Hello friends! It's been far too long. You'll notice a couple of differences on my blog. Well...probably one and that's the layout. I am loving Blogger's new layout design tools. I thought it was time for a change so I just went ahead and changed things over. Still has the same look overall but I'm using a new template.
I thought I would
EASE my way back into blogging with a "back to basics" approach - the all too simple "
Album Artwork Update." Yeah, I know it doesn't take too long to upload a bunch of pictures but hey - give me a break! I need to take it slow here.
So without further ado...
Oh...
Side Note: Some of this information might seem a bit out of date. This is likely because I started the post a couple of weeks ago and never finished it. Forgive me.
I don't really think this song needs any introduction. Written by
Lady Gaga,
Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, Lazonate Franklin and
Beyoncé "
Telephone" had one of the most anticipated video premieres ever...and for good reason. It's a masterpiece! If you haven't checked it out yet, what are you waiting for? Check it out
HERE. I love the single sleeve here. It mirrors the whole
Kill Bill influence seen throughout the video in terms of the fonts and still photos. Download the remix EP on iTunes
HERE. You can also pick up the video
HERE.
"
Scars" is the second single from American Idol's third runner up
Allison Iraheta last season and it's a ballad. Debut single "
Friday I'll Be Over U" was cute, uptempo and fun but didn't really showcase Iraheta's chops. "Scars" should do that and then some.
"
Put It In A Love Song" served as
Alicia Keys' official 3rd single in the U.S. ("
Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart" will serve as her third UK single, due out
May 24th) and was released in January. "
Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" will be her official 4th single and was released to radio on
March 15th. It's really a shame that Love Song featuring
Beyoncé didn't have more of an impact on radio as it's one of my favorites from
The Element of Freedom. "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" is a ballad featuring
Drake produced by
Noah "40" Shebib. It's got a really stripped down, raw feeling. Not as "fun" as it's predecessor but it really showcases Keys' vulnerability and talent.
"
Whataya Want From Me" is
Adam Lambert's second single from his debut album
For Your Entertainment. After the crazy debacle that was his performance at the AMAs last year, Lambert and his label seemed anxious to move on. Lambert made a series of TV appearances performing the ballad. Written by
P!nk,
Max Martin and
Johan Shellback, the track was originally intended for P!nk's
Funhouse album, but never made the final cut. The song is growing on my considerably, thanks in part due to the
remixes by
Fonzerelli that have surfaced. Check out the video
HERE and check out
THIS stripped down Australian performance.
Now I've never been a fan of
Hole OR
Courtney Love for that matter, but I'm always up for a good comeback/trainwreck. To be honest, I was kind of excited about Courtney's long-in-the-works solo career that never materialized so it will be interesting to see how this goes. "
Skinny Little Bitch" will serve as Hole's first single off of Hole's fourth album,
Nobody's Daughter and fourteenth single overall. The song isn't something I would normally listen to but it's growing on me. After a 10 year hiatus, it's safe to say that this is one of the years most anticipated comebacks. Download it on iTunes
HERE.
"
Freak" featuring
Kardinal Offishall is the new
David Guetta-produced single for UK R&B singer
Estelle, who took the U.S. (and the world) by storm two years ago with her Top Ten single "
American Boy,"featuring American rapper
Kanye West. This time around she's pairing up with Canadian rapper/producer Kardinal Offishall on a decidedly LESS R&B/Hip-Hop sounding track. "Freak" is an electro JAM with Guetta's trademark beats all over it. Check out the cool video
HERE. Download it on iTunes
HERE.
Diana Mae Vickers is the latest pop star to come off of the UK talent show
The X-Factor. Vickers competed in the 2008 series (
Alexandra Burke,
JLS), ultimately being signed with
RCA Records. "
Once" is the debut single (
April 19th) from her forthcoming album
Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree, due to be released
May 3rd. After X-Factor, Vickers went on to star in her first West End show,
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, showcasing her talent on the stage.
