[Album Review] Rebecca Ferguson - Heaven

U.S. Album Artwork

Liverpudlian (I just love saying that!) songstress, Rebecca Ferguson will release her U.S. debut album, Heaven, tomorrow May 29th on Syco/Columbia Records. GET EXCITED! 

What's more, Rebecca's U.S. promotional schedule is filling up FAST with scheduled appearances on The Today Show, The View and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.  On Tuesday May 29th, Ferguson will make her U.S. television debut on The Today Show, followed by an appearance on Barbara Walters' gab-fest The View on May 30th.  She'll return to The Today Show on June 1st, followed by a musical performance slot on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno June 26th. 

Now THIS is the kind of promotional schedule I was hoping Rebecca would have! These are all potentially HUGE exposure-boosting opportunities. Way to go Columbia!

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Macy Gray Covers Radiohead, Kanye West, Colbie Caillat, Metallica and More on New Album

Macy Gray is back ya'll! Covered is Gray's sixth studio album and her first with 429 Records, a subsidiary of Savoy Label Group/Nippon Columbia.  Joining Macy on the 429 roster are notable artists including The Bodeans, Everclear, Edwin McCain, John Popper (Blues Traveler), The Proclaimers, and Tonic.  That's an awful lot of bands/artists that were popular in the 90s and early 2000s, no?  No matter - I'm just happy that Macy Gray found herself a new label, having left Concord Records following the release of her 2010 flop The Sellout.

Now, a lot of artists have released covers albums in the past.  Some might be quick to call a covers album unoriginal, but that's far from the truth.  A covers album, when done well, is the perfect opportunity for an established artist to put his or her spin onto some other well known material.  Mandy Moore's 2003 album Coverage comes to mind.  This was Moore's first album dabbling in singer/songwriter type music, covering a variety of tunes from the 70s and 80s, including Carole King's "I Feel The Earth Move," Elton John's "Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters," "Anticipation" by Carly Simon, Joan Armatrading's (another of Macy Gray's 429 Records labelmates) "Drop The Pilot" and first single "Have A Little Faith In Me" by John Hiatt.  While a commercial failure, Coverage was critically acclaimed, with most lauding Moore for her new mature direction.  While Mandy Moore stuck mostly to songs people know, Macy Gray chose to put her spin on a more obscure collection of tunes.

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New Remixes from Kelis, Katy Perry, Enrique Iglesias, Eliza Doolittle, Marina and The Diamonds and Macy Gray!

You know how much I LURVE remixes. Here are some remixes I'm excited for this summer.

Kelis - 4th Of July (Fireworks)

"4th Of July (Fireworks)" is the second single off of Kelis' new album Flesh Tone, due out in the U.S. on July 6th. Produced by DJ Ammo, the single came out on June 8th and features a stunning video directed by John "Rankin" Waddell and Nicole Ehrlich. We're treated to remixes for this already dance-tastic new single from Calvin Harris, Fernando Garibay, Richard X, Rusko and Burns. A special remix EP will be available to download on June 29th.

Eliza Doolittle - Pack Up

British singer/songwriter Eliza Doolittle releases her second single "Pack Up" July 5th and it features a stunning remix package from Analog People In A Digital World, Riva Starr and Royal Palms. If you're not already familiar with Doolittle, check out her debut single "Skinny Genes" off her debut self-titled album due out June 28th via Parlophone. You can see the promo tracklisting below. Make sure you check out the video too!

Enrique Iglesias feat. Pitbull - I Like It

Who doesn't like a good Enrique Iglesias remix? "I Like It" is the second official single off of Enrique's new bilingual album Euphoria and features Pitbull in one of his standard guest vocals. While I'm REALLY amped for remixes to third single, "Heartbeat" featuring Nicole Scherzinger, I'm making do with the remixes available for "I Like It." We have Avicii, Cahill, Daddy's Groove and DJ Chuckie on the remix and...I like it. Check out the new U.S. video below featuring the cast of Jersey Shore.

Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg - California Gurls

YES! These are the remixes I've been waiting for! "California Gurls," the new Snoop Dogg-assisted Katy Perry single, her first off her upcoming new CD Teenage Dreams, has unofficial mixes floating around (notably mixes by Tommie Sunshine and Liam Keegan) but these official remixes are making me REALLY happy. On the mix we have Manhattan Clique, MSTRKRFT, Passion Pit and Inner Party System. The MSTRKRFT, Passion Pit and Inner Party System mixes are available to download now on Masterbeat. If you haven't scoped out the fun video yet do do HERE. Also make sure you watch a cool Tommie Sunshine video edit below.

