Jun 24, 2011

New Music: JoJo - Limbo!



Yet another track has leaked from JoJo's upcoming third studio album, 'Jumping Trains'. This time, it's a very personal leak for me. I actually heard the song, 'Limbo' a few months ago when the amazingly talented Jessica Ashley demoed it for JoJo's project. Take a listen to JoJo's version of her song below and let me know what you think! Also be sure to check out Jessica's music on her Youtube, Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Jun 21, 2011

Beyonce continues '4' promo in France!



Beyonce is hot on the promo trail for her fourth studio album, '4' which will be released next week. She is currently on the European leg of the tour, and performed her first concert in Nice, France over the weekend to help push the album. Peep some of the footage from the concert below and let me know what you think!

Crazy In Love

Run The World

Single Ladies

Medley (Bootylicious, Bug A Boo, Telephone)

End of Time

Sweet Dreams

1+1

Jun 13, 2011

Live| JoJo performs new track!


In preparation for her return to music, teen singer JoJo took to the stage in New York to perform the title track off of her upcoming LP, 'Jumping Trains'. Take a look at her performance below and let me know what you think! 

In related news, the video for the first single, 'The Other Chick' has been filmed with director Kai Regan and should premiere shortly. 

   

Beyonce's '4' Leaks!


Yes, Queen B's '4' has leaked. I was one of the first to take a listen to the 'early release' of her new album but I decided to take my time and come up with a few solid points before blogging about it. The album has been receiving positive reviews from critics and fans alike. Beyonce seems to have left the club bangers behind on this album. Instead, she lets her voice do all the work and shines on many of the albums mid-tempos. 

I'm impressed with the change in sound, the album's complete production credits haven't been released as of yet but we do know she enlisted a few different producers to work on the album. I'm particularly liking the spacey electronic elements on 'I Care', 'I Miss You' and 'I Was Here', definitely a different sound for her but it works. 

Overall, Beyonce presents good quality music with an impeccable vocal performance on each track. That being said, I don't think this album will be flying to the top of the charts with a single anytime soon. Ultimately, I think this album will sit well with fans who respect and know her true talent as a performer.

My favourites: 

I Care
I Miss You
Start Over
I Was Here

What do you think of the album?

Jun 7, 2011

Introducing: Karmin Music!


Pop singer/songwriters Amy and Nick form the duo Karmin, a Boston based group that is slowly becoming a Youtube sensation with the release of various covers. Nick, a trombonist who's style is influenced by rock complements the R&B/Pop background of Amy to create a group with distinct style and sound. Take a listen to a few of their covers below and let me know what you think!



No doubt, they'll be signed soon. I'm sure we'll be hearing from them a lot in the future.

Jun 6, 2011

The-Dream preps fourth album!


Looks like The-Dream isn't taking his plans to retire seriously. He has announced the release of his fourth studio album, 'Love IV (Diary of a Mad Man) slated for release on 20 September. The album is said to feature appearances from Jay-Z, Drake, Mary J. Blige, Kanye West and R. Kelly. A single for the project is meant to drop tomorrow (7 June) and is tentatively titled, 'Talk That Shit' (feat. R Kelly). Are you ready for another Dream album?

Beirut keep it current with new single 'East Harlem'!


American band Beirut release their first single, 'East Harlem' since 2009. The track precedes an album and tour which have yet to be announced. Take a listen to the single below and let me know what you think!

Music Video Premiere: Robyn - 'Call Your Girlfriend'!


Swedish popstar Robyn releases the video for her second single 'Call Your Girlfriend' from her highly anticipated album, 'Body Talk'. Take a look at the Max Vatali directed clip below and let me know what you think!

Kelly Rowland gets official with 'Motivation (Remix)'!


It's no secret that Kelly Rowland has been having quite some trouble getting her third studio album, 'Here I Am' off the ground. The singer has been in the studio for almost two years crafting hits with various songwriters and producers for the project. With the release of the project's latest single, 'Motivation' Rowland now looks ready to prep for a definite release of the album. 'Motivation' finally rose to the top of the Billboard Hot R&B chart and has been sitting in the #1 position for two weeks, becoming her second number one single on this chart.

The album is now slated for release later this year (August, hopefully) and will see collaborations from David Guetta, Rico Love, StarGate, Ester Dean, Jim Jonson, Ne-Yo, Jermaine Dupri and Salaam Remi among others. Peep the video for 'Motivation' below and take a listen to the official remix featuring Busta Rhymes, Trey Songz and Fabolous below and let me know what you think!



Jun 5, 2011

New Music: Coldlplay - 'Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall'!


Chris Martin and the boys from Coldplay return with the first official single, 'Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall' from their as yet untitled fifth studio album. The album is currently due for release later this year and sees the band teaming up with famed producer Brian Eno to create their signature acoustic masterpieces that we've become accustomed to.

The album is said to be a mixture of electronic and acoustic elements, so I'm hoping with the help of Eno they've created something special and worth waiting for. Take a listen to the first single below and let me know what you think!

Jun 3, 2011

New Music: Dido - 'If I Rise'


Dido has been under the radar since the release of her 2008 album, 'Safe Trip Home'. She recently recorded the soundtrack for 127 Hours 'If I Rise'. The track features Indian producer/artist A.R. Rahman. Take a look at the video below and let me know what you think!

In other Dido news, the singer is currently in the studio recording her fourth studio album. She will be taking a break from recording after falling pregnant with her first child and marrying Rohan. The album is due for early release in 2012.

Music Video Premiere: Shontelle - Say Hello To Goodbye!


Shontelle first grabbed my attention in 2008 with her single, 'T-Shirt'. After downloading the song I lost interest in her and moved on. She went on to release her sophomore album, 'No Gravity' which fell off my radar until I came across this track a few weeks ago.

'Say Hello To Goodbye' is the third single from 'No Gravity'. Produced by Martin Hansen, the guitar ballad really brings out the best in Shontelle, focusing on her tone and clarity. It's a great direction for Shontelle and should hopefully put some life back into her sophomore project. Take a look at the video below and let me know what you think!

Beyonce preps '4'!


Yes Queen B is making her return, and so am I so there's no better post to start off with than the release of Beyonce's fourth studio album '4'. The album has been recorded over the past year and was lead by the single, 'Run The World (Girls). Bey gave two stellar performances of the single at the Billboard Music Awards and on the finale of The Oprah Show (see performances below).



The track samples Major Lazor's 'Pon De Floor', and was written by The-Dream among others. It sees her following the dance trends that have pretty much dominated the charts for a good two years now. The video was directed by Francis Lawrence and is definitely one of the best videos of the year. The video, along with a few high profile performances of the single ultimately saved it from falling completely off the charts.



Beyonce's team quickly realized 'Girls' wasn't taking off as they had thought they would, they quickly moved on to a follow up single. I think there was a bit of confusion as to what would serve as the project's next single. Bey went on to perform 'her favourite song from the album', '1+1' (The-Dream) on American Idol before releasing 'The Best Thing I Never Had' (Symbolyc One/Babyface) as the project's official second single. The performance on American Idol reinforced Bey's place in the industry as one of today's top female vocalists. Jay-Z filmed footage of her rehearsal backstage which quickly went viral after it was posted on his website. Bey is now filming the video for her second single which should premiere within the next few weeks.





The album is set for release on 24 June, but with no Top 10 single in sight just yet, we're all very interested to see what her first week sales will look like. I think we'll be seeing between 400-500k copies.



Anyway, take a look at all the promo material from her upcoming project and let me know your thoughts!