This year has been the year of the pop, indeed. The frontwomen of pop music Katy Perry, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Ke$ha have been dominating the charts for the entire year, one after the other. This year saw many British acts enjoying continued success with the likes of The Wanted, The Saturdays, Cheryl Cole, Pixie Lott, Alexandra Burke and Matt Cardle amongst others having a truly great year.
The women of Country music have also put up a big fight, with Taylor Swift breaking more records with third multi-platinum album Speak Now, Carrie Underwood headlining an enormously successful Play On Tour, and Miranda Lambert sweeping up the awards this year.
Then there was the fad that Alicia Keys and Jay-Z started with Empire State of Mind with rappers including pop singers on their tracks, sparking Eminem's smash collaboration with Rihanna Love The Way You Lie, T.I. and Christina Aguilera's Castle Walls and the latest to join the fad, Far East Movement's Rocketeer with Ryan Tedder that's flying up the charts right now.
Glee was bigger than ever this year and truly made a mark on 2010 in music. But 2010 is just getting us prepared for the epicness of 2011, where we'll see the original ladies battle it out in 2011 - Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Kelly Clarkson etc.
But we shouldn't forget the guys who shook up the industry this year with Bruno Mars leading the way, followed by the likes of Adam Lambert, Kris Allen, Train, Enrique Iglesias etc.
Suffice to say, 2010 was a great year in music and here are the list of winners for the MRAs 2010!
MRAs 2010: The second annual MRAs saw you guys going on Twitter to spread the word about the MRAs, with Diana Vickers retweeting a tweet about the MRAs and Tamar Kaprelian going on Facebook to tell you guys to support her, and the support that the MRAs have gotten from you guys has been overwhelming.
Up first is Best Newcomer, and running away with a staggering last minute 40.37% of the votes is Lee DeWyze, nabbing the crown away from the previous frontrunner Diana Vickers who comes in second with 7, 745 votes, pushing We Are The Fallen to a respectable third place with 3, 969 votes cast for the rock group. Tamar Kaprelian came close with 1, 184 votes, firmly placing her in fourth while Ke$ha, Jason DeRulo, Emily Osment and Christina Perri finish fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth position respectively.
Winner of Best Newcomer: Lee DeWyze
For the Tour of the Year, Adam Lambert's fans had the Glam Nation Tour always at the front, and though Lambert's walked away with the title, Rihanna's fans have put in a sudden effort to try to push her Last Girl On Earth Tour to a second spot finish, with some 6, 055 votes cast. The original American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson was also on the road this year with the All I Ever Wanted Tour which has managed to grab bronze with 395 votes, pushing Leona Lewis who went on her debut headlining tour The Labyrinth Tour into fourth with the American Idol Season 9 Tour finishing in last.
Winner of Tour of the Year: Adam Lambert - Glam Nation Tour
For the Live Performance of the Year, Allison Iraheta nabs her second MRA with her performance of Don't Waste The Pretty with Orianthi on So You Think You Can Dance finishing in first with a solid 50.42% of the total votes cast. P!nk came close with her headline-grabbing performance at the Grammys with Glitter In The Air running away with 1, 689 votes. Cheryl Cole's stunning performance of Promise This live on The X Factor finishes in third with 398 votes, pushing Christina Aguilera's performance of Not Myself Tonight and Bionic at the MTV Movie Awards this year to fourth with Carrie Underwood at fifth with her performance of Undo It at the American Idol Season 9 Finale. Alexandra Burke follows in at sixth with her performance of Start Without You at A Concert For Heroes.
Winner of Live Performance of the Year: Allison Iraheta - Don't Waste The Pretty ft. Orianthi live at So You Think You Can Dance
As for Comeback Album of the Year, Katharine McPhee has won over our readers with her sophomore album Unbroken, getting 554 votes in total, leaving Christina Aguilera and Bionic to settle for second place. Pop princess Katy Perry falls short of two votes, falling into third place with her sophomore pop album Teenage Dream with 398 votes. Taylor Swift locks on to the fourth spot with Speak Now and 301 votes while Cheryl Cole's Messy Little Raindrops, Sara Bareilles' Kaleidoscope Heart and Fantasia's Back To Me follow in that order with 160, 147, 107 votes respectively.
Winner of Comeback Album of the Year: Katharine McPhee - Unbroken
Song of the Year sees Diana Vickers leading the way for almost the entire month, and is an easy win for The X Factor 2008 finalist, with a staggering 6, 242 votes cast, leaving its closest competitor Katy Perry's California Gurls in the dust with the latter gathering 472 votes. Another pop stomper by Rihanna, the international smash Only Girl (In The World) collects 235 votes, pushing Shakira's Loca into fourth place with 156 votes, trailed behind by Cheryl Cole's Promise This, Pixie Lott's Turn It Up, and last but not least, Aussie pop siren Jessica Mauboy's Get 'Em Girls.
Winner of Song of the Year: Diana Vickers - Once
As for Debut Album of the Year, Charice' self-titled international album wins by a clear mile with a staggering 61, 569 votes, leaving Diana Vickers to settle for second place with Songs From The Tainted Cherrytree with a remarkable 22, 464 votes. We Are The Fallen places in third with Tear The World Down collecting 4, 530 votes, trailed behind by Lee DeWyze with Live It Up which has gathered 3, 441 votes. In fifth, we have Emily Osment's debut album Fight or Flight with 1, 547 votes. Down the list we have Armenian-American singer/songwriter Tamar Kaprelian with Sinner or a Saint with 926 votes; Ke$ha's Animal with 286 votes, and Jason DeRulo's self-titled debut album with 85 votes.
Winner of Debut Album of the Year: Charice - Charice
Bajan pop star Rihanna lands the title of Album of the Year with 749 votes for her fifth studio album Loud while fellow pop megastar Katy Perry gets a silver with Teenage Dream collecting 421 votes. In third place is Taylor Swift with Speak Now gathering 283 votes. Country trio Lady Antebellum come in fourth Need You Now with 248 votes, trailed behind by Fantasia with Back To Me and Jessica Mauboy's Get 'Em Girls with 63 and 38 votes respectively.
