From the Ashes of NLT, Rises...

One Call?

A new boy band has been formed by legendary music manager Johnny Wright (*NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Jonas Brothers, Britney Spears, even my girls in PYT for a brief period of time), attempting to make up for the absence left by NLT's pre-debut album release break-up. The group will be called One Call and is set to feature former NLT member Justin (formerly nicknamed "JJ") Thorne. From what I gather, fans were expecting V Sevani, another NLT member, to also be in the group, but alas, this appears to not be so.

The group will also feature Chris Moy and Jose Bordonada, who were also involved in another false start boy band, the revamp of Menudo, who had a (very) modest hit with "Lost" back in 2008 (although - it was pretty good, especially the Spanish version) before being dropped from their label. Well, Ricky Martin surely used Menudo as a springboard...maybe these boys will too. Sidenote: Menudo, NLT and V Factory all toured together in 2008 via a promotional tour dubbed "Bandemonium" (but should have been called "BoyBandemonium"), which is surely where these boys met each other.

A fourth member, Anthony "AG" Gamlieli, is also involved, although he has no previous boy band experience. The group is already involved in the recording process, reportedly working urban producer Darkchild (obviously going after NLT's r&pop formula).

Despite the fact that no music has been leaked/released, and no formal record deal has been signed, the group already has over 1000 fans on their MySpace, and a dizzying amount of MySpace street teams and fanpages. This is all since the page first launched about a month ago, and it still remains starkly sparse.

You tell me? Are you psyched for another boy band? I think these boys are up against stiff competition starting from scratch now against V Factory and Varsity Fanclub (even if the latter recently suffered a lineup switch -- swapping Thomas for another Thomas...how ironic) who have both been together for several years now...I'm more interested in hearing Travis Garland's solo stuff, to be honest. Although, I recently heard Travis has signed a management/production deal with Joe Simpson, father of Jessica Simpson and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, and it makes me a bit worried for his future prospects. Because that worked so well for Ryan Cabrera. ::shakes head::

Please note, the picture used in this article is property of Tommy2.net, who is amazing in everyway for teen pop news! :)

Why do you think they call me Melisimatic?

I honestly don't know what's come over me over the past few months. Blame it on Taylor Swift, I guess, because pop-country music has slowly started seeping its way back into my iTunes rotation.

Don't get me wrong -- I am a ride-or-die pop and R&B chick for life. But Taylor Swift, sometimes pitchy, always kind of nasally, and all, managed to change my perspective on poppy country tunes.

For the readers who are a little bit younger and aren't as familiar with 90's Top 40, which was when I really came into consciousness musically, Shania Twain was all over the place (and the charts). Her Come On Over album alone stands as the best selling country album of all time (although her genre title of "country" is a bit unfair -- she is very arguably a pop artist). Take a listen and tell me it doesn't feel good. It was because of Taylor (and the Jonas Brothers' completely bewildering cover of "I'm Gonna Get You Good") that I began to revisit Shania's tunes and they are just as fantastically pop/country as they were then.

First Taylor, then Gloriana, the country group that will soon be touring with Taylor that also features former solo singer Cheyenne Kimball, and now, the girl I truly believe could be the true second coming of Shania -- Jessie James. While Taylor and Gloriana still seem to be very country with a potential for pop crossover, Jessie James walks the line between pop and country unabashedly just like Shania did just a scant few years ago, and the tracks that I have heard are very reminiscent of that. Why, you ask? Because Jessie, like Shania and unlike Taylor, has a stronger, more melodic voice that I find much more enjoyable than listening to "Should've Said No" anyday. In fact, Jessie is downright Christina Aguilera-esque at times...especially in this upcoming album track, "My Cowboy".

The first I heard of Jessie was a track called "Blue Jeans" for the Confessions of a Shopaholic soundtrack. It was modestly good, a bit too country-fried for my tastes. Then came the first single, "Wanted", which fizzles with poppy honkey-tonk. The chorus gets stuck in my head so often, its borderline ridiculous. (And FYI - it was co-written by James and Kara DioGuardi -- she strikes again!)

