Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Jennifer Hudson "Behind The Music"


Check out Jennifer Hudson's Behind The Music special that aired on VH1 earlier this week above. I wanted to wait to post it until I had a chance to watch it so I could share my thoughts on it with you all. As you probably know by now, Jennifer talks about the tragedy that struck her family in 2008 during the special & I, for one, am really glad she's finally showing that she's dealing with the pain. I've admired the strength she's shown--& I have no doubt that her Davids have been an excellent support system for her--but she is human after all & to see that side of someone in the public eye after something happens like what did to her is important. Speaking of her fiance though, he came off really sweet & warm-hearted during the special, & I can now see how Jennifer was able to see past his aspirations to become a pro-wrestler. Anyway, as always, it was very interesting to see her journey from American Idol reject to Oscar- & Grammy-winner again, as it's once of the most impressive & inspirations rises to fame in recent history. I look forward to hearing some new music from the incredible Jennifer Hudson sometime later this year.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Kelly Rowland Performs "Commander" On GMTV

Kelly Rowland performed the hot first single "Commander" off her upcoming self-titled album (September 21st) on GMTV this morning in the UK. I can't tell you how thankful I am to have an artist with true talent like her still (or, in Kelly's case, finally) doing her thing. I'm just so happy for Kelly right now!

Estelle "#ialmostmadeamixtape" Mixtape

Estelle has (almost) released a mixtape entitled #ialmostmadeamixtape prior to the release of her third album All Of Me this September. September is too far away, so I'm glad we have something from Ms. Darlings (lol) now! If you wish, check out the "mixtape'"s tracklisting below before downloading it FREE right HERE.

1. #almostanintro
2. Dear London
3. Fall In Love (Remix ft. John Legend & Nas)
4. #almostafreestyle (ft. Kardinal Offishall)
5. Keep It Like It Is
6. They Say (ft. Maino)
7. Star
8. Dance With Me
9. The Rocks
10. No More
11. MainStream
12. Ghetto (ft. Meek Wilson)
13. Until I Met You
14. Since I Came (ft. Vaughn Anthony & The Tom Hardy)
15. I Can Be A Freak (Pon Di Floor Remix)
16. #almostanoutro

Benny Benassi ft. Kelis, Apl.De.Ap, & Jean-Baptiste "Spaceship" Video Premiere

Kelis, The Black-Eyed Peas' apl.de.ap, & Jean-Baptiste are featured on "Spaceship", the new single from DJ Benny Benassi. This song fits in quite well with Kelis' current sound, which is a good thing because Kelis does dance music well. What's really impressive here though is the video itself. Nice one, Ray Kay!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Toni Braxton "Woman" Video Premiere


"Woman" is the fourth single off Toni Braxton's new album Pulse. I'm disappointed with this video--not extremely disappointed because I love Toni's voice, but disappointed nonetheless. The purpose of a video is to promote the song (&, to a lesser extent, the album it comes from), hence the reason the studio version is used--or else it's just another live performance--& I don't care for live performance-type videos anyway. Regardless though, I love the song.

DJ Khaled ft. Nicki Minaj, T-Pain, Diddy, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Fabolous, Jadakiss, & Fat Joe "All I Do Is Win (Remix)" Video Premiere


Nicki Minaj is featured in DJ Khaled's "All I Do Is Win" remix video, which juuust so happens to premiere the day after the crew closed out the BET Awards with it. This video has changed the way I look at life.

The 2010 BET Awards Recap



Diddy "O Let's Do It (Remix)" // Dirty Money ft. Rick Ross, T.I., & Nicki Minaj "Hello Good Morning (Remix)"



Monica & Deniece Williams - Medley



Usher "There Goes My Baby"



Alicia Keys & Kim Burrell - Medley



Keyshia Cole, B.o.B, & Eminem "Airplanes (Part II)"



Nicki Minaj & Ludacris "My Chick Bad" // Nicki Minaj, DJ Khaled, Ludacris, T-Pain, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, & Diddy "All I Do Is Win (Remix)"



