Massive Album Artwork Update - Part I

I know that some might view a blog post full of album art as a cop out. Trust me...these album artwork updates aren't cop outs. Those who say that have never tried formatting a blog post in Blogger. It's suck a process! Blogger can be so finicky sometimes. It drives me INSANE. I actually spend longer on these Album Artwork posts than I do writing some of my other posts. Anyway, lots of new artwork to catch up on so here we go with part #1.

While not the lead single off of Adam Lambert's major label debut (due out by year's end), "Time For Miracles" is the lead single off of the 2012 movie soundtrack. Produced by Rob Cavallo (Paramore, Green Day, Avril Lavigne), the track has already been tauted a potential "power-ballad smash" by Entertainment Weekly's Michael Slezak. 2012 is the new big budget disaster pic from director Roland Emmerich, due out November 13th. The single will be released on October 20th. I'm definitely looking forward to some new material from Adam Lambert.

Former Mis-Teeq member and solo artist, Alesha Dixon is re-releasing her second album, The Alesha Show - dubbing this one The Encore. Lead single off of the reboot is the John Shanks-produced/Gary Barlow-written ballad, "To Love Again." Not too crazy about the song to be honest. I think Dixon has a perfectly adequate voice, but I much prefer her on an up-tempo track. I don't know if this song is going to be enough to make the album jump up the charts, but who knows. There are 2 other new tracks on the album (including one co-written by Paloma Faith and one produced by Xenomania), out in the UK November 23rd. The single precedes the album on November 15th.

I'm loving the artwork campaign for Amerie's In Love & War album. It's artistic AND sexy at the same time. The music on the other hand...I haven't really been inspired by any of Amerie's new material. Perhaps I haven't given it enough of a chance. There is no release date yet for "Pretty Brown," the third single released from the new album, due out November 3rd. It features hip hop artists Trey Songz.

I don't know if it's bad boy/thug appeal or what, but there's something about Asher Roth that I just find sexy. "She Don't Wanna Man" was actually the 4th single released off of Roth's debut album Asleep In The Bread Aisle. The single came out in July and features R&B artist Keri Hilson. The 5th single, "As I Em" was released on October 6th. I think we can expect big things from Roth, who's only 24. Lots of talent there.

This Britney Spears collection makes me excited...like VERY excited. Not sure if I could or should drop $100 + on the Ultimate Fan Box Edition, but part of kind of wants to. I think I'm going to wait to see what remixes & b-sides are released with each of the singles. I did purchase the Girls Aloud singles collection...in that case, we got a lot more remixes and b-sides. The Britney collection is only offering one extra track per single. We'll have to see. The black cover is for the domestic release of the compilation, due out November 1oth while the purple cover will be on the CD/DVD Edition and International version of the album. The Box Set will be released internationally on November 24th. The album artwork is a bit boring. I'd rather have a new photo but I'll take what I can get.

Mama's Song was first previewed on Billboard.com and is now available for download on iTunes. While not an official album single, it's nice to hear this little teaser off of the album. I'm still really loving "Cowboy Casanova" and am really excited to hear what the new album (Play On - due out November 3rd) sounds like. Mama's Song was co-written by Kara DioGuardi and Carrie Underwood herself.

Darin is another cutey. Oh and go figure, he's Swedish. The Swedish pop singers are all cute. Can anyone clarify what this single (a cover of the Coldplay song) is for? It's not on his 2008 album, Flashback. I know it was recorded in 2009 but I can't seem to find out what it's promoting or if it's just a stand alone single. Regardless, Darin looks great on the single artwork. Darin will be releasing his first UK single in November, a duet with Kat DeLuna called "Breathing Your Love." The track was produced by RedOne and released in Sweden one year ago.

It seems like everyone is releasing a greatest hits album these days. "Alpha Dog" is the first single off of the upcoming Fall Out Boy Greatest Hits album, Believers Never Die. Making an early appearance as a demo on Welcome To The New Administration, the single is due out November 16th (internationally on November 17th). The Greatest Hits album comes out on November 17th and features 15 tracks plus 3 bonus tracks.

