Sacha Sacket is one artist that I need follow more regularly. Not only is he cute as hell but he's SUPER talented. Check out his newest video for his song "Running Away." It's a beautiful video for a beautiful song. Can't wait to hear more from this talented singer/songwriter. His most recent album Hermitage is available now. Get it on iTunes HERE.
It's hear and it's gayer than ever! Yes, I'm talking about the new Kylie Minogue video for her single "All The Lovers," off her forthcoming album Aphrodite, due out July 6th in the U.S. The video is set to premiere today online all over the world. My first impression...well...love of course. It's a cool video. Lots of writhing, half naked bodies...kind of a reminiscent of the video for "Slow" (one of my all time favorite Kylie singles). This time though there's a MOUNTAIN of half naked people...rather than a pool deck full. The video is a bit cheesy in parts but then again, what did you expect from a Kylie song? It's fun and fancy free. The single is due out June 15th and was written by Kish Mauve and produced by the fabulous Stuart Price. Remixes come to us from WAWA, Michael Woods, Dada Life and XXXchange. Download the digital remix EP featuring all of the mixes (except Dada Life) HERE.
Remember when I told you about the fabulous Cutmore remixes that were done for the Michael Bublé single "Haven't Met You Yet?" Well guess what! I've been granted permission to share them with you! AMAZING! Snag them below and watch the video edit below. Your welcome!
For those of you NOT yet familiar with 22 year old Scottish singer Amy MacDonald, I suggest you check out her first CD, 2007's This Is The Life and the single of the same name (the album's 4th and most successful single). Her new album, A Curious Thing, was released in March, lead by first single "Don't Tell Me That It's Over." Second single, "Spark" was released on May 10th and marks the first time MacDonald has been remixed for the dance clubs. On the remix we have the fabulous Dutch DJ Tiësto, the very talented British producer/remixer Tom Middleton and DiscoTech. AMAZING! So far the single has peaked at #1 in Belgium. Love everything about this girl.
While performing at the Rock in Rio festival, Miley performed a medley of classic Joan Jett songs including I Love Rock'n'Roll, Cherry Bomb, and Bad Reputation! D O W N L O A D
Imagine my surprise when I saw, in this week's Entertainment Weekly magazine, a "First Look" at Jordin Sparks in the new music video for her version of the Disney Classic "Beauty and The Beast." Sparks' version was recorded to mark the Blue-Ray release of the animated film on October 5th. Beauty and The Beast has always been one of my favorite Disney cartoon movies (if not THE favorite). The song, recorded by Céline Dion and Peabo Bryson played during the 1991 film's end credits and was released as a single where it peaked at #9 on both the Billboard Hot 100 Chart as well as the UK Singles Chart (in 1992). Sparks' version will be accompanied by a video (pictured above) that was directed by Philip Andelman. According to Sparks in the EW article, ''We didn't change the song too much, but it is poppier,'' she says. ''I wanted it to be different, so people aren't like, 'Oh, she's trying to be Celine.'''
WOW. WOW. WOW. The video for Rihanna's new international single "Te Amo" appeared online yesterday and it's just a little bit scandalous. Ri Ri is playing hide and seek in a beautiful castle, pursued by a beautiful, mysterious woman. Rihanna even gets into some steamy situations with said vixen. No WONDER "Rockstar 101" is the new U.S. single. American audiences couldn't handle this video! I think it's hot, personally. What do you think of the new Rihanna video?
"Well the cats out of the bag! Someone leaked my video!"Countess LuAnn de Lesseps said yesterday on her Facebook wall. Check out the NEW single artwork, above and compare it to the old artwork. She's certainly upped the budget since being signed with Ultra Records. The song is still...what it is but I'm glad there's a video now. Here's hoping we get some remixes! On an unrelated note...where is Kim Zolciak's video? Check out the video below and let me know what you think!
I love me some Michael Bublé. I also love me some remixes...so when I heard that the ever amazing Richard Cutmore had done some remixes for Bublé's single "Haven't Met You Yet," I of course did 3 back flips and the splits. This isn't the first time Bublé has been remixed for the dance floors. Previous singles including "Sway," "Save The Last Dance For Me," "Spiderman Theme," and "It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)" have all been remixed for the dance floors. Even his Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings-assisted "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" received some club love. What can I say? Bublé just has a remix-friendly vocal and I'm thankful for that.
