Album Review: Jessie J's "Sweet Talker" Is Her Best Yet

In less than 4 years of being a professional singer, Jessie J has experienced everything that artists normally take many, many years (if not decades) to experience. She's had a massive first album with 5+ chart hits, been featured on numerous soundtracks (The Mortal Instruments, Kick Ass 2, Easy A, etc.), shaved her head, broken her leg, experienced severe controversy (The Voice UK), released an album that was considered a critical and commercial failure and experienced a second coming in career. As an example, it took Britney Spears over a decade to complete a similar cycle (maybe 12 years), while it took Madonna roughly 25 years.

After the surprising outcome and subsequent success of the lead single from Sweet Talker, "Bang Bang", which was billed as Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj, people were finally starting to hop back onto the Jessie J bandwagon. All of a sudden, the British artist announced that she'd be releasing a new album to worldwide retailers on October 14th. Several days later, a not so good looking album cover was released and the album's tracklist soon followed. But does Sweet Talker having anything else besides "Bang Bang" that's 'sweet enough' to be marketed toward potential buyers and listeners? Based on what happened with her last album cycle ("Wild" and Alive), you'd think not. Fortunately, Sweet Talker is a marked improvement over J's previous album. In fact, I'd consider it her best if you (like me) think songs exclusive to Who You Are: Platinum Edition should be considered excluded because they were also released as a separate EP.

Although there are some distinct problems with several song on the album, the set as a collective piece feels like it works well enough to drum up enough sales. It has the already recognizable "Bang Bang", the album's instantly catchy second single ("Burnin' Up") and most surprising win of them all: the album's title track ("Sweet Talker"), which is mild yet extremely powerful at the same time.

While "Burnin' Up (feat. 2 Chainz)" is similar to some other songs we've heard recently (the french horn element has been really popular this year in grimy pop songs), it's diverse enough to be chalked up to a win. Here's what I said about it upon release:

"Burnin' Up (feat. 2 Chainz)" couldn't fit her new style better. Similar to Cheryl Cole's "Crazy Stupid Love", "Burnin' Up (feat. 2 Chainz)" is a trap inspired dance number with an irresistibly catchy chorus. The addition of a featured rap verse from 2 Chainz doesn't really feel necessary, but in this case, it doesn't detract from the quality of the song either. Bound to be an instant hit, "Burnin' Up (feat. 2 Chainz)" should easily replicate the success of "Bang Bang" in a handful of countries (namely the United Kingdom, Ireland and Scotland) and could potentially be another hit for the artist in the United States (where "Bang Bang" has reached #3).

Not only should it become a big hit, it could end up topping the United Kingdom charts as well. As for other standout tracks, "Sweet Talker" would be my next favorite song from the album. While starting off much slower than the album's previous two singles, "Sweet Talker" packs a powerful punch, bolstered by impressive vocals from both the artist and her back up vocalists as well as a think skinned beat composition arranged by world class DJ Diplo. With a whizzing beat and out of the box production, the track feels like it could work on Adult Contemporary, Pop, Rhythmic and possibly Rap (if she re-releases the song to feature Tinie Tempah, the artist featured on the live version) radio formats and, while its likely that it won't, could become a hit in the United States. However, there are several areas that need significant work. Elsewhere, on tracks like "Fire" and "Loud (feat. Lindsey Stirling)", Jessie J is thrown increasingly dramatic back beats. Unfortunately, the writers of those works decided that short handing the chorus and several portions of the verses would go unnoticed... untrue. I will applaud "Fire" for being in the style of a John Newman song (a style I like; he co-wrote it), but it just has too many kinks to work well. As for "Loud", Jessie J literally says the word loud nearly 100 times within the 4 minute and 30 second song. Violinist Lindsey Stirling doesn't add any value to the track at all; she's completely worthless on this song. I was expecting something along the line of Stirling's own "Shatter Me" (which would be a standout on this album). Unfortunately, no such luck. This is the biggest disappointment for me from the album. Back to other tracks that deserve attention would probably be "Strip" and "Masterpiece". "Strip", while being reserved for the deluxe edition, is written and sung in the same vein that the artist's hit single "Price Tag" was. I could see it being used as a promotional tool/eventual single later on in the album cycle to drum up sales of the premium priced deluxe edition.
Overall, I'd say it's worth the purchase... Alive wasn't.
Rating: 81/100 (B-) Positive

Album Development: Calvin Harris Announces "Motion" Album, Dami Im's "Heart Beats"

Calvin Harris Drops Motion Cover, Announces November 4th Release

Calvin Harris announced the release of his upcoming 4th studio album, Motion, just last night. Alongside the title reveal, the British DJ revealed that the disc will be pressed just in time for a November 4th release date. The album cover was released a number of hours later. The placement of the album's release on the schedule is likely a solid move, with November 4th being the only date that lacks a lot of competition for the rest of the year (only Nickelback will compete alongside Harris), though holdover competition courtesy of Taylor Swift's 1989 and Lil Wayne's Tha Carter V could slightly tarnish sales.

Still, Harris should be able to score a big debut with the album, which has already spawned a slew of number 1 singles in the United Kingdom ("Under Control", "Summer" and "Blame"). In the United States, "Summer" reached the top 10, while "Blame" became his fastest rising track of all time. On the CDS Music Chart Hot 50, "Summer", "Under Control" and "Blame" all reached the top 20, with "Under Control" reaching #10 (the highest of the three thus far).

Alongside the first three singles from the album, "C.U.B.A" (released as the B-side to "Blame") has been confirmed on the final tracklist. There hasn't been any other confirmations on collaborations, but the album is likely to be jam packed with vocals from other artists (like 18 Months was). The album's 4th official single is expected to drop on October 27th, but this hasn't been confirmed by Harris himself.

