Looking ahead...

I said that 2009 would be an amazing year for music and quite a number of new albums have been released now even more new songs are slowly circulating so what's in store for the pop scene over the next few months? Here are some artists who've given us a little taste of what's to come(and a few who haven't.).

• A bonus track off Kelly Clarkson's new album has leaked and although some people are speculating that it's not really her, I do think it's her. It sounds like her and the song is just divine so even if it isn't, I'd like to know who it is! haha. If this is what we're getting(plus some demos by other artists have also surfaced, haven't heard them yet..) in the full-length album then my calendar will have a big, fat red mark on the release date! haha.
• Marie Serneholt's Melodifestivalen song is not bad but as long as I have an I Need A House-esque track on it, I'm happy.
• This year's Comic Relief single(which I'm getting really addicted to.. it's brilliantly catchy!) was secured by The Saturdays and it's everywhere already! Late last year Digital Spy bashed all hopes of getting a re-release of their debut album(I'm too lazy to look for the article but I will). I do think they need a few original albums just to plant their existence firmly into people's minds. Maybe on their third or fourth albums they can do a re-release but now's not the time. I wonder what's in store for them this year, after the Comic Relief thing.
• Fight For Love is the reported first single from Elliot Yamin's second album(rumored to also be called Fight For Love) and along with that a few rumors have come up that he's teaming up with Stargate and even Diane Warren(she can write one heck of a ballad..) for the album. I do like the two songs out now, so will be following the development of this. haha.
• Also rumored are the follow-up singles from Lily Allen's new album. Apparently they're Not Fair and Back To The Start.. hmm.
• Armed with a mind-blowing voice(which sounds a lot like JoJo), a Stargate-produced lead single whose video was directed by the guy who brought us the videos to Rihanna's monster singles Unfaithful, We Ride, Disturbia and Take A Bow, Beyonce's Irreplaceable and heaps more, Bayje better come up with that album soon. It's been at least a year since I've heard of her and the tracks on her Myspace are brilliant so this is definitely one of the albums I'm anticipating the most this year.
• It's been three years since her last album and JoJo hasn't given us anything, nothing, not even a little taste of what her new album's gonna sound like. I'm not angry or anything but I've been waiting three years for an album from the girl who started my music addiction and I'm really, really excited! After a label change, early last year rumors were that the album would be out in time for her 18th birthday but apparently, All I Want Is Everything will be out this year instead. Oh, and her website's being revamped..
• Lady Sovereign's new album is apparently coming out this year. I love her drastic but not change in sound and her new grown up image, it's working! I Got You Dancing was like a Ting Tings song(although not as good..), annoyingly awesome, it was stuck in my head for weeks, it still is! The follow-up single is So Human and although I prefer the first one, it's a nice preview of the album! yay!
• Just when I was thinking of what happened to Keke Palmer, wiki is saying that Sony has apparently signed her and the album is scheduled for a spring release. Hmm(when's spring, btw? don't blame me, we only have two seasons here!), no new singles out yet? tsk. tsk. They better have this really huge PR campaign if they want the album to sell..
• So I'm guessing that because of the Rihanna incident, Chris Brown's career has come to a screeching halt. Radio stations have pulled out his songs from their playlists, his ad campaigns have been suspended and the Sesame Street episode he did won't be shown again, ever. I feel sorry for his career, it's come a long way but he is going to court for beating Rihanna up so it's both their careers down the drain for now(at least.. Rihanna may be able to bounce back faster than him..). I'm also guessing that there won't be any new releases from him(or her..), at least this year if he can get his act together quick enough for people to not loose interest in him and not go crazy or something. Shame, he was starting to get close to Craig David in my books.

There's tons more new stuff to talk about so a part two might follow! haha.

New Music!

School's getting slightly less stressful now so lemme fill you guys in on what I've been listening to these past few days(and plus the fact that my last new music post was a disaster..).

