Best of 2009: August #6 - #3

August is the month with the least number of entries. Awww.

#6: Jade Ewen - My Man

Before she joined the Sugababes and caused chaos throughout British music, she was Britain's entry to the Eurovision song contest and later launched a solo career. To a certain extent My Man was good and had the potential to be big or bring Jade to greatness but there's still something missing from this song. I like the chorus though. LOL.

#5: Samantha Jade - Secret

Samantha Jade is right beside the Cassies and the Prima Js of the world - a few singles out here and there, leaks but no album and hardly any promotion. Sad, really, because Samantha Jade has leaked some brilliant songs over the years. Secret may be too close to Britney for comfort but at least Samantha has some semblance of a voice. Not outstanding, but good enough.

#4: G-Dragon - Breathe

Breathe was probably the only song off Heartbreaker that I didn't condemn to the deep recesses of my music library after the first listen - you could say that I liked it to a certain extent. So when it became a single I just had to say it - for the nth time I predicted a post-album release single and I seem to be doing it a lot for kpop albums. Don't kill me for what I'm about to say though. A while back I discovered exactly why G-Dragon is as popular as he is and why he appeals to so many people - it startled me.

So I was listening to Breathe one day in between classes and then obviously I put it away when my class (I believe it was Chemistry) started but I couldn't get it out of my head so I started humming it. Then it hit me - the melody of Breathe sounds like a song for an advertisement or a novelty song, the only difference is that it was processed and put on top of a techno-y loop, something people equate to 'chic' or something to that effect. But strip off the fancy computer-generated crap and you have the same cheap melody. Nothing special, nothing different, it's a hit and that's what hits are - glorified novelty songs.

#3: Mya - Paradise (Ryan Leslie Remix)

Gone are Mya's golden days when it comes to popularity but I honestly thought that Paradise was a pretty good single. It took this piano-centric remix to make me adore it though. It's got a nice groove and I LOVE the real drums on this song - gives the entire thing a new twist.

Two Jades, two songs - the same rating. Strange, huh?

Samantha Jade's new but not that new offering Secret is a departure from her old and insanely brilliant stuff but thankfully, it's enough to keep me interested in the girl. One thing though - I thought she got dropped by Atlantic? Apparently not.

If she wasn't dropped by Atlantic, may I complain about one thing? I'VE BEEN WAITING 2 YEARS FOR HER ALBUM, WHERE THE CRAP IS IT? I first heard Turnaround in 2007 - at the time her album was expected to be released by the end of the year. Talent gone to waste, if you're to ask me.

The song reminds me of Britney + The Saturdays with more Britney. The redeemers? One, the fact that this girl has some sort of voice and uses the damn thing and two, it's pop - done well and sung right.

The other thing is that the middle 8 has successfully made this whole song the best new song of the week for me. Expect a top 10 debut at the very least next week!

4.5/5

Before (Step Up):

After/Now (Secret):

The other Jade? Jade Ewen. I know it's been ages since My Man leaked but the video came out so it's time to review it.

Jade Ewen's Eurovision entry may have sucked like hell but listening to this song, she isn't that bad. Yes, she's a voice we've heard before and an image we've seen tons of times but amongst all these girls who sound and look like Jade, she's doing quite well, to tell you the truth.

There's nothing special about her voice but it's good. The song as a whole is strong - it has it's good and bad points but altogether it's not bad. The melodies of the verses and middle 8 are exceptional and the chorus for me is a little resonant but bearable.

All in all, not a bad effort, Miss Ewen - top 10 at the very least.

4.5/5

It's like they just disappeared...

A few years ago, there were some new artists who were releasing songs, new material and gearing up for their first or second albums but 2008 came and went and they still didn't have an album out. Here are a few artists who'll forever have a TBA tag on my music library.

The artist I've been waiting for the most is a girl called Gia Farrell. Her brilliant first single was on the Happy Feet soundtrack and for me it gave new meaning to pop music. It was fun, vibrant but contemporary and her vocals were one of the best I've ever heard. Her album was slated for a 2007 release but like others on this list, it never materialized. Throughout 2008 new songs from her would randomly sprout out, Obvious and Can and Cannot Do being the cream of the crop. I wiki-ed her just now and apparently, she was dropped by Atlantic in 2007. Garrr. Unless someone signs her quick, I'm afraid she'll never have an album. Ugh.

Now a pop group I've been watching out for since forever is A-List Alliance. I forgot how I came across them but I did and I've been listening to their stuff since forever. They remind me of a newer, more dance/electronica-based Liberty X and I haven't heard anything from them in almost a year now except for a few YouTube videos and their dormant MySpace. Where'd they go????

