Lightyears

Jessica Simpson is set to release her debut Country album on September 9! The album will be titled “Do You Know”, which is also a song on the album, and is a duet with Dolly Parton. For more information on her album, log on to www.jessicasimpson.com . Here’s the video clip of her top 20 song, “Come on Over”, the song that created a Billboard history for the highest debut for a non-country artist.

Elva is back with Virgin Music! She never should have left anyway, since she was really well treated over there. Anyway, I was really looking forward to hearing her new music, until when I finally heard it…

As much as I do not want to compare her current album to her previous Virgin Music albums, I am pretty much forced into doing so. Firstly, her vocals are not as strong, in the sense that she glides through some notes, and quite a bit of lazy singing here and there. It was really obvious on her first (and final) album with Warner Music, “1087″. She probably needs better producers…

Ballads used to be one of her strengths, but recently they prove to be one of her weaknesses. Even with rather good songs like “Chong Dong”, “Shi Guang Sui Dao”, “Zhi Hou” and “Ni Kan Bu Jian De Di Fang”, she doesn’t really shine. She needs to be more sensitive to the lyrics and song I think.

On the other hand, the quick tempo songs sound much better. The first single off her album, “I’ll Be There” is one of the better tracks on the album, and is paired with a great mv. The oriental-infused urban track of “Baby Girl” is also not bad. Same for “More More More”.

Overall, I think Elva needs to do some work on her vocals. Song choice is rather ok for this album, what it lacks is the vocalist she used to be.

3 out of 5

I’ll Be There:

Chong Dong:

 More More More:

Liang Ge Ren De Ji Mo:

I think Mariah Carey, or Mimi, really knows how to make music, and make it relevant in today’s world. E=MC², the latest work from Mimi, really sounds great. It still has a great music mix from great songs for clubbing to great ballads.

On first listen I was rather disappointed, given that the album was so hyped about, and also very much the most anticipated album of the year. It also didn’t help since a lot of people who previewed it gave it all thumbs up! After listening continuously for the past 24hrs, I think it is really a great album!

“Migrate” starts the tone for the whole album, very club-ish, and tunes that are rather sexy, urban, and the beats and all are just perfect! Will only touch on the other tracks that I really love on first listen, i.e “Touch My Body”, “I Stay in Love”, “I’m That Chick”, “Thanx 4 Nothin’ “, “O.O.C”, “I Wish You Well” and of course, “Bye Bye”.

“Touch My Body” needs no further introduction, I mean it created (pop) music history. “I Stay In Love” sounds great, and in my opinion, is the real “We Belong Together Part 2″, in terms of the whole feel. Not sure about lyrics-wise though…

“I’m That Chick” was mentioned here some posts ago, and as much as it sounds simple, it has a cheeky feel to it. A very enjoyable number.

“Thanx 4 Nothin” ” is a wonderful ballad, with a bit of sarcasm used I believe. I just love it when MC sings her lungs out!! Haha!

“O.O.C” is probably my favourite fast number in her entire album! Hope she releases this as a single because it would probably shoot up the charts! The beats, the tune, the arrangement are just in perfect harmony! You have to listen to this song!

“I Wish You Well” is the only song with very simple accompaniment, and it ends the whole album nicely. She shows her vocal prowess on this track (probably the only one where she does her whistle-register in the tune). Very nice song.

And lastly, “Bye Bye”, the 2nd single off E=MC² is unbelievably amazing! Probably a “One Sweet Day Part 2″! Hope it creates history again as the 19th number 1 single for Mariah! I teared like crazy just reading the lyrics. I think people can really relate to this song. The best track of the album!

I think she got the formula right (again) this time round! I think Mariah Carey has become synonymous with Good music and Good Urban/ R&B music. While she does some music that she likes, she still doesn’t forget her fans and what the people want to hear. A truly amazing album! Go get it!

(4 out of 5)

Mariah Carey just created history by surpassing Elvis Presley last week to become the recording artiste with the #2 most #1s in history! I think “Touch My Body” was rather lucky to become a number 1, as much as I like it, because I don’t really like the live performance & arrangement of this track. Nevertheless, it’s still number 1!

Anyway, her next single is supposedly “Bye Bye”. This song sounds like a number 1 hit to me, and hopefully it will be! Although I don’t think it was really a live performance, the recorded track itself sounds good enough.

Just realised that her album would be released on the day of my first examination, i.e. 15th April!

Anyway, amazon.com has short preview clips of each of her song in her new album. Not sure about the link though..

Just read The Straits Times and found out that 2 Singaporeans, Chuando and Frey actually shot the album pictures for Ms Janet Jackson for her latest album ‘Discipline’. Although I personally think the album cover looks a bit frightening, I think it is really wonderful to know that Singaporeans’ work are being used for something so big!! I think I might just get the album because of this reason, and probably also since I really like ‘Feedback’ a lot. And also because she was mentioned to be a very nice person! All the wrong reasons to buy an album, but well, I haven’t bought an English album since Leona Lewis’ Spirit!

I cannot wait for Utada’s new album “Heart Station” which will be released this coming week in Japan, and one week later in Taiwan, and hopefully the rest of asia. Her last offering “Ultra Blue”, which was released back in 2006 was amazing, and I think HS would be a great follow-up. Her album would include singles that were released over the past year, including the world number 2 (for digital sales) “Flavour of Life” the recently released “Heart Station”, “Stay Gold”, as well as “Boku wa Kuma”, “Beautiful World” and “Kiss & Cry”. One would probably have heard half her album then, but it would be still worth buying nonetheless! Her music is ever so different from other artistes in the world I dare say, and it is amazing that she creates new “sounds” on each album!

In addition, she is rumoured to be working on her sophomore English album, a follow-up to “Exodus” which was released way back in 2004. It wasn’t really well-received, although I think that was an amazing album, and sounds more futuristic than Justin Timberlake’s “Futuresex/Lovesounds” album. Anyway, 2 more weeks to getting her album!!

 On another note, Ken Hirai has also released a new album, titled “Fakin’ Pop”, his first studio offering since 2004’s “SENTIMENTALovers”. He is another Japanese artiste whose music I enjoy a lot. Probably one of the finest male singers in my opinion, at least in Asia. Similar to Utada, most of the songs in his album are made of single that were released over the past year(s), including the “Elegy”, an amazing heartfelt track. His album is out now! Go get it!

It’s been quite some time since I heard an amazing voice, and I have to say Leona Lewis’ voice really blew me away. I have never watched “X-Factor” but somehow I got to know of her voice and name, through my friend. I would say her delivery is somewhat like Whitney Houston’s and Celine Dion’s, just that she has a Mariah Carey-like voice. At times, she sounds like Kelly Clarkson too. God knows where she has been all this while.

Her debut album, “Spirit” (the first album I bought this year!), is a collection of ballads, with only some mid-tempo songs. The former is probably what she does best, and the whole album is full of them. Her first single “Bleeding Love” is a great song, with great beats, and somewhat catchy too. A great song to introduce her to the world!

For a new artist, it’s amazing how sensitive she is towards the lyrics she sings, and to deliver songs without overloading them with emotions is trully stunning. And it helps to have a voice with great clarity too. My favourite tracks have to be “Here I Am”, “Bleeding Love”, “Whatever It Takes” and “Footprints in the Sand”. I can’t wait to hear what she has to offer in time to come!

Rating: 4 / 5