[Review] The Veronicas - Lolita

Be still my heart. Fav Aussie twin-pop outfit The Veronicas (Jessica & Lisa) are BACK with a new single and it doesn't entirely suck!  Hallelujah!  It's hard to believe that I last saw the girls live back in 2008 when they opened up for Natasha Bedingfield. What a show that was!  After four years, The Veronicas are back in a big way!

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[NSFW] Hot Video Alert: Daniel Bedingfield - Rocks Off

Daniel Bedingfield is BACK folks. For years I've been passively aggressively Tweeting in Bedingfield's direction, inquiring about new music ventures. new projects and the like. While Bedingfield never took the time to personally respond to my messages, he did me one up.  He released a new song, his first since 2005, I might add.  For those of you still stuck on the Daniel Bedingfield of the early 2000s, it's time to move on.  The new Daniel Bedingfield is going to take some getting used to, that's for sure.

"Rocks Off" is the first song lifted from Bedingfield's forthcoming new EP, Stop The Traffik - Secret Fear, due on April 24th.  "Rocks Off" is an aggressively manic and very percussive pop/rock thumper, completely different than anything we've heard Bedingfield do before.  Clocking in at just over a minute long, the song is also extremely short.  What the song lacks in minutes and seconds, it more than makes up for in intensity.  Also for a treat, make sure you check out his racy video for the song below.  Warning, there's nudity so definitely NSFW. Released digitally on March 13th, the single features a B-Side called "It's Not Me It's You," which, at 3:19 is not only is a more appropriate length for a single, it also showcases Bedingfield's new sound more than "Rocks Off" ever could.  Decidedly more rock than garage-tinged pop, Bedingfield's new music is very promising indeed. At the very least, it's left me wanting to hear more.

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Hot Video Alert: Rascal Flatts featuring Natasha Bedingfield - Easy

Natasha Bedingfield is just all over the place these days, isn't she? First she released a failed album here in America (Strip Me only peaked at #103 on the Billboard 200), then she appeared in punk-pop band Simple Plan's single "Jet Lag," and now we have Natasha Bedingfield as a featured vocalist in a Rascal Flatts single? Seriously Natasha? I mean, I guess she's got to make a living but all of these featured appearances have me wondering what happened to the Natasha Bedingfield from a few years back.  You know, the singer/songwriter who wrote hit songs and sold hit albums. I refuse to believe that she's gone for good and I look forward to the day that we see her emerge once again. Until then, I guess we'll have to put up with these incessant and lackluster cameos. *YAWN*

Now...if you're in the mood for a sad little country song featuring Natasha, check out the below Peter Zavadil & Dermott Downs-directed video for "Easy," the U.S. country band's third single off of their 7th studio album Nothing Like This. The video features Natasha Bedingfield playing a modern day Cinderella of some sort to Rascal Flatt's lead vocalist Gary LeVox.  Weird.  "Easy" was co-written by Katrina Elam and Mike Mobley, peaking at #25 on the Billboard Country Songs chart and #68 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.  Download "Easy" on U.S. iTunes HERE.

 

Check out Rascal Flatts on the web:

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

Hot Video Alert: Simple Plan feat. Natasha Bedingfield - Jet Lag

Poor Natasha Bedingfield. Girl can't seem to catch a break in the U.S. these days. Her last album tanked here in America and now, a song on which she's featured, fails to chart. Pity. What happened to her over here? "Jet Lag" is the second official single from French Canadian pop punk band Simple Plan's forthcoming album Get Your Heart On! The single was released on April 25th in the U.S., Canada and UK and is scheduled to come out May 25th in the rest of Europe.

I'm assuming Simple Plan featured Bedingfield on the track as some sort of a draw for it's U.S. and UK release, especially considering another version of the song was released with French-Canadian singer Marie-Mai. Unfortunately, "Jet Lag" has yet to make any moves on the U.S. Billboard chart. In Canada the song peaked at #43 and in Australia the song peaked at #52. The song isn't bad, but I wouldn't say it's anything amazing either. It's fairly standard pop-punk fare with Bedingfield providing the pop element to the song. She certainly does her thing, complementing Simple Plan lead vocalist Pierre Bouvier quite well. The video does a good job at depicting an intercontinental, long distance relationship. Filmed at the Toronto Pearson International Airport, the band appear in the airport while Bedingfield takes on the role of the "lover" on the other end of the world.