Winner of Album of the Year: Rihanna - Loud
Kris Allen and Diana Vickers battle it out for Music Video of the Year with their videos for The Truth and My Wicked Heart respectively, with the former going for the gold with 26, 778, while Vickers loses by about 2, 000 votes with My Wicked Heart's 24, 904 votes. Nevertheless, both Vickers and Allen have got the rest of their competition way far behind, with the closest being Tamar Kaprelian with her video for New Day with 1, 660 votes. In fourth is Lady Gaga's collaboration with Beyonce with Telephone's 825 votes. Katy Perry's video for California Gurls land at the fifth spot with 215 votes, followed by Ke$ha's video for Take It Off, Cheryl Cole's Parachute, Christina Perri's Jar of Hearts and Alexandra Burke's All Night Long with Pitbull, getting 190, 175, 125, and 120 votes respectively.
Winner of Music Video of the Year: Kris Allen - The Truth ft. Pat Monahan
Bajan pop star Rihanna bags her second MRA this year for Artist of the Year, while Christina Aguilera and Katy Perry tie at second with 366 votes. In fourth is Country/Pop princess Taylor Swift with 296 votes, trailed behind by Carrie Underwood and Pixie Lott with 255 votes and 147 votes respectively.
Big News: What can you expect with HURTS' collaboration with Leona Lewis?
It was previously announced that Leona Lewis had begun work on her third studio album with a planned release in Summer 2011. Then the collaborations started filling in, and we saw Leona Lewis working with the man that has bought the great and the bad to her discography, Ryan Tedder. Nevertheless, another collaboration that surfaced was that Lewis was to work with David Guetta. I'm not too sold on that on as I think David Guetta produces the music to a point where there's barely any soul left in the vocal.
Nevertheless, the very recent collaboration that leaked through was one with British duo Hurts. It's interesting to see how this pans out because this could be groundbreaking.. Or not. Both are fans of each other's and Hurts have recently said they would like to turn Leona into a gothic diva. Hmmmm. Don't mind me asking, but hasn't Leona played the gothic card with her debut headlining The Labyrinth Tour?
But maybe she'll get darker and darker. Let's hope her next album doesn't suffer the same fate as Echo though, that felt way too overproduced that it just left me cold.
As expected, Bruno Mars collects his second solo #1 on the Hot 100 with Grenade overtaking Katy Perry's Firework which has slipped to #2 thanks to the Airplay Gainer Title. Meanwhile, Ke$ha rebounds up to #3 with We R Who We R riding out in its ninth week on the chart. Taylor Swift's slips a spot to #27 this week with Back To December. Christina Perri though, is headed in a different direction, moving up to #43 with Jar of Hearts this week. Selena Gomez & The Scene have returned with A Year Without Rain re-enters at #75 while Bruno Mars does the same with Marry You at #86.
Taylor Swift has taken over the Billboard 200 with Speak Now taking over top spot while Susan Boyle's The Gift falls to #2 while Glee's Christmas album reaches a new peak of #3. Katy Perry and Rihanna are staying strong over on the albums chart as well with Loud and Teenage Dream at #10 and #12 respectively. Bruno Mars rockets up to #20 with Doo-wops & Hooligans this week. Lee DeWyze falls to #125 this week with Live It Up. OneRepublic round out the chart with Waking Up re-entering at #200.
Big News: Britney Spears' new single to drop January 7th!
Drop everything you're doing right now and get this: Britney Spears' return to the music industry will be January 7th when Hold It Against Me, the first single from her upcoming studio album, will premiere. It was previously revealed that she wants a British sound for the album, and has added production team Xenomania who are responsible for a whole lot of Girls Aloud's work to the album. I'm liking that.
Big News: So what the hell's up with Jessie James' sophomore album?
If you're wondering what in the world is going on with Jessie James' new music, then you're at the right place. Thank God for Twitter. On her Twitter, Jessie has promised some new music by March. The last news we've heard of Daughter of a Gypsy, her unreleased sophomore album, was its' September 28th release date this year, pushed back from August 24th. That could only be blamed for the album's lead single Boys In The Summer failing to catch on like her label/herself must've hoped would. But of course, I'd blame the label for the lack of promotion. She did play small gigs and visit radio stations though. But that's clearly not enough.
But the very, very last news we heard was Jessie going back into the studio to record more. And she must be still recording, then. Fans are speculating she might be doing Country like she's always wanted to do. Really? Hmmmm. I'm not completely sold on that one, I definitely think she's going to retain a bit of that pop sound in her music.
Also, in the same tweet, the pop/country crooner has said she's shooting for a TV show starting in January next year. Just what it could be, I have genuinely no idea.
And if you've forgotten just how amazingly talented she is, I'd like to remind you that she's not just a pretty face.
Lee DeWyze - Little Drummer Boy live on Disney Christmas Parade
American Idol Season 9 winner may have only shifted a lacklustre 39, 000 copies of his post-Idol debut album Live It Up, but he's not giving up yet. Lee was on the Disney Christmas Parade to perform Little Drummer Boy. It's the usual Lee performance, not horrid by any measure, but not stunning either. But the crowd was really getting into the performance. Colour me surprised.
Katharine McPhee - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas live @ Early Show
She's certainly hardworking. Katharine McPhee didn't even give herself a break this holiday season, plugging her Christmas album everywhere. Nevertheless, McPhee sang Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas incredibly sweetly on CBS' Early Show. But she needs a new stylist. ASAP. I am not a fan of that loungey-esque look for her, she's much better than that. Oh yes, Happy Boxing Day!
I'd meant to include this in the British Invasion post I just did but I think this artist deserves a post of her own. Jessie J. Born and raised in Essex, the British singer/songwriter has arrived on the scene with her debut release Do It Like A Dude which has in my opinion, more attitude and swagger than Nicki Minaj could ever muster. And here's an interesting nugget of information, she wrote Miley Cyrus' international SMASH Party In The USA, and according to Jessie, was the first song she wrote when she was just starting out and could not believe it when it went to #1. Also, her first release Do It Like A Dude was written for Rihanna. But could Rihanna ever pull off a track as well as Jessie can herself? No.
She's promised us she's a "good girl" and is one of the few songs, if not the only one that has swearing. Nevertheless, I see this as a Katy Perry I Kissed A Girl-esque attention-grabbing track to get people talking and buzzing about her. Now, before you run off with the assumption Jessie can't sing, I'm incredibly pleased to tell you she can. REALLY WELL. Well, she's got Justin Timberlake and Dr. Luke as fans. Timberlake has said that she has the best voice in the entire universe right now. Or something to that extent.