The second single, "Bullet" (co-written by that gnat that just won't go away, Katy Perry -- I really think she should stick to writing for other people), will hopefully continue her momentum as "Wanted" is somewhat of a slow burner. However -- she could burst out of nowhere just like her labelmate, Kristinia DeBarge...It also has the adorably country and bottom-line amazing line: "Why do you think they call me Jessie James?/Too much trouble, better stay away/.../I'm a bullet and I'm headed straight for your head/Be careful what you start".

Here we go with the Guilty Pleasures again...

It seems to be very clear, even in my own apartment (with my two roommates, not with me) that Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" is very popular. I won't begrudge Ms. Cyrus that the song has a sweeping chorus, and has the staying power to expose to the Taylor Swift-influenced market. But if she isn't belting out poppy goodness like "See You Again", I'm kind of disinterested.

I am however very much interested in the career path of one Ms. Demi Lovato. Like the majority of the world, I was first introduced to her thanks to the comedy of errors that was Disney's Camp Rock. Lovato played Joe Jonas' love interest. Since then, she has been catapulted onto the fast track with her debut album, Don't Forget, mostly produced by the Jonas Brothers themselves or their "people", as well as her own comedy sitcom on Disney titled "Sonny With A Chance". I'll admit to not watching the show. Her acting chops leave much to be desired, but her voice, at the right moments, is downright piercing.

It's unfortunate that she will always have that Disney tag to her, because if she came up any other way, people would see her for what she really is. She writes her music, she plays guitar and piano, and she sings from the gut. Isn't this Taylor Swift's appeal? The difference is, Demi is a sanger, while Taylor's voice sometimes verges on being gratingly offkey.

"Get Back" was a passable teenpop track, and "La La Land", although it is too throwaway pop, had a good message behind it's lyrics. The third single, "Don't Forget", was my real favorite from the album for its raw and intense lyrics. I saw Demi live when I saw the Jonas Brothers on tour this past summer (yes...don't hate), and I was shocked by just how intense she is when she performs. It's a downright rarity in her genre, let alone in pop music in general.

While none of her singles have had the impact on the Top 40 radio that she probably deserves, she dove right into working on a sophomore album -- which she recently announced via Twitter this past week is due in stores in late July. I found this to be ridiculously fast, but whatever floats Disney's boat. Two of the songs are slated to be co-written/co-produced by John Mayer (what is with teenpop girls and their adoration with John anyway? Demi, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift...mind boggling) The first single, "Here We Go Again", should be hitting radio waves somewhat shortly.

And on a similar but sort of different note, Ashley Tisdale's sophomore effort, Guilty Pleasure, has been pushed back a week due to her promotional obligations in Europe. Or something. Maybe it's really because the first single, "It's Alright, It's OK", hasn't made much of an impact at all at Top 40 radio or the Hot 100.

I have gone on the record several times stating my love for Ashley and my anticipation for her sophomore work. Then I heard "Alright" and my excitement dimmed. The song is sort of baffling considering how glitterpoppy her debut, Headstrong, was. "Alright" instead delves into new-ish territory, attempting to copy the current Max Martin staples provided by P!NK and Kelly Clarkson with absolutely no success.

However -- my excitement started to renew this past week when another new track from the album, the namesake "Guilty Pleasure", leaked. And it is 1980's pop tastic. It actually sounds like it belongs in some kind of timewarp next to Bananarama (which -- per PopJustice -- are supposedly coming out with something new? for serious?). Color me confused, Ash. Alas -- per her Wikipedia page, the song will only be released as a bonus track in Japan. Ridiculous, considering the album bears the same title -- so I'm hoping it's just a typo. She should be releasing more stuff like this than knockoff Kelly Clarkson cuts if she ever hopes to be noticed as something else beyond Sharpay Evans.

As more information continues to pour out about the release, the entire album is slated to be co-produced by Tisdale and Twin, the production team behind the incredibly edible V Factory first single "Love Struck." So....I suppose she has that going for her. We're just going to have to wait and see...

The Satz 'Work' It

As of late, I never paid much attention to current music videos unless they were of songs I adored and by bands I cared about. Hence, the excitement over The Saturdays "Work" video. Ready...set...GO!