Now. What about these new mixes? Yes, "Haven't Met You Yet" was the first single off his last album, Crazy Love and YES it came out last summer but better late than never, right? The song peaked at #24 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, went all the way to #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart and peaked at #5 on the UK Singles Chart. So remixes almost a year later? Well, it has something to do with the big Twitter love fest I saw happen last Sunday when ITV aired An Audience With Michael Bublé. People were going crazy for Mr. Bublé and at the time I had no idea WHY NOW? Hasn't he been amazing for years? At any rate, this TV concert generated more interest in the singer AND in the single and apparently it's set to re-enter the UK Top 40 Chart this weekend. Enter Richard Cutmore, who's done some remixes. The label is giving UK DJs exclusive access to the Cutmore Remixes in the hope that it drums up some club-crossover success. I think this is a fabulous idea! Check out the official Cutmore video remix above and let me know what you think.
DownloadLee DeWyze's New Single, "Beautiful Day" on iTunes
The 9th season of American Idol came to a close last night with the crowning of the newest singing sensation, Chicago's own Lee DeWyze. While Crystal Bowersox was originally my first choice to win, Lee may just have won me over in the end. Since the beginning of the competition Lee was definitely a front-runner for me, but a series of misses (i.e. - "Chasing Cars," "Lips of an Angel," "Fireflies") had me second guessing myself. It wasn't until his Top 12 performance of The Rolling Stones' "Beast Of Burden" that I really started to see what I saw during his audition round in Chicago.
Not only is he dreamy, but he's got this little-bit-rough, lotta-bit-soulful voice that exudes both sensuality and vulnerability at the same time and when he hits his stride...MAN can he sing. The boy's got pipes! While there were a few mis-steps along the way (i.e. - "A Little Less Conversation," "Kiss From A Rose,")...and a shockingly disappointing finale week performance (where his nerves got the best of him), he pulled it out in the end and won over America's vote. I was nervous last night. Well...nervous AND excited. I was still straddling the fence last night and when Lee faltered during...all of his performances...I thought that there was a shred of hope for Crystal to win, since she knocked it out of the park. After watching the finale though, I feel really good about the end result.
Watching Lee get choked up even before Ryan Seacrest announced him as the next American Idol got ME all emotional. This guy REALLY wanted to win and in the end, I think he deserved it. After being panned WEEK over WEEK for not showing how much he WANTED THIS title...after watching the last few minutes, how can you not see his passion? He was practically wearing it on his sleeve. Congratulations Lee DeWyze! Well done. Well deserved. Lee's single, a cover U2's "Beautiful Day" is available for download now.
Download Crystal Bowersox's New Single "Up To The Mountain" on iTunes
I generally dread the American Idol finale. Almost as much as I dread "Idol Gives Back" and 3/4 of every single Results Show. There's just SO MUCH FILLER! It drives me crazy! That being said...I was pleasantly surprised by this years finale (granted, due to a Comcast issue I missed the first 30 minutes or so). While I'm sure much of the spectacle of it all had to do with Simon Cowell's last appearance on the show...that didn't mean that it was any less spectacular. American Idol delivered quite an enjoyable finale.
Let's first talk Idol singles..."Beautiful Day" by U2 for Lee...and Patty Smith's "Up To The Mountain" for Crystal. OK...well...I need to brush up on my Patty Smith I quite enjoyed Crystal's performance last night. It's a song that fits her vocal style and her whole vibe. "Beautiful Day" is another good fit for Lee's voice and style. It's...as Kara would say...very commercial, which is good. Lee's got a commercial vibe about him that I think will do better on mainstream radio, and his cover of "Beautiful Day" may go on to prove that point. Gone are the days where American Idols release a cheesy, saccharine piece of pop-garbage (i.e. "A Moment Like This," "This Is My Now") and THANK GOD for that. I've always thought that the American Idols should release cover songs as singles. That's what the X-Factor contestants do! In my opinion, a good American Idol cover song has a much higher likelihood of actually being played on mainstream top 40 radio. Also...don't the contestants spend all season singing covers? Why derail the train just to give some college student the chance to get his or her songwriting break. Keep the momentum going with an updated COVER song. Well done American Idol. Well done.
