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Pop Rock Nation

Category: Releases

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  • Her Name Might Be Nicole, But She’s A Pussycat Doll

    One of the “it” girls in music over the last few years has been former Eden’s Crush member and current Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger. She was featured everywhere from magazine covers to award shows and seemed to be the next breakout star. After helping Diddy get his groove back with his biggest solo hit in years Come To Me, it seemed like a done deal. With an exotic look, a decent enough voice to make it in music today, and with Pussycat Dolls’ hits in her back pocket, it seemed that the world was ready for Nicole.

    But something happened on the way to super stardom. The album, titled Her Name Is Nicole, was finished and singles had been released including Whatever U Like and Baby Love. But both failed to spark the necessary fire that Interscope and Scherzinger wanted and the album was delayed.

    On Nicole’s website, she posted in her blog on February 12, 2008 that she’s grateful the album was pushed back.


    I know you have all been waiting patiently for the release of “Her Name Is Nicole” and I want you to know that I am actually grateful the album has been pushed back. Yes, I REALLY mean that. You see, I want to make sure this album is the best I can make it because I owe that to myself, and to all of you, to release the best music I possibly can. I hope you all continue with me on this journey because it will be worth the wait.

    In a sense, it reminded me of Claudette Ortiz who was the lead singer of a group called City High that had a hit song in 2001 called What Would You Do. Much like Scherzinger, Ortiz had breakout star written all over her. Wycle Jean featured her on his single Two Wrongs. She also joined him on a track called Dance Like This, which became more famous because Wyclef and Shakira redid it and called it Hips Don’t Lie. I’m not sure what Ortiz is doing musically today.

    As for Scherzinger, she’s back with her Pussycat Dolls sisters with an album scheduled for later in the summer. The first single is When I Grow Up, which you can listen to below.

    Will Her Name Is Nicole ever drop? If it does, expect it to be largely different than what she already recorded if history is any indication. Usually these days, artists push back albums because their tracks get leaked and aren’t received well (this happened to Usher’s album that eventually became Confessions). In Scherzinger’s case, actual singles were released and the album was delayed. Instead of waiting for the delayed solo album to drop, she’s moving on as evidenced by the new Pussycat Dolls record. The question is, if PCD doesn’t duplicate their previous success, will people still want to hear Nicole as a solo?

  • New Music In Stores & Online: 5-27-08: Usher, Al Green & More!!


    It looks like the quality of music releases will be picking up a little bit this summer, with everyone from Coldplay to Robin Thicke putting albums out. The season kicks off with a bang, as the long-awaited follow up to the biggest selling album of the past five years or so hits stores.

    Usher-Here I Stand: Did Justin Timberlake make people forget about Usher? I don’t think so, but JT has gotten the lion’s share of accolades and publicity even though Ush’s last album, “Confessions”, sold double the amount TImberlake’s “FutureSex/LoveSounds” did. “Confessions” is also the most recently released album to be certified diamond (for shipments of 10 million copies) and it was the last album to sell over a million units in it’s first week…not to mention it was a better album. All this to say, Usher is the *real* current King of Pop, and “Here I Stand” is much more highly anticipated than folks may think. He’s already scored a #1 with “Love in This Club”, and “Here I Stand” is supposed to be a trip through the mind of a married family man. Let’s see if Mr. Raymond can jolt some life into a depressed industry.

    www.usherworld.com

    Al Green-Lay it Down: I’ve had this argument with many a friend. Who’s the greatest soul singer of all time? Whether the mention goes to Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder, Al Green is a name that always makes it into the Top 2 or 3. Reverend Al has the smoothest voice in musical history, sounding like butter melting atop a stack of pancakes. After a handful of stabs at contemporary pop & R&B, Al has settled into a comfortable recording routine, and “Lay it Down” is his third album in the last five years. The production is handled by The Roots’ Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson and James Poyser, who promise to bring an organic, sympathetic sound to Al’s music. Regardless of the production, anything Al utters is worth hearing. Guests include Anthony Hamilton, John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae.

    www.algreenmusic.com

    Cyndi Lauper “Bring Ya To the Brink”: Although she didn’t quite deliver on the promise set by her 1984 debut, “She’s So Unusual”, Cyndi Lauper has created quite an interesting body of work over the past quarter-century, dabbling in styles ranging from rock-etched material to standards. “Brink” finds Cyndi hitting the dance floors hard. She’s no Al Green, but she does have one of the most distinctive and powerful voices of any female singer around, and everyone needs a good danceable album for the warm weather, so this album might be worth checking out!

    www.cyndilauper.com

    Elsewhere, rootsy singer/songwriter John Hiatt returns with “Same Old Man”, electronic/ambient combo Spiritualized resurface after a half decade with “Songs in A&E”, and the soundtrack to “Sex & The City” hits stores, featuring tracks from the aforementioned Al Green as well as artists ranging from Fergie and Jennifer Hudson to Jem and Joss Stone.

    Happy shopping!

    Oh: get your full list of this week’s releases here: http://www.pauseandplay.com/cdfront.htm

  • The Miseducation of James Todd Smith

    L.L. Cool J
    So it was recently announced that “Exit 13”, the (natch) 13th album by rap legend LL Cool J, will be released this summer. Most LL fans have been pretty disappointed with the emcee/actor’s recorded output of late. The law of diminishing returns has definitely come into play. Quite simply, his last two albums were total crap, and the first single from his new one doesn’t bode well for the future.

    The fact that in 2008, LL Cool J is releasing a song called “I Cry” featuring singer Lil’ Mo is a bit of a head scratcher. After all, didn’t Ja Rule (last seen scratching his head, wondering what happened to his career) release a song called “I Cry” featuring Lil’ Mo seven years ago?

    It gets worse, folks…the song finds LL, who I might add is 40 years old, reciting tired street platitudes over generic production. It’s quite disappointing, and the fact that LL has joined forces with 50 Cent for at least part of this album disturbs me. Even when he wasn’t as far from his Queens roots as he is now, he didn’t pander to the lowest common denominator in his music. Now, it sounds like he doesn’t want to innovate musically, he just wants a hit. And it doesn’t even sound like he has an idea of what a hit is anymore. Completely disappointing.

    Hear it for yourself: http://www.llcoolj.com