SideNote: I'm so glad they decided to go with the original titling and leave the name as "Work" and not "Work Work" as several people were tagging it. I think their comparisons to the Pussycat Dolls are dull and ignorant, to be sure, but I'm also sure they would get pegged with them due to their new single being annoyingly titled "Hush Hush; Hush Hush". I think they really should have just called it "Hush 4X".

Anyhoo -- the video premiered a few days ago, and once again, it makes me salivate at the prospects of these girls coming to take over America. Heck - if Girls Aloud won't, we need a five piece girl group that's just as good, and considering GA's work as of late, I think The Satz are starting to eclipse good ol' Aloud.

The video serves the same premise as kinda as V Factory's "Love Struck" (see the previous post), as it's basically the girls "work"-ing it in some kind of warehouse. The main difference is the five girls are situated on a T-shaped catwalk, and as each girl sings her part, she struts down the line. Maybe I was just never paying attention before, but I love that this song allows all of the girls to sing lead, even if it is just for a few seconds. So many groups only allow two group members to sing lead, or even just one (PCD) and it's almost like what's the point in having the other girls if only one or two sing? Here, The Satz prove once again that they are more than just fierce, pretty faces.

While V Factory's video reminded me of *NSYNC's "Tearin' Up My Heart", this one reminds me of Five's "If Ya Gettin' Down". Anyone? No? Just me?

At the end of the day, this video could have been completely awful and I wouldn't have cared a bit. Why? Because "Work" was my absolute no questions asked favorite song off the album, Chasing Lights, from the first second I listened to it. In my humble opinion, these girls can do no wrong, from "If This Is Love", to "Up!" and now this. Heck, even "Issues" grew on me even though I felt it was a strange choice for a single. Here's to hoping this Ru-Paul-like 5th single is the one that gets them their first #1. They are completely and totally overdue.

PS - Una (the redhead who riffs toward the end) gets extra brownie points for rocking that neck cuff thing and still looking posh while being a dominatrixy. And I suppose Frankie (the dark, short haired brunette) gets some as well for working that belly shirt toward the end and showing off her abs. Who knew?

V Factory. Yeah.

Ladies, it's time to revel in your fangirliness. The USA's new answer to the 90s-2000's boyband is here, and their name is V Factory.

The music video for their first single, "Love Struck" (which was written by Swedish popstar Darin), finally saw the light of day this week. You can check it out below.

As the music is cued up during the intro, I get goosebumps. It's eerie and reminiscent. Nothing about the music video is terribly new, but seeing the five boy formation dancing along to a bouncy Swedish pop song brings me back to my younger years, and for whatever reason, it reminds me of *NSYNC's "Tearin' Up My Heart" video set to a Backstreet Boys "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" sound. Perhaps it's because it is set in a warehouse (like *NSYNC's aforementioned video) but because this is 2009 and we're in the height of a economic recession, it's darker and eerie-r and features more seductive pouting than *NSYNC's silly goofy camaraderie back when Clinton was President. In fact, the dancing in the shadows reminds me quite a bit of New Kids on the Block. Anyone else get that callback?

I was hoping that when the chorus finally presents itself a minute in the boys would be bathed in dizzy amounts colorful light or something, maybe under a discoball (cheesy? sure. but is this dancefloor pop? most definitely). Maybe that's because ever since I first heard the song several months ago, I always closed my eyes and rocked out like I was at a Swedish discotecque. Hmmm. So I find this slightly anticlimatic. Same goes with the random videogirl dancing on her own.

However -- kudos to V Factory for providing the US with the guilty pleasure boyband pop, and for letting more than just two of your members sing lead.

PS - Does anyone else find the blonde, Wesley Quinn, to look quite a bit like Jesse McCartney in this video? Or maybe Nick Carter? Maybe it's just me...

Back In the Day: No Scrubs

I'm a little late to this juncture (something I tend to keep repeating, but look for an influx of posts over the next few days as I begin to hit the ground running for a real job search), but here is the much overdue next installment of Back in the Day.