Let's briefly talk about the finale spectacle itself...starting with Will Young'sperformance of "Leave Right Now" on Tuesday night's show. Loved seeing Will performing in America, although too bad he was singing over a Season 9 Montage and no one was paying attention. Last night's finale had several highlights for me. The first being an appearance from Ms. Paula Abul, who gave her buddy Simon a proper send off. To that end, the parade of Idol contestants, all singing "Together We Are One" really teared me up. I don't think it was the performance itself...because that was a cluster, I think it was more seeing everyone on stage in one place. Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Jordin Sparks, Taylor Hicks, Kris Allen...and a whole slew of past contestants all marched on stage and sang their hearts out. Very touching. Seeing Janet Jacksonperform was also quite wonderful. She hasn't lost one bit of...anything over the years. Ms. Jackson (if I'm nasty) has still got it going on. Love her new hair by the way, don't you? Solid.
All in all a very entertaining Finale. Given what a shit show this past season was, I am surprised by how much I loved the last 3 hours of the season. The final 2 deserved to be at the top. Crystal, despite not winning is going to be JUST FINE. I look forward to watching the journey these two talented kids are about to embark on. It's going to be quite the ride, I'm sure.
Have you checked out dance artist Lauren Hildebrandt's new single, "Underneath" yet? I don't know where I was when this was released on May 1st but I COMPLETELY dropped the ball. Normally I'm all up on my favorite dance artists. I remember Hildebrandt's first single, "Burnin' Out" back from 2005, when it peaked at #5 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Charts with remixes from Mike Cruz, Friscia & Lamboy, Liquid360 and more. The following year Hildebrandt dazzled us with "Dance With You" featuring mixes by Mr. Mig, Mike Rizzo, Escape & Dom Capello followed by "My Life Again" in 2007 with mixes by Jack D. Elliott, Lenny B, Perry Twins and more, both of which went Top 20 on the dance charts.
October of 2008 saw the digital release of Hildebrandt's new single "Boyshorts," which was followed in June of 2009 with a remix EP featuring mixes from up & coming remixers like Aaron Paetsch and Bit Error."Boyshorts," it turned out, was the first official single off of Hildebrandt's debut album, Not Really A Waitress, which was released on January 19th. Now, nearly a year after the release of the "Boyshorts" Remixes, we are graced with Hildebrandt's presence yet again, this time, in the form of pop/dance number "Underneath," remixes provided by Josh Harris, Mike Bordes, Peter Parona and DJ JST. Josh Harris himself produced the track for radio release and the track has current mainstream adds at Sirius XM, AOL and other major market radio stations as well as dance radio - making "Underneath" one of "'Hildy's' biggest supported tracks to date."
In addition to promoting her album, Hildebrandt just wrapped a series of performances in the world premiere of a musical theater production called "Paris," which celebrated the famous French city with fabulous costumes, dance and music inspired by "Gay Paris." How cool is that!? Can you say triple threat? This isn't actually the first time Hildebrandt danced, having appeared as a top finalist on Debbie Allen's "Fame" Talent competition airing on NBC in the 2003. After "Fame," Hildy worked as a waitress, all the while, working on her burgeoning singing career. After a number of odd jobs (including singing back-up vocals for Sharon Stone and appearing in a Black Eyed Peas video) Hildebrandt hit the big time with her first dance hit, "Burnin' Out," which garnered her a 2006 "Best New Dance Artist" nod at the International Dance Music Awards. Now that's what I call a success story! Given how many struggling young artists are out there, you gotta give this girl props for sticking to her guns and achieving success in such a tough industry. Mad respect. Mad talent. Can't wait to hear what's next from this talented girl.
Selena Gomez & The Scene's first single off of their sophomore album, due out on September 28th, is titled Round and Round! It will premiere on June 18th on Radio Disney followed by the Disney Channel premiere of the video on June 20th. Round and Round will then hit iTunes on June 22nd!
