Listen: Jennifer Lopez’s ‘Starting Over’…
Posted by | Filed under Jennifer Lopez, New Music
The CDQ version of Jennifer Lopez‘s ‘Starting Over’ has coincidentially surfaced today. It must be fate because the song appears the same day as reports suggesting her confirmation about her move to Island Def Jam. Many of you will recognise the song when she performed the track on SNL recently. It was said to feature on her new album but since she’s re-recording it and giving the project a total make-over, as of now, it’s not yet known if the song will see the light of day on any album she may end up releasing in the foreseeable future.
.
J.Lo is certainly ‘starting over’ by allegedly permitting her new boss LA Reid to executive produce her new project. The laidback synthy pop ballad is produced by Danja, and I personally think it’s a cute little number but I’m going to need J.Lo to go back to producing those hot club records. If she thinks she can come back with midtempo ballads, given her lacking vocal capabilities, she’s in for a very rude awakening. People are not trying to hear these type of records from her AT ALL. Rating: 3/5
SWV’s promo photoshoot [Derek Blanks]…
Posted by | Filed under Photoshoot, SWV
.
Shouts to my girl Necole Bitchie for the pics.
90’s R&B trio Sisters With Voices are on the comeback trail, and have done a promo photoshoot with celebrity photographer Derek Blanks. Singers Lelee, Taj and Coko have been in the studio recording their new album which is set to drop later this year. I cannot wait to hear their new music. Looking good ladies!
Official: Monica’s ‘Still Standing’ sells 183K in first week sales…
Posted by | Filed under Monica
.
Great numbers for Monica because the record label were not expecting her to push the amount that she did, which is why they undershipped her project. Considering that she beat the first week sales of her R&B contemporaries Ciara, Keri Hilson, and Rihanna with their last albums is an accomplishment. She even did better than what the legends did with their last albums as well such as Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson, as well as her fellow veteran Brandy. Once again, the success could not have happened to a more deserving and talented artist.
Trey Songz covers April/May 2010 issue of Vibe magazine…
Posted by | Filed under Magazines, Trey Songz
Click photo for HQ view…
Trey Songz is looking mad sexy on the April/May 2010 cover of Vibe magazine. The 25-year-old R&B crooner showed off his toned hot bod in some Calvin Kleins and was looking like he had just stepped out of an oldskool Coca Cola ad. I have two words to say here. Yes please!
J.Lo; LA Reid ALLEGEDLY producing new Jennifer Lopez album. Big mistake!
Posted by | Filed under Jennifer Lopez
.
Both Christina Milian and Janet Jackson ended up departing the label after both artists did not see eye to eye with chosen producers and single choices. Reid was reportedly furious that Ms Milian ditched his chosen variety of producers to have her then-boyfriend Dre produce her whole entire ‘So Amazing’ album. It was even rumoured that he tried to pitch label mate Rihanna‘s ‘SOS’ to her but she turned it down. C. Mili denies those claims but did go on to say that the song just wasn’t her style. SOS went on to become a massive worldwide hit for Rihanna.
.
Janet Jackson disputed with Reid over single choices for her ‘Dicipline’ project and when she challenged him over it, he halted all of her funding and promotion. Mariah Carey made it known last year that she was not happy that ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ was chosen as a single off her underperforming album ‘Memoirs’, and hinting that Reid was the sole decision maker on that front.
.
Sterling Simms publicly attacked Reid for making him record music in which he felt didn’t express who he was as an artist. He says he was forced by Reid to record and release ‘Nasty Girl’ although it wasn’t his style. When he fought back, decided not to feature the song on his album and recorded music that he felt represented him, Reid halted his promotion and later dropped him from the label.
.
I can go on and on but these ones are the more high-profile cases of Reid’s misconduct of his artists. Jenny Lo Lo may not be that pressed about falling flat on that critically acclaimed butt of hers but this might be one fall she certainly didn’t bargain for.
Usher performs ‘There Goes My Baby’ on ‘GMA’…
Posted by | Filed under Performances, Usher
Wow! Three Usher posts in one day. Usher sure is coming thick and hard with his latest promotional campaign as he paid a visit to ‘Good Morning America’ earlier today. Whether it does any good for his new album ‘Raymond v. Raymond’ is yet to be seen. He performed another single off the project titled ‘There Goes My Baby’, and for his ‘Hey Daddy’ performance, used the same set of groping scantily clad dancers as his ‘Letterman’ performance. Not the type of stuff you’d prefer to see first thing in the morning whilst eating your toast and cornflakes.
Listen: Christina Aguilera’s new single ‘Not Myself Tonight’…
Posted by | Filed under Christina Aguilera, New Music
.
I hate when an artist implies that they are taking their music to the next level only for it to sound like something a much younger peer would have done but better, whilst making a name for themselves during the course of your extended absence. As infectious and radio-savvy as ‘Not Myself Tonight’ may be, it’s just not fresh or original.
