The Reddlipstick Blog: February 2011

Friday, February 11, 2011

"Can't Take That Away From Me"

You may remember JoJo as "the teenage white girl with a soulful voice" back when she came out with her hit single, "Leave (Get Out) and her debut self-titled album.

She later came out with her sophomore album, "The High Road," not too long after, mostly with soft ballads, with a stronger pop feel more so than R&B. However, fans missed the soulful feel from the 1st album, which featured a remake of "Weak" by SWV.

Jojo (Joanna Levasque) disappeared from the scene for a while, but now she's back. With a mixtape.

Yes, a mixtape.

"Can't take that away from me," is Jojo's latest project, which I completely fell in love with even after skimming the tracks.

Jojo shows personality through this music; her name appears on the credits of every song.

These strategically organized tracks start off with a fun, upbeat feel with "Can't take that away from me," that R&B feel that her fans love, as well as a mixture of other genres. Variety.

Jojo starts off the 2nd track, "Running on Empty" by saying "I'm a PYT with an attitude," as you can clearly tell throughout the CD.

Midway through the mixtape we see a side of Jojo we haven't seen in the past. "Just a Dream" talks of a day of a verge of defeat, singing softly "Take it away, I gotta bottle, I gotta finish, Take it away, Take it from me, cuz if you don't I might drown in it." The song ends with her rising above,
"If it's in His plans for me, I will win, I'll just dream until then."

The mixtape then takes a turn towards the 80s, with back to back tracks "What You Like," with a retro beat, and "In The Dark" which puts you in the mind of early Madonna. (REDD's FAVES. XOXO)

Of course there is a ballad; "Boy without a heart," which is pretty much self-explanatory.

The CD then ends with "All I want is Everything" a 'sky is the limit' song about living out dreams.

I give this mixtape 4 out of 5 reddlips. It was a perfect mix of pop, R&B, rock, and retro. Every track took an unexpected turn. It told a story, complete with a beginning, middle and end. It definitely showed off those vocals, and a raw side of Jojo that we are just beginning to see. Definitely looking forward to that official album! Check out the mixtape and complete tracklisting here:

http://rap-up.bandcamp.com/album/cant-take-that-away-from-me

And Jojo's Blog:

http://translucentbrownsugar.tumblr.com/

XoXo,

BREAKING NEWS: MUBARAK STEPS DOWN

It is a day to rejoice in Egypt.
After 32 years of being in office, President Hosni Mubarak has stepped down.
After 3 weeks of protesting by Egyptians, Mubarak was determined to hold power. Until Friday, when protesters practically forced him out of office. Not taking "no" for an answer.

Vice President Sulieman's statement: "In these grave circumstances that the country is passing through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave his position as president of the republic. He has mandated the Armed Forces SupremeCouncil to run the state. God is our protector and successor."

Egyptian Ayat (YaYa) Soluiman says that she is extremely proud of the fact that they fought for so long for this. "You see many arabic countries have dictating presidents who have been in office as kings," she said. "it's easier in those countries for a politician to abuse his power." She also noted that it was "extremely scary" since communication was cut off, she could not talk to any of her family members. Ayat compares the ruling of Mubarak to the ruling of Saddam, with less brutal killings.

Mubarak flew himself to his palace 250 miles from Cairo.

Ayat feels that to better things the government should be more organized to serve the people.
"I am very proud of the accomplishment," she said. "I hope it gets better from here.