Former Pussycat Doll Jessica Sutta Returns to Take The Dance Charts by Storm; New Single 'Again' Out Now

Following the break up of international pop group and Robin Antin brainchild, The Pussycat Dolls, Jessica Sutta has been forging ahead with her own pop career.  Her latest effort, a STUNNING rager of a dance pop anthem, "Again," out today on iTunes.  Premiering yesterday on Billboard.com, "Again" was produced by and features Kemal Golden - released on Citrusonic Stereophonic.  Listen to it in full on Billboard or a snippet of the track BELOW.

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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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Nicole Scherzinger Releases New Single, Judging U.S. X-Factor This Fall on Fox

You probably already saw my honest critique of Nicole Scherzinger's new song with rapper 50 Cent, "Right There," but if you haven't - let me summarize. Not my cup of tea. Further confirming my feelings towards the song, was Sherzy's lackluster performance of the song on American Idol a couple of weeks ago. The performance itself wasn't necessarily lackluster, but my blase attitude towards the song, combined with Scherzinger's mediocre live vocals + the fact that I'm officially over American Idol this season, made me a little bit indifferent to everything.  Perhaps that wasn't fair to Nicole.  We already know she can sing, so I guess it's good to know that she's human and that she decided to do live vocals WHILE dancing.  That being said, there is some Scherzinger news that I am excited about.

Aside from the upcoming release of her solo album here in America, the recent announcement that Nicole Scherzinger would be co-hosting the U.S. version of X-Factor this Fall actually makes me really happy!  Although NOW, with Cheryl Cole's untimely sacking, it appears that she'll be sitting at the judges table.  Seeing her judge on this past season's UK X-Factor + seeing her as a judge on the U.S. acapella reality show The Sing-Off, I've sort of grown a soft spot for Nicole.  To be honest, the rumors that X-Factor will now have ONE host sounds like a better idea to me.  Anyone remember Brian Dunkleman from series one of American Idol? Didn't think so.  I think Nicole will be great as a judge, it's just a pity that Cheryl Cole won't be a part of it anymore. I was really looking forward to seeing her on TV here in America. It will also be nice to see Welsh TV personality Steve Jones as the sole host as, he's a hot British man and who in their right mind, doesn't love a hot British man?

Joining Scherzinger on the judges panel we have  Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Antonio "L.A." Reid.  Together, they will scour the country for America's next great music act. Very exciting! I'm curious to see if Scherzinger will re-join The Sing-Off for season 3, as it seems like she has a lot on her plate right now. Regarding her X-Factor gig, Nicole doesn't seem to be taking anything for granted, and remains very humble:

"I am thrilled to be asked by Simon Cowell to host The X Factor,” said Nicole, who recently served as a guest judge on the UK version. “I loved working alongside Simon on the U.K. show, and cannot wait to see what he has in store for the U.S. I’m so excited to work with Steve Jones and help discover astounding talent from across the country!"

Good for her. I hope this new gig gives Nicole some good exposure here in the States. If you like her new 50 Cent-assisted single, "Right There," check that out on iTunes HERE. You can also catch the video for the song over on my blog by clicking HERE. I've posted a little behind the scenes footage of Nicole Scherzinger working with 50 Cent on the video for "Right There," so check that out below.

Check out Nicole Scherzinger on the web:

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

Nicole Scherzinger Gets Promotional Ball Rolling Stateside: U.S. Single Due May 17, Album In The Summer

Scherzy Scherzy Scherzy. It's great to FINALLY have a Nicole Scherzinger album to look forward to. Back in 2007 former head Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger was SUPPOSED to release her debut solo album, Her Name Is Nicole, but sadly it never materialized, likely due to the poor chart performances of the singles. Scherzinger wound up releasing 4 songs from that album - "Whatever U Like," "Baby Love," "Supervillain," and "Puakenikeni." While the T.I. assisted "Whatever U Like" managed to chart in Canada (#57), the never released album's only real hit was "Baby Love" featuring singer/songwriter/producer and Black Eyed Peas' member will.i.am.  While the song was a flop in the States, the single DID manage to chart in 8 other countries including the Czech Republic (#4) and Slovakia (#8). Over across the pond, the song was a modest hit, becoming Scherzinger's first UK Top 20 hit peaking at #14.

It became evident that Her Name Is Nicole was no more when The Pussycat Dolls released their sophomore album, Doll Domination, including some tracks that were originally meant for her debut. Pity, really. Now that The Pussycat Dolls are...regrouping without Scherzinger, the former Eden's Crush singer is ready for her long-overdue solo spotlight. Lord knows that this girl's powerhouse vocals deserve their own showcase and now is as good a time as any. Starting things off in the UK, Scherzy released "Poison," co-produced by RedOne and saw it become a Top 3 hit over across the pond. She bested herself with follow up single, "Don't Hold Your Breath," co-written by Toby Gad, which went all the way to the top of the charts! Her album, Killer Love (Interscope), was released in March in the UK and peaked at #8 on the UK Album chart. Well done Ms. Nicole!

