Vote at the MRAs 2011 here!



Thursday, December 31, 2009
Big News: Vote!

Vote for December's best albumn now! Poll is in the sidebar.

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Music Reviews 10 @ 11:19 PM | comment link here





Best Album of November '09: Kris Allen - Kris Allen



Kris Allen's self-titled debut, as voted by you guys has become Best Album of November 2009, beating other A-listers such as Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert, John Mayer, Carrie Underwood, Leona Lewis, Rihanna and more. Good job Kris Allen fans.

View everything Kris Allen: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 11:12 PM | comment link here





Artist Of The Month: Katharine McPhee



Katharine McPhee releases her sophomore record Unbroken next year, which features AC Top 30 hit Had It All. Katharine beat newcomer Ke$ha, who just went to #1 on the Hot 100 and girl group Paradiso Girls to become January's Artist Of The Month.

View everything Katharine McPhee: HERE
Get Unbroken (iTunes Rip): HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 10:24 PM | comment link here





Music Reviews 10: MRAs 2009



It had been a rather nice year in the music industry hasn't it? With the unlikely success of Susan Boyle, the newfound haters for Kanye-West, newfound fans for Taylor Swift, a massive year for Lady Gaga, a #1 solo single for Ke$ha, 5 new acts from this season of American Idol signed, with Kris Allen, Allison Iraheta and Adam Lambert already released their albums, Danny Gokey and Michael Sarver releasing theirs in 2010, and definitely an outstanding year all-round for almost all the artists. So to end the year, we have the MRAs 2009 to wrap up this whole year.

MRAs 2009:

The first annual MRAs had many of you voting for your favourites at the sidebar, and I'm genuinely happy with whoever won. In Debut Album Of The Year, American Idol Season 8 finalist was a frontrunner, before being overtaken by Kris Allen, but eventually stealing the crown back from Kris earning herself 1, 158 beating Kris by a relatively small margin, with Kris' numbers tallying up to 1, 018. Kris and Allison were the only ones that had votes go above the 1, 000 mark, securing third place would be the controversy-stirring American Idol Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert, who got cancelled by the ABC network twice. Finishing fourth is teen-star Kristinia DeBarge which had her very own taste of success with her debut single Goodbye peaking at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Jessie James follows behind with her self-titled debut studio effort reaching #23 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, containing Top 40 hit Wanted. Last but not least is British singer Alexandra Burke, winning the same television show that previous X Factor UK success story Leona Lewis. Alexandra's album Overcome will be released next year in the US.

Winner of Debut Album Of The Year: Allison Iraheta - Just Like You

Artist of The Year was a tough fight, the divas Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey had to put up a fight with artists from The Black Eyed Peas to Carrie Underwood. Winning Artist Of The Year is reigning R&B crooner Leona Lewis, who released her sophomore effort Echo this year. Country superstar Carrie Underwood was second, winning a handy 17% of the total number of votes cast. The Black Eyed Peas follows behind with 45 votes placed. Gaining 13% of the votes is pop/rock queen Kelly Clarkson who released her fourth studio album All I Ever Wanted which hit the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart. Next is R&B diva who's amassed a total of 18 #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 since her career back in 1990. Losing by 1 vote is Canadian crooner Michael Buble who has had a great year so far, with Crazy Love remaining at #1 for two weeks straight, and not falling out of the Top 15 so far. Garnering 8% of the votes this year is Country/Pop newcomer Jessie James, who released her eponymous debut album in August. Another R&B diva Whitney Houston made a comeback this year with I Look To You, although with mixed results - Her album topped the charts, but her live performances have been sub-standard so far, thus falling into last place here, and not getting even one Grammy nod. Work harder, Whitney.

Winner of Artist Of The Year: Leona Lewis

Pop princess Lady Gaga wins a Music Video Of The Year for Paparazzi, trailed closely behind by teen pop star Miley Cyrus' latest hit Party In The USA. Falling into a respectable third place is Country/Pop crossover hit Jessie James, who impressed with Wanted, not bad for a newcomer, eh? Next is also a country starlet, coming in the form of Carrie Underwood, with her latest hit Cowboy Casanova. Pop/Rock artist Kelly Clarkson returns with her hit #1 single My Life Would Suck Without You, gaining 11% of the votes. Next is Mariah Carey, whose video for Obsessed gained 9% of the total number of votes cast, beating Ne-Yo's video for Miss Independent by just 2 votes.

Winner of Music Video Of The Year: Lady Gaga - Paparazzi

Kelly Clarkson rules Album of The Year as her fourth album All I Ever Wanted edges Rihanna's Rated R and The Black Eyed Peas' comeback album The E.N.D. out of first place with just one vote more than Rihanna and the hip-hop group's The E.N.D.. Leona Lewis' second album Echo and Paramore's Brand New Eyes places fourth and fifth respectively. Mariah Carey's Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel scores 8% of the votes, beaten by one vote by Michael Buble's Crazy Love. OneRepublic's Waking Up gets 22 votes, beating Colbie Caillat's #1 album Breakthrough, who gets 17 votes, which knocks Jessie James self-titled album into tenth place. Whitney Houston clocks in last again as I Look To You finishes with 11 votes.