And we have another "Best Of" compilation. This one, by the always amazing Janet Jackson will be released on November 17th. Number Ones (called The Best in international markets) is a two-disc album that contains all of Janet's hits PLUS the new track, "Make Me," co-produced by Rodney Jerkins and Miss Janet herself. The album is to be released jointly by A&M/Universal & EMI and features 33 of Jackson's number 1 singles. Wow. What a career! This is a hot song. Can't wait for some remixes.

When I was in Germany this past Spring, one of the CD singles I picked up was Jennifer Paige's "Underestimated." We here in America of course remember Paige for her 1998 hit single "Crush," which managed to hit #1 in several countries that year. Since then, her U.S. success has been relatively non-existent, but she has managed to find a following in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. According to Italian website "Beautiful Lie" is the new single by Jennifer Paige and features Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys fame. Interesting collaboration indeed. It was apparently recorded in LA this past summer, hitting radio in Germany Austria and Switzerland on October 6th. It's due for a digital release in Europe on November 20th. The single is the first off of Jennifer Paige's upcoming 4th album of the same name. Can anyone shed some more light on this track or her upcoming album? Check out this video of Carter and Paige chatting about the single. You can also hear a bit of the single in the clip, which sounds pretty decent.

Christ. 15 years old and he's already a heart throb. Poor guy. Must be rough. Justin Bieber is a Canadian singer who started out on YouTube before hitting the mainstream, signing an album deal with Island Records. His debut album, My World is set to be released on November 17th and is preceded by two singles - "One Time" (released July 7th) which peaked at #12 on Canadian pop charts and 21 in the U.S. The second single, "One Less Lonely Girl," was released on October 6th. Bieber recently made an appearance on NBC's The Today Show (October 12th) where he performed 3 songs in front of a crowd of screaming girls. He's also touring with Taylor Swift on the European leg of her Fearless Tour. Looks like there's lots in store for this talented young singer.

Real Housewife of Atlanta star, Kandi Burruss released her new single "Fly Above" on October 7th. This is Kandi's first single since 2001's "Cheatin' On Me," from her debut solo record Hey Kandi. Formerly part of the R&B group Xscape, Burruss has been writing up a storm since Xscape and her first solo album. Now is the PERFECT time to release a new single. With the popularity of the Bravo show, Kandi's in the spotlight once again and man does she deserve it. Writing hits for the likes of Destiny's Child ("Bills, Bills, Bills," "Bug a Boo"), P!nk ("There You Go"), and TLC ("No Scrubs") - it's about time Kandi wrote herself a few hits. Kandi has previewed snippets of the new track on her reality show and I like what I hear. This track has potential, as does her forthcoming album. An EP will be released on November 10th, including lead single "Fly Above."

Album Artwork Update

Since I need to go to bed soon, I'm just doing to post a bunch of official artwork from some of my favorite artists without any exposition. While I'd love to do a little write up on each piece...I just don't have the time. (If any of this isn't official, please leave me a comment). The majority of the artwork came from Coverlandia and Covermania - while still others came from official artist and label pages.

Nellie McKay - Normal As Blueberry Pie - A Tribute To Doris Day (ALBUM)

October 13, 2009 - Verve Music Group

Ryan Leslie - Transition (ALBUM)

November 3, 2009 - Universal Motown Records

Mr. Hudson - White Lies (SINGLE)

October 12, 2009 - GOOD Music/Universal

Kid Cudi feat. MGMT & RATATAT - Pursuit of Happiness (SINGLE)

September 8, 2009 - GOOD Music/Universal Motown

Jack Johnson - En Concert (LIVE ALBUM/DVD)

October 27, 2009 - Everloving/Brushfire/Universal

Five For Fighting - Slice (ALBUM)

October 13, 2009 - Aware/Columbia Records

Backstreet Boys - This Is Us (ALBUM)

September 30, 2009 - Jive

Little Boots - Earthquake (SINGLE)

November 16, 2009 - Sixsevenine

50 Cent - Before I Self Destruct (ALBUM)

November 17, 2009 - Aftermath/Interscope

Ashley Tisdale - Crank It Up (SINGLE)

October 16, 2009 - Warner Brothers

Angie Stone - I Ain't Hearing U (SINGLE)