.
This fusion of futuristic and electronic sounds has been done before, with Lady Gaga leading the pack. Understandably, if you want to set an impression, you’re going to do what’s hot right now. But just don’t champion your music as something daringly ‘off-the-wall’, and then cop an attitude when someone says to your face that what you’re doing is currently being done by somebody else.
.
I mean, if you were to mix say, Chris Brown‘s ‘Forever’ and Lady Gaga‘s ‘PokerFace’ together in one big blender, this would probably be the outcome. That said, the chorus is kind of hot but vocally, this is not her best by a long shot. Then again, with uptempo ‘fun’ songs like these, does it really matter? I don’t love the song but still smell a future hit a mile off. Listen below. Rating: 3/5
.
Read the rest of this entry »
Ciara; Behind the scenes of Ciara’s ‘Ride’ music video…
Posted by | Filed under Ciara, Sneak Peaks
R&B songstress Ciara and rapper Ludacris shot the music video for her new single ‘Ride’ this week, and here’s a sneak look from behind the scenes. The track, which is produced by The Dream and Tricky Stewart is the lead single to be lifted from her upcoming new album this coming summer.
.
As for the footage, we don’t see jack! But whatwe do get is audio! And the song is definetely a sensual midtempo, as stated in a Ustream session held by The Dream last week. I personally feel the song is a bit slow and she’s taking a big risk by not releasing an upbeat club song along the vein of ‘Goodies’. However, judging by the LQ photos that I posted on Twitter, she is definetely using sex to sell both the song and the video.
.
If you’re following me on Twitter, I also revealed earlier that the 24-year-old invited ENews! to do some coverage so hopefully, we will get to see some official behind-the-scenes footage and a better insight into the video itself. I wonder who directed it.
.
UPDATE: The video director is Diane Martel, who helmed the music video for Ciara’s previous lead single ‘Love Sex Magic’.
Listen: Ciara’s ‘Speechless’ feat The Dream…
Posted by | Filed under Ciara, New Music
‘Speechless’ is a confirmed new song off Ciara‘s upcoming new album, and it is NOT a good look that songs from your recent recording sessions are leaking BEFORE the real single. Can we say ‘Fantasy Ride’ all over again? Definetely a recipe for disaster! The song is helmed by The Dream and Tricky Stewart with assisted vocals from The Dream.
.
I actually like it because it’s very urban and it has a nice beat, although The Dream seems to be using the same bassline for many of his songs. I mean it sounds like something off Electrik Red‘s album also. It also seems like Ciara will be embarking on a more R&B direction as opposed to the pop stuff she came with last year.
.
The song also puts more emphasis on vocals, which Ciara doesn’t have much of, but then, neither does The Dream so their vocals work well together. Overall, nice song. Rating: 3.5/5
JLS book studio time with Stargate, Tony Gad & Labrinth for new album…
Posted by | Filed under JLS
.
He also confirms that producers Stargate (Beyonce‘s ‘Irreplacable’), Tony Gad (Beyonce’s ‘If I Were A Boy’) & Labrinth (Tinie Tempah‘s ‘Pass Out’) will be making contributions to the project. The band who have signed to US label Jive Records will launch a massive chart assault stateside this spring with their first US single ‘Everybody In Love’. They will also be holed up in an LA studio to record the album and are looking to work with American R&B artist Jason Derulo. The band recently added more dates to their sold-out arena tour, which begins in December.
.
With their phenomenal album sales and continuing success, it was only right that their budget is raised further enabling them to work with bigger and better US producers. I have no doubt that the new album will be a massive step-up from their debut in terms of quality. I mean, lets face it, their debut album was cheesier than a multipack of wotsits at your local superstore.
Usher performs ‘Hey Daddy’ on Letterman…
Posted by | Filed under Performances, Usher
R&B super daddy Usher is letting everyone know that big daddy is now home and taking charge. His latest promo trail for new album ‘Raymond v. Raymond’ resulted in a stop to the David Letterman show last night. This is where he performed his steamfest hit single ‘Hey Daddy’, as well as indulged in some semi-sexual choreography with a couple of scantily clad female dancers.
.
This was a very smooth performance from the 31-year-old but not his best. You just know what they say about the way a man moves on stage. Daddy Usher has released quite a variety of singles from ‘Raymond’ so it’ll be interesting to see which songs he chooses to perform throughout the week. He did GMA this morning and he’ll also be appearing on the latest craptacular American Idol.
Janet Jackson to perform & headline at Essence Music Festival on July 2nd!
Posted by | Filed under Janet Jackson
.
Janet may have scrapped all plans to put out a new studio album in the foreseeable future but that’s not to say JJ fans will be completely starved of a Janet-less musical summer. Three-day passes for the festival are currently on sale now through Ticketmaster, but it’s not yet known when single-day tickets will become available. You better be quick and snap those up!
