Hot Video Alert: Yenn - Pretty Ugly

It's been nearly a year since I posted about a little Vietnamese-American dance/club diva called Yenn but when I heard that she'd released a video for her latest single, "Pretty Ugly" last month, I had to give her a shout out.  "Pretty Ugly" is the follow up to Yenn's 2009 dance-hit "So Good To Be Wrong," which peaked on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart with remixes by Karmatronic, DJ Escape & Johnny Vicious.  Released digitally in July via indie label Down Under, "Pretty Ugly," backed by remixes from Jump Smokers and Ralphi Rosario, rocketed it's way up the Hot Dance Club Play charts once again, besting Yenn's previous record by peaking at #14. That's a top twenty hit, I do believe! Way to go Yenn!

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Australian Singer/Songwriter Delta Goodrem Releases Stunning New Single and Video

It's been about five years since we've heard a peep out of Aussie pop princess Delta Goodrem, but at long last, the wait is over.  "Sitting On Top of The World" is the 27 year old singer/songwriter's brilliantly concocted comeback single, destined to be a smash in her native Australia and hopefully the rest of the world.  Released in Australia and New Zealand April 13th, this up-tempo drop of liquid pop gold was co-written by Goodrem and Grammy-winning producer John Shanks (Michelle Branch, Sheryl Crow, Celine Dion), who also served as producer on the track.  The song is the lead single off Goodrem's upcoming fourth studio album, due out later this year on Sony Music Australia.

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[NSFW] Hot Video Alert: Daniel Bedingfield - Rocks Off

Daniel Bedingfield is BACK folks. For years I've been passively aggressively Tweeting in Bedingfield's direction, inquiring about new music ventures. new projects and the like. While Bedingfield never took the time to personally respond to my messages, he did me one up.  He released a new song, his first since 2005, I might add.  For those of you still stuck on the Daniel Bedingfield of the early 2000s, it's time to move on.  The new Daniel Bedingfield is going to take some getting used to, that's for sure.

"Rocks Off" is the first song lifted from Bedingfield's forthcoming new EP, Stop The Traffik - Secret Fear, due on April 24th.  "Rocks Off" is an aggressively manic and very percussive pop/rock thumper, completely different than anything we've heard Bedingfield do before.  Clocking in at just over a minute long, the song is also extremely short.  What the song lacks in minutes and seconds, it more than makes up for in intensity.  Also for a treat, make sure you check out his racy video for the song below.  Warning, there's nudity so definitely NSFW. Released digitally on March 13th, the single features a B-Side called "It's Not Me It's You," which, at 3:19 is not only is a more appropriate length for a single, it also showcases Bedingfield's new sound more than "Rocks Off" ever could.  Decidedly more rock than garage-tinged pop, Bedingfield's new music is very promising indeed. At the very least, it's left me wanting to hear more.

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Ones to Watch in 2012: Aiden Grimshaw

Nearly two years after gracing television screens all over the UK as a contestant on The X-Factor: Series 7, Aiden Grimshaw has (finally) unveiled his debut single and it's a wonder to behold.  "Is This Love," due June 3rd via RCA Records, was written by the 20-year old Grimshaw, and serves as the first single off his debut album, Misty Eye, out August 13th in the UK.  Listen to the single BELOW.

At first listen, Aiden appears to be he heading in the right direction, musically speaking, following the lead of other more established "folktronica" artists like Alex Clare and Ellie Goulding.  This song is an exercise of both subtlety and strength, complete with a big, soaring chorus and booming drum & bass beats, utilizing Grimshaw's beautiful falsetto to absolute perfection.  This combination showcases, not only Grimshaw's vulnerability, but his impressive vocal chops as well.  Aiden's vocals rise triumphantly above the sleek, futuristic-sounding production, immediately slaying all those who listen.  What a debut!  Grimshaw's songwriting skills are also worth noting.  Gone, are the days when reality show contestants are thrust into the arms of a team of songwriters.  I love that this latest crop of burgeoning artists are allowed the opportunity to showcase their own skills as storytellers. 

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Norah Jones Steps Up 'Little Broken Hearts' Promo Surrounding Album's May 1st Release

Photo Credit: Frank W Ockenfels

As the release date for Norah Jones's fifth studio album, Little Broken Hearts, draws nearer, Jones' promotional calendar appears to be filling up quite quickly.  Starting with the premiere of her "Goodbye Earl"-reminiscent video (BELOW) for lead single, "Happy Pills," earlier this month on VH1, Jones is in the midst of a media blitz that includes appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman (May 2nd), Good Morning America (May 3rd), The View (May 7th), and The Rachael Ray Show (May 9th).  In addition, Jones will be taping an episode of VH1 Storytellers, set to air June 8th. Past Storytellers subjects have included Sheryl Crow, Ray LaMontagne, Dave Matthews Band, Alanis Moirissette, Jewel and many more of the most prolific artists of our time.  This must be quite the honor for Norah Jones!

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Scissor Sisters Drop New Calvin Harris-Produced Single, Video Premiere Set for Thursday April 19th

Like Gossip, Scissor Sisters are another one of those American bands that are criminally underrated here at home but hugely popular abroad.  The drastically different radio landscapes here and in Europe frustrate the hell out of me sometimes, but what are you gonna do?  On May 14th, Scissor Sisters will release "Only The Horses" as the lead single off their upcoming fourth studio album, entitled Magic Hour (check out the album artwork HERE). 

Written by Scissor Sisters and co-produced by Calvin Harris and Alex Ridha of Boyz Noize, "Only The Horses" presents as a welcomed return for the band, who's last album, Night Work came out two years ago sans any real, honest-to-goodness hits.  While the album itself did moderately well, debuting on the UK Albums Chart at #2 and in America on the Billboard 200 at #18, it failed to produce a real hit single.  The closest we got to a hit was with lead single, "Fire With Fire," which peaked in the UK at #11.  As nice as it will be to have the Scissor Sisters back on radio (hopefully), I have to admit I have yet to be completely bowled over by any of their new material.  "Only The Horses" is a welcomed return, yes, but only in so much that it's nice to hear from the group again. The single is fairly generic dance pop, sounding much like a leftover cut off of Kylie Minogue's 2010's stunner of an album, Aphrodite.  While vastly superior to the the band's originally planned first single, the Azealia Banks-assisted "Shady Love," I was kind of hoping for and expecting more.

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