Need to Hear: Kendrick Lamar's Self Revolving "i"

I've never been a real big fan of Kendrick Lamar, but something about his latest release ("i") just feels special. It's not hard core rap, but its not something that doesn't count as rap either. It's a nice balance between grungy roots of Hip-Hop/Rap music and the stripped down works of R&B/Soul, something you don't see in a critically acclaimed rapper that often.

"i" has a funky beat and an instantly recognizable and catchy chorus. I can definitely see this becoming a massive success for Lamar, who just became a mainstream artist less than two years with the release of his most successful single to date ("Swimming Pools").

Unfortunately, "i" is likely to be overshadowed by the hype coming off of next week's major releases. See my post here to read more about this. By the way, "i" is predicted to sell just under 80,000 copies by the end of the tracking week (closing, Sunday, September 27th). That should be considered a strong win, given the lesser popularity of rap tracks in this day and age.

Either way, you'll want to give this track a quick look!


Rating: 8/10 (B-)

Mia Martina Returns With "HFH"

Mia Martina is finally back with a brand new effort! After launching two back to back top 10 singles on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50 between 2013 and 2014 ("La La" and "Danse"), Mia Martina returns with a brand new joint that's bound to tung on your heart strings. "HFH", an acronym for "Heart F***king Hurts", has a slower tempo that most of her past works, and is more of a pop approach. Her past three releases have all been geared all toward the dance genre.

While the new single is definitely a step in the right direction, it feels a bit underwhelming throughout. It's extremely unlikely that the track replicates the success that both "La La" and "Danse (feat. Dev)" were able to achieve. Actually, I'd be surprised if it ever made the CDS Music Chart Hot 50.

"HFH" is the third official single (and fourth overall) from Mia Martina's forthcoming sophomore self titled studio album following the official singles "Heartbreaker", "Danse (feat. Dev)" and the buzz single "La La".

Pick of the Day: Salt Ashes' "If You Let Me Go"

CDS Picks has officially been retired and will be replaced with a daily, more in-depth look at a single song. This new feature will be dubbed the Pick of the Day.

Another Englander is ready to take over the world! Following Karen Harding, E.N.V, and a handful of others, Salt Ashes has landed in the spotlight. While her new song "If You Let Me Go" isn't her first ever effort, it's her first to gain a massive amount of support.

Built around a tingling synth base, "If You Let Me Go" sounds like a track straight out of the '90s dance scene. It's a perfect throwback, feeling both inspired and fresh. It's bound to become a massive success.

Listen to "If You Let Me Go" right below!

What are your thoughts on "If You Let Me Go"? Is Salt Ashes ready to take over the world? Let me know below! Come back for another Pick of the Day tomorrow! Have a suggestion or like this feature? Let me know below!

Pick of the Day: Blonde Makes A Splash With "I Loved You"

 

CDS Picks has officially been retired and will be replaced with a daily, more in-depth look at a single song. This new feature will be dubbed the Pick of the Day.

After releasing a string of several successful singles, Blonde, a Bristol based production duo, is finally back with a brand new release titled "I Loved You". The track is the third major label single from the group, after "Foolish" and "Higher Ground", which were both released onto iTunes in early 2014. The new track was premiered exclusively on Mistajam's BBC Radio 1 show on August 28th. The track will be featured on Blonde's forthcoming 3rd studio album, due out later this year via FFRR Records.

Extensively sampling Canadian singer Tamia's 2004 single "More" (from the album of the same name), the track is essentially a deep house re-branding of the original R&B single for modern day audiences. It's a massive overhaul that'll easily appeal to the masses.

What are your thoughts on "I Loved You"? Was Tamia's 2004 single "More" used the right way in this track? Let me know below! Come back for another Pick of the Day tomorrow! Have a suggestion or like this feature? Let me know below!

Pick of the Day: VÉRITÉ's "Weekend"

CDS Picks has officially been retired and will be replaced with a daily, more in-depth look at a single song. This new feature will be dubbed the Pick of the Day.

American singer VÉRITÉ has gone from little known musician to world class musician thanks to her song "Strange Enough" which got critics everywhere talking. Since the release of the song, she's developed a strong fan base and received critical and commercial acclaim for her vocal work.