Nevertheless, I'm falling in love with her with every listen, and you can check out some of her best performances below that really show off those pipes. I also really, really love Who You Are. Amazing, woman this. And if you still aren't impressed, Christina Aguilera, Matt Cardle and Leona Lewis' camps have all reached out to her. Impressed yet?
And is it just me, or does her talking voice sound really similar to Vanessa White of The Saturdays?
Big News: 2011 in Music Part II - British Invasion
2010 has been a successful year for boybands, with JLS' continued success, McFly's bloody awesome Shine A Light of a single, Take That's coming back together and #1 album, X Factor's One Direction taking third place in the final etc. Also, there's a new British band, namely The Wanted, who aren't strangers to the #1 spot on the UK Singles Chart, or #2 for that matter, after All Time Low and Heart Vacancy peaked respectively at those positions. Their latest single Lose My Mind, though, hasn't been doing too well. After a performance on The X Factor, Lose My Mind peaked a little too early at #29 in the UK. I blame the premature performance on The X Factor. Nevertheless, Siva of The Wanted talked to Digital Spy earlier about the band's plans for next year.
First off, the boys are going to tour next year and they said that a funfair theme seen in the Lose My Mind video might be incorporated into the tour. You can "expect a lot of wacky shows", and they "want to entertain and put as much of us into the performance as we can".
Secondly, the boys ARE planning to invade America. They've apparently lined up two weeks of recording and writing with various producers and writers. That's for a second album by the way. The boys have been signed to Def Jam over in the States and "hopefully try to release All Time Low".
When questioned about a fourth single lifted from their debut album, Siva said he wasn't too sure and that most likely there wasn't going to be another single. Pity then, their debut album has so much potential - Replace Your Heart, Hi And Low, Weakness and Made could rocket The Wanted to superstar status if they all became hits. Mismanagement screws up the album. Where have we seen this before.. *coughTheSaturdayscough*
Next up is Alexandra Burke who won The X Factor in 2008 and has skyrocketed to pop superstardom in the UK - with #1 singles Hallelujah, Bad Boys feat. Flo Rida and Start Without You. Her debut album Overcome has also managed the same feat over on the albums chart and has gone double platinum. Naturally, Burke has started talking about her second album.
On Twitter, she announced she was in New York to record with producer/songwriter Autumn Rowe and Qiana Conley. Talking about the new material for her sophomore set, she's said that "it's going to be a lot sexier and a lot more fun. None of the songs I've recorded that were meant for Overcome will make it onto album two". Thank goodness for that, we don't want some random weak material on the second album..
Also, the plan's to take the sophomore album to the States. To be honest, I think she can really make it in the States because she's the most charismatic performer after Leona Lewis.
When asked about her upcoming debut headlining tour, Burke said "I cannot wait for this tour! It's going to be something very, very special. When I go out to a club, I love dancing to uptempo songs and letting my hair down, so that's what I want the audience to have when they come to the tour. I want them to get to know me a little bit better, but at the same time I want it to be a night out for them. I want it to be fun, vibrant, bubbly and exciting! I want them to feel how I feel when I go out and that's why I've called it the 'All Night Long Tour'."
2011 in Music Part III - British Invasion II will be coming up soon.
The music industry has been so slow of late that I've decided to do another review (plus, I haven't done these in a while). If you haven't heard much of The Saturdays, Headlines! is pretty much a worthwhile purchase. Before the girls head out on their sold-out The Headlines Tour next year, Headlines! acts as a bridge between their sophomore album Wordshaker and their next full-length studio album that is set to arrive next year. Nevertheless, Headlines! has three songs that previously appeared on Wordshaker, namely the #2 smash hit Forever Is Over, their second best-selling single after Up called Ego, and a remix of album standout One Shot. Those three tracks are mighty fine but what you really want to know about is the new material.
Well then, the album opens with the ballad Missing You which is in the rein of Selena Gomez & the Scene's A Year Without Rain. It's their best ballad that they've released so far but that's not saying much. Not too bad, yet not quite showstopping. Then there's their current single Higher which seems to be a clear favourite. It's slightly better than Missing You and much more fun which resonates with anyone that loves The Saturdays.
The next new track Died In Your Eyes is a cover of Kristinia DeBarge' track which appeared on her debut album Exposed in 2009. The song itself was a standout on DeBarge' album and thankfully, the girls don't do too much with the track. Producers have messed up this one though, for while it was raw and honest on DeBarge' album, it was rather autotuned on this version which detracts from how honest the track is.
Then we go back to fun with the sassy Karma and Puppet. Karma, while interesting, just doesn't make you want to go out and get it. Nevertheless, if the group should release a third single from Headlines! (which they should), it should be this. It shows attitude and quirk that's missing from previous releases that have caused critics to call the group a blander version of Girls Aloud.
Puppet is a tough one. It's moderately catchy.. And a bit nuts actually. It's a bit naughty, come to think of it. And if they do want to make the headlines and get people talking, this could be the track to do it. Album stunner, though? Not quite.
Headlines! draws you to this conclusion: the girls have so much potential to be as big as Girls Aloud, but were horribly mismanaged during the Wordshaker era, and nothing (that hasn't already been released as a single or appeared on Wordshaker) here sounds like a #1. Hmmmm. I'd still go for Karma to be the next single, but they really need an AMAZING next album. One without filler, and one with the sass of some of Girls Aloud's best work. It's a shame though, Work could've been the track, but for whatever reason, is their lowest charting single in the UK.
If you thought Katy Perry was going to release the ridiculously catchy Peacock as her next single, as did I, you thought wrong. The California Gurls singer is still reigning on the Hot 100 with current single Firework, but I'm totally ready for a new single. It appears that the next single will be E.T.. Hmmm. I'm not completely sold on this song as the chorus isn't as poptastic as her past couple ones. But I'm sure it's going to be a slightly darker video with this single and radio will eat up anything she releases (bar Thinking of You).
First off, I'd like to wish all readers of Music Reviews 10 a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! Thanks for all your support and I can't wait for 2011 in music! Avril Lavigne, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, The Saturdays.. Colour me excited! Keep being truly, truly amazing. The viewership has grown ever since I started and you guys never fail to blow my mind. So thank you so much! Have a happy holidays!
