Ariana Grande "Breathin" review

Breathin is a song by singer Ariana Grande from her fourth studio album Sweetener. It was sent to US contemporary hit radio on September 18, 2018, serving as the album's third single. The song speaks about anxiety and how your breathing is affected when you're suffering from it. It is also based on Grande's own experience with anxiety.

Grande opens up the song with, "Some days, things just take way too much of my energy/ I look up and the whole room's spinning/ You take my cares away/ I can so over-complicate, people tell me to  medicate", then she moves on to the pre-chorus with the lyrics, "Feel my blood runnin', swear the sky's fallin'/ How do I know this fabricated?/Time goes by and I can't control my mind/ Don't know what else to try, but you tell me every time". The singer finds herself saying these words for encouragement singing, "Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'/ I know I gotta keep, keep on breathin'/ Just keep breathin' and breathin and breathin' and breathin'/ I know I gotta keep, keep on breathin'".

I love the meaning of this track because it talks about how anxiety makes us feel inside and for Ariana to write and sing a song about this, is just so relatable once you listen to it. This is actually one of my favorites off of Sweetener. I am so glad that she finally released this as the third single from her album.

Make sure that you stream Breathin' on Spotify, iTunes & YouTube:

https://open.spotify.com/track/4OafepJy2teCjYJbvFE60J?si=RoPgRzaFR7KP5NVOLtAonQ

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/breathin/1399202539?i=1399202958

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BYr1br2Ee4&feature=youtu.be

Solange: 2 Years of A Seat at the Table

                             

        On September 30, 2016, Solange Knowles, the sister of singer Beyoncé, released her third studio album titled A Seat at the Table through Saint Records. The album explored with themes like rage, despair and empowerment while also spawning genres like funk, neo soul, psychedelic soul and contemporary R&B. It features guest appearances from rapper Master P, Sampha, Lil Wayne, Tina Knowles, Kelela. Kelly Rowland & Nia Andrews, BJ the Chicago Kid, The Dream and Q-Tip.

She released two singles off the album titled Crane In The Sky and Don't Touch My Hair featuring Sampha along with the music video for each track. You can check out the videos down below:

                                        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0qrinhNnOM

I remember listening to the A Seat at the Table album on Google Play in 2017. Cranes In The Sky is one of my favorite songs by Solange so far. I didn't know that Solange can sing really good and I'm so glad that NerdGirlMax introduced me to her album because if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be talking to you guys about Solange or her iconic album on the two anniversary of its release.

Thank you, Solange Knowles for blessing us with this amazing album A Seat at the Table and its songs like Cranes In The Sky and Don't Touch My Hair. You are an inspiration to young and inspiring black girls like me. I can't wait for you to release the follow-up to it in the future.

Make sure that you buy/stream A Seat at the Table on Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify & Google Play

https://www.amazon.com/Seat-at-Table-Explicit/dp/B01LZMNFK 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/a-seat-at-the-table/1159507212

 https://open.spotify.com/album/3Yko2SxDk4hc6fncIBQlcM

 https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Solange_A_Seat_at_the_Table?id=Bef34y67tz2uln3laawh4bb2kha&hl=en

Jhene Aiko: 1 Year of Trip

On September 22, 2017, R&B singer Jhene Aiko surprise released her second studio album Trip. It was spawned by four singles: While We're Young, Hello Ego featuring Chris Brown, Sativa and Never Call Me. Before the album's release, Aiko dropped a 23 minute film of the same name on September 21, 2017. She also wrote co-directed alongside Girls Trip co-writer Tracy Oliver. In the film, Penny (Jhene Aiko) is trying to deal with her brother's death, but she instead meets a stranger who tries to help her cope using drugs. You can check out Trip (The Movie) in its entirely on Aiko's official YouTube channel or on her website. Here are the links for it:

http://jheneispenny.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4os5TXo6Vk

Also on the same day, she released a three minute spoken word piece titled "MAP Mission" on her SoundCloud page. On the project, she talks about the loss of her brother, her previous works and her inspiration in this chapter regarding her singing career. You can listen to it now by clicking on the link:

https://soundcloud.com/jhene-aiko-1/map-mission

Let me just say that I love Jhene Aiko and her message on MAP Mission where she talked about the death of her brother. I never knew that her brother meant so much to her and you can really hear Aiko's pain as she goes on about her personal struggles with drugs. Jhene Aiko, I love you and keep doing what you're doing with your music. Thank you for being such an inspirational to me and to all of your fans by taking us on a journey with you through the grief, loss and heartache regarding the death of your brother. Stay strong, Jhene. Rest In Peace, Miyagi. 🙏

