[Hot Video Alert] Joss Stone - The High Road

"The High Road" is the second single lifted off of UK soul singer Joss Stone's sixth studio album, The Soul Sessions Vol. 2, released July 16th via Stone'd/S-Curve Records.  If "The High Road" sounds familiar, that's probably because it's a cover.  The original was written by James Mercer & Danger Mouse (AKA Broken Bells), off their eponymous 2010 debut.  Stone's rendition is a more soulful (OBVIOUSLY) take on the original - the 25 year olds bluesy rasp attacking every note in the brilliantly written track - bringing an entirely fresh perspective to one of my favs off the Broken Bells' album. Make sure you check out the stunning Brian Savelson-directed video for "The High Road," featuring Stone exiting a subway station, landing in an ethereal dreamworld that's part Jumanji, part Avatar with a little bit of Salvador Dali surrealism thrown in for good measure.

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Selah Sue Announces Support Slot on Ed Sheeran's U.S. Tour; Self-Titled Debut Album Out August 21st

Belgian singer/songwriter (and Music Is My King Size Bed 'One to Watch') Selah Sue is about to EXPLODE stateside! Mark my words!  In addition to releasing her self-titled debut album on August 21st via Columbia Records, the talented songstress has been announced as the opener for Ed Sheeran's forthcoming VH1 You Oughta Know Tour, kicking off September 17th in Toronto!  Now, that's what I call an extreme vote of confidence!

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Joss Stone Announces 'Soul Sessions' Volume 2; Unveils Album Artwork

It's hard to believe that soulful singer/songwriter (and Grammy winner) Joss Stone has been making music for almost 10 years now!  While she's had her fair share of career ups & downs, Joss has always remained elegant and classy throughout, no matter what sort of adversity is thrown her way.  On July 23rd in the UK and July 31st in the U.S. Stone will release a new album, Soul Sessions Volume 2, a sequel of sorts to her multi-Platinum 2003 debut album.  This album, her sixth studio album, will be released as a joint effort between her self-started label, Stone'd Records and the original label that made her a star, S-Curve Records.  I cannot wait!

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Kosovo-Born British Singer/Songwriter Rita Ora Drops Hot Debut U.S. Single & Video

Hot off the success of her collaboration with DJ Fresh, Kosovo-born British singer/songwriter Rita Ora is ready to make a splash over on this side of the pond, releasing the video for her debut U.S. single "How We Do (Party)."  Produced by hip-hop hit makers The Runners (Keyshia Cole, Chris Brown, Usher), "How We Do (Party)" is the ultimate party song, borrowing lyrics from Notorious B.I.G.'s 1993 single "Party and Bullshit."  Released March 20th on Jay-Z's Roc Nation, "How We Do (Party)" was written by Andre Davidson, Andrew Harr, Bonnie McKee alongside a troop of other talented songwriters.

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Hot Video Alert: SuperHeavy - Miracle Worker

If the first single is any indication, SuperHeavy has a lot of potential for hotness. In case you haven't heard by now, SuperHeavy is a SUPERGROUP made up of Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, Dave Stewart, Damian Marley and A.R. Rahman. Quite the lineup, no? According to Jagger in an interview with Rolling Stone: "We wanted a convergence of different musical styles," says Jagger. "We were always overlapping styles, but they were nevertheless separate." For the most part I think "Miracle Worker," the group's first effort, meets their expectations. While the song is a bit reggae-heavy, it's nice to see such a diverse group of artists come together for music's sake.  

Despite seeming like it was thrown together yesterday, SuperHeavy has been in the works since early 2009,  when the gang started "experimenting" and recording at Jim Henson Studios in LA.  Not thrown together at all, it would seem.  In fact, according to an article in the Daily Mail the band recorded nearly 35 hours of music during that session.  Impressive!  Of course, 35 hours had to be shrunken down to something that would fit on an album but still! That's quite the undertaking.  This makes me really excited to hear what else the band came up with!

Speaking of brand new music, the second single from SuperHeavy's debut has been announced as "Satyameva Jayate" Sanskrit for "truth alone triumphs," which apparently is the motto of India, even showing up embossed on the country's national emblem.  Composed by A.R. Rahman, the single was released in India only on August 9th and features Mick Jagger actually singing in Sanskrit, with the rest of the group doing their parts in English.  Truly an international endeavor!  Make sure you check out the super colorful video clip for "Miracle Worker" below and download the song HERE on U.S. iTunes.  You can either download a radio remix by Chris Lord-Alge or the Damian "Jr Gong" Marley Main Mix, which I would assume features more of a reggae influence than the Lord-Alge version.  The single has yet to make an appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 but it did peak at #14 on Billboard's Triple A chart the week of August 20th.  The band's debut album will be released September 19th in the UK via Polydor and on September 20th in the U.S. via A&M Records.