Music Reviews 10 @ 12:45 AM | comment link here
Crystal Bowersox on Chelsea Lately
Well, well, well. Colour me surprised. Or not. Crystal Bowersox has sold about 57, 804 copies of her debut album Farmer's Daughter, which is a respectable number, at least more respectable than Lee DeWyze managed to with 39, 000 with his post-Idol debut set. Nevertheless, promo hasn't come to a stop yet, as Bowersox was on Chelsea Lately and sat down for a little chat. They didn't talk much, except about the marriage, the album, and the gigging she used to do.
Katy Perry's Firework remains at the top of the Hot 100 while getting the Airplay Gainer title. Expectedly, Bruno Mars is trailing right behind with Grenade hitting a new peak of #2. Taylor Swift's also on the move up with Back To December rising to #26 this week. Also moving up is Christina Perri with Jar of Hearts inching closer and closer to its peak of #34 at #46 this week. She must be doing something right.. P!nk's new single F**kin' Perfect has made its debut at #86 this week. Glee's Baby, It's Cold Outside falls to #99 this week while Mariah Carey's Oh Santa! has finally arrived at #100. Let's hope it doesn't just debut and disappear like Up Out My Face..
Taylor Swift's Speak Now has taken over on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart after Susan Boyle's reign on top with The Gift for a couple of weeks. Despite how utterly WRONG this is, Michael Jackson's posthumous album Michael has debuted at #3. Doing better than the American Idol Season 9 winner Lee DeWyze, fellow runner up Crystal Bowersox' Farmer's Daughter arrives at #28. Surprise, surprise. Lee DeWyze himself isn't doing TOO badly.. Live It Up has actually moved up to #119.
Cheryl Cole was on Alan Carr's talkshow to prove a point, to prove she CAN sing, and to justify some of her actions on The X Factor that has received some audience backlash. Thus, Cheryl sat down with an interview with Alan Carr and delivered performances of her upcoming single The Flood and an acoustic version of Cheryl Cole. You can check out The Flood above and the interview below along with the acoustic version of Promise This. Has she achieved what she went to Alan Carr's show for? Well, yes, she can sing. But not very well.
The interview is flipped to avoid copyright restrictions and in case the other videos have been blocked by copyright, you can watch Promise This and The Flood.
Big News: Leighton Meester offers a preview of Country Strong's Summer Girl
If you were skeptical of Leighton Meester's role in Country Strong, a film that has lots to do with Country music, you weren't alone. Taylor Swift masquerades as a country artist when she really is pop and is selling millions, and I could see Leighton doing the same. Although we've seen Jessica Simpson's attempts to turn to Country to flog her dying career.. Nevertheless, I think Leighton should stick to acting, but she did have some pop gems under her belt.. Like Your Love's A Drug.
If there's one thing you can't blame Emily Osment for, that's trying. Many (including me) would've thought her record label would've given up on Osment's career but she's fighting to stay afloat, as seen by the behind the scenes video above for her upcoming music video for second single Lovesick. The album's first single Let's Be Friends was a moderate hit in some parts of Europe so that could be where they're targeting. Nevertheless, Osment's latest music video looks like Gaga meets Tron meets Ke$ha. Wow. She does want a hit badly.
Nevertheless, the video will premiere January 14th on Myspace (who goes on that website anymore?).
Crystal Bowersox - Farmer's Daughter [Music Video Premiere]
Crystal Bowersox has been a busy bee! With promo all in one week, Bowersox is aiming for first week numbers and that might be it if Farmer's Daughter doesn't catch on. The autobiographical first single has just premiered and tells a story of young Bowersox wanting her mother to be there for her, then ending with a full circle when we see her hugging her son. It's a decent video. Even if the track isn't a surefire hit.
Crystal Bowersox - Farmer's Daughter live on Ellen
Continuing her media promo tour for her newly released debut album Farmer's Daughter, country-lite pop singer/songwriter Crystal Bowersox is set to have first week sales of 45K to 50K, which was better than Lee DeWyze' prediction with 40K to 45K. Oh well. Well, get all you can right now, because I'm not sure Bowersox is ever going to have record-breaking sales and will be dropped by Jive soon. It's a good thing by the way, she's better off with a less greedy label. Also, look at the way they've messed up the careers of Allison Iraheta, David Archuleta and Ciara. Pah. Anyone who's not Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake will never have the focus of Jive Records.
Katharine McPhee - Jingle Bells live on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno
Instead of performing her sombre ballad it's Not Christmas Without You, spreading some Christmas cheer was Katharine McPhee, singing her upbeat version of the holiday classic Jingle Bells. However, she looked a lot like a lounge singer at the start. And I need '07 McPhee back. Sure, sure this is better artistically but I need the commercial Katharine McPhee back so bad.
Katy Perry spends her second consecutive week at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week with Firework, pushing pop rival Rihanna away who's track What's My Name has rebounded to #2. Rocketing up to #3 is Bruno Mars with Grenade. You can pretty much expect Grenade to hit #1 in a couple weeks, if not next week. Slipping two spots is P!nk with Raise Your Glass which falls to #4 this week. Don't worry, she's another track coming out called F**kin' Perfect. Ke$ha bounces back up to #5 with We R Who We R after the music video of said track premiered. Refusing to budge is Rihanna and Bruno Mars' Only Girl (In The World) and Just The Way You Are at #6 and #7 respectively. Taylor Swift remains unstoppable, with Back To December heading up the charts, hitting #34 this week. Christina Perri's doing something right as Jar or Hearts is slowly getting closer to its original peak of #34, hitting #49 this week. After a couple weeks of heading the wrong direction, Carrie Underwood's Mama's Song has finally moved upwards to a new peak of #56. Then there's the unstoppable Glee Cast, with a slew of debuts after that Christmas episode. Baby It's Cold Outside and Welcome Christmas debut at #57 and #59 while Forget You spends a fourth week on the chart at #92. Gwyneth Paltrow must be doing something right. After falling all the way to the bottom of the Hot 100 last week, Shakira's Loca has bounced up 10 spots to #90.
Over on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart, Susan Boyle reigns Queen as The Gift lodges yet another week at the top spot. Taylor Swift's Speak Now trails behind Susan Boyle at #2 while Glee's Christmas Album takes the title of Greatest Gainer and hits a new peak of #3. Well at least this week's fall wasn't too drastic, Lee DeWyze' post-Idol debut album Live It Up falls ten spots to #133.
