SpinTunes #2 Round 2 Review: Zack Scott

Hey guys!. I didn't quite understand that I was to give an introduction last time, so I'll do one this time around to let you guys know how I judge.

I listen to these songs anywhere from 2 to 4 times. I can pretty much tell right off the bat whether I like a song, but further listening is needed to refine the exact rankings. I'm fairly picky in my tastes of music, and I'm not great with words, so I apologize if my reviews aren't that exciting. I like energy, clever lyrics, humor, or anything that makes a song exciting. I try to only rank songs highly if I would actually want to hear them again.

For this round, I took into consideration how well the lyrics and music of sequels followed their predecessors. But most importantly, the song had to be enjoyable to me. A few really stood out to me, and they got my high marks. Thanks to everyone who submitted.

Inverse T. Clown (Hey, Jessie) - "Jessie's Girl" was one of the best pop/rock songs of the 80s, and although this song doesn't sound similar, I do like this sequel. What I like about this sequel is that Clown wasn't afraid to take Springfield's obsession and bastardize it. Also, the second verse and some of the angry vocals were super cheesy, but oddly appealing to me. I'm sure some won't like the music (or even the song), but it actually has a great bridge and final chorus. I just wish the music was done with a real 4 or 5 piece rock band. Overall, it walks such a fine line from a truly awful song and a truly enjoyable one. I'm glad I'm able to see it for the latter.

Governing Dynamics (Melt In The Sun 'So Many Pretty Ways') - I really like "Fake Plastic Trees," and although this song doesn't sound too much like it, it does sound like Radiohead. And it does a great job of serving as a sequel, especially with the imagery.

Charlie McCarron (Over The Bridge) - Man, this song is so cool, and it's very delightful on its own. But additionally, it works really well as a sequel. I wish it sounded a bit more like RHCP's production, but nevertheless, this version was great. The lyrics were wonderfully done to be in RHCP's style.

Chris Cogott (Roadward Bound) - Does a super job of functioning as a sequel in terms of both music and subject matter. Also, it is really, really well produced. However, I miss the rock from last week. Bring that back!

Edric Haleen (O! Say Can You See?) - To me, it's hilarious that the Star Spangled Banner meets the requirements for this contest, and it's hilarious that a sequel was done. But I was pleasantly surprised! Without feeling overly political, the singer really nails this song. I feel like it could easily be a long lost sequel that was secretly written a long time ago. Or maybe it could easily be part of a concept album about America. It fits so well in with the original, that it reminds me of how movements of classical arrangements reuse pieces of music to make a new composition. I forget what that is called though.

Ross Durand (Folsom Breakout Blues) - I like how well Durand does Cash. This would fit extremely well in Cash's catalog.

Zarni De Wet (Stacy's Dad) - A charming, soft sequel to Stacy's Mom. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I really wish it had crunchier guitars and stronger synths.

Mitchell Adam Johnson (When Donna Came Back) - I first listened to this song without being familiar with the original, and I thought it was rather nice. It rose a bit up on my scale after hearing the original and fully appreciating this as a proper sequel and a good song together.

Ryan Ruff Smith (Baby, We're Through) - Excellent production, and I think it really captures the vibe of the original. I really like the vocals and guitar.

Gweebol (Thank You Mr. Postman) - A good sequel to the original that nails the genre and time period.

Duality (Mars Ain't The Kind Of Place) - Seems to be a decent song, but I really couldn't get into it. I like how its a sad ending to Rocketman, but it's just not a song I'd listen to. The vocals were much, much better than last round though.

Steve Durand (Miranda) - The song & arrangement is well done, but I found it boring in general. It just isn't my style.

Rebecca Brickley (Elderly Dream) - Did a nice job on the lyrics, but I couldn't get into the song as much. The energy I like about Teenage Dream was not captured in the music here. But then again, the song is about being old. The vocals sound really young though.

Common Lisp (Science 'In The Service Of Beauty') - It really doesn't hold up to the original. The original was catchy, and although this sequel captures some of the novelty and vocal flourishes, I can't overlook that it seems a bit like a mess.

Brian Gray (One More Cloud) - Simply put, I didn't really enjoy this song at all. I also thought the production was not very good. I don't mean any offense by this, because I thought Brian's song last week was fairly good.

Danny Blackwell (Like A Family) - It's a decent, soft song with great guitar playing, but I really don't get any feel whatsoever that it is indeed a sequel to the Spice Girls song. Sure, the opening lines are similar, but by being a rebuttal, it seems to separate itself from being a sequel. Often times, rappers will make rebuttals to other rappers' songs, but no one considers those to be sequels. Also, I was confused why this was only in the right channel, and I found that a bit annoying.

Ben Walker (When I'm A Hundred And Two) - Great song, but it's such a shame it doesn't meet the requirement to be a sequel of a song in the top 20 of any chart. I wasn't able to find such a chart, and the author admits the same. Very sad for such a good song and a great artist.