Macy Gray - Lately

Ah Macy Gray. The singer who once said she was afraid clearing her throat would shut down her singing career. She's still here and she's back with a new single, the official second single off her upcoming new album The Sellout, due out June 22nd. First single "Beauty In The World" peaked at #2 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Club Play Chart (currently at #9) so I can only imagine that with remixes by Ruff Loaderz, Nu Addiction and Cutmore she'll reach new heights on the dance charts with her latest offering. Download the Cutmore and Nu Addiction remixes for "Lately" on Masterbeat.

Marina & The Diamonds - Oh No!

Marina & The Diamonds' album The Family Jewels is one of my favorites so far this year and it looks like it's doing alright here in the States, peaking at #2 on Billboard's Heatseekers Album Charts, #22 on Billboard's Digital Album Charts and #138 on the Billboard 200. The fourth UK single, "Oh No!" is due out on July 26th in the UK and is produced by Greg Kurstin. A video (yet to be released) was directed by Kinga Burza. We have remixes coming by Max Sanna and Steve Pitron, Grum and Jaymo and Andy George. Can't wait!

A NOT-SO-QUICK QUICKY Album Art Update

It's super late so I have time for one more QUICKY. With so much STUNNING album artwork out there, I just had to post some of my favorites. Oh and speaking of beautiful album artwork, DEFINITELY check out my last post on Ms. Katie Melua as well as my posts on Sarah McLachlan, Jewel and Cyndi Lauper - all of whom have new albums/singles coming out with some beautiful artwork. The artwork for this new album/single are beyond gorgeous. Thanks to Coverlandia and MuuMuse for the artwork. Oh - I should also mention that release dates listed below are mostly for UK.

Sia - "Clap Your Hands" (Single/Out Now on iTunes)

Check out the video for Sia's new single, "Clap Your Hands." How fun is this? Such a creative, cooky artist. I absolutely ADORE her. Check out fun remixes by Fred Falke and Diplo.

Robyn - Body Talk Part I (Album/June 7th)

Thanks to Bradley over on MuuMuse for posting this. I love this artwork. I love Robyn even more. Body Talk Part I is one of my most hotly anticipated summer records. Robyn's released three songs on iTunes to tie us over. Check out "Fembot," "Dancehall Queen" and "None of Dem" on iTunes (in the U.S.).

Robin Thicke w/ Estelle - "Rollacoasta" (Single/Out Now)

While the artwork might not be anything special, there's a big honkin' photo of Robin Thicke. Enough said? Oh...and R&B superstar Estelle makes an appearance. Check out the video. I am loving this song more and more.

Macy Gray - The Sellout (Album/June 28th)

Macy Gray is back and better than ever! In looking through my CD collection, I have more Macy Gray CDs then I remember purchasing. As quirky as she is, she's talented. I am very excited about the new record and while "Beauty In The World", the first single off of The Sellout is still growing on me, the Cutmore remix of the track already has me sold.

Kylie Minogue - Aphrodite (Album/July 5th)

*DIES* After having seen Kylie Minogue on her first ever North American tour, I am STILL riding that high and don't plan on stopping any time soon. Lucky for me (and Kylie fans everywhere) the wait for new material won't be much longer. New Kish Mauve-produced single "All The Lovers" will be released on June 28th, followed by the album Aphrodite on July 5th. *DIES*

Kelis - Flesh Tone (Album/May 17th)

I already blogged about the stunning music video for the new Kelis single, "Acapella" and now we have the official album artwork. It's a little bit gaudy for my tastes but I still kind of love it. I cannot WAIT for this album. I haven't been this excited about a Kelis album since Tasty. Lookout for the Kelis-assisted Benny Benassi collaboration, "Spaceship," the video for which has already been shot.

