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Jess Glynne drops a solid debut album
Jess Glynne’s latest album “I Cry When I Laugh” features last summer’s chart-topper “Rather Be”. Special to the Oracle
By McKenna Kelley C O M M E N T A R Y
You may have never heard of Jess Glynne, but you have definitely heard Jess Glynne. Despite winning a Grammy as the featured vocalist on British electronic group Clean Bandit’s hit song “Rather Be,” Glynne is relatively unknown in the U.S. She recently released her debut album, “I Cry When I Laugh,” a foray into soul-pop that hits more than misses. Glynne introduces herself with the sexiest and most soulful statement on the album. “Gave Me Something” is a thank you note to the lover who put their faith in her and created a home. A gospel choir backs Glynne as she seductively promises to “give you something to stop you saying more.”
With the aid of driving piano and slinking bass lines, the album delivers a double whammy of empowerment anthems. “Ain’t Got Far to Go” is reminiscent of Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger.” Glynne sings about letting go of a deadweight relationship to find success on her own. Talking about a roller coaster ride, she gives a shout out to Orlando, Florida. Aimed internally, “Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself” encourages letting go of the pressures we put on ourselves and reminds us that “everyone trips (and) everyone falls.” With its shimmering strings, the song is the aural equivalent of a cloudless, sunny day. In the middle of the tracklist is “No Rights, No Wrongs,” an ode to making it up as you go.
With lyrics like “I don’t know what I believe” and “talk to a stranger and take wrong turns,” it could be the theme song of college students. It leads into the more forgettable “You Can Find Me,” the “I swear I haven’t changed since getting famous” song that is almost required of new artists. Album closer “Why Me” suffers a similar fate. The most modern sounding of all the tracks, a heavy bass makes a sad, desperate song just sound angry. With few exceptions, the ballads are the album’s obvious weak spots. “My Love” is melodically boring and lyrically confusing with lyrics like, “my love and my touch, up above is made with the warmth of my love.” Emeli Sandé assists on
n See ALBUM on PAGE 3
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“Saddest Vanilla,” which uses the bizarre metaphor of sadly eating vanilla ice cream to represent being let down by a lover who does not hold up their end of the relationship. “Take Me Home” is by far the album’s strongest ballad, mostly thanks to Glynne’s emotional delivery — the grit and rasp in her voice
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are showcased here. The album’s true standouts are the two singles. “Rather Be” brings the EDM of Clean Bandit in the verses together with Glynne’s piano and strings soul in the chorus to make a surprisingly cohesive song. “Hold My Hand,” her first solo single in the U.S., is shiny and ecstatic. A straight up disco track, it is a simple celebration of any kind of love, romantic or otherwise. It’s mind boggling how this song
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has yet to explode at pop radio — it may have missed its chance at song of the summer, but song of the winter is definitely within reach. “I Cry When I Laugh” isn’t challenging ideas about what pop music can be, but it makes the marriage of old soul and new electro sound interesting. More than anything, it’s a fun listen and worthy addition to a road trip mix or Spotify study playlist.
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A look ahead for last season’s top shows By McKenna Kelley C O M M E N T A R Y
In a rapidly evolving television landscape that has mostly left traditional networks in the dust, two new series managed to attract huge numbers of viewers last season while also capturing the elusive attention of social media. Fox’s “Empire” and ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder” (“HTGAWM”) debuted last winter and fall, respectively. Both finished in the top-10 most-watched prime time programs by the end of the 201415 TV season, an impressive feat for freshmen series. Both shows have dominant social media presences, with cast members live-tweeting and, in “Empire’s” case, original songs streaming on Spotify, making viewers want to watch them live. Both programs are among the most diverse television shows on any channel, with unique representations of racial minorities, women and the LGBT community, both on screen and off. “Empire”
focuses on a successful, wealthy black family, while the “HTGAWM” cast features varied portrayals of many different races. Both programs also prominently feature interracial relationships, which are still surprisingly underrepresented on television. Strong, complex female roles helped lure Taraji P. Henson to “Empire” and Viola Davis to “HTGAWM.” Both actresses are nominated for Emmys this year, the first time two African-American actresses have been nominated for the Leading Actress in a Drama prize. In a refreshing change of pace, the female characters lead mature, messy lives and often make questionable choices, just like women in the real world. This is a likely result of the women behind the scenes of each show. Shonda Rhimes, known for her female-driven shows, is an executive producer of “HTGAWM.” Led by head writer and executive producer Ilene Chaiken, half of “Empire’s” producing team is female.