LAX used to be an amazing band, even if I only ever heard two songs from them. Once they became Kali, I lost interest. I heard the song, hated it and it's like they disappeared from the face of the earth. All I can find of them now are a few YouTube videos but I can't find their MySpace. 

Another big question mark for me is Asia Cruise. She's Pinay so I got curious about her. I've only really heard one song from her, Walk Me Out(it came close to entering my year-end countdown last year!) and I liked it. I did a little research and she hasn't been dropped, her myspace is up and running and apparently, the album is due this year! It better come out..

Avenue had a pretty bumpy ride, but the one song from them that's out is brilliant. They were the boyband that got disqualified from X Factor in 2006(Kian from Westlife was one of Louis' judges that year..!) because they were formed by a record company and had a management deal. So they were out and last year they released a single. I take it didn't do well because the album isn't out yet. They were supposed to go on tour this month but it was cancelled. Hmm.

Cassie burst onto the scene in 2006 with her R&B number one single Me&U and I remember that song in particular very well. 2006 was the year I got addicted to Westlife, the year my whole music addiction started. Because I was waiting for Westlife to somehow sprout out on local music channels and radio stations, I'd hear this. Of course we were months behind and it only hit radio here about four months after it was released in the US but what the heck, I knew nothing about music yet. So there, I was addicted. I loved the album and the subsequent singles but it's like after Long Way 2 Go flopped, she disappeared. She's had some material circulating but no album yet and apparently it's due for a spring release. Hmm..

I have absolutely no idea how I stumbled upon Samantha Jade but I did and thank God for that. She's had two singles but they didn't do very well and the album was originally scheduled for a 2006 release. Obviously it didn't pull through because it's 2009 now and all we have from her are four songs. Late last year a new song leaked but the buzz died down as fast as it started and now wiki's saying that she's going into film. Is this all we will ever get from her? ugh.

Along with Westlife, I was also really addicted to TRL in 2006, mainly because I discovered the wonders of MTV at the same time. So I was watching TRL(which was a week behind here..) and I saw Teddy Geiger. I liked the song, I got the album and I loved it, end of story. Around last year, I got curious about him again and I did some research, apparently he was bringing out a new album. So I got excited but then I forgot about it so when I checked a while ago, Columbia already dropped him. garr.

It's a shame these artists might never see the light of a number one single anymore and that their albums will forever remain 'TBA' but you never know, we might just hear something from them again one day..Gia , LAX

Hello 2009!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope yours was filled with noise and food and alcohol and more food and whatever else!

Well it's official, 2009 has begun! If this year is anything like 2008, then it'll be full of amazing releases form amazing established artists and hopefully some amazing debuts this year as well. So what am I expecting this year? Here's the lowdown on what I'm expecting this year:

• First and foremost, THE NEW WESTLIFE ALBUM! I cannot believe I survived 2008 without a Westlife release(well we got a DVD, but still, NO ALBUM!) but if I waited a whole year to get an album that should've come in 2008, then I expect only greatness from the lads and that greatness means NO COVERS! As much as they've given them big hits and all, they've shown us with Back Home that they do have the ability to release amazing originals so we better get some more. Apparently, there are rumors that their version of this song will be on the album, but as of now they're all rumors. Bring on the new album, lads!
• She's given us two amazing pop songs so I'm sure Natalie Bassingthwaighte's new album will not fail to impress. If the songs are anything like Alive or Someday Soon then we're in for an amazing, possibly mind-blowing album. I've heard some Rogue Traders songs as well, it was a relatively big jump for her genre-wise, if I may say so. I wonder what the cover'll look like...
• After three long years if waiting, JoJo's new album is slated for release this year! YES! YES! AAAHHHHHHHHH! We got one song from her this year, a cover of T-Pain's(was it T-Pain? I'm not sure..) Can't Believe It. I like the song for her, and she's sounding good vocally as well. I absolutely adore the girl, her first album was amazing, her second album cemented her in the industry and I think this album will blow us all away. I'll be waiting!!!
• Just a few days ago, Corbin Bleu's first single off Speed Of Light leaked and I was in awe, Celebrate You is an outright amazing song! Although I'm a little disappointed with the title track, I think if there are at least four or five good tracks and two or three amazing ones then I'm OK. Can't wait!!
• So I heard that Aly&AJ are planning their third release(typo! sorry!). We haven't heard any new material from them since Insomniatic and there are no rumors about this and that or no snippets of songs so I'm still very clueless about the release. Still, I loved their previous two albums so as long as they don't do a 360 change then I'm OK.
• I'm waiting for albums from Samantha Jade and Bayje as well, those two girls are amaaaaaaaaazing! The leaked Samantha Jade songs are amazing and Bayje's carrier single's brilliant. Love it! haha.