Kate Nash - My Best Friend Is You (Album/Out Now)

While this artwork is CUTE, it's not really blog-worthy by itself. I just wanted to include it b/c I'm going to see Kate Nash live next week at Great Scott in Allston, MA (outside of Boston). Small, intimate gig - the same place I saw V.V. Brown actually (WHICH I still need to post about - oops!). I'm beyond excited. The new album came out this week and I am still warming up to it. There's so much to love about her first album, but I'm sure that in time I'll love the new one as well. If the streaming concert I listened to today (live from Cologne) is any indication, her live set is going to be AWESOME! Check out the video for her new single "Do-Wah-Doo."

Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid (Album/May 17th)

Janelle Monáe is a talented young lady. I remember when her first EP came out a while back with the song "Many Moons" - I loved her look and voice and now...FINALLY she's back with a full length album (due out May 17th in the UK and the following day in the U.S.). This is going to be a hot album...which by the way is sort of reminiscent of Kelis' new artwork. It's also channeling the movie poster for 20s silent film Metropolis. Very cool. Watch the video for new single feat. Big Boi (of OutKast fame) called "Tightrope."

Diana Vickers - Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree (Album/May 3rd)

Former X-Factor contestant Diana Vickers' debut album drops on May 3rd and features lead single "Once" (which has glorious remixes from Manhattan Clique). Having heard part of a leaked album sampler, I'm very excited for Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree. Vickers is a talent, and while her sound is similar to that of Little Boots and Ellie Goulding, I think her talent stands on it's own. I'm interested to see what the finished product sounds like. Check out the video to her single "Once."

Billboard Reveals Top One Hit Wonders of the Decade

When I discovered that Billboard.com was featuring 39 "One-Hit Wonders" of the last decade, I knew this it was going to be a good day. And it was! It was like taking a musical journey back through college and I loved every minute of it.

Billboard counts these artists as one hit wonders based on their charting history on Billboard's Hot 100 list. "After reaching the Hot 100's Top 10 with their very first singles, none of these acts managed to crack the Top 25 for the rest of the decade." Billboard goes onto say that the "one-hitmakers on the list have been ranked by how high their big song climbed on the chart compared to how far down the tally their subsequent highest-charting effort peaked."

Make sense? No? Who cares. This is just cool! I'm just going to mention a couple of my favorites here but make sure you check out the full list. Each entry is accompanied by the music video and a couple sentences of explanation about the song/artist.

#38 - S Club 7 - "Never Had A Dream Come True" - I remember hearing this song on the radio back in 2001 but only when I became completely obsessed with the UK pop scene did I hear anything else from the group. I guess the fact that this song was the band's only U.S. hit (peaking at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100) would be a good reason why. Oh, and Rachel Stevens - please come back to us. Thanks.

#36 - Truth Hurts feat. Rakim - "Addictive" - This song is still one of my favorites of the past 10 years. It really lives up to it's title. Too bad for Truth Hurts that she and her songwriters didn't clear the rights for the sample used in the song. The song can't be downloaded and no one can profit from it. Such a shame.

#35 - D.H.T. feat. Edmee - "Listen To Your Heart" - While I know this song was D.H.T.'s only U.S. hit, they do have some other good euro-dance covers that did well in Europe. Their Roxette cover was probably my favorite, but check out their version of "Someone."

#34 - Eden's Crush - "Get Over Yourself" - I don't know where I was when these girls were around. All I know about Eden's Crush now is that Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls used to be a member. I'm devastated. This would have been right up my alley!

#33 - DJ Sammy & Yanou feat. Do - "Heaven" - Another dance hit from 2002. Loved this song. I searched the depths of Napster for every remix imaginable AND for more on dutch singer Do. I was obsessed with this song. I didn't really care for any of the subsequent singles off of DJ Sammy's album.

#32 - Sonique - "It Feels So Good" - This is sad. I love this song and I know that Sonique has seen a bit more popularity in Europe. She's currently battling breast cancer and I wish her the best and lots of good health. She has a new single out now in Europe called "World Of Change."

#24 - Vanessa Carlton - "A Thousand Miles" - This is one of the "one-hit wonders" that I really kind of bummed for. Vanessa Carlton is a talented singer/songwriter who's debut hit single, "A Thousand Miles" really took off. Her style of music is SO niche and specific that it was virtually impossible to create something that successful a second time. She needs to reinvent her sound and I hope she comes out with something new soon. I'll always love her.

#23 - The Calling - "Wherever You Will Go" - I believe I wrote a review for this band's debut CD in the Indiana Daily Student back when I was in college. I definitely have a promotional copy from the label that was delivered to the student paper. This single was not bad but definitely blends in with the Creeds and Nickelbacks of the world.

