New UK Singles This Week...Cheryl Cole, Her Majesty & The Wolves, James Blunt

I don't know if this will be a regular thing or not but I wanted to post about some new digital UK releases this week. Most notably we have the new Cheryl Cole single, "The Flood," co-written by Priscilla Hamilton and Wayne Wilkins and produced by Wilkins and Antwoine "T-Wiz" Collins. The video (BELOW) was directed by Sophie Muller. The digital EP features the single as well as remixes from the Wideboys, Alias and Loco.  The song is only the second single released off of Cole's sophomore album, Messy Little Raindrops. While "Promise This" went all the way to the top of the UK singles charts, I'm not so sure "The Flood" deserves the same fate...but seeing how thin this week's competition is, I wouldn't be surprised if it did well.



Other singles out this week worth noting..."Stars In Your Eyes," the official debut single from Her Majesty & The Wolves, a new electro pop outfit featuring Kimberly Wyatt (formerly of the Pussycat Dolls) and Spencer Nezey (of Jupiter Rising). As of December, the duo was 70% done with their debut album, which will be released later this year via Chime Entertainment.

I really like this song and the video is FIERCE. This seems like the perfect vehicle for Wyatt, who is already being compared to Dannii Minogue.  It's nice to see that she can have a career post PCD.  After the success of her collaboration with Aggro Santos (watch the video for "Candy" HERE) I've been eagerly waiting to see what she'd do next and if the material I've heard so far from HMATW is any indication, Wyatt's about to get her much deserved spotlight.

HER MAJESTY & THE WOLVES - STARS IN YOUR EYES (Sidney Samson Club remix) by hmatw

Before you download "Stars In Your Eyes" (on UK iTunes HERE) check out this dope remix by Sidney Samson (ABOVE) and check out the video (BELOW).



The only other single worth mentioning is the new James Blunt single, called "So Far Gone" (Watch the video HERE), off his third studio album, Some Kind Of Trouble. "So Far Gone" is the follow up single to "Stay The Night," which came out at the end of October and peaked at #26 on the UK singles chart. Blunt's last single came backed with remixes by the Wideboys, Buzz Junkies and Fred Falke.  No remixes yet for "So Far Gone," which was co-written by Blunt, Steve Robson (Take That, Leona Lewis) and Ryan Tedder (Beyonce, Leona Lewis). On a scale of 1 to 10, the single is boring. Straight up.

Next Week:

Singles out next week that I'm excited slash curious about...the new Fe-Nix single, "Red Light" is out as well as Jodie Connor's debut solo single, "Now Or Never" featuring Wiley. On the other end of the spectrum we have the new Bruno Mars single "Grenade" out next week in the UK. BLAH.

Mary J. Blige - 'It's Album Time!!!'

"It's Album Time!!!" exclaims ever amazing R&B Goddess Mary J. Blige on her Twitter account New Years Day. What a great birthday present! R&B has never been my preferred genre of music but when it comes to R&B there are few artists I want to hear more than Ms. Blige. She continues:

@maryjblige: I'm still Creating. I've been Quiet about it because I'm focussing!!! But its Coming!!!

Good news indeed! Back in August it was confirmed that Blige had begun work on her tenth studio album (WOW! Landmark!). Confirmed and rumored collaborators include Q-Tip, Swizz Beatz, Jay-Z, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Ryan Leslie, Bangladesh, Johnta Austin, Eric Hudson, DJ Premier, Gorilla Tek, Jerry Wonder, Don Pooh and Ne-Yo. That's quite the laundry list of R&B/Hip-Hop hitmakers! Back in September Blige talked to MTV News behind the scenes at the 2010 MTV VMAs, discussing what fans could expect from her forthcoming album.  Here's what Blige told MTV News:

"Swizz [Beatz] and I, [we're] in the studio cooking up something real nice," Blige told MTV News backstage at the VMAs. The songbird, who hit the stage on Sunday with Swizzy and Drizzy for "Fancy," revealed that she and the super-producer are crafting sonic heat similar to her first two studio albums but plan to update the vintage Blige sound. "[It will be] more like [What's the 411?], My Life 2011, '12. It's headed [in] that direction but in a new [way]. Not what it used to be." - {SOURCE}

In that same interview, Blige shot down the possibility of a dance club vibe on her new album, telling MTV News, "If it goes into the club direction, it will probably be more soulful than futuristic" {SOURCE}. Disappointing but not surprising. Blige does get remixed for the clubs so chances dance music fans will get their fill this time as well. Glad to see that we have new music from Mary J. to look forward in 2011!