Janelle Monae, Alicia Keys, & Others Tribute Prince

I'd say the 2010 BET Awards were enjoyable--I've never seen so many mash-up-style performances in my life! Probably my favorite performance of the night came from Dirty Money, who, after Diddy finished his shenanigans, brought out all of their "HGM" collaborators for the most epic performance of the song yet. A very special moment of the show was when Monica performed her hit "Everything To Me" & then brought out Deniece Williams to sing "Silly", the song it's based on, before the pair of them capped it all off superbly. I liked Usher's performance. It went downhill from the beginning, which had him looking like he was floating on a cloud, to the end, but it was still good. Alicia Keys sang "No One" & "Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart" before bringing out Kim Burrell during "If I Ain't Got You"--the highlight of the performance--& finishing off with "Un-thinkable (I'm Ready)". The biggest surprise of the night for me was Keyshia Cole coming out of hiding to perform with B.o.B & Eminem (who went into his own "Not Afraid" after they were done, but I didn't care for that). Not sure about her attempt to bring back the mullet, but she sounded great! Nicki Minaj gave me all kinds of life with the two different looks she rocked while performing with the likes of Ludacris & DJ Khaled. That's right, folks--she changed DURING the performance! Love her. Lastly, Alicia Keys & especially Janelle Monae shut it DOWN during the Prince tribute. As for the winners, Beyonce & Lady Gaga's "Video Phone" won Video Of The Year... but neither one of them was there. Rihanna (metaphorically) walked away with the Viewer's Choice award for her Young Jeezy-assisted "Hard" ...because she wasn't there either. Monica, who was there, won the Centric Award... but it wasn't given out on TV. Multiple winners were Nicki Minaj, who won Best Female Hip-Hop Artist, Best New Artist, & Best Group with Young Money, & Alicia Keys, who won Best Female R&B Artist & Best Collaboration for "Empire State Of Mind" with Jay-Z. Also, "Precious" won Best Movie. Click HERE to see all the winners.

Dondria Performs "You're The One" On 2010 BET Awards Pre-Show

Dondria kicked off her 2010 BET Awards Pre-Show performance with her hit single "You're The One" before being joined by Jermaine Dupri for the So So Def remix. She sounded & looked amazing! Her debut album Dondria Vs. Phatfffat will finally arrive August 3rd... I just hope they get a little second single promo in before then.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

N.E.R.D. Performs "Hot & Fun" On Le Grand Journal


N.E.R.D. performed their first single "Hot & Fun" off Nothing (September 7th) on Le Grand Journal... & apparently messed up? lol

Fefe Dobson "Ghost" Video Premiere


"Ghost" is the new single lifted from Fefe Dobson's forthcoming album Joy, which apparently doesn't come out until October 5th. I think IDJ is doing a crappy job with Fefe once again (Heck, she got her music featured all OVER the place--without them), but the video is progress & I really like this song.

Melanie Fiona Covers "I'll Be There" On The Early Show


Melanie Fiona tributed Michael Jackson on the one-year anniversary of his death by covering his Jackson 5 hit "I'll Be There" on The Early Show. She sounded great & was an excellent choice to showcase the talent that Michael displayed in his music. Melanie's debut album The Bridge is out now.

Fantasia "Bittersweet" Video Premiere

"Bittersweet" is the first single off Fantasia's upcoming third album Back To Me (August 10th). I like the video, which has 'Tasia working those 'Color Purple' acting muscles! It's kinda reminiscent of her "Free Yourself" video as well.

Nicki Minaj & Drake Perform "Bedrock" On Jimmy Kimmel

Nicki Minaj joined her labelmate Drake for a performance of their hit "Bedrock" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Show 'em how it's done, Nicki!!

*UPDATED* Ryan Leslie Splits With Universal Motown

Following a pair of commercially unsuccessful albums last year, Ryan Leslie has parted ways with his label Universal Motown. He plans on releasing his third album Les Is More independently. At a recent show in New York City, Ryan actually performed two new songs, "Glory" & "Maybachs & Diamonds", that are set for inclusion on Les Is More. For an artist like Ryan, I'd be all for the indie route if it weren't for the fact that I cannot figure out how indie artists get &/or can afford (physical) distribution, but if I can find Mya's recent mixtape at my local record store, then I'm sure it can be done!

UPDATE: Check out Ryan's recent 4-part collaboration with adidas Originals below. It is through endorsements like these that he intends to keep his name out there:


[Source, Source]

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Alicia Keys On GMA



"Un-thinkable (I'm Ready)"



"Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart"



"Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Broken Down"



Interview (Pt. 1)



Interview (Pt. 2)



Interview (Pt. 3)

Alicia Keys finally admitted her pregnancy to herself the world when her baby bump took center stage on Good Morning America. Alicia performed a selection of hits from her latest album The Element Of Freedom, chatted about her upcoming stork visit, & announced the head blogger for her website I Am A Super Woman.

