Here's an idea: Musically inclined siblings forming an act to produce 20-something poppy beats with rhyming lyrics and infectious whining.
OK, so it isn't an original idea, but throw an actress into the mix and the duo known as Boomkat is formed, creating an upbeat mix of hip-hop, electronic sounds and Gap commercials.
Kellin and Taryn Manning make up the group and were raised by musically influential parents.
With the death of their father in 1993, the Mannings decided to take their music career more seriously and began performing together as Boomkat.
Taryn has gained fame as an up-and-coming actress playing Kirsten Dunst's druggie friend in "Crazy/Beautiful," Britney Spears' road-trip friend in "Crossroads" and Eminem's ex-girlfriend in "8 Mile."
Working alongside musicians in her movies allowed Boomkat to grab the attention of Eminem who added the band's single, "Wastin' My Time," on the "8 Mile" soundtrack.
"Wastin' My Time" has since gained popularity on radio stations with its mellow introduction, catchy chorus and lyrics most people in relationships can relate to.
"I don't think you understand that what you're doin' is not so cool you think it's fun to mess with my mind, don't you?"
Taryn's voice has a distinct whine with a similar sound to that of Nelly Furtado, but not as annoying and more fresh. It is Kellin's beats and samples laid in the tracks that make the songs interesting.
Lyrically the songs are lacking anything unique and apparently Boomkat had to pay by the letter when creating its CD jacket with song titles such as "B4 It's 2 L8" and "What U Do 2 Me."
"B4 It's 2 L8" is a generic song with the ever-present message of unhappiness within a relationship where the song's lyrics asking the overly profound question, "Why can't we all just be happy?"
Track 11, titled "Bein' Bad," is kind of cheesy with lyrics talking about going out on weekends with Taryn tapping into some freaky lyrics: "There's a cutie over there," another female voice chimes in with "Taryn that's your brother," the artist responds with "Oh it's my brother." The song then bursts into straight beats with Kellin semi-rapping about - imagine this - being bad.
"Sex, drugs rock 'n' rollin prowlin' and creepin' thank God I get to sleep in." How extremely profound.
Boomkat's songs are refreshing because of the combination of Kellin's sampler effects and Taryn's vocal capabilities. The songs could just have more depth to use her voice and his music more properly.
If you liked this you might also like: Standing in the middle of a clothing store in the mall and enjoying the loud obnoxious music blasting from the store's speaker system.
Suggested listening: With a group of friends while getting ready to go out prowlin' and creepin' (whatever that means).
Price: $13
Where to find: Any record store
