Hip Hop and R&B royalty, Mary J. Blige, is back with a new album titled Stronger WithEach Tear. Mary gave us a taste of Stronger WithEach Tear on her smash hit "The One" featuring Drake. Now she's got a new single titled "I Am" that takes us even deeper into her new album. Make sure to pick up your copy of Stronger WithEach Tear which is available online & in stores on DECEMBER 21ST!!!
Eminem is back with his second dose of his summer smash Relapse titled Relapse: Refill. This album features the entire Relapse album as well as 7 new tracks which will include "Forever" featuring Drake, Kanye West, & Lil Wayne. Relapse: Refill will be available online & in stores on DECEMBER 21ST!
Stop by Hard Rock Cafe at Citywalk next week Thursday December 17th at 9pm to see a free performance* from super producer Timbaland. Timbaland will also be selling his new album Shock Value 2 and signing copies of the album for fans. Space is limited so arrive early!
Robin Thicke is back with a new album titled Sex Therapy just in time for the holidays! Robin Thicke is known for his smooth R&B sound that all the ladies love and he definitely delivers on Sex Therapy. The album features guest appearances from Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj,Kid Cudi, Estelle, & Jay-Z! Make sure to pick up your copy of Sex Therapy this TUESDAY DECEMBER 15TH!!!
One of the hottest producers in the music biz, Timbaland, is back with his new album Shock Value 2. The album features the songs "Morning After Dark" (feat SoShy), "Say Something" (feat Drake), "Carry Out" (feat Justin Timberlake), and much more. Other featured artists include Daughtry, The Fray, Gucci Mane, Nickelback, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Keri Hilson & many more!! Shock Value 2 will be available online & in stores TUESDAY DECEMBER 8TH!
Want a chance to win the new Rolling Stones deluxe box set "Get Yet Ya'Ya's Out"??? Then go to Amoeba Music's twitter page starting 12/1 for your chance to win. For a direct link CLICK HERE!
Lady Gaga will be signing copies of her new CD The Fame Monster Monday NOVEMBER 23RD at 7pm at Best Buy (11301 W Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90064). Wristbands for this event will start being distributed on Monday November 23, 2009 at 9am to customers who purchase Lady Gaga's new CD The Fame Monster or the new HeartBeats Headphones by Lady Gaga.
After taking over the pop music scene for the past year, Lady Gaga is back with something special for her fans...THE FAME MONSTER! The Fame Monster will include all the amazing songs off Lady Gaga's "The Fame" album as well as EIGHT new tracks; which include the new hit "Bad Romance"! The Fame Monster is available online and in stores everywhere on MONDAY NOVEMBER 23RD!!!
WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO SEE THE NEW FILM, A FANTASTIC MR. FOX MOVIE POSTER, AND A FANTASTIC MR. FOX "NECKTIE"!
SOUNDTRACK IN STORES NOW! CLICK HERE TO ORDER AT AMAZON.COM!
Rihanna is on a journey. From her Caribbean roots to the top of the charts, the runways of Paris and Milan and some of the biggest stages in the world, the 21-year-old, Barbados-born beauty has already earned the coveted title of international superstar. From her breakthrough multi-platinum album “A Girl Like Me” to her ubiquitous global smash “Good Girl Gone Bad,” in just a few short years, Rihanna has helped redefine the path of popular music for a new generation. Now, she continues that musical and stylistic journey on one of the most hotly anticipated new albums in recent history, her fourth original studio album, Rated R.
Slated for a November 23rd release, Rated R features the sultry, provocative first single “Russian Roulette,” which is rocketing up the charts at radio stations across the country.
In addition to her mind-blowing musical successes, Rihanna has created a charity organization for children in need as well as having signed on to endorse a number of multi-billion dollar companies including Parlux fragrances and Cover Girl, in which she joined the ranks of musical icons and celebrity powerhouses such as Queen Latifah, Drew Barrymore and Faith Hill. In addition, Rihanna was the face of Gucci’s Tattoo Heart Collection Campaign in 2008 to raise funds for UNICEF.
It’s hard to imagine that just four years ago, Rihanna was a young girl living in the beautiful Barbados parish of Saint Michael. Her first connection to the music industry came when she met a vacationing music producer named Evan Rogers from New York City. After an impromptu performance for Evan, he was absolutely certain she would one day make history. Soon after, Evan and Rihanna traveled to the Big Apple in search of a record deal. It took just one meeting with Jay-Z and Antonio “L.A.” Reid for Rihanna to score her big break; Jay, who had just recently been appointed the President of Def Jam Records, was so taken by the young singer's arresting natural talent that he signed her to the legendary label on the spot.
In 2005, Def Jam released Rihanna's dynamic debut album, Music of the Sun, which garnered much attention due to the popularity of her highly addictive dancehall-flavored first single, "Pon de Replay". A year later, she released her platinum-selling second album A Girl Like Me, featuring the #1 singles "SOS" and "Unfaithful".