More news on this is arriving soon, so stay tuned!

Dami Im Announces "Heart Beats", Her First Album Composed of 100% New Material

Dami Im, one of The X Factor Australia's most coveted winners in recent history, has announced that she'll officially release her 3rd studio album (2nd on a major label and first composed of entirely new material) on Friday, October 17th, 2014 in her home Australia. As for the rest of the world, we'll have to wait for an international release date. She'll be up against stiff competition from Jessie J and Nico & Vinz among others, but could end up landing her second consecutive number 1 album on the national Australian charts (ARIA) since her X Factor win in October of last year.

The new album comes preceded by two Australian top 20 hits. The album's lead single, "Super Love", reached #11 on the ARIA single charts after being released to digital retailers on May 16th. The album's second official single, "Gladiator", generated universal acclaim from contemporary critics in Australia. They claimed it to be reminiscent of songs by Katy Perry. Upon release to retailers on August 8th, the track also eventually peaked at #11 on the ARIA single charts (though it debuted lower on the chart).

On September 26th, the album was put up on iTunes Australia for pre-order. A new single called "Heart Beats Again" was released to promote the pre-order, and an additional countdown single could be revealed within the weeks preceding the album's release.

See the full tracklist:

1. "Super Love"

2. "Gladiator"

3. "Living Dangerously"

4. "Without You"

5. "Moment Just Like This"

6. "Speak Up"

7. "Beauty in the World"

8. "Let Go"

9. "One More Time"

10. "Heart Beats Again"

11. "The Hunger"

12. "Heart So Dry"

13. "Solid Ground (Stop the World)"

14. "Beautiful"

15. "Without You (Acoustic)"

Come back for more new posts and keep it here for more Album Development features.

One Direction Announces New Album "FOUR" + Free Single "Fireproof"

The band has announced a brand new album (due November 17th) and is offering a free download of new promotional effort "Fireproof" for 24 hours to celebrate.

One Direction is slowly taking over the world. Just a year after releasing their third studio album, Midnight Memories, the band has announced that their 4th studio album (conveniently titled FOUR) will be released on November 17th. Alongside the announcement of the new album, the band revealed that they'll be offering an unlimited amount of free downloads of their new promotional single, "Fireproof", for 24 hours.

The announcement of the new album comes after the release of a perfume and the prepping of a new limited engagement theatrical film. The new album will contain 12 songs on its standard edition, with 4 bonus tracks and a bonus Behind the Scenes video being reserved for the "Ultimate Edition" (the deluxe version). As with their other releases, the Japanese version is currently rumored to contain several additional bonus tracks and videos. While the album is now available for pre-order around the world (currently #1 in 52 countries, and top 10 in 72 countries), no official track-list has been revealed. 

Despite this, "One Chance to Dance" has been confirmed as the album's lead single. It was written by Zayn Malik, Emeli Sandé and Naughty Boy, the latter of which it was produced by. "Fireproof" is expected to be released onto iTunes for sale as the first promotional single from the album (remember, it's not the first official single) sometime on Tuesday (after the 24 hours have lapsed; approximately 9 AM EST on Tuesday morning).

As far as album sales go, I'm expecting it to sell between 525,000 and 560,000 copies in its first week of release in the United States. That range allows for a 3% decrease to a 3% increase in sales. Either way, it'll easily debut at #1 in the United States as the year's second most successful debut (after Taylor Swift's 1989, which should debut with sales of 1.15 million or more at the end of October). It's also likely to become one of the year's top 10 best sellers in the United States and one of the year's 3 most successful albums worldwide (with yearly sales of over 4.5 million expected worldwide).

Watch One Direction's announcement video and click the link above to download "Fireproof" for free. What do you think of "Fireproof"? Will you be pre-ordering or buying FOUR. Let me know below or on Twitter!

Come back for more posts!

Ahead of Adele's "25" Release, Unused "21" Tracks Leak

Adele is already one of the most successful singer in the history of the United Kingdom, and with her third studio album, 25, due out later this year, she's bound to further her success. A month ahead of the release of the first single from 25 (due out in e arly to mid October), two tracks from the 21 era have leaked onto the internet. "You'll Never See Me Again" and "Never Gonna Leave You" which were both intended to be a part of the 21 era, have received critical acclaim since leaking online this past weekend.

Recorded by the songstress during a September 2010 session with record producer Fraser T. Smith, "You'll Never See Me Again" and "Never Gonna Leave You" were ultimately left off of 21 by the time the album saw a worldwide release in February 2011. When a special, deluxe edition re-issue hit American shelves in January 2012, the tracks were again not released.

"You'll Never See Me Again" documents yet another breakup (like most of her songs end up doing), while "Never Gonna Leave You" does the exact opposite -- it documents a healthy, long lasting relationship. It's odd that the two tracks are complete polar opposites, as they leaked at the exact same time.

Listen to "You'll Never See Me Again":

Listen to "Never Gonna Leave You":
More News About 25 While Adele's 25 is being kept tightly under wraps, a new single is supposedly going to see a release before the end of September (though a mid October release is also possible). The album title has been confirmed by the singer, thanks to a secretive post on Twitter on her Birthday in which she said "Bye bye 25... see you again later this year". The new album is set to drop by the end of 2014, with an undisclosed early 2015 release date as a back up. It is unknown if either "You'll Never See Me Again" or "Never Gonna Leave You" will appear on the album, but there's a decent chance at least one of them will. Come back for more posts!

Album Review: Maroon 5's "V" Has Hits, But Is It One Itself?