Nerina Pallot,
Ellie Goulding,
Starsmith,
Alexis Strum,
Patrick Wolf, and
Guy Sigsworth are just some of the big names Vickers' collaborated with while making this album. "Once" is a beautiful song (with a
beautiful video) and I think she has lots of potential to become another X-Factor success story.
"
Pyromania" is a new single from
Cascada, and while it's not part of the
Evacuate The Dancefloor album, it's got a very similar sound. According to lead singer
Natalie Horler, Cascada is working on a
new album so in all likelihood "Pyromania" will make an appearance. I like the cheesiness of the song. While I don't think the track will have much influence on mainstream radio here in the U.S., I think that this song has the same potential to do well in the clubs. I'll always be a closet Cascada fan. They are
SUCH a guilty pleasure! Check out the new video
HERE.
"
Upside Down" is
Paloma Faith's 4th UK single, released on March 15th. I am a
HUGE fan when an artist's artwork all follows a theme and so far Faith's has been consistently top notch. Colorful costumes, crazy hair and makeup...I love it! The song is also one of my favorites from
Do You Want The Truth or Something Beautiful? It's got a great old fashioned jazzy feel to it. The video is also fantastic, as are the
club remixes from
Cahill. This is one artists who I would die to se live here in the U.S. I think we're ready for a Paloma Faith invasion.
Poor
Pussycat Dolls. They keep losing members left and right! With all of the girls now working on solo projects,
Robin Antin and
Nicole Scherzinger both are saying that some "new faces" will be coming on board. Sounds like a reinvention. I honestly can't say that losing
Carmit Bachar was all that devastating to the group's success but losing
EVERYONE except for the lead singer? That could be potentially very jarring. I mean, who are we kidding...it's always been Nicole Scherzinger front and center with her back up dancers and I can't foresee that changing so who really cares who's in the group, right? As long as the songs are hot, that's all that really matters? At any rate -
Kimberly Wyatt has released a new promo single called "
Not Just A Doll" in which she claims to be a "dreamer" and that she's "not just a doll." Nothing spectacular, but feel free to check it out on
iTunes. The real solo album I'm looking forward to from this crew is
Melody Thornton, though it would be interesting to hear what
Jessica Sutta comes up with. I quite liked her in German DJ/Remixer
Paul Van Dyk's "
White Lies."
Taio Cruz is another fantastic British artists that I've been familiar with for quite some time, who's starting to get popular here in the States. His single "
Break Your Heart" was released in America at the end of February and went all the way to the top of
Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Pretty impressive for a first single! I'm guessing that the re-jiggered American version featuring Rapper
Ludacris didn't hurt. U.S. radio stations do tend to prefer it's pop music with R&B/Hip-Hop influences, so Taio Cruz's blend of the two musical genres should do him very well here in states, and I couldn't be more thrilled. I've already turned several friends onto his beats. America - get used to Taio Cruz. He's gonna be huge. Now...if only the video for his next UK single would finally premiere. Cruz is releasing "
Dirty Picture" featuring the ever popular
Ke$ha on
April 26th. It will serve as the official third UK single. If the U.S. label were smart, they'd release it as his second U.S. single. Ke$ha is sort riding high at the moment.
Looks like all of those #1 Billboard Dance Hits finally did the trick. Kimberley Locke is finally releasing a dance record! After topping the dance charts with the remixes for "Fall," "Change" and "Band Of Gold," Kimberley Locke is releasing a song that has me dancing even BEFORE the remixes are released. "Strobelight," produced by Cutfather and Paparazzi is pure disco-pop perfection. I've always loved Locke's sound...despite note watching American Idol during her season. While R&B isn't always my cup of tea, you can't help but stop and notice talent when you hear it, and Locke's got talent! "8th World Wonder" is still one of my jams! Whatever Randy Jackson did to help make this possible - Randy, Dawg...I thank you!