Winner of Album Of The Year: Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted

Lady Gaga bags another MRA with Paparazzi running away with Song Of The Year, beating Britney Spears' latest smash 3. Finishing third is Miley Cyrus' Party In The USA, which managed to beat Leona Lewis' Happy and The Black Eyed Peas' Boom Boom Pow, with 33 votes cast for Boom Boom Pow and 32 for Happy. With 25 votes earned, Carrie Underwood's Cowboy Casanova finishes in sixth winning 11% of the votes, edging Jay Sean into last with Down.

Winner of Song Of The Year: Lady Gaga - Paparazzi

Shakira is the big comeback queen with She Wolf wins Comeback Album of The Year, beating Alicia Keys' The Element Of Freedom and The Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. finishing second and third respectively. Whitney doesn't finish last this time, beating Chris Brown by five votes to finish in fourth.

Winner of Comeback Album Of The Year: Shakira - She Wolf

Beyonce wins Live Performance of The Year for her performance of Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) live on MTV's Video Music Awards this year, tailed closely behind by Lady Gaga for her performance of Paparazzi of the same event. Teen star Taylor Swift finishes in third with You Belong With Me getting 21% of the votes, also performed at the same event. The Black Eyed Peas edge Janet Jackson's Scream at the MTV VMAs out for their live performance of Boom Boom Pow at the American Idol Season 8 Finale.

Winner of Live Performance Of The Year: Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It

Beyonce bags her second MRA this year for Tour Of The Year for her I Am.. World Tour, beating the American Idols Top 10 - AMERICAN IDOLS LIVE! Tour by just two votes. Standing at third with 40 votes, is P!nk's Funhouse World Tour. Britney Spears' Circus World Tour fourth, getting 16% of the votes. Demi Lovato's national Summer Tour is fifth, beating David Cook's The Declaration tour.

Winner of Tour Of The Year: Beyonce - I Am.. Tour

British newcomer Pixie Lott bags an MRA for Best Newcomer, shooting to fame with her debut singles Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh) and Boys And Girls topping the UK Singles Charts, and reaching #12 with her third single Cry Me Out. Pixie Lott beat American Idol Season 8 winner Kris Allen. Allison Iraheta finishes in third place with 278 votes earned. Justin Bieber, Kristinia DeBarge, Adam Lambert, Jessie James and Alexandra Burke are fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth respectively.

Winner of Best Newcomer: Pixie Lott

That's it for the MRAs 2009. I'm happy with the results so far and thanks to everyone who voted! =)

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Music Reviews 10 @ 7:00 PM | comment link here





Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Best Of 2009: Nominations



As Best of 2009 nominations roll in, the one that are in italics are the ones that received the most votes.

Best Song of 2009:
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
Russian Roulette - Rihanna
She Wolf - Shakira
Sweet Dreams - Beyonce
Cowboy Casanova - Carrie Underwood

Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Shakira and Beyonce are almost default choices nowadays. Sweet Dreams was still a good song nonetheless.

Best Album of 2009:
Rated R - Rihanna
The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga
Echo - Leona Lewis
All I Ever Wanted - Kelly Clarkson
She Wolf - Shakira

VERY good choice.

Most Underrated Song of 2009:
H.A.T.E.U. - Mariah Carey
My Cowboy - Jessie James
Doesn't Mean Anything - Alicia Keys
Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart - Alicia Keys
Give It Up To Me - Shakira

Not the most underrated song in that list, but underrated alright.

Best Artists' Youtube Channel:
Alexandra Burke
Adam Lambert
Lady Gaga
Leona Lewis
Shakira

Alexandra Burke keeps it rather personal and I quite like that.

Most Exciting Music Awards:
MTV VMAs
MTV EMAs
Grammys
American Music Awards
Billboard Music Awards

The VMAs was a drama-laden show, it felt almost manufactured. Kanye vs. Taylor, Lil' Mama wanting to sing with Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' on stage, it was almost natural it would win. Coming up close was the AMAs, where we watched Jennifer Lopez fall, and watching Adam Lambert's debut performance get canned by almost everyone.

Best Host(s) at a Music Awards:
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood - CMA Awards
Russel Brand - VMAs
Katy Perry - EMAs

Those were the only 3 that came in, but I'm nevertheless happy with the result. Carrie and Brad did brilliant that night.

Thank you guys for voting!

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Music Reviews 10 @ 10:57 PM | comment link here





Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Jason Castro new track: It Matters To Me



American Idol Season 5 contestant Jason Castro announced that he had been signed to Atlantic Records and would release his debut album next year. Earlier this year, his debut single Let's Just Fall In Love Again was released, along with a music video. His single peaked at #113 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #94 on the Billboard Pop 100, and what we have here is a new track called It Matters To Me. Enjoy!