I'd pretty much consider myself a Maroon 5 guru -- I've purchased every studio album of theirs, have several CD singles, their live album and have seen them live in concert twice --, and a major fan as well, but Maroon 5's 5th disc, V, takes a little bit longer to digest. While being backed by a string of successful singles  ("Maps", "It Was Always You" and "Animals"), most other tracks included on the album don't feel like your typical Maroon 5 songs. Even with that being said, the new record isn't their worst one (I'd say that 2010's Hands All Over is narrowly their worst), and does have at least two to three more faired sized hits in addition to "Animals", "Maps" and "It Was Always You" ("Sugar", "Unkiss Me" and "My Heart Is Open").

Lead single "Maps" kicks off the party in a really odd, yet friendly fashion. While previous hits by Maroon 5 seem to focus on all parts of the band (bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, and vocals), "Maps" sees lead singer Adam Levine in the driver seat, with the rest of the band being almost entirely replaced by extremely sugary, pop beats. However, as live performances will reveal, the rest of the band's members do have prominent roles sprinkled throughout the song. Regardless, "Maps" wound up at #1 on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50, a position it held for 5 consecutive weeks.

And to those of you "Maroon 5 superfans" that say "Maps" is terrible compared to songs on their prior albums (Songs About Jane, It Won't Be Soon Before Long, Hands All Over): all bands need to change in order to stay solid. You shouldn't complain that their new material sounds overly pop, because if they did stick to just their original rock sound, you'd be complaining that they haven't changed enough. You can't call yourself a fan of Maroon 5 if you criticize them for changing; its what all artists do.

 

While "Maps" definitely helps make V a massive success, "It Was Always You" is easily the best track on the disc, as well as one of the group's most inventive songs of their career. Not only does it toy with electronic pop elements in a way that has never been done on any Maroon 5 song, it experiments with sounds and pops that help make it extremely unique. Additionally, the vocal work and radio friendly backing beat make it one of group's stronger efforts in recent years. It also topped the CDS Music Chart Hot 50, staying for the 3 weeks directly following the reign of "Maps". In total, Maroon 5 has topped the list for 8 weeks during this album cycle (they topped for 6 during the Overexposed album cycle).

"Animals", which I struggled with enjoying upon first listen, seemed to have the most support from fans to be the album's second single (over "It Was Always You") when it dropped last weekend. It quickly reached #2 on the United States iTunes Store (behind only Taylor Swift's massively successful "Shake It Off") and held well in sales, even with the car company KIA giving out over 200,000 free downloads of the song to anyone who wanted one in the United States. Thanks to the track becoming a quick favorite (among most), it was announced on August 25th (three days after it first premiered) that the track would be serviced to United States pop radio later that day as the album's second official single. While I believe that decision to be a bit stupid (as I was much more in favor of the group releasing "It Was Always You"), the song itself is still pretty solid.

Built around a high energy, funky, bass beat, "Animals" sounds like a radio winner for the group -- even if it takes a while to warm up.

Other highlights include "Sugar", "My Heart Is Open (feat. Gwen Stefani)", "Unkiss Me" and "Coming Back For You". Among those, "My Heart Is Open (feat. Gwen Stefani)" is clearly the most likely to become a hit single, with "Unkiss Me" and "Sugar" also having a good shot. Even though "My Heart Is Open (feat. Gwen Stefani)" is bound to be a hit, the 4th and 5th best songs (after "It Was Always You", "Maps" and "Animals") have to be "Unkiss Me" and "Sugar".

"Sugar" is one of my favorites mainly because its sexy, it's explicit and it clearly has some single potential. "Unkiss Me" is more of a classic Maroon 5 song, mellow but piercing, familiar yet fresh.

Update: As most of you know, "Animals" was selected as the album's 2nd single. According to listings on several online retailers and other sources, "Unkiss Me" will be serviced to radio as the album's 3rd official single. At this point, it's unlikely that we'll get an announcement about a 4th single until either the end of this year or early next year. Remember this hasn't been confirmed, but it appears that Maroon 5 is fully backing "Unkiss Me" as the next single.

Update 2: Maroon 5 will not be releasing "Unkiss Me" as the album's 3rd official single. Instead, "Sugar" will be serviced to radio as the third single after the promotion for "Animals" concludes. In an interview, the band announced that they've already made some progress in the planning of the video for "Sugar" as well.

Overview: Maroon 5's V appears to lack any sort of theme, but multiple re-listens will show just how well the songs mesh together. Almost every sort of style that Maroon 5 has ever done appears in someway or another, whether it be in the form of piercing vocals, or plucked strings, everything is there. It's basically a greatest hits filled with completely new material.

Now, I'll admit that there are some noticeable low points (the deluxe bonus tracks except "Sex and Candy", "New Love" and "Feelings"), and some marginal lyrics: "Show me that phone in your pocket" ("In Your Pocket"; this is not the proper way to call out your lover for cheating), but the album is still one of their most solid efforts to date. There's several other songs that have strong single potential, and even some tracks that'll miss radio and still become fan favorites. By no means has Maroon 5 lost touch; they're expanding their style while trying to stay true to their original sound.

     86/100 (B+)

Album Review: FKA twigs Shines On "LP1"

"No one else can make electropop tracks sound this graceful and dirty at the same time"

Tahliah Barnett, professionally known as FKA twigs, is known for her odd fashion sense and more importantly her odd musical style. Her work, which has been dubbed R&B/pop meets electronic, has received massive critical acclaim from nearly every mainstream critic that's heard it. But does that also mean that FKA twigs appeals to the average person? Yes and no. The average person doesn't even know a thing about her, with only 10,000 people purchasing LP1 in the United States in its first week of release, but then again, almost everyone who did buy her album has given it a positive review.