The progressive shows deal with LGBT issues head-on. On “Empire,” Jamal struggles with his father’s inability to accept his sexuality, eventually coming out publicly to spite him. At the end of “HTGAWM’s” first season, Connor finds out his partner tested positive for HIV. Audiences can undoubtedly identify with these characters because of the immense talent of the individuals portraying them. “Empire” stars Henson, Terrence Howard and Gabourey Sidibe are all Academy Award nominees. Viola Davis has already won a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award for her role in “HTGAWM,” and she has been nominated for multiple SAG, Golden Globe, Tony and Academy Awards. The programs’ shared love of twisty plots and shocking moments lends itself well to social media. Fans took to Twitter to discuss their theories of who killed Sam on “HTGAWM” with the show’s cast. Fox often took the one-liners of Henson’s character, Cookie, and turned them into hashtags that would begin to trend almost immediately. The fear of spoilers
Taraji P. Henson will star in FOX’s “Empire” when it returns this fall. Special to the Oracle “Empire” accomplished somehelped both shows maintain large audiences who watch live. thing unheard of last season. Its With all their successes, though, viewership actually grew each writers and producers are under successive week, peaking at 17 enormous pressure to deliver the million viewers for the season quality stories and huge ratings the finale. To entice audiences back networks have come to expect. n See TV on PAGE 7
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for more, producers enlisted a parade of guest stars for season two. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Lenny Kravitz and Chris Rock will all appear this season. Some of these artists might even appear on the show’s follow up to its chart-topping season one soundtrack. To whet fan’s appetites for new music, the show has already released two new songs, including one featuring rapper Pitbull, from the second season. Word of mouth helped make “Empire” what it is, so a ratings boost from people interested to see what their friends have been talking about for months would not be surprising. With the help of Timbalandproduced tunes, “HTGAWM” will try to match the Rimesproduced success that “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” experienced in their later seasons. Season one created more questions than answers, with the most recent being “who killed Rebecca?” At the network up-front presentations, head writer Pete Nowalk promised audiences that the season premiere would answer that very question. After discovering that the law students the show revolves around killed their professor’s husband in season one, viewers will likely stick around to figure out — you guessed it — how they will get away with murder. “Empire” premieres Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. on Fox. “How to Get Away with Murder” premieres Sept. 24 at 10 p.m. on ABC.
