Lady Charlene - Open Your Eyes

Lyrics -3
Vocal Performance -2
Orchestration -3
Dynamics -3
Mix -3

This moody rap song features some great acoustic piano. The male rap is also fine. The track's downfall, however is the female sung vocal. When Lady Charlene sings the chorus, it's sung so flat as to be annoying. With all the attention to orchestral detail, one wishes a little more attention would have been paid to the vocal's key. Lady Charlene is pretty -- albeit, also tough looking -- girl. Maybe if she sticks to rapping, and not to singing, she'll be more successful. The listener can't help hearing someone like Rihanna singing this song, and singing it much better. That's going to be a problem if Lady Charlene wants to push this song to the national pop charts.

- Review by Dan MacIntosh

Eminem - Love the Way You Lie

Lyrics - 5
Vocal Performance -4

Orchestration -4
Dynamics - 5
Mix - 4
Listen on iTunes

It’s with good reason Eminem’s “I Love the Way You Lie” is so successful. In contrast to all the rappers that only know how to brag about themselves, Eminem becomes the consummate actor as he inhabits a man that cannot control his anger. Lyrically, this song expresses a tortuous struggle. He sincerely wants to trust his woman. He dearly longs to be forgiving. But he knows himself too well; if he finds out she’s cheating on him again, he’ll tie her to the bed and set the house on fire.

Eminem raps with authority. Even if you’re not a rap fan, you cannot ignore his story. Rihanna adds a female vocal, but even her pretty voice cannot lighten the overall ominous mood. Tragically, this song's scenario is all too common. And in the end, for many people anger management is little more than an oxymoron.

- Review by Dan MacIntosh