Hot Video Alert: Jessie J - Domino

"Domino" is the latest single by international pop star Jessie J and it's a hot one.  Originally released as the first (and as of yet, only) single off of the re-release of her debut album, Who You Are, "Domino" was co-penned by Jessie alongside Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly, Max Martin and Henry Walter, with production brought to you by Dr. Luke and Cirkut.  With a team like that behind you, how can you not have a hit?  What "Domino" lacks in originality, it more than makes up for in fun factor.  The song is a just what we needed after hearing her depression-inducing yet emotionally stirring last UK single "Who You Are." "Domino" is bubblegum pop at it's finest.  Another thing I like about the song is how well it showcases Jessie J's vocal range.  It's easy for a a voice to get lost in the production of a song, especially an up-tempo dance/pop number like this one.  On  "Domino," Jessie J comes out the gate, chirping her way to Mariah Carey-like vocal heights.  While there are most definitely some vocal effects in play here, there's no doubt in my mind that Jessie J can hit those high notes live.  Despite what haters might say, the girl has talent for miles, and she's only 23!

While "Domino" actually came out back in August (before the November release of "Who You Are") the colorful, sexy and carefree Ray Kay-directed video (see below) only just premiered yesterday so I'm taking some liberties by calling it her "latest" single.  As far as I'm concerned, a video is a pretty major promotional tool and if it's being released now, the label (Island/Lava) still must have plans for"Domino."  Over here in the U.S., Jessie J has been taking baby steps with regards to an American career.  Officially, "Domino" is only her second single here in the States, serving as a follow up to the B.o.B.-assisted "Price Tag" which managed to peak at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart last winter.  While not as successful as it's U.S. predecessor, "Domino" still managed to chart at a respectable #28 on the Hot 100 Chart, not to mention #16 on the Billboard U.S. Pop Songs chart and #39 on the U.S. Adult Pop Songs chart.  While not officially released as a single in her native England, "Domino" peaked at #54 on the Official UK Singles Chart.  Not too shabby. Not too shabby at all.  Check out some sick "Domino" remixes, done up by none other than the Jump Smokers and Hype Jones. Hot indeed.

Since making her debut in the UK with the hit single "Do It Like A Dude" back in 2010, Jessie J has been making waves.  The openly bisexual singer is a BRIT Award-winner and has been announced as one of the judges slash mentors on the UK version of the hit U.S. music reality show The Voice which is set to premiere on BBC One sometime in 2012 where she'll be joined by Tom Jones and The Script frontman Danny O'Donoghue and will.i.am. Jessie's first taste at U.S. success came with the release of Miley Cyrus' "Party In The U.S.A," a song which Jessie J co-wrote with Dr. Luke and Claude Kelly (two of her collaborators on "Domino").  Her debut album, Who You Are, peaked at #2 on the UK charts when it was released last February and to date has spawned four top 10 UK singles ("Do It Like A Dude," "Price Tag," "Nobody's Perfect" and "Who You Are").  While she's certainly had more success in her native UK, Jessie J is just picking up momentum her in the U.S. and it's only a matter of time before she explodes.

Jessie J's U.S. profile received a nice, healthy boost when she earned herself a prestigious 'musical guest' spot on Saturday Night Live back in March and played 'House Band' on the MTV VMA's.  Jessie J. was all set to open for Katy Perry's California Dreams Tour, but was replaced by Music Is My King Size Bed-favorite Ellie Goulding after a foot injury put her out of commission.  No matter.  When Who You Are finally came out here in November, it debuted at an impressive #11.  Well done Ms. J. Well done.  While I'd love to see Jessie release some of her other UK singles Stateside, I think it's a smart move on her label's part to release new material here.  Speaking of new material, Jessie J's rumored third U.S. single is none other than "LaserLight," a David Guetta-produced/Invisible Men-co-penned track that appears on the album's re-release.  As much as it pains me to see her hooking up with David Guetta, he does know a thing or two about making a hit record. Look for a video for "LaserLight" sometime in 2012. Right now,  you can download "Domino" on U.S. iTunes HERE and watch Jessie J perform on 'NBC's New Years Eve with Carson Daly' where she'll be joined by U.S. Voice judges Blake Shelton and Cee-Lo Green, Drake, Tony Bennett and many more.

