Archive for the ‘Music News’ Category

Jessie Ware Covers Martika’s Superb, Underrated 1991 Single “Love…Thy Will Be Done”

Robbie Daw
April 24th, 2013 // 1 Comment
jessie ware promo headshot

Here’s the lowdown on “Love… Thy Will Be Done”: It’s the Martika hit that was co-written and produced by Prince, but wasn’t “Toy Soldiers,” and so it’s been sadly eclipsed in the grand scheme of all things pop by nostalgia for the latter’s chart-topping, late-’80s wattage. The dreamy mid-tempo ballad, which came packed with those unmistakeable, Prince-ly Paisley Park beats, sounded just as offbeat in 1991 as it does today, which made it all the more remarkable when it drifted into the Top 10 on the Hot 100.

This is where Jessie Ware comes in. The UK songbird du jour, whose LP Devotion was finally released stateside last week, clearly shares our love of “Love… Thy Will Be Done,” and decided to gift the Internet with a cover version today. It’s a fairly safe rendition that doesn’t veer far from the original (even the backing vocals are arranged similarly). Still, as far as 1991 summer jams go, at least Jessie spared us an Escape Club cover. More »

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Ciara’s ‘Ciara’: Some First Impressions Of Her New Album

Sam Lansky
April 24th, 2013 // 2 Comments
Ciara Wide Promo Photo

So last night we went to a recording studio in New York to hang out with multi-platinum recording artist/Very Turnt Up Person Ciara and a few other journalists and some people from her label and her boyfriend Future (who is both better dressed and cooler than any of us could ever aspire to be) while taking a first listen to her fifth studio album, Ciara. And good news: It’s good! In fact, it’s great. It might be our favorite Ciara album to date.

That’s a relief, because it’s no secret that this album era hasn’t exactly gone off without a hitch — after being mismanaged by Jive and moving over to new label Epic, Ciara dropped a string of singles which failed to make much of an impact (“Sweat,” “Sorry,” “Got Me Good” — none of which are making the album, which is probably a blessing) before finally hitting exactly the right vibe with the ingeniously sultry, seductive “Body Party,” arguably her best slow burner since “Promise.” It’s been pretty much universally critically adored (is there anyone who isn’t having a #BodyParty these days?) and it’s produced one of the best videos of her career — and largely, that ambition is carried throughout Ciara. More »

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Aaradhna’s Cheery “Wake Up”: Hear The New Zealander’s Debut US Single

Carl Williott
April 23rd, 2013 // 3 Comments
aaradhna promo

Sometimes a song comes out of nowhere from a relatively unknown artist and it just works, thanks to expert production and strong hooks and a well-defined sonic palette, and we have to share it with everyone. The most recent example was Betty Who and her stellar new EP. Today (April 23), we were hit with another surprise gem: Republic Records signee Aaradhna, who has released her debut US single, “Wake Up.”

After one listen it’s immediately apparent why the New Zealand native has gained a solid following back home. The song was inspired by Amy Winehouse‘s Back to Black, and a similarly smoky quality comes through Aaradhna’s vocals, which are paired with a bubbly ’60s girl group beat and a melody imploring us to “Get out of bed / Stop wasting time.” It’s certainly retro, but after a few listens you’ll begin to notice a modern gauze hanging over it all (a style Aaradhna cleverly dubbed Retro/Metro).

Head below to hear the fizzy new track, which you’ll be singing along with by the 3:00 mark. More »

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Michael Buble’s ‘To Be Loved’: Album Review

Colin Stutz
April 23rd, 2013 // 1 Comment
Buble's "Beautiful" Vid
Michael Buble Wonderful Day Video Still
See his sunny "It's A Beautiful Day" music video. Read More »
Michael x Reese
michael buble to be loved 2013
The pair cover a Frank & Nancy Sinatra classic. Read More »
Buble's SNL Duets
Catch the crooner's spoof duets with Bieber & Ke$ha. Read More »
Buble's Christmas
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michael buble to be loved album cover art
Seriously, you guys, Michael Buble is pretty good. Who knows how, or if he’ll be remembered generations from now — even the most remarkable musicians are forgotten — but at this time and place he’s the world’s most successful male jazz vocalist, and with good reason.

