After listening to singles “Grenade” and “Just The Way You Are,” listeners understand Mars’ gift to mold and manipulate smooth yet powerful vocals that create an emotional rollercoaster within a single song, but no amount of intense personal expression could have prepared audiences for an incredible and innovative album such as “Doo-Wops and Hooligans.” After introducing the album with “Grenade” and “Just The Way You Are,” Mars takes a unique direction with “Our First Time” by combining soothing R&B elements with soft reggae to build a charming and seductive track. The album continues on with a fun and carefree tone but is calmed down by church bells in “Marry You,” piano ballad “Talking To The Moon,” and guitar ballad “Liquor Store Blues” featuring Damian Marley. C-Lo Green and B.o.B assist the album finale “The Other Side,” an outstanding jazz-pop composition and probably the brightest highlight of the Album.

All in all, I rate Bruno Mars’ ‘Doo-Wops And Hooligans” a four out of five stars for a contemporary pop and hip-hop album. Mars compiled an album that not only brings unique reggae pop to mainstream music but forms dramatic, serene, and personal statements of life and love.

Released on Nov. 22, “Danger Days” is not at all a typical My Chemical Romance album. While a few of the songs are slightly reminiscent of their old sound, this album is full of heart-pounding, pedal to the metal, fast-paced songs that go straight for the throat. The vast majority has a dance rock feel to it and is a relief from the latest heavy-handed genre rock. When listening to this album, try to be in an isolated room so that you can feel free to dance along to the catchy songs it’s absolutely packed with.

The concept of the album is reminiscent of comic books, Blade Runner, and pulp science fiction. It takes place in Battery City, California in 2019 and revolves around a gang of bandits called the Fabulous Killjoys. Each member of the bandits is played by a member of the band, and the characters take their names from the laser guns they tote. From the music videos for “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)” and “SING,” it is also shown that the Killjoys are fighting against an evil corporation called Better Living Industries and are accompanied by a young girl named Grace. There are three spoken interludes in the album (“Look Alive, Sunshine,” “Jet-Star and the Kobra Kid/Traffic Report,” and “Goodnite, Dr. Death) that also plunge the listener into the desert world of the album.

By far, my favorite song on the album is SING. It starts out soft but intense, promising to build up into a soaring chorus. Between the soft, intense parts and the soaring choruses, the song builds itself step by step, led by the lyrics, which encourage the listener to speak out and show their true selves. The entire song sounds almost completely unlike My Chemical Romance and shows that the band has truly stepped up and grown as artists. The first time I heard the song, I got goosebumps, and I still do every time I listen to it. It’s absolutely beautiful, and even if you don’t listen to the entire album, I highly recommend listening to that one song.

Overall, the album is another step up for My Chemical Romance. Over the years, the band has changed and evolved and grown, not allowing their sounds to be put in just one genre. With “Danger Days,” My Chemical Romance has finally found their place in American rock. On a scale from one to ten, I give this album an eight.

Let’s say that you need some music to listen to while you’re driving back home late at night and you don’t have any coffee to keep you awake. Look to the Harry Potter soundtracks, which have many songs that get your heart pounding and can keep you awake on the long, late night drive back home.

Need music to keep you going while you write that essay for English class? The soaring strings and epic feelings instilled by some of the songs, especially ones played during quidditch scenes, can help you get through those tough spots and make you feel excited and focused on the task at hand.

Now let’s say that you’re a writer, and you’re trying to get your word count up on your recent project. You’ll find that the genius of John Williams, Patrick Doyle, Nicholas Hooper and Alexandre Desplat to inspire scenes for your story. The mixture of calming, sad, furious and noble sounds found in the scores can inspire everything you need to elevate your word count.

So if you need music to get you through the day, whether it’s to keep you awake while you try to finish your homework or inspire events in your story or to simply entertain you, look no further than the scores for the Harry Potter films.

However, Ne-Yo has done an incredible job of maintaining his individuality by composing soothing vocal melodies and producing leisure instrumentals and tempos that grasp the listener’s full attention.  One eye-catching aspect of the album is a track listing that tells a story of falling in and out of a loving yet troubled relationship. The initial track, “Champagne Life,” develops not only the mood of the entire album but the setting of the “Libra Scale” story. “Libra Scale” fluidly takes the listener through a journey of sparking interest, falling in love, having problems, and eventually losing the one you love due to self ignorance pointed out by the final track, “What Have I Done.”