Cait Fairbanks "Hiding Place" review

Hiding Place is the third song by singer and actress Cait Fairbanks that was released on May 8, 2017. She released it onto SoundCloud for free. The track lasts for four minutes and thirty-nine seconds. It's a guitar driven song that finds the singer talking about how much that she has tried to help her partner. And if he decides to run away, she wants him to take her with him. Fairbanks begins on the opening verse with, "I built you up like a tower and you fell/ In the dark, you're devoured by yourself/ Screaming "I'm out of air"/ You're silence/ Do you want me to follow you down?/Where you go when you walk in the shadows?/ Where you go when you want to be alone?/ I don't know how to help if you run away", and then goes to the chorus with the lyrics, "Can you take me with you when you go?/ Can you take me with you when you go?/When you go/ Anywhere I don't care, just leave me there/ Through the thick and smoke, no matter where/ Can you take me with you when you go? When you go". The singer also gets very personal on the second verse with, "I tried from the wreckage, what I could/ I tried smooth out the edges into something good/ Tell myself that it's worth the effort/ Tell myself that it's getting better/ Now I know where you walk in the shadows/ Where you go when you want to be alone/ I don't know how to help if you run away".

I love Hiding Place by Cait Fairbanks. This was one of the first three songs that I listened to by her on SoundCloud. I'm so glad that I discovered Cait Fairbanks so that I can share with you all on who she is and why you should listen to her music. It is also one of my favorite tracks by her. Overall, I give Hiding Place a 10/10. 

Make sure that you give Hiding Place a listen for yourself on SoundCloud or buy it on Last.fm now:

https://www.last.fm/music/Cait+Fairbanks/_/Hiding+Place

https://soundcloud.com/cait-fairbanks/hiding-place

Cait Fairbanks "Digging My Own Grave" review

Digging My Own Grave is the debut single by singer Cait Fairbanks that was released on March 4, 2016. The track is scheduled to be on Fairbanks' upcoming debut EP. Digging My Own Grave has been described as an "dark indie pop song" that talks about a "modern tale romance that has gone horribly wrong". Here is an excerpt of what the actress had to say about the song in an 2016 interview with broadwayworld.com:

"I was inspired to write 'Digging My Own Grave' because of a life experience dealing with someone that I knew was bad for me, but I did it anyway. We've all done things that we regret, but we learn lessons from them, and that's kind of what this song is about. "Digging My Own Grave' was the first song that I wrote that I really felt reflected who I wanted to be as an artist. That's why I wanted it to be my first single".

She begins on the first verse with, "I see the carnage you left behind/ They're crawling to you and so am I/ I see destruction when I look behind/ I won't look back, I'm hypnotized/ You've got me with those eyes", and then she sings on the chorus, "And it feels like I'm digging my own grave/ Is it heaven?/ Is it safe?/ I know/ And it feels like I'm digging my own grave/ Is it heaven?/ Is it safe?/ I know/ You got me, you got me where you want me/ You got me, you got me where you want me, now/ You got me, you got me where you want me/ You got me, you got me where you want me, now". 

So, here is what I think about Digging My Own Grave. I have listened to different kinds of music, but I have never heard of dark indie pop before. The way that Cait took on that kind of genre was just flawless and amazing at the same time. I give this song five stars because I could really feel the story that Fairbanks was trying to tell about a bad relationship.