Check out Jessie J on the web:

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

New on iTunes - Natasha Bedingfield, Travis Garland, Kelly Rowland and Miley Cyrus

I just wanted to briefly go over some of the songs that I downloaded from iTunes this past Tuesday. First up....new music from Natasha Bedingfield. Wow. This came as a pleasant surprise! We knew that she was working on new material but I didn't expect a release so soon! I also didn't expect something so...dance-pop. I think it's a great song. I love it! I'm still waiting to hear if this is her OFFICIAL first single or if it's a promotional release before the first single drops. Either way, I love this song and it has me realizing just how much I've missed Bedingfield on the radio. On a completely unrelated note...where is Daniel Bedingfield? I wouldn't mind hearing from him again either.

**UPDATE** According to a new blog from Bedingfield, "Touch" is NOT a single, but a "fabulous teaser" from the new album. The song was produced by Julian Bunetta.

Download "Touch" on iTunes

New artist Travis Garland released his debut single, the Danja-produced "Believe" this week. Touted as the latest "Perez Hilton-protege," Hilton used his pull with American Idol-producer Simon Fuller to get Garland a performance spot on the second to last episode of American Idol this season. Wow. I got to hand it to Perez, who knew he had that much influence in the music industry? While I still (mostly) despise Hilton, especially after he basically drove one of my FAVORITE artists, Sia into retirement, (Sia, by the way has recently gone on record to clarify those 'retirement' statements) he clearly has the attention of the music big wigs over on Idol.

While Hilton's "better than Justin Timberlake" comment was a bit of an overstatement, I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised by the young singer's overall performance and voice. While Hilton may have "re-discovered" the singer, I don't like how he's taking credit for finding the artist. Garland was part of a short-lived boy band called NLT (Not Like Them), the same group that gave Glee's Artie Abrams (Kevin McHale) got his singing start. Chris Stokes of TUG Entertainment discovered the band and signed them to his label, which would have distributed their un-released debut album through Geffen/Interscope Records. Not sure what happened, but after releasing four singles and working with the likes of Timbaland and Ryan Tedder, the album's release was ultimately scrapped. At any rate, definitely check out Garland's performance on Idol when you can and download his debut single "Believe." His debut album is expected out via Interscope Records later this year.

Download "Believe on iTunes

Thank God for David Guetta! Well...thank God for Kelly Rowland really. Her new David Guetta-produced floor filler called "Commander" was digitally released this week. Marking Rowland's debut with Universal Motown Records, "Commander" is the first single off of her third, as-yet untitled album. It's also her first solo single to move in a decidedly NOT R&B direction. I guess she liked what she did with Guetta on "When Love Takes Over" and wanted to go in a dance floor direction. I, for one am all about it. The single entered the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Chart at #36, and I'm sure she'll climb to the top.

Download "Commander" on Itunes

I'm not ENTIRELY sure why I purchased this single. I guess Miley Cyrus music is one of my guilty pleasures. In my defense, "Can't Be Tamed" is one of her most non-child-friendly pop songs to date. "Can't Be Tamed" is the title track and debut single off of Cyrus' new album, due out on June 22nd. I hope we get some remixes for this track. I'm all in favor of a raunchier version of Miley and let's be honest, anything is better than "The Climb."

**UPDATE** We can expect remixes from the Wideboys. Good start. Can't wait to hear these!

Download "Can't Be Tamed" on iTunes

Loads of New Album & Single Artwork!

Massive album artwork update here. Per usual, most of the artwork came from Coverlandia and Covermania. Enjoy!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm looking forward to reviewing the debut album, Pretty Mess, from dance music artist, Erika Jayne. Her album is due out August 11th (this Tuesday) and features her #1 dance hits "Rollercoaster," "Stars" and "Give You Everything." Jayne recorded the album with veteran producers Peter Rafelson and Eric Kupper. Can't wait for this one!

Wow. This song makes me really excited about the new Whitney Houston album. "I Look To You" is absolutely gorgeous but this up-tempo jam, produced by Swizz Beats, is HOT. Whitney looks great in the sleeve artwork as well. Nice to see a return to form for Ms. Houston. "Million Dollar Bill" is supposedly going to be released simultaneously with first single, "I Look To You," most likely to appease multiple formats.

