Category: Reviews

REVIEW: Jamie Cullum – Twentysomething

Marvo 1 Comment

Jamie Cullum

I think I’ve got a wonderful plan that will get women to fall for me. It’s a simple formula: Have a decent singing voice, play the piano, and sing lyrics that go somewhat like this:

The red roses I sent aren’t as beautiful as you.
The scent doesn’t smell as sweet as you do.
The petals aren’t as colorful as your red lips.
The leaves aren’t as curvy as your hips.

Muahaha! I will have many women fall for me once I finish my song, learn how to play the piano, get a decent singing voice, overcome my control freak tendencies, be able to open up emotionally, conquer my shyness, and wax my back. It’s a foolproof plan.

This whole piano playing/singing thing worked well for Harry Connick, Jr. After all, he’s married to a Victoria Secrets model. It also seemed to have worked for the young British jazz musician, Jamie Cullum.

How do I know?

I know because all the teenage girls on MTV’s TRL were screaming for him. Not like horror-film-screaming. More like “I LUV U JAMIE!” or “U R SO HOT JAMIE!” -screaming.

Despite my jealousy about Cullum’s ability to write a good song, sing well, play the piano, and woo young women, his debut album, Twentysomething, is a very good listen. One track that stands out is the bonus track “Frontin’,” which is a great cover of The Neptunes track of the same name. (You know, Pharrell Williams and that Asian dude.) Many of the other tracks on the album are upbeat and will definitely have your toes tappin’.

If you like jazz, Harry Connick, Jr., or want to listen to something different, I would recommend you give Jamie Cullum a try.

What I wouldn’t recommend is trying to be like Jamie Cullum, because it’s been really hard learning how to play the piano and making my voice do things it was never meant to do, like sing.

Product: Jamie Cullum – Twentysomething
Purchase Price: $8.99 (on sale)
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: A toe tappin’ treat. Something different than the usual rap, punk, rock, and electronic stuff I listen to. The CD can be found for a regular price of $9.99.
Cons: May make you think you can woo women by writing a song and playing the piano.

REVIEW: Yoplait Nouriche

Marvo 10 Comments

Yoplait Nouriche

I have this “thing” about anything that is strawberry-banana flavored. Ever since I mixed strawberry and banana Slurpees, I’ve been hooked to the sweet, delightful taste of it. I’ve enjoyed strawberry-banana Starbursts, strawberry-banana Jello, strawberry-banana yogurt, mixed strawberry and banana jellybeans, and I’ve even put on strawberry-banana flavored condoms.

So I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try a strawberry-banana Yoplait Nouriche breakfast smoothie, since it was on sale. However, from the beginning I had a problem with the product. How to you pronounce nouriche?

I remember having the same problem when I first saw Yoplait yogurt. I went around calling it “yo-plate yogurt.” Of course, this was wrong because of those crazy French, who made the “t” silent.

Yoplait is a French word, right?

So is it pronounced, “nourish” with a silent “e”? Or is pronounced like “new-richie”?

Nouriche is a French word, right?

Anyway, after I walked around a supermarket, waited in a long checkout line, carried my groceries to my car, drove home, took my groceries out of my car, fumbled with my keys, opened the door, and put away my groceries, I felt like I needed a Nouriche, but not until I took off its tamper-proof plastic cap, ripped off its tamper-proof protective seal, read “Shake Well” on the bottle, put its tamper-proof plastic cap back on, shook it well, and took its tamper-proof plastic cap off again.

The front of the label proudly states it has 20 vitamins and minerals, plus 10 grams of protein. However, the number that stood out on the back of the label was the 60 grams of total carbohydrates, which is enough carbs to make the late Dr. Atkins roll over in his grave.

Another number that stood out was the 46 grams of sugar. With more sugar than a can of Pepsi or Coke, I definitely know you shouldn’t feed this to hyperactive children, like myself.

Thank glucose, there’s a light version of Nouriche. I wish I knew that before I drank it and rearranged all the furniture in the apartment.

Overall, Nouriche was quite nourishing. (Get it? Nouriche and nourishing?) It’s basically yogurt in a bottle: creamy, sweet, and a little tangy. The two dollars I paid for it was worth it, but definitely not worth the regular price of four dollars.

Product: Yoplait Nouriche
Purchase Price: $2.00 (on sale)
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: Delicious, creamy, sweet, and nourishing.
Cons: It’s hard to drink something I can’t pronounce and that makes me bounce off the walls. Can be expensive, if bought at regular price, unless you’re filthy rich.

REVIEW: Natural Citrus Listerine Mouthwash

Marvo

Natural Citrus Listerine Mouthwash

My first and only experience with the original Listerine came in the 1980s. The only thing I remember from that traumatic experience was the horrible burning sensation. It felt like all of my taste buds had melted away. They didn’t, but since then I swear things haven’t tasted right.

Eventually the folks who created Listerine came up with more flavors and new compound words, like FreshBurst, WinterMint, and Cool Mint. Over the past year they introduced Natural Citrus.

Let me tell you, this Natural Citrus Listerine is, as the young folks today say, the shiznit. It freshens my breath and tastes like orange soda. It’s the only flavor of Listerine that made me think, “I would drink this, if I didn’t have to call a Poison Control Center right after.”

Despite all of its goodness and breath freshening abilities, I’ve noticed one peculiar problem. When using the other flavors of Listerine, it goes in as whatever color and it comes out the same color. With the Natural Citrus, it goes in orange, but it doesn’t come out orange. Instead it comes out clear.

Where does the orange go? I have two theories:

1. Germs and bacteria in my mouth absorbed it because it tastes like orange soda.
2. The orange part stays in my mouth to valiantly fight the constant battles between good and evil breath, which they eventually lose, due to my love peanut butter.

Well my teeth haven’t turned orange, so it’s nothing to worry about.

So if you’re tired of the burn from the original Listerine, bored of minty mouthwashes, or too lazy to floss your teeth, Natural Citrus Listerine is a great product, even if you can’t drink it.

Product: Listerine Natural Citrus Mouthwash
Purchase Price: $4.19 (on sale)
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Orange soda-like flavor is a change of pace from usual minty mouthwashes. Good enough to drink, if it wasn’t for that whole poisoning thing.
Cons: Mysterious orange color disappearance.