 Check out Superheavy on the web: 

Official Site//Facebook//Twitter//YouTube

Joss Stone Moves Ahead with Album Release, Joins Mick Jagger-lead Super Group

After all that Joss Stone has been through in the past couple of months, I was half expecting her to delay her forthcoming album release but it appears that things are moving along as planned. Stone has released her new single, "Somehow" on her website and all I have to say is, it's nice to have Joss Stone back in her element. "Somehow" is a soulful song with plenty of swagger and THE perfect comeback single.

"Somehow" has already been sent out to U.S. radio stations and was released in a handful of countries on June 20th, including Ireland and Sweden however the single has yet to receive a digital release here in America or even in the UK. Hmmm. Curious. I'm STRUGGLING to find a release date listed online but am coming up with nothing. "Somehow" is the first single lifted off Stone's forthcoming fifth studio album, LP1, due out in America on July 26th on her own label, Stone'd Records. The album was co-written and co-produced by Stone and Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart and recorded in just six days from a studio in Nashville. AMAZING! Listen to "Somehow" below.

In other Joss Stone-related news, the singer/songwriter will join a new SUPER GROUP started by Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. SuperHeavy, which features Jagger and Stone also includes Dave Stewart, composer A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) and reggae artist Damian Marley. The group will release an album in September through Universal Republic in the States and A&M internationally. The first single, "Miracle Worker" will be unveiled shortly and will include a video featuring all five artists. The album was co-produced by Jagger and Stewart and recorded in Los Angeles over a three week period. Can't wait for this project to surface!  Sounds super hot. {SOURCE}

Check out Joss Stone on the web:

Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Twitter//YouTube

Joss Stone Teams Up With Eurythmics Producer For New 'LP,' Due Out July 26

I've been lovin' on UK soul singer Joss Stone since the release of her debut album, 2003's The Soul Sessions. After severing ties with EMI, her label for the better part of 6 years, Stone up and started her own record company called Stone'd Records and plans to release her fifth studio album, LP1 on July 26th.

While few details have been released as of yet (a brief Press Release appeared on Stone's official website) we do know that she's partnered up with producer Dave Stewart who's most well known for his work with the Eurythmics but more recently with Stevie Nicks on her newly released album, In Your Dreams.  Check out the full press release below the cut and scope out the promo artwork up top. LOVE. {SOURCE}

"Stone'd Records & Surfdog Records are proud to announce their partnership to release Joss Stone's next album, LP1 on July 26, 2011. As a world-renowned soul singer who Smokey Robinson calls "Aretha Joplin," Joss has sold over 11 million records globally. Having just turned 24, Joss has already amassed a career's worth of successes. She is a Grammy winner, five-time Grammy nominee, and the recipient of several Brit Awards.

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Hot Video Alert: Ricky Martin feat. Joss Stone - The Best Thing About Me Is You

Ricky Martin celebrates love in his new video for "The Best Thing About Me Is You." Man love, lady love, interracial love - every kind of love imaginable. The video, directed by Carlos Perez, is simple affair shot in black and white and featuring Martin surrounded by a multitude of different models of all ages and races. While the video has a distinctive 'feel good' vibe to it, the song itself is a bit cheesy. The song was co-written by Martin, Claudia Brant, Desmond Child, Andreas Carlsson and Eric Brazillian and produced by Child. The strong reggae influence, while light and loose doesn't really work with the lyrics. Something about it just doesn't work for me.

"The Best Thing About Me Is You" (along with the Spanish version, "Lo Mejor De Mi Vida Eres Tú") is the first single to be lifted off of Martin's forthcoming bilingual album, Música + Alma + Sexo. The single, which features British singer/songwriter Joss Stone on the English version and Natalia Jiménez on the Spanish version (neither of whom appear in the video), peaked at #1 on the Billboard Latin Pop SongsBillboard Hot 100 chart not to mention #74 on the . The single gives Stone her highest Billboard chart position since 2007's "Tell Me 'Bout It" which peaked at #83.  Sad since that song is SO much better than this one.  Download "The Best Thing About Me Is You" on iTunes HERE and look out for Martin's new album, Música + Alma + Sexo, due out February 1st via Columbia and Sony Music Latin.

