. Jordin Sparks - No Air (duet With Chris Brown)
5. Chris Brown - Forever
6. Ironik - Stay With Me (mysparks Edit)
7. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
8. Rihanna - Take A Bow (seamus Haji Radio Edit)
9. Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About Me
10. Busta Rhymes And Linkin Park - We Made It
11. Sara Bareilles - Love Song
12. Duffy - Warwick Avenue
13. Ting Tings - That's Not My Name
14. Sam Sparro - Black And Gold (radio Edit)
15. The Ting Tings - Shut Up And Let Me Go
16. William And Cheryl Cole - Heartbreaker
17. Madonna Ft Justin Timberlake - 4 Minutes (bob Sinclar Remix)
18. Madonna - Give It 2 Me(fedde Le Grand Radio Edit)
19. Wiley - Wearing My Rolex
20. September - Cry For You
21. Estelle Ft Kanye West - American Boy
22. Mgmt - Electric Feel
23. Freemasons Ft Katherine Ellis - When You Touch Me
24. Jonas Brothers - Sos
25. Flo Rida Ft. Timbaland - Elevator
26. Fall Out Boy Ft John Mayer - Beat It
27. Usher Ft Young Jeezy - Love In This Club
28. Flo Rida And T - Pain - Low
29. Nickelback - Photograph
30. Estelle - No Substitute Love
31. Alphabeat - Ten Thousand Nights
32. Coldplay - Violet Hill
33. Duffy - Mercy
34. Mint Royale - Singin' In The Rain
35. Jay - Z - 99 Problems
36. Maroon 5 And Rihanna - If I Never See Your Face Again (re)
37. Chris Brown - With You
38. Mariah Carey - Bye Bye
39. Weezer - Pork And Beans
40. Scooter - Jumping All Over The World

Password: rebel_ml

http://rapidshare.com/files/12919783...UkJl.part1.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/12919781...UkJl.part2.rar

Lucy Schwartz :: "I Don't Know A Thing"

The Ting Tings :: "That's Not My Name"

Bell X1 :: "Pinball Machine"

Dengue Fever :: "Seeing Hands"

Duffy :: "Mercy" and "Warwick Avenue"

olhando pela 1a vez os clipes e tb as músicas: Hannah Montana é uma porcaria. Prefiro High School Musical.  pelos menos eles dançam e as músicas são mais alegres. ou até hillary duff.

e ouvindo pela enésima as músicas, e pela 1a vez os clipes: foundations e mercy (kate nash e duffy). gosto das músicas.
a duffy acertou nos 60's.. até os dentes não perfeitos da época ela tem. e se ela não dança, pelo menos tem bailarinos pra isso. ;)
a kate nash... peraíiii! eu já vi isso antes! beeem antes! onde? qdo? como assim??? eu gostei antes. mas me sinto enganada. como assim tinha gostado do clipe e não fui atrás da música??? anyway, foi pros favoritos.

essa semana | semana anterior | semanas no chart | artista - música

* somente downloads

1 1 2 Dizzee Rascal Feat. Calvin Harris & Chrome - Dance Wiv Me
2 3 2 Basshunter - All I Ever Wanted
3 4 4 Jordin Sparks feat. Chris Brown - No Air
4 2 10 Ne-Yo - Closer
5 6 3 Ironik - Stay With Me
6 46 2 Kid Rock - All Summer Long*
7 5 7 Chris Brown - Forever
8 9 19 Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About Me
9 8 9 Rihanna - Take A Bow
10 10 4 Busta Rhymes Feat. Linkin Park - We Made It
11 7 4 Coldplay - Viva La Vida*
12 11 11 Sara Bareilles - Love Song
13 12 12 Duffy - Warwick Avenue
14 13 9 The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name
15 14 17 Sam Sparro - Black & Gold
16 15 8 The Ting Tings - Shut Up And Let Me Go*
17 18 7 Madonna - Give It 2 Me*
18 29 9 Nickelback - Photograph
19 16 16 Will.I.Am feat. Cheryl Cole - Heartbreaker
20 17 17 Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake - 4 Minutes
21 19 12 Wiley - Wearing My Rolex
22 28 23 Flo-Rida feat. T-Pain - Low
23 21 18 Estelle feat. Kanye West - American Boy
24 20 14 September - Cry For You
25 53 3 The Kooks - Shine On
26 47 2 Sharleen Spiteri - All The Times I Cried
27 23 3 Freemasons feat. Katherine Ellis - When You Touch Me
28 26 13 Fall Out Boy feat. John Mayer - Beat It*
29 27 16 Usher feat. Young Jeezy - Love In This Club
30 N 1 The Last Shadow Puppets - Standing Next To Me
31 25 11 Flo Rida feat. Timbaland - Elevator
32 24 4 Jonas Brothers - SOS
33 33 22 Duffy - Mercy
34 30 4 Estelle - No Substitute Love
35 36 6 Maroon 5 feat. Rihanna - If I Never See Your Face Again
36 32 10 Coldplay - Violet Hill*
37 22 4 MGMT - Electric Feel
38 31 8 Alphabeat - Ten Thousand Nights
39 37 23 Chris Brown - With You
40 34 11 Mint Royale - Singin' In The Rain*