Download Link: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 9:15 PM | comment link here





Monday, December 28, 2009
Artist Of The Month For January 2010



It's that time of the month where it's time to vote for the next Artist Of The Month again. For January next year, it's a bit boring, I must say. Running for January's Artist Of The Month is American Idol Season 5 runner-up who released her self-titled debut album in 2007, acted in The House Bunny last year and of course, most importantly, will be releasing her sophomore album Unbroken on the 5th of January next year. Releasing her debut album on the same day is Ke$ha, who recently went to #1 with her debut single TiK ToK, set to follow in the footsteps of Lady Gaga with Animal released. Next up is girl group Pardiso Girls, set to release their debut album Crazy Horse next January, although there isn't a release date set yet. Their debut single Patron Tequila reached #3 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. So.. Start voting now!

PS. I could have included Pixie Lott's Turn It Up and Esmee Denters' Outta Here but those have been released elsewhere in the world much earlier so their albums are therefore not eligible.

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Music Reviews 10 @ 9:22 PM | comment link here





Saturday, December 26, 2009
Carly Smithson new track: Let Me Fall (Preview)



Irish rocker Carly Smithson came in sixth on Season 7 of American Idol and was supposedly working on a solo album, but since then, Carly had join some of Evanescenece ex-members to form a brand new rock group called We Are The Fallen. The band has confirmed that they have finished recording for their debut album and Carly's supposedly scrapped solo album is not, and perhaps Carly might release her solo album. In an interview, she mentioned that this song Let Me Fall was recorded for her solo album, but right now, I think Let Me Fall could end up on We Are The Fallen's debut album due out early next year. Nevertheless, here's a thirty second preview. Enjoy!

Download Link: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 5:55 PM | comment link here





Friday, December 25, 2009
In the Spotlight this Week: Katharine McPhee



Katharine Hope McPhee (born March 25, 1984) is an American pop singer, songwriter, actress, model, and television personality. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality show American Idol in 2006, eventually finishing as the runner-up.

Her self-titled debut album was released on RCA Records and debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200; it has sold 378,000 copies to date. The album's first single, Over It, was a Pop Top 30 hit and was certified Gold in 2008. She also established an acting career, most notably co-starring in The House Bunny in 2008.

Her sophomore album, Unbroken will be released on Verve Forecast Records on January 5, 2010. The album's first single is AC Top 30 hit Had It All.

Threats:
JoJo

View everything Katharine McPhee: HERE
Watch Katharine McPhee's I'll Be Home For Christmas performance on Larry King Live: HERE
Get Katharine's Unbroken album in m4a format: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 10:08 PM | comment link here





Flashback Song Of The Week: Jennifer Hudson - Spotlight



Spotlight is an R&B/pop song written and produced by Ne-Yo and Norwegian production duo Stargate for Jennifer Hudson's self titled debut album. It was released digitally on June 10, 2008 as the album's first single, and reached the top thirty of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Outside the States, the track has reached the top twenty in Turkey and the United Kingdom.

The song received two Grammy Award nominations at the 2009 ceremony for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The video was voted 12th on BET: Notarized Top 100 videos of 2008.

Download Song: HERE
Download Ne-Yo's demo: HERE
Download Music Video: HERE
Watch Live Performance on Regis And Kelly: HERE
Watch Music Video: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 9:24 PM | comment link here





Billboard Update



Ke$ha's TiK ToK is getting more and more popular as she climbs one more spot up to be #1 this week, knocking Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' Empire State Of Mind into #2. Bad Romance is stuck at #3 this week. With the release of Hard's music video this week, Rihanna leaps to #11 from #21 last week. With the release of The Element Of Freedom this week, Alicia Keys' Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart jumps to #27 from #56 last week. Kris Allen's debut single Live Like We're Dying climbs yet again to #33 this week. Aussie newcomer Orianthi's debut single According To You has climbed to #41 this week, up from #55 last week. With the popularity of Empire State Of Mind, Alicia Keys' solo version debuts at #55. Daughtry's second single from Leave This Town climbs and peaks at #58 so far. Adam Lambert's second single from For Your Entertainment called Whataya Want From Me debuts at #72.

There's simply no stopping Susan Boyle reigning at the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart, with I Dreamed A Dream topping the charts for the fourth consecutive week, breaking Alicia Keys' chain of #1 albums as The Element Of Freedom debuts behind I Dreamed A Dream. Stable sales help provide Andrea Bocelli's My Christmas to remain in the top 3 for a 7th week. Chris Brown falls hard with Graffiti dropping to #31 in its second week of release. Kris Allen's self-titled debut climbs up tp #56, up from #61 last week. Allison Iraheta's debut album Just Like You drops to #148 in its third week of release. Surprisingly, Carrie Underwood's Some Hearts and Carnival Ride climb the charts again, placed at #162 and #164 respectively. The soundtrack for James Cameron's new film Avatar debuts at #172.

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Music Reviews 10 @ 1:47 PM | comment link here





Nicole Scherzinger new tracks: Sexy Fresh, I M.I.S.S. U



Nicole Scherzinger was supposed to release her debut albumm Her Name Is Nicole back in 2007, but due to her debut solo single Baby Love not managing to do as well as expected in the US, plans for her album were scrapped although Baby Love managed to reach the Top 20 in some European countries. Now, Nicole is supposedly reworking her album from scratch, but meanwhile here are 2 leaked tracks here: Sexy Fresh and I M.I.S.S. U. Enjoy.