Check out Ricky Martin on the web:

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

In My Stocking...

Let the post holiday spending begin! Last week I got myself a pair of the BOSE ear buds. So far so good. The sound quality is excellent and they are very comfortable. I think they are quieter than my iPod ear buds which is also a plus. I don't want anyone to tell me to turn my music down AND there's nothing I dislike more than hearing someone elses music on the train or bus.

In addition, I did a little shopping on CDWow.com. They were having a post-holiday 40% - 80% off sale for CDs, DVDs and other things, running till New Years Eve. With their free shipping and large selection of imports, I thought I'd stock up. Here's the rundown on what I got:

CHERYL COLE - 3 WORDS

I've been listening to Cheryl Cole's album non-stop since it leaked. It's really a quality pop album, if you ask me. While there is a little bit too much of will.I.Am for my liking, the tracks are all solid. I'm absolutely loving the second single, "3 Words," featuring Mr. will.I.Am. The video for that single is absolutely stunning. I also dig the forthcoming 3rd single which has been announced as "Parachute." Check out Cheryl on the cover of UK music magazine, Q, on newsstands now. Hot Tracks: "3 Words," "Parachute," "Fight For This Love," "Rain On Me," "Heaven"

ALICIA KEYS - ELEMENT OF FREEDOM

I haven't purchased an Alicia Keys album since her debut. I'm honestly not too sure why I purchased this, her fourth album. Keys is undoubtedly talented but lately her genre of music as a whole just hasn't impressed me that much. I think that given my state of mind of late, more mellow sounds are calming and relaxing to me, rather than the driving dance/electro beats that I've craved up until now. I'm always on the lookout for that next emotional ballad to unlock the waterworks in my eyes. With Keys' knack for writing emotive and passionate songs, combined with her crazy piano and vocal skills - it's pretty safe to assume that there are some cry-worthy songs on this album. Hot Tracks: "Doesn't Mean Anything," "Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart," "Wait Til You See Me Smile," "Love Is My Disease," "Put It In A Love Song," "Through It All," "Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Broken Down," "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)"

LEONA LEWIS - ECHO

Leona Lewis' second album has been growing on me in the months since my initial review. The more I listen to Echo, the more easily I am able to connect to it. My initial complaint was that there weren't enough up-tempo numbers, with Lewis instead resorting to her standard brand of "boring" ballads. Perhaps that was unfair. There's definitely a place for big ballads. Not every artist needs to sing up-tempo Gaga-esque dance tracks. At this time in my life, I need all of the big, beautiful sad ballads I can get my hands on. I guess you can say that this purchase was an emotional one. Leona releases "I Got You" next in the States and rumor has it that "Outta My Head" will serve as the next international single. Both are stand outs in my opinion. Hot Tracks: "I Got You," "Love Letter," "Fly Here Now," "Brave," "Alive," "Outta My Head," "Broken"

WILL YOUNG - THE HITS

Will Young is one of my biggest celebrity crushes. The handsome singer/actor has struck me ever since I first heard of him back when his career was just taking off in the UK. Not only is Young a talented singer, but he's also a role model, coming out as a gay man. He also had brilliant role in Mrs. Henderson Presents..., a beautiful little British film. It's hard to believe that this young talent (only 30 years old) has had four albums out since winning Pop Idol back in 2002. His greatest hits album (titled The Hits) features 12 songs taken from his first four albums, plus two new tracks - single "Hopes & Fears," and "If It Hadn't Been For Love." Young has a reportedly brilliant collaboration with Groove Armada and is rumored to be working on a more dance/electro album for his next project. Well...we know how well that turned out for Robbie Williams (see Rudebox) but I love Will and think a dance album will really suit his voice. Hot Tracks: "Leave Right Now," "Your Game," "Friday's Child," "Switch It On," "All Time Love," "Who Am I," "Changes," "Hopes & Fears"