With two successful albums under her belt in just two years, Rihanna dropped her third and multi-platinum LP, Good Girl Gone Bad, in 2007. The album's first single, "Umbrella," was the undisputed number one pop song of the summer and dominated the U.S. pop, urban and crossover Billboard charts for 252 weeks in a row. "Umbrella" was also the #1 single on the UK singles chart for eleven consecutive weeks and went on to win "Video of the Year" and "Monster Single of the Year" at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. Her extensive accomplishments also include multiple #1 hits, a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Umbrella" along with six additional Grammy nominations, two MTV Video Music Awards, a Teen Choice Award, Favorite Pop/Rock & Soul/R&B Female Artist at the American Music Awards, three Billboard Awards, four MTV Europe Music Awards nominations including "Album of the Year,” and she was named "Best International Act" at the European MOBO Awards.
Good Girl Gone Bad showed Rihanna’s many layers as a singer, performer and musician. With a cohesive collection of body rockin' tracks that include highly innovative production work from Timbaland and Tricky Stewart, along with the songwriting prowess of Justin Timberlake and Ne-Yo, Good Girl Gone Bad has solidified Rihanna's position amongst the industry elite. In support of the album, Rihanna embarked on hugely extensive U.S. and European tours. Good Girl Gone Bad contained a non-stop string of hit singles that began with the MTV VMA and Grammy Award-winning global #1 hit “Umbrella” (featuring Jay-Z), then “Shut Up and Drive,” “Hate That I Love You” (featur¬ing Ne-Yo), and “Don't Stop the Music.” Good Girl Gone Bad spent 98 total weeks on the Soundscan chart, earned cumulative sales of more than 36-times platinum in at least 20 territories around the world, and spun off the CD+DVD package Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded (January 2009) – which continued the string of hits with the #1 “Take A Bow,” and the #1 “Disturbia.”
Rihanna’s wildly anticipated Rated R is sure to solidify her global chart dominance while she continues to push boundaries in both music and fashion.
When it comes to fashion, Rihanna has quickly become an international style icon. Everything from her cutting edge hair styles to her immaculate fashion sense are heavily monitored in the glossy pages of high fashion magazines worldwide.
After making an enormous impact on both the music and fashion worlds, Rihanna decided it was time to give back to the community that had given her such tremendous support from the beginning. In 2006, she created the non-profit organization Believe, which is dedicated to providing medical services, school supplies and toys for children in need. She has also partnered with DKMS, the world's largest marrow donor center, on multiple occasions.
Rihanna's impressive discography and a growing collection of the music industry's most cherished awards have proven that this is only the beginning. With her beauty, fashion and business sense to match, the Island girl turned international superstar will continue to rock the world for years to come. The journey continues!
With the superstar power of Dave Grohl, Joshua Homme, & John Paul Jones...Them Crooked Vultures is one of the most anticipated alums of the year. Them Crooked Vultures' self titled album includes the new single "New Fang". Them Crooked Vultures will be available in stores and online on TUESDAY NOVEMBER 17TH!!
50 Cent is back with a new album titled Before I Self Destruct which features the hit single "Baby By Me" with Ne-Yo. 50 Cent's new CD comes with his new film "Before I Self Destruct" which he wrote, produced, and directed. Make sure to pick up your new copy of Before I Self Destruct on MONDAY NOVEMBER 16TH!!
An old soul is the last thing you would expect to find inside Justin Bieber. But all it takes is one listen to the 15 year-old soul-singing phenomenon to realize that he is light years ahead of his manufactured pop peers.
After posting dozens of homemade videos on YouTube in 2007, where the multi-talented Bieber put his impeccable spin on songs from artists like Usher, Ne-Yo and Stevie Wonder, Justin racked up over 10,000,000 views purely from word of mouth.
“I started singing about three years ago,” says the Canadian native who grew up an only child in Stratford, Ontario. “I entered a local singing competition called Stratford Idol. The other people in the competition had been taking singing lessons and had vocal coaches. I wasn’t taking it too seriously at the time, I would just sing around the house. I was only 12 and I got second place.”
In an effort to share his victory with his loved ones, Justin began posting his performance footage online. “I put my singing videos from the competition on YouTube so that my friends and family could watch them,” he says. “But it turned out that other people liked them and they started subscribing to them. That’s how my manager found me. He saw me on YouTube and contacted my family and now I’m signed!”
Seven months after Justin started posting his videos online, former So So Def marketing executive Scooter Braun flew the then 13-year old singer to Atlanta, GA to meet with his elite colleagues. As if Justin’s natural singing talent wasn’t enough to impress Scooter’s inner circle, Braun knew Bieber was also a self-taught musician who plays the drums, guitar, piano and trumpet.
“Right when we flew into Atlanta, Scooter drove us to the studio and Usher was there in the parking lot,” remembers Bieber. “That was my first time ever being out of Canada so I went up to him and was like, ‘Hey Usher, I love your songs, do you want me to sing you one?’ He was like, ‘No little buddy, just come inside, it’s cold out.’”