Make sure that you buy/stream Digging My Own Grave on Spotify, SoundCloud, Amazon Music, YouTube, Shazam, Last.fm, CdUniverse and iTunes:

https://open.spotify.com/album/1tKNyD3hZz2ht91QADmT4C

https://soundcloud.com/cait-fairbanks/digging-my-own-grave

https://www.amazon.com/Digging-My-Own-Grave/dp/B01CILI2VC

https://www.last.fm/music/Cait+Fairbanks/Digging+My+Own+Grave

https://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=10249824

https://www.shazam.com/track/313191707/digging-my-own-grave

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/digging-my-own-grave/id1090520219?i=1090520334&app=music&ign-itsct=Shazam_1&ign-itscg=30201&ign-mpt=uo%3D5

Cait Fairbanks "Fight or Flight" review

Fight or Flight is the standalone song by singer Cait Fairbanks that was released on July 13, 2017, through CatBeach Music. It was written by Fairbanks, Robert Howard Hartry and Daena Jay Wienand. On Fight or Flight, the singer finds herself wanting to tell her lover how she really feels him. She is also contemplating on whether she should fight her feelings or lean more towards her partner, so that she can "flight". Fairbanks opens the song with, "Never been the one to trust/ Never felt the need to stay/Always on the run/ Chase the sun, no names/ Wish that I could tell you why/ Everytime you read your... I'm shaking/ Trying to find, taking flight, breaking", then she goes to the pre-chorus with, "But you won't let me go/ You won't let me". On the chorus, Cait says that she is trying to learn to trust on her mate singing, "Even when I tried/ Even when I wanted to/ You won't let me give up, give up holding on to you/ Everytime I fall/ You're the voice that carries through/ I'm still learning, learning, learning how to count on you". First of all, I love Cait Fairbanks and her music. Her voice just blends right into the song. The meaning of Fight or Flight is so beautiful. I love songs that tells a story within the lyrics and Cait, my friends, did just that. I give Fight or Flight a 10. I wish that she would release more songs! I can't get enough of her music. 

Buy/stream Fight or Flight on Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Play, Shazam, iTunes, SoundCloud & YouTube:

https://soundcloud.com/caitfairbanks/fight-or-flight

https://www.amazon.com/Fight-or-Flight/dp/B073WM4YMB

https://www.shazam.com/track/365478259/fight-or-flight

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/fight-or-flight/id1258882335?i=1258882339&app=music&ign-itsct=Shazam_1&ign-itscg=30201&ign-mpt=uo%3D5

https://open.spotify.com/track/0l450V7NLswmPpabr4oWtV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qrg1NTxP4c

You can also go to cduniverse.com or last.fm.com to buy the mp3 version of her song:

https://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=11009600&style=music

https://www.last.fm/music/Cait+Fairbanks/+tracks

Cait Fairbanks "With Me" review

With Me is the standalone single by singer Cait Fairbanks that was released on November 17, 2017, through CatBeach Music. It was written by Fairbanks herself along with Bob Hartry and Daena Wienand. It runs for two minutes and twenty seven seconds. The track is a soft pop song with an acoustic guitar playing in the background as Cait sings about her partner being there for her through the ups and downs in life. She sings on the beginning, "When I'm in the shadows, stuck in my mind/ You break the darkness and cast it inside/ Looks like I can't leave/ With me on the good days/When I'm in my worst, and the darkest rises/Only if you're with me/ Even when it hurts and I want to hide/ I know you're with me/ Woah, uh, oh/ Woah, uh, ohhhh/ I know you're with me". Then she goes to the next verse with, "When I see the valleys, you see the high/ So unafraid of/ The doubts that I find/ Standing beside me/ With me unrelenting".

So, here is what I think about With Me. The song is very different, but yet at the same time, It's also personal for the singer when she talks about her darkest moments. Overall, I love Cait Fairbanks because she is a very talented artist with a beautiful voice. I can't wait to hear more music from her in the future. I give this song a 10/10.

You can stream/listen to With Me on Spotify, SoundCloud, ITunes, Shazam, Deezer, Google Play, Amazon Music, YouTube and last.fm:

https://www.shazam.com/track/383071606/with-me

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/with-me-single/1310270427

https://open.spotify.com/album/3t71DikNzYjDJajCH6pf6o

https://www.deezer.com/us/track/426729952?autoplay=true

https://soundcloud.com/caitfairbanks/with-me

https://play.google.com/store/music/album?id=Bikjb4muq7ieg4k4bbtm64zzc6a&tid=song-Tvx7obzo6wbvygoz5bayfeid43e&hl=en

https://www.amazon.com/With-Me/dp/B07797GNXJ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgwNFzOrx-0

https://www.last.fm/music/Cait+Fairbanks/_/With+Me