Singer/Songwriter/Producer/recent Duke graduate Mike Posner premiered his new Jason Beattie-directed video for single "Cooler Than Me" today on MTV2 and MTV.com. It's going to be running exclusively on MTV.com for 24 hours and featured on MTV2, MTVU (where Posner is the "Ahead of The Curve" featured artist) and MTV Hits. Well done sir! I have been loving this song since it was released on iTunes a ways back. I wonder what the delay was between the single's release and the video release? Album politics probably but regardless...the video is here now and it's great!
"Cooler Than Me" is currently sitting pretty at #54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is getting airplay on both Top 40 and Rhythm Radio Stations around the country. Posner will be hitting up Lopez Tonight on May 31st and will appearing at Bonnaroo in June as well as his own sold out headlining show at the Key Club in Los Angeles on June 15th...oh and did I mention this little thing called the Warped Tour! Posner has a busy summer ahead of him! Busy = successful so I'm sure he's not complaining. His debut album is due out later this year. Can't wait!
The soundtrack for Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam will hit stores on August 20th! Here is a look at the tentative tracklisting...
1. Brand New Day 2. Fire 3. Can't Back Down 4. It's On 5. Wouldn't Change a Thing 6. Heart and Soul 7. You're My Favorite Song 8. Introducing Me 9. Tear it Down 10. What We Came Here For 11. This is Our Song 12. Different Summers 13. Walking in My Shoes 14. It's Not too Late 15. Rock Hard or Go Home credit: dd365scene
When I learned that Cyndi Lauper was going to be on Celebrity Apprentice this past season, how could I NOT watch? I loved watching the regular version of The Apprentice since Omarosa was on (and am secretly pumped that it's coming back!) and I watched the first season of it's celeb-reality counterpart. While Cyndi was made to look like a basket case on the show, she was still the highlight for me. Check out Cyn in her element on the Celebrity Apprentice Season Finale, singing her new singing "Just Your Fool." She looks and sounds incredible. Thanks to Pop In Stereo for the video clip!
According to a new blog post, the release date for Diana Vickers' second single, "The Boy Who Murdered Love," from her FABULOUS #1 album, Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree is July 11th!. The single is due out in the UK digitally on the 11th and July 12th in shops is one of my favorite tracks on the album. Check out Diana's Press Gallery for an exclusive shot from the new video, taken from a piece in The Sun.
I love black and white videos. I love Rihanna. I love this video. "Rockstar 101" is the fourth U.S. single from her album Rated R and features Slash from Guns N' Roses. The single will be sent out to mainstream and rhythmic radio June 1st and is due to be used in promotional spots for the latest incarnation of La Femme Nikita, Nikita, premiering this fall on the CW network. Check out remixes for the track on Masterbeat. On the remix we have Dave Audé, Mark Picchiotti, LoOse CanNons and Chew Fu. Rated R Remixed was also just released, featuring Chew Fu remixes of all of the original album tracks. European fans can look forward to the June 4th release of the album's third international single, the Stargate-produced "Te Amo."
Emily Osment is hard at work on her debut album due out this summer/fall. Above is the singe cover for the 1st single, Let's Be Friends, which will premiere on 6/7 on AOL Music's JSYK.com!
Orianthi is someone I feel like I should be more into. She's gorgeous. She's talented. She's performed on American Idol. Why have I not yet jumped on the bandwagon? "Shut Up & Kiss Me" is the new single from the mega-talented Aussie singer/songwriter/guitarist and it's a visually pretty cool. I will be definitely be keeping my ears open for this girl. She's someone to watch, for sure.
I remember Amy Studt being pegged as England's answer to Avril Lavigne...angry girl pop music. Having first heard of Amy Studt through her song "Misfit," and then "Under The Thumb" I finally got around to buying her album, 2002's False Smiles. I then realized that some people already knew her for THIS, her debut single, called "Just A Little Girl, which was used in some TV promo spots for the final season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The single managed to peak at 14 on the UK charts and this fun video, directed by Sophie Muller features a young Studt, before label politics ultimately drove her into a less mainstream direction. Check out the videos for her last three singles from 2009's My Paper Made Men, "Furniture," "Chasing The Light" and "Nice Boys" (the latter being considerably more mainstream). After having been dropped by her label (19 Entertainment) Studt is currently at work on new material. Can't wait to see what new stuff she comes up with, cos this girl's really talented.