All it took was a short time online for Usher to realize he was in the company of a future superstar. “A week later Usher flew me back to Atlanta,” says Bieber. “I sang for him and his people and he really wanted to sign me then and there but I still had a meeting with Justin Timberlake who also wanted to sign me. It turned out Usher’s deal was way better. He had L.A. Reid backing him up and Scooter had a lot of really good connections in Atlanta. I always tease Usher now and remind him he how he blew me off the first time we met.”
In October of 2008, Justin Bieber officially signed to Island Records. His debut album, My World is an intimate look into the mind of a budding young renaissance man. With production from star hit men like The Dream and Tricky Stewart who produced “Umbrella” for Rihanna and Beyonce’s latest smash, “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” Justin has everything he needs to achieve pop supremacy.
His first single, “One Time” produced by Tricky, is about one of Justin’s favorite topics, puppy love. Usher joins Justin on “First Dance” where the two share verses on a song that Bieber describes as, “A slow groovy song that people can dance to.” On the Midi-Mafia produced “Down to Earth” Justin digs deep to talk about growing up. “Bigger” finds the teenaged singer maturing at a steady rate, while motivating his listeners to strive for their goals.
“I’m looking forward to influencing others in a positive way,” says Justin. “My message is you can do anything if you just put your mind to it. I grew up below the poverty line; I didn’t have as much as other people did. I think it made me stronger as a person it built my character. Now I have a 4.0 grade point average and I want to go to college and just become a better person.”
A virtually untapped well of natural artistic talent, Justin Bieber is primed to be a solid force in music for many years to come. “I think older people can appreciate my music because I really show my heart when I sing, and it’s not corny,” he says. “I think I can grow as an artist and my fans will grow with me.” And just think, he’s just getting started.
Memento Mori, the highly anticipated follow up to Flyleaf's platinum selling, self-titled debut album. Flyleaf bleed, grow, love and live on MEMENTO MORI. The Texas quintet's latest offering is a collection of poignant, passionate and pensive hard rock songs. From the kinetic first single, "Again," to the touching album closer, "Arise," guitarists Sameer Bhattacharya and Jared Hartman trade orchestral riffs that seesaw from soaring to searing. Drummer James Culpepper smoothly propels every groove forward, while Pat Seals' bass anchors unforgettable hooks. Gliding across this majestic melodic backdrop, Lacey's vocals build into beauty from pain. Her voice reaches transcendent heights on songs like "Set Apart This Dream" and "Missing." Flyleaf's Momento Mori is available online and in stores on NOVEMBER 10TH!!
Hollywood Undead is back with Desperate Measures; Desperate Measures is Hollywood Undead's first ever CD/DVD. The Gold-selling band's latest release contains six live recordings, six new studio tracks, an "Everywhere I Go" remix and over 60 minutes of footage recorded over two days during Hollywood Undead's summer '09 tour. The live footage features the hit songs "Young", "Undead", "Everywhere I Go", and more fan favorites plus unedited backstage footage!
“It’s an interesting question to ask: Is that a fair dose of motivation or is that a chip on your shoulder?” Jon Bon Jovi posed that question to himself, and it’s worth pondering. You might think that a man whose band has sold more than 120 million records and played before tens of millions of fans in the course of an illustrious 26-year career would be content to rest on his considerable laurels, at least for a while.
You might think that, but you’d be wrong, and the new Bon Jovi album, The Circle, provides irrefutable proof. As its title suggests, The Circle marks a powerful reassertion of Bon Jovi’s commitment to the hard-hitting, uplifting rock & roll that has been the band’s indelible signature since it began. The band share an abiding bond that informs and defines their music. It is a circle that remains unbroken.
“The album title,” Bon Jovi explains, “has several meanings. Some may say that with this album we have come full circle. Others may see The Circle as never ending. I see it as very hard to get in to and even harder to get out of,” the singer says with a laugh. Having had 5 studio records in this decade, there are songs on each record that represent the world around us. And while they don’t always like what they see, they try hard not to see the cup as half empty. From the new single “We Weren’t Born To Follow” to the powerful “When We Were Beautiful,” the songs are as uplifting and anthemic as anything Bon Jovi and Sambora have ever written.
Another reason for the anthemic sound of THE CIRCLE is the re-emergence of Richie Sambora. “This is meant to be a stadium, turn-the-guitars-back-up record, and that’s a testament to having Richie at my side,” Jon says. “I can’t tell you how much that’s meant. With me and Richie, one and one makes three.
That flame burns at the heart of The Circle. “When We Were Beautiful” shares its title with the superb Bon Jovi documentary by filmmaker Phil Griffin. Like the film, the song is atmospheric and haunting. It opens with a sense of crisis: “The world is cracked/The sky is torn.” Jon Bon Jovi hears the song as a true departure for the band. “That’s a unique song,” he says, “We’ve written hits, but this is something more, this is something different. I didn’t want to sugarcoat things. Those lyrics are factual. As a country and as people, we hit a wall. But the idea is to try to get back to ‘when we were beautiful.’”