Get Your Heart On! is due out via Lava/Atlantic Records on June 21st. The album's first single, "Can't Keep My Hands Off You" was released as a promotional single at the end of March, featuring guest vocals by Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo. Produced by Brian Howes (Puddle of Mudd, Daughtry) the 11-track album also features collaborations with Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low and K'naan. Check out the video for "Jet Lag" below and download the single on iTunes HERE.  You can also pre-order the album on iTunes HERE.

Note: So apparently the version of the single released in America was the one with French-Canadian singer Marie-Mai.  The only version with Natasha Bedingfield is the video (BELOW). 

Check out Simple Plan on the web:

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

Hot Video Alert: Natasha Bedingfield - Strip Me

I love me some Natasha Bedingfield. With the release of her new Ryan Tedder writen/produced single "Strip Me," I found myself reflecting back to 2004. From the first time I heard her debut UK single..."Single"...I was instantly hooked. Before 2004 the only Bedingfield I knew was her brother, singer/songwriter Daniel Bedingfield, so when I learned that there was another Bedingfield on the scene I was curious. Her debut album, Unwritten was chock-full of pop gems from mid-tempo pop anthems like "Single," "These Words" and "Unwritten" not to mention impassioned ballads like "I Bruise Easily." When her debut was FINALLY released in America 2 years later, you best know I was flaunting my superior pop music taste to all of my friends who were asking - "Have you heard of Natasha Bedingfield?" "Um...obv!"

Now, with the December release of her third studio album on the horizon, Natasha Bedingfield is releasing her first OFFICIAL single ("buzz single" "Touch" was released in May) off the album, title track "Strip Me." The song sounds VERY much like a Ryan Tedder track in that there's nothing shockingly original about it. Bedingfield works with what she has, her trademark sexy raspy vocals coating every note.

Shot in London, the newly released video was directed by visionary photographer Rankin (Kelis, Sky Ferreira) and features Bedingfield (looking STUNNING as ever) showing off a variety of different looks - from natural to heavily done-up and decked out in couture. Absolutely GORGEOUS.  The song was sent to radio at the end of August in the U.S. and so far features remixes by Gareth Wyn which you can hear over on Pop In Stereo. Sounds pretty promising.  This could be another  #1 dance single for Bedingfield, who's previously struck Billboard DANCE gold on the charts with past singles "Unwritten," "Love Like This" and "Pocketful of Sunshine." This song might be a grower after all. Now, let me listen to the remix a few more times and get back to you.

Check out Natasha Bedingfield on the web:

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

Hot Video Alert: Natasha Bedingfield - Touch

The music video for Natasha Bedingfield's new single "Touch" premiered on VEVO today. Directed by Rich Lee, the video makes sense of the song for me. The bit of sing-songy chanting at the beginning ("I was tryin' to cross the street when I tripped and spilled my coffee...") threw me off at first. Seeing Bedingfield do that bit live didn't sell it for either. NOW, watching the video and seeing how this setup factors in with the storyline of the video I'm starting to come around. While it's definitely NOT one of my favorite Bedingfield songs, I DO like that it's an up-tempo, dancey pop song.

Written by Bedingfield, Julian Bunetta and Steve Kipner the song is a decent enough return to form for Bedingfield, who hasn't had a single out since 2008's "Angel" (which peaked at #63 on the Billboard Hot 100)...but it doesn't seem to be making waves on the charts. So far, the song has yet to make an appearance on the Billboard Hot 100. Maybe the new video will help the song (which impacted radio on June 29th) chart. Who knows. If the song gets some decent remixes, I can see it being another Billboard Hot Dance Club Play hit. "Angel," "Pocketful of Sunshine" and "Love Like This" all hit #1 on the Billboard dance chart. The clubs love Nat!

"Touch" is the first single off of Bedingfield's forthcoming studio album Strip Me. As previously reported, Bedingfield collaborated with Brian Kennedy, Wyclef Jean, Sam Sparro, Mike Elizondo and others for the new album, expected out Fall 2010 on Epic Records.

Check out Natasha Bedingfield on the web:

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

Natasha Bedingfield Performs 'Touch' On 'So You Think You Can Dance'

Well it looks like "Touch" IS going to be Natasha Bedingfield's first single. I thought it was just a promotional single but the song has already been serviced to U.S. radio and she's now performed it twice live on US TV. Sounds like the single treatment to me!