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Want to see your idea in next week’s issue of The Oracle? Let us know! Email the news team at oraclenewsteam@gmail.com
or call 813-974-1888
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Wanted: Billboard summer hit By Grace Hoyte C O M M E N T A R Y
There is usually a song that dominates the summer, and it can be heard everywhere. Last year, it was “Fancy,” and the year before, it was “Blurred Lines.” But this summer, there was no Billboard smash hit that got stuck in all of our heads. Of course, that isn’t to say that songs didn’t get way overplayed, but this summer saw several tunes at the top of the Billboard charts. Some of these songs were more often sung than others, and some had us dancing at work, but all of them shared the top spot throughout the summer. “Cheerleader” The actual top-spot holder at the end of the summer was OMI’s “Cheerleader.” The song, which has been remixed several times, is best known for its tropical sound and the easy-to-
sing chorus. Most famous in its Felix Jaehn remixed form, the song relies heavily on syncopated bass and trumpet. “See You Again”
Though he is still a relative unknown, chorus-singing Charlie Puth’s voice is unforgettable and haunting in Wiz Khalifa’s addition to the “Fast and Furious 7” soundtrack. One can’t help but think about the blockbuster movie while listening to the lyrics of the song, and the Feels are inevitable by the last ethereal chorus. “Bad Blood” To those who had listened to Taylor Swift’s “1989” before the remix hit the radio, the song is familiar, though considerably less charming with the angry verses by Kendrick Lamar. The song is also much more difficult to listen to thanks to the too-heavy syncopation following the drop. One
can’t help but feel Swift trying too hard to ride the hip-hop artist train. “Can’t Feel My Face”
After featuring on everyone’s songs, from Sia to Rick Ross, The Weeknd is finally receiving solo praise for his hit, “Can’t Feel My Face.” The song hit number 1 on the Hot 100 in mid-August, wavering between the top two spots in the following weeks. Showing off his impressive vocal register, The Weeknd sings every part of the song and has listeners dancing with the appropriately syncopated chorus. One can’t help but sing along. “Watch Me” If you try to say that you haven’t listened or danced to “Watch Me” by Silento, you’re lying. The infectious dance tune of the summer is better known for its chorus: “watch
n See SUMMER on PAGE 11
The Weeknd’s hits “The Hills” and “Can’t Feel My Face” are dominating the charts this month. PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE ORACLE
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me whip; watch me Nae Nae.” Similar to other dance sensations, the song features the instructions to the dance in the lyrics and has proven impossible to avoid, with thousands of videos of Nae Naes the world over, including those by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dwayne Wade and One Direction. “Trap Queen” Entertaining as uncomfortable to look at, Fetty Wap has had a successful summer. The one-eyed performer is known for his choruses, which are difficult not to sing along
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with. The song features a fully syncopated, up-beat beat that makes it easy to dance to. Perhaps most impressive about the record is that it is indicative that Wap, a previously uncharted artist, jumped to the Billboard summer top 10, reaching as high as number 2 during the summer. “Shut Up and Dance” Somewhat formulaic in several elements, this jam by Walk the Moon rose to the top during the summer. The song, which features a drum track and keyboards on top of a syncopated based, flew to the top of the charts after a viral video surfaced of a dance in virtually every movie with such a
scene set to its music. The rest is history. “Lean On” Every summer music chart in recent history has included a song by a popular DJ with vocals from another artist. This year, that song was called “Lean On,” by Major Lazer. With the help of DJ Snake and unknown vocalist Mo, the song nearly topped the charts and found its way —remixed or otherwise — into every club in America, and several overseas. The song is appealing for many reasons, not the least of which being that you can dance to it erratically and no one can blame you.
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“The Hills” Another entry from artist The Weeknd, this song is appealing for its heavy bass and slow verses. His voice is heavily auto-tuned in the chorus, but his pleading words in each of the verses make his meaning relatable. Another heavily syncopated track, the song distinguishes itself from the rest with breaks from the beat that allow the vocalist to sing virtually unaccompanied. A little too moody for summer, the single is poised for success into the fall. “What Do You Mean?” Though it wasn’t technically a summer charter, this song
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flew to the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 list as soon as it was released. Justin Bieber’s longawaited return to the music scene, the song does not disappoint. Though it boasts a syncopated background, it does not overwhelm the listener, and Bieber’s signature crooning is as soothing as ever. To point out any of these songs as “the summer hit” would be impossible, as they are all equally popular and listenable. Ultimately, it hasn’t been a bad summer for music, even though no single song stood head and shoulders above the rest. But a new season has begun, and we may yet see a huge hit emerge to define this year.
