Melanie Amaro - Respect

X Factor US 2012 has started featuring judges L.A Reid, Demi Lovato, Mr Simon "the cruel" Cowell and the reborn bitc...ehm pop princess Britney. I really don't know what to expect from this edition. Will the focus of the competition be on music, or will Britney's leaps be the centre of the scene? So lame :( Hoping that the show won't turn into a massive mediatic flop, I found out a little bit more about X Factor US 2011 winner: Melanie Amaro.

Melanie (Mel for friends) was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida about 20 years ago. She gots British Virgin Islands roots and that's exactly where she spent the major part of her life with her grandmother since her parents felt they couldn't offer her a decent life. No problem about it! With her victory, Mel gained a 5 Mio dollar contract with Epic Records label, enough for her to settle down her whole family I'd say.

Beyond the contract, Mel also won the right to shoot the Super Bowl Pepsi commercial, featuring his majesty Elton John in high heels (TOP!). See the clip below.

I think this video is crazy! A Medieval court where king Elton sadically decides whether or not to give Pepsi for his people. Until our heroine arrives and kicks some butts with a very good techno-electro version of Aretha's Respect. And dudes...what a voice! I think it comes quite natural to compare Melanie's voice with Lady Soul Franklin (quite a fluttering compliment Mrs. Amaro, isn't it?!). The track is good too...kinda reminds me of Chris Brown's Beautiful People with a little Benny Benassi vein. A nice club track with '90s sonorities that I am sure will get some attention around it. I think you won't dare to mis-respect Mrs. Amaro after this performance...Pepsi for all!

No Doubt - Push and Shove

Here we are, after quite a bit. Vacation has inspired more than ever to go on with this blog...let's say that I had quite a blogger's block :) Greece refreshed my schizo mind! And what better way to return on the scene if not with the new Push and Shove No Doubt single? 

I got only one word to describe this amazing track that debuted last August 29th on Ryan Seacrest's radio show as world premiere: innovative. I am so excited for September the 25th to come, date of new ND's new album release. I think they raised our expectations to a very high level; I just hope for them to confirm the high pressure that the industry and the whole international music panorama is putting upon them.

 
Let's go now into the track. Push and Shove, produced by  massive L.A. dj Diplo, has been defined by Tony Kanal as ND's "Bohemian Rhapsody". And me, as a huge ND fan, I can't but agree with him. I think this track represents the perfect synthesis of almost 30 years of Gwen & Co career. You want ska? You find it. You want dancehall sonorities? You'll find them too. You look for a new Gwen? You'll find her rapping and stopping all of a sudden with her voice soaring into a stompy electro-dubstep chorus.

I just think this song is amazing for two reasons. 1) It's kinda hard and dangerous too mixing ska and raggae roots in a more pop-dance territory and 2) innovating something that is considered as steadily consolidated by the mass requires a lot of patience and dedition and, believe, they sure will smash it!

Enjoy Push and Shove. Peace.

Nelly Furtado - Parking Lot exclusive

Wow! I just discovered a big big exclusive on BestFan. Another Nelly's The Spirit Indestructible track revealed. This new track is called Parking Lot. Here you can find it: 

It's just super.Once again it seems that Nelly simply can't get enough of hard trumps and wild background beats just like she did on Big Hoops and Spirit Indestructible. We have to wait until September the 18th to see what The Spirit Indestructible really sounds like...in the meantime enjoy Parking Lot.

Placebo - New album coming

Music lovers, I just read this news on Billboard.com and had to share it with you. Placebo are coming back with new stuff in 2013! I have to admit that I don't like alternative rock/neo-glam bands, but since the times of Sleeping With Ghosts I thought that they had something more than the other average alternative rock bands. It must be the iconic sadness which fills every Brian Molko's song.

By the way, on the Billboard interview, bassist Stefan Oldsal admitted that even if the 3 guys are still recovering from the 2 years Battle for the sun tour, they are starting to write new material for their forthcoming 7th album (wow!). 

Still no info about the sounds of their upcoming effort, since they still need some rest Oldsal said. But...in the interview Oldsal passed up a little clue by saying: "I suppose once we came off the road it was kind of hard to plug in a distorted guitar again, because we'd done that every night for the best part of two years. When we came back home it was nice to hear nice, clean, acoustic sounds, so maybe we'll still feel that way when we start to record the album".

So will it be acoustic? Damn...I just can't imagine a whole acoustic Placebo album. Brian's voice needs electric background! Don't you agree with me? For the moment I leave you a little gift...the best Placebo song, my rate. Enjoy your Pure Morning!

Lady Gaga - New album coming

Heya you lil monsters. I know you've been waiting for news about the new effort of Mother Monster. And here it is. Lady Gaga revealed the title of her new album which will be released in the early 2013. The title will be ARTPOP, all written in capital letters.

And our Lady Gaga has been pretty strict saying that the title of this project must be written in capital letters since "it is a key detail of the new album". 

We still don't know anything about the sounds she's gonna use for this new project. The only "sneak peak" she accorded to us via Twitter is a new tattoo: an ARTPOP tattoo.

Hope she will bis the success of Born this way. In the meantime LG is across Europe with her worldwide Born this way tour and she's going to act in the new Robert Rodriguez movie Machete Kills with huge stars like Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez and Mel Gibson. Wish you all the best Mother Monster.