?? - Stax

P!nk - Funhouse Tour: Live In Australia (LIVE ALBUM)

October 27, 2009 - LaFace

Amerie - In Love & War (ALBUM)

November 3, 2009 - Feenix Rising/Def Jam

Weezer - Raditude (ALBUM)

November 3, 2009 - Geffen

Wale feat. Gucci Mane - Pretty Girls (SINGLE)

?? - Allido/Interscope

Leona Lewis - Echo (ALBUM)

November 11, 2009 - Syco/J Records

Allison Iraheta - Friday I'll Be Over You (SINGLE)

October 20, 2009 - Jive

Massive Album Art Update - Part 2

This is a huge album artwork. So huge in fact that I couldn't put in all of the labels that I normally would have - one for each artist. Oh well! A majority of these covers came from Coverlandia. Enjoy!

"Make Me" is the new song from Janet Jackson and has been called a tribute to her brother Michael's single "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and will be part of her second compilation album, the double disc, 30-track Number Ones which is due for a release on November 17th. I enjoy Janet Jackson and am excited about the new single. I wish her nothing but success. Girl definitely needs it, as her last two albums have not done well in the charts.

To be honest, I haven't really gotten into the new Gossip CD. Maybe that's because it hasn't been officially released in CD format here in the states. It came out on iTunes here in June but that's not enough for me. The only time I buy digital CDs is when there's an "exclusive" remix included...and then I go purchase the album version as well. Well...it's finally coming out here in the states on October 6th and will include a new track, "The Breakdown." Gossip is coming to Boston on Sunday October 11th and I'd love to see them. I just need to find someone to go with. "Love Long Distance" is the new single out in the UK and you can watch the video HERE.





This is the second UK single from Swedish pop star Agnes Carlsson. A follow up to "Release Me," "I Need You Now" was written by Anders Hansson and Sharon Vaughn and has been remixed for the clubs by Cahill, Almighty, Grant Nelson, Ali Payama, Kindervater and Alex K. Sounds hot! The single will be out November 16th digitally, followed by the physical CD release. Nice lineup here for the remixes. Sounds good! Check out the UK radio edit HERE.

Here's the official album and single artwork for the debut Alexandra Burke single. I'm only disappointed because she's wearing practically the same outfit that she's wearing in both the promotional photos released prior to the single. I do like the whole silver thing she's got going on but I was just hoping for a little something extra. Oh well. The song is still fun, as is the video. I'm also enjoying the Moto Blanco remixes of the track and hope that the label releases some more.

"Doesn't Mean Anything" is the new single from R&B singer, Alicia Keys. I have to admit that it's pretty damn good. I have to agree with ArjanWrites when he calls it "her poppiest work to date." Check out the single HERE and let me know if you like it. Buy it on iTunes HERE. As far as the artwork goes - it's nice. While I prefer artwork with a photo of the artits, this is quite...pretty? Anyway - good stuff here.

In Love & War: The Prelude is the album sampler preceding the upcoming 4th studio album from R&B singer Amerie. The sampler contains six tracks (some full tracks, some snippets). Not bad...Amerie looks hot and the artwork is really cool and different. I haven't really liked an Amerie song since "1 Thing" and "Talkin' To Me" but I'm willing to give her another chance. Hopefully this long-delayed album will be a smash for her. She's got talent - that's not even a question. The album drops on November 2nd in the UK and on November 3rd in the U.S.

YAWN. Don't get me wrong, like any good gay I enjoy Barbara Streisand. Love Is The Answer, her new album of jazz standards (out September 29th) just sounds like a snooze to me. Perhaps if we see some remixes here I might get into it but otherwise, I'm going to have to pass. Apparently, the album was recently promoted on QVC, including a special edition DVD. Funny - QVC definitely seems like the best way to reach her target audience these days. Anyone out there excited for new Barbara?

"Be On You" is the official 4th single off of the Flo-Rida album R.O.O.T.S. Produced by hitmakers, Stargate this new single continues in the tradition of hot collaborations that make up the entire album - this time, it's R&B stud Ne-Yo. The single will be released on October 6th. I've liked nearly every other single off of R.O.O.T.S. so I'm sure this one will be no different. Looking forward to any potential remixes as well. Should be hot.