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EDITOR WANTED: The Oracle is looking for a campus news editor to write, edit and report USF news and work with a team of writers and editors. Position is paid and requires professional writing and editing skills and applicants are expected to work late hours. For more information, contact the Editor in Chief at
oracleeditor@gmail.com
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Fall movies to look forward to
By Asa Hedstrom C O M M E N T A R Y
To save you some time and effort in planning a night away from homework, here are some of the most anticipated upcoming movies scheduled for release this semester. “Black Mass” — Sept. 18 Johnny Depp, while always enjoyable, seems to be taking his acting skills to another level in the upcoming film “Black Mass.” This film depicts the felonious escapades of one of South Boston’s most dangerous criminals, James “Whitey” Bulger. It’s not often Johnny Depp plays the role of an infamous mobster with a receding hairline, so it will be inter-
esting to see how well Tim Burton’s go-to guy pulls off this part. This film also stars British heartthrob Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon and “Parks and Recreation” star Adam Scott. “The Martian” — Oct. 2 One look at the trailer for “The Martian” and you get a good idea of the premise for this film. Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) goes on a space mission with a crew of other astronauts to Mars. At some point Watney inadvertently gets left behind, and he must find a way to survive on the planet with hopes that he will somehow be rescued. While some plot aspects are revealed in the trailer, the
mysteries of how Watney is able to survive on Mars and if he even makes it back to Earth are enticing enough to buy a movie ticket and enjoy the show. The film is also bound to be a thrill, as Ridley Scott (“Alien,” “Blade Runner” and “Gladiator”) is directing. “Steve Jobs” — Oct. 16 It’s tempting to call this film a waste of time, since Hollywood already did a biopic of Jobs in 2013 starring Ashton Kutcher as the founder of Apple. But a closer look at the “Steve Jobs” trailer shows that this upcoming film takes on a new angle depicting the man in jeans and black shirts. While “Jobs” in 2013 showed a full-circle aspect of
Jobs from his time in college — or not in college — to his rise and fall with Apple, the trailer for this year’s iteration suggests this movie goes deeper into Jobs’ time with Apple. This film stars Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs with a supporting cast of Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen and Jeff Daniels. With a talented cast and a new angle on an old story, this film is too interesting to pass up. “Spectre” — Nov. 6 Daniel Craig returns to the role of the stoic and adventurous MI6 agent 007, aka James Bond. While the trailer reveals little more than Bond uncovering a long-standing crime ring called SPECTRE,
we can expect certain things from the newest 007 flick. It is almost certain Bond will battle an evil mastermind for most of the film. We do know a few things. Bond will be driving a new car, the Aston Martin DB10, built just for the movie. The film also features two new “Bond girls” for the spy to romance, played by Lea Seydoux and Monica Bellucci. Fans can look forward to Sam Smith’s performance of the film’s theme song, “Writing’s on the Wall.” With star Daniel Craig recently announcing this is likely his last Bond movie, audiences are sure to turn out in even higher numbers to see the highly anticipated spectacle.
n See MOVIES on PAGE 17
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“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” — Nov. 20 Jennifer Lawrence will be playing Katniss Everdeen for the fourth and final time on the big screen. This film will wrap up the final chapter of the Hunger Games series as Katniss leads District 13 in a revolution against the autocratic government. As “Mockingjay Part 1” concluded, Katniss discovered that her former ally Peeta’s mind was chemically altered while President Snow held him captive in the Capitol. Peeta now lives in fear of her and is forced to recover in isolation upon his return to District 13. With this new reason to fight, Katniss will rebel against the Capitol with the aid of her family and friends, many of having fought alongside Katniss in the Hunger Games. Of course, not everyone will survive. This film promises to be a thrilling,
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satisfying conclusion to the franchise. “Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens” — Dec. 18 This might open a few days after the fall semester ends, but a film like this will break the box office. After Disney bought out Lucas Films in 2012, it was only a matter of time before Disney made their announcement of the continuation of the “Star Wars” movie franchise. With the return of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford), things are sure to get very interesting this December. This is one of the biggest movies to come out in years, and it is certain that fans of all ages will be rushing to the theaters to see the new sequel. Be on the lookout for theaters that are selling tickets for early screenings, because once this movie is released, the spoilers posted on social media will dominate your newsfeed.
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