Top 10 Álbuns

1 1 5 Coldplay - Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
2 2 19 Duffy - Rockferry
3 3 17 Chris Brown - Exclusive
4 6 8 The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing
5 N 1 Black Kids - Partie Traumatic
6 5 4 Darren Styles - Sky Divin'
7 7 36 Amy Winehouse - Back To Black (The Deluxe Edition)
8 15 32 Nickelback - All The Right Reasons
9 N 1 Beck - Modern Guilt
10 9 58 Rihanna - Good Girl Gone Bad

Thanks: Mart!n @ buzzjack

A estrela Duffy poderá tornar-se a primeira artista a vender um milhão de álbuns em 2008, de acordo com UK Charts Company, do Reino Unido, noticia a BBC.

O primeiro álbum da cantora "Rockferry", que esteve cinco semanas no número um dos tops, está numa intensa competição com o novo álbum dos britânicos Coldplay, que é neste momento o líder dos tops de vendas britânicos. O single de lançamento da cantora, "Mercy", é no entanto, até ao momento, a canção mais vendida do ano.

Vários álbuns de estreia têm feito sucesso, em 2008. Ting Tings, Amy Macdonald, Scouting for Girls e Adele têm contribuído para que os álbuns de estreia tenham atingido o maior sucesso dos últimos oito anos.

Fonte: IOL Música

Quando perguntaram para ela sobre o que ela pensa do meio musical hoje em dia durante a entrevista para uma revista da Turquia, ela disse: "Eu ainda sou fã da Tina Turner, mas ultimamente eu me sinto bem empolgada pelo jeito que a Duffy canta. Ela tem uma voz excelente. Ela é uma cantora Galesa, também, e possui músicas lindas.

Fonte: WalesOnline

"Mercy", atinge o #1 no iTunes e Amazon, agora está em sua nona semana no Hot 100.

As duas versões do clipe de "Mercy" atingiu números incríveis no Youtube - a versão da Inglaterra teve mais de 14 milhões de acessos, e a dos Estados Unidos teve em torno de 3 milhões. Além disso, o vídeo continua com grandes acessos no VH1 e Fuse.

Duffy foi eleita a artista do mês de Julho no "You Oughta Know" do VH1. O Clear Channel Online Music & Radio também está ajudando sua carreira colocando Duffy como a Artista Apresentada no seu novo programa em Junho e Julho, mostrando suas performances no programa Stripped.
Duffy se apresentou no "Interface" do AOL e fez parte do "Who's Next" do Yahoo, e também pode ser vista na capa da revista Spin do mês de Agosto.

Duffy chegou na América do Norte em Março, e irá voltar dia 31 de Julho para se apresentar na First Avenue em Minneapolis. A viagem de 8 cidades começa dia 9 de Agosto no Festival Virgin Mobile no Pimlico Race Course fora de Baltimore.

Desde a primavera, Duffy tem tocado em pequenos concertos nos EUA, como: SXSW Music & Film Conference em Austin, Texas, Hiro Ballroom on St. Patrick’s Day em New York, no Festival The giant Coachella no deserto da California, no famoso Apollo Theatre em Harlem, e no El Rey Theatre em Los Angeles.

No momento, Duffy está fazendo uma mini turnê pela Europa.
Após sua agenda nos Estados Unidos, Duffy irá voltar imediatamente para mais shows na Inglaterra.

