Daily Archives: July 22, 2017

Interscope Records

After months of speculation, some leaks and a steady stream of singles trickling out from the top of the Hollywood Sign, Lana Del Reys Lust For Life dropped on Friday morning (Jul. 21).

The albums tone was set from very first single Love, a hopeful departure from Del Reys usually dark, melancholic fare. The sprawling sixteen song record, her longest to date, is as much a beacon of light as it is a politically-charged reminder of where America is now.

Outside of the shift in themes perhaps notably the outright feminist God Bless America And All the Beautiful Women In it, in which she uses the Statue of Liberty to represent the women left standing amidst the chaos Lana Del Reys fifth release is exciting because of the involvement of other musicians.

From two A$AP Rocky collaborations to appearances by Sean Ono Lennon and Stevie Nicks, LDR proves herself to be a gateway between classic rock and hip-hop; a unique artist capable of keeping one foot in past influences with the other firmly planted in the future.

Regardless of what you think of Lana Del Rey, this exactly the kind of hopeful, poignantly political pop record that we need right now. Lanas lost absolutely none of her edge, but maintains a beautiful outlook on the future. Even as she watches Trumps America unfold from the top of the Hollywood Sign, the girl who was born to die has found her lust for life, and we couldnt be happier for her.

Scroll further down for a track-by-track breakdown of Lust For Life.

Love

The opening track, performed for the first time at this years SXSW at a surprise showcase, also ushered Lana into a new era of sound. Love, taking place against a sparse drum beat and floaty string production, is perhaps the happiest we have ever seen (or heard) the singer. From the somber reflections of heartbreak that put her on the map, shes evolved with this hopeful, minimalistic ode to everyone whos ever been young and in love.

Lust for Life (feat. The Weeknd)

The title track also boasts the albums first feature, with none other than frequent collaborator The Weeknd. The sumptuous, unapologetically poppy track sees both of these gloomy heartbreakers brooding to, and about, each other, but in the hopeful tone of lovers with a future. They sing They say only the good die young / That just aint right / Cause were having too much fun and the lustfor life and otherwiseis palpable. Starboy and Stargirl are reunited at the top of the Hollywood Sign, and the world couldnt be better.

13 Beaches

Del Rey had to give us a touch of somber wandering; it wouldnt be a Lana Del Rey record otherwise. It hurts to love you / But I still love you / Its just the way I feel, she bemoans as she wanders thirteen beaches to find the one where she can be alone. Its a song that speaks to the lonely, star-filled poet that she remains at heart. Lanas learned to smile through the tears, but that doesnt mean shes not still quietly shedding a few.

Cherry

A sensual, sensory experience, LDR conjures cherries, wine, rosemary and thyme amid a sexy downbeat. The slow-burning track is pure, diluted midsummer, and as delicious to listen to as the bodily pleasures that inspired that inspired the song. Would we expect anything less from the self-proclaimed Queen of Coney Island?

White Mustang

Not to be confused with White Ferrari (Im fully kidding; Frank Ocean fans, do not come for me), Del Rey takes a top-down ride in a lovers white mustang. Ever since we saw her hold her own against lumbering motorcycle gangs on ride and driving down a long highway in the video for Burning Desire, weve been waiting another road-trip ready bop. Melancholic motor junkies, rejoice.

Summer Bummer (feat. A$AP Rocky & Playboi Carti)

Turning up the star power by two for A$APs first appearance on the album, Lana plays with the trap beats she began to favor in Honeymoon, and what better pair to traipse this world alongside her than her hip-hop JFK and Cash Carti? She trades verses about lovers not being bummers while Carti and Rocky shower her with, um, compliments: Her sophistication makes you want to quit the bitch youre dating. Cant argue with that logic (or with the delectable beat).

Groupie Love (A$AP Rocky)

A more soulful turn than Summer Bummer, this Rocky duet contemplates the life of a groupie as she has to share her man with the rest of the world. Every time you look up / I know what youre thinking of / You want my groupie love, she swoons. You can perfectly imagine the scene from the National Anthem video where Rocky blows her a kiss and she holds it to her heart.

In My Feelings

What sounds like another doleful ballad turns out to be a bait-and-switch. In My Feelings sees Lana Del Rey at her most independent, as she tosses aside an old lover, devouring the word looooser with a relish befitting of everything shes achieved. She sings about laughing as she takes no prisoners, takes down names, makes good love and makes good money, too. Somebodys obviously been watching Lemonade.

