Hot Video Alert: Lauren Pritchard - Painkillers

Lauren Pritchard is an American singer/songwriter, whose new single "Painkillers" drops July 19th in the UK via Island Records. The talented first grabbed national attention on Broadway as "long-haired bohemian" Ilse in the Tony Award-winning Spring Awakening alongside Glee actress Lea Michelle. Now, per Pritchard's MySpace bio "6 years, 5 tattoos, 4 electric tea kettles, 3 cities, 2 tours and 1 Nord keyboard later, she's in the bushes with the shepherds of London, singing of her homeland...." "Painkillers" is the new single off of Pritchard's major label debut, Wasted In Jackson, which is due September 20th in the UK. There's currently no word yet on a U.S. release date, but seeing as Pritchard is on tour in the UK, it could be a while.

Whenever a Broadway star goes mainstream pop, I get a little nervous because Broadway tends to cultivate a very particular type sound. Granted, Spring Awakening's style wasn't really typical Broadway in it's musicality so Pritchard's voice lends itself well to this singer/songwriter material. She's a little bit Fiona Apple and a little bit Adele, which I really dig. I look forward to hearing more from Lauren Pritchard. "Painkillers" was written by the singer and produced by Eg White (Adele, Duffy) and features Roots founder Questlove on drums.

Painkillers EP Tracklisting:

1. Painkillers,

2. Try A Little Harder,

3. Painkillers (Body Language Remix) (Listen Here)

4. Painkillers (Flotilla Remix) (Listen Here)

Check out Lauren Pritchard on the web:

Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Twitter

V.V. Brown Hits The Big Time, Goes On Tour with Maroon 5, Climbs U.S. Dance Charts

Now that I've seen V.V. Brown live twice in a small, intimate gig I'm really curious to see how she's going to change up her show for a bigger audience.

Living in Boston for the past 6 years, I've really grown fond of the number of intimate gigs big-time artists come here and play. I've had the pleasure of seeing Katie Melua, the Noisettes, V.V. Brown and Kate Nash all play to a small crowd and I have to say...I'm completely spoiled now. While arena's and larger-scale venues tend to be better acoustically-speaking, there's just something I love about seeing the artists I love up close and personal (I still count seeing Noisette's lead singer Shingai Shoniwa doing a somersault on a bar table 4 feet in front of me as one of the best live musical moments of my life). That being said, I also appreciate when an artist that's popular overseas gets the opportunity to open for a big band here in America, that's no small honor.

When I heard that V.V. Brown would be opening for American Pop/Rock Superstars Maroon 5 I was really excited for her. While still relatively unknown here in the States, this opportunity will most certainly boost her Stateside cred. Brown's single "Shark In The Water" is climbing the Billboard Hot 100 Charts (currently at #67) as well as Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play Chart (currently at #11). While her album only peaked at #179 on the Billboard 200, that's probably more than she expected as she set out to win over the music-loving Americans. This tour will definitely provide Brown with more U.S. exposure which can only be a good thing for the young singer.

Catch V.V. Brown on Tour with Maroon 5 this summer:

Aug 5/Clarkston, MI/DTE Energy Center/with Owl City
Aug 6/Noblesville, IN/Verizon Wireless/with Owl City
Aug 7/Canandaigua, NY/Constellation Perf. Arts Center/with Owl City
Aug 10/Mansfield, MA/Comcast Center/with Owl City
Aug 11/Wantagh, NY/Jones Beach/with Owl City
Aug 13/Bristow, VA (DC)/Jiffy Lube Live/with Owl City
Aug 14/Camden, NJ/Susquehanna Bank Center/with Owl City
Aug 15/Holmdel, NJ/PNC Bank Arts Center/with Owl City
Aug 19/Miami, FL/Bayfront Park Amphitheater/with Kris Allen
Aug 21/Alpharetta, GA/Verizon Wireless Amph/with Kris Allen
Aug 24/Davidson, NC/Davidson College/with Kris Allen
Aug 29/Pittsburgh, PA/Amphitheater @ Station Square/with Kris Allen
Sep 4/Mahnomen, MN/Shooting Star Casino

VV Brown - New Music - More Music Videos

Check out VV Brown on the web:

Official Site//Myspace//Facebook//Bebo//YouTube//Twitter

Katie Melua's New Single Remixed by Robbie Rivera, Loverush UK, Danny Kirsch and More

I LOVE Ebay. I often find myself parusing the UK new release schedule, mark down the ones I'm interested in then make my way over to Ebay to see if there are any promo CDs available for purchase. This is how I learned that Katie Melua's new single (due July 26th) "A Happy Place" was being remixed.  Ever since Melua released "The Flood", I've had my eyes peeled for any news on a second single.  I knew that with the legendary William Orbit producing, Melua's new album would be embraced by remixers and I'm happy to see that I was right.  Co-penned by Melua and Guy Chambers, "A Happy Place" is the logical choice for a second single. It's somewhat up-tempo and has a eerily beautiful chorus that suits Melua's vocals. While I did enjoy the remixes that came out of "The Flood" (by Danny Kirsch and Michael Woods), "A Happy Place" has been mixed by Miami-based DJ Robbie Rivera, Loverush UK, Beatnoids, Product01 and Danny Kirsch.  That's quite a lineup! The House will be released stateside on August 3rd.

Katie Melua - A Happy Place by Fool_4_Music


Remix Tracklisting:

1) ROBBIE RIVERA JUICYIBIZA MIX

2) LOVERUSH UK REMIX

3) DANNY KIRSCH REMIX

4) BEATNOIDS REMIX

5) PRODUCT01 REMIX

6) LOVERUSH UK DUB

7) ROBBIE RIVERA JUICYIBIZA DUB

Check out Katie Melua on the web:

Official Site (UK/US)//MySpace//Facebook

Hot Video Alert: Same Difference - Shine On Forever (Photo Frame)

Brother/sister pop duo Same Difference (Sean & Sarah Smith) are back with a new single and a new album. Now signed to PopLife Records, the ex X-Factor contestants appear to be going in a more pop/dance direction now, after releasing 2008's Pop via Syco Music (a Sony company). While the album peaked at a modest #22 on the UK album charts, it didn't sell to the label's liking and the group was subsequently dropped. The new single, to be released on August 30th, features remixes by Riffs & Rays, Thin Red Men, Matt Pop and the Beardy Kids. As much as I want to hate this song...I can't. It's uber-cheese at it's best and it's got a beat. Infinitely better than their last saccharinely sweet High School Musical-esque single "We R One," the sibling pair have finally hit the right note with this more contemporary pop song.

Remix Tracklisting:

1. Riffs & Rays Club Mix

2. Thin Red Men Club Mix

3. Matt Pop Remix

4. Beardy Kids Remix

5. Riffs & Rays Radio Edit

6. Original

Check out Same Difference on the web:

Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Twitter//YouTube