New Music!

I hope you guys had a great Christmas Day, so let's get back to the regular stuff! New stuff has come out over the holidays, mostly from my blogger friends, and I have to catch up!

• First off, can I just say, one album I'll be eagerly awaiting next year is Corbin Bleu's. The lead single was announced, it's called Celebrate You and I got a hold of it already. IT'S AMAZING. The start reminds me of Forever, like an ad for something. The song as a whole(more so the lyrics..) reminds me a lot of something that if sung by a girl, could be in a chick-flick like Princess Diaries or The Prince & Me, but it just works for him. If it was sung by a girl, I don't think it would be this marketable but I would've loved it just as much. This guy either has a great production team and lots of money put into him or he really has a better sense of who he is as a singer. ANYWAY, if his album is filled with stuff like this, I can't wait!
• During another one of our long chats, my friend BeE from Pop Nation(check her blog out, it's amazing! haha..) introduced me to this girl, Claudia Cream. Strange name, but the song I heard, Candy(not to be confused with the Many Moore song..), is pure, utter genius. It reminds me a lot of an Ashley Tisdale song I can't quite put my finger on. I know it sounds like an Ashley song, but I can't remember which. It's got a similar hook and the instrumental's very similar. Still, I love the melody and can you believe she's had five albums? I couldn't either when I first found out.. haha.
• I finally got a chance to hear Natalie's debut album thanks to another one of my friends, Gui from Pop Music Zone(another amazing blog, visit it!) over the Holidays and I just have one thing to say. I love the album, but she reminds me A LOT of Cassie, as in everything from the songs to the voice to the somehow drastic image change for the second album. I loved the single, Goin' Crazy when I knew nothing about music(I used to hear it a lot on the local music channel..) but now that and the rest of the album remind me a lot of Cassie. I know she came first, but I heard Cassie's album first. Still, it's kinda strange but I love the album anyway! haha. Me being strange, forgive me.
• Finally, after a lul in releases, Samantha Jade has a new song called All In Your Head. It's sounds very different from what she's done, but I think this matches her voice a lot more than the other songs(though Step Up will forever remain one of my favorite songs..) and since she hasn't released an album yet, I think the experimentation's working! I love the melody for a start, I think it's drop-dead gorgeous.
• Thanks to Mel, I'm now, truly a Soluna fan. I LOVE the album, I adore it and it's never leaving my iTunes library for as long as I live!
• The single mix of Issues, the Saturdays' new single, is definitely more bass-heavy, I don't know if it's more suitable for radio or what but I kinda like this mix, it's got more of a contrast now, but I love it either way, the song itself is just amazing!(oh and my ring tone at the moment is the chorus of Work! haha, love that song!)
• I was a bit too busy with Holidays and the countdown to mention this but I got a hold of an S Club 8 track I'd never heard before, called Here We Go(not to be confused with the GA track..) and I LOVE IT! Just a little lyrics tweak and it could easily be a Christmas song but it's not! At least I don't think it is.. Amazing song though, why hadn't I heard it earlier?
• I'm still kind of baflled at how good NLT are at a capella work, they could easily rival Westlife! But of course, Westlife will win! How can they not with Shane's amazingly smooth, strong voice on lead? haha.
• I thought the TOTP Christmas special wasn't gonna happen? Apparently, it did! Will have to watch it sometime before New Year.

Anything else I missed? I hope not..

# 43: Samantha Jade - Turn Around

This girl made a big impact on me this year with the release of this song. I loved Step Up(the song) and the song she wrote for JoJo, Secret Love. Amazing stuff from this girl, so why haven't I heard anything new from her? Gar.

I've got to admit, I like Step Up better than this song but Turn Around is still good enough to make the list. Her voice is somewhere in between people like Cassie or Mya and people like Beyonce and Karina, it's not powerful but it's not thin either.

Turn Around is much heavier than Step Up, but the melody is very, very good. Not a big fan of the instrumentation though. If it was given a lighter one the song would've been miles better.

What I'm eagerly awaiting from this girl though is her debut album. It was originally set for a 2006 release but it was pushed back to 2009 which is strange in my opinion. Why delay a possibly brilliant album by three years? Let's hope the 2009 release date stays like that.