"Fever" is the second official single off of the new Cascada album, Evacuate The Dancefloor. The single is coming out in Germany on October 2nd. I like this cover - Natalie Horler looks GOOD. She also looks HOT in the video, which you can check out HERE. Remixes come to us from Ryan Thistlebeck, Ian Carey, D.O.N.S and Mowgli/Bagheera.

Cheryl Cole (formerly Tweedy) is a member of top selling UK girl group, Girls Aloud, judge on Britain's X-Factor as well as a budding solo artist. Her first single as a solo artist is "Fight For This Love" and it's got JAM written all over it. Written by Steve Kipner, Andre Merritt and Wayne Wilkins, it's due to be released in the UK on October 19th. Off of her upcoming album on Fascination Records, Three Words (out October 26th). I'm really feeling the music video which features Cheryl singing and dancing her way into the spotlight. I hope and pray that this doesn't lead to ALL of the Girls Aloud members to release solo albums causing the group to split. That would be a sad day. Anyway, I'm loving this album and single artwork. Cheryl looks stunning. The script is a little hard to read, but other than that it's quite nice. Check out the video HERE.

"Cowboy Casanova" is the lead single off of country singer and American Idol winner Carrie Underwood's third album, Play On (out November 3rd). I've said before that I don't much care for country music, but I make an exception when it comes to Carrie Underwood. She's beautiful, she's talented and I think she has MASSIVE pop crossover potential. That being said, I don't think she should pull a Leann Rimes and switch genres. She should stick to her guns and keep on making country records. "Cowboy Casanova" is not pop music by any means, but it's certainly crossing over into pop territory a teeny tiny bit. It's got all of the necessary country TWANG without being TOO much. Well done Ms. Underwood. Well done. Check out the song HERE. The single is out in the U.S. now and comes out in the UK on September 27th.

AWKWARD! David Archuleta looks like a deer caught in the headlights. It looks like Archie has been watching a little too much Tyra and smiling with his eyes. Yikes. He looks awful here - pale, scared out of his wits and frankly, just creepy. Anyway, this is Archuleta's second studio album - Christmas From The Heart, out October 13th.

Fixin' To Thrill is the second full-length studio album from Canadian electro outfit, Dragonette. The band features the talents of singer/songwriter Martina Sorbara, bassist/producer Dan Kurtz, guitarist Chris Hugget and drummer Joel Stouffer. The first single is the title track, available now on iTunes with remixes from Don Diablo. I am loving the creativity here on this cover. WOW. So cool! It's like a creepy, cool collage of some kind. The album is out on September 29th.

"Admit It" is the second official single from Justin Timberlake protege, Esmée Denters. Off of her debut album, Outta Here (out January 11th in the UK) "Admit It" is the follow up to her 1st single, "Outta Here" and was written by Denters herself and was produced by Justin Timberlake and Toby Gad. The video was released on September 3rd. The single is out in the UK on December 28th. Check out the video HERE.

Like It Like That is the fifth album from Australian Idol, Guy Sebastian. Due to be released on October 23rd it's preceded by the album's title track and first single which came out August 7th in Australia. Debuting at number 6 on the ARIA singles chart, it finally hit #1 and becomes Sebastian's 4th #1 single down under. Sebastian still has plans to come back to America and release an album here. Hopefully this is the case, as we're always looking for young, fresh talent and Sebastian's blend of R&B, Soul and Jazz would be a welcome, refreshing change. On the album cover...Sebastian looks totally bad ass. I love it.

"Break Up Song" is the second single (and title of their forthcoming album) from the Boston-based girl group Jada, currently signed to Universal/Motown Records. I have to say that I quite enjoyed their debut single, "American Cowboy" (which was featured on an episode of the hit TV show House) and the fact that they are from Boston is kind of cool, given that's where I live. The girls call the song chill and mid-tempo. Hmm. "American Cowboy" was up-tempo and fun. I hope this new single is a worthy follow up.