ALEXANDRA BURKE - OVERCOME

I think Alexandra Burke's debut album was what I was looking for in Leona Lewis' second album. There are ballads but there are also plenty of up-tempo club friendly tracks. That being said, I think there's room for both artists. As I mentioned above, I've really become attached to Leona's Echo. Alexandra's album is definitely suited for the U.S. Top 40 market and may even get some play on U.S. R&B radio stations. Leona's album is definitely more suited for adult contemporary radio stations, though it seems to be getting some play on mainstream radio as well. Regardless, I have space on my iPod for both X-Factor winners. They both do their own thing and do it well. Burke will reportedly be re-tooling her debut album for U.S. markets, but will be releasing the same videos that have already seen a UK release. U.S. audiences can expect Burke's new album to drop sometime in 2010. Hot Tracks: "Bad Boys," "Broken Heels," "Nothing But The Girl," "You Broke My Heart," "Overcome," "It's Over"

In addition, I snagged these albums:

WHITNEY HOUSTON - I LOOK TO YOU

JOSS STONE - COLOUR ME FREE

THE SATURDAYS - WORDSHAKER

THE SATURDAYS - CHASING LIGHTS

ANNIE - DON'T STOP

JAMIE CULLUM - THE PURSUIT

DAVID GUETTA - ONE LOVE

Next week (January 5th) I'll likely be picking up brand new albums by Katharine McPhee (Unbroken) and the debut album, Animal by Ke$ha. Oh and January 26th sees the release of the much anticipated album The Sea by Corinne Bailey Rae. Lots of good music coming in the New Year.

Joss Stone Clears Up The Cover Art

I'm a multi-tasker...and by multi-tasker I mean I can blog AND listen to my TV at the same time. Pretty freakin' sweet, eh? Anyway, I was listening to a TIVOed episode of Chelsea Lately with special guest Joss Stone. Joss was really cute - in fact, the first thing she did was clarify the situation with her album artwork. Apparently, the purple picture-less artwork is being released as the official album artwork in some places, rather than the much-cooler - "Joss-in-a-box" artwork.

The reason? Apparently the label deems the latter artwork too controversial? I don't know - this was straight out of Stone's mouth. I'm hoping the U.S. release of her album, Colour Me Free on October 20th sees the real artwork. Otherwise, I'm going to wait for the UK release. Which artwork do you like better? Oh! Did anyone happen to catch Joss Stone on Kimmel? Watch the video of her performing "Free Me" HERE. HOT performance. Check out these beautiful new promotional photos from photographer Phil Knott. GORGEOUS. This is why the album artwork needs actual PICTURES of the artist.

Check out Joss Stone on the web:

Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Twitter

Musical Snippets: Britney Spears, Joss Stone, Ryan Ferrada, Alexandra Burke, Rob Thomas & More

Lots going on in the pop music world of late. Here's a little rundown of what caught my eye.

Britney Spears - 3 - This week saw the release of the new Britney Spears single, "3" which will be the lead single off of Britney's upcoming The Singles Collection due out November 24th. The track was debuted on September 29th on New York's Z100 and will be available to download October 6th in North America. Major Industry publications and blogs are a buzzin' over the new single, which was produced by hitmaker Max Martin. I too am lovin' the track. It's nothing new and sounds like it could have come off of her last record - but it's fun. I am a little bummed that "Unusual You" wasn't really promoted here in North America as that has always been one of my favorite tracks off of Circus, but with the tour over and a new album in the works - I guess it makes sense to cease promotion. Listen to the single HERE.

Joss Stone on Jimmy Kimmel - If you're going to be in the LA area Thursday, October 1st (tomorrow) you can grab your tickets to see Brit songstress Joss Stone. I totally would if I were in the area! I've been dying to see her live for years. Girl needs to do a small club tour or something to promote her new album, Colour Me Free out October 20th in the States (November 2nd in the UK). First single "Free Me" is oozing with sexy soul appeal and with collaborations from Nas, Sheila E, and Raphael Saadiq - it's looking to be a hot one. Get your tickets HERE.

Photo by Kenton Thatcher

Ryan Ferrada - Room 501 - The half American, half Spanish ALL SEXY Ryan Ferrada is gearing up to release his latest album, Room 501. If sexy first single "Dirty In The Club" was any indication, his album is going to be HOT, harmless poppy fun. According to Ferrada's latest blog post, "90% of the album is up-tempo, and 90% of the lyrics are about sex!" For the ballad lovers, don't worry. There's at least one ballad on the album as well as a song dedicated to Ferrada's grandmother. Room 501 looks to have it all - dance, R&B, pop ballads and even the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Producer Greg Fitzgerald (Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Jessica Simpson) worked with Ferrada on the album, which is due out before the end of the year. "I am not a fabricated puppet," Ferrada says. "I'm fully involved in every aspect of the album. From writing the lyrics, to directing the producer so he understands the kind of music I love doing." Sounds like he's a boy that knows what he wants.

