Wonderland Burlesque's As The Diva Turns! - Rebecca, Mary J., and BANKS

Wonderland Burlesque's

As The Diva Turns!

 Rebecca, Mary J., and BANKS

Spotlighting some very recent diva turns on the part of three of our faves.

I must say, you are in for quite the treat. 

Up first? A newly-altered and very slinky Rebecca Black channeling a beat bound for Ibiza. 

Then we have the mighty-fine Mary J. Blige, bringing a message of empowerment with a hopeful neo-R&B sound.

  

And finally, the seductively-toxic BANKS, with ample help from Doechii, setting things straight, straight up.

All in all, a trio of destined-to be-classic diva turns.

Ooh-la-la, got me goin' like ga-ga-ga, indeed!

Midweek hump?

Feeling in the dumps?

Here's some music to make your heart jump!

- uptonking from Wonderland Burlesque

TRUST! - Rebecca Black

You Ain't The Only One - Mary J. Blige

 

I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend - BANKS feat. Doechii

Your Daily Stocking Stuffer - 12 Days Before Xmas: #8

Your Daily Stocking Stuffer

12 Days Before Xmas

#8

While there's definitely a stocking present in this holiday tableau... that's not what's getting stuffed.

Of course, there are all sorts of alternative ways of celebrating the season. 

What are some of your holiday traditions? Perhaps some candy caning? Whip up something in the kitchen? Or play with your toys beneath the Xmas tree? 

However you celebrate this holiday season? Do it with style, flair and a bit of daring. 

And... if you're in the mood? Share your traditions with another? 

Celebrating the season with others? Makes it just that much more fun

I'm awaiting an invitation!

As I have learned from experience... 

Crashing someone else's party? 'Tis never the season.

- uptonking from Wonderland Burlesque

No Happy Holidays - Mary J. Blige

Wonderland Burlesque's The 12 Days Before Xmas: Day Eight / No Happy Holidays - Mary J. Blige

Wonderland Burlesque's

The 12 Days Before Xmas: Day Eight

No Happy Holidays - Mary J. Blige

So, tell me, boo... you ever been somebody's dirty little secret?

Somebody's bit on the side?

Living in the shadows of love is a time worn subject for soulful laments, and nobody goes there deeper or with more honesty than Ms. Mary J.

No Happy Holidays is a song written by Mary J. Blige, Kiyamma Griffin, Tara Geter and was produced by Griffin. It was released in 1999 as part of Blige's fourth album, Mary, which debuted at #2 on Billboard's 200 chart. And while the song name drops all the major holidays, it's really about the one that hurts the most. 

So, if you feeling blue this holiday season, well Ms. Mary J. is too. 

Poor yourself a glass. Curl up on the couch with your favorite blanket. 

And let Ms. Mary J. give you the 411 on what it's all about.

'Cuz, growing up, if I learned one thing? 

It ain't really Xmas until somebody's crying.

No Happy Holidays - Mary J. Blige

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: Mary J. Blige

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip:

Mary J. Blige

In my own personal big gay church, there is a wing dedicated to what can only be described as...The True Divas. These are ones that may do many things in life, but from the moment they opened their mouths to sing they became the one thing they were meant to become: a true diva.

One such slice of fabulousness?

Mary J. Blige.

She came on like the girl down the block with beats so fat and sassy we had no choice but to dance.

Her tough girl act? A bit much.

But that was merely her cocoon. 

For she emerged one hell of a butterfly - finding her true diva voice in the process, while spreading her wings and her special brand of fierceness over the whole planet.

Her beauty? More than skin deep.

The lady had seen it, lived it and served it all up for those stuck in similar circumstances.

She knew real love. She earned it. She worked for it.

And she's had our devotion since beat one.

For there's a wisdom to her sound; a knowing. And that's the reason we keep listening.

Because she keeps learning, she keeps evolving, she keeps teaching...

And, therefore, we keep learning, too.

The gospel according to her?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from her lips.

The topic: How To Become A Beautiful Black Woman

"Really, every woman is an example to me, because as women we go through so much pain. We have to live this perfect life when we are messed up inside. We all go through trials and tribulations."

"There's so many things that life is, and no matter how many breakthroughs, trials will exist and we're going to get through it. Just be strong."

"I think women should band together to get us more respect in all the businesses that we're in because, you know, if we turn 40, we're nothing and nobody. We all should band together and just say we're not gonna go down like that."

"I remember a time when all my fans were crying and sad and going through hell. Now, we're trying to uplift each other and accept ourselves for who we are, even if nobody else does."

"Music makes us want to live. You don't know how many times people have told me that they'd been down and depressed and just wanted to die. But then a special song caught their ear and that helped give them renewed strength. That's the power music has. I started speaking about what I was dealing with through my music, and 4 million women responded and said, 'Us too, Mary.' And I didn't know that everyone was hurting like I was hurting. I had no idea."

"People know what they see but they don't know what's happening inside. If you want to know who you are and how you feel about yourself, take a look at your environment."