Download Link: Sexy Fresh
Download Link: I M.I.S.S. U

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Music Reviews 10 @ 1:21 PM | comment link here





Thursday, December 24, 2009
Big News: Ke$ha takes top spot



As I had so correctly predicted, Ke$ha has taken the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with TiK ToK, an instant club banger that was sure to go to #1, just like how Lady Gaga did. This is really good for Ke$ha, who's debut album Animal drops on the 5th of January next year, the same day as Katharine McPhee's sophomore record Unbroken is released.

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Music Reviews 10 @ 1:47 PM | comment link here





Big News: Simon to quit Idol



With Paula Abdul leaving American Idol, it appears so will Simon Cowell. American Idol judge Simon Cowell has decided to quit the top-rated TV talent show when his contract ends in 2010, according to a report in British tabloid The Sun, which would deal a blow to the Fox network.

Cowell, 50, has been with the TV juggernaut since the start of American Idol in 2002 but his contract expires after the end of Season 9, which starts in January and ends in May 2010, and in the past he has hinted at being bored with his role.

His insults to tone-deaf singers are a key factor in luring viewers to the competition that over the past three years has seen its ratings slip, and this season already sees the departure of another original judge, popular Paula Abdul.

Cowell's brother Tony, who hosts a weekly radio podcast called The Cowell Factor, said in a broadcast on Tuesday that Simon was preparing for his last season of Idol.

"A press statement is being prepared which will confirm what everyone expected -- Simon will leave Idol at the end of 2010 to concentrate on bringing the American version of The X Factor to US TV in 2011," Tony Cowell claimed, according to Britain's Sun newspaper.

The Sun, like Fox television, is part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp media empire. The podcast could not be found later on Tuesday. The Sun report said Tony Cowell had "blurted out the claim" and that the podcast had since been removed.

Cowell's publicist and the Fox network in Los Angeles, where "Idol" is produced, both said they had no comment on the reports. Cowell, who has his own record label and produces three other TV talent shows, hinted repeatedly earlier this year that he was growing bored with his stint on Idol.

Abdul quit earlier this year, and she will be replaced on the upcoming season by talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.

While still America's most-watched TV show, Idol audiences slipped in 2009 to an average 26.3 million per twice weekly episode from a high of about 30.8 million in 2006.

Cowell, one of the biggest earners on U.S. television, spoke in a British magazine interview earlier this month of his plans to bring his own The X Factor British talent show to Las Vegas in a global pay-per-view Internet venture.

And The X Factor could very well spell disaster for Idol, for which Simon has been the heart of all these years.

Source: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 1:44 PM | comment link here





Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Big News: Jennifer Lopez' album pushed back



Fans eagerly anticipating Jennifer Lopez' return to the music industry are going to be disappointed. Her new album Love? was supposed to see a release of January 26th but has now been pushed into April. On the other hand, her single Louboutins was released to iTunes yesterday.

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Music Reviews 10 @ 7:19 PM | comment link here





Katharine McPhee - Unbroken



As Christmas approaches, apparently so does American Idol Season 5 runner-up Katharine McPhee's follow-up to her self-titled debut album. Simply titled Unbroken Katharine sounds amazing on every track hopefully, this one will outsell her previous album. This is the iTunes rip. Enjoy.

Download Link: HERE (m4a format)
Download Link 2: HERE (m4a format)

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Music Reviews 10 @ 4:57 PM | comment link here





Big News - Pixie Lott, Alexandra Burke, Esmee Denters crossover to other major markets



Esmee Denters, Alexandra Burke, and Pixie Lott are on their way to the US. Pixie's debut Turn It Up sees a release of 26th January in Canada, and 16th February in the US. Pixie's Mama Do and Boys And Girls have all been chart-toppers in her native country, while Cry Me Out has been a silent success, so far peaking at #12, but whether she can replicate this success in the US remains to be seen, but we all love Pixie, don't we?

Justin Timberlake's protege Esmee Denters was found on YouTube when she started posting videos of covers and was soon an Internet phenomenon. Tiberlake himself discovered her talent when she covered his hit song What Goes Around.../...Comes Around and was quickly signed to Tiberlake's label Tenman Records. Esmee has found much success in her native country Netherlands, and her debut album Outta Here will finally be released in the US and the UK. In the US, her album will be released on January 12th and 11th in the UK. In the UK, Esmee has found a bit more success. Debut single Outta Here hit the Top 10 while it hasn't charted in the US yet despite being released to radio.

Winner of the 5th season of Simon Cowell's reality television show The X Factor in the UK, Alexandra Burke has had a massive career so far, nabbing 2 UK #1 singles, UK #1 album, and is set to continue that success with the second official single from Overcome, called Broken Heels. Alexandra's album does not have an official release date in the US yet, but it will be released next year under Epic Records. Alexandra could very well be the next Leona Lewis, who won her season during the X Factor.

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Music Reviews 10 @ 3:26 PM | comment link here





Friday, December 18, 2009
Flashback Song of The Week: Katharine McPhee - Love Story



Love Story is the second single from Katharine McPhee's eponymous debut album. The R&B song was written by Nate "Danja" Hills, Kara DioGuardi and Jean Hermanowski. The song was chosen as the second single for the album instead of Open Toes. The single was released on May 22, 2007, in the United States.