Usher premieres his new music video for ‘OMG’…
Posted by | Filed under New Music Video, Usher
With new album ‘Raymond v Raymond’ being released this week, R&B vet Usher has premiered yet another music video in the form of ‘OMG’ which features Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.I.Am. The song is the first international single from the project. Check out the Anthony Mandler-directed clip above. Stupid video is restricted so that UK viewers cannot watch it, grrr! When I finally do, I’ll update the post with my thoughts.
.
UPDATE: After watching, I’ve come to the conclusion that the video is a step up from ‘Lil Freak’ which premiered last week. As he’s going international, more effort and money went into giving it a more glossy look, and of course there was some featured choreography which I was actually campaigning for. The song has slightly grown on me but I’m not a fan of this type of Usher.
.
R&B Usher is who I vouch for and this dancey uptempo direction doesn’t really suit him in my opinion. I personally feel that it’s a little too BEP-ish in sound, and probably something Fergie would have worked much better had she put it out as a future solo lead. I’m just happy that the song is a one-off and that his new album ‘Raymond v. Raymond’ is not infiltrated with these type of cuts.
Listen: Kelly Rowland’s new single ‘Commander’ [low quality snippet]…
Posted by | Filed under Kelly Rowland, New Music, Sneak Peaks
OK, so it turns out someone actually cares after all, as said person managed to capture a short audio clip of Kelly Rowland‘s new single ‘Commander’. The former Destiny’s Child star briefy debuted the David Guetta produced Rico Love-penned cut on Saturday in Miami during Guetta’s ‘F*ck Me I’m Famous’ party at Mansion.
.
It’s not really fair to comment on a low quality snip espcially with the sound being a little muffled and the words being hard to make out, although you can in deed hear her say: “I’ll be your commandeeeerrr!” during the elongated chorus. Ms Rowland did not perform the full song though. All that excitement and anxiety over a semi performance? Let me go drink some salt water.
.
UPDATE: Woop de woop, in a rare moment, I got it wrong. It turns out Kelly did in fact perform a full routine to her new single. Catch the low quality performance in full after the jump.
.
Read the rest of this entry »
Usher talks about buzz single ‘Papers’ being recorded pre-divorce…
Posted by | Filed under Usher
Whilst promoting new album ‘Raymond v. Raymond’ earlier today, R&B crooner Usher tells MTV News that his recent buzz single ‘Papers’ was written before divorcing his ex-wife Tameka Foster. Does it really matter though? Mr King of Gimmicks known for musically milking his private life, still used the impending breakdown of his marriage to try and secure himself a radio hit. To date, the track peaked at #31 on the Billboard Hot 100 and managed the #1 position on the Hip-Hop/R&B chart. Desperate times calls for desperate measures.
Lady Gaga talks third new album: “It is the anthem of our generation”…
Posted by | Filed under Lady Gaga
.
Lady Gaga speaks about her ‘classic’ new album in the making and it’s one hell of a statement. I have three words for a newcomer who keeps countlessly bigging up their own work to massive proportions: Blah. Blah. Blah. Icons in the making don’t need to keep hyping up their work to keep interest alive. They just do it. After all, action does speak louder than words, so let’s allow the music to speak for itself.
Ciara preps new single ‘Ride’…
Posted by | Filed under Ciara
.
Other confirmed tracks that will make the cut include ‘Gifted’ and ‘Speechless’ (featuring The Dream). The music video for ‘Ride’ is expected to be shot this week. Can Ciara finally save face with this project after the terrible bomb that was ‘Fantasy Ride’? Hooking up with Luda again is a step in the right direction as they both have delicious chemistry, even if it’s a small one. Whether she comes correct with it is yet to be seen.
Jill Scott covers ‘Essence’…
Posted by | Filed under Jill Scott, Magazines
Christina Aguilera ‘Bionic’ album promos…
Posted by | Filed under Christina Aguilera, Photoshoot
.
.
With a closer look, you can also see his name and logo in the artwork along with other importance in Aguilera’s life like ‘Jordan’ for her husband, ‘Mom’ for her mother, and ‘Max’ for her son. The 29-year-old will appear in VH1′s Storytellers to promote her new album which will drop in stores on June 8th. The first single ‘Not Myself Tonight’ premières tomorrow. After a long hiatus, we’re about to find out whether or not she can pull off the ultimate comeback.
Snapped: Kelly Rowland debuts new single in Miami…
Posted by | Filed under Kelly Rowland
.
Unfortunately, I know this post means jack with no audio or youtube video. It’s kind of frustrating because you’d think somebody cared enough to record it on their mobile phones or at least do their best to capture some audio. My assumption is that mobile phones were either banned from the event as they want the song to recieve a proper radio debut OR nobody gives a sh*t, ultimately. If it’s the former, po Kelly, that sure IS a hard pill to swallow.