The annual Royal Variety is back and featured the likes of Kylie Minogue, Susan Boyle, and of course, Cheryl Cole. The X Factor judge has suffered loads of public backlash this year on the competition and is desperate to get the audience back. First stop: Royal Variety. She premiered her upcoming single The Flood and sang almost everything live - except the hook, of course. But no matter how well she sings it, people are still going to be skeptical of that voice of hers. Second stop is by the way, an appearance on Alan Carr where she's rumoured to be performing Promise This live acoustically. Mmmm.
But back to that performance, the performance was good, had more emotion than Pixie Lott, and she looked good. Yes, she didn't belt the hook, whatever. But I don't think many can. Still, should be a hit for her.
Big News: What's American Idol Season 10 going to be like?
With Simon Cowell firmly determined to bring American Idol down and snatch their ratings away with his very own show The X Factor which has already been adapted in many different countries. The UK version has produced talents such as Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke and most recently, Matt Cardle. Wherever Simon goes, people will be watching. So, American Idol has got to step it up to prevent their ratings from sinking any further.
What are the big changes?
#1: Bringing the age limit down to 15 At first, I wasn't and still am not too keen on this idea. For every Allison Iraheta, Jordin Sparks and David Archuleta, there were a thousand Aaron Kellys. They just weren't ready. Traditionally, American Idol has attracted a couple typical groups of youngsters - the indies, the "pageant bots", and those that are just good. But of course, to attract a younger demographic, Idol desperately needs their Justin Biebers and Taylor Swifts.
Randy Jackson has said that some of the 15 year olds have been impressive. If impressive means Allison Iraheta, hell yes.
If it's a One Direction/Justin Bieber/Aaron Kelly thing, no thanks.
#2: The big shake up in format With Nigel Lythgoe back, he's keen on shaking up Idol and is going to bring back the spice. Which means there'll be many, many, many changes in format. According to Lythgoe, the traditional Top 24/36 semi-final rounds will be eliminated and they will go straight into the Top 12 instead.
And if that's not enough, there might be online voting and a wildcard round.
Also, he has confirmed via Twitter that the contestants will be living in one house, X Factor-style. OH. DEAR.
Also, they want to limit the instruments used on the show. Basically they don't want another David Cook, Kris Allen and Lee DeWyze.
#3: The promo videos The promo videos released by Idol in time for next season have been fantastic. Instead of focusing on the jokers, they've been focusing on promising talent which is always nice to see. Plus, you can see chemistry between the judges.
The past winners of Idol all shot their promo videos and it shows a small-town to big stage kind of story, which is really, really nice to see. They're finally getting these right.
Big News: Simon Cowell snaps up Rebecca, Cher & One Direction!
Well colour me not surprised. After The X Factor ended last weekend, Simon Cowell has signed all three finalists Rebecca Ferguson, Cher Lloyd and One Direction to his record label, as reported by The Sun. Of course, Cowell sees the potential in all of them and has gone on to sign them. Rebecca was a shoe-in for a deal. Simon wants her to be his next Duffy/Adele/Amy Winehouse. Now if we could inject some of that much-needed personality..
Then there's One Direction. The act he mentored and loved (because he knew he could make gazillions of them). The 5 Justin Biebers put together annoyed me to no end on the show, because I felt they weren't ready as a band.. Yet. That's not to say they can't really sing. They're just mediocre.
Then there's Miss I'm-Not-Cocky-I'm-Confident Cher Lloyd who is a ball of energy. Will.i.am has expressed interest in taking her under his wing, but he's not exactly a great mentor.. Cher's better off with Simon. Simon has stated "I'd make edgy hip-hop with a bit of pop and electro thrown in. It would have to have lots of attitude but be melodic at the same time." Wonder if Cher's aiming to go straight after Jessie J..
Christina Aguilera - Bound To You Studio Performance
Christina Aguilera shouldn't despair right now - her flick Burlesque is doing marginally well, and picked up two Golden Globe nominations (one of them was for her contribution to the soundtrack Bound To You). After that nomination, Sony Pictures has released a brand new in studio performance of the track. We can all see Aguilera's voice is detiorating, but she has a beautiful tone when she's not oversinging. Plus, if she picks up that Golden Globe, Aguilera may be heading into her fifth album era with a couple of accolades and a successful film under her name.
Matt Cardle - When We Collide [Music Video Premiere]
Last year's X Factor single The Climb, covered by 2009 champ Joe McElderry wasn't able to nab the Christmas #1, but reports have indicated that Matt is storming the charts and is on course to collect the Christmas #1. The music video has just premiered and as always, is a montage of his X Factor journey. Let's just hope his career goes more of the way of Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke than Shayne Ward and Joe McElderry (who was unfortunately ruined by an overproduced first single).
Big News: Avril Lavigne's What The Hell single cover!
Avril Lavigne has premiered the official single cover for her first single What The Hell. I expected full on fun, punk-ish, hot pink stuff but look how sad she looks. Or cold. Hmmmm. I'm still interested to hear the track though.
Crystal Bowersox - Farmer's Daughter live on Live With Regis And Kelly Show
The talented Crystal Bowersox has an album out, but few know about it, so Bowersox has kicked off promotion for her debut album Farmer's Daughter. She recently appeared on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and here's another performance of Farmer's Daughter on Live With Regis And Kelly. I like the lyrics, but I'm still not really enjoying the song as a whole. Sometimes, you have to let yourself be manufactured a bit to get your name out there Crystal, or you might end up with the same fate as Nadine Coyle and Tesco.
After a couple of years where X Factor judge Cheryl Cole had one of her acts take the eventual crown, this year's X Factor winner was from the Boys' Category, Matt Cardle, mentored by Dannii Minogue. Matt Cardle to The X Factor, to me, is like what Lee DeWyze is to American Idol. First off, there's the paint store background, secondly, it's the singer/songwriter vibe he's giving off. We've seen how Lee DeWyze has done in the States, and if I'm being honest, Matt might suffer the same fate. First off, he's incredibly hard to market, and he needs something groundbreaking/really good if he wants a lasting, successful career.
In a world where pop music seems to be dominated by the do-it-alls (Beyonce), outrageously wild acts trying to outshock each other (Ke$ha, Gaga), coulourful/vibrant/fun (Rihanna, Katy Perry), Matt (and Lee) will be tough to market. We'll see if Simon Cowell can market him right.
