by: Merita AppleHead, Dec 23, 2012
JoJo’s Agápē is my very first JoJo experience. I know she’s got previous works, some of which are popular, but unless I’m mistaken, this is my JoJo cherry pop. My interest in this mixtape came alive when I heard that the BackPackKids (Austin Brown, Tommy Parker & Scott Bruzenak) would have a hand in it, I like (ok, Love) their work, and though I’m not sure which songs BPK did on the mixtape, I figured this would be worth checking out.
So, listening, the first thing I noticed was… JoJo, this chick can sing (Peep Track 7 - Thinking Out Loud). I’d have to hear her live to be certain, but Agápē leans me toward the belief that she’s got a nice set of pipes on her. Nice tone, great pitch and little pops of soul here and there. I can dig the vocals.
For me, when I listen to music, my bare bones rating system is this, “Good music either reaches your heart… or your feet.. and if you’re lucky… both.” Which basically means a song that touches your heart in a relatable or sympathetic way… or in the other instance reaching your feet meaning it makes you want to dance. Even if you can’t dance, if the song gets into you, you can’t stop the dance. Well maybe that’s just me. But that’s my system. Plain and simple.
That being said, as I listened to Agápē, I found myself in the first few songs kinda feeling the vibe in the feet sort of way. I happened to be washing dishes at the time, and I’d stop and dance around some, doing my dreadful trademark Merita dance moves. But… after the first 5 songs or so, I found my attention drifting and by the end I’d lost interest all together. But sitting down to type this review, I’m listening again, and I can now pick out track 11 (Andre) as one that stands out as digable for me, as well as songs that initially made my feet happy, Tracks: 1 (BackToTheBeginningAgain) - 2 (We Get By) - 4 (Take the Canyon) - 5 (Billions)
On the whole, I can’t say that any of the songs reached my heart, but a few of them did give me the dance feels and I can dig that vibe. Would I recommend Agápē to you to listen? Sure. Why not? Good vocals never hurt anyone and though I’m in no rush to add Agápē to my iPod, I did enjoy the musicality behind the project.
Download/Listen to Agápē HERE
MERITA MUSIC
Rap: “Groove 92” by Austin Brown
If you like it.. please Re-Blog and share on FaceBook & Twitter
Follow me on Twitter »> @MeritaAppleHead
MERITA MUSIC
Rap: “Groove 92” by Austin Brown
If you like it.. please Re-Blog and share on FaceBook & Twitter
Follow me on Twitter »> @MeritaAppleHead
This tumblr is largely to support my own musical interest, inspirations and pursuits, but as you can also tell, I support an artist called Austin Brown 100%. He’s a nice guy with an amazing talent and I hope to see him do big things.
One of my favorite things to do lately, is to have guys listen to Austin. Though Austin has all the girls wrapped around his finger, I’m always curious as to if he’s a man’s artist or destined to be trapped as a pretty thing for girls to swoon over. While he’d have some success as the new swoon guy, real success comes with being able to reach the women as well as the men listeners. Is Austin just for the ladies or can a man have Austin on his iPod without having to defend his masculinity?
My test subject is usually my brother Greg, I remember back when “Target Practice” was released, I fell for it instantly. I loved all the horns and even learned to play it on the drums. But I’m a girl, I suspect that I can be fooled just like the others by his charming smile. So I needed to test it against a guy. So first chance I got, I played “Target Practice” for my brother Greg. He hated it. He waved Austin off saying, “I’m just not impressed with him.”
Now it’s been months since I’ve had a chance to sit with my brother and force new music upon him, but our brother Jason got married this past Saturday. His wedding was in Selma, AL which meant something like a two hour car ride with my brother Greg to get there. On the way to Selma I played some some demos of mine intended to go on my EP Violet Sky… but on the way back… I played every single Music Monday release from Austin Brown.
Male Test Subject: Greg responded well to the new Austin Brown music! He made me skip “Target Practice” but most of everything else he loved. It was so awesome when “Stargazer” started up and he made the connection of hearing it earlier that day… “HEY THAT’S YOUR RINGTONE!!!” He said as he continued to enjoy the song. When “What Did I Lose To Love You” played, he said that the song showed how well Austin could sing. The compliments just kept coming, some songs he called fun others he just really enjoyed the groove of. He particularly liked “Groove 92,” that one he requested me to start over three times. Overall my brother seemed surprisingly pleased with Austin’s music, only two songs were referred to “eh that was alright” and the rest he really seemed to dig. He in fact said that he’d indeed purchase the album (Highway 85) when it came out. This from a guy who I have a hard time impressing with new artist I’m interested in… I’m not even allowed to play a certain Norwegian rapper in his presence. *cough*
So, based on my brother, and a few other male family members who I’ve had listen to Austin Brown’s music, Austin is indeed an artist a guy can proudly put on his iPod. Maybe Austin already knew that, maybe he doesn’t give a flying fart, but I think it’s good to know. And now you know.
Austin on TWITTER
Become a BackPackKid at AustinBrown.com
MUZAK
“Menage a Trois” by Austin Brown
This guy is great and I’m looking at the views on the video and they don’t quite reflect the dopeness of the song/video… 185,903 is hardly enough! You guys get on your BackPackKid duties and help spread the word… Always remember to support your artist because w/ out fans support through views & purchases, it’s not likely your favs will get to keep doing what you and they both love… making music. That goes for Austin and anyone else you enjoy.
Day 5: logo // I’m thinking… Austin Brown needs a logo // #PhotoADayAug #photos #BackPackKids || (Taken with Instagram)
Your votes determine which videos get into rotation on mtvU each week only on The Freshmen… so be sure to vote AUSTIN BROWN “Menage a Trois”… JUST CLICK HERE!!
BackPackKids!! Get on Deck & VOTE AUSTIN BROWN!!