While 2008 threatened to be the year of the new boyband (Day26, NLT, V Factory, Menudo, Brutha, Jackie Boyz, etc.), 2009, now halfway through is shaping up to be the year of the chick band. And I say chick, not "girl", because the groups that are shaping up seem to be a smattering of street-smart chicks, rather than the hyper-innocent pop groups that sprouted up in the earlier part of this decade (I'm looking at you, Innosense). We have lots of potentially good stuff to look forward to -- Electrik Red, Sophia Fresh, Paradiso Girls, Jada, Candy Coated Chaos, heck -- even Girlicious and the Pussycat Dolls, as much as I'm a bit unsure to state this, are churning out floor-stomping hits that make you feel cool and sexy to be a woman (I still feel Doll Domination was a pretty poor bow, but "Hush Hush; Hush Hush" is turning into one of my new jams, and I'm not afraid to admit it).

This takes me back to the girl groups of yore who were so cool, you envisioned yourself being one of them, dancing and swaggering around beside them. Destiny's Child certainly had a hard-to-surpass reign in the early 2000s, but there would have been no DC3, if there hadn't been for a little group called TLC.

For every person who is a pop, r&B and girl group fan, TLC is an absolute must. In fact, it pains me to think that this trio of incredibly talented women only released four albums of original material with its original members.

TLC was comprised of Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez and Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas. The group made their debut back in 1992 on the now legendary LaFace label with their album, Ooooooohhh...On the TLC Tip. The best known single from the album was their debut single -- "Ain't 2 Proud To Beg". The majority of the album was produced by Dallas Austin, properly solidifing his career as an r&B producer. He would go on to work with Blu Cantrell and P!NK.

However, TLC's career would go to all kinds of new heights with the release of their sophomore album, Crazysexycool, in late 1994. The album provided r&B classics "Diggin' On You", "Red Light Special", "Creep", and of course, the monumental and epic "Waterfalls". Both "Creep" and "Waterfalls" went to #1 on the Hot 100 chart. It was this album that first truly introduced me to the girls, and I knew every word to "Waterfalls" (including Left Eye's rap). I still do.

Despite their success with the album (it has sold over 15 million copies worldwide to date), TLC filed for bankruptcy the following summer after its release due to bad business deals.

Fans had to wait for what felt like an eternity for the group's third album -- FanMail -- which finally saw release in February of 1999. The holdups were varied, ranging from baby drama between Chilli and producer Dallas Austin, and questions of solo projects. However, once "No Scrubs" saw the light of radio, there was no turning back -- and it was one of the many reasons why 1999 was such a glory year for pop.

The song introduced several new slang terms into the cultural lexicon, the most obvious being the term scrub which was omnipresent as "bringing sexy back" was in 2006. The song also won the group two Grammy Awards that year -- one of them being for Best R&B Song. It was written (and produced) by She'kspere, who is woefully under-represented in today's very urban-twinged pop market, as well as two members of fellow R&B girl group Xscape. Aside from his work on Destiny's Child's sophomore and breakthrough album The Writings On the Wall, and the *NSYNC track "It Makes Me Ill" off their No Strings Attrached album, I don't know of much more of his capabilities.

"No Scrubs" saw at the #1 position on the Hot 100 from April to early May 1999, sitting at the top for four weeks, sandwiched inbetween Cher ("Believe") and Ricky Martin ("Livin' La Vida Loca") in the hit timeline.

Fanmail is overall my favorite TLC album in terms of content, although it would be totally remiss to not suggest CrazySexyCool into everyone's iTunes playlist. Other tracks worthy of listening include "FanMail", "I'm Good At Being Bad", "Silly Ho", "Dear Lie" and of course, "Unpretty", which also went to #1 and would be the group's last.

The group's final and fourth album, 3D, which included the moderate hit "Girl Talk", was released in late 2002, a little more than a half year after Left Eye was killed in an automobile accident in Honduras that past April. She was in the country for a charity mission, and footage from her visit there, including disturbing film footage from inside the car as it crashed was aired in a documentary, entitled The Last Days of Left Eye, broadcast in 2007 on Vh1. Since Left Eye's death, TLC's legacy continues on in its influence on current pop, r&B and urban music, and a mix of their greatest hits, dubbed Now and Forever: The Hits was released in 2005.