Billboard Update

^#1 Album #1 Single^

Drake *sigh* debuts atop the Billboard 200 album chart this week with Thank Me Later. At #3, Sarah McLachlan's Laws Of Illusion enters after selling 94,000 copies. Katy Perry hangs onto the top spot on the Hot 100 singles chart with her Snoop Dogg-assisted "California Gurls". Drake also invades the singles chart in the form of "Up All Night" with Nicki Minaj @ #49 & "Fireworks" with Alicia Keys @ #71.

See full charts HERE

(Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Toni Braxton "A&E Private Sessions"



Part 1 ("Un-Break My Heart")



Part 2 ("Breathe Again")



Part 3



Part 4 ("Another Sad Love Song")



Part 5 ("Hands Tied")

On this week's episode of A&E's best kept secret Private Sessions, Toni Braxton put her gorgeous vocals on display with several performances of her hits to promote her latest album Pulse. It's a worthwhile watch... if you can get past (a) the volume being really low (headphones worked for me) & (b) the unfortunate fact that the end of the special is missing.

Sean Garrett ft. Nicki Minaj "Get It All" Video Premiere

"Get It All", featuring Nicki Minaj, is the first single lifted from Sean Garrett's upcoming US debut album. He C-A-N-N-O-T sing, but the song is kinda ok. As for the Gil Green-directed video, it could've used more Nicki, but it was alright.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Preview Fantasia's "Back To Me"

Here, we already have 30-second snippets for every track on Fantasia's forthcoming album Back To Me (August 10th)... as well as the answer to the question about what happened to "The Worst Part Is Over". The album should be good, but I'm gonna go ahead & reserve my judgment until I hear the whole thing.

Dondria ft. Johnta Austin & Diamond "Shawty Wus Up" Behind-The-Scenes

Instead of being treated to her debut album Dondria Vs. Phatfffat (August 3rd) today, we have some making-of footage from the set of Dondria's video for her second single "Shawty Wus Up" with Johnta Austin & Diamond (listen below). Yippee. Once again though, the video should be interesting when it premieres on Monday, July 5th.

Shawty Wus Up (ft. Johnta Austin & Diamond)

Fantasia "Bittersweet" Behind-The-Scenes

Check out this behind-the-scenes footage of Fantasia's "Bittersweet" video, the first off her upcoming third album Back To Me (August 10th). It looks exactly like I expected it to nice. Really though, I'm excited to see the final product when it premieres on Friday.

Jennifer Lopez Does Esquire Czech Republic Magazine

Jennifer Lopez has continued her 2010, which will here forth be known as The Year Of The Magazine, with a cover spread for the latest issue of Czech Esquire. This may be the 27...thousandth time we've seen this shoot, but you can't deny that the J.Lo knows how to look the good!



Janelle Monae Covers "Smile" For Billboard

Another Billboard Mashup Mondays brings us Janelle Monae's interpretation of Michael Jackson's favorite song "Smile". Her version, which can also be found in recorded form on the special edition of her Metropolis: The Chase Suite EP, features her signature clear tone which is gorgeously appropriate for the song. Have I mentioned that I love her speaking voice too? Janelle's debut album The ArchAndroid is out now.

Dirty Money ft. Rick Ross & Nicki Minaj "Hello Good Morning (Remix)" Video Premiere



The "Hello Good Morning" remix video with new footage featuring Nicki Minaj has finally arrived, but it didn't stop Dirty Money's album Last Train To Paris unnecessarily & frustratingly getting pushed back to September. That said, Nicki makes everything better!

Toni Braxton "Upscale" Magazine Cover

Toni Braxton's lookin' good on the cover of Upscale. It looks like she discusses her upcoming Bravo reality show Braxton Family Values in the issue, so it's nice to see that that's still on the horizon. Toni's exquisite new album Pulse is available now. Speaking of which, the video for its next single "Woman" is set to premiere on Monday (June 28th).

[Source]

Kelly Rowland "Commander" Official Video Premiere

"Commander" is the first single off Kelly Rowland's upcoming self-titled album (September 21st). This is the HQ, finished version of the video & aside from whatever David turns into getting a stand, it's not really different.