After just a month of promoting "Strange Enough" (which was eventually able to reach the CDS Music Chart Hot 50's top 10), VÉRITÉ has already moved on to a brand new single. Her new release, titled "Weekend", has already generated much buzz for being both adventurous and for containing straight forward pop hooks, a notable departure from her alternatively based debut. Still, her dramatic and melancholy sound on "Weekend" will easily draw comparisons to other alternative pop artists like Florence + The Machine, and Lana Del Rey.

The indie pop sensation explained the song in a brief interview with Idolator: "Conceptually it came from a snapshot of a scenario. An old friend of mine lived on this quiet, dead end residential street with bright florescent lights. I had the image of us falling down in the stillness of the scene. From the first line, the song winds up being an ode to the nostalgia of how, despite how sick we were or how insane things get, we can take moments from the craziest times and glorify them as absolutely perfect." 

In a similar interview, the singer/songwriter elaborated further on the track: "..."Weekend" winds up sitting in a weird place for me, caught between the exhilaration of 'you could bring me to life' and the reality that we were only fooling ourselves into thinking we were alive while we distract ourselves from reality."

Listen to VÉRITÉ's "Weekend" below and download the song for free through the artist's official Facebook page.

Pick of the Day: Karen Harding Debuts With "Say Something"

CDS Picks has officially been retired and will be replaced with a daily, more in-depth look at a single song. This new feature will be dubbed the Pick of the Day.

Karen Harding, a forthcoming United Kingdom based artist, has jolted the music world with the sudden release of her MNEK produced single, "Say Something". Other than being extremely catchy, "Say Something" has been lighting up music blogs for being one of the most interesting deep house releases of the year. Karen Harding has single handedly separated herself from the rest of the deep house pack thanks to her outstanding vocal work that's reminiscent of Whitney Houston.

Despite coming out with an astonishing product, the song was almost didn't come to life. Speaking about the creation of the song:

"...He [MNEK] got in touch with me and invited me down to London for a session that was due to start at 4pm. But when I was halfway down on the train, he called to cancel as something had come up. I told him "you can't cancel on me, I'm on my way!" So we only had 2 hours, but 'Say Something' came out of that session..."

"Say Something" sounds like an instant hit to me, and should be able to muster a decent run on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50. It has classic R&B sounds as well as UK inspired deep house beats, both of which are successful ingredients by themselves. Imagine how they'd do together. Listen below.

What are your thoughts on "Say Something"? Also, remember to pre-order the track on iTunes UK here. "Say Something" drops on October 26th! Come back for another Pick of the Day tomorrow! Have a suggestion or like this feature? Let me know below!

Pick of the Day: "Pretend" by Tinashe & A$AP Rocky

CDS Picks has officially been retired and will be replaced with a daily, more in-depth look at a single song. This new feature will be dubbed the Pick of the Day.

After scoring a runaway hit with her single "2 On (feat. SchoolBoy Q)", Tinashe is finally back with a brand new single to precede the release of her forthcoming debut album, Aquarius (due out October 7th). The new track, "Pretend (feat. A$AP Rocky)" was premiered earlier on Friday morning and will be released on iTunes alongside the pre-order of Aquarius.

The down tempo tune explores Tinashe singing with a lot less auto tune and an extremely minimal backing beat (when compared directly with "2 On") and shows a different side to the singer. The rap verse from A$AP Rocky is also a lot calmer, which makes for an interesting twist as well.

Despite this, it seems a little bit too average to become another breakout hit. I'm expecting "Pretend (feat. A$AP Rocky)" to completely miss the CDS Music Chart Hot 50, though it could potentially become a Bubbling Under hit (#51-60). Listen to "Pretend" through Soundcloud below.

What are your thoughts on "Pretend (feat. A$AP Rocky)"? Let me know below and don't forget to pre-order Aquarius on iTunes now (due out October 21st). Come back for another Pick of the Day tomorrow! Have a suggestion or like this feature? Let me know below!

