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Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Ray J.

  • New Release of the Week 3/17/09: Les Claypool

    claypoolListening to a Les Claypool album is like getting high without the drugs. The former bass player for Primus (who scored a hit with “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver”) has a playing, performing and singing style that can charitably be called “weird”. After a three year absence, Claypool is back with “Of Fungi & Foe”, the most high-profile in a quiet week for new releases.

    (and see, this is what I don’t get. Take Kelly Clarkson and The-Dream, for example. Why not release them a week apart so both albums have a chance to debut at #1 and fans have a reason to return to record stores? I don’t get it. But, yeah. I said that already.)

    Also new and exciting this week…

    Gabriella Cilmi “Lessons to Be Learned”-This Australian singer was profiled a couple of months back by our own Jason Matos and is now finally getting a Stateside release for her new album.

    Marianne Faithfull: “Easy Come, Easy Go: 18 Songs for Music Lovers”-One of the most striking female voices in music returns with a covers album. I’m not sure what material is being featured here, but her dark, dramatic voice can make anything interesting, so this might  be worth checking out.

    Ray J. “For the Love of Ray J.: The Soundtrack”-After becoming addicted to “I Love New York”, I’ve managed to stay away from most of VH-1’s Celebreality shows. Brandy’s annoying little brother now has one of those shows, which is even more reason to change the dial. Not sure what this “soundtrack” features, but hopefully it’s a reminder that the dude sang before he became a porno actor/media whore.

    Superdrag “Industry Giants”- Superdrag made their initial impression back in ’96 with the song “Sucked Out”, which got an assload of MTV play and was a reasonably-sized hit on the alternative charts. After taking a break in 2003, they are back with “Industry Giants”, an album that features all the original members.

    Get your complete list of new releases .

  • New Releases 4/8/08: Leona Lewis, Nine Inch Nails & More

    Hey Folks,
    Another Tuesday is upon us, with more new music. Here are some of the highlights.
    Leona Lewis: “Spirit”: So, um yeah, Leona won some talent contest in her native U.K. that was created by Simon Cowell. Cowell brought her over to these shores, where she was signed to J Records by Clive Davis, and…if you can think of a smoother entry into the U.S. market, I’d like to hear one. First single “Bleeding Love” has already zoomed to the #1 spot on the American singles chart (after blowing up all over Britain), and this album features production and songwriting contributions by everyone from Akon to the Kenny-G looking dude in Color Me Badd (Sam Watters).
    If you haven’t heard the song yet or checked out the video, here you go: http://youtube.com/watch?v=5-ctIC65PV0
    She’s no Amy Winehouse (or Adele or Duffy or Kate Nash), but if you ever wondered what Mariah would sound like if she were British…
    Nine Inch Nails: “Ghosts I-IV”: Trent Reznor and crew released this 36-track instrumental set over the Internet a month or so ago (actually, closer to two months ago), and it finally receives its commercial release today. While I’m sure NIN fans have already gobbled this up, more hesitant types might want to pick this up. While some tracks are familiar sounding to those who have been listening to NIN for the past twenty years, some songs are downright purty. Does Trent have a future in film scoring ahead (and why does something tell me he’s done so already…did he do the music for “Lost Highway?)??
    P.O.D. “When Angels & Serpents Dance”: I won’t be as obnoxious as I originally intended to be…but for those of you who may still actually give a shit, guitarist Marcos Curiel is back with the band after a one (mmm..maybe two-) album absence, and the band finds themselves on a new label (Columbia). Personally, I was on board for “Alive” and “Youth of the Nation” and promptly found myself right back off of the P.O.D. train.
    Ray J. “All I Feel”: I would say that Ray J. is the highest-charting porn actor in history, but then I’d be forgetting about this: http://youtube.com/watch?v=6wP_kUzaRlY (and yes, she really was a porn star…I’ve seen her in action). At any rate, who’d have thought that an album by Brandy’s negligibly talented little brother would be more anticipated than a Brandy album? Me either. But while Bran defends herself against several legal woes, Ray J. has a Top Ten hit (“Sexy Can I”, an album with guest shots from The Game & Snoop Dogg, AND he bagged Kim Kardashian *and* Whitney Houston. Hats off, dude.
    Other than that, the pickings are a little slim. Was (Not Was), one of the most bizarre funk/pop bands of the Eighties return with “Boo!”, which is their first album in nearly two decades, or since Don Was became the producer in demand for everyone from Bonnie Raitt to The Stones. All you hipsters will be grooving to new albums from indie faves Cut Copy and Tapes ‘n Tapes, and if you still believe in “Girl Power!”, you might wanna check out Spice Girl Melanie C.’s latest solo album entitled “This Time”.
    Happy shopping!

  • Chart Check: 3/15/2008: Usher, Sara Bareilles, Ray J and More!!

    Courtesy of the good folks at Billboard, here are this week’s Top 10 singles and albums:
    Top 10 Singles:
    1) “Love In This Club” Usher feat. Young Jeezy
    2) “With You” Chris Brown
    3) “Low” Flo-Rida feat. T-Pain
    4) “Love Song” Sara Bareilles
    5) “Don’t Stop The Music” Rihanna
    6) “No Air” Jordin Sparks feat. Chris Brown
    7) “Sexy Can I” Ray J. feat. Yung Berg
    8) “Apologize” Timbaland feat. One Republic
    9) “Independent” Webbie, Li’l Phat & Li’l Boosie
    10) “Superstar” Lupe Fiasco feat. Matthew Santos
    Top 10 Albums:
    1) “Good Time” Alan Jackson
    2) “Sleep Through The Static” Jack Johnson
    3) “Discipline” Janet Jackson
    4) “Float” Flogging Molly
    5) “Warpaint” The Black Crowes
    6) “Thriller 25” Michael Jackson
    7) “New Amerykah: 4th World War” Erykah Badu
    8) “Little Voice” Sara Bareilles
    9) “As I Am” Alicia Keys
    10) “Taylor Swift” Taylor Swift
    And now some observations:
    *Anyone notice that among the Top 10 albums, there are 3 Jacksons (and a Jack Johnson)? Now might be a good time for La Toya or Rebbie to start working on those comeback albums.
    *Sara Bareilles, with appearances on the singles and albums chart, is officially the first breakthrough album of 2008. With Alicia Keys and Erykah Badu joining her in the Top 10 (and Amy Winehouse just behind at #11), it’s a good time to be a female singer-songwriter.
    Video for Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song” here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=MR5xv3pt7KI (explicit lyrics)
    *Proof that the gap between major labels and non-major labels is lessening, the two top debuts of the week (at #4 and #5) are both distributed independently. This is Flogging Molly’s first Top 10 album ever, and the Crowes’ first in well over a decade.
    *Usher spends a second week at #1 despite the fact that the video for “Love In This Club” hasn’t even been *shot* yet!! Who needs MTV??
    *And is Ush coming back to snatch the crown Justin Timberlake stole from him?
    *Jordin Sparks is the first “American Idol” champ to score two Top 10 pop hits from one album since…our very first “Idol”, Kelly Clarkson.
    *Backpack rapper Lupe Fiasco scores his first ever Top 10. His second album, “The Cool”, has already outsold his 2006 debut (in only 3 1/2 months of release).
    *Formerly known as Brandy’s little brother, singer/actor/adult film star Ray J. scores the first Top 10 pop hit of his decade-long career with “Sexy Can I”. The last time his big sister hit the Top 10 was back in 1999.