Fonte: Universal Music Brasil

Como a música Warwick Avenue estreou na lista das músicas mais executadas na posição #3, agora a gravadora está em uma dúvida cruel entre dois ótimos singles.

Serious era cotada para ser o mais novo single de Rockferry, porém nessa semana mudaram de idéia e estão cotando Stepping Stone para ser o próximo single trabalhado.

Duffy I've been hearing good stuff about, and she is one of those people who are designed at a genetic level for me. Gaelic, having a nicely retro look, actually possessing her own eye-brows, incontestably a talented singer, and also responsible for her own sound and content. Yeah, she has writing partners, yeah she survived a "Welsh Idol", but the girl found her own place in the North Atlantic Blue-Eyed Soul Movement ( aka, really, really white girls singing old school style soul. And yeah, they ain't all Blue Eyed. Why North Atlantic? Cause they ain't all English, kid. That's why.)

Plus a song called "Warwick Avenue?" I lived there. Have nice nostalgic connections, even at least one last good bye there that haunts me to this day.

In a nice way.

So having bough the album, watched some videos, let my eyes drift over those lovely cheek bones, yeah.

No restraining order required

Of course I have my Siren Obessions. Lilly- still dig her, but Lily has to prove she has another album in her. I had to reassure Nina Persson I still have a place for her in my heart, and pondering whether Britta Phillips over all coolness is multiplied by having been Jem, or expanded exponentially by having been Jem.

(Hearing her belt "BAYYYYYYYYYYBBEEEEEEEEEEEEE-EEEEEEEEEEEEE!" less than ten feet awayat Max's in Hoboken on New Years Eve... yeah, time was spent deciding whether Dean was to be more hated, respected, or congratulated>)

But back to obsessing or not obsessing about Duffy.

Is she rilly rilly cool? No. rilly cool? Yeah

I've listened through Rockferry a couple of times, and the songs just sound a little too similar. The real emotion the lyrics promise never comes through.

Through no intention of her own, she comes across as a safer Amy Winehouse. And Amy Winehouse, as any one who really has their head too far up music's a.... uhm, follows music really closely, well to you owes it all to Sharon Jones and the Dapp-Kings.
So, Duffy, we can just be acquaintances. I will enjoy your songs, and let others obesses.

But let it go. Really get that growl in there. And someday, maybe you will be ready for the summons.

I loved Dusty Springfield ever since I was too young to see Pulp Fiction for the first time and her hit, "Son of  Preacher Man" was included in the soundtrack of the film.

Paired with that awesome scene with Mia Wallace Uma Thurman), Springfield's soulful sound was delicious. She is also special to me because my grandma went to school with her in north Hampstead, London. I pressed her to tell me about her, but she didn't remember much other than that she was quiet.

Now there is a new kid in town, and her name is Duffy and she is a welsh artist who has stepped onto the musical scene with a reputation of being "the next big thing". Whatever her buzz is, I think she has a great sound that many liken to Amy Winehouse because Amy is the most immediate reference to a white chick singing r&b and soul. What about Dusty? I think Duffy and she sound/look more alike, but maybe that 'cause Dusty also had blond hair. Oh well, I'm not a music major, so I'm not overthinking it too much, just wanted to share this observation with you.

Com a estréia da música Mercy como single vendendo mais que qualquer outro na Inglaterra, e o cd Rockferry sendo cotado como o primeiro cd a alcançar a marca de 1 milhão de vendas no ano. Duffy, 24, disse: "Estou toalmente pronta para fazer outro cd o mais rápido possível."

"Sinto como se tudo e todos tivessem um momento, e esse é o meu. Eu realmente quero correr com isso, então eu talvez desapareça por um tempo, mesmo que esse tempo seja em 1, 5 ou 10 anos."

"Eu tenho o material porque componho o tempo todo. Eu tenho vários cadernos cheios de idéias. O que é importante agora é juntar tudo."

"Eu acho que os produtores pensaram que eu era louca as vezes enquanto eu fazia o Rockferry, tudo isso porque eu ia dos anos 50 aos 70."

"Quero que o próximo cd seja diferente, mais inteligente. Eu tenho uma idéia a qual estou tocando, mas não se preocupem - Eu não irei virar um Duffy Trance."

Duffy diz que acha que não conseguiria ser como a Madonna e sobreviver à décadas no mundo "pop".