Pick of the Day: Nickelback's "Edge of A Revolution"

CDS Picks has officially been retired and will be replaced with a daily, more in-depth look at a single song. This new feature will be dubbed the Pick of the Day.

Nickelback's recent releases (including almost all singles from their 2011 Here and Now), have been a bit softer sounding and specially built for radio. While some of those softer sounding efforts have been among my favorites from the band ("If Today Was Your Last Day", "When We Stand Together"), it's nice to hear a more grungy release for the first time in a while.

"Edge of A Revolution" is easily one of the more interesting releases from Nickelback, and while it doesn't feel like any of the group's past hits, it still feels solid and inspired. Described as a political anthem, "Edge of A Revolution" talks about with political scandals, war and current world events that  have affected people across many countries.

Watch the "Edge of A Revolution" lyric video below.

What are your thoughts on "Edge of A Revolution"? Let me know below and don't forget to mark your calendars for the release of Nickelback's upcoming 8th studio album (currently untitled), which hits physical and digital retailers on November 4th. Come back for another Pick of the Day tomorrow! Have a suggestion or like this feature? Let me know below!

Pick of the Day: Ella Henderson's "Glow"

CDS Picks has officially been retired and will be replaced with a daily, more in-depth look at a single song. This new feature will be dubbed the Pick of the Day.

While her previous release, "Ghost", got a good review from me, it wasn't until the release of "Glow" that I really became impressed. It's no instant hit like "Ghost", but it's powerful, filled with exquisite vocals and just absolutely breathtaking. While it definitely reminds me of Ellie Goulding's #8 peaking  "Burn", it feels a lot more original and a lot less overproduced -- which in this case, is a good thing.

With that being said, do I think "Glow" will become a top 10 hit on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50? Shockingly, yes. It'll be a tough accomplishment for a number of reasons (including lack of US Airplay and Ella's still underdeveloped fan base), but I could ultimately see it becoming an eventual hit and one of the this year's late bloomers.

The music video for the track, which dropped just a few days ago, is much like her previous video for "Ghost", but it feels more full of energy. Documenting the events of a group of friends that party all night, "Glow" embraces the feelings of togetherness and friendship. Just like the rising sun in the music video, Henderson is one of the brightest burning stars (in the music business)... hopefully she'll 'glow' for years to come.

What are your thoughts on "Glow"? Let me know below and don't forget to pre-order Chapter One on iTunes UK now (due out September 21st). Come back for another Pick of the Day tomorrow! Have a suggestion or like this feature? Let me know below! Also listen to the song below.

Pick of the Day: "Chimes" by Hudson Mohawke

CDS Picks has officially been retired and will be replaced with a daily, more in-depth look at a single song. This new feature will be dubbed the Pick of the Day.

Thanks to a highly successful ad campaign launched by the Apple Corporation, "Chimes", a brand new electronic banger from up and coming artist Hudson Mohawke, has become immensely popular overnight. First used in the late July advertisements for the Macbook collection, "Chimes" has attracted lots of critical buzz, which has helped propel it to #3 on the iTunes Electronic Chart and the top 200 overall most downloaded tracks worldwide list.

After opening low on last week's CDS Music Chart Hot 50, "Chimes" could be the next electronic song to become a massive success on the chart. The genre has made a massive mark this year, claiming dozens of chart hits from including "Hideaway" and "Giant In My Heart" by Kiesza (#1 and #3 on the Hot 50), Disclosure's "Latch (feat. Sam Smith)" (#3 on the Hot 50), Secondcity's "I Wanna Feel" (#10 on the Hot 50), Clean Bandit's "Rather Be (feat. Jess Glynne)" (#4 on the Hot 50 and the #1 best performer of 2014 to date) among many more. Additionally, "Chimes" is the only song without any words to enter the Hot 50.

Give "Chimes" a spin below.

What are your thoughts on "Chimes"? Let me know below and don't forget to pre-order the Chimes - EP on iTunes now (due out September 30th). Come back for another Pick of the Day tomorrow! Have a suggestion or like this feature? Let me know below!

