Vanilla Ice was born as Robert Matthew Van Winkle on October 31, 1967 in Dallas, Texas, United States. Learn more on Vanilla on Wikipedia, Allmusic and on his official site. Full Vanilla Ice discography can be found here and a complete list of lyrics here.
Archive for October, 2009
Born On 31 October: Vanilla Ice
October 31st, 2009LADY GAGA - Bad Romance
October 30th, 2009
Sick of Lady Gaga yet? Tough titty. The singer renowned for the massive hit album “The Fame” and even more famous for the massive media attention over her literal overexposure finally has what she craved as a little girl. But that’s not enough, apparently, as “The Fame Monster” is the title of a new special edition of her debut disc, featuring “Bad Romance” and a slew of new and unreleased tracks. Announcing that the public is going to have to get over her long before Gaga gets over herself.
by Mark Emge
LILY ALLEN - Who’d Have Known
October 30th, 2009
“I ripped off the chorus from Take That and can’t be bothered with the paperwork,” Lily Allen wrote on her MySpace blog when she debuted the demo for her new single, “Who’d Have Known”. Allen later explained, “[Songwriter] Greg [Kurstin] just played the chords, and we were like, ‘That’s great, really hooky.’ Then when we played it back to someone, they pointed it out that it was, essentially, ‘Shine’.” Take That eventually allowed Allen to use the song on the album but turned down an offer to sing on it and do a video with her. So instead the video has Lily abducting Elton John.
by Mark Emge
RIHANNA - Russian Roulette
October 30th, 2009
After the enormous amount of publicity generated by Chris Brown’s beating of former girlfriend Rihanna prior to this year’s Grammys, the Barbadian chanteuse has chosen to embrace the controversy rather than pretend it never happened. Her first single since the altercation, “Russian Roulette”, is a dark ballad that finds Rihanna enduring a tumultuous relationship with a dangerous boyfriend: “You can see my heart beating, you can see it through my chest / I’m terrified, but I’m not leaving / Know that I must pass this test,” she sings on the chorus, “So just pull the trigger.” Ending with a gunshot, the song’s title and lyrics echo Rihanna’s recent interest in firearms; in March she had a tiny gun tattooed on her side.
by Mark Emge
SUGABABES - About A Girl
October 30th, 2009
There is trouble in Babeland. Prior to making their latest album, “Sweet 7″, Sugababes signed a US record deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. Recording mostly in Los Angeles and New York with RedOne, Ryan Tedder and Stargate, the group’s longest-standing founding member, Keisha Buchanan, claimed that “we’ve not gone ‘American’ on our fans. I think it’s given us a fresh energy again.” She also admitted that the Babes had become a bit “complacent” around the time of “Catfights And Spotlights”, but that they were nevertheless proud of that album. After the release of the recent “Get Sexy” single, however, it was reported that Amelle Berrabah had quit the group. Buchanan denied any drama within the group and insisted that Berrabah would remain a member “for the moment”. Instead, in late September it was officially announced that Buchanan had departed, although Keisha claims it was not her decision to leave. “About A Girl”, indeed, but which one?
by Mark Emge
ROBBIE WILLIAMS - Bodies
October 30th, 2009
With an eye on his personal happiness, Williams fled his troubled life in Los Angeles by moving back to England earlier this year. He also seems to have an eye on the stratospheric success of his former bandmates. “The thing that struck me most was how much fun they’re having,” Robbie said of Take That’s Circus Tour. “It’s more rewarding when you’re a gang.” Williams was seen hanging with the boys this summer and even went so far as getting a Take That tattoo in honour of his rejoining the act. Before the ink had dried, however, new leader Gary Barlow announced, “We’re a happy band right now. Robbie won’t be joining just yet!”
by Mark Emge
BEVERLEY KNIGHT - In Your Shoes
October 30th, 2009
Neo-soul diva Beverley Knight channeled the sound and spirit of classic R&B to emerge as one of Britain’s biggest new pop stars of the ’90s. Teaming with London production trio 2BE3 to cut LP “The B-Funk”, Knight debuted with a critical smash that earned plaudits for its adherence to old-school soul production and sensibilities. Soon after, the singer split with indie Dome in the wake of creative tensions and signed with EMI’s Parlophone subsidiary to release “Prodigal Sista” in ‘98, an album that generated five Top 40 smashes. The independent Beverley returned to indie life with this year’s “100%”, a collection she released on her own Hurricane Records that features the Edwyn Collins co-write “In Your Shoes”.
by Mark Emge
SHAKIRA FEAT. LIL’ WAYNE - Give It Up To Me
October 30th, 2009
“I wanted to make sure that this album was very bassy and I wanted to concentrate on the beat,” says Colombian hip-wiggler Shakira of the new “She Wolf” collection. “But my music, to a certain extent, is very complex because I always try to experiment with sounds from other parts of the world.” “Long Time” is a percussive mid-tempo groove with a Roma-like clarinet bridge. She worked with renowned Egyptian percussionist Hossam Ramzy on “Why Wait”, a dancefloor scorcher by way of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir”. And for “Give It Up To Me” Shakira dabbles in the exotic taste of “purple drank” with Lil’ Wayne. “At the end of the day, it gives a nice flavor in your mouth.”
by Mark Emge
FALL OUT BOY - Alpha Dog
October 30th, 2009
During the Madison Square Garden stop on Blink-182’s summer reunion tour, emo-pop superstars Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz confirmed that their performance that night would be their last before they set off on an indefinite hiatus. But you still have the memories: “Believers Never Die: Greatest Hits” drops in November. One of the two new songs will be the full version of “Alpha Dog”, a track that was previously released as a demo on the “Welcome To The New Administration” mixtape.
by Mark Emge
PEARL JAM - Got Some
October 30th, 2009
Pearl Jam was an anachronism even back in 1992, the grunge band that worshipped The Who instead of The Stooges, but this out-of-phase devotion to the ideals of post-hippie, pre-punk rock is even better suited to bandmembers in their 40s. Fashion has passed them by several times over, leaving Pearl Jam to be just who they are. They remain the antithesis of lighthearted, good-time rock & roll–PJ is still convinced music is a calling, not a diversion. But there’s a tonal shift from the clenched anger that’s marked their music of the new millennium, a transition from the global toward the personal. “Got Some”, indeed.
by Mark Emge