Ela explicou: "Você tem que admirar a Madonna, de mulher para mulher. Quer dizer, ela está com quase 50 anos. É legal porque ela está fazendo com que essa idade seja "nova". Mas eu penso se ela imagina o quanto ainda ela pode aguentar."

"Ela realmente é inteligente e mudou seu estilo, mas acho que comigo não é questão somente de estilo. Eu não mudaria quem eu sou porque não foi planejado."

"Eu nunca serei eu, 'Ei, essa sou eu para esse cd e eu irei ser outra pessoa no próximo.' Essa sou eu."

Fonte: Daily Star today

so...duffy's soul...really? i didn't know!

actually, it is not easy (well at least for me) to identify music genres.  i've heard souls and blues, but i really didn't have the idea that duffy is under that one. i just read it here.

i had no intentions of buying her album when i went to hmv last sunday, i was just planning to get jack johnsons'. but i saw the album, with sticker saying sound of 2008 and #1 in UK chart so i bought it also.

first track, hmm ok, 2nd track, cool, 3rd..4th..so on, keeps on getting better. tracks that i liked:

mercy - undoubtedly good, nice beat and well...nice on the ears

i'm scared - classic..

distant dreamer - can totally relate o_O

hanging on too long - well, we all go through this one don't we?

tracklist:

1. rockferry
2. warwick avenue
3. serious
4. stepping stone
5. syrup & honey
6. hanging on too long
7. mercy
8. delayed devotion
9. im scared
10. distant dreamer

After much soul-searching, however, I let down my guard and began to listen to the lyrics and music of today's top tunes. Perhaps if I gave it a chance, I hypothesized, I'd realize that the indie snobbery needed to come to an end, and I'd begin to embrace mainstream pop music for what it is: Light, airy, low on substance and not horribly offensive, if not mostly enjoyable -- sort of like cotton candy. Below are the findings from my so-called social experiment.

As it turns out, in my humble opinion, most of what is being played on this particular station continues to be crap, disproving my naively hopeful hypothesis. There are exceptions to every rule: Ne-Yo, a producer and performer who has worked closely penning hits for names like Beyonce and Rihanna, has a fantastically danceable song out right now ["Closer"], though it is on the verge of relentless overplay. This particular station has also caught wind of overseas talent providing a breath of fresh air to the status quo -- both Duffy and Estelle are gaining airplay for their singles "Mercy" and "American Boy." I also, as much as this pains me to admit it, don't entirely mind the latest John Mayer single, "Say."

Beyond these few gems, however, pickings are slim. It's not even that much of the music is lacking in quality and originality, a legitimate organic energy that does not feel overproduced [though all of these things are true]. Music, as I've said before, can and does carry a lot of power, particularly when placed in a mass medium. Much of today's popular music simply does not advance public discourse -- in fact, in some cases, lyrical content may be doing much more harm than we know.

Take, for example, the surprise current #1 song, "I Kissed a Girl" by up-and-coming performer (and former gospel singer) Katy Perry. Perry has been lauded by many for her candid openness about kissing another woman, and this is perceived as promoting and supporting diversity and tolerance.

"No, I don't even know your name
It doesn't matter
You're my experimental game
Just human nature
It's not what, good girls do
Not how they should behave"

Instead of providing a positive media portrayal of a lesbian relationship, Perry chose to speak of kissing a woman in a way that was dehumanizing and states that the action is not what girls "should" do. This song's portrayal of the LGBT community, in effect, perpetuates the Tila Tequila fallacy of what it means to be queer, which produces many harmful side effects, whether or not they were intended by Perry.

Perry's song is just one of many radio songs that perpetuate far-than-ideal stereotypes and assumptions, as far as social justice is concerned. "When I Grow Up" by the Pussycat Dolls feeds the notion that many of today's social networking-obsessed youth also have unreasonable expectations of becoming famous one day. Other songs continue to utilize terminology that is degrading to women and perpetuate sexist ideology.

All of that said, perhaps I'm taking this all a bit too seriously. The sixties -- the days of the Beatles, Beach Boys and "good vibrations" -- are long over and today's market is completely different, catering to youth that have grown up surrounded by technology in a media environment that is constantly changing, so maybe I should cut the already-suffering industry a little slack. But then again, that wouldn't be very snobby of me to do, now would it?

- Joe Erbentraut, True Endeavors Communications and Public Relations Intern