Utada : This Is The One Album
This Japanese-American singer-songwriter/producer's March 24th 2009 album release is a generally soothing, fun, and sensual mix of R&B, pop, and electronic music.Two MySpace Page Recommendations
1. Richard Swift
2. The Shortwave Set
Chris Cornell : Scream : Ground Zero Track
The collaboration between singer/songwriter Chris Cornell and producer Timothy Z. Mosley (also known as Timbaland) resulted in something funky.
Mason Proper : Olly Oxen Free Album
Michigan based indie rock band Mason Proper's September 23rd 2008 album release is memorable, with tracks like Fog and Lock And Key.
Robert Plant/Alison Kraus : Raising Sand Album
Thirteen tracks of mostly laid back country music stylings, with vocals by Alison Kraus and Robert Plant (of Led Zeppelin fame). Check out tracks # 2, 3, 6, 8, and 12.
Hard-Fi : Once Upon A Time In The West/Stars of CCTV Albums
Hard-Fi's September 2007 sophomore release called Once Upon A Time In The West has an album cover that is simply white text with a yellow background. Tracks # 2, 3, 8, and 9 stand out.
Their 2005 debut release entitled Stars Of CCTV was a major self-funded success. The band cites punk rock, dub, hip-hop, and house music as influences for the record. Listeners should be able to relate to the familiar emotions and modern situations being described in lead singer Richard Archer's clearly delivered personal lyrics. Reggae-like guitar riffs weave in and out of song Better Do Better, with backup vocals in the chorus that may remind listeners of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. A trip-hop like beat begins at about the 3.5 minute mark of the song Move On Now, which is otherwise reminiscent of Coldplay. Hard-Fi's musical style and hit single Cash Machine have inspired labels of "dub-hop" and "neo-disco". These guys not only sang about being skint (broke), but apparently recorded the album for less than 1000 British Pounds, and snuck onto the grounds of Heathrow Airport to film scenes for the first Cash Machine music video.
Arctic Monkeys : Favourite Worst Nightmare Album
Tracks of note on this Sheffield England foursome's April 2007 sophomore release are Fluorescent Adolescent, If You Were There Beware, and 505. In these three standouts, lead singer Alex Turner's melodic mid-range vocals seem to express irreverent wit, energy, and nostalgia.
Tiesto : Elements Of Life Album
Tiesto released this album during the first half of 2007. The music has potential to inspire dancing worldwide, and is excellent material for continuous mixes by other DJs. Tracks Bright Morningstar, Everything, Carpe Noctum, Sweet Things, and Elements Of Life are noteworthy. The Netherlands producer/DJ pioneered turntablism performances at Olympic ceremonies during the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, and has been ranked the world's #1 DJ for years on thedjlist.com.
Amy Winehouse : Back To Black Album
Amy Winehouse has described herself as an easy-going and maternal heavy drinker from a musical family, who learned to sing from recordings of classic American jazz singers like Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughan. Her lyrics are autobiographic. In interviews, she refers to her musical style as a reflection of what she's been listening to: jazz, hip-hop and 60's soul. She speaks with a British accent that can't necessarily be detected in her singing, apparently due to the American origin of the singers she learned to emulate at an early age. Her second studio album Back To Black achieved U.S. success, spearheaded by the hit singles Rehab and You Know I'm No Good. Lyrics that encourage a man to be the dominant figure in a relationship in Stronger Than Me, and a song that makes fun of promiscuous party girls, named F*** Me Pumps -- both from her 2004 debut album named Frank -- are indications of Amy's sense of humor and willingness to sing about personal and controversial topics.
Lily Allen : LDN : Alright, Still Music Video
LDN is a song and music video from Lily Allen's triple platinum debut album. The song's lyrics contrast the "sights that...are priceless" with some of the harsher realities of life in London. The music video begins in a vinyl record shop. A two-tone shirt on one of the men in the shop is a reference to Jamaican music, like ska. Lily Allen mentions punk, electronica, new wave, grime, break beats, dub, soul, and drum n' bass. Then, off she goes for a daytime urban stroll after receiving a mobile phone call, wearing what seems like an inappropriately formal red dress for such a casual occasion. She's in an apparently happy-go-lucky mood that belies the awareness apparent in her lyrics. There are bright colors and clean streets around her, while footage of a darker and more sinister-looking London is edited in beyond her immediate area. The visual effects in the video result in Allen resembling some sort of human version of a Care Bear -- a 1980's children's cartoon with teddy bears that radiate light from the cutesy symbols on their bellies. In keeping with her somewhat cartoonish image in this music video: there's an animated Lily Allen talking smiley on Webfetti.com, and an animated Jessica Rabbit-like version of her in the music video for song Oh My God. Also, the music video for the song Alfie begins with a cartoon drawing of Allen and is visually much like the set of a children's TV show. Lily Allen's style often strikes a balance between demure delivery and brazen subject matter. According to interviews, she aims to write songs with something interesting and meaningful behind them. Near the end of her MySpace page blog entry entitled "F*** OFF , F*** OFF" -- dated Thursday June 14th 2007-- in reference to the tabloids, Ms. Allen seems to hint that global warming, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Darfur are the truly important subjects, as opposed to things like celebrity sightings at a gymnasium.