Oh Enrique. Did you really have to associate yourself with Jersey Shore? This is the video for the RedOne-produced new Enrique Iglesias single, "I Like It." It's not bad, but nothing ground-breakingly original. I do love me some Enrique remixes so hopefully whoever remixes this song turns it into a proper club stomper. The single samples Lionel Richie's "All Night Long (All Night)" and will be featured on the official soundtrack to MTV's reality show smash, Jersey Shore. Apaprently, Enrique will be performing the single live on the American Idol finale. I wonder if Pitbull will make an appearence as well?
My only complaint about the Professor Green/Lily Allen video for "Just Be Good To Green" is...not enough Lily Allen! I love the whole look Lily's got going on. The song's aight but the more I see Lily Allen, the more I DON'T want her to go away! What do you lot think of the song/video? The single is due out in the UK on July 11th.
Well this is just a little bit genius. The ever-brilliant Liza Minnelli has put her FABULOUS spin on Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" for the Sex and The City 2 official soundtrack. It definitely reminds me of what Dame Shirley Bassey did with P!nk's "Get The Party Started" back in 2006...very theatrical and over the top...but not in a bad way. I would love to see this song get released as a single! Minnelli also makes a much hyped cameo on the film...hmm...might actually have to see this one! In addition to Minnelli, the SATC 2 Soundtrack features new songs from Dido (as previously mentioned), Alicia Keys, Leona Lewis and Jennifer Hudson. The soundtrack also features previously recorded contributions from Keys, Erykah Badu, Belgian singer Natacha Atlas, Aussie pop star Ricki-Lee and more! You can pick up your copy on May 25th. Listen to Liza tackle Ms. Knowles below:
In other news, Liza Minnelli's new album, called Confessions, will be released September 21st via Decca/Universal Records. The album features Liza and a piano and will be released in both a regular and Deluxe Edition. The Deluxe Edition features 5 extra tracks (indicated below with an *). Check out the full track listing below (from BroadwayWorld.com).
1. Confession 2. You Fascinate Me So 3. All the Way * 4. I Hadn't Anyone 'Til You 5. This Heart of Mine * 6. I Got Lost in His Arms 7. Remind Me * 8. Close Your Eyes 9. He's a Tramp 10. I Must Have That Man 11. On Such a Night As This * 12. Moments Like This 13. Breathing * 14. If I Had You 15. At Last
LOVE this. Thanks to my musically-inclined blogger bud MuuMuse for the heads up. "4th Of July (Fireworks)" is the second single from Kelis' forthcoming album Flesh Tone, out now internationally via Polydor/Universal and due out July 6th in the U.S. via Interscope Records. No word as of right now when we can expect the new single's release. Look out for Kelis and Robyn to go on tour later this year.
AHHH. It all makes sense now. So...you all know that I LOVE Glee. While I have special little places in my heart for ALL of the characters, Brittany (Heather Morris) is fast becoming one of my favs. If you watch the show then you've probably noticed Morris KICKING ass with all of the choreography. Good reason! She's an AMAZING DANCER. Case in point, check out this video of Beyoncé performing "Single Ladies" at last year's American Music Awards. Check out the cute blond doing the "Single Ladies" dance to Beyoncé's left. HEATHER MORRIS! Amazing! I have even more respect for this girl.
Heather Morris as Brittany
Did you know that Morris taught the cast of Glee the "Single Ladies" dance? No wonder! Morris toured with Beyoncé last year. This girl is hilarious. Check out a little mini interview with Morris in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly with Sue Sylvester herself, Jane Lynch, on the cover. Thank GOD Morris has been upgraded to a series regular for next season. More witty one liners I hope!
Robynunveiled her new video for "Dancing On My Own" and it's a stunner. I LOVE this song! "Dancing On My Own" is due out on June 7th in the UK, followed by her album, Body Talk Pt. 1 which comes out June 14th (June 15th in the U.S.). Look out for a HOT remix package featuring remixes by Michael Woods, Fred Falke, Jakwob, Buzz Junkies and Rex The Dog. Also - look for Robyn and Kelisto tour together sometime this next year (per a Twitter conversation between the two artists). GOD I hope this happens. How amazing of a show would that be?