The new studio album, The Circle, was produced by John Shanks, who also worked with the band on the two preceding Bon Jovi albums, Lost Highway (2007) and Have a Nice Day (2005). The album has an underlying positive theme that is apparent throughout the songs. Whether it’s questioning your vitality in “Fast Cars,” or asking what the future holds in “Work for the Working Man,” the songs are about the prospect of people having to find new directions in their lives. In these trying times every word relays the truth.
So The Circle, then, like all of Bon Jovi’s best music, stares down the troubles that afflict our lives, and offers a bracing vision for overcoming those obstacles. It’s stirring, and it’s an emotion that, strong as the album is, will find its most convincing expression on the concert stage. And this is why Bon Jovi have managed to play over 2600 concerts to over 34 million fans in over 50 countries. “I can’t believe I’m even saying this, but I can’t wait to go on the road again,” Jon Bon Jovi exclaims.
Shwayze and Cisco Adler are back with their new album Let It Beat which hits stores on November 3rd, 2009. This new album features Snoop Dogg, The Knux, and Tabi Bonney as well as the new single "Get U Home". Pick up your copy of Let It Beat this Tuesday NOVEMBER 3RD!!!
Weezer is back with a new album titled Raditude that hits stores on Tuesday November 3rd, 2009. Raditude includes the new songs "(If You're Wondering If I Want You) I Want You To" and " I'm Your Daddy". Don't forget that Raditude will be available online & in stores this Tuesday NOVEMBER 3RD!
If you want to see Flyleaf live in LA next week there are 3 ways to do so. First Flyleaf will be performing a Secret Shockhound Sessions performance on Tuesday 10/27. Then on Wednesday 10/28 Flyleaf will be performing on the outdoor stage of Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Flyleaf and Shockhound are giving away 30 pairs of free tickets to Lacey and the boys' secret Shockhound Sessions performance, which will be taped in the Los Angeles area on the late afternoon of Tuesday, October 27.
To win your free pair of tickets to the taping all you need to do is A) be a registered Shockhound.com user, and B) be among the first 30 people to correctly answer all five of the Flyleaf trivia questions at Shockhound.com
All winners (16+) will also automatically be added to the list for Wednesday night's Jimmy Kimmel Show performance
http://www.shockhound.com/features/816-win-a-pair-of-tickets-to-a-secret-flyleaf-shock-session-
You can also go to www.1iota.com to register to be in the audience for Flyleaf's outdoor mini-concert on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Last but not least Flyleaf will be kicking off their fall tour on Thursday 10/29 at the El Rey! Hurry up and get your tickets before they sell out!!
Wolfmother is back with their new album Cosmic Egg which features the new single "New Moon Rising". The new album Cosmic Egg is available at stores & online on Tuesday OCTOBER 27TH!! Check out what the press has to say about Wolfmother's new album:
"Aussie frontman Andrew Stockdale ditched his rhythm section and got some new dudes, but you'd never know it: This is still some full-on Led Sabbath rawk." - Rolling Stone
"Epic" - Spin.com
"Wolfmother is ready to take over once again" - AOL Spinner
"The record kicks major ass" - Shockhound.com
"It's a thrilling rush of good times direct to the soul" "inescapable" - Icon vs Icon.com
JOIN US AT CLUB ECCO ON WEDNESDAY 10/7/09 TO HEAR GREAT NEW CUTS OFF OF THE NEW N'DAMBI RELEASE ENTITLED "PINK ELEPHANT". DOORS OPEN AT 7PM! CLICK FLYER TO VIEW ALL THE DETAILS!!!
Tomorrow, dubbed "Rocktober 6th", sees the debut release of L.A metal band, Steel Panther.
FEEL THE STEEL is 80s metal reincarnated... (sort of). Having the longest running show on the Sunset Strip, Steel Panther has proved time and time again that they are amazing musicians. Each Monday night hundreds of people flock to The Key Club to see these guys cover classic 80s songs as well as see which stars will show up to rock-out with Steel Panther.
I'd post the entire bio, but figure you'd better find it for yourself. In the mean time, check out Amazon.com's quick product description below:
2009 debut album from the L.A. Metal 'band'. The Steel Panther "story" begins some 20 years ago when the hardest rocking Metal band of the era forged their own legendary status on the Sunset Strip, Los Angeles, inspiring bands like Anthrax, Warrant and Jane's Addiction to form, only to disappear without a trace on the cusp of signing a major label deal which would guarantee them worldwide adoration. 20 years later, an album so astonishingly hard-rocking lands on the desk of the president of Universal Republic, and the rest is history... In reality, Steel Panther are a living, breathing study in the art of Hair Metal. With tongues firmly lodged in their cheeks, Steel Panther celebrate and ridicule all that was good and bad about the "great" 80's Hard Rock bands whose flamboyant stage shows and tales of excess with booze, sex and narcotics are the stuff of legend - all of which are perfectly repackaged within the four members of this band. 12 tracks including 'Death To All But Metal'.