Natasha Bedingfield - Touch by Fool_4_Music

Now all we need is a video! Nat's most recent performance was on Fox's reality dancing competition, So You Think You Can Dance. Dancing with her on stage are some of the show's contestants, which is pretty cool. Vocally, I think her performance on Ellen Degeneres' show was a bit better but this song is a pop/dance track and Bedingfield is REALLY hustling on this stage. I think that talking bit of the song makes for a rough transition into the actual song but when she belts out those big notes, she really hits it and sounds phenom. At least she's singing live!, right? The choreography works well with the song, although it seems to throw Bedingfield off a couple of times. All in all, a solid performance. "Touch" was produced by Julian Bunetta and Steve Kipner. Also working Bedingfield on the new album we have Brian Kennedy, Wyclef Jean, Sam Sparro, Mike Elizondo and Ryan Tedder.

Natasha Bedingfield - Touch (So You Think You Can Dance) (Live) (2010)

Check out Natasha Bedingfield 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

Natasha Bedingfield: Back In The Studio

YES YES YES! UK pop singer Natasha Bedingfield is working on her 3rd album (4th if you count N.B. & Pocketful Of Sunshine as two separate entities), tentatively due for release sometime early next year. In a recent blog post, Bedingfield talks about a recent vacation to Jamaica with her new husband, documentary filmmaker Matt Robinson.

"Caribbean culture and music really influenced me growing up; no wonder Amy [Winehouse] and Shakira spend so much time there. It’s still very inspiring musically," writes Bedingfield. She even goes on to talk about a conversation she had with the Jamaican Minister of Tourism about a potential future gig.

Back in August, Natasha updated fans, talking about collaborations with Sam Sparro, Sia, Danielle Brisebois, John Shanks, Wyclef & Estelle. Since then, her list has grown considerably! According to Natasha, we can also expect contributions from Kleerup (Robyn, Cyndi Lauper), John Hill (Shakira, Jennifer Lopez), Salaam Remi (Amy Winehouse, Nelly Furtado), Ryan Tedder (Leona Lewis, Backstreet Boys), Eg White (Adele, Will Young), Wayne Wilkins (Jordin Sparks, Cheryl Cole), Phonogenic, and Mike Elizondo (Eminem, Alanis Morissette) to name...erm...quite a few.

That sounds like a hot record. I love that she's really bringing on the talent here, not that she really needs too much help with the songwriting. I think she does just fine on her own as far as that's concerned. Still...this is all exciting. I'm particularly interested to see what the Kleerup collaboration sounds like.

Bedingfield writes, "You all know, writing is my favourite part of the music process. I’m really savoring it and working on a sound that is fresh and brings everything up a few notches. I can’t wait for you to hear the new material.

Check out Natasha Bedingfield on the web:

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

My Weekly Last FM Chart

In following with last weeks format, I'll be doing my top 10 listened to artists of the past week, according to my Last FM Chart. Since I work at a desk job, music is really what keeps me going day-to-day. Here are the artists that kept me going this past week.

Most Listened To Artists:

1. Noisettes

2. Erika Jayne

3. Calvin Harris

4. Roisin Murphy

5. Straight No Chaser

6. The Saturdays

7. Natasha Bedingfield

8. Kelly Clarkson

9. V.V. Brown

10. Adele

This weeks chart, like last weeks, is female-dominated. What can I say? I typically prefer a female vocalist to a male. It's just the kind of music I prefer. On the whole, female vocalists have are more impressive to me. In the top position this past week are the Noisettes, mainly because of the concert I attended last Monday. I tend to listen to an artist before a show, as well as after the show. This helps both with blogging about the show as well as prolonging my enjoyment of said concert. Erika Jayne also sits pretty at #2, as I reviewed her album Pretty Mess. Calvin Harris was on my mind as his new album, Ready For The Weekend is out this week and Roisin Murphy, she is working on a brand new record (which I will talk about later). Straight No Chaser released their brilliant new A capella EP, Six Pack which I promptly snagged. As for The Saturdays, Natasha Bedingfield, V.V. Brown and Adele - I was just in the mood at some point during last week to listen to each of those artists and or groups.

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

Natasha Bedingfield Collaborating with Wyclef Jean & Sam Sparro

While it seems like I saw Natasha Bedingfield in concert at Paradise Rock Club just yesterday, it was actually sometime last year (what an awesome show - The Veronicas opened!).