The Pursuit is the title of the new album by English jazz crooner Jamie Cullum. Released on November 10th, this will be Cullum's 5th album. Produced by Greg Wells (Katy Perry, OneRepublic and Deftones) and preceded by first single "I'm All Over It," this could be a cool album. I enjoyed Cullum's third album, Twentysomething but could not find a memorable track on the follow up, Catching Tales. These producers have me thinking that Cullum has something going on here with the new record and I'm hoping that I'm right.

This is the new live album/DVD from American singer/songwriter Jason Mraz. Recorded in Chicago, the album officially comes out on November 10th but can be pre-ordered on Jason's official website now. If you pre-order the album now on Jason Mraz's official store you'll receive the record before it's in stores (on or around October 27th). Pretty exciting if you're a die hard Jason Mraz fan. Fun and whimsical - I love this cover - just like I love Mraz and his easy-breezy vocal style.

"Body Language" is the new single from actor/singer Jesse McCartney. Man - I can't believe that they are still milking this record for singles. It came out in May of 2008 originally, followed by a re-release in April of 2009. "Body Language" was one of the new tracks included on the re-release version of Departure, Depature: Recharged and features a guest appearence from T-Pain. Yes, Jesse McCartney is a cougar-magnet. That being said, I'd rather not see some sexy, scantily-clad silhouette on the sleeve artwork. Put a photo of the guy on the single artwork. He's too good looking to be ignored. Listen to the single HERE. Buy the single HERE.

JLS (Jack the Lad Swing) are a British boyband who made their first appearence in Britain's X-Factor Season 5, where they came in 2nd to winner Alexandra Burke. Signing to Epic Records, JLS released their debut single, "Beat Again" in the UK this past summer where it went to #1. Follow up single "Everybody In Love" will be released on November 2nd. Produced by hitmaker J.R. Rotem, the single will precede their debut self-titled album, out November 9th.

Belgian pop star Kate Ryan offered me my first taste of europop/dance music back in 2002 when I saw the music video for her fifth single "Libertine," off of the re-release of her debut album Different. French Connection has been billed as a French concept album and is due for release in Canada and France on October 13th and October 23rd respectively. The first single, "Babacar" was released in June and was a cover of France Gall's 1987 song of the same name. In looking at the tracklisting, French Connection appears to feature all French-language tracks - both new and old. I don't know if that's much of a new concept. What does excite me is that included on the album are TWO versions of both "Libertine" and "Desenchantée." The album artwork is a little cheesy with the French flag, but whatever. She looks good. I'm ready to dance.

Kris Allen is just so damn cute that you can't help but crush on him. That being said, Allison Iraheta was my favorite contestant from the last season of American Idol - hands down! I always prefer a female singer to a male singer. I don't know what it is, but girls just tend to have crazy range and better style. Sure, these are both generalizations. Honestly, I'm happy that everyone in the Top 3 received major label contracts. In listening to the lead single off of Allen's debut album, "Live Like We're Dying" and learning that it's actually a cover of a b-side by The Script, I'm left pleasantly surprised. It definitely sounds like a Script song if you ask me, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. This single is actually giving me hope for Kris Allen's as yet untitled debut album. The single was released on iTunes on September 25th.

No offense to country music as an institution, but it never used to be this sexy. Female country singers today are sexin' it up to sell records and I don't know - I think it's probably working. Miranda Lambert first gained attention as a finalist on the 2003 season of Nashville Star where she came in 3rd. Signed to Epic Records/Columbia Records, Lambert is getting set to release her third album, Revolution on September 29th. Included on the album are singles "Dead Flowers" and "White Liar" along with 13 other songs. You gotta give props to an artist that writes her own stuff and Lambert co-wrote all but 3 of these tracks. Serving as co-writers on this album are boyfriend Blake Shelton, Ashley Monroe, Charles Kelley and David Haywood of Lady Antebellum.

"I Get In" is the new single from former B2K member Omarion. "I Get In" originally leaked this past summer when it featured an appearance by Lil Wayne. After the leak, Omarion asked to be released from Lil Wayne's Young Money Records and has since re-recorded the song with an appearance by Gucci Mane. It recently was announced that Omarion has left SonyBMG and signed on with EMI. His third solo album is called Ollusion and is due to be released November 24th. This single cover has BALLER written all over it. Hot. Looking forward to this.