Tokio Hotel is back with their new album Humanoid!! Humanoid features the new single "Automatic". Make sure you get your copy of Humanoid when its released on Tuesday October 6th!
Noah & the Whale are back with their new album The First Days of Spring. The First Days Of Spring is the follow-up to the London-based quartet's Gold-selling (UK) 2008 debut, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down. The band created a film as well, directed by the band's Charlie Fink, which runs the length of the album. Make sure to pick up your copy Tuesday October 6th!!
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL'S THE SINGLES COLLECTION, PRESENTING 30 SONGS FROM 1968 THROUGH 1972, FROM TOP 5 HITS TO OBSCURITIES PLUS MUSIC VIDEOS, WILL BE RELEASED BY FANTASY RECORDS ON NOVEMBER 3!
Creedence Clearwater Revival's golden era of hit singles (fall of 1968 through spring of 1972) rivals that of any band in rock 'n' roll history. The Southern-flavored quartet from El Cerrito, Calif., turned out 17 hits in a 44-month stretch, nine of them in the Top 10, five of them in the Top 5.
On November 3, Fantasy Records will release The Singles Collection, a two-CD, one-DVD box with a slip case, containing all of the band's U.S. singles -- 30 songs in all. Top 5 smashes like "Bad Moon Rising," "Green River," "Down on the Corner," "Travelin' Band," "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Run Through the Jungle," "Up Around the Bend," "Long As I Can See the Light" and "Lookin' Out My Back Door" are joined by seldom-heard singles that never charted ("Porterville" and "Call It Pretending" on Fantasy's Scorpio subsidiary, and later singles "Tearin' Up the Country" and "45 Revolutions Per Minute [Parts 1 & 2]").
The 30 songs, (which are presented in their original single mixes, many of them in mono --- are making their CD debut), housed on two CDs, will be joined by a DVD containing four never-before-available, long-pre-MTV music videos: "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," "Bootleg," "I Put a Spell on You" and "Lookin' Out My Back Door." Also included in the package are a poster featuring the dozens of international single sleeves, and a 16-page booklet with liner notes by former Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong-Torres, who lived and wrote in the Bay Area during CCR's golden half-decade.
To pre-order, click here!!
The soundtrack to the Lebron James feature film "More Than a Game" hits stores on Tuesday September 29th, 2009. The soundtrack features Mary J. Blige's "Stronger" as well as Ester Dean's "Drop It Low". The soundtrack also features several artists including Drake, Eminem, Kanye West, Jay-Z, and more.
AFI is back with a new album "Crash Love" that will be in stores on Tuesday September 29, 2009. The album features the new single "Medicate". Make sure to get your copy on 9/29!!
AFI will be signing copies of their new album "Crash Love" on Wednesday September 30th, 2009 at Best Buy Costa Mesa at 6pm. Best Buy will start handing out wristbands for this event on Tuesday September 29th, 2009 when you purchase your copy of "Crash Love". Get your wristband early because quantities are limited!
KSM Billboard album review in the issue dated 9/19!!
Check it out!
KSM sounds like what would result if the Go-Go's mentored a young band-and amazingly, that's exactly what happened. Brought together by the original members of the 1980s rock act, KSM has been trained in the ways of distinctive individual looks, spunky stage presence and monster riffs. But there's one critical difference between the two groups: Through the lens of Disney, KSM's antics are strictly G-rated. The first single, "Distracted," has as much melody, but more punk energy, than the band's closest cousin, Avril Lavigne. The act's rock rings harder and truer than Miley Cyrus', particularly on blast-off tracks like "Don't Rain on My Parade." At the center of it all is 15-year-old lead singer Shelby Cobra, who can wail with the best of them and pounds around the stage like a post- riot grrrl princess.
-Kerri Mason
http://www.billboard.com/#/news/ksm-read-between-the-lines-1004011494.story
ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars” will debut the world premiere of the video for Miley Cyrus’ smash hit song “Party In The USA” on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET). An exclusive 90 second version of the video will debut on “Dancing With The Stars’” first results show during their three night premiere week. The full version of “Party In The USA” will be available exclusively on www.abcmusiclounge.com for 48 hours following the television debut.
“Party In The USA” is the fastest breaking song of the year, as well as this year’s highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. “Party In The USA” has held the # 1 spot on iTunes for six weeks running, and has already sold over 1.1 million digital downloads. “Party In The USA” is available on Miley Cyrus’ new EP “Time of Our Lives” sold exclusively at Walmart.