Adam Lambert Performs, Wins At The 2010 MuchMusic Video Awards

Adam Lambert had quite a night in Canada at the 2010 MuchMusic Video Awards, where he performed his hit For Your Entertainment single "Whataya Want From Me". Adam also walked away with the UR FAVE International Video Of The Year award for "Whataya Want From Me" (beating out Gaga)! Represent!

[Source]

While I Was Away... (3/3)

Check out the covers for Kelly Rowland's new dual single release of "Rose Colored Glasses" (which is out on iTunes on June 29th) & "Grown Woman" (out in July) above. The pair of singles will precede the September 21st release of Kelly Rowland's self-titled third album. Other songs expected to make the album are "On & On (The Sound)", "Shake Them Haters Off", & "Forever & A Day". [Source]



Monday, June 21, 2010

While I Was Away... (2/3)


^#1 Album #1 Single^

The latest Glee soundtrack Journey To Regionals tops this week's Billboard 200 album chart, where Christina Aguilera debuts @ #3 with Bionic following first-week sales of 111,000 copies. Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg's "California Gurls" continues its reign atop the Hot 100 singles chart this week, while Christina Aguilera debuts @ #66 with "Bionic" & re-enters @ #73 & #99 with "Not Myself Tonight" & the Nicki Minaj-assisted "Woohoo", respectively. In addition, OneRepublic's "Secrets" debuts @ #98. (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

While I Was Away... (1/3)

  • Kelis "4th Of July (Fireworks)" Video Premiere

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Album Review: Christina Aguilera "Bionic (Deluxe Edition)"

One of the greatest singers alive today, Christina Aguilera may take her time between albums, which, judging by the minuscule attention span of the general public, isn't always in her best interests commercially, but at least when she returns to the spotlight, she has a clear vision of what she wants to do. With her fourth studio album Bionic, Christina not only incorporates some of the industry's current pop sound, but also some of the charm of her early career, mixed in with an electronic influence. Never fear though because fans of Xtina's big voice & those critical of her "over-singing" on her last album, 2006's Back To Basics, alike should be happy to know that she seems to find a nice balance between showing off her golden pipes & simply making good music on Bionic.

"Bionic": The title track serves as a great introduction to what the listener can expect from the rest of the album, but is also a solid song on its own. 4.5/5

"Not Myself Tonight": Bionic's first single features excellent vocals from Christina & production from Polow, although Ester Dean's lyrics don't quite match up. With that said (as I'm sure I have before), the song is growing on me. 4.5/5

"Woohoo" (ft. Nicki Minaj): Another radio-friendly track with Christina's signature vocals. As always, I love Nicki on it as well. 4.5/5

"Elastic Love": This one gives me just a slight indulgent vibe, but at the end of the day, it is pretty addictive & I applaud Christina for at least trying to introduce a different sound to pop listeners. 4/5

"Desnudate": One of the better uptempos. Christina's vocals are present, but not overbearing. 4.5/5

"Love & Glamour (Intro)": Fine, I guess. LOL

"Glam": This one does have its charm. I've just been trying to get over the fact that they were actually considering this for the lead single & it's not single-worthy AT ALL. 4/5

"Prima Donna": My favorite uptempo on the album. Everything is on-point: The vocals, the production (Nice one, Tricky), the attitude! Yes! 5/5

"Morning Dessert (Intro)": Very nice vibe.

"Sex For Breakfast": The delicate delivery of this one takes me back to the Stripped era. Again, very nice. 4.5/5

"Lift Me Up": Hearing this song for the first time live, I wasn't sure if I would fall head-over-heels for it or not, but the studio version certainly does it for me. Personally, I prefer this Linda Perry-produced ballad over "Beautiful". 5/5

"My Heart (Intro)": Aaawww.