She's hard at work on her new album in the U.S. According to a recent email update, Natasha has been in the studio with "musical genius" Wyclef Jean and Sam Sparro, whom she says she's going to make a "cool collaboration" with. Good news! She's also been writing with Brian Kennedy (producer on Rihanna's "Disturbia") and Mike Elizondo, whom she wrote much of her last album with. About Mike, Natasha says "I like working with him so much. He is so versatile and plays almost every instrument excellently."

Photos Courtesy of NatashaBedingfield.com

According to her update, Natasha's headed back to the UK for a month or so to work on new material and hopes to have a new album out by the end of 2009.

Check out Natasha Bedingfield on the web:

Official Site/Facebook/MySpace/Bebo/YouTube

Does 'Takin' Back My Love' Have International Hit Potential?

Photos from Sarah Connor, Enrique Iglesias & Ciara's Official Sites

We're all under the assumption that record labels know what sells in different international markets. They must have analysts in their payroll that study the international music charts and radio play statistics. Sometimes the labels take calculated risks at releasing an album that does well in one country, into another country. It either pays off or it doesn't.

Photos from Natasha Bedingfield's Official Site & Kelly Clarkson's Official MySpace

Take Kelly Clarkson for instance. The first American Idol winner. While her debut album wasn't initially released in the UK, her follow up album was, banking on the strength of the first single "Since U Been Gone." That risk payed off and now Clarkson is an international superstar. Same with UK artist Natasha Bedingfield, who had solid albums with solid sales in the UK. Her success continued with her U.S. release (although it started out rocky).

Photos from Sarah Connor's Official Site & Emma Bunton's Official MySpace

On the opposite end of the spectrum, look at former Spice Girl Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) or German pop singer Sarah Connor. Both artists had relatively high amounts of success in their respective countries, but when they released their debut U.S. albums, both floundered. While there's something to be said for promotion, it was a calculated risk to release these international albums stateside. There's always a hope that a foreign artist will have crossover success in the international market but that's not always the case.

Single Artwork Courtesy of Coverlandia

Enrique Iglesias - Takin' Back My Love

This is when labels get creative. Take international pop star Enrique Iglesias, who released his English language Greatest Hits album in November. The album contains 14 of the artists big singles as well as 3 new tracks. "Takin' Back My Love" is one of those new tracks and is the second single off the album. To succeed internationally, the label recorded multiple versions of the track to appeal to different audiences. American R&B singer Ciara recorded vocals for the single's U.S. release, while German singer Sarah Connor recorded vocals (in English) for the German release of the single.

Overall, both vocalists do alright in their respective versions. Ciara, not known for her impressive vocal range adequately sings throughout the track, oozing sex appeal the whole way through. Sarah Connor, known for having a more power voice, takes things down a notch to match the song's up-tempo electro-pop beats. The Red One-produced song isn't anything new or different, but it's certainly growing on me the more I listen to it. I just find this international re-tooling interesting and something worth exploring.

More Upcoming Remixes!

Robyn - Cobrastyle

I first heard this song on an episode of "Greys Anatomy" (don't judge me!) in it's original form by the Teddybears. When I heard Robyn's cover that sort of solidified it for me as a favorite. Seeing her open with it on her US club tour was also pretty spectacular. There's a remix by Muscles of this song that was included on the "Konichiwa Bitches" single, but it wasn't anything special. These mixes promise to be much more of a "house" feel and I can't wait to hear the the Mason mix.

Mason Vocal Mix

Mason Dub

Adam K & Soha Remix

Bloody Beetroots Remix

Bloody Beetroots Instrumental

The Touch Remix

The Veronicas - Untouched

I bought the new Veronica's album without really knowing much on it, other than "Hook Me Up," which I thought was alright. I kind of shelved the album until more recently when I saw them open up for Natasha Bedingfield. They were great live and the show reinvigorated my interest in this Aussie girl sister group. Previously, the only remix for this song (one of my new favs) was by Listen Deep. You can purchase it on iTunes...but I don't think it's too fantastic. It's fun but I was really looking for something more club friendly. A new promo promises just that. Can't wait to hear these, especially the Eddie Amador mixes.

Eddie Amador Club Edit

Eddie Amador Club

Von Doom Radio

Von Doom Mixshow

Von Doom Club

-Via DJRicoMixshow Forums

Always on the Sunny Side...(in the U.S. anyway)

So I was getting ready for work this morning and I heard that Natasha Bedingfield was going to be performing. I knew I didn't have time to wait around so I set my TIVO to record it. I got home this evening and watched it.