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Michelle Branch Returns to Studio This Month, Recording a New 'Pop Record'

You can't help but feel a little bad when a talented artist is forced to sacrifice a bit of creative control in order to appease a major record label. Now, I'm not saying record label politics were FOR CERTAIN what happened with Michelle Branch's long delayed new album but she's been dropping hints for some time now that the delay was beyond her control. I got a little excited when Branch released an EP, Everything Comes and Goes this past summer but nothing really came of it. "Sooner or Later," the EP's only official single, peaked at #93 on the Billboard Hot 100. Pity.

While the vibe of Branch's Everything Comes and Goes EP was decidedly more country/pop (a la The Wreckers) it appears that Branch and/or her label (Warner Brothers) has switched gears entirely. In a recent interview over on UStream, Branch chatted about the new "pop" direction of her forthcoming LP. Talk about a complete 360! Here's what Branch had to say:

"I hate putting labels on it because a good song is a good song. This record is more in the vein of my first record, which I would say was a pop record." - {SOURCE}

Interesting indeed. According to Branch, she's been collaborating with Julian Emrey and Jim Irvine who, between the two of them, have worked with a diverse array of artists including McFly, David Cook, Boyzone, David Guetta and Simple Plan. Branch goes on to mention the names of at least two new songs ("Spark" and "The Story of Us") that she wrote with Emrey and Irvine but says that she has a bunch to choose from for the final album.

"I have 11 or 12 songs ready to go right now and I'm going to go in studio in January and start recording them. I'm really confident I will have this record out by next summer." - {SOURCE}

While I also hate it when an artist has to compromise and do a genre that he/she isn't really into, I'm kind of excited that Branch is (temporarily?) ditching country and revisiting the sounds of The Spirit Room, the album that first garnered her so much buzz. Anyway, who knows if she actually had to compromise. In the UStream chat she does describe the process with the new record as "fun" and "creative," which sounds to me that she's not being forced against her will to record a pop record - so who knows. While I'm not holding my breath that we're going to hear any more Timbaland collaborations, I think Branch's return to her pop/rock roots is exciting news by itself. Hotel Paper, Branch's last solo effort peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart back in 2003. Stand Still, Look Pretty, her last record with The Wreckers peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200 and #4 on the Billboard Country chart.

Check out Michelle Branch on the web:

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Enter The Era of 'Born This Way' - Lady Gaga Announces Release Dates for Single & Album

 

There's been so much good news in the world of pop these past few weeks, I can hardly contain myself! The latest, of course, is the official release dates for Lady Gaga's new single and album, both titled Born This Way. According to Gaga, via Twitter, the single will premiere on February 13th (the same date as the 2011 Grammy Awards, as pointed out by Prophet - interesting) followed by the album's release on May 23rd. First Britney's new single is coming in January, followed by Gaga in February? AMAZING! It's looking like I'm going to have lots of new pop music to throw on my iPod before my trip to Mexico at the end of March.

In addition to the release date news, Gaga also tweeted a bottomless photo of herself, seemingly wearing nothing more than a denim (or leather?) jacket with the name of the album/single on the back. Keeping it classy in 2011. Check below the cut to see the photo. Happy New Year indeed!

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Avril Lavigne Rings In The New Year with a New Single and Free Download

Avril Lavigne got an early start on her promotional duties for new album, Goodbye Lullaby (March 8th, RCA Records) this past New Years Eve, performing new single "What The Hell" live on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest. While the performance was lackluster at best, Lavigne treated fans to a free download of the single on her official Facebook page starting on New Years Day. I'm definitely diggin' the free download trend that artists like Avril and Ke$ha have started. Definitely a smart promotional tool if you ask me.

Now - what do I think of the Avril single? I totally agree with Prophet when he says that "On it’s own, “What the Hell” is a total winner and sounds like a surefire Billboard smash." The problem I have is also the same problem Proph is having. Lavigne has gone on record repeatedly, saying that this single is nothing like the rest of the album, and that her upcoming fourth studio album is more mature and acoustic. If this is the case, 'What The Hell' is the point of having only one surefire radio hit on the record? I understand, it's album number four, it's Avril's chance to push her boundaries and do something different to prove that she's a grown up little pop star but on that same token - it's been 4 years since you've had a hit, girl. You might want to keep the momentum going (assuming "What The Hell" does well). Granted, Avril's had chart success with ballads and mid-tempo songs before (most notably break out single "Complicated," not to mention "I'm With You," "My Happy Ending" and "Keep Holding On") but still - launching your first album in four years with an up-tempo, poppy song and then not having anything similar to follow it up with is kinda misleading. It's really nothing more than a big tease.

We will have to see how well "What The Hell" does but it has all the makings of a chart hit - namely hitmaker extraordinaire Max Martin (Britney Spears, P!nk) on production duties. Here's hoping that the rest of the album is able to sustain itself beyond the first single. "Like" Avril Lavigne on Facebook now and download her single, "What The Hell" for free HERE.

