The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Wednesday, December 8, 2010 - 5A
The Michigan Daily - inichigandailycom Wednesday, December 8, 2010 - 5A
From TV to the Pig
TeI.'s great escape
Rapper goes from stints in the joint define No Mercy
as he reflects on his life, from
prison to clubs to rough childhood to house arrest.
Listeners will find a rapper trying
prison again to reinvent himself, and the result
is a raw, intense album that is eas-
By CASSIE BALFOUR ily some of his best work.
Daily Arts Writer No Mercy opens with the epic
"Welcome To The World" fea-
Prison hasn't mellowed Atlanta turing both Kanye West and Kid
rapper T.I., but it has infused his Cudi. This is unequivocally a
long-awaited Yeezy production, with a quick,
album No Mercy paranoid piano and a hard beat.
with new- Cudi adds vocals to this atmo-
found depth. spheric song while TI. pulls back
The album acts the shiny veneer of the hip-hop
almost like a roll No Mercy world with honest rhymes like
call for some of Grand Hustle "I don't need a chain or the fame
the most impor- / Still shine spend time with
tant rappers and the girls of fake smiles / Broken
producers working today, but hearts trying hard in the club
they never overshadow the main looking for her real love / You
attraction. won't find it here."
The album, originally called It wouldn't be a T.I. album
King Uncaged, was renamed without a club track saturated by
(probably not coincidentally) sex. "Strip" features the smooth
after T.I was arrested less than party mainstay Trey Songz sing-
a year after being released from ing predatorily that "Imma take
prison back in February. T.I's your clothes off." T.I.'s verses are
characteristically graphic and
work almost as an instructional
guide on how to have sex. And T.I.
isn't picky: He'll "fuck whoever's
closest." Charming. Young Dro
echoes similar themes and his
gritty, oversexed verses contrast
nicely with Trey Songz's croon-
ing. But this track isn't about bril-
liant wordplay. It's destined to be
a sweaty club banger, something
all the sexy co-eds can grind to
in low-lit basements across the
country.
T.I is no stranger to pop col-
laborations, and the closing
track "Castle Walls" featuring
The Voice (Christina Aguilera)
ranks among the strongest on the
album. The song has a claustro-
phobic feel, which was undoubt-
edly inspired by T.I's time under
house arrest. He waxes poetic
about his hard upbringing, his
arrests and isolation. T.i.'s stron-
gest verses are his most introspec-
tive. Denouncing all the fame and
fortune listeners have heard him
See T.1., Page 6A
By EMMA GASE
Daily Arts Writer
Dual threat alert: Actor and
musician Bryan Greenberg, per-
haps best known
for his recurring Bran
role on "One Tree
Hill," is bring- Greenberg
ing his indie- Wednesday
acoustic sound
to the Blind Pig at 8p.m.
this Wednesday. The Blind Pig
Greenberg's sec- Titkelsfrom $10
ond album, We
Don't Have Forever, is slated for
a January 201i release, and he
currently stars in the HBO series
"How to Make it in America."
Despite his success in TV and
film (he had roles in "Prime"
with Meryl Streep and "The Good
Guy"), Greenberg is no stranger to
the trials and tribulations of show
business. When the Omaha, Neb.
native first moved to L.A. to pur-
sue an acting career, he faced the
typical initial rejection that most
struggling actors meet. When suc-
cess seemed especially far away,
he turned to music for solace.
"I just needed something else
positive to invest my creative
interest in, and music was always
there for me," Greenberg said in
an interview with the Daily. "So
sometimes, whenthe roles weren't
coming and things were hard, I
would just focus on my music. It's
been growing and growing ever
since." .
Although Greenberg finds cre-
ative fulfillment in acting, he
said there are certain aspects of
performing live music that acting
just can't match. When filming on
an isolated set, he said, he can't
experience the proximity of fans
and their reactions to his work in
person.
"(On set) everyone has a bubble
put around them, but as a musi-
cian you can see an immediate
response. I love that," Greenberg
said.
His interest in music began
COURTESYOF BRYAN GREENBERG
Musician Bryan Greenberg also stars in HBO's "Howto Make it in America."
early, as he learned howto playthe indie track," he said. "He's really
guitar at age 12 and was writing pushing the boundaries as far as
songs throughout his undergradu- what genre is."
ate stay at NYU. Greenberg's first When asked about the differ-
musical influence came from the ence between his new record and
classics, his 2007 debut Waiting for Now,
"I learned all the Beatles' Greenberg said his music has
songs," he said. "I had a big Bea- matured.
ties book, and I would go through "We Don't Have Forever is a lot
it and learn all the songs." more focused than the last record.
I really wanted to capture a vibe, a
great essence."
Prompted to reveal his own
Bryan Greenberg "Best of 2010" list, Greenberg was
.ksh n momentarily stumped.
takes his talents m"Aw many... what have I been
to Ann Arbor for listening to? Black Keys is sick. I
like Kanye's new album and Cudi's
acoustic show. toAs a working actor and touring
musician with a new album on the
horizon, balance is key in Green-
Greenberg isn't afraid to take berg's busy career. Luckily for
a little help from his friends. Kid Greenberg, the two trades inher-
Cudi, a co-star in "How to Make ently complement and strengthen
it in America," lends his vocals to each other. With both acting and
one of the tracks from We Don't music in his creative arsenal,
Have Forever. Greenberg was not switching from one vocation to
worried about mixing Cudi's hip- the other is actually ideal.
hop style with his own acoustic- "It great to go on tour for a cou-
based sound. ple weeks, and when I'm burnt out
"He's the kind of artist whose on that, I go film my TV; and then
style is versatile. It's not strange to after that I'll go to the studio," he
hear that Kid Cudi is singing on an said. "Neither one feels like a job."