Alexandra Burke - Pre-Order Overcome Today - The debut album from X-Factor winner, Alexandra Burke, doesn't come out in the UK until October 19th, but you can pre-order it now on various websites. Lead single, "Bad Boys" featuring Flo-Rida comes out in the UK on October 12th. A U.S. release is also expected sometime in the new year, following a five-album record deal with Epic Records. Overcome features production from Stargate, Red One, Ryan Tedder, Freemasons, Element and The Phantom Boyz who produced the first single. Pop singer Pixie Lott also gets writing credit for a track on the album. This looks to be one of the pop albums of the year. Pre-order the album on Amazon, HMV, Play and Tesco.

Rob Thomas - Someday (Video Premiere) - Matchbox 20 frontman and solo artist Rob Thomas premiered his new video on VH1 this week. Check it out HERE. "Someday" is the second single off of Thomas' second solo album, Cradlesong, which came out in June. His first single, "Her Diamonds" managed to hit #23 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard's Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks. The video for "Someday" was filmed on the streets of New York City. Thomas is currently on tour right now with special guests OneRepublic and Carolina Liar. Check out upcoming tour dates HERE and watch the music video for "Someday" HERE.

New Band - James Mercer (The Shins) & Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley/Gorillaz) - This is exciting news. The Shins frontman James Mercer is joining forces with Danger Mouse to create a brand new band - (temporarily) called Broken Bells. The group's debut album is due out next year on Columbia records and has been in the works for a while now. In an interview with Pitchfork, Mercer teased at a new project. According to a new story on Pitchfork, this collaboration isn't just a one night stand. Mercer and Danger Mouse are in it to win it and have already started conceptualizing past the first album. I'm very intrigued by this collaboration, but sincerely hope that we haven't heard the last of either Gorillaz or Gnarls Barkley. Sign up for Broken Bells updates on the OFFICIAL SITE.

Jewel Records Up-tempo Album - Don't mistake me - by up-tempo, we're not talking about another 0304 (which I don't think would be the end of the world to be honest) - we're talking about a sound similar to that of 2001's This Way. OK. I can live with this. I loved This Way, which featured the single "Standing Still," which managed to hit 25 on Billboard's Hot 100. The album also featured "Serve The Ego," which turned into the first club hit for Jewel, hitting #1 on Billboard's Club and Dance Charts. According to Jewel via her blog, the upcoming new album will be produced by Dann Huff (whom she worked with on This Way) and will be serviced to country radio. According to Jewel, "I'm very excited about how the music business is changing...there are no rules, and everything seems possible." The singer goes on to say "I'm looking at making more records more frequently and releasing them, but maybe start to cut back on the two year-promo it has typically taken to get them out there." Sounds good to me. As long as she releases the occasional club track, I'll be happy.

Alesha Dixon - To Love Again - To help celebrate the re-release of her second album, The Alesha Show - The Encore (due out November 22nd), Alesha Dixon is releasing a new single called "To Love Again." The "sumptuous," new single is a piano-led ballad written by Gary Barlow due for release in the UK on November 15th. The three-track digital single can be pre-ordered now on the UK Itunes store for £1.99. No remixes included but a boy can dream. Listen to the new single HERE.

Photo credit to Alex Lake

Amy Winehouse Launches Lioness Records - If we are to believe what we're reading, Amy Winehouse is on the mend. It's about time! And while I'd love to hear more information about Amy's forthcoming 3rd album, I'll take all the news I can get! Amy has launched her own label, Lioness Records, the name for which was inspired by a Lioness pendant given to Winehouse by her grandmother. The labels first release will be Introducing Dionne Bromfield, the debut album from 13-year old Brit Dionne Bromfield - due out October 12th. Wow. Pretty talented! No wonder Amy set her sights on making her a star. According to Bromfield's official MySpace Blog, she was taking to the London Streets to film the video for first single, "Mama Said" on Tuesday September 29th. Pre-order Dionne's debut album HERE. This is all fine and good...but bring on some new Amy material!

