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.

Massive Album Artwork Update

OK...putting up a quick album artwork update while I have some computer access. Currently I'm in the Chicago burbs at my parents place...the tail end of a week long vacation that took me from Boston to Corvallis (Oregon) then to Portland and now, sweet home Chicago. I didn't really do TOO much shopping but while in Portland I stumbled upon a cute little indie music shop (Jackpot Records) and bought a couple of Girl Talk CDs (partially to prepare for November's show). I really fell in love with Portland on this trip. What a GREAT city. Lots of great shops, hipster boys around every corner and amazing food and coffee.

I'll be back in Boston on Monday night and blogging (semi) regularly from then on. For now, here's some cool new album artwork to keep you busy, courtesy of the always helpful Coverlandia and Covermania teams. In interest of getting a good night's sleep tonight...I will be posting three words that describe the album artwork, rather than my usual 1-2 paragraphs of commentary. Sometimes brevity is better.

La Roux - I'm Not Your Toy (SINGLE): Stoic, Regal, Elizabethan

Beyoncé - Broken-Hearted Girl (SINGLE): Sexy, Diva, Vixen

Beverley Knight - Beautiful Night (SINGLE): Classy, Stunning, Strong

Anouk - For Bitter Or Worse (ALBUM): Dirty, Raunchy, Erotic

Wale - Attention Deficit (ALBUM): Innocent, Creative, Retro

Luis Fonsi - Tu Amor (EP): Alluring, Mysterious, Sexy

Tokio Hotel - Humanoid (ALBUM): Unoriginal, Futuristic, Robotic

Carrie Underwood - Play On (ALBUM): Smoldering, Sweet, Suburban

Robbie Williams - Reality Killed The Video Star (ALBUM): Rebellious, Hollywood, Vintage

Robbie Williams - Bodies (SINGLE): Bad-ass, scruffy, Sexy

Shakira - She Wolf (ALBUM): Barbarella, Sequined, Animalistic

Madonna - Celebration (ALBUM): Retro, Iconic, Poptastic

Michael Bublé - Haven't Met You Yet (SINGLE): Jazzy, Classic, Suave

Leona Lewis - Happy (SINGLE): Free-spirited, Fun-loving, Fiery

Mariah Carey - I Want To Know What Love Is (SINGLE): Uninspired, Plain, Lacklustre

Basshunter - Bass Generation (ALBUM): Euro-trashy, Airbrushed, Tease

Natalie Imbruglia - Come To Life (ALBUM): Natural, Wide-eyed, Ingenue

Natalie Imbruglia - Want (SINGLE): Bold, Loud, Floral

Not Wild About Natalie Imbruglia's 'Wild About It'

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I'm a bit disappointed to be honest. I think that this is just some promotional video to get us all excited about Natalie Imbruglia's upcoming new album and single "Want." To get us "wild about it" if you will. I'm much more excited for the single, based on clips that I've heard. This song is kind of...BLAH in my opinion. What do you all think? Excited for the return of Natalie Imbruglia or blasé about the whole thing?

Musical Snippets - Annie, Britney Spears, Guy Sebastian, Lady Gaga & More!

Britney Spears - "Unusual You": Britney Spears...I'm over "Radar" and ready for a new single...and with that said, I'm hoping and praying this rumor is true. On The Prophet the other day I saw a report that "Unusual You" will be the fifth single off of Circus. The Bloodshy & Avant track has always been one of my favorites...in fact...I voted for it when Brit's website gave her fans the chance to choose the new single. For the time being, I'll just treat this as a rumor...but a boy can dream.

Check out Britney Spears on the web: Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//YouTube//Twitter

Guy Sebastian - "Like It Like That": The last time I saw Australian Idol Season 1 winner Guy Sebastian was on World Idol. I thought he was cute at the time and had quite the voice. I was rather impressed. Recently, I saw that Guy was on Twitter and I learned that he was moving to and doing shows in New York City. Something is brewing! Well, it appears that he's releasing an album here in the states on October 9th. Awesome! First single, "Like It Like That" is a fun little number. It's got a beat and really shows off Sebastian's chops. U.S. iTunes also has 2007's The Memphis Album, full of soul classics (I just downloaded his cover of Otis Redding's "Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay" - not bad). His U.S. album is supposedly going to be a collection of both old and new tracks. I like Guy. I potentially could dig this album.

