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Pop Rock Nation

Category: News

music-news-from-breakups-to-the-lastest-buzz

  • First Listen: Kristinia DeBarge “Goodbye”

    debarge

    That last name looks familiar, doesn’t it?

    Well, it should. Newcomer Kristinia DeBarge is the daughter of James DeBarge, who was 1/5 of the act containing his three brothers and sister back in the early Eighties. For those who can’t pick the members apart, he was the one who was briefly married to Janet Jackson.

    Anyway, Kristinia’s debut single is called “Goodbye”, and it’s pretty interesting insofar as that her record label sounds like they’re trying hard to pitch her as the next Rihanna. First, there’s the look. Same skin tone, similar facial structure. Then there’s the song itself. Using the well-known “nananana…hey hey hey” refrain from the Steam song “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye”, it’s bound to appeal to kids who’ve heard the original song at a sporting event or something of that nature. Musically, it bears distinct similarities to Rihanna’s “S.O.S.”, from the song’s tempo to the bed of icy synthesizers that dominates the arrangement.

    Folks, because I’m a good guy and it’s Friday, you will have three videos to feast your eyes on.

    First up, here’s a YouTube vid playing Kristinia’s song while the lyrics flash on a screen. Guess they haven’t shot an actual video clip yet…

    Here’s Rihanna’s “S.O.S.” video. Check out the similarities, huh?

    That song’s still a banger. Finally, here’s Kristinia’s dad in action as a member of DeBarge. Look for them in an upcoming installment of Respect Due.

    James is fourth from the left, right before lead singer El.

  • First Listen: Rob Thomas “Her Diamonds”

    robthomas

    I, like everyone else, got sick of Matchbox 20 real fast. Hearing “Push” and “3 AM” at all hours of the day and night wore me to pieces. It got even worse when Rob paired up with Carlos Santana for “Smooth”, which won a bajillion Grammy Awards and was #1 for, like, a year. Then something happened.

    Rob improved by leaps and bounds as a singer and a songwriter. Matchbox’s second and third albums were superior examples of pop songcraft, and Thomas started to sound…almost soulful. Then, inevitably, Thomas went solo. His debut album “…Something to Be”, had a few nice ballads, but his songwriting wasn’t always on the “A” game (it’s still worth getting if you can find it cheap). He returned to his band for a greatest hits album, and now he’s back for solo Round 2.

    The new album’s called “Cradlesong”, it comes out June 30th, and if you hear Rob tell it, will have some sort of experimental flair to it. He mentioned Paul Simon’s “Rhythm of the Saints” as an influence, which made me shudder a little bit, but I think as long as he doesn’t lose his gift for melody, he’ll at least be worth checking out. Anyway, the first single is called “Her Diamonds”, and while it’s not “If You’re Gone” or “Bright Lights” or “Ever the Same”, it’s still pretty decent. Check it out.


  • Chart Chat 4/22/09: The Ascension of Hannah Montana

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    It’s a good time to be Miley Cyrus. Not only is she achieving film success with “Hannah Montana”‘s soundtrack, but the movie’s soundtrack rises to #1 in its’ third week on the Billboard charts, scanning over 133,000 copies. This catapults the album past Gold status, with about 554,000 copies sold in four weeks.

    The chart’s light with debuts this week, as things relax a bit following the big Easter rush. Diddy’s Day26 settle for a #2 debut with their “Forever in a Day” album, scanning just over 113,000 units. The only other debut in the Top 50 comes from rock band Silversun Pickups, who are new at #7 with 43K.

    Most albums on this week’s chart nosedive in sales this week, but there are a select few that buck the trend. Kings of Leon’s American breakthrough, “Only by the Night”, moves up 31-18 on a 4% increase to 20K, while other albums that show staying power include Darius Rucker’s “Learn to Live” (+6%) and 3Oh!3’s “Want” (+10%). Jennifer Hudson’s performance on “American Idol” last week spurs a 36% jump in sales for her eponymous debut, which moves 103-42 on this week’s chart.

    On the singles side, the biggest news is a #3 debut for Eminem on Hot Digital Songs with “We Made You”. The Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow” and Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” hold the top two positions.

    Next week, Rick Ross should lead the charts, with expected high debuts from the likes of Depeche Mode and Asher Roth.

    This week’s Top 20 albums (courtesy of Billboard Communications)

    1) Soundtrack “Hannah Montana: The Movie”

    2) Day26 “Forever in a Day”

    3) Rascal Flatts “Unstoppable”

    4) Soundtrack “Twilight”

    5) Various Artists “Now 30”

    6) Jadakiss “The Last Kiss”

    7) Silversun Pickups “Swoon”

    8) Lady GaGa “The Fame”

    9) Jason Aldean “Wide Open”

    10) Taylor Swift “Fearless”

    11) Diana Krall “Quiet Nights”

    12) Keith Urban “Defying Gravity”

    13) Keri Hilson “In a Perfect World…”

    14) Nickelback “Dark Horse”

    15) Prince “Lotusflow3r”

    16) U2 “No Line on the Horizon”

    17) Carrie Underwood “Carnival Ride”

    18) Kings of Leon “Only by the Night”

    19) Kelly Clarkson “All I Ever Wanted”

    20) The-Dream “Love vs. Money”