Jessica Simpson will
bring you Xmas cheer
By ARIELLE SPECINER
DailyArts Writer
There's something about Christ-
mas that makes your heart mer-
rier - maybe just merry enough
to listen to Jes-
sica Simpson's *
holiday album,
Happy Christ- Jesca
mas. S p
This pop star
(turned tabloid Happy
queen, turned Christmas
country crooner) Primary Wave
decided that 2010
would mark her
return to the Christmas catalogue.
And, conveniently, she's becoming
semi-relevant again - coincidence?
As a follow up to 2004's Rejoyce,
Happy Christmas is sure to bring
the holiday cheer.
During the most wonderful time
of the year, we are only so lucky to
have Jessica Simpson carol her way
into our hearts with fan-favorite
holiday hits such as "Here Comes
Santa Claus" and "Jingle Bell Rock."
She also introduces two original
songs, "My Only Wish" and "Kiss
Me For Christmas," to the holiday
playlist.
Album starter "My Only Wish"
is a jingle bell-ringing, piano-
plinking monster of a Christmas
song. Simpson gets listeners into
the Christmas spirit as she sings
about "Everything from snow to
trees and mistletoe." Similar to
Mariah Carey's smash holiday-pop
hit "All I Want For Christmas Is
You," Simpson shows off her unbe-
lievable pipes just enough to make
fans remember why the tabloid star
started singing in the first place.
Simpson also "blows up bushels
of fun" on "Jingle Bell Rock." The
overly cheesy, lovable ditz sounds
splendiferous as she "goes gliding
in a one-horse sleigh." It's all cutesy
and fun-sie and brings smiles to the
holiday.
But there's no doubt that the
girl can belt it. Her vocals are also
impressive on "O Come O Come
Emmanuel" and John Lennon and
Yoko Ono's "Happy Xmas (War
Is Over)." Surprisingly, Simpson
drives "Happy Xmas" with not only
strong vocals but an acoustic guitar.
The last track, "Silent Night,"
provides the mostmomentous point
of the album. Backed up by strings
and triumphant percussion, Simp-
son's voice coalesces beautifully.
However, her voice does get a bit
obnoxious.
If you've ever watched Ms.
Simpson perform, you'll notice
her over-emoting, pursed lips and
unnecessary spastic movement.
As fans listen to the album, they'll
picture just that. The forced runs
and pop-accented "Bay-behs" are
just irksome - but come on, that's
what makes Jessica Simpson "Jes-
sica Simpson." You're just forced
to deal with it. She's that charm-
ing.
And ignoring her beauti-
ful though sometimes overdone
vocals, the album suffers from
some other missteps, like when
she tries to mash up the arrange-
ment of "Here Comes Santa Claus
/ Santa Claus is Coming to Town."
The mixingofthese two standards
works, but the rock-sock-hop ver-
sion of them does not.
This album gets
seven-and-a-half
candy canes and
a full snowflake.
Whether you like it or not, Jes-
sica Simpson has been referred to
as America's sweetheart. She's the
type of artist you either hate to
love or love to hate. With her latest
holiday album, listeners can't help
but fall in love with her adorable
cheeriness and remarkable vocals.
It's not easy to take Simpson seri-
ously, but this holiday album
proves that this southern belle is
seriously talented.
LAST CHANCE
TO GET YOUR
SENIOR PORTRAIT
TAKEN!
December 6-h10th
in the Sophia B. Jones room
of the Michigan Union
The sitting fee is just $15!
This price includes your portraitfeatured in
the 2011 Michignensian Yearbook
Sign up online by visiting www.OurYear.com
and entering School Code: 87156
Phone 734.418.4115 ext. 1247
E-mail ensian.um cpumich.edu
ARTS IN BRIEF
LECTURE PREVIEW
The art of living
Natasha Tsakos at Penny W.
Stamps Lecture
Tomorrow at 5:15 p.m.
Michigan Theater
Free
Natasha Tsakos is getting physi-
cal with her art. On Thursday,
she will take the stage to lecture
through an integration of technol-
ogy and performance art for the
Penny Stamps series.
The Swiss artist has received
particular attention for her perfor-
mance artwork wherein she inter-
acts with live three-dimensional
animation as well as sound. She
aims to create environments that
have the potential to morph into
each metaphor she b ilds. By form-
ing various microcosms onstage,
Tsakos tries to connect each strand
to create meaning.
"The moment of creation, you're
not the creator," Tsakos said in a
recent interview. "You're just the
tool - and you're (just) drawing,
you're writing, you're translating
whatever is happening upstairs.
You become your own audience."
Her most recent performance,
"Up Wake," is a one-person tragi-
comedy taking audiences through a
day of both "dream and wake." The
nearly hour-long piece contains
roughly 341 frames of animation,
making it a true theatrical experi-
ence.
Tsakos's passion for the theater
- she's the president and founder
of theater compkny ZERO LLC in
Florida, where she resides - and
the understanding of change and
evolutionin art has allowed her to
embrace new technology. She refers
to her performance's multimedia
elements as her "partner" on stage.
While she plans to connect tech-
nology to theater for audiences
in her Michigan Theater lecture,
Tsakos made it clear that this is not
a.performance. However, she antic-
ipates performing excerpts from
some of her pieces. Tsakos had no
comment as to the subject matter
of her lecture; she wants it to be a
surprise.
Christina Hamilton, director of
the Penny Stamps Lecture Series, is
thrilled to see Tsakos in Ann Arbor.
Hamilton saw Tsakos perform
about a year ago and was incred-
ibly impressed with her interaction
with technology.
"(Tsakos will be a) great season
closer," Hamilton said. "It will be
'performative' and notjust a talk."
DANIEL CARLIN
wPCA
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