The second official U.S. single off of Taio Cruz'sRokstarr album is apparently "Dynamite," and not the Ke$ha-assisted "Dirty Picture" which is the Brit's current single out in Europe. I'm frankly a little surprised that "Dirty Picture" isn't the next U.S. single, although maybe the label wants to release a single without any guest vocalists/rappers just to showcase Cruz by himself. That makes sense, especially considering "Break Your Heart" had Ludacris thrown on the track for the single's U.S. release. Also, to be fair, "Dynamite" is a new track so who knows. Maybe it's AMAZING. I just hope that "Dirty Picture" is released as a single here at some point. It's a hot song and Ke$ha is kind of exploding right now. "Dynamite" will be released digitally on May 25th, followed by the release of his U.S. album on June 1st. Also, you can check out Taio Cruz on the Regis & Kelly Show on June 3rd.
Tracklisting:
1. "Dynamite" 2. "Break Your Heart" (featuring Ludacris) 3. "Dirty Picture" (featuring Ke$ha) 4. "Take Me Back" (Tinchy Stryder featuring Taio Cruz) 5. "I'll Never Love Again" 6. "I Can Be" 7. "No Other One" 8. "Come On Girl" (featuring Luciana) 9. "Falling In Love" 10. "Higher" 11. "Feel Again" (Bonus Track) 12. "Dirty Picture" (featuring Ke$ha & Fabolous)(Bonus Track) 13. "Break Your Heart" (featuring Ludacris, Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda Mix) (Bonus Track) 14. "Forever Love" (Digital Pre-order only)
While browsing through new single/album artwork (how exciting does that sound?), I came across a newish pop group called The Stunners. The Stunners are a 5-piece girl group founded by none other than singer/songwriter/producer Vitamin C. Signing a major record deal with Columbia Records only six months after being founded, the girls made their debut with a contribution on the iCarly Season 1 soundtrack - a cover of Deniece Williams' disco classic "Let's Hear It For The Boy." Next for the group was a promotional single, "Bubblegum" (see the video below) digitally released in March through Columbia/Sony, followed by a self-titled EP in October (which is no longer available). After parting ways with Columbia the girls signed with Universal Republic in early 2010 and are now set to release their debut album later this year.
The Stunners are Tinashe Kachingwe, Hayle Kiyokom,Lauren Hudson, Allie Gonino and Marisol Esparza. Their first OFFICIAL official single is called "Dancin' Around The Truth" and it's due out on Tuesday June 1st. The single is a remix of the EP version, featuring assistance from hip hop/jerkin duo New Boyz (currently signed to Asylum Records/Warner Music Group). The single should impact mainstream radio sometime this month. Listen to the remix version on the girls' website and the original version on their MySpace page.
Why the interest now in this group? Would you think I was weird if I told you it was Vitamin C? Yeah, I've never really been in her demographic but I happened to love a couple tracks off of her second album More (namely "As Long As You're Loving Me" and "The Itch") and really loved the dance-electro route she went with "Last Nite." I've been craving new Vitamin C music for a while, and while her own new material is SUPPOSEDLY in the works, at least I know she's been busy doing something. In the meantime, see the fruits of her labor when The Stunners open for teen singing sensation Justin Bieber, starting June 23rd.
While recent episodes seem to be focusing more on the cheesy story-lines rather than on musical numbers, at least the folks at Glee keep releasing the music from he show for us Gleeks to get our hands on. First, we have Glee: The Music, Volume 1, released last fall, followed by Glee: The Music, Volume 2 in December. More recently, an EP, Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna was released and even MORE RECENTLY (on Tuesday in fact) Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers was released. Well, that's not all! Not only has every song been released on iTunes but we're getting at least one more EP before the season is over. Glee: The Music, Journey To Regionals comes out on CD June 8th.
Tracklisting:
1. Faithfully
2. Any Way You Want It / Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'
I just wanted to briefly go over some of the songs that I downloaded from iTunes this past Tuesday. First up....new music from Natasha Bedingfield. Wow. This came as a pleasant surprise! We knew that she was working on new material but I didn't expect a release so soon! I also didn't expect something so...dance-pop. I think it's a great song. I love it! I'm still waiting to hear if this is her OFFICIAL first single or if it's a promotional release before the first single drops. Either way, I love this song and it has me realizing just how much I've missed Bedingfield on the radio. On a completely unrelated note...where is Daniel Bedingfield? I wouldn't mind hearing from him again either.
