Music Monday: Goodbye, Whitney Houston

One of the greatest vocalists in history, once with a clarity unparalleled (and it still is if you're honest, she didn't even need to do runs or melisma. She just sang the song and it sounded other-worldly), Whitney Houston, died over the weekend. After the death of Don Cornelious and Etta James dying earlier in January, Houston dying officially made this (for me) the most depressing Black History Month ever. Feel free to celebrate you favorite memories and moments featuring Houston in the comments. Mine was that as a kid, I loved her so much, I actually performed "The Greatest Love of All" at a school pageant. (Video: Houston singing "Home" from "The Wiz" in her national TV debut in 1985. Hat tip: Jezebel)

Music Monday: M.I.A.'s "Bad Girls"

M.I.A. is my favorite radically hardcore, international hipster masquerading as a ruthless Southeast Asian revolutionary married formerly engaged to a billionaire heir trust fund baby rapper ever. EVER. And her filing her nails while riding on a car tilted on two wheels is by far the most bad assed looking thing I've seen done involving dangerous car stunts in some time. 

The song ain't too bad either.

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Music Monday: Nepotism Can Sometimes Get You A Banging Track ... At Nine

Willow Smith, 9. Has banging track. You don't. Discuss.So, little nine-year-old Willow Smith (daughter of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith) has an over-produced, catchy, super-slick, Rihanna-esque club banger single out. Do you hate yourself yet? DO YOU?!

WARNING: Listen to "Whip My Hair" at your own devastation. This track will be all kinds of Langston Hughes on your ass. A soundtrack to your dreams deferred, drying up like raisins in the sun, crusting over like syrupy sweets, rotting like stinking meat, sagging like heavy loads, then exploding rhythmically to something that sounds like an old Swizz Beatz track from 1999.

You half expect DMX to pop up and scream "RUFF RIDERS!" for old times sake.

Song and more after the jump.

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Music Monday: Cee-Lo Green Mixes Classic R&B With Eff Words

If you're at work or near small children you should probably listen to this very catchy tune by Cee-Lo Green while wearing headphones. Because, OMG. Not kosher. This song has been stuck in my head since I discovered it on Saturday. As tempting as it is to walk about dropping musical F-bombs to something that Berry Gordy would have changed to "Bump You," it's just not appropriate to sing in church or in the mall or at brunch or to your kids. Well ... it was more appropriate than singing the darn "Bed Intruder Song" with all its ethical conundrums, but you get my point. (YouTube)

Ke$ha: I Don't Know What This Is Supposed To Be (Music Monday)

If rap is dead I've got a pretty good idea who committed that 187 Saturday night. Poor Ke%ha! Even she didn't look like she was having a good time. She looked terrified, like she expected the Sandman to show up with a broom and shuffle her off stage to the tune of "Here Comes the Judge" at any minute. Unfortunately, this wasn't Showtime at the Apollo and no one was going to play "Captain Save-A-Career" on that shizzle by cutting her mic and escorting her away from our ears. Nope. She was on Saturday Night Live so she just had to deal with the near silent audience and bad robot her way through "Tik Tok" looking like Astronaut Barbie after going on a bender at James Brown's house, stealing one of his precious capes. And ... dear Lord, that girl should, never, ever dance. I thought my darling Mimi, Mariah Carey, couldn't two-step to save her life, but Ke:(ha makes her look like friggin' Debbie Allen. No, Ke#ha! No! Bad, Ke@ha! Let us never speak of this again, Ms. Shift-4. (Video via NBC, h/t ... everyone.)

Music Monday: Alice Smith "Martha"

This song has been stuck in my head since I saw Alice sing live last Wednesday in Annapolis, MD. It's from her new album that Epic is just SITTING ON. Which is unfortuante because Alice is phenomenal. FREE ALICE SMITH'S NEXT ALBUM. Geez.