On the crooning Canuck’s eighth studio album, To Be Loved (out today, ) his performance is ever strong and mature. Now 37, he’s aging well and lays into the opening track — Mack Gordon and Josef Myrow‘s “You Make Me Feel So Young,” popularized by Frank Sinatra almost six decades ago — with some obvious maturity in his delivery. It’s a traditional big band arrangement that sets a classic tone for the album to follow. And, I mean, really, he sounds great. He doesn’t have that same masculine oomph as Sinatra, but that standard’s too steep to hold him to. Simply, that Buble’s smooth baritone would make me sit back, loosen my tie, tap my foot and snap my fingers a few times, in the moment, it feels like I’ll owe him for that forever. More »

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Snoop Lion’s ‘Reincarnated’: Album Review

Patrick Bowman
April 23rd, 2013 // 1 Comment
"No Guns Allowed"
snoop lion drake no guns allowed
Watch Snoop Dogg & Drake get serious. Read More »
Snoop & Rita
Hear the Reincarnated standout "Torn Apart." Read More »
Miley & Snoop
Snoop Dogg Miley Cyrus Ashtrays and Heartbreaks
Check out the odd pairing on "Ashtrays and Heartbreaks." Read More »
Snoop's Rebirth
snoop lion
Watch the trailer for the Reincarnated doc. Read More »
Snoop Lion Reincarnated Cover
When the rapper formerly known as Snoop Dogg announced in a July 2012 press conference that, after an extended stay in Jamaica earlier that year, he had embraced the island’s religious philosophy of Rastafarianism, changed his name to the more Rasta-friendly Snoop Lion (“dog” is considered derogatory in Jamaican culture), recorded a new Major Lazer-produced album of reggae songs and filmed a documentary about the experience, the whole endeavor smacked of a gimmicky mid-life crisis. Nearly a year later, it seems Snoop is completely sincere about the transformation…but it’s hard not to pick apart the presentation. When you’re commissioning a film documenting a supposedly profound transitional moment in your life, it’s easy for the exercise to seem like a very bored and very stoned millionaire’s very expensive new hobby. Snoop basically admitted as much in the July presser: “Rap is not a challenge to me. I’ve won every accolade you can get in rap, they call me ‘Uncle Snoop’ in rap. When you’re an uncle, it’s time to find something new.”

Granted, that motivation for reinvention is much less cynical than if Snoop tried to tailor himself to become more sonically suited for 2013, like if he had made an entire dubstep album under his DJ Snoopadelic banner. Adopting the trappings of reggae legends Bunny Wailer and Bob Marley (whom Snoop believes he is “reincarnated” from) is many things, but a shrewd decision to sell more records it is not. So, discounting the hype and speculation surrounding Reincarnated (out today, ), as well as the poorly reviewed documentary, we’re left with an album that, barring a few glaring missteps, ends up being a competent, fun, somewhat mindless marriage of American pop music and contemporary reggae. More »

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Janelle Monae & Erykah Badu’s “Q.U.E.E.N.”: Listen To The Funky, Sassy New Song

Robbie Daw
April 22nd, 2013 // 3 Comments
Janelle At Coachella
We chatted with the soul diva at the rock fest. Read More »
Janelle & fun.
Fun. Janelle Monae We Are Young MTV Movie Awards
Watch Janelle join fun. for "We Are Young" live. Read More »
Erykah At Coachella
See pics of Badu at the California fest. 13 Photos »
Prince & Janelle
prince janelle monae
Janelle Monae opens for Prince's third Chicago show. Read More »
Ooh! Let Them Eat Cake
janelle monae erykah badu queen

Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand. Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. Brandy and Monica. Britney and Madonna. Yes, the history of pop is full of dynamic pairings of the day’s current divas. And now it’s time to add another one to the heap, in the form of the funky, finger-poppin’ new jam “Q.U.E.E.N.”, a duet between Janelle Monae and Erykah Badu that serves as the first single off Monae’s upcoming LP The Electric Lady.

It’s a pretty epic track that contains layer after layer of sounds that are both referential (dig those obvious Marvin Gaye/What’s Going On-era strings during the rap bit) and original, and the song further asserts the fact that Monae and Badu are now, and always have been, ladies we can’t ignore.

