This year saw tragedy strike Jennifer Hudson's family after her highly anticipated debut saw the light of day. George Michael and Boy George both faced much publicized legal troubles. Few were surprised when Clay Aiken and Lindsay Lohan came out. Besides these headlines, 2008 brought plenty of tremendous output from a variety of musicians.
Cyndi Lauper made a robust return with the dance-oriented Bring Ya to the Brink, which takes top honors as the album of the year. Working with an elite team consisting of Basement Jaxx, Scumfrog, Kleerup, Morel and Dragonette, Lauper still acted like she "just wanna have fun," all the while providing a supportive message throughout this set. Her signature booming vocals are present on tracks Grab a Hold and Set Your Heart; she then takes an uncharacteristic darker turn with Raging Storm without missing a beat. Other notable albums are Sia's Some People Have Real Problems, The Pack A.D.'s Funeral Mixtape, Matt Alber's Hide Nothing and Goldfrapp's Seventh Tree.
Dream, by Angela McCluskey, is the year's top song. This guitar-based number has a chorus, which is like a freefall into hope. Dream is used in the Pampers spot benefiting UNICEF. Another video set to Dream surfaced on YouTube, where same-sex couples are seen as everyday, loving parents. McCluskey, who lends vocals to Telepopmusik and The Wild Colonials, has a new album, You Could Start a Fight in an Empty House, due out in the spring. L.E.S. Artistes by Santogold, Into the Nightlife by Lauper, Not A Love Song by Uh Huh Her, Only One by Mono VCF and Shiny Things by The Pack A.D. are some of the other hottest songs from 2008.
Director Karl Giant outdid himself with the video to When We Get Together by The Ones. Here, the New York trio is joined by several other dance community and Big Apple fixtures, including Debbie Harry, Jody Watley, Ultra Nate, Colton Ford and Ari Gold. Showing just the backlit, glittery and glistening torsos, this video is irresistible. Contenders for best video of 2008 are Lauper's Into the Nightlife, Alber's End of the World, Grace Jones's Corporate Cannibal and Joshua Klipp's Tell Me The … .
The Klubjumpers mix of Salme Dahlstrom's C'mon Y'all is the year's best remix. This absolutely catchy reworking transforms the track from a blissful pop ditty to a peak-hour anthem that is ideal for the dance club or health club. Jamie J. Sanchez's remixes of Joshua Klipp's L1FE, Josh Peace's mix of The Ones' When We Get Together, Johnny Vicious's spin on Jennifer Hudson's Spotlight and the Freemasons' dance version of Kylie Minogue's The One are also remarkable remixes.
The remixer of the year is Chicago's very own Ralphi Rosario. His touches to Janet Jackson's Feedback, Robin's You Turned the Table on Me, Kerli's Walking on Air and Lauper's Same Ol' Fucking Story show he knows his divas and how to pack a dance floor. Rosario will be spinning Sunday, Jan. 18 at Smart Bar, 3730 N. Clark. Soul Seekerz, Morel and Freemasons have also provided superb remixes.
Leona Lewis is the year's biggest crossover from overseas. Her mega-hit, Bleeding Love, and her debut album, Spirit, reached the number-one spots on the charts. Performing Whole Lotta Love with Jimmy Page at the closing ceremonies for the Olympics cemented Lewis's arrival. Delta Goodrem, Duffy, Adele, Yelle, Kerli and Lykke Li also made an impression in the U.S. from abroad.
She's tall with wild hair, and is a madly talented singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with a British accent. Combining brains and beauty, Kirsten Price is the sexiest artist of the year. Her impressive debut, Guts & Garbage, is a hybrid of R&B and pop. The Brooklyn-based Price will be returning to Chicago with a date at The House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn, on Saturday, Feb. 7. Other artists that are gifted eye-candy include Matt Alber, Ferras, Sam Sparro, Sir Paul, Jules de Martino and Katie White from the Ting Tings, Little Jackie's Imani Coppola and Nomi from Hercules and Love Affair.
Jinx Titanic's farewell concert marked the end of an era—and the show of the year. Singing cuts like Perfect and a cover of Trouble of the World, Titanic still commanded the room with his stage presence. Chomping on a cigar, Titanic threw merchandise and flowers into the audience with abandon while his punk-flavored anthems blared. Is this the end of Jinx Titanic? We all know how Ozzy Osbourne, Cher and Tina Turner bid farewell time and time again. Chicago hosted several outstanding concerts such as George Michael, The Pack A.D., Sia, Ladies of the Canyon Presents, Yaz and The Spice Girls.
My biggest regret this year was missing Tina Turner's concert in October. Luckily, I have seen her 24/7 tour. Hopefully, she will be back to the Windy City on the next leg of this tour's run. Turner's 18-track retrospective, Tina!, serves as the perfect keepsake, spanning her legacy.
After giving it a chance, I had to declare Mariah Carey's E=MC2 the worst album of the year. I know she can do better, but she is milking the cash cow by following the formula for her comeback collection, The Emancipation of Mimi. There is little that is creative or artistic about this set. The Pussycat Dolls, Katy Perry, New Kids on the Block and Madonna also have potential, but issued major disappointments this year.
The worst song belonged to Pussycat Dolls with When I Grow Up. The lyrics, over-production and video are completely embarrassing. Even remixes could not save this one. The Dolls will tour with Britney Spears next spring. Too bad Milli Vanilli cannot reunite for this one.