**UPDATE** According to a new blog from Bedingfield, "Touch" is NOT a single, but a "fabulous teaser" from the new album. The song was produced by Julian Bunetta.
New artist Travis Garland released his debut single, the Danja-produced "Believe" this week. Touted as the latest "Perez Hilton-protege," Hilton used his pull with American Idol-producer Simon Fuller to get Garland a performance spot on the second to last episode of American Idol this season. Wow. I got to hand it to Perez, who knew he had that much influence in the music industry? While I still (mostly) despise Hilton, especially after he basically drove one of my FAVORITE artists, Sia into retirement, (Sia, by the way has recently gone on record to clarify those 'retirement' statements) he clearly has the attention of the music big wigs over on Idol.
While Hilton's "better than Justin Timberlake" comment was a bit of an overstatement, I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised by the young singer's overall performance and voice. While Hilton may have "re-discovered" the singer, I don't like how he's taking credit for finding the artist. Garland was part of a short-lived boy band called NLT (Not Like Them), the same group that gave Glee'sArtie Abrams (Kevin McHale) got his singing start. Chris Stokes of TUG Entertainment discovered the band and signed them to his label, which would have distributed their un-released debut album through Geffen/Interscope Records. Not sure what happened, but after releasing four singles and working with the likes of Timbaland and Ryan Tedder, the album's release was ultimately scrapped. At any rate, definitely check out Garland's performance on Idol when you can and download his debut single "Believe." His debut album is expected out via Interscope Records later this year.
Thank God for David Guetta! Well...thank God for Kelly Rowland really. Her new David Guetta-produced floor filler called "Commander" was digitally released this week. Marking Rowland's debut with Universal Motown Records, "Commander" is the first single off of her third, as-yet untitled album. It's also her first solo single to move in a decidedly NOT R&B direction. I guess she liked what she did with Guetta on "When Love Takes Over" and wanted to go in a dance floor direction. I, for one am all about it. The single entered the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Chart at #36, and I'm sure she'll climb to the top.
I'm not ENTIRELY sure why I purchased this single. I guess Miley Cyrus music is one of my guilty pleasures. In my defense, "Can't Be Tamed" is one of her most non-child-friendly pop songs to date. "Can't Be Tamed" is the title track and debut single off of Cyrus' new album, due out on June 22nd. I hope we get some remixes for this track. I'm all in favor of a raunchier version of Miley and let's be honest, anything is better than "The Climb."
**UPDATE** We can expect remixes from the Wideboys. Good start. Can't wait to hear these!
Well this is promising. Since they started using Will Young's song "Leave Right Now" as the contestant exit song on American Idol, I guess U.S. interest has been peaked. I don't think this is a bad thing in the slightest...in fact...it's about time! Our American Idols are promoted overseas! How come UK winners aren't? Well...I suppose that's all different now...Leona Lewis has done alright for herself stateside, and Alexandra Burke is supposedly going to be introduced to U.S. audiences at some point (although who knows when) but Will Young was the original Pop Idol in the UK, so what's the delay? I guess his genre of music, straight up pop, isn't such a big deal here in the States, with radio favoring urban-tinged pop music over traditional pop. Nonetheless, I'm excited that the label is giving America the chance to check him out.
Leave Right Now is an 8-track compilation of Will's hits from his last 3 studio albums (music from his debut, From Now On, was ignored) and will be released via Jive/19 Recordings on CD May 25th. I noticed the album on iTunes back on May 4th (when it came out digitally, preceded by the single's digital release on March 31st) and thought that was it...that it would just be a digital release to satisfy American Idol viewers who wanted to hear more from the singer (his first 3 albums are already available to download on iTunes here). Now that it's getting a physical U.S. release, I wonder what that means for Will Young's future in the U.S.? Hopefully something. I'm still loving his Groove Armada collaboration and hope it sees the light of day (as a single) and there's been nothing new recently on rumors of his forthcoming dance album. Whatever Young's deal is, I'm glad that 19 Recordings is shining the spotlight on him here in America. I'll say it again...it's about time! Check out Will Young performing "Leave Right Now" on the May 25th finale of American Idol.
