When I was a teenager, I was angry. Of course I was angry! What teenager isn’t? When guys were jerks to me and bratty girls made me homicidal, I had music as my medicine, and fabulous women to look up to.

They were gorgeous and bright, well versed in their rights, talented, and respected. They had lyrics crafted especially for the freeing of the spirit. You know who I’m talking about. Ani Difranco. Tori Amos. Fiona Apple… the list goes on. These ladies helped mold me into who I am today with presence and personality that could give any girl hope and strength.

My questions is this: Where have all of these fantastic ladies gone? As a musician, I can only aspire to be like them, but when I look around, I feel as though I hardly see anyone else aiming for that goal. I see one hit wonders without longevity. I see women using curse words matched with a catchy chorus to be “cute”. Giant boobs and bare midriffs and lyrics written by some fifty year old guy.

Where are the heroes of this generation? Read More »

James Blunt. Love him or hate him, he certainly knows how to do two things: 1) bed hot models, and 2) write love songs that get said hot models to want to jump into said bed.

Live From Abbey Road, a show that begins its second season on Thursday, June 19th at 10pm E/P on the Sundance Channel, wants to give you a chance to do more than just see James Blunt (and a BUNCH of other awesome artists) in an intimate performance at a legendary setting — they want to give you a chance to WIN stuff. Win stuff while evoking the oh-so-heartfelt spirit of Blunt himself.

In honor of this new show (which features “36 top artists in 1 legendary setting” … awesome), we at CC have teamed up with the promoters of Live From Abbey Road and have decided to give away a cool-ass gift bag worth $180. How does a fateful reader such as yourself win such a bag? Well, originally you did it by  writing a love letter using only Blunt lyrics, but it seems that you  ladies aren’t that into love letters. It’s ok; we like it better when the boys write them for us, too. Read More »

After a 4-year hiatus, Usher’s new single dropped on Tuesday. Featuring Young Jeezy and titled, “Love in This Club,” it’s a catchy tune, but has lyrics that slightly disturb me. Since it’s Usher, there’s not doubt the song is going to be huge and soon you’ll be grinding to it in all the frat houses basements and bar dance floors, but that doesn’t stop me from being just the tiniest bit skeeved out.

Okay, so the lyrics. The main chorus claims, “I wanna make love in this club” over and over. Does that sketch anyone else out? I wasn’t aware that doing the dirty in a club was considered acceptable these days. I mean, can’t we make love when we get home from the club? You know, a little bit of privacy is always good. Or at least avoiding the promise of getting arrested. Usher doesn’t “care who’s watching,” but I think I might. Read More »

I am the last girl on this planet who WANTS to like Ashlee Simpson. Yet, despite the low points she has hit in her career thus far, she has always seemed like the Simpson sibling with a brain and creativity.

I’m guessing that juxtaposing Jessica against any Lower East Side bar hopping twenty-something would lead me to the same conclusion…nonetheless, Ashlee has kept rolling with her career despite past mistakes. With a new nose, new hair, and a punk rock boo, she seems to always be reinventing herself.

Her first single off of her new album…did not suck. I really found myself liking “Outta My Head” and I thought the video was awesome. But as with most songs/videos that I like; the public didn’t take well to it.

Her newest single, “Little Miss Obsessive” is much more accessible…but luckily, it’s still not sucky. It’s certainly no example of genius musical composition. BUT it’s catchy and the lyrics are pretty familiar to me….as I think they would be for any girl: Read More »

It’s indisputable: “Riverbottom Nightmare Band” is not only the greatest Christmas song of all time, but the greatest song of all time, period.

I’m not even joking: check the heavy as f*** main riff, 70’s glam-rock moves and of course, the most bad-a** lyrics and melodies ever penned by puppets. This makes stoner-rock groups like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple sound like Smash Mouth by comparison.

So what if the lyrics don’t deal directly with Christmas. Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas, the movie the song is featured in, is a holiday movie; it’s festive by default. And it totally destroys Emmet’s entry into the talent show, the lame-o “In Our World/Brothers.”

Check out the mind-blowing lyrics after the jump! Read More »

You know that Rihanna song you’ve been hearing all summer? The song which has spawned it’s own line of ridiculous rain gear? That song you want to hate but can’t quite deny the catchiness factor?

Well, someone else has reluctantly admitted it’s awesome.

Mandy Moore, one of those “normal” celebrities who doesn’t whore herself out or shove drugs down her throat, recently covered the pop hit of Summer 2007, doing it a cool, folky justice. Read More »

K. Clarkson is putting her foot in her mouth and going back into the studio.

After a lot of drama, which included low sales of My December, talking shit about Clive Davis, and firing her manager, KC seems to have lost all her rebel steam.

First, she publicly apologizes to Davis, pretending she never said contemptuous things about him. And now, it’s reported that she’s going into the studio to record a new, more “pop friendly” album that will be out in 2008.

As much as I want to see my girl succeed, I can’t help but wish she had stuck to her guns a little more. Kelly, I’m sure Clive Davis is an old asshole. So, he knows a thing or two about pop hits, but he can still be a creatively stifling, money hungry CEO.

And sure, your last album didn’t sell as well, but that’s because it was a personal record. 12 year-olds aren’t going to be dancing to it in their living room, but does that really mean it’s a failure? Read More »

After watching tonight’s episode of American Idol, college memories flooded my mind, I began to reminisce the good ol’ days, and almost shed a tear or two. Why so sentimental, you ask? Two words: Bon Jovi.

The theme of the show was hits from Bon Jovi, and as each contestant stepped up to the mic, all I could think about was how weird it was to hear 17-year-old Jordana Sparks sing “Livin’ On a Prayer;” our innocent Jordana, the youngest of the remaining six, singing the same song millions of college students around the country listen to while they’re getting sloshed and grinding up on eachother like slabs of meat.

“Livin’ On a Prayer” and “You Give Love a Bad Name” are synonymous with college these days. I don’t know how or when it happened, but once Bon Jovi shreds through the speakers at any given college bar, the entire place rocks out like it has never rocked before. It doesn’t matter if you’re up north or down south, male or female - once you hear the Jovi, you can’t help yourself. The Jovi doesn’t discriminate.

There is usually a process that begins once these songs start playing:

1) Recognition of the song with one loud, drawn-out exclamation, like “OHHHH” or “YEAAA” while holding your drink up in the air and dancing awkwardly by yourself for a few seconds

2) During the verses, you move your head with the beat (this is when you take some sips from your drink, check your cell phone to see if anyone called you or point out the cute guy/girl standing by the bar) Read More »