Bow down to “Q.U.E.E.N.” below! More »

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Backstreet Boys’ New Album: Preview Six Tracks

Jillian Pellegrini
April 22nd, 2013 // 3 Comments
backstreet boys facebook 2013

Backstreet’s back, alright, and they’re here with snippets of songs from their as-yet-untitled forthcoming album. Backstreet Boys  celebrated their 20th anniversary this week, which included getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today (April 22), and they shared bits of eight tracks at an album preview event on Saturday. Now six of the teasers are available in a compilation on YouTube.

It’s a bit overwhelming to hear samples of so many tracks compressed into one two-and-a-half minute clip, but there are definitely gems to be found within. Of particular note are “In Your Arms,” which is a more contemporary dance track that shows how BSB have evolved to remain relevant, and “P.S.,” which is an anthemic throwback to their turn-of-the-millennium sound. Most intriguing are “Madeline” and “Trust Me,” one an encouraging mid-tempo acoustic-and-piano piece (could it be that “beautiful” Max Martin collab?) and the other a summery slow-ish jam that features fun falsetto harmonies in the chorus. The latter two are the most unique tracks here and probably the biggest diversions from the late-90s sound listeners most associate with the band.

The album doesn’t have an official release date yet, but you can head below to listen to the sampler. More »

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Nero’s “Into The Past”: Hear The Standout ‘Great Gatsby’ Track

Sam Lansky
April 22nd, 2013 // 4 Comments
Into the Past Nero Single Artwork Wide

On a soundtrack that features Beyonce, Lana Del Rey and Florence & The Machine, it comes as a surprise that the strongest offering yet from The Great Gatsby might be from British EDM trio Nero — but hey, here we are! The just-leaked song, “Into the Past,” is rich and luminous and sad and textured and absolutely enormous: Heavy breaths lead into aggressive bass that’s as dark and ominous as the chorus is transcendent, with Alana Watson‘s breathy vocals soaring above the grinding percussion, enveloped in atmospheric synths.

Consider it empirical proof that a song with dubstep in it doesn’t have to suck — even now, in 2013! Listen after the jump. More »

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Union J’s “Carry You”: Listen To ‘The X Factor’ Group’s Excellent Debut Single

Jillian Pellegrini
April 22nd, 2013 // Leave a Comment
1D Are Shirtless!
One Direction "Kiss You" Behind The Scenes Video
That's all you really need to know. Read More »
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One Direction sign a three-year contract. Read More »
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Zayn Malik and Max George beef on Twitter. Read More »
The Wanted Cover "Iris"
Watch the band's live acoustic cover of Goo Goo Dolls' hit. Read More »
Union J Carry You Single Artwork

Boy band fans: Brace yourselves to start stanning for Union J and their lead single ”Carry You.”

Union J got their start on the UK version of The X Factor — as it seems all the best acts do these days (ahem, One Direction, Little Mix) — last season. The group, comprised of Josh Cuthbert, JJ Hamblett, Jaymi Hensley and George Shelley (who was added to the group when they were called back to the judges’ homes after another group withdrew from the competition), made it to the semi-finals of the series, and after being eliminated by a narrow margin, signed with RCA Records. “Carry You” is the first single from their forthcoming debut album, which is slated for release in the UK later this year. More »

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Kanye West Is Back: Hear His 2 New Verses On D’Banj’s “Scapegoat” Remix

Carl Williott
April 22nd, 2013 // Leave a Comment
kanye west perform

Chances are you’ve never heard of D’Banj, even though the Nigerian musician saw moderate international success with “Oliver Twist” last year and he was on a Cruel Summer track. And chances are you’ve never heard the G.O.O.D. Music artist’s 2009 song “Scapegoat.” Oh but these are just details people. You can start paying attention now, because Kanye West has emerged from his Parisian tower of anger to give his label signee a boost, dropping two new verses onto the “Scapegoat” remix.

It’s a summery island beat, not at all the brooding, challenging stuff we’d been expecting Yeezy to break his silence with (based on his recent angsty behavior). It’s certainly catchy, and as far as recent Kanye material goes, it’s refreshingly carefree and simple. But it doesn’t amount to anything more than a momentary blip on the radar. Hear it below. More »

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