Pick of the Day: Maroon 5's "Maps (feat. Big Sean) [Reflex Remix]

CDS Picks has officially been retired and will be replaced with a daily, more in-depth look at a single song. This new feature will be dubbed the Pick of the Day.

While I'm not always fond of sticking a rapper on a previously released pop song just as it's starting to lose traction, the Reflex Remix of Maroon 5's "Maps" is actually a legit remix. Before we get into what I call a legit remix, let's recap "remixes" that really aren't remixes. Some notable reworked tracks include:

- "Don't (feat. Rick Ross)" by Ed Sheeran

- "S&M (feat. Britney Spears)" by Rihanna

- "Til the World Ends (feat. Ke$ha and Nicki Minaj)" by Britney Spears

- "Turn Down For What (feat. Juicy J and Wiz Khalifa)" by Lil Jon and DJ Snake

- "Do What You Want (feat. Christina Aguilera/Rick Ross and R. Kelly)" by Lady Gaga

I could honestly go on forever with these, but I won't. My point is, adding a verse from a new artist doesn't make a song a remix. They need a new term for these kinds of songs.

However, in the case of "Maps" (which spent 5 weeks at #1 on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50 without the help of a remix) the Reflex Remix contains a completely restructured back beat and contains a new verse from Big Sean. Additionally, several lines sung by Maroon 5 frontman, Adam Levine, are switched up a bit. While it's still not quite a remix, it qualifies more than any of the others I've listed above.

I'll be honest in saying that I actually prefer this version a lot more than the original. No it's not because Big Sean drops by, it's because DJ Reflex does. The vocals are sped up a tad bit, the beat has been changed from overly pop-y to trap and rap inspired which is extremely unusual in a pop song. It's get's a little while to get used to, but I'm pretty sure that most Maroon 5 fans would agree that this is a pretty awesome mix.

Check out the official video for "Maps" as well as the official DJ Reflex remix of the song below and come back for another Pick of the Day tomorrow! Have a suggestion or like this feature? Let me know below!

Pick of the Day: Lights' "Portal"

CDS Picks has officially been retired and will be replaced with a daily, more in-depth look at a single song. This new feature will be dubbed the Pick of the Day.

After gaining some much needed attention with her pop friendly "Up We Go", the first single from Canadian singer Lights' third studio album Little Machines, she's back with a brand new track that more reflects her electronic roots. "Portal" sounds like a hand picked Siberia deep cut complete with dark and hazy vocals and soft electronic elements.

It sounds like it could have some crossover potential in the Pop market, but the real reason for the release of "Portal" is to properly introduce new fans that Lights gained with "Up We Go" to her true, unique sound.

The music video for the track fits the personality of the song, being shot completely in black and white and being shot with minimal care and minimal effort so to say. Not that she's done a bad job, but the entire song and video feel like they're genuine and true without going overboard on any one element. It's well rounded. 

Check out the official video for "Portal" below and come back for another Pick of the Day tomorrow! Have a suggestion or like this feature? Let me know below!

Pick of the Day: Michael Jackson's "A Place With No Name"

CDS Picks has officially been retired and will be replaced with a daily, more in-depth look at a single song. This new feature will be dubbed the Pick of the Day.

With the massive success of the first single from Michael Jackson's posthumous XSCAPE, "Love Never Felt So Good (feat. Justin Timberlake)", Epic Records has announced the release of "A Place With No Name" as the second official and third overall release from the late King of Pop's 400,000+ copy seller (as of yesterday, August 13th).

Among all of the possibilities for the next single, "A Place With No Name" is easily one of the smartest choices L.A. Reid and the rest of Epic Record executives could have made (with releasing "Chicago" also being a decent move) to continue to promote the album. Not only is "A Place With No Name" one of the best tracks from XSCAPE, it's also one of my favorite tracks by Michael Jackson in history. 