Naked Marble Babies

This is proof positive that the Jonas Brothers don't deserve all of the flack they receive, and why I find them so darn endearing.

Behind-The-Scenes with Jada

I've been a little MIA due to the fact that I officially graduated from college this past Saturday! :) I've sent the questions to Jada and hopefully we'll hear a response soon. In the meantime, check out this cool widget I was sent featuring the girls. You can listen to their first single, "American Cowboy", produced by RedOne, and check out pictures and the music video, as well an exclusive behind-the-scenes video with the girls.

Check out the widget here.

Submit Q's For JADA!

As you may have read by my Twitter, I didn't get in to The View to see En Vogue. Super bummer. I will be trying again for the show tomorrow (if the weather cooperates). However -- in a quartet harmony girl group transition:

I received an email from Universal Motown's girl group, Jada (their MySpace is here) about doing an interview them. If you read this blog on occasion, you probably know how much I love these girls, and how much I've been looking forward to their popaliciously RedOne and Insomniax produced debut. Their first single, "American Cowboy", was my 23rd most played song of 2009 (so far) . So, to get the honor to interview them is a definitely something that I want to pass on to you all.

If you have a question you'd like answered by the women of Jada, leave it here in a comment or e-mail it to me at LeAnna.Christiansen@gmail.com. Any and all questions will be accepted (within reason, obviously). Please do this as soon as possible, as I would like to send questions out to them by the end of the week.

While you're thinking, check out this video of the ladies breaking their single "American Cowboy" down acapella style at a radio station near my hometown! If you're not won over by their adorability and sheer talent, there is something truly wrong with you. :)

Radio Roundup

It's been a super long while, and there's a lot to talk about. :) First: the stuff that is directly related to me...

+ If you didn't catch my previous post, I have posted a mixtape of songs by the artists I got the chance to work with at my internship, which has officially ended. So you might wanna check that sucker out.

+ Candy Coated Chaos posted a performance of "Masquerade" from a recent show to their YouTube. Go watch the goodness. And if you haven't already downloaded their latest, "Utopia", on iTunes what are you waiting for?

+ Tomorrow, I will be attempting to make a second appearance on The View. To stay abreast of the developments in ridiculous detail, keep an eye on my Twitter. The reason for my attempt? En Vogue will be performing! Hopefully THIS song. Or this one. Heck, any song by them would be effing amazing.

NOW, moving on to other things:

+ A ton of new music has leaked and I've never had time to post about anything that I've been interested in. It's time to remedy that....

• Cobra Starship, who I've never paid much attention to before, has just put out a new single with that brunette from 'Gossip Girl' (who apparently sings now?). It's called "Good Girls Go Bad", and it's pretty cookie-cutter power-pop emo glitter. Which means it's passable but nothing extra-ordinary.
• The new single from the Brothers Jonas, entitled "Paranoid" and rumored to be a stab back at Taylor Swift, has begun making the rounds. While the sound is definitely new and different for Mickey Mouse's favorite band of bros, I'm not so sure I'm feeling it. Maybe some of you will be happy to hear that. I'll probably still get the new album though. I'm a sucker for Italian boys with guitars.
  
• Green Day's new single, "Know Your Enemy", has been out for a while, and their new album is due out quite soon. I'm not the biggest Green Day fan, but I always felt like they couldn't ever top American Idiot, and "Know Your Enemy" kind of proves it with its repetitive chorus. Despite this fact, I still find myself playing it. ::shrugs::
• Daughtry's latest single, "No Surprise", should come as "No Surprise" to everyone, because it sounds like all of their other stuff to me. I mean this in a good way, it'll just take some time to grow on me. It wasn't as awesome incredible as when "It's Not Over" first came out, but I suppose it's a passable first sophomore single.
• Kaci, who I only really remember for a random cheese-pop cover of "I Think I Love You" several years ago, has reappeared again with a new single called "Crazy Possessive" that I adore. There are two versions floating around -- an electropoppy one and a hip hop-ish one. Both versions are the ish, and the lyrics are so catch-phrase-y (especially "Call my man again and I'm a (silence) you up"). Sidenote: it's strange to hear her all grown-up. Her voice is much deeper and raspier than I recall...more P!NK than JoJo, if it makes sense...not that she sounds like either of those, but you know what I mean. She almost sounds Katy Perry esque...kinda.
  
