Category: Pop
-
In 2008, when twin brothers Max and Spencer Ernst were just 16 years old, they became the youngest songwriters signed by Cherry Lane Music Publishing (now BMG). Cherry Lane’s roster includes such heavyweights as Black Eyed Peas and John Legend. In 2009, singer/songwriter Chelsea Lee was signed to Atlantic Records. In 2011, she released her…
-
As the story goes, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong was a big fan of the country duo known as the Everly Brothers, particularly their 1958 album Songs Our Daddy Taught Us. He was so into the album, in fact, that he decided he wanted to cover it. But he wanted to do it as a…
-
Although he’s always maintained a moderate level of popularity in Europe, James Blunt is still known as a one-hit wonder here in the States. His hit? 2004’s inescapable “You’re Beautiful,” a song which critics loathed but the masses adored. I always found it amusing that it became such a bit hit because on the album…
-
27 year old British singer/songwriter Polly Scattergood’s artistic sensibilities run much deeper than those of your typical pop artist. Musically and lyrically, her songs are above-average, even on the quote unquote art pop scale. Her talent truly is that remarkable. But, she is not for everyone. (Her first album was criticized by The Guardian for…
-
OK, so, the lame spelling of the song’s title is tacky, but Beady Eye’s new single “Iz Rite” is one hell of an infectious tune. In fact, it’s fan-fucking-tastic. Easily the best song Beady Eye has put out thus far. And one that rivals the best Oasis tracks. Basically, what we have here is a…
-
In 2001 British music star Robbie Williams, formerly of the boy band Take That, did the unthinkable when he released a swing album for his fourth album, following three hugely successful pop albums. It was called Swing When You’re Winning, the title being a pun on the title of his previous album, Sing When You’re…
-
Since the Twilight franchise concluded, there haven’t been a whole lot of must have movie soundtracks. Fortunately, The Hunger Games franchise is ripe to take over the coveted most wanted soundtracks spot in our music addicted hearts. The soundtrack to the newest installment, Catching Fire, features brand new tracks by many of today’s hottest artists.…
-
Singer/songwriter January Blu was raised under the Southern California sun in a loving home where music was everywhere, particularly on the piano where her father would serenade her mother, but January also cites the “sound of waves crashing” and “wind gusting,” among her childhood exposure to music. Growing up, January was bullied at school and…
-
Sometimes I randomly find things on iTunes that pleasantly surprise me. I was certainly thrilled when I found a new single by Priscilla Ahn, one of my favorite artists, a few days ago. And it did not disappoint me. “Leave It Open” finds Priscilla venturing into the realm of electro-pop a bit more so than…
-
Well, well, well — it’s finally happened! Kelly Clarkson has finally made a long-awaited Christmas album! And it just might be the best Christmas album since Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas. In other words, it’s nothing short of iconic and it’s quite possibly the best Christmas album released by any artist during the past 19 years.…
-
I loved Avril Lavigne’s first two albums, 2002’s Let Go and 2004’s Under My Skin. Still love ’em. But, if I’m being brutally honest, I thought her next two albums, 2007’s The Best Damn Thing and 2011’s Goodbye Lullaby, were just plain terrible. Fucking awful, even. I gave them both a fair shot and listened…
-
Tina Arena’s career is an interesting one. She is of Italian descent and hails from Australia, where she was a child star prior to becoming a major singing sensation as an adult, but since 2008 she’s been based out of Paris. Just over a decade ago, Tina released a couple of French singles for the…
-
Pop singer/songwriter Gavin Turek has just unleashed a rather original — and fantastic — mixtape. It’s called I Love You Giorgio (Re)mixtape and it finds her cleverly adding vocals to some of electronic pioneer Giorgio Moroder’s greatest instrumentals, including “Utopia Me Giorgio,” “Lost Angeles,” “Chase” and others. She wrote her own original lyrics and melodies…
-
I was pretty surprised when I heard that the electro duo Phantogram was releasing a new EP. I suppose it’s because their last release, 2011’s superb Nightlife, was also an EP, so I’d been hoping that they would be releasing a full-length album in the near future. To that end, I really do not know…
-
If the name Tyler Ward sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’ve heard some of his covers. He’s a veritable Youtube sensation, having done spectacular covers of everything from Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody” to Katy Perry’s “E.T.” to Jessie J’s “Price Tag.” To give you an idea of just how viral many of his covers…