EDIT - Apparently October 9th is the Australian release date of Guy's new album. Due to some label personnel changes at Sony Victor, the U.S. release is up in the air. It seems likely that it will still happen, it's just not known WHEN or on WHAT LABEL. Bummer. Perhaps I'll pick up the Australian import? For more information, look HERE.

Check out Guy Sebastian on the web: Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Twitter//YouTube

Lady Gaga on the cover of Out Magazine: Out.com has a little teaser up of the September cover of the magazine featuring electro-pop goddess, Lady Gaga. Coincidentally, Out.com links back to Lady Gaga's official site for another "sneak peak" of Gaga's Out cover. It appears that Lady Gaga is going to be mostly naked. SWEET! Check back on Out.com August 13th to see the full cover, read the cover story and check out more photos of the shoot (photographed by Ellen von Unwerth). I'm sure it's gonna be hot.

Check out Lady Gaga on the web: Official Site/MySpace/Facebook/Twitter/Imeem/YouTube

Natalie Imbruglia's "Want" is Properly Hot: Wow. The Popjustice Tuesday "Song of the Day" was the new Natalie Imbruglia single, "Want," that I blogged about previously. It's gonna be FIRE! It's a total 360 from the usual AC crap she puts out. Don't get me wrong...I've loved a few Natalie Imbruglia singles...but never more than 2 or 3 per album. Not enough to purchase the whole album. If this new single is any indication of what the rest of the album sounds like...I'll be buying the import.

Check out Natalie Imbruglia on the web: Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Bebo//YouTube//Twitter//Vimeo

New Annie Album Due in October: This is GREAT news! Norwegian electro-pop star Annie was due to release her second album (follow up to 2004's Anniemal) Don't Stop in September of 2008, however Annie parted ways with her label before that happened. Having signed an international deal with Island Records, the planned album release was preceded by first single, the Richard X-produced "I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me," and a promotional single, 'Two Of Hearts." At the time of the split announcement, Annie remained positive, adamant that her album would see the light of day. She delivered in the form of next single, "Anthonio," released digitally with a nice little remix package.

Now on Smalltown Supersound, the album has been retooled. Gone are all three previously released singles ("I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me," "Two of Hearts," and "Anthonio"), nut never fear...there are some new tracks added into the mix. The album features collaborations with Richard X, Timo Kaukolampi, Paul Epworth, Brian Higgins, and Alex Kapranos (of Franz Ferdinand fame). The album is out in the UK October 19th and supposedly in the U.S. in November. Check out the track listing! I'm SO excited about this one. - Via Popjustice & Pitchfork

"Hey Annie" - Produced by Paul Epworth

"My Love Is Better" - Produced by Xenomania

"Bad Times" - Produced by Xenomania

"Don't Stop" - Produced by Paul Epworth

"I Don't Like Your Band" - Produced by Paul Epworth

"Songs Remind Me Of You" - Produced by Richard X

"Marie Cherie"- Produced by Timo Kaukolampi

"Take You Home" - Produced by Timo Kaukolampi

"The Breakfast Song" - Produced by Timo Kaukolampi

"Loco" - Produced by Xenomania

"When The Night" - Produced by Xenomania

"Heaven And Hell" - Produced by Xenomania

Check out Annie on the web: Official Site//MySpace//Twitter

Musical Snippets - New Robbie Williams, Natasha Bedingield, Natalie Imbruglia & More!

Wow. Lots of little updates to go over spanning all genres of music. Let's see...where to start...

Robbie Williams - Back With A New Album: Finally! The hottest hunk from the UK music scene is back with new material. The album, called Reality Killed The Video Star is out November 9th, preceded by the first single, "Bodies" which comes out on October 12th. It sounds like Robbie Williams is ditching the electro-sounds of his commercial & critical mixed bag of an album, Rudebox and going for a more traditional pop sound. Working with producers including Guy Chambers (David Archuleta, Natasha Bedingfield, James Blunt) and Trevor Horn (Cher, Pet Shop Boys, Seal) there's a lot riding on this new album, rumored to be his last with EMI. Williams needs a hit, whether he'd care to admit it or not.

