Hot Video Alert: Sugababes - Freedom

UGH! I'm just so bored with the Sugababes nowadays. I just don't know what happened...

Wait a minute. Yes I do. Keisha Buchanan left the group.

Ever since that fateful day, my love affair with the Sugababes has spiraled into blase indifference.  Whether I would have liked the girls' seventh studio album, Sweet 7 with Buchanan's name and voice still attached...I'll never know.  What I do know is Sweet 7 was a big fat dud.  The album was a complete unoriginal mix and match of pop garbage that almost any group could have put out (and has).  Let the record show, I harbor no ill feelings towards newbie, Jade Ewen, Heidi Range or Amelle (and wish them all the best on their solo careers)...I just wish things had turned out differently for the girl group that first caught my attention all those years ago for their original sound and fresh take on girl group pop music.  Now that Keisha is gone, there really is nothing left of the original lineup, is there?  What the hell is the point then?  I'm all for reinvention and lineup changes but the Sugababes just aren't the Sugababes anymore and their new single, "Freedom" isn't going to change any one's mind.

"Freedom" is the official first single for the Sugababes since leaving Island Records, the band's home for 10 years, and joining RCA.  Due for UK release on September 25th, the single was produced by The Invisible Men and Parker & James and co-written by (*BIG BREATH*) Jason Pebworth, Jon Shave, George Astasio, Kyle Abrahams, Peter Ighile, Mariah Young-Jones & Rowan Martin. PHEW! Exhausting, typing out all of those names.  I'd love to know which one of those people were responsible for the bit in the chorus that goes..."Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb..." because that basically sums up everything I'm feeling about the song right now.  The issue I have with the song (SURPRISINGLY) isn't the lyrics...it's the beat. It's a generic pop song, nothing more.  There's really very few redeeming qualities about the song.  If this is what we have to look forward to off the new album then I think the Sugababes might be in trouble.  At least we have the music video to look forward to...oh wait. That's a bore as well.  Directed by Sean De Sparengo, the "Freedom" video is essentially a re-hash of the video for their 2008 single, "Girls," you're average club scene video featuring the girls dancing up on some gentlemen and shaking their bodies.  At least deliver a sick video if the song is this boring. Come on Sugababes!  Get it together! My patience is wearing thin.

Download the single (currently being used in an advertisement for Nokia at home in England) September 25th if you like what you hear and look out for remixes from 7th Heaven, Kris De Angelis, Benny Page, Friends Electric, Johnson Somerset, Thundercatz and Tom Dick & Harry.  The single also features a B-Side, a cover of "Standing In The Way of Control" by Gossip.

 Check out the Sugababes on the web: 

Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Twitter//VEVO

Sugababes Lose A Member - Heidi + Amelle + Jade Ewen - Keisha?

Imagine my shock and surprise when I returned from the gym to see THIS message on the Sugababes Official MySpace & website...

Shocker! After much premature speculation that it would be newest member, Amelle Berrabah that was leaving - turns out - it will be none other than the last of the original lineup - Keisha Buchanan. SAD! While Heat World.com did in fact have it right that the newest member would in fact be Eurovision entry, Jade Ewen - they got the booted member incorrect.

Keisha took to her Twitter page to set the record straight. In a series of Tweets, Keisha had this to say:

Dear Friends I'm sad to say that I am no longer apart of the Sugababes. I've had a great time and have achieved more then I ever thought I would. Although it was not my choice to leave, it's time to enter a new chapter in my life. I have nothing but positive things to say about the girls and I wish them the best of luck. I would like to state that there were no arguments, bullying or anything of the sort that lead to this. Sometimes a break down in communication and lack of trust can result in many different things. I would also like to point out that I have always supported the girls and they have also supported me. Remember my drunk pictures out with Amelle, supporting her on her success with Tinchy Stryder... Oh the shame... But what a fun night we had. Now I'm going to take some time to focus on me. I've been in this band for 11 years and I have achieved so much. I have a great family and friends who are behind me 100% and at the age of 24, I'm now going out into this world on my own....Although im nervous... I'm still very excited on what lies ahead. :-) I want to thank the Sugababes fans and my fans for all your support and all who have never judged me, but excepted me for who I am...This is not the end... but the beginning!!!! Thank you always... Keisha xxx

Wow. According to reports, Keisha was blindsided by the news. What's going to happen with the new album and promotion? I'm hoping some more reports come out, explaining what lead up to this HUGE move. Now... I'm not going to go as far as to say that I'll never support the girls ever again. That's a bit idiotic. Isn't it about the music? If they produce a catchy song, or even a catchy album, what's to stop me from enjoying it? I still support Keisha and it sounds like she's still going to have a solo career on Island Records. I can have my cake and eat it too. My cake being Keisha of course. I'm not worried about her.