• I just discovered a while ago that Stacie Orrico's (There's Gotta Be) More To Life was written by a girl called Lucy Woodward who apparently won an award for it. She also apparently recorded a version of it for the Japanese release of her album(which means it might have been on the album released in some other parts of Asia, including where I live! yay!) and I'm listening to it as I'm writing this. Vocally she's not as good a Stacie, I think the song sounds better sung by a smoother and more powerful voice like Stacie's and this version's a bit too lazy and rock-ish versus the very, very, VERY pop nature of Stacie's version, which I love to bits. Amazing song though, whoever sings it.(I'm listening to the Stacie version now, and I really love it heaps better than this one! haha.)
• I've heard Utada's new American song as well, Come Back To Me and I was surprised at what I heard! When I heard the pianos, I thought it would be more of a Flavor Of Live-ish ballad but it's nowhere near that. First and foremost, it's R&B which makes sense since it's for the US and right now the way into the market is R&B but somehow I still heard Utada in this song. Maybe it's because of her distinct voice or something like that but even if she is really a JPop artist and her Japanese songs are nowhere near this, it somehow still makes sense for her. The end though, sounds a lot like an Utada song(haha..). I love the verses and the chorus but I am a bit bothered by the talking(I always am, in any song, duh.). Still, amazing song and I'm curious about what the rest of her US album is going to sound like!
• So yesterday I had another chat with BeE(I always do.. haha.) and she told me about this song by Keke Palmer called Bottoms Up. She thought it was a remix of the track of the same name on her debut album but I listened to the album track then this track in question and they were nowhere near each other. I later found out that it was the theme song for some kind of movie or TV show. I love the song, the melody's amazing! Wanna hear the song? Head on over to Pop Nation!
• I don't know if I said this already but I have once again predicted a post-album single, this time for Jesse McCartney! Yup, How Do You Sleep is the confirmed third single from Departure and with that comes a remix! There's a version with Ludacris in it and apart from the fact that the intro was cut short and there are these strange noises during the bridges, I kinda like this version. The rapping is for once not that annoying, it's tasteful, I love how it wasn't just put into the song without thought, the beat was measured and all, I love it! haha.
• Well, Popjustice has heard Kelly Clarkson's new single and they're saying it sounds a lot like Since You've Been Gone! In that case, I'm even more excited to hear the song itself! I hear it's premiering Wednesday next week in the US. Fingers crossed it's got an amazing melody!
• Speaking of Kelly Clarkson, I've been listening back to the singles off Breakaway and they were absolutely, undeniably GENIUS. The album could've just been made up of those five songs and it would still sell millions. That's what they are, amazing pop songs that'll forever be remembered by my generation. I definitely think Breakaway is one of the best mainstream pop albums the US has produced in the past nine years, Idol certainly didn't get this winner wrong.
• There's a new Varsity Fanclub song out. I so can't wait for the album, the two songs I've heard so far are absolutely AMAZING!!!! Melodically and everything, thank heaven's they're getting somewhere with the album release, it's coming out this month! Now all I want are the NLT, V Factory and WESTLIFE(AAAH!) albums and my year is half-complete! haha. Me freaking out, sorry.

My Christmas Playlist!

I can't believe Christmas is in TWELVE days! To help you get into the festive season even more, here are some of my favorite pop-ified Christmas songs!

• Carrie Underwood's Hark! The Herald Angels Sing is an amazing song, and it reminds me of Christmas Eve, when we go to church with the whole family and eat and eat and eat! I don't know why, though.
• Blue's Gift is exactly how I imaged a Blue Christmas song to be, R&B. I don't know if it's really a Christmas song, but it sure seems like it! Melodically it's amazing, though it doesn't really feel as Christmassy as the others.
• I've always found Last Christmas to be really cheesy and all, but Britt Nicole's version completely changes that. It's rock-y in her usual style but for some strange reason, it still feels even a bit like Christmas to me. That plus the fact that her vocals are on top condition here!
• Boybands are known for their acapella work(Westlife and Boyz II Men especially..), so it's no surprise that *NSYNC would have an acapella Christmas song. Their version of O Holy Night really, REALLY feels Christmassy, I LOVE it!
• The first time I heard Merry Christmas Everybody sang was during the Popworld Christmas special with Westlife. A few weeks later, I heard the Girls Aloud version, and it caught my ear. It sounds like something that would be playing in a mall, and it gets me nostalgic, since malls are packed during December and I'm frantically looking for gifts.
• I keep on hearing 98°'s This Gift in malls and stores this year for some strange reason. The song's beautiful though, the melody and what seems to be a harmony during the chorus just feels like Christmas to me.
• Yes, Westlife did a version of White Christmas. Don't blame them, they'd just finished their rat-pack album and it seems like it rubbed off on them. Correct me if I'm wrong but this was the b-side to When You Tell Me That You Love Me. Actually, I don't think Westlife's the correct artist for this, it's got to be Shane Filan. Seriously, he's the only one singing! Still, this has got to be the song that feels like Christmas the most, if I was to choose(biases aside.)
• Last year, Josh Groban's Christmas album Noel was a gigantic hit and with that, I found probably the best original(within the 2000's) pop Christmas song, Thankful. The melody's gorgeous, and his voice is in top shape.
• Keke Palmer has a gorgeous voice for what she usually sings, but I never knew she'd have a gorgeous voice for Christmas songs as well! Home For The Holidays was on Disney Channel Holiday, and the way the R&B-ness of Keke was mixed with the holiday elements was pure genius. It's catchy yet it showcases her voice. Brilliant!
• Lastly, a song from Jordan Pruitt. Also from Disney Channel Holiday, Santa Don't Stop is a very fun song that's consistent with Jordan's musical direction yet it's clearly a Christmas song.

As a sort of 'gift' to you guys(corny, much?), I've put up a download link to the playlist! It'll be up for 2 DAYS only. Enjoy!

My Christmas Playlist!