"I used to think I was ugly. I thought I looked like a camel. A person who doesn't love themselves, they will see anything that pops up on their face. I've seen squirrels, I've seen a bird, and I've seen all kinds of animals on my face. But that is the result of self-hate. I've learned to say: 'You know what? I am a beautiful black woman'."

"I hated myself for so many reasons, and I thought so many things were my fault that happened to me growing up."

"I felt ashamed about everything. Me dropping out of high school, me not, you know, just not being beautiful enough. I just didn't feel like I was smart enough or beautiful enough, you know, for years."

"When you come from so many damaged places you don't ever want to spiral back there, so you gotta continue to check yourself."

"I didn't know how to show my self love, and I didn't want anyone else to hurt me. So my tough girl attitude was like, 'I'm not having it.'"

"I like hanging out with me, and I've accepted everything about me good, bad whatever it is. That's why I'm able to, that's why no one can tell me anything negative about myself."

"Everything is scary if you look at it. So you just got to live. There are people out there who want to provoke me and bring back the old Mary but I'm not giving them the satisfaction. So many people are like, 'I'm perfect.' I'm so imperfect; that's why I'm able to let everything out and let people see everything. 'Cause I'm just a mess like every other person that's a mess out there."

"The younger Mary J. Blige, I would call her, she was very unaware, ignorant."

"I suffered from self hatred so much. It's like I didn't want to look like that any more. I didn't to feel like that any more. It had to be another way."

"I cannot save the world; that's not what I'm trying to do. I guess I'm just trying to walk the walk and be an example to those that want it. Not everybody does, but if Mary J. Blige can come out of that same hole you were in, then you can do it, too - that's my goal: to do that without saying it, but actually live it."

"When someone comes up to me and says, 'Mary, you helped save my marriage', or, 'Mary, you helped me get out of this abusive relationship', I'm in it, really in their lives. And I'm so passionate about my feelings, but also about showing people the way through theirs."

"So as long as I'm a human being and I'm not perfect, I'm able to say I'm having some growing pains. Because in order to sustain where you are once you made such a breakthrough that everyone is looking at you, now everyone is like, 'Ooh, is she gonna make a mistake?' Yes, I'm going to make a mistake. Yes, I'm still gonna do things."

"I believe there should be no more drama, but it's everywhere you go. It's just about how you get out. You've gotta bob and weave because it's everywhere. How do I keep the drama low? It's about using your head."

"If we didn't have understanding of our journey, we wouldn't be able to go on. We'd be stuck, like, 'Why me?'"

Real Love - Mary J. Blige

Family Affair - Mary J. Blige

Good Morning Gorgeous - Mary J. Blige

"In the inner city, there's a mentality that the government owes you something. My breakthrough came when I stopped feeling sorry for myself and took responsibility for every part of my life. No more pity parties. I've gotta love me more than anybody else loves me."

"One day I realized that I wasn't getting anywhere by blaming other people for my circumstances. I finally understood: Even if you feel someone has wronged you or owes you something, no one is going to give you anything for free."

"I care about me now. When I didn't care about me, I was, like, 'Why is this going wrong? Why is my life so bad?' But when you don't care about yourself, nobody else is going to care about you. So I learned to love myself, even if nobody else does."

Parking on the Dance Floor: Dance Reviews 2008

My reviews of dance singles released during the first quarter of 2008.

Karen Young: Hot Shot (Reheat) *
I find it odd that this 'remix' made it into the top ten on Billboard's Club Play Charts. But it did. I don't find this in the least bit interesting - none of the remixes do anything to elevate the original beyond its mediocre, modest beginnings. So why bother?

Kristine W.: The Boss *****
Kristine hits another one out of the park! Grrrreeeeat vocals - earthy and meaty. Something this song so deserved. The mixes here are great fun - hard to pick a favorite. I have bounced from the the sanchez to the infinity to the goodyear as my fave. The radio edits are nice and precise. But it is ultimately Kristine's incredible vocals that sell this baby - especially her Michael Jackson-like fills. Love it.

Erin Hamilton: The Flame 2008 ***
This was a pleasant surprise. Not the usual Hi-NRG remake - a cut above all that. It actually manages to reinvent the song without simply taking a small slice of the song and repeating it ad nausea. Very ethereal. Erin's vocals don't possess a lot of presence, but it is a real ear-tweaker.

Filo & Peri Featuring Eric Lumiere: Anthem ***
I love this one... even with its vacuous European pretensions. Pleasant male vocals, decent lyric, fun chorus, interesting construction. A tiny bit faceless - and that is my only complaint. Definitely deserves all the radio airplay it has been getting.

Idina Menzel: Gorgeous ***
I keep getting this one confused with 'Defying Gravity'. The reason: Indina's vocal style is so incredibly unique that her mannerisms seem to place a shadow over the songs themselves. That's not a bad thing... I'm just waiting for her to find a song that is her equal. None of the pap from 'Wicked' is going to cut it. This one, simply due to its subject material almost does it. It's fun, but not memorable. I like to segue this in the middle of Taylor Dayne's far superior 'Beautiful' and a remix of Xtina’s ‘Beautiful’. Makes for a nice subject block.