#22 - Macy Gray - "I Try" - Macy Gray is an artist that I enjoy but only in small doses. Her voice can be quite grating. I once read an interview where Gray joked about clearing her throat and *POOF* no more singing career. That's kind of funny and the perfect way to describe her voice. I've enjoyed a couple of Gray's subsequent releases but I think she needs to reinvent herself as a dance diva.

#20 - Samantha Mumba - "Gotta Tell You" - I loved this song when i first heard it back in 2000. At the time I first heard it, I could have sworn it was Britney Spears singing. Come to find out, it was actually an Irish singer/actress called Samantha Mumba. While I did quite enjoy her other singles, "Baby, Come Over (This Is Our Night)," "I'm Right Here," etc. it's evident that she U.S. charts did not. Check out the dance update Micky Modelle put out for "Gotta Tell You." It's just not the same.

#19 - Fort Minor feat. Holly Brook - "Where'd You Go" - I never knew what this video was about. At first I thought it was about military families dealing with separation, but the lyrics didn't seem to line up with that storyline. Maybe it's just an angry song through and through. For what it's worth, I did enjoy the song. Didn't realize that Fort Minor was Mike Shinoda's (Linkin Park) side project.

#17 - Kevin Lyttle feat. Spragga Benz - "Turn Me On" - The "Turn Me On" CD maxi was one of the first remix singles I ever purchased. How could I not purchase this one? With remixes by E-Smoove, Lenny B, Low Tide, Bastone & Burnz and DJ Volume, I had to have it - despite the fact that I despised the song. Don't question my logic.

#15 - Lumidee - "Never Leave You - Uh Ooh, Uh Oooh!" - Lumidee started the trend of bad female R&B singers in my opinion. The song is clearly manipulated and STILL doesn't hide the fact that the singer can't sing worth a damn. Other singers I lump into this category - Cassie and to an extent, Ciara.

#13 - Lou Bega - "Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)" - Enough said.

#12 - Cassie - "Me & U" - Oh, well look who it is. Hello Cassie. I was just talking about you. I'm not going to lie, "Me & U" is a catchy song. As was follow up "Long Way 2 Go." But where have you been? To her credit, the girl's only released one album and to call her a one hit wonder already is maybe a little bit unfair. I know she's working on new material and has released a couple of singles. It will be interesting to see where Cassie's career goes from here. At least she's got her looks.

#10 - Dream - "He Loves You Not" - I loved this song as well as "This Is Me," which apparently only #39 on the charts. Too bad. They were the quintessential 2000s manufacturered girl group and I loved every minute of their time in the spotlight.

#9 - Bo Bice - "Inside Your Heaven" - In my opinion, this is why girls and guys should get separate songs to sing for the American Idol finale. The fact that this is his highest charting song does not bode well for Mr. Bice.

#8 - Blu Cantrell - "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)" - Frankly, I'm a bit shocked that "Breathe" with Sean Paul only peaked at #70. I loved that song, quite possibly even more than "Hit 'Em Up Style." Sad. Blu was good, although I do remember watching the video for this song back in 2001 and commenting on just how out of sync she was with her lip syncing.

#7 - Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy" - I guess I should have seen this one-hit wonder coming. This song was AMAZING and nothing released since has been as catchy/AKA radio friendly. Ceee-Lo and Dangermouse are two very talented entities and I'm sure they will have lots of success. Their performance antics as a duo, however rival Lady Gaga in terms of creativity and vocal talent. Ceee-Lo has quite the voice and those costumes were 'CRAZY.'

#6 - James Blunt - "You're Beautiful" - Ha. This song is hilarious to make fun of. If anyone wants to hear my rendition, just let me know. I'd gladly sing it for you.

#3 - Crazy Town - "Butterfly" - All I know about this band is THIS song and the fact that one of the band-members was on the first season of Dr. Drew's Celebrity Rehab show. That sort of goes to show you how fast the band sunk after this song.

#1 - Daniel Powter - "Bad Day" - I think I may be the only person in America who isn't yet sick of this song. It was the "Goodbye" theme for American Idol Season 5 and perhaps So You Think You Can Dance, as well? Maybe not, but yeah. I used to love belting this song out in my room...and still do on occasion. I guess I have a lot of bad days.