The single however, did not manage to chart, but sold over 77,000 copies in the US.

Watch music video: HERE
Download Love Story: HERE
Watch live performance on Jay Leno Show in HD: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 4:18 PM | comment link here





In The Spotlight This Week: Alicia Keys



Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American recording artist, musician and actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began to play classical music on the piano. She attended Professional Performing Arts School and graduated at 16 as valedictorian. She later attended Columbia University before dropping out to pursue her music career. Keys released her debut album with J Records, having had previous record deals first with Columbia and then Arista Records.

Keys' debut album, Songs in A Minor, was a commercial success, selling over 12 million copies worldwide. She became the best-selling new artist and best-selling R&B artist of 2001. The album earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for Fallin'. Her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, was released in 2003 and was also another success worldwide, selling eight million copies. The album garnered her an additional four Grammy Awards in 2005. Later that year, she released her first live album, Unplugged, which debuted at number one in the United States. She became the first female to have an MTV Unplugged album to debut at number one and the highest since Nirvana in 1994.

Keys made guest appearances in several television series in the following years. She made her film debut in Smokin' Aces and went on to appear in The Nanny Diaries in 2007. Her third studio album, As I Am, was released in the same year and sold six million copies worldwide, earning Keys an additional three Grammy Awards. The following year, she appeared in The Secret Life of Bees, which earned her a nomination at the NAACP Image Awards. She released her fourth album, The Element of Freedom, on December 15, 2009. Throughout her career, Keys has won numerous awards and has sold over 30 million albums worldwide, establishing herself as one of the best-selling artists of her time.

Alicia Keys' The Element Of Freedom is set to take the top spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart next week.

Threats:
Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Fantasia

View Everything Alicia Keys: HERE
Get The Element Of Freedom: HERE
Get The Essentials: Alicia Keys: HERE
Watch Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 3:19 PM | comment link here





Billboard Update



Jay-Z and Alicia Keys reign at the top of the Hot 100 again. Ke$ha dethrones Lady Gaga, with TiK ToK knocking Bad Romance off the second spot. Timbaland and Justin Timberlake's collaboration on Carry Out gains the title of Digital Gainer, and Carry Out leaps from #75 to #31. Kris Allen's radio-friendly Live Like We're Dying rises again and peaks at #36 this week. Daughtry's second single Life After You from Leave This Town climbs to #64.

There's simply no stopping Susan Boyle's I Dream A Dream from staying at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, which means Andrea Bocelli's My Christmas is entrenched at #2 in its 6th week. Carrie Underwood's Play On has already surpassed the 800, 000 mark in it's 6th week, rising to #5 with the new releases from last week all falling off the Top 20. Chris Brown's heavily criticised Graffiti debuts at #7, underperforming in the first week of release selling at 102, 000. Timbaland's follow-up to his massively successful Shock Value released in 2007 debuts at #36 this week. Allison Iraheta's Just Like You falls to #99 in its second week of release. With the holiday season just coming around, Carrie Underwood's Some Hearts picks up sales again and re-enters at #184.

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Music Reviews 10 @ 2:40 PM | comment link here





Rihanna - Hard (ft. Young Jeezy) [Music Video Premiere]

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Music Reviews 10 @ 12:46 PM | comment link here





Thursday, December 17, 2009
Royal Variety 2009 Performances

Alexandra Burke - Broken Heels



Miley Cyrus - Party In The USA



Lady Gaga - Speechless



Whatcha think?

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Music Reviews 10 @ 3:10 PM | comment link here





Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Big News: Best of 2009



Well, well. 2009's quickly drawing to a close and so far I have received a lot of comments about my blog having 'interesting polls'. And with that, I shall have this segment apart from the MRAs where you guys can email me at sanesofme@hotmail.com and I would like you guys to send in 5 of your personal choices for these categories:

- Song
- Album
- Underrated Song

- Best Artist's Youtube Channel
- Most exciting Music Awards
- Best Host at a Music Awards

The latter 3 are the more 'quirky' ones. Haha. Anyway, submit your nominations by 31st December and the music releases have to be from 1st January 2009 - 15th December 2009. Thanks. =) Oh yes, and while you're there, please only send in 10 of your favourite artists this year to be featured in my "Best of 2009" banner that I'll put up soon. For this, please submit the 10 artists by 26th of December this year. So, I can put it up soon. Thanks again.

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Music Reviews 10 @ 6:21 PM | comment link here





Leona Lewis - I See You [Music Video Premiere]

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Music Reviews 10 @ 2:19 PM | comment link here





Saturday, December 12, 2009
Big News: Billboard Year-End Charts



On the Billboard Best of the 2000s special, here we have a comprehensive list by Billboard ranking the best of the decade.