• My girl Mandy Ventrice is prepping a release of "Hussy", and has premiered a remix dubbed the 'Let It Burn Pyro Remix' that glorifies how awesome that song is, but also how awesome Mandy's voice is. The remix hasn't outrun the original cut for me just yet, but it's still good stuff. You can listen to it at her MySpace.
• I never would have thunk it several years ago, but I'm actually kinda interested to hear the rest of Hilary Duff's new material after hearing a rip of "Any Other Day", a soundtrack single for her upcoming film. I was never too keen on Hilary back in her glory days of "Come Clean", etc, but ever since I heard "With Love" in those ever-prevalent perfume commercials, I decided I should maybe give her another look. The entire Dignity album really shook me, and I gave her props for wanting to do her own thing on a label that clearly wanted cookie cutter pop. Now free from her Hollywood Records restraints, Hil is taking what she did on Dignity to a whole other level. "Any Other Day" is interestingly dark, but still glitters with electro-y sparkle. Go on, girl!
• I'm sure I will mention this again once the video actually drops, but Universal Motown is really upping it's game with its pop artists. First, Jada, and they are now repping their latest solo darling, Tina Parol. Tina claims she's most influenced by Queen and Blondie (which is awesome), but I don't really hear it in her Ashlee Simpson-esque power pop. She also will be doing several dates with Forever the Sickest Kids and Cash Cash. However, the first single, the kitshy "Who's Got Your Money" is frighteningly catchy. Plus -- my roommate is a dancer in the video. :) So...when that does drop...I will give her proper fame. Ha.
• Tynisha Keli is getting a little bit of buzz on the blogs. Her Japan-only released debut album dropped a few weeks back. I'll admit to being late to the party with her - I first heard about her after seeing her in Ashley Tisdale's top friends list on MySpace about a month and a half ago. The album is pretty run of the mill but a handful of tracks get a constant repeat on my iPod - especially "Shatter'd" and "Walls Up".
  

[Free MixTape] A Tribute To My Internship

There is no question that college helped me grow into the person I am today: driven and confident in my career aspirations. But it was the past three months I spent at spoke of a major label that solidified any lingering questions I might have had about pursuing this crazy, winding path that is the music business.

Here you will find a mixtape of artists I got the pleasure of working with. I will not post artist names or track names, as I do not want this to get flagged for copyright violation. It ranges in style from pop, pop rock, rap rock, hip hop and singer/songwriter pop. It will only be up for a few days, so get it while you can. It features six of the label's seven official artists (the seventh was only just signed a month ago). This is in tribute to the past three months! Here's to the future, ya'll!

>GRAB IT here. Limited Time Only

ARTIST ONE (Tracks 1-2)
This is the label's undisputed biggest artist, who everyone and their mother should and do know. It was first drove my interest to the label. I can't say I had the pleasure of meeting them (unfortunately), as they were sort of in an off period while I worked at the label. The three tracks are my three favorite songs by the band. Fans would be happy to know that a new album is on the horizon -- probably late this year or early next year.

(1) was their most recent real "hit" radio wise, and features a particular popstar in dispute right now...

(2) was my favorite song from their most recent effort (which went 2X platinum -- 2 million sold in the US), and the version I've included is from their recent remix album that was released just before I began working at the label. It features one of my favorite R&B divas of all time that I saw in concert this two summers ago...

ARTIST TWO (Tracks 3-5)
This is the label's second biggest artist -- and its success shocked even the President (of the label, not Mr. Obama). They have sold almost 1.3 million copies in the US, and are beginning to solidfy themselves as rock mainstays. I first heard of this band thanks to one of my closest college friends, who is a big rock head -- we all affectionately refer to her musical taste as "sacrifice your dog and punch babies". This group is not quite as intense, though. They had a pretty big Top 40 radio hit here, too, which is included. Their second album is due out either late this summer or early fall -- with a first single coming VERY soon. I've heard a bunch of new tracks while in the office -- and if you like Paramore, you will dig them.