Coachella Woodstock In My Mind

Although some of you might roll your eyes (or, for the purists, openly gasp) at the comparison of Woodstock to Coachella, Del Rey makes a point here about the power and atmosphere of music festivals, and the kind of communities we should all enjoy. When you think about the fact that this song was written amid the backdrop of impending nuclear threat, it becomes an uplifting beacon of hope, a snapshot of joy in the middle of trying times.

God Bless America And All the Beautiful Women In It

Lana Del Rey hasnt played with acoustic guitar sounds since covering Leonard Cohens Chelsea Hotel No. 2, and the opening eventually builds into the electronic orchestra that usually bolsters her work. This song is notable for using the imagery of the Statue of Liberty to empower American women. Listen closely, and theres criticism amidst the empowerment: two gun shots sound every time she sings God bless America.

When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing

Another anthem for the young, Lana Del Rey contemplates the end of America as she surveys the damage, and encourages everyone suffering to keep on dancing. She maintains, in the most political of reality checks, the message of hope that bolsters the entire record: Its only the beginning / if we hold on to hope / Well have a happy ending.

Beautiful People Beautiful Problems (feat. Stevie Nicks) The track that every single music blog has been salivating over since the announcement of these two witchy women teaming up does not disappoint. An ethereal anthem to troubled love by the two women in the world most familiar with the topic, Beautiful People features Stevie Nicks immediately distinguishable voice at its best, playing with Del Reys soft whispers and raising them to new emotional heights.

Tomorrow Never Came (feat. Sean Ono Lennon)

With a refrain that makes a gentle nod to Bob Dylans Lay Lady Lay and Elton Johns Tiny Dancer, Lana Del Rey and Sean Ono Lennon are steeped in classic rock as interpreted by the new generation of musicians. These two show off their musical chops and their deep emotional ties to an era of American music so many think is dead. I adored you / And I just wanted things to be the same, they sing to each other amid soft guitar and Beatles-esque production that would bring the most stone-hearted doubters to tears.

Heroin

A tender song about death in an album full of life, Del Rey pays tribute to the drug thats taken so many of her icons. Its impossible to not think of Lou Reed and The Velvet Undergrounds song of the same name as the track builds to an intensity, to Del Rey writing on the walls in blood and st.

Change

Lana Del Rey hasnt sang over a piano barebones like this since Old Money, a heartbreaking track from Ultraviolence that samples the love theme from Franco Zafirellis Romeo and Juliet. This song, doubling as both personal empowerment and a blanket statement about keeping hope alive during times of great turmoil, is by far her most powerful and heartbreaking as she attempts to be honest, capable, and beautiful in the face of instability.

Get Free

The final track, building into a Beach Boys-like melody, is a song of intense relief after so much contemplation and turmoil. Equal parts calm and danceable, this is the perfect ending to an album so full of deep philosophical thought. She revisits the theme of having a war on her mind, subverting it by finally living her own life away from somebody elses game. Its this independence that gives Del Rey her lust for life, and makes this the perfect closer to an album full of contemplations of intense growth.

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Lana Del Rey Through the Years:

NEXT: SEE LANA DEL REY'S MOST GORGEOUS STAGE LOOKS

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Lana Del Rey's 'Lust For Life': A Track-by-Track Breakdown - PopCrush

Starring Regina Hall, Queen Latifah. Directed by Malcolm D. Lee. Opens Friday in GTA theatres. 122 minutes. 18A

There is a positive and life-affirming message about sisterhood and personal empowerment in Girls Trip.

But you have to wade through an awful lot of clutter to get there. Or perhaps dross would be a more accurate description.

The film is audacious and unabashed in its determination to draw laughs from material that takes vulgarity to the extreme. Some of it works while a lot of it is just head-shakingly awful.

The plot is straightforward: four women, best pals since college 25 years earlier, reunite for the first time in quite a while to party hardy at the annual Essence Music Festival can you say product placement? in the Big Easy.

Ryan (Regina Hall) is a successful self-help author and guest speaker at the event, hoping to land a merchandising deal with a mega-retailer (if only she can overlook the activities of her cheating louse of a husband).

Sasha (Queen Latifah) is a journalist who has sold out, barely scraping a living with a celebrity-gossip blog. Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) is a glammed-down helicopter mom to two kids while Dina (Tiffany Haddish) is the sassy, libidinous one with major impulse-control issues.

With four credited screenwriters, the too many chefs maxim applies the script is loose and lazy, with more focus on antics and bad language than plot and character development.

Words like bitch, ho and the dreaded N-word flow freely, and how tiresome and anti-feminist it is to hear women repeat the mantra that what all a woman with the blues needs is something big and black.