Mariah Carey tops the Hot 100 songs with We Belong Together, the song which fueled her back to prominence to remain one of R&B's hottest acts.
Full Chart: HERE

Rapper Eminem reigns supreme standing atop of the Artist Of The Decade chart.
Full Chart: HERE

On the Hot 100 Artists charts, Usher comes out tops.
Full Chart: HERE

Eminem tops the Billboard 200 Artists Charts.
Full Chart: HERE

Bubblegum pop boyband 'N Sync tops the Billboard 200 Albums charts, selling more than 10 million copies.
Full Chart: HERE

Soul/R&B singer Beyonce edges Usher out of pole position on the Radio Songs Artists Chart.
Full Chart: HERE

With We Belong Together, Mariah tops another chart, this time it's the Radio Songs Music Chart.
Full Chart: HERE

Rihanna tops the Digital Songs Artists Chart, and closely behind is Taylor Swift.
Full Chart: HERE

Flo Rida's collaboration with T-Pain on Low tops the Digital Songs Music Chart.
Full Chart: HERE

T-Pain tops the Ringtones Artists Chart.
Full Chart: HERE

Lil Wayne tops the Ringtones Chart with Lollipop.
Full Chart: HERE

Colplay tops the Digital Album Artists and Digital Albums Charts.
Full Chart (Digital Album Artists): HERE
Full Chart (Digital Albums Charts): HERE

P!nk and Kelly Clarkson come in #1 and #2 respectively on Pop Songs Artists.
Full Chart: HERE

Timbaland and OneRepublic's Apologize tops the Pop Songs Chart.
Full Chart: HERE




Here is the 2009 Year-End Charts.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with everything, the artists that are on there completely deserve it.

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Music Reviews 10 @ 11:59 AM | comment link here





Big News: Miley Cyrus Grammy nomination pulled



Miley Cyrus has lost her Grammy nod for Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television, Or Other Visual Media. After Walt Disney Records disclosed that Cyrus' ballad The Climb was not expressly written for Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack, the Academy nixed the teen pop star's nod and replaced it with one for Yeah Yeah Yeahs' frontwoman Karen O. Along with co-writer and bandmate Nick Zinner, O is now nominated for the song All Is Love from the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack.

"We appreciate the label's honesty and diligence in bringing this matter to our attention and helping us to preserve the integrity of our awards process," the Recording Academy said in a statement.

Source: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 11:41 AM | comment link here





Boys Like Girls - Two Is Better Than One [Music Video Premiere]

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Music Reviews 10 @ 10:54 AM | comment link here





Allison Iraheta - AOL Music Sessions

Trouble Is



Holiday



El Viernes Te Olvido Yo



Don't Waste The Pretty

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Music Reviews 10 @ 10:30 AM | comment link here





Alexandra Burke - Broken Heels [Music Video Premiere]

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Music Reviews 10 @ 9:36 AM | comment link here





Alicia Keys new track: Stolen Moments



Alicia Keys is gearing up for the release of her album The Element Of Freedom on December 15th and here's a new track called Stolen Moments which is available on the iTunes pre-order version of her album. Enjoy.

Download Link: HERE
Download Link 2: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 9:24 AM | comment link here





Friday, December 11, 2009
Billboard Update



The top 3 on the Hot 100 last week still remain at their positions from last week, and it seems Jay-Z and Alicia Keys are still stopping Lady Gaga or Ke$ha from taking top spot. Kelly Clarkson climbs again with Already Gone steeping up one spot up from last week standing at #14 this week. German trio Cascada climbs and peaks with Evacuate The Dancefloor at #25 this week. After Kris Allen's Live Like We're Dying fell to #47 last week, it has bounced back up to #44 this week. Daughtry debuts on the Hot 100 with their second single Life After You at #66. Nick Jonas' solo venture has debuted on the Hot 100 with Who I Am debuting at #73.

Susan Boyle secures a second week at #1 with I Dreamed A Dream topping the Billboard 200 albums chart, with Andrea Bocelli's My Christmas trailing closely behind. Carrie Underwood's third studio album has climbed up the charts to #6 this week, up 3 spots from last week. American Idol alums David Archuleta's Christmas From The Heart and Allison Iraheta's Just Like You are placed at #34 and #35 respectively, with Allison's debut posting a disappointing 30, 000 + copies sold in its first week, with the first single Friday I'll Be Over U not doing very well. Leona Lewis' Echo falls even further down, standing at #75 this week. Mariah Carey's Christmas album Merry Christmas re-enters the charts again standing at #133 this week. Carrie Underwood's sophomore album Carnival Ride re-enters the charts at #196.

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Music Reviews 10 @ 12:17 PM | comment link here





Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Mariah Carey - H.A.T.E.U. [Music Video Premiere]

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Music Reviews 10 @ 6:11 PM | comment link here





Selena Gomez & The Scene - Naturally [Music Video Premiere]

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Music Reviews 10 @ 6:06 PM | comment link here





Shakira - Did It Again Remix (feat. Kid Cudi) [Music Video Premiere]

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Music Reviews 10 @ 4:46 PM | comment link here





Alicia Keys - The Element Of Freedom (Deluxe)



Grammy award-winning R&B singer-songwriter Alicia Keys has had a very successful career and 2009 sees Alicia Keys bring us her fourth studio album. After the webrips have been floating around, here's the one with much better quality. Alicia Keys' first single Doesn't Mean Anything had the potential to be one of the Alicia Keys' classics like Fallin', If I Ain't Got You, and No One, but somehow Doesn't Mean Anything wasn't too well received in the US where it only peaked at #60. Alicia soon released the second single Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart which has done significantly better. Enjoy.