When Matt Lauer introduced Ms. Bedingfield, he said that her album, POCKET FULL OF SUNSHINE would be released soon. I did a double take. Pocket full of what? Really Natasha? Why? When the album was released at the end of April in the UK, it was called NB (obviously her initials). What's with the change? And why such a cheesy title? Everything has to change for the U.S. doesn't it? How ridiculous. Granted, I Wanna Have Your Babies isn't a genius name for a first single (that was her first UK single from her latest album), and a different single might be a wiser choice for the U.S. radio market, did her label really have to rename the whole album? The single wound up peaking at number 7 on the UK charts. Not halfway bad. Second single, a ballad called Soulmate also peaked at number 7 on the UK charts. Her duet with Adam Levine from Maroon 5, Say It Again was her third UK single.

In the U.S. a new song was released as the first single. Love Like This featuring label mate--reggae teen sensation Sean Kingston. I definitely prefer the song to I Wanna Have Your Babies and it's slowly growing on me. Forthcoming remixes by Johnny Vicious should seal the deal for me (Johnny Vicious tore it up on his remixes of her number 1 single in the U.S., Unwritten).

Now back to the fact that Natasha is calling her album Pocket Full Of Sunshine for it's U.S. market debut. I just don't get it. According to Wikipedia.com which we all know isn't really reliable...the U.S. version will feature two new tracks...Love Like This and a title track, Pocket Full Of Sunshine. I guess this means new album art will be forthcoming as well. All enough for me to buy the U.S. version, despite owning the UK version already (I purchased both the U.S. and UK versions of her debut album). Stupid record label politics. Like they did for the U.S. release of 28 Days Later (re-shot the ending because the original was deemed to macabre by U.S. audiences--that was the rumour anyway), the U.S. version of Bedingfield's new album has a happy new title and (at least) two new songs. *sigh.

2nd Is The Best (Or Is It?)

It seems to be a trend lately for artists to re release an album with bonus tracks or remixes when sales aren't quite as high as they could be. Beyonce, Shakira and most recently, Amy Winehouse. Sometimes this works...sometimes it doesn't. When Shakira released "Oral Fixation Vol. 2" with bonus tracks, including Hips Don't Lie...it sort of paid off. If it's an artist that I really like, and the tracklisting is different enough--I would consider purchasing the album again. This is often the case with import albums that are ultimately released in the U.S. When Natasha Bedingfield released UNWRITTEN in the UK, I got it because I saw it was making chart waves across the pond. It was eventually released in the U.S. as well and I decided to purchase it solely based on the fact that there was an additional track and a different artist featured on one of the old songs. That was enough for me. Emma Bunton's album FREE ME was released in the U.S. with 2 remixes included. I have both the UK and U.S. version of that album.

On Tuesday November 20th, Amy Winehouse's debut album , FRANK comes out in the U.S. --exactly 4 years and a month after it was released in the UK. I stumbled upon this album in the Virgin Megastore on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. This had to have been sometime during the summer of 2004. It was in the "Import Basement." I had heard of Winehouse, having looked at various UK music websites and keeping up with the weekly charts. I knew she was getting good buzz in her native country and I kept hearing all about F**k Me Pumps. The CD was not that expensive so I snagged it. I fell in love INSTANTLY. Jazzy and cool, this album is completely different than her successful BACK TO BLACK album of last year. Winehouse was a completely different person back then. She was healthy for one. However, reading interviews with Winehouse where she talks about that album--she was unhappy. It wasn't her album. BACK TO BLACK was much more personal. FRANK should not be dismissed by any means, in fact, in many respects it's a superior album.

Back to my dilemma...I would totally purchase FRANK again but I'm getting conflicting reports as to what the tracklisting will be. Amazon.com has the tracklisting as being the same as the original release. All music.com however has the 2007 edition as having an unreleased track, titled Know You Now which I've never heard before. You can listen to a clip on All Music's website. If this track were actually on the album, I might consider purchasing it. I am a little upset that there are hidden tracks on the new edition. You Sent Me Flying and Cherry are combined into one track, similar to the version of the album I have. The original UK release apparently had them as two separate tracks. Hidden tracks always annoy me. But I digress. Come on Universal Records...make it worth my while. Release the album with a bonus track! The U.S. is dying for some new Amy Winehouse music, even if it's technically old. If you don't I'm just going to order the new Girls Aloud record (which I'm probably just going to get anyway).