Check out Robbie Williams on the web: Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Bebo//YouTube

Natalie Imbruglia - Back With A New Album: I trust Popjustice when they say the new Natalie Imbruglia single isn't shit. They describe it as a "slightly electronic Kate Bush kind of affair." Sounds good to me! The single is called "Want" and will be released on September 28th. This will be the lead single off of Come To Life, to be released on October 15 on Island Records. According to a press release, "the album was produced by Ben Hillier (Blur, Elbow, Depeche Mode), and features three writing collaborations with Coldplay including the first single ‘Want’, which Natalie co-wrote with Chris Martin." Very promising indeed! The release goes on to say, Come To Life charts an entirely new path for this vastly under-rated artist. The opening salvo of “My God” and two Coldplay collaborations, “Lukas” and “Fun”immediately establish the breadth of this remarkable record which combine dark, driving beats and gorgeously wistful ballads into a totally cohesive whole." Hopefully there's the perfect blend of up-tempo and mid-tempo ballads on this album. I don't want another snoozefest!

Check out Natalie Imbruglia on the web: Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Bebo//YouTube//Twitter//Vimeo

Natasha Bedingfield "Waist Deep" In Writing New Album: This is good news. I'm really thrilled that Natasha Bedingfield has seen so much success in the States. That's quite a difficult thing to accomplish for a European artist. I can proudly say that I loved Natasha BEFORE she was popular here in the U.S. and have both the UK and US versions of her debut album. In her latest blog update on her official site, Bedingfield admits that album writing is her favorite part of the process. "It's nice to put aside the promotion side of my career and really focus on what attracted me to music in the first place," Bedingfield says. She also mentions that she's been collaborating/writing with Danielle Brisebois, John Shanks, Wyclef, Estelle, Sam Sparro and Sia. All good news, indeed. Too bad we have to wait "half a year" to hear it.

Check out Natasha Bedingfield on the web: Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Bebo//YouTube//Twitter

I've Got A Date With Ray: I just got my tickets this morning for the Fall 2009 Ray LaMontagne tour. I'm OBVIOUSLY so excited. This Fall is looking to be a big one for live music. I'm already going to see Kylie Minogue, Girl Talk and now Ray LaMontagne. I still desperately want to see Regina Spektor when she's here, but I don't know if it's in the cards. Anyway, Ray is terrific live so see him if you can. Get your tickets here.

Check Out Ray LaMontagne on the web: Official Site//MySpace//Facebook

New Howie Day Album Due In September: I mentioned back in February that Howie Day had a new record coming out. Well, turns out that in May, he released a digital EP - "Be There." Finally, September 8th sees the release of Day's new album Sound The Alarm. This is exciting news! I am quite fond of his last album, 2003's Stop All The World Now. 6 years later, it's about time for a new Howie Day album! According to Day on his official website, "The new album very obviously echoes my own life, in all of its highs and lows,” Day says. “Some of the songs draw inspiration from people and places I’ve observed, and then bits of my own experiences find their way in. This new album represents the end of one era and the start of another, it’s about tipping your hat to the past, living in the here and now, and looking optimistically toward the future." Whatever this new album is about, I'm ready for a new Day!

Howie Day, that is.

Check out Howie Day on the web: Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//imeem//YouTube//Twitter

Michelle Branch - Sooner Or Later: The first single off of the new Michelle Branch album, "Sooner or Later," isn't half bad. While it's perhaps a little more country than I might usually like, it's enjoyable. I still think I prefer her teaser single, "This Way," but I'll take all the MB I can get. it's been far too long since she put out a solo record. Everything Comes and Goes doesn't yet have an official release date but I'm guessing sometime this fall. Check out an acoustic version of her new single here and buy the album version on iTunes!

Check out Michelle Branch on the web: Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Twitter

X-Factor Winner Alexandra Burke to Release Debut Album in October: I learned a couple of weeks ago via The Prophet, that X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke is close to finishing her debut album. FINALLY! It seems like it's been forever. The still as of yet untitled album is due out October 26th in the UK and features collaborations from the Freemasons, Taio Cruz, RedOne, Pharrell Williams, Stargate, Akon, and more. Wow! Quite an impressive list. Burke, who shot the video for the first single in LA, has also signed a deal to become the face of Dolce & Gabbana's youth collection. Burke will be wearing the designer's clothes in both the album artwork and subsequent music videos as part of a cross promotional campaign. Can't wait to hear what the first single will be!

Check out Alexandra Burke on the web: Official Site//MySpace//Facebook//Bebo//YouTube//Twitter