On the other hand, Matt may have beaten Rebecca Ferguson, One Direction and Cher Lloyd, but don't dismiss the latter three just yet. Rebecca is a shoe-in for Simon Cowell's record label. She has a beautiful tone to her voice, looks gorgeous, and is humble. But her voice is a problem as well. The beautiful tone in her voice only masks one thing, she doesn't have a wide range (in fact, any range at all). Plus she doesn't seem to have a lot of personality.
One Direction.. Oh dear. The boys we'd all love to hate. But Simon is definitely going to sign them, they're going to do well, sell millions of records, the tweeners will go mad etc. They'll be fine.
Cher Lloyd? She's a little grating to watch sometimes. And she comes off as a bit cocky. Actually not a bit, very cocky. But she's interesting to watch. I'll leave it at that.
Nevertheless, check out Matt's debut single When We Collide below.
Download Link: HERE Download Link 2: HERE Download Link 3: HERE
The Saturdays - Higher feat. Flo Rida live @ Jingle Bell Ball
Delivering their very first performance of Higher with feature artist Flo Rida was the UK's premiere girlband The Saturdays at Capital FM's Jingle Bell Ball. However, this is one of their weakest performances (just watch the one at T4's Stars of 2010. Vanessa was disappointing (heard she smokes), but you can always check out their hilarious interview below. The thing about The Saturdays is that they actually get along.
The Wanted - All Time Low + Lose My Mind live at the Jingle Bell Ball
One of the best pop boybands to emerge from the UK this year are The Wanted who have already scored UK #1 and #2 singles and the band joined a star-studded line-up at the Jingle Bell Ball, performing All Time Low which you can check out above and their latest offering Lose My Mind and their interview backstage which you can check out below.
Nicole Scherzinger sure isn't taking any chances with Poison, going full on promotion in the UK for her solo single outside of the Pussycat Dolls. Speaking of the Pussycat Dolls, even though the former Burlesque troop were supposedly going back to releasing music next year, featuring four new faces along with Nicole, the future right now seems bleak. If I'm being honest, the Pussycat Dolls were at their greatest with or without Carmit, but they were really strong in the Doll Domination era. And it's obvious Nicole has always been using the Pussycat Dolls as something to fall back on. Now that Miss Scherzinger has scored a UK Top 3 hit, she has apparently quit the group. You know what this means.. Bye bye PCD.
Still, Scherzinger herself has been hard at work, and recently performed Poison at the Jingle Bell Ball. And can I just say, that was phenomenol. It's hands down her best performance of Poison because you could see her focus, and I don't think I've ever seen her work her vocals that hard performing Poison live. After that showstopping performance which you can check out above, you can watch her in action on Koko Pop & The Alan Titchmarsh Show below along with interviews on the Koko Pop, Jingle Bell Ball etc.
British pop siren Alexandra Burke got her sass on and took to The Jingle Bell Ball to perform her UK hits Bad Boys and All Night Long. I'm not sure why Miss Burke isn't performing The Silence, her current single, as much as she should be. Nevertheless, I don't think I need to tell you how good she was, because it's something we've come to expect from her. Check out Bad Boys above and All Night Long below.
Pixie Lott - Catching Snowflakes live on Alan Titchmarsh Show
British popstar Pixie Lott may be on her headlining UK tour but she managed to squeeze a performance of Catching Snowflakes in on the Alan Titchmarsh Show. It's my favourite song from her so far, and honestly, I don't get why this wasn't released as a single after Broken Arrow as Can't Make This Over sounds perfect for the Fall while Catching Snowflakes could sound like a Christmas #1. Vocally it's one of her better performances lately, and there's something about the sweetness about the song that just hits me right there in my heart.
Crystal Bowersox - Farmer's Daughter live on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
American Idol Season 9 runner up Crystal Bowersox has finally kicked off promotion for her debut album Farmer's Daughter and its first single of the same name. Crystal and Jive (her label) got off to a rocky start as she fought for the release of something she'd penned. By that time, I didn't know if Jive was going to give in. After a few Twitter rants here and there, Bowersox finally got her wish. If I'm being totally honest, I don't expect her to do really well and I actually think she's going to get dropped. But maybe if she can get at least one hit, she could stay on like Kris Allen. Nevertheless, check out the performance of Farmer's Daughter above on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.
The Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am is no stranger to The X Factor or Cheryl Cole. One of Cheryl's acts, Cher Lloyd, was joined by will.i.am himself to perform Where Is The Love and I Gotta Feeling. To be honest, it kind of felt like Cher was trying to outstar Mr. will.i.am but I totally see her becoming part of the Black Eyed Peas. But no one will be able to replace Fergie.
Oh, and just for interests' sake, Cher was eliminated. Peep her elimination video below.
One Direction and Robbie Williams - The X Factor Final
Since I'm posting videos from The X Factor Final and the duets, I might as well continue with One Direction and Take That's Robbie Williams. If I'm being totally honest, I do not like One Direction because I sincerely believe they're not ready yet. But Simon Cowell sees their potential and will definitely be signing them regardless of whether the boys win or not. And that performance was alright.
Music Reviews 10 @ 12:12 AM | comment link here
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Christina Aguilera - The X Factor Final
Rihanna wasn't the only superstar The X Factor (UK) brought in to duet with one of the finalists. Joining Rihanna was Burlesque star Christina Aguilera who did a duet with Rebecca Ferguson (whom I'm rooting for), performed Beautiful together. We could all tell Rebecca was starstruck and couldn't properly perform the song but hey, not everyone can go from wannabe popstar to sharing the stage with someone like Christina Aguilera.
After that, Aguilera performed Express from the Burlesque flick. It's nice to see Aguilera landing big stages, promoting Burlesque the way Bionic should've been promoted. Singing the crap out of that song, Aguilera did a similar performance on the AMAs, and sure she's gotten a little more meat on her bones, but I don't care. Girl's still got a great voice.
This year, I've started following The X Factor (UK) and have always liked Matt. On the final, pop megastar Rihanna joined Matt for a passionate performance of one of Rihanna's ginormous hits Unfaithful. That was incredible, honestly.
Later, the Bajan popstar took to the stage (for a overall third time this season) to perform What's My Name which was recently released in the UK. She started off with some BIG earrings and a zebra-esque outfit before stripping to a zebra-print bikini. Yes she looked good, but it's been one of her better vocal performances. She's genuinely getting better with her live performances. You can expect What's My Name to zoom into the Top 5 on the UK charts next week.. Or maybe a #1 again.