"All I Need": I like the sweetness of this one & all, but it's just not quite there for me. 4/5

"I Am": Unfortunately, this is my least favorite track on the album. The pronunciation of the song title just comes across like she's trying too hard & there really aren't any big vocals present to save it. Still, it's not awful. 3.5/5

"You Lost Me": Interestingly enough, this one's my favorite track on the album. I don't know what happened with them on the preceding track, but Christina & Sia's chemistry is on fire here. Absolutely gorgeous. 5/5

"I Hate Boys": Seeing as how I am a boy, I probably shouldn't like this song as much as I do, but it's too irresistible! 4.5/5

"My Girls" (ft. Peaches): I like this one & Peaches, although I don't know her very well, adds a cool touch to it. I don't love it though... not sure why. 4/5

"Vanity": Obviously, I adore the sass of this track. It's not the catchiest song in the world, but that big note near the end really gives me my life! Love her son at the end too. Perfect closer. 4.5/5

As for the deluxe edition tracks, I actually find them a surprisingly well-rounded set. "Monday Morning" displays the sound she was going for with this record quite well, I think, & I'd probably give it a slight edge over "Elastic Love". I completely understand why the talk-singing-filled "Bobblehead" was left off the main album, but it's totally awesome! Slowing it down a bit, "Birds Of Prey" would've given the album a different angle--& a pleasant one at that. "Stronger Than Ever" isn't great, but it's a great display of vocals for us Christina stans. Naturally, I didn't particularly care to have "I Am (Stripped)", but it is nice.

I'm willing to admit that Bionic isn't perfect. That said however, if people are open-minded while listening to the album & they expect to hear something more sophisticated than your cookie-cutter pop, Bionic does have some really well done pop, urban, & electronic songs--both uptempos & ballads. As a whole, the track selection & sequencing (I wouldn't have bunched all the ballads together) are a little off, but that doesn't really take away from the listening experience. The very talented Christina Aguilera has another worthy piece to add to her collection in Bionic.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

New Music Tuesday: Sarah McLachlan "Laws Of Illusion"

After seven long years, Sarah McLachlan's highly anticipated new album Laws Of Illusion hits stores today. The beautiful album features first single "Loving You Is Easy" & can be purchased in its standard form HERE or by clicking the cover on the (messy... sorry) widget to the right, with the deluxe version available to buy HERE.

Monday, June 14, 2010

*UPDATED* Fantasia "Back To Me" Cover & Tracklisting

Fantasia's third album Back To Me is all set for a July 27th release & the gorgeous cover art for it can be found above. In addition, check out Back To Me's tracklisting below:

1. I'm Doin' Me
2. Bittersweet
3. Man Of The House
4. Who's Been Lovin' You
5. Collard Greens & Cornbread
6. Teach Me
7. Move On Me
8. Trust Him
9. The Thrill Is Gone (ft. Cee-Lo)
10. Falling In Love Tonight
11. Even Angels
12. I'm Here (from "The Color Purple")

I'm quite anxious, well, to hear the whole album, but to finally get a recording of "I'm Here"! I'm also glad they included "Even Angels". On the downside, some of the tracks that were promised to us, like her reimagining of "Misty Blue", don't appear to have made the cut, so that's disappointing, but I'm sure she'll bring it nonetheless!

UPDATE: The album's release has been pushed back a couple of weeks to August 10th... which is fine, but I was doing some listening to 'Tasia's recently leaked material & where do they get off not including "The Worst Part Is Over" on the album, especially considering they DID include "Man Of The House"?!

[Source]

Adam Lambert "If I Had You" Video Premiere


"If I Had You" is the third single lifted from Adam Lambert's debut album For Your Entertainment. This video (Adam's fourth) has a similar vibe to the one for his first single off the album (the title track), his second video, which are polar opposites to his first ("Time For Miracles") & third ("Whataya Want From Me") videos, another similar pair. That's not a bad thing though because Adam does have many sides--it's just interesting to me. Anyway, I like this video & I love everything Adam is wearing in it!

Kelly Rowland Does Cosmopolitan South Africa

No doubt in connection with her World Cup song "Everywhere You Go", Kelly Rowland is on the July cover of South Africa's Cosmopolitan. She looks great both on as well as inside the issue, although I do wish she had been wearing one of the shoot's other outfits for the cover shot. Either way, I'm very excited for what Kelly has up her sleeve this era!







[Source, Source]

Listen To Sarah McLachlan's "Laws Of Illusion"

You can stream Sarah McLachlan's entire new album Laws Of Illusion right HERE before deciding whether or not to pick up a copy tomorrow. I would certainly recommend it!

Dirty Money Performs "Hello Good Morning" On Friday Night With Jonathan Ross

Dirty Money continued their overseas promotion of "Hello Good Morning" from the upcoming album Last Train To Paris (June 28th) with a performance on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross. I've really got to give it up to Danja (or Timbaland... or whoever...) & Rico Love for piecing this hot track together! As for the Dirty Money album though, with two weeks to go before its release, we don't even have as much as a tracklisting. I hope that's not a bad sign.