All in all, I rate Ne-Yo’s Libra Scale a four out of five stars for a contemporary Rhythm & Blues album. Ne-Yo made an album that not only captures the essence of an emotional rollercoaster, but also features unique and stunning individual tracks.

A statement written by band members Josh Silver, Kenney Hicky and Josh Kelley has been posted on the band’s official site, www.typeonegative.net, and reads as follows:

“It is with great sadness that we inform you that Type O Negative front man, bassist, and our band mate, Peter Steele passed away last night of what appears to be heart failure.

Ironically, Peter had been enjoying a long period of sobriety and improved health and was due to imminently begin writing and recording new music for our follow up to “Dead Again” released in 2007.

The official cause of death has yet to be determined pending autopsy results. The funeral services will be private and memorial services will be announced at a future date. We’d like to share our thoughts and those of Peter’s family below.
We are truly saddened to lose our friend and appreciate the tremendous outpouring today from around the world.

Sincerely,
Josh, Kenny and Johnny”

Steele had been working on music for the follow up to the “Dead Again” album at the time of his death. More information will be posted following autopsy results as it becomes available.

Casting Crowns began as a student worship band in 1999.  The band said they never believed God would have led them to a recording contract and the ability to minister people all over the world. The band recorded two independent albums mainly distributed in the Atlanta area.  Mark Miller, lead singer of Sawyer Brown, heard one of the albums.

“I could tell by Mark’s writing that he wasn’t doing anything other than speaking from his heart exactly what he was seeing what was around him,” Miller said. 

Miller also said it didn’t surprise him when he found out Mark Hall, lead singer of Casting Crowns, was a youth minister and that his songs were messages to his students.

Mark Hall (lead vocals), Chris Huffman (bass), Melodee Devevo (violin, vocals), Juan Devevo (guitar, vocals), Andy Williams (drums), Megan Garrett (keys, vocals), Hector Cervantes (guitar, vocals) reached out the many  hearts at the concert with songs that spoke directly to them. 

At the concert, Hall shared his knowledge and experience with many fans.  Hall says he preaches to everyday teenagers with problems like every other person and in order to help them, they need to know everyone struggles and it isn’t just them. 

The band will be traveling with Matt Redman until Dec. 31 on their “Until the Whole World Hears” tour.  The tour will end in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

They’ve performed with David Bowie, U2  and David Byrne, for whom they opened at the Hollywood Bowl in 2005. Their newest album “Neon Bible” was released in 2007, and the band stayed true to their unique style.

Their first album “Funeral,” released in Sept. 2004, was widely received and gained positive reviews everywhere. Their song “Wake Up” was used in the preview for the soon to be released movie by Spike Jonze “Where the Wild Things Are.”

While most teenage girls only know Muse because their song “Supermassive Black Hole” was featured in the movie version of Twilight, the one thing they may not realize is just how musically brilliant front man Matthew Bellamy is. Not only are the lyrics of the songs on “The Resistance” emotionally appealing, they also make you think long and hard about the future we may be heading towards.

On top of the brilliant lyrics, Bellamy also does an excellent job of using pounding drum beats, eerie synthesizer lines, and soaring guitar riffs to create an overall vision of romance, fear, sorrow, and hope. The last three tracks, the three-part “Exogenesis: Symphony,” feature melodies from classic composers such as Chopin, Haydn, and even the Gershwin opera “Porgy and Bess.”

Overall, the album is a brilliant vision of romance and fear and will surely find its place in music history.

Since their album “Riot!” Paramore skyrocketed and are universally known. They aren’t your average girly fluff one hears on the radio. Williams’ lyrics cover more than hair, clothes and boys.

That being said, they have attracted the masculine gender. Paramore is definitely a relief from all the icky girl stuff.

Their new album, “Brand New Eyes,” is a sure hit and their single “Ignorance” shows the growth within the band.

Their new album features a similar style as past albums but the music and lyrics seem more grown up. It’s a an investment in good entertainment.

Paramore rates ten of ten stars.