Directed by Chris Applebaum, the video has a retro feel with vintage cars at a drive-in movie mixed with modern high energy dance moves and a dazzling performance. “Party In The USA” was produced by Dr. Luke, who has produced hit records for Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears and Katy Perry.
“Dancing with the Stars” is the U.S. version of the international smash hit series, “Strictly Come Dancing.” This version is produced by BBC Worldwide Productions. Conrad Green serves as executive producer and Rob Wade is co-executive producer. Alex Rudzinski directs. “Dancing with the Stars” is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound and Spanish audio via SAP.
UK's pop-sensation, Mika, returns with his sophomore effort The Boy Who Knew Too Much tomorrow.
Here's the video for Mika's first single "We Are Golden"
Check out a great product description from Amazon.com:
2009 sophomore album, the follow-up to his multi-million selling debut, produced by Mika and Greg Wells (Katy Perry, P!nk). The Boy Who Knew Too Much features guest contributions by Imogen Heap and Final Fantasy's Owen Pallett, and contains the brilliant first single 'We Are Golden'. The album straddles a line between childish na‹vet‚ and world-worn sophistication; Mika likens this transformation as the shift from childhood and his debut's innocence to something more akin to adolescence. The arrangements are bigger and more beautiful than ever before, and the album is underpinned by an open-hearted and accepting idea of what living in the 21st century means in all its contradictory, complicated glory.
Imperfections are in the eye of the beholder. You can see them as flaws, or as the very qualities that make us human -- and that make us strive to be better people in search of a perfection that we know we can never fully achieve. In the thirteen songs on her spellbinding new album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, Mariah Carey explores those aspects of our shared humanity with a rare depth, honesty and open-heartedness. It’s one of the strongest statements in her long, distinguished career.
The subject of Memoirs is love at all its stages in our lives. Experiencing it for the first time. Losing it. Remembering its most painful moments, and also its times of greatest innocence and joy. Yearning for it. Learning from it. Growing as a result of its profound power. Finding it again and being grateful for so great a gift. And, finally, being humbled, filled with wonder and elevated by love’s mysterious ways. In that sense and more, Memoirs is a full, immensely satisfying journey.
“Each song is like an intimate conversation or entry in a private diary,” Carey says about the album. “A lot of the songs reflect specific, different times in my life. Others were inspired by movies, actual events that happened to me, or the stories of friends who told me about experiences that they've gone through.” With just one exception, Carey wrote and produced the entire album in collaboration with The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. The trio clearly shared an inspired sense of what Memoirs should be. Sinuous grooves and instantly memorable melodies flow from track to track, while the wit and intimacy of the lyrics create the feel of one friend talking to another. As well-defined as each song is, Memoirs plays with the beauty and consistency of a classic, start-to-finish album.
“My main goal was to work with people I could collaborate with without it seeming redundant or stale,” Carey says. “In my opinion Tricky is one of the most underrated major producers out there right now. I really enjoyed collaborating with him. And I especially liked writing with The-Dream, basically because we both love having fun with lyrics and melodies, and we’re also capable of getting more serious on deeper songs. There is a particular sense of freedom I feel when we write together -- even though I make him stay in the studio all night until he is ready to kill me! LOL!”
Memoirs’ first single is the hard-hitting “Obsessed,” which is accompanied by a video directed by Brett Ratner (the Rush Hour trilogy) in which Carey plays both the glamorous star and her stalker fan. Like the video, the song’s lyrics combine devastating putdowns (“Last man on the Earth still couldn’t get this”) with humor (“See right through you like you’re bathin’ in Windex”). The no-nonsense “Up Out My Face” captures a similar caustic mood, dismissing a former lover with the send-off, “When I break, I break, boy.” “It’s a Wrap” delivers a similar message about the end of an affair: “When it’s gone, it’s gone.” “Standing O,” with its irresistible chorus, sardonically applauds a faithless ex for his signature achievement: “You played the one that loved you the most.” “Betcha Gon’ Know” foresees karmic revenge for a wayward lover, but, once again, the clever lyrics (“Oprah Winfrey whole segment for real, for real / 20/20 Barbara Walters for real, for real”) encourage a smile amid the pain.
The ballad “H.A.T.E.U.,” meanwhile, finds the singer seeing life in the wake of a breakup and longing for the moment when loss and regret transform into a cleansing anger. But the title of the song doesn’t necessarily stand for what you think it might. “H.A.T.E.U. is the first song I wrote for the album,” Carey says, “and it stands for Having A Typical Emotional Upset.”
Always a brilliant technical singer with an extraordinary vocal range, Carey rises to new heights on that track. “I sing a recurring melody in the upper register of my voice; it’s not an ad-lib, but an integral part of the song's hook,” she says. “That’s not something I’ve done before, and when listening back to it, it reminded me of how Minnie Riperton used her upper register on her hit song ‘Lovin’ You.’ I thought how ironic that her song was called ‘Lovin' You’ and my song is called, ‘H.A.T.E.U.’ – and both use that upper ‘whistle register’ as a major part of the melody. So it’s sort of an homage to Minnie Riperton, a tribute to her since she has been so influential in my singing style.”