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New Britney Spears Single - 'Hold It Against Me' - Set For Radio Premiere 'Definitely In January'

 **UPDATE** Turns out Entertainment Weekly was premature in reporting Brit Brit's new single, "Hold It Against Me" would be premiering on January 7th.  According to Brit's manager, Adam Leber, who signed on to her official Twitter to clear the air -

@britneyspears: Lot of misinformation out there regarding the release of Brits 1st single. Don't believe everything you read.... -Adam Leber, Manager

@britneyspears: Unless of course it's an official announcement coming in January. STAY TUNED..... -Adam Leber, Manager

@britneyspears:  That said, the single is DEFINITELY coming in January. PS- happy new years people -Adam Leber, Manager

@britneyspears:  Sorry guys, but never pay attention to unofficial announcements. Just trying to clarify. Please don't "hold it against me" -Adam, Manager

Sorry but I thought that Entertainment Weekly was an official, reputable source...but I guess not in this case. By "Official" they clearly mean Britney's camp exclusively. Oh well. Looks like it's definitely coming sometime this month. I can hold out. Hopefully you all can as well.

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It's official ya'll! The new Britney Spears single, "Hold It Against Me," will be premiered next Friday, January 7th. AHHHH! I can hardly contain my excitement. In the days leading up to Christmas, producer Dr. Luke gave fans some clues to the song lyrics.  According to Dr. Luke himself...the 1st word is "Hey," the 3rd word is "There," the 4th word is "Please," the 5th word is "Forgive" and the 24th word is "Song." Not much to go on, but the wait will soon be over.  First reported in Entertainment Weekly, the song has already been heard by an elite few and it's reportedly amazing. Sharon Dastur, program director for New York City's Z100 radio has this to say:

"It’s produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin, and the beat that they give her is really unique compared to other artists — this infectious bass beat beneath the song. Plus, the hook is just amazing.”

Britney Spears + Max Martin + Dr. Luke = THE single of 2011. This is going to be huge. As Britney tweeted earlier this month, her as-yet-untitled album is due sometime in March. 2011 is definitely going to be the year of 'Godney.' Get ready for it!

Check Out Britney Spears on the web:

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Hot Sweepstakes Alert: Enter To Win Tickets to See Lady Gaga & Scissor Sisters!

UM. This is an amazing opportunity! Enter to win an amazing package brought to you by Fuse's latest promotion, "Music Moments That Matter!" 10 rows away from Lady Gaga & Scissor Sisters? Sign me up! Check out the relevant details below and make sure you enter!

Want to sit up close and personal with Lady Gaga & Scissor Sisters? Enter the Fuse Music Matters Sweepstakes for a chance to win the ultimate music experience! Fuse will fly one lucky Lady Gaga & Scissor Sisters fan and their guest to NYC and seat you within the 10 front rows at the Madison Square Garden concert! The winner will receive a trip for two - flight and one hotel night included, prime seating to February Fuse Presents, and one pair of Denon AH-D1100 "Acoustic Luxury" Over-Ear Headphones!

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• Participants are limited to one (1) entry per day. The more entries = the better chances! Contest ends January 15th at 6PM!

• You must be able to travel between February 21, 2011 through February 22, 2011!

 For more details and to hear why music matters to people, visit www.fuse.tv/musicmoments

La Bouche Frontman Comes Back to the Dance Floor in New House Jam

I have very fond memories of 90s dance/pop duo La Bouche (Melanie Thornton & Lane McCray). While their music was released before I was club-going age, I remember seeing them perform their hits "Be My Lover" and "Sweet Dreams" on The Jenny Jones Show along with other 90s dance contemporaries like Jennifer Paige, Amber, Gina G. and Gillette. Ahh good memories! After Thornton left the group to pursue a solo career I stopped following La Bouche. While Thornton's tragic death in an airplane crash in 2001 got me reminiscing a bit, it wasn't until I recently heard that Lane McCray was still recording music that all of these memories came flooding back. What better way to ring in 2011 than with some high quality house music brought to you by 1/2 of one of the greatest dance/pop acts of the last decade?

"Pump It" is the new song from DJ Blaine and Barona featuring guest vocals by Lane McCray. Turns out McCray had some success as a solo artist in Europe after La Bouche split up which is surprising to me, considering the majority of his work with La Bouche was him rapping, not singing. The single is backed by an impressive remix package, featuring mixes from DJ Blaine and Peter Barona, Solar City, Edson Pride, Rafael M, William Umana, DJ Juanito and Brian McCombs. Solid. The single and remixes are available to download on iTunes (HERE), Masterbeat.com, Perfectbeat.com, Napster, Juno, emusic.com, Rhapsody.com and Amazonmp3.com. Pick up your copy today! Preview the single and remixes on Fresh Music LA's official website, HERE.

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