Backstreet Boys "A&E Private Sessions"



Part 1 ("I Want It That Way")



Part 2 ("As Long As You Love Me")



Part 3 ("Shape Of My Heart")



Part 4 ("This Is Us")



Part 5 ("Bigger")

The Backstreet Boys were featured on an episode of A&E's Private Sessions, where they took part in an excellent sit-down interview & sang acoustic versions of their hits as well as material from their latest album This Is Us during the hour-long special. Highlights for me were Lance Bass' question that brought the BSB vs. *NSYNC drama back up, if only for a matter of minutes, the boys showing off their famous vocals during "unplugged" performances of their biggest hits, & each member naming their favorite Backstreet song--Brian, I love "Siberia" too! (Check it out, it's from the Never Gone LP!)

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Sarah McLachlan Performs "Loving You Is Easy" At WSJ Cafe


Sarah McLachlan stopped by the Wall Street Journal Cafe to perform "Loving You Is Easy", the first single off her new album Laws Of Illusion, due this Tuesday. She should perform this by herself every time because I'm pretty sure this is my favorite performance of this song from her so far.

Christina Aguilera On The Early Show + More



"You Lost Me" & "Fighter"



"Not Myself Tonight", "Genie In A Bottle", & "What A Girl Wants" + Interview

Christina Aguilera closed out her release week promo tour for her new album Bionic with some killer performances on The Early Show. Did you HEAR her at the end of that Genie/WAGW medley?! Also, if you like what you hear during her "You Lost Me" performance ...& there's no way you wouldn't... check her out singing it on the Today show earlier this week in a (slightly rougher) performance that they only now aired:

Sarah McLachlan Performs On Late Night With Jimmy Fallon



"Forgiveness" (Web Exclusive)



"Loving You Is Easy"

Sarah McLachlan performed her first single "Loving You Is Easy" again as well as my favorite song (initially at least) "Forgiveness" off Laws Of Illusion (June 15th) for Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. Gorgeous performances, Sarah!

Goo Goo Dolls "Home" Video Premiere


"Home" is the first single off the Goo Goo Dolls' upcoming album Something For The Rest Of Us (August 31st). This boring, straight-forward video, which could easily be mistaken as fan-made, is much less than what this song deserves.

*UPDATED* Sarah McLachlan On GMA



"Heartbreak"



"Loving You Is Easy"



Interview

Sarah McLachlan performed a pair of tracks off her first new album since 2003's outstanding Afterglow, Laws Of Illusion, which comes out this Tuesday, on Good Morning America's summer concert series. It's just so great to have someone of her calibre back on the scene!

UPDATE: A performance of "Forgiveness" was also aired during the weekend edition of the program:

2010 FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Concert Performance Highlights



Alicia Keys - Medley



The Black-Eyed Peas - Medley



The Black-Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling"

To help kick off the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Alicia performed her hits "You Don't Know My Name", "Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart", "Fallin'", "Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Broken Down", & "No One" as well as "Too Late For Mama" with South African band BLK JKS. The BEPS did "Where Is The Love?", "Pump It", "Meet Me Halfway", & "Boom Boom Pow" (& "I Gotta Feeling") in addition to participating in the finale of Sly & The Family Stone's "Everyday People".

Janelle Monae On The Mo'Nique Show



"Tightrope"



Interview

Janelle Monae was recently a guest on The Mo'Nique Show to promote her debut album The ArchAndroid, more specifically her current single "Tightrope". I thought Janelle explained what she is all about during her interview with Mo'Nique in the best way she has this promo tour. Also, random, but her teeth are really white!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Vonzell Solomon "The BabyV Show" Chocolate & Vanilla

Billboard Update

^#1 Album #1 Single^

The obnoxious Jack Johnson tops this week's Billboard 200 album chart with To The Sea. On the Hot 100 singles chart, Katy Perry's Snoop Dogg-assisted "California Gurls" makes its way to the top, while The Black-Eyed Peas earn their fifth top 10 hit from The E.N.D., as "Rock That Body" jumps 16-9. Also, Keri Hilson debuts with T.I. @ #38 with "Got Your Back", Nicki Minaj's "Your Love" starts out @ #51, & "OMG" by Usher featuring will.i.am holds the Airplay Gainer title again, despite falling 1-2.