On a tender note, the wistful “Candy Bling” beautifully evokes the blissful realm of young love (“Anklets, name plates that you gave to me/Sweet tarts, ring pops had that candy bling/And you were my world”), while “Inseparable” aches for a love that went wrong for reasons that seem impossible to comprehend. “More Than Just Friends” floats off into a fantasy of what a casual relationship might become (“Permanently paint me in your picture like Picasso/Love me down till I hit the top of my soprano!”). “Ribbon” and “The Impossible” swoon with happiness and thankfulness over redemptive love that has returned to make life rich again. “You did the impossible,” Carey sings. “You rescued my love.”
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel ends with a spectacularly powerful gospel rendition of Foreigner’s gorgeous ballad, “I Want to Know What Love Is.” Carey’s voice soars into the heavens as a soul-stirring choir makes it clear that the search for love is the closest that any human being ever gets to the divine.
Which brings us back to the angel of the album’s title. “I had written a song called ‘Imperfect,’” Carey says, “but it didn’t make it onto the album. The lyrics of that song address the fact that the world puts so much pressure on us -- especially on women -- to be perfect and look a certain way, and that is impossible because nobody is perfect. Only God is perfect. I know I’ve tried to be a good person, but I am definitely no angel!”
“But after I put this album together and decided to name it Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel,” she concludes, “I remembered that the Minnie Riperton album that contained ‘Lovin' You’ was called Perfect Angel. So I felt in so many ways that it was meant to be.”
Tomorrow is officially the day.
Kanye West's protege and Cleveland Ohio's own, Kid Cudi, will release his solo debut tomorrow. One of the most anticipated releases of the year will be released.
On Man On The Moon: The End Of Day Kid Cudi bears all while veteran, Common, narrates the listeners experience.
Working with the likes of Kanye, Ratatat, MGMT and more, Kid Cudi's album definitely has something for everybody on this release.
Check out the links below for more information and links to the music videos for the first two singles on the album.
Make Her Say (Poke Her Face) music video
Music video for Day N Nite
PURCHASE THE ALBUM HERE ON AMAZON
Rickie Lee Jones new album Balm in Gilead will be available November 10, 2009. The album features guest artists Allison Krauss, Ben Harper, Victoria Williams, Bill Frisell, Jon Brion, & Vic Chestnut. Don't miss her US tour scheduled to run throughout October!!
To pre-order this album, click here!
On this exciting new album Pink Elephant--available October 6, 2009-- N'dambi ingeniously distills soul-deep inspiration into a sensual style of elegance and power, making her a fundamental new addition to the Stax Records legacy. Pink Elephant was recorded in Santa Monica, CA with producer Leon Sylvers III, whose credits include Shalamar, Gladys Night, The Whispers, Blackstreet, Lakeside, and many more. N'dambi insisted the record have a modern sheen yet adhere to the sturdy influence of classic R&B and soul artists like Slave, Heatwave, Michael Jackson, Betty Davis, Isaac Hayes, Smokey Robinson, and The Sylvers.
To pre-order this album, click here!
National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master and 10X
Grammy-winning, legendary musician George Benson will release
his new album on August 25th entitled Songs and Stories, his second
for Concord Records/Monster Music. The album is a collection of
tunes penned by some of the most prolific and enduring
songwriters of the last half-century. Some were written specifically for
this new recording, such as Bill Withers’ (who came out of
retirement to write “A Telephone Call Away” for George), Rod
Temperton’s “Family Reunion” and Lamont Dozier’s “Living in High
Definition”; while others, including James Taylor’s “Don’t Let Me
Be Lonely Tonight”, Donny Hathaway’s “Someday We’ll All Be Free”
and Tony Joe White’s “Rainy Night in Georgia”were hand-picked by
Benson for their ability to convey simple but universal truths
about the human experience.
To celebrate the release of Songs And Stories, fans can
visit the official Benson website, georgebenson.com and receive a
free mp3 download of "Living In High Definition", the new song
written by legendary composer Lamont Dozier.
To order this album now, click here!
Following up her 2007 multi-platinum debut Coco, Republic Records recording artist, Colbie Caillat, is back with a brand new album!
Breakthrough features the incredibly catchy single "Fallin For You". You can watch the video for the single over at YouTube.
Purchase "Breakthrough" on Amazon.com
On September 29, 2009, Pancho Sanchez-- the world's top Latin jazz ensemble-- comes roaring back with their 23rd album on Concord Picante, Psychedelic Blues. Featuring their own renditions of jazz and Latin classics like Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island," and Freddie Hubbard's "Crisis," plus a pair of brand new original compositions, this is one album you won't want to miss!