Check out the video for "Leave Right Now," which is also available to download on Will's U.S. iTunes store.
Track Listing:
1. Leave Right Now (As Heard On American Idol Season 9)
Irish pop singer Brian McFadden (and former member of Westlife) has his sites set on America. McFadden has abandoned his boy band ballad sound and gone full on electro-pop with his new album Wall Of Soundz and I'm surprisingly on board with this transformation (if only his fiancee Delta Goodrem would do the same!). The album was released in Australia back in April where it peaked at #27. First single "Just Say So" (check out the video HERE) features guest vocals from American artist Kevin Rudolph, and peaked at the top of the ARIA charts when it was released in early April, remaining at the top for 3 weeks! McFadden hopes for a similar story when second single called "Chemical Rush" is released next month.
According to Digital Spy, McFadden will be relocating to the U.S. (where Goodrem is currently working on her fourth album) after his stint as a judge for Australia's Got Talent is over. The plan is to release Wall Of Soundz in the U.S. through Universal Records. According to McFadden in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, "It will be my first time ever to release a record in America as a solo artist," he says. "It's very hard over there but this is my last chance. I'm going to relocate there to get this business going."
From what I've heard, Wall Of Soundz is a pretty solid electro-pop album. Nothing too groundbreaking, but now is the time to do this sound. Taio Cruz has the same kind of sound going right now, so maybe McFadden will fare well if he throws someone like Ludacris on a track...although I suppose a Kevin Rudolph-assisted track will suffice. We'll have to see how this pans out. I know I'll be looking out for him.
I'm thrilled that the blogosphere is as crazy about the new Katie Melua material as I am. Thanks to The Prophet Blog for posting this new insightful interview with Melua and William Orbit on the BBC Breakfast morning show. In the interview, Orbit explains what brought the two together and surprisingly, Melua sought him out and he was intrigued. According to Orbit, Melua sent him 5 tracks and he was "captivated from the very first listen."
When talking about the new album's "darker sound" Melua and Orbit discuss dark movies like Eraserhead and Ichi the Killer as partial influences, which is interesting to me. I don't honestly know if her new material (what I have heard of it anyway) is any darker than her past material, is it? I feel like Melua has always had this haunting quality to her vocals that darken her songs. Melua explains that she's always leaned towards the dramatic lyrics, and that this new album is no exception.
In talking about the recording process, the two described the whole experience as "organic" and "traditional," with the duo recording together in a studio, with a full band. Also worth noting, Orbit didn't play on the album, leaving it to the band. The collaboration and respect these two musicians have for one another really comes across in this interview. I can't wait for The House!
The House, features songwriting by Melua, with help from the likes of Guy Chambers, Rick Knowles and (my personal fave) Polly Scattergood. The album will be released in the UK next Monday, May 24th and in the U.S. on August 3rd. First single, "The Flood" is out now.
A new Ashley Tisdale clip has leaked! Sadly, the clip is tagged though. I really hope that the full version is leaked really soon!
Miley performed a new song from her upcoming album at the Rock in Rio fest! Here is My Heart Beats for Love.
While performing at the Rock in Rio festival, Miley performed a medley of classic Joan Jett songs including I Love Rock'n'Roll, Cherry Bomb, and Bad Reputation!
Here is a 30 second snippet of Emily's new single, Let's Be Friends. I really like it!
Here is the Sunset in Ibiza remix of Demi's hit single, Here We Go Again!
Selena Gomez & The Scene's first single off of their sophomore album, due out on September 28th, is titled Round and Round! It will premiere on June 18th on Radio Disney followed by the Disney Channel premiere of the video on June 20th. Round and Round will then hit iTunes on June 22nd!
The soundtrack for Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam will hit stores on August 20th! Here is a look at the tentative tracklisting...
Emily Osment is hard at work on her debut album due out this summer/fall. Above is the singe cover for the 1st single, Let's Be Friends, which will premiere on 6/7 on AOL Music's JSYK.com!