Now...finally ready for another stab at the difficult to crack U.S. market Scherzinger is ramping up promotion on the album here in the states including a special performance (with Jason Bonham) of Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" which was used to promote the 2011 NBA Playoff coverage on both ESPN and ABC. Today Scherzinger released the video for her FIRST U.S. single, the Jim Jonsin-produced "Real Love," which features 50 Cent on token rap duty. The single is due for digital release on May 17th followed by her album, due out in America sometime this summer. The song is OK but fails to impress me over all. It SUCKS big time that an artist (or her label) feels that it's necessary to throw a rapper on the track just to increase it's hit potential. The 50 Cent rap was added SOLELY for the album's U.S. release, appearing sans rapper on the UK version of the album. While the Paul Hunter-directed video is a lot of fun and features Scherzinger lookin' stunning (per usual), the song is more of a miss for me. Don't write Scherzinger off though. From what I've heard of the album, there are some potential hits in there - just not 100% sure that this is one of them.  I just don't think that this rap really adds anything and that makes me sad.  I'm DESPERATELY hoping that we get some club remixes for this one to at least give Scherzinger a Billboard club hit.

Time will tell, but I am hoping for the best. Like I said, Nicole Scherzinger deserves a shot at solo success based on sheer talent alone. Here's hoping that all of those X-Factor rumors are true.  It couldn't hurt record sales, right?  "Real Love" will be released on May 17th in the U.S. and June 5th in the UK.  While the song is scheduled to impact mainstream U.S. radio on May 24th, it's already impacted UK urban music radio. U.S. fans, check out some of Nicole Scherzinger's other singles and collaborations on iTunes HERE.

Check out Nicole Scherzinger on the web:

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

Hot Video Alert: Nicole Scherzinger - Don't Hold Your Breath

"Don't Hold Your Breath" is a sure-fire SMASH. No doubt about it. The second single released off of ex-Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger's forthcoming debut album, "Don't Hold Your Breath" was produced by American remixer extraordinaire Dave Audé, who also produced for the Pussycat Dolls back in the day. The song is an infectious club track, sure to bring all of the boys onto the dance floor whenever it comes on. With a massive remix package featuring mixes by The Alias, Cahill and Bimbo Jones, "Don't Hold Your Breath" is going straight to the top of the UK Dance Chart. The single, a follow up to last Fall's moderately successful "Poison" is due out on Interscope Records on March 6th. Nicole's debut album, (tentatively) expected out in March, features production from RedOne and Audé, among others. No word on a U.S. release for the new single or album but a boy can dream, right? UK fans can check out the video below (U.S. fans click HERE for the video).

Check out Nicole Scherzinger on the web:

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

Hot Video Alert: Nicole Scherzinger - Poison

Poor Nicole Scherzinger hasn't yet been able to find her niche as a solo artist. Hopefully (for her sake), the new RedOne-produced single "Poison" will break that curse and earn this talented singer a spot at the top of the charts. While I'm happy that the other Dolls are free from PCD, Nicole was the front woman for a reason. She's got a POWERFUL voice...whether you love it or you hate it. It's undeniable. "Poison" is out in the UK on November 28th and features an impressive lineup of club remixes from Dave Audé, Cahill, Manufacturered Superstars and Guy Furious. The Joseph Khan-directed video is VERY Gattaca meets Batman in it's look and feel - sort of futuristic retro. I love it. Nicole kicks ass as some kind of FIERCE & FABULOUS super heroine.

The up-tempo club feel of the single really works for Scherzinger and while I think there's a place for the more pop/R&B sound that she attempted with the as-yet unreleased Her Name Is Nicole project (see "Whatever U Like," and "Baby Love") this seems like a wiser choice for a breakout single...especially in the UK. Say what you want about mega producer RedOne but I think that his influence on Nicole here makes for some electro-pop deliciousness. More please!

Check out Nicole Scherzinger on the web:

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

Paradiso Girls

I've mentioned once before that Chelsea Korka from TVs The Pussycat Dolls Present: Search For The Next Doll has joined a new girl group. The group, formed by PCD visionary, Robin Antin are going to be marketed as a European Pussycat Dolls with some slight changes. One major change will be the lack of a lead singer--a "Nicole Scherzinger" if you will. The girls are from the UK, France and America. Anyway, Korka posted new pictures on her MySpace page of the fledgling girl group. They kind of remind me of the Pussycat Dolls...so I guess Robin Antin achieved what she set out to do. Like I said in the last post, they are currently signed to Interscope Records. Information is trickling out about the girls pretty slowly right now. It appears that they are in rehearsals and that Chelsea has been working on perfecting her dance moves so as I get info, I'll post it!