So what about FKA twigs is really appealing? She's able to produce absolutely crazy electronic songs and contribute her own vocals to the projects as well. She's really got it all the components needed to dominate the industry, something few artists have. When have you heard of a singer that produces, writes and sings on all of their tracks and is also a trained dancer? Honestly, that's impressive.

LP1 is riddled with hits, all of which spew out filthy, sex related lyrics. On the biggest standout of them all (as well as the album's lead off single), "Two Weeks", twigs shifts her vocals in and out alongside pulsing synths and extremely raunchy lyrics about how she'll be better in bed than the subject's previous lover within two weeks. FKA twigs sings: "Higher than motherf***er, dreaming of you as my lover/Flying like a streamer thinking of new ways to do each other/Pull out of the incisor give me two weeks, you won't recongnize her/Mouth open you're high".

On other highlights ("Lights On", "Pendulum" and "Video Girl"), twigs further experiments with beats inspired by the jungle, the orient, the future and much more, while delivering a vocal performance unlike any you've ever heard.

Overview: While LP1 isn't flawless (nor do its songs hold up as well individually), the 10 song project has a little bit of everything. As a collection, LP1 is one of the most straightforward efforts of the year, with lyrically coherent tracks, brilliant production and a theme that seems to stick together throughout the majority of the songs. While only one track sounds like it could even have a shot at making radio ("Two Weeks"), LP1 is one of the most consumer friendly releases in quite a while. You can literally listen to the whole 10 song set (without pauses) and be impressed again and again. FKA twigs created this work to sound like a body, focusing on all aspects, instead of making several pieces look amazing in a field of filler (like most artists do). It's easily one of my 5 favorite albums of the year and could easily become one of my top 10 favorite albums by the time the end of the year rolls around. 95/100 (A+)

Album Review: Ariana Grande's "My Everything" Turns On Variety... A Little Too Much?

Ariana Grande first soared onto the music scene with "The Way (feat. Mac Miller)", a catchy yet heavily sample driven rhythmic pop production. She rapidly accumulated fans by the hundreds of thousands and began working very hard on what would eventually become her first studio album, Yours Truly, which saw release in August of 2013. About 4 months later, Grande returned with a digital only Christmas inspired EP, Christmas Kisses, which received instantaneous critical acclaim. Similar critical acclaim came in April 2014 with the release of Grande's never before heard new single, "Problem (feat. Iggy Azalea)".

When "Problem" debuted on the Hot 100 with sales of 438,000 (the year's biggest debut thus far), Grande had solidified her status as a pop diva and stripped away any remaining Nickelodeon threads. She was shining and there was nothing anybody could do about it. Unfortunately for Grande, not all of My Everything really seems up to par with "Problem" and "The Way". Sure it shows more maturity and a lot more variety, but it doesn't seem to encompass one true body or theme. It's a bit too scattered. "Problem" was not a good representation of anything else on the album at all.

Relying on the strength of co-headliners like Iggy Azalea, The Weeknd, Nicki Minaj, Jessie J, and Zedd, My Everything falls a bit flat when it comes to solo performances. I mean why include "Bang Bang" if you're in the backseat the entire time? An additional slew of unneeded track samples further downgrade the quality of the album as a whole. What's the point of including a sample of Diana Ross' "I'm Coming Out" on "Break Your Heart Right Back (feat. Childish Gambino)" if its going to get hidden in the backbeat? It makes the younger generation confused and the older generation disgusted.

With that being said, there are some distinct highlights on My Everything. "One Last Time" (probably my favorite track other than the singles) blends the right amount of dance vibes and pop vibes, while supplying vocals that aren't too candy coated nor overly dull.

Among the other highlights are "Break Free (feat. Zedd)" (which was released as the album's second single), "Love Me Harder (feat. The Weeknd)" and of course "Bang Bang". Unfortunately, that short list of about 4-5 songs is composed nearly entirely of tracks that feature help from other artists, bringing several questions to mind. Most notably: Was this album rush released and filled with as many cheap collaborations as possible to distract us from the fact that Ariana hadn't actually grown that much 12 months? I'm betting on a yes.

I guess I should have known something was up when I wasn't impressed with the "Break Free" video:

"While the rest of Ariana Grande's music videos are far from perfect, the music video for "Break Free" borders on the edge of utter ridiculousness -- her worst video to date. The inspirations behind it -- original Star Trek episodes, space dominatrixes, Katy Perry's "E.T." video, Star Wars, etc. -- would normally all work together to create a strong final product, but the lack of originality and an interesting story line, combined with the fact that nearly everything in the entire video was developed on a green screen, make for a really uncomfortable and downright stupid video.
I understand that you can't actually shoot a project in space, but it feels like they spent too much time on Grande's appearance rather than the sets and plot itself. Okay, yes, she looks cute but then again when has she not?
Despite critical opinions popping up all across the internet, most of America has embraced the video for "Break Free" with open arms -- Ariantors have made sure of it. Once again, a terrible video will help propel a decent song to success. We needed another one of those."
I guess the same thing can be applied to the album. It has solid material, yet it also has some songs that sound like they were strung together randomly.

Overview: While My Everything is far from terrible, it lacks uniform and has a lazy overall structure. The over used samples and overly promoted collaborations make for an album that feels just a bit rushed. There are some notable and worthy highlights on the album ("Problem", "Break Free", "One Last Time", "Love Me Harder" and "Bang Bang"), but everything seems to lie on the shoulders of the collaborators, which is the exact opposite of what happened on her last album. Overall, the individual themes on My Everything are all pretty much clear, but when they're combined together, everything seems a lot hazier and the overall theme feels distant. There's too much going on. There's lots of pop, lots of r&b, lots of rap, lots of EDM and a lot of filler. It's solid, but at the same time its not.