Sarah McLachlan Releases New Single - One Dream - Hard at work on her new album, due for release in April 2010, the new single is already available for download on iTunes. Get it HERE! I'm definitely excited for some new pop balladry from this uber-talented Canadian. In addition to prepping for a new album, Sarah McLachlan will also be readying Lilith Fair for a Summer 2010 comeback. Busy lady! She was lovely singing "I Will Remember You" during this years Emmy Awards. Very touching. I'll always have a soft spot for Sarah.

Massive Album Art Update - Part 1

After my West Coast vacation, I've been M.I.A. (save for one album art update from Chicago). I apologize. I've been busy with work and personal stuff. The plan is to start regularly updating again so bear with me. I find album art updates to be the easiest way to break back into a blogging routine, so here goes nothing! - All artwork found on Coverlandia.

Colour Me Free is the long anticipated 4th studio album from British soul chanteuse, Joss Stone. This album has been pushed back a couple of times by Stone's label, a move which Stone has been vocal about in the press. Now with an official release date scheduled for October 20, the promotional materials are starting to come together, starting with some album artwork. The album features collaborations from Jeff Beck, Sheila E, Raphael Saadiq, Dave Sanborn, Nas and Jamie Hartman.

"Say Goodbye" is the second single released off of the new Katharine McPhee album, Unbroken - due for release on January 5th. A beautiful ballad, "Say Goodbye" is more like what I expected her first album to sound like. Following less than a month after first single "Had It All," "Say Goodbye" appears to simply be a promotional single although I can't confirm that this single won't be officially released to radio.

"Thinkin'About You" is the second single off of the new Mario album, D.N.A. (following "Break Up" featuring Sean Garrett and Gucci Mane). The album is due to be released on November 3rd in the U.S. (November 2nd in the UK). No word yet on a release date for the second single, but I'm guessing it will be closer to the album's release date this fall.

I know that I already included the single artwork for the new Natalie Imbruglia single, "Want" in my last update, but it was pretty low quality. I just wanted to take the time to upload a new higher res version of the artwork. Natalie truly looks fantastic on this cover and the song is definitely growing on me (as are the remixes). Check out the stunning video here.

No Angels are a popular girl group out of Germany. Released September 11th, Welcome To The Dance is the fifth studio album from the girls and the second post-reunion album after the girls broke up in 2004. After reforming in 2006 (minus one member) they recorded 4th album, Destiny which featured productionj from Jiant & Twin, Max Martin, Steve Mac among others. The first single is "One Life", the video for which can be seen HERE.

This is the album artwork for the new Norah Jones album, The Fall, set to be released November 17th (November 16th in the UK) via Blue Note Records/EMI. I'm really excited to hear this album. I have Jones' last 3 albums and while there's no denying her talent both as a singer and as a songwriter, her last 2 jazz albums have bored me to tears. After hearing Jones collaborate on The Lonely Island c0medy album, Incredibad (listen to "Dreamgirl") I got excited about her new sound. This new album marks a new direction for the singer collaborating with producer Jacquire King who has worked with Kings of Leon, Tom Waits and Modest Mouse. This new sound sounds very promising, especially since Jones has assembled a talented new group of musicians for the new album. Can't wait!

I'm certainly interested to hear what Ryan Tedder and the rest of OneRepublic has to offer here with their second studio album, Waking Up. Admittedly I only really got into OneRepublic after hearing the remix of "Apologize" that appeared on Timbaland's Shock Value album. Since then I've heard a lot from Ryan Tedder on various pop songs (Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" co-written with Jesse McCartney and the controversial "Halo"/"Already Gone" by Beyoncé & Kelly Clarkson respectively). I also enjoyed "Stop and Stare" off of the Dreaming Out Loud album. Perhaps this new album (and new single "All The Right Moves") will get me excited about the band once again. It doesn't appear that they are going in an urban direction with this album but here's hoping we get some interesting remixes.

Wow. I can't believe I Am...Sasha Fierce has already had 7 singles released. Insane! "Video Phone" is set to be the 8th single released from Beyoncé 's album, and one of the least exciting singles if you ask me. Out digitally on September 22nd "Video Phone" will also be released in a physical format on November 1oth. I'm hoping for some hot remixes like we saw for previous Sasha Fierce singles, "Sweet Dreams," "Halo," "Ego," "Diva" and others.