Katy Perry's giving Rihanna a run for her money as the Singles Artist, with Perry sending her third single Firework straight to #1 on the Hot 100 after California Gurls and Teenage Dream hit the summit earlier this year. P!nk's Raise Your Glass has fallen to #2 in the meantime. And speaking of Rihanna, What's My Name? has just rebounded up to #3 on the Hot 100 while Only Girl (In The World) falls to #6. The Black Eyed Peas' single The Time (Dirty Bit) has entered the Top 4 this week. Bruno Mars rockets up to #5 with Grenade this week. Don't count out another Hot 100 #1 for this talented young man here. Ke$ha's We R Who We R falls to #8 this week. The Glee Cast's Dog Days Are Over, Hey, Soul Sister, (I've Had) The Time Of Our Lives, Valarie and Don't Cry For Me Argentina debut at #22, #29, #38, #54 and #97 while Marry You which debuted last week, falls to #57 and their cover of Cee-Lo Green's Forget You rounds out the Top 60 while Singing In The Rain/Umbrella spends its third week on the chart at #99. Taylor Swift slowly inches up the Hot 100 with Back To December moving up to #43 this week while fellow Country/pop superstar Carrie Underwood remains at #58 with Mama's Song. Christina Perri's Jar of Hearts remains entrenched at #65. Shakira's Loca rounds out the Hot 100.
Susan Boyle returns to #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart with The Gift, trailed behind by Taylor Swift's Speak Now. Glee's Christmas album shoots up to #4 with the Christmas season just round the corner. The Black Eyed Peas debut at a disappointing #6. Rihanna's Loud rounds out the Top 10 while Mariah Carey rockets up to #12 with the Greatest Gainer Title with Merry Christmas II You. It's bad news all-round for Lee DeWyze as Live It Up falls to #123 in just its third week out.
Philadelphia singer/songwriter Christina Perri has been out promoting, promoting, promoting her hit single Jar of Hearts which has peaked at #34 so far on the Hot 100. Perri hit Conan to perform Jar of Hearts on the piano with a pretty black and white dress. Wasn't her best vocal but she looked stunning. Now if only we could get a proper singer/songwriter album next year..
Katharine McPhee - It's Not Christmas Without You [Music Video Premiere]
I've been dying for this video to be released and now it's finally here. Looking like something she could've done back in 2007, Katharine McPhee's video for It's Not Christmas Without You harks back to the days of '07, when her pop/R&B flavoured album was doing pretty well (in its first week). First off, the hair is officially back, and she's showing skin in the video. That's very old McPhee of her. But as usual, McPhee sings bloody well and it's a really nice song to listen to, even if it's not Christmasssy.
Big News: Avril Lavigne "Goodbye Lullaby" official cover!
Pop/rock superstar has gone through quite a lot between the release of her third studio album The Best Damn Thing and her next release Goodbye Lullaby. The official album cover for the latter is above. Of course, her return to the music industry is going to be a challenge, it's been 3 years after all. And of course, RCA aren't taking any chances for the Canadian songstress and Lavigne will release What The Hell as the first single off the album. I'm expecting the album to be dark, moody and retrospective. Can't wait.
Carrie Underwood - Cowboy Casanova/Temporary Home/Undo It live on CMT Artists of the Year
Country/pop superstar Carrie Underwood was recently honoured with the title of CMT's Artists of the Year. Underwood went on to perform a medley of her three Country #1s she's collected over the past year. It was nice to see Taylor Swift rocking out to Undo It. Girl needs to write for Carrie ASAP. Check out Carrie getting teary-eyed below while accepting her award.
Glee Cast - Don't Stop Believing live on The X Factor (UK)
Embarking on an European tour next year are the cast of Glee, who were on The X Factor stage to perform Don't Stop Believing and plug their Christmas album and upcoming tour. The cast were okay vocally and they put on their Regionals' outfits, y'know, the gold one which I personally love. Lea Michele was clearly the best singer live. The rest were okay. Somehow, the Glee magic doesn't translate that well to a live performance, well at least on that stage.
Alexandra Burke - The Silence live on The X Factor (UK)
UK pop/R&B siren Alexandra Burke returned to the show that launched her mega successful career The X Factor (UK). After being crowned two years ago in 2008, the songstress has gone on to collect three #1 singles in the UK in just over two years. Re-releasing her multi-platinum selling debut album Overcome, Burke performed her fifth single The Silence on the show. The first half was kinda boring, but then knocked it out of the park when she hit the second half, easily showing those current contestants how to do it. Could she possibly have another hit on her hands? Most definitely.
Currently the biggest girl group in the UK, The Saturdays did a little AOL sessions recently and performed some never before performed live tracks. Check them all out below, including the interviews. Speaking of girl groups, Sarah Harding of Girls Aloud has plans to release a solo album next year. That'll be the third after Cheryl Cole and Nadine Coyle. Yup, bye bye Girl Alouds, hello The Saturdays. Oh, but apparently Girls Aloud are contractually obligated to release three more albums. Oh but with Cheryl's success, don't count on a new Girls Aloud album anytime soon.
UPDATE: One Shot and behind the scenes footage has just been added.
Ego
Died In Your Eyes
I loved Rochelle in Died In Your Eyes. It gave her voice lots of focus.
Missing You
Issues
Higher
It's the only one that wasn't acoustic (besides One Shot), but oh well.
Despite the success of Katy Perry, Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Eminem this year, 2010 has been a rather slow year in music. But no worries, because 2011 is going to be a blood bath. Some pop stars have disappeared on the scene for a while and are ready to make a comeback next year, while others look like they're set to continue their success.
Avril Lavigne's last release was back in 2007 with her third studio album The Best Damn Thing which contained the international smash #1 hit Girlfriend. After a couple more successful singles, the album went Gold, Platinum or Multi-Platinum in different countries around the world. She embarked on The Best Damn Tour in 2008 before taking a break and working on new music. There have always been rumours surrounding the new project, and the album was pushed back several times.
She said she was going to return to the sound of her earlier and better work, that it was going to be mellow, acoustic and more deep. Then, most possibly, her label wasn't satisfied with her songs and she returned to the studio to work with Alex Da Kid, the man behind some of the latest hit songs such as Eminem and Rihanna's Love The Way You Lie, to balance things out and include some more upbeat and fun stuff.