Rating 71/100 (C-)

Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter V" Scheduled: Will It Debut With Killer Sales?

Lil Wayne's Long Delayed "Tha Carter V" Gets Cover and Release Date

Note: All sales and peak positions are derived from Nielsen Soundscan numbers confirmed via Billboard. None of the peak positions reflect ranks on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50. This post is just my personal analysis of how Tha Carter V will perform upon it's official release.

After years of talk and no official announcements, Drake and Lil Wayne announced the official release of Tha Carter V to be May 5th in early 2014. Unfortunately, this plan came to fruition as Lil Wayne's manager announced on March 27th that the album had been delayed. Fortunately, Lil Wayne surprised America and the world with the release of "Believe Me (feat. Drake)" on May 6th, 2014 instead. On July 2nd, another new release called "Krazy" dropped onto the internet. In early August a third release ("Gridin'") slithered onto the internet. At this point, many critics and fans speculated an official album announcement. On August 14th, it was officially announced that his supposed final album would hit digital and physical retailers on October 28th. The official album cover dropped later the same day. It features a young, tattooed Lil Wayne (like other Tha Carter installments) walking alongside his mother. Another song, "D'usse", was officially announced to be on the album.

All of this news is sure to generate some much needed buzz for Wayne (as will his tour with Drake), but one big question comes to mind regarding the album: "Will it become a massive hit?". With CD, vinyl and digital platforms all posting massive drop offs since 2011 (when his last Tha Carter installment saw release) it's unlikely that Tha Carter V sees first week sales as high as the last two Tha Carter installments (1,005,545 first week sales for the 3rd installment and 964,000 for the 4th installment). Still, we haven't factored in the fact that Lil Wayne has announced that this release will be his last one, which makes me think that it'll still end up selling moderately well. Also helping it is the fact that it's slated to arrive during a period that hasn't been booked up with album releases. With a date planned out so far ahead, most other artists should steer clear of a October 28th release. In other words, Tha Carter V could be the only major release on the date. The title itself will also make it a huge seller, as most fans have stuck with purchasing albums from the series while steering clear of the veteran rapper's other titles such as Rebirth and I Am Not A Human Being which both launched with a fraction of the sales that other Tha Carter installments did.

While most of these factors point to a major opening, none of the singles from Tha Carter V have actually broken out to become major successes. During promotion for Tha Carter IV, three singles became top 10 US hits ("6 Foot 7 Foot", "How to Love" and "She Will") while a 4th became a top 20 ("Mirror"). "John" reached #22 and "It's Good" reached #79. To date, the first two singles from The Carter V haven't performed nearly as well. "Believe Me" has reached #24 and "Krazy" has yet to chart.

I'm currently expecting the new album to score an opening frame north of 625,000 (which would be a slightly bigger launch than that of Drake's "Nothing Was the Same" back in 2013), which would easily make it the year's largest opening. Coldplay previously set the bar back in May with 383,000.

Final Prediction

Debut Week US Sales: 625,000

Debut Week US Rank: #1

Come back for more posts and for more album related posts.

Album Review: "The Voyager" by Jenny Lewis

The Voyager by Jenny Lewis

July 29, 2014

(Warner Brothers Records)

To be honest, Jenny Lewis has never actually been on my radar, but with the release of her latest solo album, The Voyager, she's popped up for a reason that you'd never actually guess. Surprisingly, the album cover for The Voyager drew me to the artist. Further critical acclaim and strong word of mouth prompted me to give the album a fair chance. I guess some promotional tactics really do work better than others.

Jenny Lewis actually has a huge discography and musical past, which makes her eventual breakthrough story all the more entertaining. She's released six prior studio albums (only two solo albums proceeding the release of The Voyager), with most of them obtaining critical success. With that being said, the albums were much less successful commercially -- none of them broke past 30,000 in first week sales. With The Voyager debuting at #9 on the Billboard 200 with 25,000 copies, Lewis has proven to be both a solid artist, and have a solid fanbase. Even with the severe erosion of album sales in the United States (both digital and physical), and extremely limited availability in certain regions (there's notably a shortage of the album in the Pacific Northwest), The Voyager has actually outperformed most of its predecessors.

But what's keeping Jenny Lewis afloat (other than her album art)? The quality of her work.

The album's lead off track ("Head Underwater") offers up a decently enticing palate of strummed instrumentals bouncing around desert brushed rounds of gospel tinged voices. Unfortunately, "Head Underwater" does not open the gates of The Voyager in the right way. It feels like a forced effort that, while encompassing the themes and styles of the album as a whole, feels rushed and just downright uncomfortable.

With hopes bordering on disappointment, going on could break the entire album. Thankfully it doesn't.

As the album intertwines between the next several tracks, it progressively gets a whole lot better, with cuts such as "She's Not Me", "Just One of the Guys" and "The New You" being among the album's finer pieces. With upbeat, psychedelic, country twinged guitar solos "The New You" is not only one of the simplest compositions, it's also your typical empowerment track -- which isn't always necessarily a bad thing. "She's Not Me" feels like it could potentially become a multi platform radio smash, with components that feel both special and appealing.

 

Ending on a high note (and the collection's self titled track), The Voyager comes together as a unique experience -- a smoothie like concoction of jazz, soul, classical and pop music bursting at the seams with colorful, southern California styled loops and beats. It's not the most original thing you'll ever hear, nor is it exactly an indie styled collection. It's one of those records that will be a common go to disc for listeners that are ready to stare into the blue sky and soak up a boat load of feelings.

74

Rating (Out of 100)

Positive

Your thoughts on the new disc from Jenny Lewis? Let me know in the comments below.