Download Link: HERE
Download Link 2: HERE
Download Link 3: HERE
Download Link 4: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 1:22 PM | comment link here





Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Nicole Scherzinger new track: Zoo



Nicole Scherzinger's solo debut album has been pushed back an uncountable number of times until it was shelved. Her Name Is Nicole might just get the green light for a supposed early 2010 release but here's another of the tracks that has leaked called Zoo.

Download Link: HERE
Download Link 2: HERE
Download Link 3: HERE
Download Link 4: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 3:48 PM | comment link here





Ke$ha new track: Butterscotch



Rising music star Ke$ha is set to release her debut album Animal on the 5th of January next year, and along with the album release is the second single release set to be this song called Butterscotch which to me, is pure pop euphoria. Butterscotch immediately isn't as infectious as first single TiK ToK but could do really well and could very well nick some sales from Lady Gaga. Enjoy. Update: This is not the next single and did not make the final tracklisting.

Download Link: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 2:57 PM | comment link here





Monday, December 7, 2009
Alicia Keys new track: Put It In A Love Song (feat. Beyoncé)



A few weeks ago, Alicia Keys confirmed a collaboration with "exciting" artists on her next studio album due December 15th. One of the tracks have leaked, and it's a collaboration with R&B music mogul Beyoncé called Put It In A Love Song. Enjoy.

Download Link: HERE
Download Link 2: HERE
Download Link 3: HERE
Download Link 4: HERE
Download Link 5: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 8:39 PM | comment link here





The Essentials: Alicia Keys



Alicia Keys gets ready for the release of her next studio album The Element Of Freedom December 15th. Thus, I shall do a "The Essentials" for Alicia Keys.

Track Listing:
1. Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart
2. Doesn't Mean Anything
3. No One
4. If I Ain't Got You
5. Fallin'
6. Empire State Of Mind Part 2 (Broken Down)
7. Empire State Of Mind (with Jay-Z)
8. Superwoman
9. Superwoman (live @ 2008 AMAs with Queen Latifah and Kathleen Battle)

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Music Reviews 10 @ 9:41 AM | comment link here





Saturday, December 5, 2009
Leona Lewis new track: I See You



Leona Lewis has recorded the theme song for an upcoming movie Avatar called I See You. Leona Lewis' Echo hasn't been doing very well, so I hope this can boost her album sales a little bit. Leona worked with the same people that worked with Celine Dion on My heart Will Go On for Titanic which became a mega hit. Enjoy.

Download Link: HERE
Download Link 2: HERE
Download Link 3: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 10:09 AM | comment link here





Friday, December 4, 2009
Big News: Ke$ha - Animal (Official Album Cover)



What do you think?

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Music Reviews 10 @ 9:35 PM | comment link here





Flashback Song Of The Week: Katharine McPhee - Over It



Over It is the first single to be released from the eponymous album by Katharine McPhee, the American Idol season five (2006) runner-up. The song was reportedly described by McPhee as "the only real pop song on the record" and as being "a very sultry song about young love". The song was produced by Billy Steinberg and Josh Alexander, and written by Alexander, Steinberg and Ruth-Anne Cunningham, the writers of JoJo's Too Little Too Late. The song is available for listening via online music services such as AOL and MySpace, courtesy of RCA Records. McPhee has since stated that this was not "[her] favorite song" and she did not want her "song to be something that [she] was a part of."

In the song, McPhee sings over a sultry beat driven by acoustic guitars about letting go of the person one loves because one does not share the same feeling. The narrator complains about how their lover cheats on them, and is betraying their trust.

The song is somewhat tongue-in-cheek in that McPhee describes several qualities about her ex-boyfriend, while at the same time she seems to fixate on them, showing she is not fully over him.

Download Over It: HERE
Download Music Video: HERE
Watch Music Video: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 3:31 PM | comment link here





In The Spotlight This Week: Allison Iraheta



Allison Iraheta released her debut album Just Like You this week so I decided to do the Spotlight feature on her. Prior to Idol, Allison joined a singing competition called Quinceañera: Mamá Quiero Ser Artista, in which she won a $50, 000 cash prize and a recording contract. The recording contract never materialised, thus only the prize money was granted.

Allison auditioned in San Francisco singing Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin and advanced with all 4 judges agreeing to let her go to Hollywood. On the Top 36 night, she was in Group 2 with Kris Allen and Adam Lambert (coincidentally the first 3 that got signed), and On May 6, 2009, Iraheta was eliminated from the competition in 4th place. Slash declared that "Allison didn't deserve to be voted off so soon. She has amazing potential." Similarly, American Idol music director Rickey Minor was "absolutely shocked" at her departure. First season winner Kelly Clarkson, along with Season 6 alum Melinda Doolittle, and Entertainment Weekly's Michael Slezak all have expressed Allison as their favourites on the show.

