I'm so excited. I live near the Red Rocks Outdoor Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO, about 15 miles west of Denver—and for the first time ever, an event will be happening during the winter season, appropriately titled Winter at the Rocks. I'll be there, and Common will be there too, along with Atmosphere, Grieves, and Budo. Common first came to my attention because of his Common Ground Foundation, which helps secure funding for creative arts initiatives in schools. So I think I owe it to him to visit and give a listen. Plus, here's what one of our reviewers says about his new album: The Dreamer, The Believer, proves "once again that music can be an agent of change."
The Dreamer, the Believer, Common (Think Common)
Common has many things on his plate. He's an author, an actor, and a Grammy-winning rapper who's not afraid to put it out there. His latest album reunites him with Def Jam record executive producer No I.D., and together, they make fantastic music. Common's distinct sound shows that he's doing what he does best-rap and hip hop. From the moving opening track, "The Dreamer," with poetry from Maya Angelou, Common sets the tone for the rest of this album. His soulful message and in-your-face style make their mark and prove once again that music can be an agent of change. Check out the retro-sounding "Lovin I Lost," the beautiful "Gold," the gentleness of "Celebrate," the love he expresses for his daughter on "Windows," the egomania of "Raw," and the collaboration with his father on "Pops Belief." It'll be interesting to see what will come next from this seasoned musician.—Bianka, grade 12, Floral Park (NY) Memorial High School
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Soundtrack, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Null Corp)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo soundtrack is like nothing else out there. It's a wonderfully crafted production of nearly three hours of music, encompassing 39 tracks. Contrasting with the powerful opening track, an electro version of Led Zeppelin's classic "Immigrant Song" with Yeah Yeah Yeah's Karen O. on lead vocals, the rest of the soundtrack is quiet with a dark, almost eerie, atmospheric score that will provide listeners with hours of enjoyment. Reznor and Ross work this melodic and haunting sound to their advantage with chimes, sinister synthesizing, tribal beats, screaming guitars and every type of noise you can imagine. Check out "A Thousand Details," "The Heretics," "Is Your Love Strong Enough," and "She Reminds Me of You," to name just a few. The music just creeps up on you with amazing highs and lows, and you'll find yourself just humming along. The only negative is that there's definitely some filler music, and some extremely long interludes that the soundtrack could have done without. Overall, it perfectly captures the feel of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and you'll enjoy the soundtrack even if you're not a fan of the book or movie.—Will P, grade 10, Floral Park (NY) Memorial High School
Just Dance 3 (UBI Soft)
First there was Dance Dance Revolution, where you followed specific foot patterns to score points. Although it wasn't quite dancing, it was still a lot of fun. Then Just Dance 1 & 2 burst on the scene and transformed the concept of dancing by learning real moves that were followed through a motion controller. Now, there's Just Dance 3, with over 45 all-new tracks offering something for everyone. As with the earlier versions, Just Dance 3 is very easy to use. Your job is to follow the dance moves that are shown by the colorful silhouetted on-screen figure. The choreography and backgrounds are fun, and each song has a technical-difficulty indictor and a workout indicator. The real fun is with the multiplayer feature-you can select Dance Crew Mode so up to four people can get in on the action. You can also earn Mojo points that open up locked songs, mash-ups, and different song-playing options. At times the dancing can be pretty challenging, but it never becomes dull or boring. Just Dance 3 definitely met my expectations!—Frecelyn D, grade 11, Floral Park (NY) Memorial High School
Rocksmith (UBI Soft)
For those who take guitar playing seriously, Rocksmith is the game for you. Unlike Guitar Hero, Rocksmith enables you to plug in your electric or acoustic guitar and take advantage of a gaming format that teaches you how to play. Just follow the colored, glowing, and spinning rectangles that fall down the screen. Each rectangle is colored coded to correspond to one of the guitar's six strings, and the more you get correct, the better your score. You need to have great concentration and memory since the strings of your actual guitar aren't colored and you're looking at the screen as well as your guitar while you're playing. This forces you to learn fast and get better at knowing where the frets are by feel, which when you read music, you'd be doing anyway. The playlist is pretty cool, and there's a lot of choices available-from the classics to more alternative rock. The amp mode enables you to play whatever you like that can add to the learning curve. This game has a lot to offer but, of course, once you become a master guitar player, you might not need to play it as often! Rated: T for Teen. Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.—Andrew B., grade 10, Floral Park (NY) Memorial High School
This article originally appeared in School Library Journal's enewsletter SLJTeen. Subscribe here.
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