(3) was their big radio hit -- and the song that turned me on to listen to the rest of the album.

(4) was written by the lead singer, who I had the pleasure of meeting, about the Colombine school shootings.

(5) was my absolute favorite song of the entire album.

ARTIST THREE (Tracks 6-8)
These crazy guys are the label's current darling, charting on the Top 200 since their album dropped late last year, and still selling around 25-30K a week. If you haven't heard of them yet, you either: (1) will, or (2) only listen to pop. They have made a big name for themselves in the rock radio arena, especially among the scene kids. I'll admit that as a pop diva myself, I was a little hesitant to their music in the beginning. But after spinning the record many times, I have to say that they do have a pop appeal, kind of Linkin Park meets Eminem. If you can get past the sometimes brutally explicit lyrical content (sorry -- I only have explicit versions), I'm here to tell you that after meeting these guys in person -- they are every bit what they swagger to be. They are completely, entirely and unequivocally insane. But some of them are really sweet, too. They just don't want you to know that part. :) And for those of you who fear they might be a bit too much for the average pop listener: their average fan is 14 and female, and they have been described (in a "negative" way) as being Nine Inch Nails meets *NSYNC. And hey -- they won me over.

(6) is their current radio single, and surprisingly politically minded. It speaks like an anthem for today's youth culture -- and I find the video particularly poignant. It is by far my favorite song by them, and is probably their most serious.

(7) is definitely a good sum up for what this group preaches to be about: hanging out, clubbing, drinking, picking up girls and Los Angeles. Done and dusted.

(8) is arguably their most "emo" song in terms of lyrical content, but its the lyrics that make me like it so much -- probably because a lot of people in the "scene" community find it so relatable.

ARTIST FOUR (9-11)
This artist is making a huge name for himself based on his music that breaks down barriers between style, genre and culture, and also for his political stance toward what is currently going on over in Africa, his old home. His entire album is good, from beginning to end, and was released while I was here - so I got to see the process happen in real time -- and documented that here on the blog (see "Life of an Intern"). Currently, he's relatively underrated -- and it's criminal. I see big things happening for him -- and if they don't, it is proof positive that the hip hop community has abandoned completely what it was created on. I also got to meet him -- and he was very sweet.

(9) features samples from Ethiopian folk songs, and he rhymes about the REAL hood back in Africa. Bet you haven't heard that from a rapper in awhile.

(10) features a searing guitar backdrop provided by the right hand man of one of rock's biggest and most legendary groups in recent memory (HINT: they were the ones who brought illegal downloading to the forefront...get me now?). And it's ridiculously catchy.

(11) is currently his main single going toward Top 40 adds (he has another different single going for Rhythmic adds that's more uptempo and features the lead singer of ARTIST ONE). It is 456% my favorite song on the the entire album. But let me tell you -- the recorded version does not even begin to do justice to how it is when you see it live!

ARTIST FIVE (12)
This singer songwriter has been with label the longest except for Artist One, and the label is currently trying to re-vamp up the energy behind his project in anticipation for the release of his second full record later this year.

(12) is his most recent single, and reminds me of a very very stripped down vibe of Gavin DeGraw's latest release if it had a baby with Jason Mraz or Jack Johnson's latest efforts.

ARTIST SIX (13)
In a super exclusive and possibly legal-inducing move, I present to you the one track I have by this artist. They are still in super super development mode, and hope to release a single in the late summer. They will join Artist Two on the road quite shortly, and are drawing comparisons to Coldplay, OneRepublic and Thriving Ivory. The album still isn't finished.

(13) will will not be their first single. It's just a hype song. I have a pretty good idea of what will be the first single, but I do not have a copy of it -- I'm pretty sure it's being held down by lock and key.

V Factory is LOVE STRUCK, NLT is just EFFED Up

The Good News:

The full video for V-Factory's incredible "Love Struck" should be coming soon.