After weeks of speculation, it was confirmed that Allison had inked a recording deal with Jive Records and 19 Entertainment and had been taking time off the American Idols LIVE! Summer Tour to record her debut disc Just Like You. She made a trip to Sweden to work with hitmaker Max Martin, who penned her debut single Friday I'll Be Over U, which has been well-received by critics. Just Like You was released this week on the 1st of December, which Jive Records expects Allison to sell 75, 000 copies of in its first week of release.

Threats:
Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, P!nk

View everything Allison: HERE
Get debut album Just Like You: HERE
Vote for Allison at the MRAs 2009!: HERE
The polls are located at the sidebar.

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Music Reviews 10 @ 2:17 PM | comment link here





Thursday, December 3, 2009
Billboard Update



Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' huge #1 hit Empire State Of Mind is still sitting nicely on top, as they stop Lady Gaga's Bad Romance from advancing. Ke$ha's club banger debut single TiK ToK climbs the charts again this week at #3. The Black Eyed Peas' latest single Meet Me Halfway returns to its peak position of #7. Kelly Clarkson's Already Gone climbs yet again to peak at #14 this week. It seems like Rihanna and Chris Brown are still together. Her latest single Hard made a humongous leap from #80 to #19 this week, and trailing behind is Chris with I can Transform Ya. Lady Gaga's collaboration with Beyonce on Telephone has debuted at #30, being beaten by Shakira's second US single Give It Up To Me. With the success of Give It Up To Me, Shakira's She Wolf also leaps up, to #41 from #65 last week. Alicia Keys' Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart has so far done much better than first single Doesn't Mean Anything, peaking at #42 this week. 2 new songs have debuted each week, the artists worlds apart from each other. Adam Lambert re-enters For Your Entertainment at #61 and I Dreamed A Dream by Susan Boyle debuting at #62. Beyonce debuts at #65 with Video Phone, Chris Brown debuts at #68 with Crawl. Leona Lewis isn't doing very well, falling to #70 after its miserable peak of #31 last week. Another new Lady Gaga song is the ballad called Speechless, which has debuted at #94.

Susan Boyle posts the highest first week sales for a female debut artist, ever, with I Dreamed A Dream flying to the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart. Adam Lambert's solo debut album posts a much more impressive first week sales than eventual winner Kris Allen, with For Your Entertainment debuting at #3 and about 198, 000 copies sold in its first week. Rihanna's bravest and most adventurous album Rated R debuts at #4, posting the highest first week album sales for Rihanna herself. Lady Gaga's all-new EP The Fame Monster debuts at #5, and The Fame itself jumping to #6. Miley Cyus' The Time Of Our Lives also jumps, to #7 this week. Shakira's She Wolf debuts at #15 this time. Michael Buble's Call Me Irresponsible seems to be racking up in sales again, jumping from #134 to #57 this week. His 2005 album It's Time climbs to #65 this week. Carrie Underwood re-enters at #132 with her debut album Some Hearts.

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Music Reviews 10 @ 10:27 PM | comment link here





Big News: Grammy 2010 nominations!



Yes it's true, the Grammy nominations held next year has been revealed! Beyonce leads the pack with 10 nominations. You can view the full list HERE. I was just a bit upset Jessie James or Kristinia DeBarge didn't score a Newcomer Artist nomination. And if you didn't already know, Lady Gaga isn't nominated for that award because she already received a nomination last year for Best Dance Recording.

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Music Reviews 10 @ 9:15 PM | comment link here





Chris Brown - Graffiti



R&B singer Chris Brown has been faced with some sticky situations this year, including being charged for assaulting his then-girlfriend, fellow R&B singer Rihanna. The pair have since split, and have been hard at work at their albums. Rihanna released Rated R to stores this past week and now we have Chris Brown's newest studio album Graffiti. Enjoy.

Download Link: HERE
Download Link 2: HERE
Download Link 3: HERE
Download Link 4: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 9:06 PM | comment link here





Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Album Of October 2009: Shakira - She Wolf



As voted by you guys, Shakira has the best album of October this year with her latest album She Wolf. Singles from She Wolf have been doing quite well. Lead single She Wolf has cracked the Top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100; second US single Give It Up To Me recently debuted; and second worldwide single Did It Again is climbing charts.

View everything Shakira: HERE
Watch Shakira Give It Up To Me Music Video: HERE
Watch Shakira Did It Again Music Video: HERE
Get She Wolf album: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 11:44 AM | comment link here





Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Artist Of The Month: Allison Iraheta



The artist of the month for December (as voted by you guys) is the red-headed rocker from this season's American Idol Allison Iraheta. With Adam Lambert and Kris Allen having so much hype around them, we've forgotten how great Allison is. Her debut album, single, and music video have all been praisedby critics, good news for her. With promo for her album starting this week, Allison's sure to pick up on airplay and the charts. She beat Alicia Keys, Timbaland and Chris Brown to become Artist Of The Month for December!

Read Just Like You album review: HERE
Watch Friday I'll Be Over U music video: HERE
View everything Allison: HERE

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Music Reviews 10 @ 11:07 AM | comment link here