Now, things are looking better for Lavigne as the first single off the record officially titled Goodbye Lullaby, is called What The Hell and it will be released January next year, with the video already shot in November. Lavigne says What The Hell will be the most pop track off the album, most probably it'll be punk-ish, which some of her hardcore fans seem to love. Goodbye Lullaby will be released in March next year. Let's hope there are no more pushbacks.
Britney Spears has been out of the public eye for quite a while now. Her last album, the multi-platinum selling Circus was released in 2008. She then embarked on her Circus tour, which became the fifth highest grossing tour. She then took time off before releasing the smash hit 3 from The Singles Collection.
Just hours ago, Spears revealed on Twitter that the album will be released in March 2011, which probably means the pop icon will be releasing the first single off the album in January, putting her head to head with Lavigne. Of course, Jive has spared no expense for the upcoming album, holding a writing camp which had some of the industry's best people involved. Dr. Luke and Max Martin will serve as the project's executive producers.
Kelly Clarkson successfully returned to the pop/rock throne last year when her fourth studio album All I Ever Wanted saw the pop/rockster return to her pop roots. The album helmed the #1 smash hit My Life Would Suck Without You and the album eventually sold over 800, 000 copies in the United States.
For the fifth album, Clarkson announced on Twitter she hopes to have the album's first single out by January 2011 and that two duets might make it on the album. According to some rumours, Clarkson is going for a Radiohead sound. Hmmmmm..
Beyonce Knowles was just backed off a multi-platinum selling third studio album I Am.. Sasha Fierce and a soldout world tour. Of course, being the workaholic that she is, she's gone back into the studio again and has said that the new album is inspired by Fela Kuti, The Stylistics, Lauryn Hill, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson's Off the Wall. The R&B/Pop star has started work with Ne-Yo, The Dream etc. and that the album will contain many uptempo numbers. She's claimed that she's mixing every type of genre she loves to hopefully carve out a niche for herself.
Another year, another Lady Gaga release. Sweeping up just about almost every possible award she can get under her glittery belt, the popstar is still on her Monster Ball Tour. Her next studio album Born This Way is set to contain 20 tracks and that it's set for release in early 2011 with a single in February. She's desribed Born This Way as the best album of the decade. Err...
Check out for Part II soon. Who are you excited about?
Katharine McPhee - Jingle Bells + Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas live @ Boston Holiday Lights!
American Idol alum Katharine McPhee has been doing the promotional rounds for her Christmas release Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You playing gigs throughout the nation. She performed her snazzy rendition of Jingle Bells in Boston recently, followed by Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. You can check out the latter below and the former above. It's nice to see the crowd so enthusiastic towards McPhee.
Boy, did The X Factor do wonders. Pussycat Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger has been desperately trying to carve out a name for herself as a solo artist for years now, and Poison could be the track to seal the deal. After the high-profile appearance, Scherzinger is battling with The X Factor contestants themselves for a #1 when the Singles Chart is released on Sunday. The X Factor's charity single, Heroes, is set to spend another week at the top spot, but you never know. Meanwhile, boyband The Wanted who also performed their latest single Lose My Mind on the results show, are set to debut at #28. Not exactly a fantastic number, but it doesn't get released as a single till later in the month.
It's that time of the year when the music biz gets all riled up with the very many end of year releases, and of course, the Grammy nominations. This year, Eminem was nominated for 10 awards, while Bruno Mars (surprisingly) got 7 nods. Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum, and Lady Gaga are all up for 6 awards. The list is as predictable as always and of course Eminem, Lady Antebellum, and perhaps Miranda Lambert will be the big winners next year. Looks like Ke$ha got snubbed for a couple of awards this year eh?
After what seemed like forever, the glittery pop princess Ke$ha has finally delivered the video for her international smash hit We R Who We R. The video isn't supposed to be meaningful (obviously), despite the "message" of the song. It's just showing Ke$ha dancing around, partying with other people. The usual, then. Was this really worth the wait? Hmmmm..
Mariah Carey - Oh Santa! live @ Rockefeller Centre
Desperate for a live performance of Oh Santa!, I'm so glad Mariah Carey has finally done one. A pregnant Mariah was at the Rockefeller Centre to recreate the music video, the cheerleaders, background singers, dancers, audience were all there. Her vocal was almost faultless and delivered a similar vocal to the original studio recording, which isn't something I can say of some of her other recent performances. Loved it.
Katharine McPhee - It's Not Christmas Without You + Interview
Doing some much needed promotion for her Christmas album, Katharine McPhee hit the FOX Red Eye Show in New York to perform It's Not Christmas Without You, her co-penned original Christmas song on the Christmas album Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You. She performed the song effortlessly and it was yet another fantastic vocal from the gorgeous brunette. Of course, McPhee also did an interview with them and it's the most comfortable I've seen her since her interview with Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2008. And in 2007 on the same show.
Nicole Scherzinger - Poison live @ This Morning + Daybreak
Desperate for a hit, Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls hit British breakfast talk show This Morning for a performance of Poison and an interview following a performance on The X Factor. At least you can't fault the girl when it comes to working hard. Vocally, it was a little better than her X Factor performance, probably due to less nerves perhaps. And a smaller stage. Check out the performance above and the interview here.
Besides a performance and interview on This Morning, she also took to the stage of Daybreak for another similar performance of Poison. She's genuinely a sweet girl. Let's hope Nicole gets a hit this time. Check out the interview here.
We review the latest in 21st century. Mostly we do pop, but it doesn't really matter, along with new music premieres, video premieres, album premieres. If the links don't work, please notify me in the cbox right below and I will post a new link in the cbox. Thanks.
Artist Of The Month. (November 2011)
The Power Rangers of British pop, The Saturdays, are returning this year with a more mature sound and image, with the girlband taking a stab at the pop/dance wave with their fourth album On Your Radar's first single Notorious being a total flip in direction in their sound, and was noticeably more clubby compared to their previous singles and albums. They then took things a level further with the complete rave-tastic All Fired Up, which is without a doubt their best single release, not surprising since the track was produced by production powerhouse Xenomania, the machine behind pretty much all of Girls Aloud's discography. The pop five-piece are charging forward with the Christmassy ballad My Heart Takes Over before their album On Your Radar drops November 21st!