Patrick Wolf is quite the performer. I had the good fortune of seeing him open for Amy Winehouse at what used to be Avalon. Such a good show. I enjoyed his last album The Magic Position, and should probably check out some of his new material. This is the album artwork from his most recent album, The Bachelor. Not particularly new, since the album was released in June. The first two singles off of the album are "Hard Times" and "Vulture." Also, of particular interest to me...the title song...it features an appearance from English folk musician Eliza Carthy. I reviewed Carthy's CD, Angels & Cigarettes for the Indiana Daily Student back when I was in college. Oh the joys of receiving free music. Of course, most of the CDs I wanted to review I had to pay for. Oh well!

Also not particularly new is the single artwork for the third UK single from The Killers' last album, Day & Age. The artwork for "The World We Live In" (which was released in May) continues in the tradition set by previous singles, featuring a mosaic portrait of one of the band members...this time of bass guitarist Ronnie Vannucci Jr. First single, "Human" featured keyboardist David Keuning, "Spaceman" featured the hotness that is lead singer Brandon Flowers and "A Dustland Fairytale" features guitarist Mark Stoermer.

The new artwork for the second Paloma Faith single has been unveiled. Lovely. Just as classy and elegant as the "Stone Cold Sober" artwork, and album artwork for her forthcoming debut Do You Want The Truth or Something Beautiful? - out September 21st. "New York" comes out in the UK on September 13th - the video has already been shot. I haven't heard this song yet but I can't wait! Paloma's album is one of my most anticipated albums of the year and one of my "artists to watch." Additionally, you can expect remixes from Tom Middleton, Cutmore and Starsmith. [EDIT] - I LOVE THIS SONG. The video is stunning as well. Wow. Powerhouse.

"Party In The U.S.A." is the first single off of a new Walmart-exclusive Miley Cyrus EP, The Time Of Our Lives. Apparently it's going to be released in conjunction with the unveiling of Miley's new clothing line. The track was officially released to radio stations on July 29th. I'm not the biggest Miley fan, but she does look more mature in this artwork. She's growing up, alright.

The new Mika album, entitled The Boy Who Knew Too Much, has me really excited. Not only is Mika super cute, but he's super talented. I hope he supports this new album here in the states. It's due out September 22nd in the U.S. (September 21 in the UK) and is lead by first single "We Are Golden." I still need to buy his first album, Life In Cartoon Motion." The album artwork was designed by Mika's sister, who works under the name DaWack. Good stuff!

This appears to be new album artwork from Swedish singer Erik Hassle, though I'm not sure what this is...album? Single? I was under the impression that THIS was the album artwork. Can anyone confirm? Perhaps this artwork is for the album's UK debut? Regardless...this looks pretty cool.

This was Hassle's first Swedish single, "Hurtful." I love the stencil-like fonts here, as well as the black and white photo with the pink lettering. Simple and clean.

"Don't Bring Flowers" is Erik Hassle's UK debut single and has been described as a "synthy acoustic number." Very cool. I'm looking forward to hearing this album in full! The Swedes really do know how to do pop music right. The official video was filmed in LA and has yet to be released but in the meantime - check out this unofficial video.

"The Journey" is the first single off of the new Dolores O'Riordan album, No Baggage, released on August 24th globally and August 25th in the U.S. Released to U.S. radio on July 13th, the single is expected to be released in Europe on August 10th. I've always loved O'Riordan's vocals - ever since she was a member of The Cranberries. The Morgan Page remix of "Ordinary Day," from O'Riordan's debut solo album is hot so I'm hoping for some new remixes from this album. We shall see I guess. The artwork has O'Riordan looking VERY pop. I love it! What do you think?
Voted for by the fans, this is the official artwork for "Gold Digger" by The Dolly Rockers. Due out on August 30th, this group is already one of my summer favorites. I've watched the video probably 1000 times and love the Bimbo Jones remix. First single "Je Suis Une Dolly" is also one of my favorite songs of the summer. The girls are recording their debut album, due out at the end of the year.

This is the third single from the new Daniel Merriweather CD, Love & War. "Impossible," due to be released on August 17th is the follow up to his last single "Red." Daniel is looking better than ever here...well...maybe not as hot as he did on the cover for "Red," but still...who am I to complain? I'm still hoping he takes a stab at the U.S. market with this new album. I'd love to see him do a live club show here.