The multi-platinum selling quartet that brought the mega-hit "I Swear," the longest running #1 Billboard single in history, is back with their first all-new U.S. release in 7 years! No Regrets, a musically diverse work that showcases the quartet's dynamic vocal range and musical styles, is destined to become a CD favorite of their long-standing fans and new fans alike!
No Regrets will be in stores on September 15, 2009 through Peak Records distributed by Concord Music Group.
To pre-order your copy, click here!
Vocalist-songwriter-pianist Spencer Day is an artistic vagabond, a modern-day musical nomad. Born in Utah, raised in rural Arizona, currently living in Los Angeles with extended residencies in New York and San Francisco, Day has called many places home. Along the way, he has wandered amid the expansive and diverse landscape of American music, developing an artistic sensibility that borrows from numerous sources: jazz, musical theater, cabaret, soul, folk, traditional pop and contemporary pop are just the tip of the iceberg.Vagabond, his new release and his first on Concord Jazz, cements his reputation as a balladeer for the new century. Vagabond will be released September 8th--but to pre-order your copy now, click here!
On September 8, 2009 Peak Records will release Good Day, the newest release by Peter White. For nearly twenty years, Peter White has made the acoustic guitar a dynamic and expressive voice in the overall soundscape of contemporary jazz. Since his first recordings in the early 1990s, he has infused pop standards and his own original material with a sense of innovation and energy that rivals the abilities of his electric guitar counterparts. Don't miss this anticipated collection of original new music--to pre-order this album, click here!
Hollywood Undead's debut album Swan Songs was recently certified Gold by the RIAA and now they just got their new single "Everywhere I Go" added to KROQ!! Make sure you grab your copy of Swan Songs, available online & in stores now!!
Mind Over Matter is the new recording by saxophonist Najee set for release on August 25, 2009, on Heads Up International, a division of Concord Music Group. In addition to Najee’s fine balance of songcraft and musicianship, the album also includes songwriting and guest appearances by keyboardist Jeff Lorber and vocalists Eric Benét and Gary Taylor.
The album title, says Najee, is inspired by Miles Davis’ approach to songwriting, especially in the latter part of his career. “In his later years, he took a very loose and improvisational approach,” he says. “He would start with nothing more than a groove that Marcus Miller or some other member of his band would lay down. And from there he would just develop these melodies that were very simple but at the same time very compelling and very memorable. It was a creative process that bypassed the nuts and bolts of the song and just got right to the essence of it.”
To pre-order this album, click HERE!
Famed vibraphonist-composer Stefon Harris returns with his Concord Jazz debut, Urbanus; a spectacular piece of work sparkling with optimism, ingenuity and emotional immediacy. Special Guest on the album includes Y.C. Laws - percussion; Anne Drummond - alto flute; Anna Webber- flute; Mark Vinci - clarinet & bass clarinet; Sam Ryder - clarinet; Jay Rattman - bass clarinet; Rigdzin Collins - violin.
On August 18, Heads Up will release Legacy, a collection of songs from Hiroshima's first musical decade. The songs were not taken from the previous albums but re-recorded by the band's current lineup, the founders Dan (sax) and June Kuramoto (koto), joined by taiko drummer/percussionist Shoji Kameda, drummer/percussionist Danny Yamamoto, keyboardist Kimo Cornwell and bassist Dean Cortez. Further guest musicians are Terry Steele, Jim Gilstrap and Yvette Nii (vocals), Richie Gajate Garcia (percussion) and the string arrangements of maestro George del Barrio.
"When you start looking back at fifteen records over thirty years, that's a lot of material to choose from, " comments Dan Kuramato. "So we narrowed the scope to the first ten years, which includes five records - two of which were gold. We tracked everything live in my home studio for this new recording, with almost no overdubs. In many cases, the songs on this record are fairly similar to the originals. In some cases, they're very different."
Legacy is an invitation to explore Hiroshima's musical heritage. For fans of the group a welcome addition, for others the perfect entry into an unknown world of sound.
TO PRE-ORDER THIS ALBUM, CLICK HERE!
Iconic trumpeter & bandleader Herb Alpert and his wife, renowned singer Lani Hall, present original arrangements of classic American standards with Brazilian color in their upcoming album Anything Goes. This is the first time that the celebrated duo, who recently signed to the Concord Jazz label, has recorded a complete album together and is Alpert’s first new CD in 10 years since the debut of Colors in 1999. A love letter to each other and a tribute to their enduring personal and professional relationship, Anything Goes is set for release August 18th and will be accompanied by tour dates across the country.
To pre-order this album, click HERE!
For Soul On Ten, his fourth and latest album for Concord Music Group, five-time Grammy nominee Robben Ford is definitely ‘on ten,’ playing with the kind of skill and experience that had Musician magazine dubbing him one of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century.”
With eight of the ten tracks recorded live over two nights at The Independent in San Francisco last April, Soul On Ten captures Ford’s unique style, one that combines, yet transcends, his roots in jazz, fusion, blues, soul and rock.
To order this album now, click HERE!