"Tardy For The Party" is the new single from Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member Kim Zolciak. If you've been watching the Bravo show it's evident that Kim is passionate about her music career...at least semi-passionate. The divorced mother of two attempted to get into the country music business during Season 1 where she met with a vocal coach (who told her she didn't know what she was doing) and producer Dallas Austin. Season two shows Kim working with new ATL cast member Kandi Burruss (formerly of Xscape), moving in a distinctly pop/dance direction. The single was released on September 1st on iTunes and subsequently reached the Top 10 on the iTunes Top Dance Tracks chart. Kim is currently rumored to be working on her debut album and while I don't really think Kim has much in the way of vocal talent, this song is very catchy. I'd definitely be interested to hear what the album will sound like. The single artwork on the other hand...very amateurish.

Yet another piece of artwork has been released for the new Madonna single "Celebration," this time from the vinyl single release. "Celebration" marks Madonna's 40th number 1 single on the Billboard Dance Hot Dance Club Play Chart. The video has been released for the song, using the Benny Benassi remix and featuring a guest appearence from Madonna's own daughter, Lourdes. Madonna looks amazing as usual. The compilation album of the same name is out in the UK on September 21st and in the US on September 29th. The album was released on September 18th in several European and South American countries.

Finally, the single artwork has been unveiled for the new single, "Forever Is Over" by The Saturdays. I absolutely LOVE this single. I've said in the past that it reminds me of a classic Girls Aloud track and this cover is very reminsicent of an old Girls Aloud single sleeve. As if the song couldn't get any better, look out for terrific remixes from Buzz Junkies and Manhattan Clique. The single is the first off of their upcoming as-yet-untitled second studio album (apparently Colonial Masses was just an internet rumor). The single will officially be released on October 5th, followed by the album's release on October 12th.

The CD/DVD version of The Veronica's live tour was released in Australia on September 1st. The tour began in South Wales Australia back in February 2009, having the girls play all throughout Australia and New Zealand before heading to the U.S. in June, playing Buffalo, NY on June 3rd. The tour took the girls all over the U.S. and Canada, before moving onto Japan in early August. The girls are also playing some dates in the UK starting on September 23rd in Glasgow - promoting their new UK single "4Ever" and album Hook Me Up which is due to be released on October 5th. Having seen these girls open for Natasha Bedingfield in an intimate setting like the Paradise Rock Club, I have no doubt that they could fill an auditorium. I'm glad they are continuing to see international success. Go girls!

I love that DJs are releasing mainstream albums nowadays. I guess this has always been the case, but dance music is certainly attracting a higher calibre of artists. I remember back in 2002, purchasing DJ Sammy's Heaven album. I loved that album! While there were no big name collaborations, the vocal element that these singers added to these straight up dance tracks helped get me into dance and house music. More recently I've really been getting into French DJ David Guetta's new album and now Dutch DJ Tiësto's forthcoming album Kaleidoscope is set to become one of my favorite dance albums of the year. Featuring collaborations from Sneaky Sound System, Priscilla Ahn, Calvin Harris, Tegan & Sara, Emily Haines of Metric, Jónsi of Sigur Rós, Kele Okereke of Bloc Party, Cary Brothers and Nelly Furtado - Kaleidoscope is everything that I want out of a dance album.

"Yesterday" is the first single off of the new Toni Braxton album, due for release in February of next year. Now signed to Atlantic Records, Braxton recorded "Yesterday" with producer DJ Frank E. The song premiered on September 11th and is expected to be released digitally very soon.

Midwinter Graces is the new seasonal album by Tori Amos, expected out on November 10th. Following the May 12th release of Amos' 10th studio album Abnormally Attracted to Sin, I was surprised to hear that she'd be releasing another album so soon. Midwinter Graces is Amos' first seasonal album. You can see the tracklisting HERE.

Wow. Don't get me wrong, I've always found John Mayer to be quite attractive, but there's nothing sexier than a classic black & white photo if you ask me. "Who Says" is the first single off of Mayer's fourth studio album entitled Battle Studies, due out on November 17th. According to Mayer, this new record is going to be a slight departure from his previous efforts, going in a more experimental direction. I'm all for artists trying new sounds and look forward to hearing what's next for Mayer. No word yet on a release date for the single.

"Walkin' On The Moon" is the new single from Atlanta-based Terius Youngdell Nash (AKA The-Dream) and features a guest appearence from Kanye West. "Walkin' On The Moon" is the third single off Love vs. Money and features remixes from Craig C., Low Sunday, Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel.