Mr.Houston

Marques Houston hopes to make history with his new release, Mr. Houston. The disc boasts twelve songs, each with, according to Houston -- their own video. The album is perhaps Houston's most personal and mature work.

Houston, who has been in the music industry since the early 90's, provides love songs that are reminiscent of what you would find on a quiet storm radio show. What makes the album unique is that this was the first time Houston wrote and produced each track.

Mr. Houston exhibits slick production and achieves audible greatness in that Marques remains a favorable balladeer throughout. With the exception of "Tonight" "Excited," and "Express Lane," you could say vintage Houston is in full effect. The current single, "Body" is a bedroom melody similar to 2005's "Naked," while the emotion filled "Case of You," seals the set with lyrics like "girl I'm feeling like I'm coming down with a case of you, now it started in my head but it trickled down to my shoes."

While it may be too soon to call Mr. Houston a classic, it does have merit as a decisive and impressive effort.

Download: Date, Express Lane, How I Do, Restaurant

Final Grade: B+

Mario's D.N.A.

At the core of Mario's D.N.A. is a captivating and fresh sound that allows him to sink into the grooves. From the opener, "Break Up," a high powered up tempo piece featuring Gucci Mane & Sean Garrett to the piano driven "The Hardest Moment," D.N.A. accomplishes what Mario set out to prove musically.

Being the fourth release by the R&B singer, D.N.A. departs from where Mario was musically. There are few ballads, which were observable on the previous albums. Despite this shift in sound, Mario's voice is modern and each intonation on the lyrics feels heartfelt.

D.N.A. is complete with production afficionados ranging from Bangladesh to Stargate and in essence cements Mario as a cutting edge R&B singer. Both "I Choose You" and "Thinkin About You," are noteworthy in that they return Mario to his comfort zone of musical arrangements that unify with his voice; while the old school "Stuttering," and hard hitting "Get Off," which features Ludacris; work but lack the sophisticated vitality that is key on other tracks.

Mario said in an interview that D.N.A. is the most personal album of his career and that is on display throughout.

Final Grade: B+

Mariah Carey & Her Memoirs: An Album Review

Mariah Carey's 12th effort, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, tries to hearken back to the old days when she was using heavy vocal acrobatics and singing memorable songs with moving lyrics. The seventeen song double disc package arrives in stores on September 29 and is sure to sell out quickly due to her popularity as a diva.

Mariah Carey was rumored to have headed back into the studio after her publicist heard some of Whitney Houston's tracks at one of the ''Look To You'' listening parties to redo and re-record. Even with Carey delving into the microphone with superior talent, the album isn't monumental. It packs the traditional Carey ballads like "H.A.T.E. U," where Carey's voice soars but gets lost in Tricky Stewart's beat and "I Wanna Know What Love Is," arguably Memoir's best cut due to Carey delivering several crescendos and mid tempo jams like "Up Out My Face," which is one of Carey's best kiss offs and "Standing O," which resembles a track from her last effort, E=MC2.

Although, Memoirs tries to do what 2005's "Emancipation of Mimi" did, the tracks sound similar because the same producer was used throughout. Still there are notable gems on the release such as "Candy Bling," which utilizes a sample from Ahmad; "Ribbon," where Carey's octaves are on prominent display, "The Impossible," a harmonizing and engaging love rescue serenade with references to Duncan Hines, Louis Vuitton and Jodeci; and "Obssessed," which on the first listen sounds trite but becomes one of the most catchy tracks Carey has ever recorded because of the indirect onslaught at rapper, Eminem, and vibing percussion from The Dream.

Overall, Memoirs is very experimental in its aggressive side of one of music's unmistakable talents. Her voice has not lost its specialty, but what is absent is the riveting cuts exhibited on previous albums.

Final Grade: B

BP3

The Blueprint 3, Jay-Z's eleventh album, is an assortment of aristocratic verbal blasts and top-notch production. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard chart in its first week.
Each track is woven tightly around Jay's impeccable delivery. From the stately "Thank You," a celebration of the rapper's hubris to the blitzkrieg on autotune, "D.O.A.," the Blueprint 3 is remarkable, despite the commercial qualities it presents.