Two scenes drew horrified peals of laughter from the audience at a recent public screening, one involving golden showers and a second featuring full frontal nudity by a homeless man.

Still, the film is not a total writeoff. Theres some good chemistry among the four principals and a fine performance from Hall as Ryan, a torn woman whose life looks way better on the outside.

And Queen Latifah brings her usual solid screen presence, along with some sweet melancholy, to the role of Sasha.

Theres clearly a ready audience for Girls Trip it certainly tickled funny bones at the advance screening and theres a resolution that is genuinely warm and redemptive.

But a comedy thats so determined to shock the laughs out of you isnt going to be everyones idea of a fun trip to the movies.

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Girls Trip goes too far, far too often: review - Toronto Star

Girls on the Run of the North States registration for the fallseason is now open. Girls on the Run is a physical activity-based, positive youth development program that inspires girls in 3rd through 8th grade to be joyful, healthy and confident. The volunteer-led program brings together groups of 8-15 girls for a ten-week program that encourages personal development, team building and connection to the community.

We start by helping the girls get a better understanding of who they are and whats important to them. We then look at the importance of teamwork and healthy relationships. And, finally, the girls explore how they can positively connect with and shape the world - we are nurturing the 'whole' girl. Claire Johnson, executive director.

"Girls on the run taught me never to give up. I made lots of friends and I met a lot of very nice coaches throughout the season. The coaches built up my confidence by teaching me how to be strong and believe in myself. Girls on the run taught me to collaborate with other girls. The 5K seemed very hard but once I was finished I felt like I could do anything. Now I'm not afraid to try new things. I love GOTR." ~Evelyn, age 8

This fall, Girls on the Run programs will be offered at over 35 locations throughout Butte and Glenn counties. Each team will meet two times a week for 75-90 minutes after school and participate in research-based lessons that use dynamic discussions and fun running games to teach life skills and build confidence. The season will culminate in a 5k event that brings together family, friends and community members to celebrate the girls growth throughout the season.

Our fall season will begin the week of September 4, 2017 and run through the week of November 13, 2017. Our Fall GOTR 5K Fun Run will be held Saturday, November 11, 2017 at 9 am at Bidwell Parks One Mile Recreation Area.

More information about the program, active schools and registration can be found on the Girls on the Run of the North States website at gotrnothstate.org. The program fee for the fall 2017 season is $125. Discounted rates are offered based on yearly, household income. The program fee includes registration for the end-of-season 5k event, a shirt and finishers medal.

About Girls on the Run

Girls on the Run is a national physical activity-based positive youth development program for 3rd-8thgrade girls. Participants develop and improve competence, feel confidence in who they are, develop strength of character, respond to others and oneself with care, create positive connections with peers and adults and make a meaningful contribution to community and society. Each session is led by trained volunteer coaches. Each ten-week program concludes with participants completing a celebratory 5k event which gives them a tangible sense of achievement as well as a framework for setting and achieving life goals. Girls on the Run has served over 1.4 million girls since its inception in 1996.

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Girls on the Run of the North State set to offer empowerment program at more than 35 schools - Gridley Herald

The Savara Womens Advancement Program (SaWA) by Savara Mudigi, a vocalist and a member of the award winning band Sauti Sol, has kicked off its core component, a training program for young women. This has come after a successful launch that featured the SaWA tournament at Camp Toyoyo and the SaWA Concert that featured a Sauti Sol performance in Eastlands.

The SaWA program seeks to inspire and motivate young women to live amazing and impactful lives so as to reach their full potential. The first phase of the training program was rolled out on 8thJuly 2017 in Eastlands, Nairobi.

The project seeks to empower women, motivating them to reach their individual goals while providing the skills and tools they need to achieve those goals. Ultimately, the program hopes to tackle unemployment, inequality in competence and intelligence, and domestic violence.

The SaWA program comprises of eight full day seminars over a period of four months from July 2017-October 2017, plus a boot camp for the 50 ladies on completion of the course. It targets 50 women aged between 18 and 25 years and training focuses on equipping the participants with life skills to make them successful and respected members of the society.

The four major topics to be covered include mindset transformation, facilitated byRe-Wire founder, Angela Kagume.The 50 ladies will also undergo personal financial management with Sheba Njagi. The first cohort of the empowerment are also set to be tutored on art and music by Chiki Onwukwe as well as benefit from a mentorship program providing them with insights into their careers via internships, job shadowing or worksite visits.

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Sauti Sol's Savara Initiates Women's Empowerment Program SaWA ... - Capital FM Kenya (press release) (blog)