Interesting that both of the songs I'm reviewing this week just happen to begin with the same letter of the alphabet! So here goes:
"Faith" by Alejandro Escovedo: The best Springsteen/Mellencamp musical descendant of the '00s seems like 2010 might just be his lucky year! Seems like every song he's churned out so far from his latest CD, "Street Songs of Love" has that heartland rock vibe that he first broke through with back in '08 with his song, "Always A Friend". "Faith" almost seems like somewhat a copy of John Mellencamp's '91 song, "Get A Leg Up", in which the then disillusioned folkie made a brief return to the country-blues tinged rock and roll he started out with. Sure, the message of "Faith" seems pretty simple ("You gotta have faith in the one you love"), but the song is still pretty cool by my standards.
"F**k You (a.k.a. 'Forget You')" by Cee-Lo Green: GASP!! Already in the "scariest" month of the year we have what could be (for some) the "scariest" song TITLE of the year! Don't let the swear in the Gnarls Barkley frontman's title get to you, though, for it's quite a catchy (and melodic) tune! In fact, it almost seems to hearken back to the days of the smooth, sensual '70s soul of people like Al Green and Stevie Wonder (only a bit more uptempo). Lyrically, the "f**k you" in the title and chorus is more of a friendly tease than it is a threat, especially in the free-spirited attitude Cee-Lo delivers the song in. As a final note, for those who more faint of heart, the song is also available, alternately, as "Forget You".