Album Review: Laura Walsh's "Laura Walsh" EP

Well known for her stint on Gorgon City's massive #1 single, Laura Welsh just popped up out of nowhere with her debut release "Break the Fall". While the single has yet to officially crack the CDS Music Chart Hot 50, it is worth pointing out that the alternative tinged track was actually the track of the week at the end of June. Looks like her quick success has lead to even more. Her debut extended play (called Laura Welsh) has already made a whole bunch of waves since its quiet July 8th launch date. The 4 piece album sampler is the current iTunes album of the week. Included on the tracklist is "Break the Fall" and two other tracks for a heavily discounted price alongside a track called "Ghost", which is offered for the premium price of $1.29.

Rating (Out of 100)

Generally Positive

Album Review: Sanna Nielsen's "7"

Sanna Nielsen may not have won the 2014 installment of the Eurovision Song Contest for her home country of Sweden, but not to worry. She's still serving up new tracks by the boatload. Channeling her inner Celine Dion, Nielsen crafted her latest album, 7, mainly just this year. Recording sessions took place between the end of December 2013 and May 2014. The end result is one of the finest works by Sanna to date. Despite being only 9 tracks long, 7, is a nice volume of music.

The highlights range from the pop power ballad "Undo" (which ended up peaking at #1 on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50) to "Breathe" a fast paced pop track that shows a sunnier side of Sanna. "Rainbow" (the album's second single) is also an adrenaline packed punch that could wind up being another smash single for Sanna.

What sets 7 apart from other pop albums is immediately clear upon first listen: It doesn't try to hard, because its material is strong enough to support itself. "Undo" leads the pack in terms of vocal punch, with even live performances being extremely outstanding. "Rainbow" and "Breathe" are also huge standouts that have major potential. "Skydivin" and "Trouble" are among the more moderate tracks with "Ready" being the worst track (that's really not saying that much though).

While this album is kind of in the middle of the road for Sanna (it's a departure from her mainly Swedish discography while still capturing her voice in the style of Celine Dion lil her previous works), it seems like the right direction. For the most part, Sanna Nielsen gets it spot on (there are still a few tough areas), which makes 7 one of her most impressive albums to date.

Rating (Out of 100)

Generally Positive

Album Development: Lady Antebellum Jet Off With "747", Jesse McCartney's "In Technicolor"

Lady Antebellum Announce 747

Set to take flight on September 30th around the world, Lady Antebellum's 6th studio album, 747, comes just a year after the re-release of their 5th studio album Golden, and less than 18 months after the first version of Golden dropped. Preceded by lead off single "Bartender" (one of their most exquisite hits to date), the new album will likely catch huge waves of success (similar to their recent studio releases) and should debut with sales near or above 100,000 copies. Unfortunately, it sees release during a highly competitive month (September). See the album cover and track list just below.

Tracklist

1. Long Stretch of Love

2. Bartender

3. Lie With Me

4. Freestyle

5. Down South

6. One Great Mystery

7. Sounded Good at the Time

8. She Is

9. Damn You Seventeen

10. 747

11. Just a Girl

Jesse McCartney's In Technicolor

McCartney took a different approach while promoting his new album. Unfortunately, that approach (releasing half the album 6 months before the full collection drops) rarely works. While Jesse has had strong performing albums in the past (his first three records debuted between at either #14 or #15), it's unlikely that Techincolor (his 4th release) performs as well. Not only has he somewhat faded in popularity, it has been 6 years since he last dropped an album. Additionally, he is signed to a much smaller label (Eight0Eight instead of Hollywood Records), so sales are likely to plummet. It's a simple equation: faded start quality, a smaller release and no lead off hits equals near disaster. Don't expect much more than 15,000 copies.

In Technicolor has spawned three singles: "Back Together", "Superbad" and "The Other Guy". All have failed to connect with audiences. The album drops into select markets on July 22nd. See the track list below.

Tracklist

1. In Technicolor, Part 1

2. Back Together

3. Young Love

4. Superbad

5. All About Us

6. Checkmate

7. Punch Drunk Recreation

8. Goodie Bag

9. In Technicolor, Part 2

10. Tie the Knot

11. The Other Guy

Colton Dixon Drops Anchor on August 19th

American Idol season 11 alumni Colton Dixon is finally back with another new disc after receiving mixed sales numbers and reception with his debut album A Messanger. The Christian singer returns with a brand new release on August 19th, 18 months since the release of his first album. Supported by just one single ("More of You"), Anchor is poised to be somewhat of a bomb in terms of sales, and will likely miss the Billboard 200 top 10. Still, it should sell well for a Christian album, so this isn't a complete bust. See the full track list and the heavily photoshopped album cover below.

Tracklist

1. S.O.S

2. Our Time Is Now

3. Walk On the Waves

4. Anchor

5. Echo

6. 35.8438, -86.4518

7. More of You

8. Loud and Clear

9. Fool's Gold

10. Dare to Believe

11. Through All of It

12. Limitless

13. Back to Life

14. This Isn't the End

G.R.L's Self Titled Set Dropping Soon

While we have an over abundance of young aged all female bands already, G.R.L has surprisingly placed themselves within the upper reaches of the pack. After starting off 2013 with a few singles here and there, the group releasing "Wild Wild Love" with Pitbull in early 2014. It became a surprise hit on US radio, which led to G.R.L landing on everyone's radar. Now, "Ugly Heart" (the lead single from their debut self titled extended play) is already on US Pop Radio (currently sitting at #48), which leads me to believe that G.R.L's debut EP will become a moderate success. See the track list below.

