My Weekly Last FM Chart

Here it goes...my most listened to artists and songs of the past week according to my Last FM chart.

Most Listened To Artists:

1. Regina Spektor

2. Dan Black

3. VV Brown

4. Jordin Sparks

5. Amy Winehouse

I listened to Regina Spektor a lot this past week. As I mentioned in my little review, her album is pretty damn amazing. From the songwriting, to the melodies and instrumentation - Far is just a solid record through and through. Dan Black's album is also solid, although completely different. It's up-tempo electro-pop and I'm hooked on two tracks in particular: "Symphonies" and "Alone." VV Brown - love her. Enough said. Jordin Sparks - hmm...well the new album leaked. It's coming out on Tuesday and I plan to pick it up for sure. It's a solid pop album with lots of good hooks. Amy Winehouse...I saw some pictures of her online, showing her looking better than she has recently...and there was a glimmer of hope. Her first two albums are so nearly perfect...I really shouldn't need an excuse to listen to them.

Most Listened To Songs:

1. Regina Spektor - Laughing With

2. Dan Black - Symphonies

3. Shakira - She Wolf

4. Regina Spektor - Blue Lips

5. Dan Black - Alone

Spektor's single "Laughing With" is so good. It pulls at my heart, which isn't necessarily something I want to show while at work. There was just something so mesmerizing about her voice...perhaps it's her soft-spoken tone or perhaps it's her slight accent...whatever it is I can't get enough. "Symphonies" isn't as good as "Hypntz" would have been but it's pretty darn close. "She Wolf" has been growing on me since day one. I love the "Aaaoooo" in the chorus and the fierce electro-beat is insane. Can't wait to hear some remixes for this track, although I don't know if we even need any. "Blue Lips" is another Regina song that hit a chord. Then again, if you'll look at my top 20 you'll see that virtually every track from that album is on there.

New Single Artwork - Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Holly Valance & Michelle Branch

Well this is exciting. I love seeing the artwork for albums & singles...whether it's original photography or a still from a video clip - being as OCD as I am - all of my iPod tracks need to have accompanying artwork. If not, I make it myself in PhotoShop. By now you all know that Coverlandia is my favorite place to find artwork - whether it's official or made by fans, there's some cool stuff. Today I was perusing the site and found three new "official" artwork updates.

Via Coverlandia

Natalie Bassingthwaighte is an Australian singer and actress. Among her long list of credits - being host of "So You Think You Can Dance Australia," children's book author, soap opera actress ("Neighbours"), theater actress (touring productions of "RENT" and "Grease"), former lead singer of the Rogue Traders and now solo artist. Her album 1000 Stars, was released in February of 2009 and debuted at #1 on the ARIA Album, Physical Album and Australian Album charts. "Alive," "Someday Soon" and "1000 Stars" were released as singles, with new single "Not For You" coming out this month. I quite enjoyed Natalie's first two singles but haven't heard her last two yet. Perhaps I'll give them a listen. Given my intense love for Dannii Minogue and Kylie Minogue - and my appreciation for Natalie Imbruglia and other Aussie actresses-turned-pop stars, I'm sure I'll like her just fine.

Check out Natalie Bassingthwaighte on the web: Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//YouTube//Twitter

Via Coverlandia

Speaking of other Australian actresses-turned-pop stars...Holly Valance is back! I blogged about this a couple of months ago, but I hadn't heard anything more about her rumored comeback since May. Can anyone confirm or deny that "Superstar" is in fact her new single? The people at Coverlandia are reporting the above artwork to be official. I hope this is true!

Check out Holly Valance on the web: MySpace//iLike

Via Coverlandia

Looks like we now have single artwork for Michelle Branch. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, her new single has been announced and it's called "Sooner or Later." The artwork is nice...Michelle looks natural and lovely. Not too crazy about the font, to be honest...but I'll take what I can get. According to her blog, the single is now being released digitally on July 28th (not July 21st) as iTunes is featuring it as the "Premiere of the Week." The video is set to debut on Monday July 20th on CMT.com. Can't wait for some new Michelle Branch material!

Check out Michelle Branch on the web: Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Twitter