Wonder Girls - Just 5 Korean girls in the U.S.

I always admired Far Eastern pop music and kept an eye open to new talents and new stuff in the industry. Korea music labels, specifically, shocked me for their talent into chasing up innovative artsists. K-Pop sonorities are just as good as (and sometimes even better) American or European ones. And K-singers decided to enlarge their typical spectrum of markets like South Korea itself, China, Japan and Philippine and test the limelight of America.

Wonder Girls is a good example. A 5 members girl band who started their career as teenager idols in their home country but soon turned themselves into huge international pop-stars. After releasing two albums for the Korean market - 2007 The Wonder Years and 2011 Wonder World - these 5 Seoul girls are getting ready to release their US debut album, anticipated by single Like Money which shows a very precious collaboration: Mr. Akon ladies and gentlemen.

Eastern sapience was admirably applied for the WG career: taste the ground before entering it. And indeed this 2012 release is not a product of JY (Jin-Yung Park, manager of WG and owner of JYP Entertainment music label) sick mind who got up one day and decided to face this huge challenge. In 2009 in fact WG release an English version of their single Nobody and tested their power into the US industry, releasing the track also in North America. The result was verygood. The single hit the prestigious Billboard HOT 100 chart, first time for a Korean artist. And I bet they are going to repeat this success with this new album, with a still TBA title. Good luck Yubin, Yenny, Lim, Sun and SoHee! Enjoy Like Money!

Ciara - Sorry review

Hopefully good news for R&B princess Ciara lovers. The 26 yo Texas singer is back in the scene with her brand new album entitled One Woman Army. A little curiosity around this EP release: during her official MTV press conference in May, Ciara announced that the lead single of O.W.A. would have been Sweat, a hard low chimes and percussion track featuring the ever-present 2 Chainz. But one week before the official track release on iTunes, Epic Records (managed by X Factor judge L.A. Reid and new Ciara's label) turned the tables stating that the lead single of O.W.A. would actually be Sorry.

Hmm sounds quite strange, don't you think? I think the reason of this last minute change is basically a commercial one. Sweat is a track so damn similar to Ciara's past Basic Instinct EP sonorities which didn't bring much success to lady C. Maybe L.A. Reid is trying to build a more sensitive image around this little brat.

Indeed Sorry is a ballad, which should show CiCi's cute and romantic side, far from the hard and crunk image of CiCi we used to see.  The track is definetely listenable and I bet will get a good radio success, but I have to admit is not new at all. So damn similar to countless R&B balladries like D.C. Emotions, PCD Stickwitu or Alicia Keys' Fallin. Kinda frustrating for a multitalented girl like princess Ciara.

Definetely hope that Mr. L.A. Reid will definetely shake CiCi's stalled career and bring her back at the times of Like a Boy. But for now enjoy romantic Ciara in Sorry.

Ciara - Sorry[www.Musicroz.org] - Ciara - Sorry[www.Musicroz.org]

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Mutya Buena - A wasted talent

I grew up with MTV, I definetely can't deny it. And I grew up watching some singers/band hitting the lists and some (most of the time higher talented) falling apart into the darkest basements of music industry. It was in 2001, while watching a MTV show (don't remember if it was Europe Top 20) that some notes catched my attention. The track was Overload by unknown (for that time) girl band Sugababes. An english-multiethnic trio made of talented ladies Siobhan, Keisha and Mutya who definetely hit the streets.

I appreciated those three girls quite immediately simply because it was a unique pop sound for the beginning of 2000's basically characterized by flat and poor pop music (i.e. Britney, *NSYNC, Christina,...). 

Sugababes had such a huge success from 2001 'til 2005 mainly thanks to Mutya Buena who took the leadership of the band after former member Siobhan Donaghy left the group. And it was in 2005 that Mutya decided to also leave the band and to start her solo career.

Real Girl was the result of Mutya's solo struggle. I definetely can't say it was the greatest album of all times, but the 26 yo english-filipino lady demonstrated quite a high versatility, both in voice and in style. If you had  the chance to listen to this album, you'd seeit's not pop neither R&B. It's more similar to a revisited soul EP. Indeed Mutya's contralto voice defintely fits with this music style. Some tracks like Just a Little Bit, B-Boy-Baby (featuring Mrs. Amy Winehouse's deep contralto) or Real Girl (which features a Lenny Kravitz It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over sample) are a good example of the huge potential that this girl has.

But such a huge talent has been quite wasted. Why? I think the reason is because Sugababes changed 7 recording labels in almost 6 years and no one really had the time to appreciate the potential of each Sugababes member, including Mutya. Such a shame. But now the original formation of Sugababes is back, with new band name MKS. Wish you all the best. Now enjoy Just a Little Bit.

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The Muse - Madness

Ladies and gentlemen time to focus on one of the most innovative alternative group in the whole world music panorama. Of curse I am talking about Matt Bellamy and friends. As written in one of my previous post, The Muse are going to release on October the 1st their 6th studio album called The 2nd law, anticipated by the leading single Survival.

I have to admit I am so damn curious about this project.  After releasing Survival, as one of the official tracks of London Olympics, it's the turn of their last single Madness. Gorgeous.

Matt Bellamy wasn't kididng at all when saying on NME interview that the British band was deeply influenced by DJ electro-dubstep addicted Skrillex. In the interview he admits that "this kind of music, dubstep is capturing the imagination". Et voilà. Madness, second single released, is the result.

The tracks starts with a digitally distorted voice gong on with a programmed repeated beat. Musically don't expect many harmonies variation during the 4:42 running time. But it ceratinly doesn't mean the song isn't unique. Indeed a crescendo chorus, in perfect Queen-look-alike operatic style, leads the way to a guitar assolo with echoes of Brian May (who would have thought?) with a continuous brain-shaking tune.

Definetely a good song, no doubt about it. But very far from the typical Muse sonorities, who set themselves as one of the biggest rock band ever. Definetely more dancy than rocky. Enjoy MA-MA-MA-MA-MA-MADNESS.

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!