I must say that I kind of agree with Popjustice when they say that the girls need a new name. I do believe that the Sugababes' name should be retired, given that there no originals left.

Now whatever happens, there's no denying that Jade Ewen is talented. I'm eager to hear what she injects into the group and what happens with their upcoming album, Sweet 7. I don't know how much of the album has been recorded already but I hope they don't have to pull another Taller In More Ways and re-release the album with vocal contributions from Amelle (after Mutya left the group). I'm also curious to see what's going to happen with Jade's debut album (she was signed to Polydor). I'm guessing with this recent development, it's going to be shelved. Shame.

I guess we'll have to see what happens with this but regardless, I'll support the Sugababes and I'll support Keisha as the separate entities that they now are.

Another Album Art Update

Another album art update! Do I need to apologize? I don't think so. I love this stuff so I'm just going to keep going. With the exception of the Preston artwork (from Covermania), everything comes from Coverlandia.

27 year old Samuel Dylan Murray Preston AKA Preston is HOT. Just check out this interview he recently did with Popjustice. Skinny, tattoos, funky haircut - what's not to love? Oh. He's got a great voice to boot! Preston was the lead singer of the British indie band, The Ordinary Boys, which saw some modest success over in the UK. He also finished fourth on Celebrity Big Brother back in 2006. "Dressed To Kill" is the first single off his upcoming solo album, Whatever Forever, due out sometime this Fall. The single was released this week and features remixes by Michael Gray, James Doman, Juan Kidd and Starsmith.

This is a hot track...well...the original version is anyway. I haven't listened to the "Urban Mix" just yet. I haven't really listened to much of Paulina Rubio since her 2002 hit "Don't Say Goodbye." Rubio's had a great deal of success on Billboard's Latin Charts over the years, but hasn't really ever hit mainstream radio as hard as she did with her Border Girl album. This song makes me want to listen to her new album, Gran City Pop which came out in June and has already sold 200,000 + copies in the U.S. The second single is "Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes" and was released on August 14th. (P.S. - check out this Spanglish duet of "When You Say Nothing At All" with Ronan Keating.)

I'll be doing a more in depth Katharine McPhee post at a later date, but for now, here's the recently released album artwork for her second solo record, Unbroken (out October 6th). As I mentioned in my last album art update (this morning), the first single from Unbroken is "Had It All" and that's out now digitally. Still lovin' the blond bob and the subtle bits of pink. Nice album artwork.

YES! It's about time we got some artwork for this track. Jordin is looking mighty fit! The second single off of Jordin Sparks' Battlefield album and follow up to the title track, "S.O.S. (Let The Music Play)" is a radio-friendly pop jam. It's due out October 5th in the UK and contains a heavy sample of Shannon's 80s dance classic, "Let The Music Play." I love this song and am definitely ready for something more up-tempo from Ms. Sparks. While I agree with some bloggers/critics that this song isn't horribly original (I mean more than just sampling another song!) it's fun and has major Top 40 potential. The video was shot by Chris Robinson, who also worked with Sparks on the "No Air" video. Don't forget to check out this Matt Pendergast remix of the track. Hopefully we'll get some more remixes in the not-to-distant future.

I'm not going to go into much detail about Jade Ewen, other than to say I love this album artwork. When I mentioned her "My Man" video earlier this month, I included a press photo of Jade. Turns out the same photo was cropped and used as the single sleeve art. She looks great!As for remixes...I still haven't heard anything besides the Cahill mixes, which I'm still enjoying the quite a lot. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing her album, Punching Out, due in September.

Music Video Update: Sugababes, Shakira, Gossip, Little Boots & More!

I've been really out of touch regarding my music videos lately, so here's a massive update.

Sugababes - Get Sexy: You've heard me raving about the single, now it's time for me to rave about the video. The girls all look hot and I love the set they are dancing around in. There's definitely some cool visuals going on here and while there's no story line per say, there's definitely plenty to look at - with the Sugababes front and center of course. The single is due out in the UK on August 31st and features remixes by Bitrocka, Max Sanna & Steve Pitron and Superbass. "About A Girl" will be the girls second single, preceding their new album, Reborn. Check out the "Get Sexy" video HERE.