Erika Jayne: Stars ****
Hmmm... is this really the woman behind 'Roller Coaster'? Wow. A sweet chill. Very nice - demonstrating a little variety. Surprising. I love the vocals and song itself. It actually possesses a bit of a hook, something sadly missing from most dance music. Something tells me I need to pay attention to this one - she's a total keeper.

Janet Jackson: Feedback (Ralphi Rosario Radio Edit) *****
Finally! Janet gets a song worthy of our time. I loves me some sexy, sexy, sexy, robot Janet. Percolates like an orgy at Starbucks. Okay, so all that stutter/stop/shift stuff plays like a thick veneer distancing the heart of Ms. Jackson from the public, but it's been ages since she's been this nasty and danceable. It would have been nice if her company would have sprung for a few more remixes to make this a great buy. And, yes, the heavy flow line makes me gag a little. I just bear it and wince. So glad she's back, auto-tuned to death or not. Amen.

Britney Spears: Piece Of Me (Remixes) / Gimme More ***
Timely and entertaining. But not memorable. Nice double-header, though. Britney's in there somewhere and she's the only reason to come to this party. The songs themselves skitter by like a tweaked out circuit boy peering over the edge of an eighth floor balcony. A little short on substance, but fun enough. Everybody loves a little drama - and this plays out like a Greek tragedy on roids. Medea, anyone?

Mary J Blige: Just Fine (Moto Blanco Remix) *
Uh-uh. No. Tired, tired, tired. Mary needs a new pair of shoes. She works way too hard and has too much going to simply float by on dated, bloated flotsam like this. Her i-pod commercial played way better than this stuff. Make me shiver, not shudder! Redefine, Ms. Blige - don't regurgitate. Evah.

Idina Menzel: Defying Gravity *
Fun stuff - very unique vocals. Maybe a tad annoying. One for the circuit queens. The song itself - eh. So canned the Campbell soup twins could have written it - homogenized to the point of sterility - and that flies in the face of the song's message and intent. Defying gravity? This song doesn't aspire to defy, impact, or encroach upon anything - including the listener's ear. Idina, fortunately, has a lot of vocal mannerisms in her bag of tricks, and that almost makes this worthwhile. Almost.

Taylor Dayne: Beautiful *****
A song that fits Ms. Dayne to a ‘t’. Capitalize that ‘T’. A perfect marriage. It’s been a long while. I love her big broad sound and lovely R&B styling. Always have. She hasn’t sounded this engaged since her remake of Barry White’s ‘Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe’. I can’t get enough of this song. It is on permanent repeat in my car CD player and haunts my thoughts as I drift off to sleep. If I have two wishes this spring, one of them will be that this goes to the top of Billboards Club Play Charts and more. And it should. Diva needs a break and Diva has finally done something to deserve that break. Beautiful, indeed.

Robyn: Every Heartbeat **
Big surprise…. big, curious surprise. When this first played on my i-pod I thought it was some long lost Kate Bush song I’d downloaded out of curiosity and in my compulsive need as a completist. Guess again. Nice to hear her, glad she’s back – didn’t expect this. I was thinking some of the old hip-hop/r&b stuff with the big beat would bring her back stateside, but this is such a far cry from those days – dare I say – this is hardly the same artist. Nice chill. The vocals are a bit thin, so while her sound has matured, her vocal style has not. Not a dance hall burner by any means, but a decent listen.

Sia: The Girl You Lost *
Bizarre and lacking substance, considering the subject matter. Vocals are Olsen Twin-thin and a tad annoying. Strikes me as more of an experiment than a fully realized song; like the product of a 14 year old girl who just got her first key board hooked up to Pro Tools. About as convincing as a midi file and just as cringe-inducing. Lose her.

Cascada: What Hurts the Most ****
This song sounds like something Leanne Rimes did about the time of Coyote Ugly. It’s got a very country-friendly vibe going. It’s fun. Great pop. A little too clean for my taste – lacks real character. Cascada is kind of like that – very Ace of Base minus the hint of funkiness. Nothing funky going on here. Acne-free. Kind of like a Mentos Mint ad or those surreal Orbit gum commercials.

Sarah Atereth: It Doesn’t Take Much ****
Pleasant. Not a barn-burner, but a great song. In fact, it is a complete pop song. Its lyrics actually show some depth. Sarah’s voice is pleasant enough, too. It could use a little more character. Not bad, but not a fire, either. The three stars are for the lyrics. They’re of a quality rarely found on a dance track. Of the mixes – Tracy Young is my current pick.

Plumb: In My Arms ****
Great hook, nice meaty vocals. Nice to hear a singer with some bottom to her voice. I love the little catch she gets in her throat – distinctive and not over played. Needs to be careful of the whine thing, though. The song itself is a gem with a couple of infectious hooks, catchy chorus. Like ‘Numb’, their last biggie – this one is a winner.