See full charts HERE

Friday, June 11, 2010

Usher On The View

Following his interview, Usher gave an excellent performance of "There Goes My Baby" off Raymond Vs. Raymond when he stopped by The View. Could there be a video in the future for this song?!

Christina Aguilera On Live With Regis & Kelly



"Not Myself Tonight"



Interview

Christina Aguilera gave me exactly what I needed--a full performance of "Not Myself Tonight"--during Bionic release week during her first (really?!) appearance on Live With Regis & Kelly. The vocals from Letterman made it through to the morning!

Sarah McLachlan "Loving You Is Easy" Video Premiere


"Loving You Is Easy" is the first single lifted from Sarah McLachlan's forthcoming album Laws Of Illusion. Ask & you shall recieve! I like the video & I think it fits the song well. I actually listened to the new album in its entirety & although it's not quite what I was expecting, it's still very nice.

Kelis "4th Of July (Fireworks)" Video Preview


Kelis takes it to the desert in the video for her second single "4th Of July (Fireworks)" off the upcoming album Flesh Tone (July 6th). The full video is due to premiere on June 16th.

Justin Bieber ft. Usher "Somebody To Love (Remix)" Behind-The-Scenes

Usher is celebrating his recent success by giving his protege Justin Bieber (& himself) a boost in the form of a feature on the remix to the fetus' song "Somebody To Love", originally off My World 2.0. Mr. Raymond schools his student in the all-dance video, which you can check out the making of above. The "Somebody To Love" remix video is set to premiere on June 18th.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

*UPDATED* Christina Aguilera On Letterman

Christina Aguilera performed my favorite song "You Lost Me" off her new album Bionic on The Late Show With David Letterman last night. Speechless. Goosebumps. The best performance I've seen in a long time. Do you really need any more of a reason to buy Bionic now?!

UPDATE: She also sat down for an interview:

Monica Performs National Anthem On NBA Finals

Monica sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Game 3 of the NBA Finals &, boy, did she ever! I could have done without the backup singers, but I didn't mind them, as they just emphasized the epic-ness of Monica's incredible rendition. Hold it down for the real singers, Mo! Her new album Still Standing is available now.

Dirty Money Performs "Hello Good Morning" On Le Grand Journal

They probably just took a private jet to wherever in France Le Grand Journal is, but Dirty Money made it somehow to perform "Hello Good Morning" off their upcoming album Last Train To Paris (June 28th--yes, a day earlier than originally expected). All I know is that their album has sooo much potential & I reeeally hope it lives up to my expectations!

Rihanna Does Elle Magazine

Rihanna's back to doing what she does best--looking fierce--with the cover shoot for the July issue of Elle. One word: YAAAS!! Her fourth album Rated R & its companion Rated R: Remixed are out now.



Usher Performs "Lil' Freak" On The Graham Norton Show

Usher performed the best song "Lil' Freak" (solo... *sniffle*) off Raymond Vs. Raymond on The Graham Norton Show. Usher + Polow = MAGIC! And that's all I have to say about that.

Nicki Minaj Album Update

Nicki Minaj recently chatted it up with Hot 93.7 about many things, her work-in-progress debut album being one of the highlights of the interview. She expressed excitement about a "masterpiece" that is set for inclusion on her album called "Catch Me" that Swizz Beatz produced. You can hear her describe the track above &, while I think rapping > singing when it comes to Nicki, I'm psyched to hear it! Nicki just released her second single "Your Love", which I've liked since it leaked, but it never struck me as strong single material like "Massive Attack" did (which her LABEL forced into Flop Town), so I'm a little on the fence about it, but I'm allowing the song to grow on me, so it's all good. I mean, this is Nicki freakin' Minaj we're talkin' about here!

Sarah McLachlan Performs "Loving You Is Easy" On Letterman

Sarah McLachlan performed her first single "Loving You Is Easy" off Laws Of Illusion (June 15th) on The Late Show With David Letterman. I have to admit that I was kinda digging the song during this performance a little. Wonder where the video is though... or if there is one..?

Nicole Scherzinger Collaborates With Enrique Iglesias

Following up her big Dancing With The Stars win, Nicole Scherzinger is ensuring solo success the second time around with a new collaboration with Enrique Iglesias on his single "Heartbeat":



I actually like both of these guys & the song is really good! You build that buzz, Nicole!!

[Source]