Track list

1. Ugly Heart

2. Show Me What You Got

3. Rewind

4. Don't Talk About Love

5. Girls Always Right

Album Development: Train's "Bulletproof Picasso", Drake Announces New Album

Train Unveils "Bulletproof Picasso" Cover and Tracklist

Alongside the release of the official video for "Angel In Blue Jeans" on Tuesday, July 15th, Train revealed the cover and track list for their upcoming studio album Bulletproof Picasso. The new album, due for a September 16th release, follows their 6th album California 37 which produced the #1 CDS Music Chart hit single "Drive By" as well as the #1 bubbling track of 2012 ("50 Ways To Say Goodbye"). To date, Bulletproof Picasso's lead single ("Angel In Blue Jeans") has reached as high as #38 on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50, somewhat of a disappointment compared to their previous releases.

Notable for being the first album to be recorded without the founding drummer Scott Underwood, the band is set to release the album's second official single sometime in early August. Rumors are pointing toward "Bulletproof Picasso" as the album's next single.

Tracklist

1. Cadillac, Cadillac

2. Bulletproof Picasso

3. Angel In Blue Jeans

4. Give It All

5. Wonder What You're Doing for the Rest of Your Life

6. Son of a Prison Guard

7. Just a Memory

8. I'm Drinking Tonight

9. I Will Remember

10. The Bridge

11. Baby, Happy Birthday

12. Don't Grow Up So Fast

Drake Announces New Album "Views From the 6"

After months of speculation, Canadian recording artist and rapper Drake has announced the release of his new album titled "Views From the 6". The title, likely a reference to the area codes in his hometown of Toronto, bares some resemblance to the 1999 release of Jennifer Lopez's "On the 6", which was a shoutout to her hometown of the Bronx (New York).

The new album is due for a late 2014 release, possibly in November or December. No lead single has been announced to date, but several promotional releases have been dropped through Soundcloud. In other news, Drake's record label will release its first two major releases at the tail end of July and he'll be touring with Lil Wayne.

Alex & Sierra Reveal "It's About Us" Tracklist

As the winners of the US version of The X Factor, American duo Alex & Sierra naturally got a record deal with Simon Cowell's Syco Records. After several months of prepping their debut studio album, Alex & Sierra released the single "Scarecrow" at the tail end of June. Now, the group has announced the release of their album. Due for an October 7th release, It's About Us will be the group's first effort. See the full tracklist below.

Tracklist

1. Scarecrow

2. Give Me Something

3. Bumper Cars

4. Almost Home

5. Here We Go

6. It's About Us

7. Little Do You Know

8. Cheating

9. Just Kids

10. I Love You

11. Broken Flame

13. All For You

Kris Allen Returns to Music; Announces August Release For Album Horizons

After somewhat of a troubling album cycle in 2012, Kris Allen has announced that he will be back with a brand new album before the end of Summer 2014. As of July 8th, the Horizons era has finally begun. The album's lead single, "Prove It to You (feat. Lenachka)" dropped on July 8th, just one month ahead of the album's street date. See the full tracklist below.

Tracklist

1. Young Love ("Paul Simon")

2. Prove It to You (feat. Lenachka)

3. Beautiful & Wild

4. In Time

5. Lost

6. Don't Set Me Free

7. Everybody Just Wants to Dance

8. Parachute

9. It's Always You

10. Girl Across the Room

That's it for this edition of a new feature called Album Development, where I dive into news about upcoming large releases. Keep it here for more updates!

Album Review: Trigga (Target Exclusive) by Trey Songz

Trigga (Target Deluxe) by Trey Songz

July 1st

(Atlantic/WEA International)

Trey Songz first really caught my eye with the release of 2010's Passion, Pain and Pleasure, which brought the rise of smash single "Bottom's Up (feat. Nicki Minaj)". The track eventually became his biggest hit in his career (to date) and is perhaps most famous for almost single handedly launching the career of Nicki Minaj, who has gone on to notch 20 Hot 50 entries since the chart's inception in early 2012. Still, that wasn't enough for me to really start taking a liking toward his music.

Then came August 2012, which brought his 5th album (properly titled Chapter V). The album spawned the hit singles "Heart Attack" (which peaked at #41 when the chart was only 40 positions long) and "2 Reasons (feat. T.I.)" which reached the top 40 and became my favorite track of his to date. At that point, I decided that Trey Songz would be moved onto my "purchase list" (a list of artists that I support and buy albums from).

When the lead single from Trigga (December 2013's "Na Na") was dropped, I was a little bit disappointed with the results, but decided to give Trey another chance as I was somewhat against "Heart Attack" (his previously released lead single from his 5th album). Thank god I didn't overlook Trigga.

Going into Trigga, I really had no idea of what to expect, but album opener "Cake" is more of a mixed bag than I had initially anticipated. It sure is a steamy, club ready track with pounding, booty smashing beats, but it really isn't much more than that. The lyrics feel lifeless, and the entire song feels like a tired train wreck that never quite got swept under the rug. Mediocre at best.

"Foreign" (and its official Justin Bieber remix) are doused in loads of auto-tune and somewhat dried over lyrical stylings, which make it an automatic turn off. The original is actually halfway decent, but the remix is just a waste of time: not only is sticking another artist on a track without changing anything else not a remix... Justin Bieber of all people. Really? Come on Trey. This is like a bird taking a dump on a terribly flavored ice cream; and no, I will not take it back.

The album's lead single, "Na Na", is definitely a major improvement over the first two tracks, combining elements of "2 Reasons", "Heart Attack" into a DJ Mustard produced club banger. Still, it can't help but feel like somewhat of a repetitive dud at times, and it bares way too many similarities to fellow DJ Mustard produced "2 On (feat. Schoolboy Q)" by Tinashe.

