Ones To Watch in 2012: Ricki-Lee

Ricki-Lee is hands down one of my favorite Aussie pop singers today.  Sure, the Australian pop scene is saturated with an abundance of talent, but Ricki-Lee should be right up there in the mix as far as I'm concerned.  The first single off her forthcoming third studio album (her first signed with EMI), a stunning dance/pop jewel called "Raining Diamonds" was released in Australia back in October and went on to peak at #19 on the ARIA Singles Chart.  The song is accompanied by a beautiful Krozm-directed video that contains visual elements from a laundry list of recent popstar videos (i.e. Cheryl Cole's "Fight For This Love" and Rihanna's "Umbrella," to name a couple) showcasing a stunning Ricki-Lee rockin' her moves while looking like a cross between a Fembot and Barbarella.  GORG!

Rising to fame on Season 2 of Australian Idol back in 2004, Ricki-Lee Coulter made a splash from the very beginning, auditioning with a rendition of En Vogue's "Don't Let Go."  Shortly after her untimely sixth seventh place exit, Ricki-Lee started carving out her own pop career, turning down a major label deal with Sony BMG, instead signing with Australian Indie label Shock Records.  When her first single, the decidedly R&B "Hell No" debuted at #5 on the ARIA Singles Chart in the summer of 2005, any doubt people might have had that she could turn herself into a successful pop star was eliminated.  I can only imagine what people were thinking post Idol.  The very fact that she turned down a deal with Sony probably seemed crazy at the time but this girl knew what she wanted and had the guts to go for it.  While her self-titled debut album only managed to peak at #30 on the ARIA Albums Chart, girl landed two top 10 singles, with single #2, the uber-bubbly "Sunshine" peaking at #8.  The album's third and final single, a ballad called "Breathe" didn't fare too poorly either, charting at a respectable #14.

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Album Artwork Update

AHHH. More album artwork. Yay! Ironically enough, I just removed all of the artwork from my iPod as I needed to free up some space. Most of the artwork from this update comes to us from Coverlandia. The Bublé artwork comes directly from the artist's website, while other artwork comes to me from Cover-Mania. Enjoy!


Yummy. Michael Bublé's new album artwork has been unveiled and I love it. A nice pop of color. While the whole emergency tape artwork has been done before a few times, I love how it's framing his face. Who am I kidding, I am just looking for an excuse to drool over this guy...AND I'm excited that Mr. Bublé is releasing new material! The album, Crazy Love, comes out October 13th, preceded by lead single, "Haven't Met You Yet"out August 31st. Delicious.

This is the album artwork for French DJ, Producer & Singer Space Cowboy's (AKA Nick Dresti) brand new album, Digital Rock Star. Prior to hearing his recent RedOne-produced single, "Falling Down," which features guest vocals courtesy of Paradiso Girl Chelsea Korka - I wasn't aware that Space Cowboy had previous solo albums out. I quite enjoy the single (a remix EP was released on iTunes today) and I enjoy his remixes...so I'm excited about this release.

I blogged about the video for this song a little ways back and still love the song. I'm excited that Pixie Lott has herself a U.S. record deal. I hope and pray that we see some of here on this side of the pond. "Boys and Girls" is a catchy tune, and I'm loving the remix promo, which I purchased on Ebay - featuring remixes by Moto Blanco, Hot Pink Delorean and Fuzzy Logic.

This artwork is looking super cheesy. Mya looks like some sort of reality star hoochie, and the couch pattern isn't helping. This is the first single off her upcoming fall release, Beauty & The Streets Mixtape Volume 1. Featuring a guest appearance by Houston-based rapper Bun B, I haven't had the pleasure of listening to the track. I have liked some of Mya's past singles and there's no denying the girl's got talent...I'm just questioning everything about her styling in this artwork. The single is due to be released soon.

Finale night of American Idol Season 5 had one good outcome: Katharine McPhee. While she lost out to Taylor Hicks, McPhee emerged as the true talent. Her range and vocal strength impressed me and got me to call in, night after night. When she lost to Hicks, I was none too happy. Then she released her self-titled album. I wasn't much happier. I don't know how much creative control McPhee had over her album and how much RCA had...but the album was very empty for me. None of the songs connected with me. Everything sounded forced and contrived. I enjoyed the singles - "Over It" and "Love Story" (particularly the latter) but it was nothing new - nothing ground breaking.

When McPhee parted ways with her label and joined the Verve family- I was elated. "Had It All" is the debut single off of her upcoming second album, Unbroken (October 6, 2009). When I saw it for sale on iTunes, I snatched it right up. Not too bad. Written by David Hodges, Mitch Allan and Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, the song isn't what I expected. When I think Verve, I think of the jazz greats - Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday and the like. This song is more poppy than I thought it would be...but more adult contemporary than her previous efforts. It's growing on me and I think she looks gorgeous with her new blond bob.

"Up/Down" is the fifth single off of Australian singer, Jessica Mauboy's Platinum-selling debut solo album - Been Waiting. The album was recently re-released down under as a special "Deluxe Edition," complete with bonus tracks (including a Jason Nevins remix of "Burn") and a DVD with videos. All four of Mauboy's previous singles ("Running Back," "Burn," "Been Waiting," & "Because") have hit inside the Top 20 on the ARIA single charts (#3, #1, #12 & #9) while the album debuted at #16 on the ARIA album chart. Not too shabby for a 21 year old singer.

After she placed 2nd on the fourth season of Australian Idol, Mauboy released a live album and joined the Aussie girl group Young Divas (featuring other Australian Idol finalists Paulini Curuenavuli, Ricki-Lee, Kate DeAraugo and Emily Williams). After one album with the girls, Mauboy quit to focus on a solo career. According to an interview this past January, Mauboy was planning a trip to New York City, after having performed a showcase in front of Sony International big deals. It's coming upon a year since that meeting and no peep from Jessica here in the states. I wonder if that's still happening? I'd love to see Mauboy hit the states. She's a talented singer with the kind of sound that would really work well on U.S. radio.

I honestly don't know much about Vita but I want to know more! From what I've heard of her debut single, "Like Boom," it's hot and her single artwork is supporting that hot factor TOTALLY and completely. According to her MySpace music profile, her name is Vita Chambers and she hails from Barbados (like Rihanna!) and she was discovered after posting videos of herself singing on the web. Currently signed to SRP/Universal Motown, the single is set to be released soon, followed by her album, slated for release sometime this fall. I'm definitely ready to be re-VITA-lized, for sure!

"Songs Remind Me Of You" is serving as the official lead single off of Norwegian pop star Annie's long-awaited Don't Stop album. The track was written by Annie, Richard X and Hannah Robinson and is certainly quite catchy. It's considerably dancier than anything else she's done. Popjustice has called the song "amazing," while MuuMuse described it as a mixture of "lush disco, breathy vocals, and intergalactic swarms of electronica." This all sounds good to me. Can't wait to see what remixes are churned out for this club slammer. Get it on iTunes now.

Jessica Mauboy - Burn (New Single)

I've seen stuff on the music blogs about this chica before, apparently she's from Australian Idol. Her name is Jessica Mauboy. She's 19 and signed with Sony. This is her current single in Australia. Watch the video here. Thoughts? - Via PopJustice