This appears to be the official artwork for the new Joss Stone album, Colour Me Free, which I mentioned in my last album artwork update. I LOVE this artwork and hope it's for real. Color by number activities were always my favorite sort of coloring book when I was younger. This artwork is fun and creative and I can't wait to hear what the final product sounds like. It's due out on October 20th and preceded by first single "Free Me." Just a side note - that artwork that I showed in my last update wasn't official, in fact it says "Coverlandia" right there on the cover. Oops! Oversight on my part.

French artiste Sliimy (Yanis Sahraoui) released his debut album Paint Your Face on September 8th. First single "Wake Up" features an impressive line up of remixes from the likes of Eddie Amador, Digital Dog, Ian Neiman, Soul Seekerz, and Buzz Junkies. With a sound that's been compared to Prince and a look that's very similar to MIKA, Sliimy is an interesting character for sure. Signed to Perez Hilton's label Perezcious Music Sliimy's "music will make a lot of people smile," according to Hilton. The artist is currently part of Hilton's first ever concert tour performing in cities across the country. I love this album art - colorful and fun. It reminds me of Lily Allen's artwork for Alright, Still. Purchase his album now and purchase the remix EP for "Wake Up" on September 29th.

Wow. Island Records wasted no time in snapping up some cover art with the new Sugababes. Looks like the girls were snapped right there on the set of their new music video for "Get Sexy" follow up single "About A Girl." The girls do look a little trashy here but as I said before, I'm not going to discount the group quite yet. I'm going to wait until I hear what the new lineup sounds like together before I pass judgment. I've said before that I think Jade Ewen is a talented singer and I think that she should be given a shot. The album, Sweet 7 is still due to be released on November 23rd and will be preceded that same month by second single, "About A Girl."

The Killers are releasing a new live album on November 9th in the UK and on November 10th in the U.S. Live From the Royal Albert Hall was recorded in London this past July and features a DVD as well as CD, including footage from festival dates that the band headlined over the summer. The album features tracks from Hot Fuss, Sam's Town, Sawdust and Day & Age. Once again, I absolutely love the whole mosaic style that started with the whole Day & Age album era. I'm pleased to see it still going on with this live album.

The Saturdays are fast becoming one of my favorite of the imports out of the UK. While I like the title Wordshaker better than Colonial Masses, I'm still left with a big question mark in my mind...WTF is a "wordshaker?" As for the album artwork...I like it for the most part. What I'm NOT crazy about is the font color. Pale yellow does NOT pop against the beige background. They designer would have been wiser to choose a black font and it looks like I Popjustice agrees with me. The first single "Forever Is Over" will be released on October 5th, followed by the album on October 12th.

Add this album to my list of must haves this fall. Wow! I am in love with Glee. It's a quirky, cute, cheesy, fun TV show on Fox and it's all about a high school glee club. Featuring fun musical numbers and a terrifically talented cast of young people, I was thrilled when they announced that there would be a series of soundtracks released, starting with The Music, Volume 1. Due out on November 3rd, The Music Volume 1 includes 17 tracks including "Don't Stop Believing" (Journey), "Take A Bow" (Rihanna), "Alone" (Heart), "No Air" (Jordin Sparks), "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (The Supremes), "Sweet Caroline" (Neil Diamond) and "Defying Gravity" (from Wicked) and more. Cannot wait for this! Check out the singles available now on iTunes.

At the age of 30 (WOW), Will Young has come a long way since Pop Idol. Ready to release his first Greatest Hits album on November 16th, The Hits features 12 tracks from Young's first four albums - From Now On, Friday's Child, Keep On, and Let It Go. The album also features 2 bonus tracks, one of which - "Hopes & Fears" will serve as the first single, out on November 8th. The album will come in a standard as well as a deluxe edition, the latter which will include a bonus DVD full of videos. While I'd rather have a new album - especially since his new album is going to be dance/pop, working with Superbass, Groove Armada and Gregg Alexander - I think Young has a lot to be proud of with his career. I've always had a bit of a crush on Will and I think he looks great on both covers.