"Touchin, Lovin" is actually the first Trigga track that I full on respect. The lyrical matter is very similar to that of Enrique Iglesias' "Tonight (I'm Loving You)", but it's actually very refreshing to hear an R&B version of this type of track. Sure it's a touchy subject, but Trey's vocals, the smooth electro-tinged beat and Nicki Minaj's spitting verse combine for a great track. "Disrespectful (feat. Mila J)" is a respectable follow up track, an equally powerful track (it should actually be called a duet).

"Dead Wrong (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)" ended up being yet another perfectly crafted Trigga cut, with a more manageable rap verse (courtesy of featured artist Ty Dolla $ign) and a much more accessible beat that I had even thought possible for a song like this. I had some bad feelings going into this cut, but it turned out to be one of the album's better works. "Late Night (feat. Juciy J)" also goes into this category; I had mixed feelings, but it turned out to be one of the most outstanding tracks he presented on Trigga.

On the other hand, "All We Do" kind of invents its own song category. Is it a ballad? Is it a slow tempo, sexy R&B jam? I don't know. It is way too hard to tell in this case. Overall, it's a dull waste of space on an album that should be packed with punches and great beats.

Rating (Out of 100)

Mixed to Positive

Album Development: The Saturdays Greatest Hits, Ariana Grande (Target)

The Saturdays Release Greatest Hits Album Cover, Tracklist

After releasing 4 full length studio albums, UK all girl group The Saturdays have announced that they plan to release a 2 disc greatest hits on August 11th, 2014 of this year. The standard edition of the greatest hits album (titled Finest Selections: The Greatest Hits) will contain 20 "selections" (most of which are top 10 UK Singles Chart efforts) including 3 new tracks. A deluxe edition will be released including the most popular B-Sides on a second disc. 19 B-Sides will be part of the deluxe edition. A Super Fan Edition only from the official The Saturday's store will include all of this plus all 18 music videos recorded for the official singles. The album's lead single "What Are You Waiting For?" will be released on August 10th. See the track lists below.

Standard Edition Tracklist

1. What About Us (Feat. Sean Paul)

2. Higher (Feat. Flo Rida)
3. Ego
4. All Fired Up
5. What Are You Waiting For?
6. Up
7. Forever Is Over
8. Issues
9. Disco Love
10. Notorious
11. Missing You
12. Work
13. Not Giving Up 
14. 30 Days
15. 808
16. Gentleman
17. If This Is Love
18. Walking Through The Desert
19. My Heart Takes Over
20. Just Can’t Get Enough

Deluxe Edition Tracklist (Disc 2; Flashback - The B-Sides)
1. Not That Kinda Girl

2. Flashback
3. Wildfire
4. Beggin’
5. Turn Myself In
6. Love Come Down
7. Ladykiller
8. I Can’t Wait
9. Somebody Else’s Life (Acoustic)
10. Had It With Today
11. Ready To Rise
12. So Stupid.

13. What Am I Gonna Do
14. On The Radio
15. Unofficial 
16. Golden Rules
17. Bigger
18. Crashing Down
19. When Love Takes Over

Super Fan Deluxe Edition Tracklist (Disc 3; The Videos)

1. If This Is Love (Music Video)
2. Up (Music Video
3. Issues (Music Video)
4. Just Can’t Get Enough (Music Video)
5. Work (Music Video)
6. Forever Is Over (Musicc Video)
7. Ego (Music Video)
8. Missing You (Music Video)
9. Higher (Music Video)
10. Notorious (Music Video)
11. All Fired Up (Music Video)
12. My Heart Takes Over (Music Video)
13. 30 Days (Music Video)
14. What About Us (Music Video)
15. Gentleman (Music Video)
16. Disco Love (Music Video)
17. Not Giving Up (Music Video)
18. What Are You Waiting For? (Music Video)

Ariana Grande Announces Deluxe Tracklist, Unveils Target Bonus Version

After announcing and revealing the album covers for the deluxe and standard edition track lists of her second studio album, My Everything, Ariana Grande announced that Target will carry a super deluxe version of the album. This new version includes 2 additional bonus tracks (on top of the 3 deluxe version tracks). The Target version will include a slightly revamped cover that's pink tinted with shades of gray. See all the covers below (pink is Target, Gray is standard, and navy plus is deluxe) plus all three track lists. A special deluxe Japanese version includes "Baby I" (a song that featured on Grande's debut studio album) for no particular reason.

Standard Edition

1. Intro

2. Problem (feat. Iggy Azalea)

3. One Last Time

4. Why Try

5. Break Free (feat. Zedd)

6. Best Mistake (feat. Big Sean)

7. Be My Baby (feat. Cashmere Cat)

8. Break You Heart Right Back (feat. Childish Gambino)

9. Love Me Harder (With The Weeknd)

10. A Little Bit Of Out Heart

11. Hands On Me (feat. A$AP Ferg)

12. My Everything

Deluxe Edition

13. Bang Bang (Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj)

14. Only 1

15. You Don't Know About Me

Target Extra Bonus

All of the above +2 more songs.

16. Cadillac Song

17. Too Close

Jhené Aiko Announces Album Release Date

R&B/Soul singer Jhené Aiko has announced that she will release her debut studio album, "Souled Out" on August 25th... in direct competition with Ariana Grande's My Everything. The album comes preceded by "To Love & Die (feat. Cocaine 80s), the album's leaded singles. Aiko previously released her debut mixtape Sailing Soul(s) in 2011 and her 2013 debut EP Sail Out. Apparently she likes souls and sailing. No announced track list or cover yet.

Come back for more posts soon!

That's it for this edition of a new feature called Album Development, where I dive into news about upcoming large releases. Keep it here for more updates!