Monday, October 31, 2011

Nicole Scherzinger Performs "Try With Me" On The X Factor UK


Nicole Scherzinger returned to the land that appreciates her to perform her new single "Try With Me", which will be featured on the deluxe edition of her debut album Killer Love that will be released in the UK later this month, on The X Factor. She did an awesome job, & I can't wait for an even bigger & better showing on the US X Factor stage to give her December 6th album release date the boost it needs!

JoJo Performs "Disaster" On FOX


JoJo performed her lead single "Disaster" off Jumping Trains on another regional FOX broadcast, which we all know have the reputation of skyrocketing a career. Girl, your album is not coming out this year & you need vocal rest!

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Album Review: Kelly Clarkson "Stronger"

The original Idol, following the success of her sophomore album Breakaway, tripped up a bit with My December before getting back on track with 2009's All I Ever Wanted, but with her fifth album Stronger, she finds herself more in her comfort zone than she's been since Breakaway.

1. "Mr. Know It All": Have I ever had my fill of this song, but it's a very strong lead single. 4.5/5

2. "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)": With the mastered version of this song, I'm able to mostly get past the color-by-numbers lyrics, thanks to those golden vocals. 4.5/5

3. "Dark Side": This haunting track keeps in tune with the quality standard set thus far. 4.5/5

4. "Honestly": Now we're getting to the kind of thing that makes me fall in love with Kelly. Incredible vocals with honesty behind them! 5/5

5. "You Love Me": This midtempo kinda falls into a musical space that's pretty hit or miss for Kelly, but this one is a bonafide hit! 5/5

6. "Einstein": Originally known as "Dumb + Dumb = U"... this one's a miss. Kelly's vocals are there, but that's it. Some people just don't gel with James Fauntleroy's style (Leona Lewis being another). 3.5/5

7. "Standing In Front Of You": What a refreshing and unexpected sound from Kelly! In a word, irresistible. 5/5

8. "I Forgive You": Darkchild works his magic on this one. Kelly is in her element. 5/5

9. "Hello": This is not what you would call a standout, but it's good, thanks again to those everpresent vocals. 4.5/5

10. "The War Is Over": I like the structure of this one, but the lyrics bring it down for me. 4/5

11. "Let Me Down": Had this not leaked, I don't see how it wouldn't have been the first single. It's definitely a strong addition to the album! 5/5

12. "You Can't Win": I really like the concept of this song lyrically, which is a rarity for me. The raised chorus versus the leaked version is also an improvement. 4.5/5

13. "Breaking Your Own Heart": My favorite track on the album, which tends to happen with sappy closers from powerhouse divas. She sings it not only like a pro, but like it's personal to her, which is a formula for greatness! 5/5

If you're looking for your Kelly Clarkson fix, Stronger will definitely do the trick. If I'm being perfectly honest, I get the most out of Kelly from her power-pop "Since U Been Gone"/"My Life Would Suck Without You" anthems, which All I Ever Wanted gave me more of, but it's evident that Kelly isn't as comfortable with that as she is here, where she has matured from her My December days, & mostly taken what was great about Breakaway & polished it up. I can't wrap up this review without mentioning the brilliance that is "The Sun Will Rise" from the deluxe edition, which features Kara DioGuardi, who is no Kelly, but does sound nice. As a whole, a case could be made for Stronger to say that it's Kelly's best work yet... I'd say it's her second-best after All I Ever Wanted.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Kelly Clarkson Performs "Mr. Know It All" On Jimmy Fallon


Kelly Clarkson gave one more performance of "Mr. Know It All" for the road on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Friday. My review of her new album Stronger is coming up...

Friday, October 28, 2011

Mary J. Blige "25/8" Video Premiere


"25/8" is the first single off Mary J. Blige's upcoming album My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1) (November 21st). The video's cool. I like the song... there's still just a little something off about it for me though.

T-Pain ft. Dawn Richard "Fantasy" Video Premiere


Dawn Richard is featured on "Fantasy", a cut off T-Pain's prEVOLVEr mixtape. How it didn't make the album is beyond me because I don't see T-Pain making better music than this. Dawn sounds amazing on this!

Britney Spears "The Femme Fatale Tour" Cover

The atrocious, lazy cover art for Britney Spears' The Femme Fatale Tour DVD has been revealed. Could they do no better? Really?! It comes out on November 21st.

The Caffeine Patch: New Alvin & The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked Trailer + More

Video: Alvin and The Chipmunks 3 - Chipwrecked

A full trailer for "Alvin & The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" has arrived & it looks as if the third movie is going to easily best its predecessor! Below, check out the posters they've released thus far for the film--one slightly less terrible than the other--which opens on December 16th!



Mariah Carey, Usher Collaborate With Justin Bieber

I can't believe that I must type these words, but Mariah Carey has remade her holiday classic "All I Want For Christmas Is You" as a duet with Justin Bieber for his new Christmas album Under The Mistletoe (November 1st). Listen to his voice crack all over Mariah's masterpiece below:

In an even more shocking collaboration, Justin has enlisted Usher to duet on "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)":

Beyonce "Live At Roseland: Elements Of 4" Cover

Beyonce continues her very own Thanksgiving tradition with the release of Live At Roseland: Elements Of 4 on November 29th, her third concert DVD release in three years. The DVD will also include seven music videos from the 4 era: "Run The World (Girls)", "Best Thing I Never Had", "1 + 1", "Countdown", "Love On Top", "Party", & what BETTER be "End Of Time"!

[Source, Source]

Billboard Update


^#1 Album #1 Single^

Adele is doing just fine without the ability to promote, with 21 returning to the top of the Billboard 200 album chart for a thirteenth time & "Someone Like You" topping the Hot 100 singles chart for the fifth. Rihanna finds herself in the runner-up slot, as "We Found Love" jumps 6-2, & Nicki Minaj skyrockets 97-9 alongside Drake with "Make Me Proud" in its second week, earning Digital Gainer honors.

See full charts HERE

Beyonce ft. J. Cole "Party" Video Premiere


"Party", featuring J. Cole, is the sixth single to be lifted from Beyonce's latest album 4. I absolutely love this song, although J. Cole's verse is 3000x worse than Andre's. Not sure why they didn't give "Countdown" time to do anything, but I love the video! Look out for cameos from Kelly Rowland & Solange!

Jennifer Hudson, More Set For VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul

Jennifer Hudson & Kelly Clarkson, for the second time in three years, as well as Mary J. Blige are set to participate in VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul. Also featuring Jessie J, Florence + The Machine, Jill Scott, & The Roots as house band, the special will air on December 19th @ 9/8c. Pretty decent lineup, more appropriate than last year's.

[Source, Source]

Monica "Until It's Gone" Video Premiere


"Until It's Gone" is the new lead single off Monica's upcoming album New Life (December 13th). This is such a good song, so I'm glad it got the proper video treatment!