Jay-Z teams with protege Kanye West, audio wizard Timbaland and the innovative Neptunes among others on the album. Fans looking for a mirror image of the original Blueprint should look elsewhere.

While the Blueprint 3 does not play it safe as the thoroughfare ride, American Gangster, nor is it boiled down like Kingdom Come, there are memories of vintage Hova on the fifteen track colossus.

The heavy bass "So Ambitious," feasibly the best track on the album cleverly shadows his seat in the hip-hop music genre. "Empire State of Mind," thumps the original Blueprint's magic with Alicia Keys glistening within the stenciling of Jay's New York anecdotes; "Real As It Gets," partners Jigga with Young Jeezy, where they both show off their wit over an Inkredibles vibe and "Venus vs Mars," is a potent composition of innuendos toward everything from Britney Spears to Pepsi.

The final track, "Young Forever," is a perfect close to an album that is rhythmically admirable. It has a breezy feel as Jay touches on the recent criticism about someone his age still rapping.

While The Blueprint 3 may not stay in line with previous Hova projects, it stands out as an album by a media mogul whose foot is on the accelerator and sees no braking in the future.

Final Grade: A-

District 9

District 9, a film by Neill Blomkamp, is a rich laden film that weaves topics such as social seclusion and xenophobia into a tapestry of science fiction pièce de résistance. The film starring Sharlto Copley, is about a bureaucrat who tries to deal with being slowly transformed into an alien.

The film's development primarily focuses on the how Copley's character deals with becoming an alien and his determination to save humanity. The film shot in Soweto, South Africa is a blistering and jarring tour de force that uses a RedOne camera and astounding visuals. Weta Workshop and Imagine Engine deserve acclaim for the effective design on insect bipedal aliens.

District 9 serves as a reminder to all sci-fi fans that the genre is still quite active and unwavering in its attempts to spotlight important topics that relate to mankind.

Final Grade: A

Final Destination 4: A Review

If a rollercoaster derailment and a mid air explosion weren't enough for you in the previous installments of the Final Destination phenomenon, in strolls Final Destination in 3-D, or Final Destination 4. The plot tries to tie in subtle aspects of the first three films. It revolves around a central protagonist who continues to have visions of peril.

The film is a less than 90 minute odd and end. The script, however, is absorbing to the viewer. One can definitely feel for the two main characters, Lori and Nick, as they unravel the mystery behind the deaths in the previous movies as well as why Death is after them. The movie was not good, but it was not bad. Although the deaths were not as fascinating in this film, as the infamous highway pile-up in Final Destination 2 or the unexpected end of Carter Horton in the first movie, the producers are to be commended from coming up with unexpected ways of doing characters in.

Final Destination is good fun --- just wish I had my 3-D glasses, probably would have been even better. The Dr.Pepper and Raisinets were good fun too.

Final Grade: C

A Strange Arrangement Impresses

I feel like switching on my internet radio and turning on Art Laboe's oldie show after listening to Mayer Hawthorne's A Strange Arrangement. It is a thirteen piece soundscape. The band captures the 60's/70's vibe perfectly. The mood of the album feels similar to Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium or Round 2 by The Stylistics. Mayer Hawthorne tries to capture the listener with interesting lyrics and outstanding musical patterns.

On the track "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out," which is a short yet agreeable song, the band makes a memorable melody with drums and harmonizing vocals. One can hear a nod to groups like The Delfonics, The Impressions or Blue Magic on tracks like "Maybe So, Maybe No" and "The Ills," and "Shiny & New."

While Mayer Hawthorne may be cast as imitators, they bring a crisp, new sound on the scene, while giving acclamation to many R&B artists that have made soul music what it is today. This album is worth a listen if you like impressive music.

Notable tracks: "Make Her Mine," "Shiny & New."

Final Grade: B+