Shakira - She Wolf: Wow. What a hot video! Shakira is showcasing her animal instincts, dancing around in a cage and prancing about in a stomach-like cavern of some kind. There's no denying her true physical prowess after seeing her dance in this video. The more and more I listen to this track, the more excited I get for her forthcoming album (also called She Wolf), due out in early October. Shakira collaborated with Pharrell, Wyclef, RedOne and others on the new album. Be on the look out for "She Wolf" remixes by Moto Blanco and Bimbo Jones,with more to come I'm sure. Check out the "She Wolf" video HERE.

Gossip - Love Long Distance: The new Gossip single has the band half-animated...with a variety of athletic, rollerskating balloon-headed figures dancing around and singing. It's certainly an interesting video visually. I kind of like it. I also like the single, the band's second from Music For Men, which came out earlier this summer. Beth Ditto's voice sounds as fiery and strong as usual. Check out the "Love Long Distance" video HERE.
Little Boots - Remedy: I love love love the new Little Boots album (and still have to buy it), with "Remedy" being one of my clear favorites. Little Boots seems to be channeling some Lady Gaga here with her look and I kind of love it. She looks great! Written by Little Boots in collaboration with RedOne, the track is the official second single ("Meddle" and "Stuck on Repeat" were promotional singles, "New In Town" served as the official first single) of her album Hands. Look for remixes by Rusko, A1 Bassline, Disco Bloodbath, Crazy Cousinz and Style of Eye. Check out the "Remedy" video HERE.

Pixie Lott - Boys and Girls: Pixie Lott is my newest obsession out of the UK right now. This English singer/songwriter is signed to Mercury Records in the UK and apparently Interscope in the U.S. (very promising!). Her first single, "Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh)" entered both the iTunes chart and the UK Singles Chart at #1 when it was released this past June. Her follow up single, "Boys and Girls" is even more fun than it's predecessor. "Boys and Girls" is expected to be released at the end of August, just before her album, Turn It Up is released September 14th. Look for "Mama Do" remixes from Bimbo Jones, T2, Linus Loves & Donae'o. "Boys and Girls" has remixes from Moto Blanco, Fuzzy Logic and more. Also, look

for covers of the Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody," "Apologize" by OneRepublic and Lady

Gaga's "Poker Face." Lott was also named MTV Push's artist of the month for August. Check out the "Boys and Girls" video HERE.

Kate Miller-Heidke - The Last Day On Earth: I'd heard about Australian singer/songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke but never really took the time to investigate who she was or what she sounded like. Then, a couple of weeks ago I saw someone post a link to a live performance of a HILARIOUS song called "R U Fucking Kidding Me?" I was hooked. Check out the previous singles from her current album Curiouser before you check out her latest single- "Can't Shake It," and "Caught In The Crowd." - Check out "The Last Day on Earth" video HERE.

Jade Ewen - My Man: With numerous West End productions & various UK/Aussie TV series under her belt, plus a stint with R&B group Trinity Stone, British singer/actress Jade Ewen now has her eyes on pop chart success. Ewen participated in the 2009 UK Eurovision Song Selection contest and was ultimately selected to represent the UK in the international contest. The single, "It's My Time" was composed by Andrew Lloyd Weber, who accompanied the singer during the live show. Ewen finished in 5th place, the highest placing for the UK since 2002. Now, signed to Polydor, she'll release her debut solo album in September. Ewen collaborated with Take That's Gary Barlow, Guy Chambers (Anastacia, Melanie C.,

Jessica Simpson), Ina Wroldsen (Pussycat Dolls, The Saturdays), Cutfather (Pussycat Dolls, Kylie Minogue, Jordin Sparks) and more. "My Man" is the lead single off of the new album. Look out for remixes by Cahill, Parampay and more. Check out the "My Man" video HERE.

Kelly Clarkson - Already Gone: Moving past the controversy surrounding this Ryan Tedder-produced single - it really is a beautiful song. Whether you are listening to it in it's original form or in the stripped down acoustic version that Kelly's been performing live (check her out on Letterman last week) - it's a beautiful ballad. Kelly Clarkson looks absolutely stunning in this video. I really hope all of the drama that's been going on with Clarkson and her label gets resolved. It would be a shame if this were the last single off of All I Ever Wanted. Looking forward to the GORGEOUS StoneBridge remixes (track #5 in his player) StoneBridge...if you're reading, I'd kill to get my hands on your mixes! Check out the "Already Gone" video HERE.

Paloma Faith - New York: Yes, I know that I mentioned this video in my last post but I couldn't resist. It's THAT GOOD. I'm so excited about this album, you have no idea! Paloma Faith is the real deal. "Stone Cold Sober" was truly something else, but this follow up single is even better in my opinion, and with remixes by the legendary Tom Middleton, as well as by Cutmore and Starsmith - it's bound to be a club smash as well. Check out the "New York" video HERE.