Hear a little bit about my initial thoughts on "A Place With No Name" directly after listening to "Loving You" during my review of the album as a whole:

"And now we come to one of the funkiest tracks on the album. Not because of its beat, but because of its story - well maybe both. "A Place With No Name" was Michael Jackson's answer to the 1972 smash hit "Horse With No Name" by a band called America. Rejected during two different album sessions, this track finally made its way to release courtesy of a modern update applied by producers StarGate. After a mouthful of Timbaland produced beats, it was nice to see a change in terms of production, with StarGate taking the reigns - and their time. According to official sources, Timbaland spent about a single day mixing each of his assigned tracks, while StarGate took over a week to come up with the production for this song. Luckily it paid off; "A Place With No Name" helps XSCAPE continue to wow me.

Original Version: The original version of "A Place With No Name" seems like a bit of a bore. It's surprising to learn that this "original version" was actually verified by Michael Jackson in 2008, 30 years after its initial recording and 1 year before his death. It seemed a bit simple to be deemed a "completed" track."


As to whether or not "A Place With No Name" will actually become a massive hit... I really have no idea. "Love Never Felt So Good" did reach #42 on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50, which leads me to believe it'll eventually chart for at least a week. All I know is that "A Place With No Name" is one of the first ever Picks of the Day.

Pick of the Day: Katy Perry's "This Is How We Do"

CDS Picks has officially been retired and will be replaced with a daily, more in-depth look at a single song. This new feature will be dubbed the Pick of the Day.

If you guys can remember all the way back to February, I published a post about my prediction for the next song to be released as a single from Katy Perry's #1 album PRISM. If you don't quite remember it, I picked "Walking On Air", "Birthday" and "This Is How We Do" as the respective 4th, 5th and 6th singles. While I ended up being wrong about "Walking On Air", the other two tracks were released back to back as the 4th and 5th official singles.

After the unexpected failure of "Birthday" on charts across the globe (failing to reach the top 20 on approximately 60% of the charts it reached), Katy Perry has decided to aggressively promote "This Is How We Do" to make sure it does render the same fate. So far, her strategy seems to be off without a hitch.

The track, which was officially released on August 12th has soared onto several charts worldwide, including the US Billboard Hot 100 (where it roars 88-66 this week), the ARIA Australian Top 50 (where it enters at #27 this week), the New Zealand Top 40 (where it enters at #20) and several others (all of which it posts massive gains on this week).

Like I said earlier, Katy's campaign for the track has been pretty massive. The track posts gains and debuts on all charts thanks to the successful rollout of the song's official music video. The clip, which features bright colors, tumblr inspired props and splashy backgrounds has accumulated over 27 million views after approximately two weeks of release. In comparison, "Birthday" (PRISM's previous release) has accumulated 36 million views after being in release for approximately 4 months. It's pretty obvious as to why "This Is How We Do" is wiping "Birthday" away: the video for "Birthday" is one of the stupidest videos of the year, and after the massive success of its predecessor ("Dark Horse") a campaign for the track was not sent into overdrive.

Also fueling the success of "This Is How We Do" is the Brillz remix of the track (which received critical and commercial acclaim upon release this past week) and an aggressive poster technique that sees hundreds of posters with the clearly marked "#thisishowwedo" being plastered over the downtowns of major cities such as Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. Additionally, Perry has connected with her fans on a much larger scale than with "Birthday". It's a recipe for success, even if "This Is How We Do" does contain some of the dumbest lyrics of the year. 

See my original thoughts on "This Is How We Do" when it was released as a part of PRISM back in October of last year:

"There are so many ways to explain this banger. In short, it is a giant shout out and list of things Katy loves to do. Another euro-pop song that has major single potential and is a strong stand out on the album. It is like a laid back anthem for summer days and lazy days. In all the nitty gritty details, Katy shouts out her perfect day, including her favorite Santa Barbara taco joint and how she acted when she was younger compared to younger kids now. It is addicting upon first listen and includes many pop culture related things that you pick up on slowly when you start listening to it over and over again. She mentions Mariah Carey, pancakes, Maserati, and even does a shout out to upcoming U.S. band Karmin by copying a line from their current single "Acapella" ("bring the beat back"). The song also features an edgy spoken bridge and has a 90s video game related beat/noise for a few seconds about 1 minute in. A surprise hit!"

So why is "This Is How We Do" the Pick of the Day? Because not only is the track bound to be a success, its also likely to make headlines with its own Brillz remix.