The Bad News:

...and people - this is not a drill. NLT has broken up. So now we'll never get to hear the incredible things the could have done. Frowny face. And if you don't believe me, believe Travis Garland, one of the former group's frontmen, who IMO has a real potential for a solo career...

"There's been a lot of rumors going around about "the end of NLT". I've been really wanting to clear things up, but that wasn't up to me. There was a lot of things going on that had to be cleared up before this statement could be written. Thank you all for your patience & for your understanding...

Is NLT done?
There's no easy way to say it.. but yes. Unfortunately, the group is done. We aren't together anymore. Being in NLT has been a dream come true for me & I know it was for the other boys too. Thank you, all of you, for helping us to make that dream a reality. As much as a few people might think the blame lies with one person, it doesn't. It doesn't rest on my shoulders. Just like it doesn't rest on kevin's. Just like it doesn't rest on jj's, or on v's. There's no sense in pointing the finger at anyone, because you have to understand that everyone involved wanted this to work & put their heart and soul into their efforts to make it work. Blaming someone may make you feel better about it.. but the simple fact is.. one singular person didn't cause this. It took a complicated mess of things to break up NLT. The label wasn't prepared to spend more money on the group. There was a legal situation holding us back. Kevin got a great opportunity that would require a lot of his time. At some point you have to sit back & evaluate the big picture. Where do we go from here? Given the situation.. we didn't have many options. Sometimes it's just not meant to be..."

I have to say I kind of saw it coming. We haven't heard anything really new from those boys in a very long time...To read the whole thing, check out Travis Garland's MySpace.

Welcome to Utopia!

+ Forgive me if I'm in and out over the course of the next month or so. I'm in the process of procuring an apartment in the Big Apple, AND looking for full time employment, and will be going home to graduate college in a few weeks. A full plate indeed. Keep me in your prayers, please. And now for lighter fare:

+ Chris Daughtry & crew will be playing new material on 'American Idol' on next Wednesday's show, as the week is "rock" themed. They are set to play their first single off their sophomore release, due for a July release, called "No Surprise." Slash of Guns N' Roses fame will serve as "mentor" and No Doubt will also perform, "Stand and Deliver" no doubt. Ooh, what a clever pun!

+ In more new first single news, the Jonas Brothers have confirmed the title of their upcoming fourth album to be Lines Vines and Trying Times (which to me sounds like a bad Fall Out Boy title but...to each his own, I suppose). Either way, I probably will get it the first week. Yeah, I know...They state they are going for more of a Kings of Leon vibe...which is...interesting. The first single will be titled "Paranoid" and will be premiered to fans during a webchat via Facebook. You gotta give it to those boys -- they always find a way to talk directly to their core fanbase. You don't see most groups do that...

+ Beyonce's "Halo" and Flo Rida's "Sugar" bounce into the Hot 100 Top 10 for the first time (the latter being this week's Sales Gainer). Mr. Rida's other single, "Right Round", is also #5.

+ A remix EP featuring six (new titled) "Boom Boom Pow" remixes by the Black Eyed Peas will be released this Tuesday. The remixes include cuts that feature 50 Cent, Gucci Mane, Kid Cudi and David Guetta. The song continues to dominate the Hot 100 (for four weeks now), as well as the Pop 100 and Canada's Hot 100 chart.

+ I can't not talk about the fact that Depeche Freakin' Mode's new album debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart this past week. "Wrong" is really growing on me. However, it was Rick Ross that managed to dominate the charts and beat out Miley Cyrus for the #1 position, and is also the Hot Shot of the week. Asher Roth also debuted high, at #5. Lady Gaga rises one spot to #7 with "The Fame" and is the Greatest Gainer of the week. Day26 sinks to #8 (after being #2 last week) with Forever in a Day, and for reasons unbeknownst to anybody, the Twilight Soundtrack, now twice platinum, proves itself to be the only "older" title in the Top 10 (the other being Lady Gaga, which came out a week prior).

+ And of course, the real reason why I posted: Candy Coated Chaos' 3 track 'Utopia' EP is now available via Amazon.com and will soon be available on iTunes so keep your eyes peeled. Go buy it - or the bed bugs will get you. Because I will have sicked them on you. Yes, really.