Beyonce 1 song away from finished album.

2011 is set to be another Beyonce year in music! The former Destiny's Child member is set to release her latest offering later this year and it will surely dominate every chart and award show thereafter! *vomits* Sia, the creative genius behind Christina Aguilera's 'Bound to You', was asked to contribute to the album but it appears that it wont happen this time as the album is one song away from completion and scheduling conflicts have prevented Sia from getting to the project in time. One thing is for sure I wont be rushing to the CD shop for a copy of this album, 3 albums down the line and Beyonce has not enticed me even a little to care for her music, although I would go to her concert much like I would go to Lollipop lounge. Similar concept no? Sex sells and nobody knows it more than B! I hope for Beyonces sake that the hype surrounding Lady Gaga has died down by the time this record is released, if not I foresee a chart battle and I kind of think the freakshow will win. Just saying

Lil Kim beheads Nicki Minaj on Album Cover

Lil Kim and Nicki Minaj seem to be providing the most entertaining beef for 2010/2011 and it does not seem that it will come to an end any time soon. On the cover of Kim's latest mixtape there is a pink wig as trademarked by Miss Minaj laying in a pool of blood. 2pac is dead, apparently, and with him went the rap wars and beef of the 90's, it is just so unrealistic in this commercially driven day and age to buy this fake crap, as opposed to drive by's and shoot outs this beef is taking place by dissing each other on twitter! really ladies?. Anyway the beef will undoubtedly ensure decent sales for both artists, the most of which Miss Minaj has already experienced.

The Best Female Singers in the Game Today!

We live in the era of Katy Perry, Rihanna and Ke$ha, yet not one of these ladies can deliver a decent live performance if their lives depended on it suprisingly however they rack up number 1 after number 1. It is because of this fact that I decided to dedicate a post which celebrates the real and noteworthy (pun intended) talent of the ladies in the music industry, the ladies who do not rely on studio gimmicks to sell a CD. Most major publications such as Rolling Stone have released similar lists and it is important to bear in mind that it remains an individual opinion and that everybody has different taste. The criteria for making my list was rather straight forward: technical vocal ability, quality of live performances and ability to convey emotion in song.

It was incredibly difficult to complete this post and I have reworked it at least a dozen times, but here goes:

1) Mariah Carey

 There was no difficulty in determining the number one voice in the game since she has defined a generation of music and her 5 octave voice is known worldwide. She has topped every major chart and holds the title of 'Best selling female recording artist of all time'. I wont be the first or last person to admit that Mimi's voices is not what it was 15 years ago but that said she can still sing 'circles' around all of the artists in the game today. Now that is a stonewinner!

2) Lauryn Hill

I can not say I cared much for unplugged or any song that she raps on but when this woman sings it is simply amazing. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill remains one of the greatest albums ever made from both a vocal and lyrical perspective. Lauryn please come back to us and leave the weed alone see!

3) Jazmine Sullivan

If it was 2008 Jazmine would probably have topped this list! I can still vividly remember the day I first heard 'Need U Bad', I was convinced it was Lauryn Hill who had finally returned to music! Jazmine's first album 'Fearless' was an absolute stonewinner from start to finish and easily managed to place Jazmine in the legend rankings. Her second album 'Love Me Back' is just as brilliant and showcases this young lady as a world class singer. Her contribution to dying RnB music can be seen as keeping the genre alive.

4) Christina Aguilera

Certainly the voice of her generation and an undisputed vocal powerhouse. Her technique is sometimes questionable as Xtina is prone to over sing her songs but still her vocal ability is unreal. Her latest album 'Bionic' is not for the faint hearted but the songs 'Vanity' and "Little Dreamer" is a smash and worth a listen. No other artist can deliver breath taking vocals while shaking their ass like Christina can in the industry today. Christina is legend sorry Gaga you are...well...not!

5) Jojo

She arrived on the music scene at the tender age of 12 with her bubblegum pop smash hit 'Leave (Get Out)', which I maintain is the prelude to 'Irreplaceable'. Jojo is a tiny girl with unbelievable soul and capable of Mariah like whistle notes. Interestingly, Disney created the concept of Hannah Montana with Jojo in mind but she turned them down to focus on her music and than goodness for that, her talent surpasses these Disney exports of today. To listen to just how talented she is go give her song 'Paper Airplanes' a listen.

Jojo remains criminally underrated both critically and commercially but she does not let anything or anyone get her down and December 20th 2012 sees the release of her second mixtape "Agape"! Keep on keepin on Jo! Her previous mixtape Cant Take That Away fis well worth a listen!

6) Paulini Curuenavuli

Most people have never ever heard of this artist let alone her music and that remains a travesty. Paulini is a finalist of the first season of Australian Idol, her vocals can be compared to Whitney Houston meets Leona Lewis. She is a natural talent and does not rely on screaming to deliver a song. If you have never heard her music go and look for her on Youtube right now! Come on! Go.!

7) Leona Lewis  

 X factor alumni Leona has undeniable vocal ability but I cant help but feel that her career peaked with her debut album. Her second album was utter rubbish and should never have been released. She need to step away from her reality show winner image and find her own musical identity. Also, enough with the Mariah comparisons, Leona can sing but do not push it!

8) Camile Velasco 

 This girl is another Lauryn Hill comparison waiting to happen, but that is only one aspect of this talented singer. She has more versatility than Lauryn does and she easily sings music from most major genres in music today. I love that she has maintained her Hip Hop and reggae influences in a world dominated by euro pop. This is another artist you must hear. Go Check Youtube now!!!!

9) Stacie Orrico 

 She started out as a christian pop artist in her teenage years but hit mainstream with her second self titled album which spawned hits like 'Stuck' and 'More to Life'. She cites Brian McKnight as one of her major influences and you can hear that in her music, she has a soulfulness that is beyond her years. With her distinct 4 octave voice I do not think we have seen the last of Miss Orrico.

10) Mariechan Luiters 

The only South African to make the list, Mariechan is one third of South African urban pop super group Jamali. Her tone is the most distinct within the group and her natural tone is simply sublime. She sings with such ease and her vocals deliver during live performances as well. She is undeniably the voice of the group. She has recorded some solo songs for EMI which received airplay on radio and we hope to get a solo album some time in the near future.

Honourable Mentions
Whitney Houston
Monica
Alexandra Burke
T.K
Jennifer Hudson
Alexis Jordan
Jordin Sparks
Tamia
Katharine McPhee
Kelly Rowland
Tiffany Evans

Who would make up your top 10?

Featured Artist- Alexis Jordan

This weeks featured artist is 18 year old Americas Got Talent finalist Alexis Jordan.In 2006, Jordan auditioned for the first season of America's Got Talent. She sang Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing" at her audition and made it through to next round, only to be eliminated in the semi-finals. After being eliminated from the show, Jordan and her family moved to Atlanta to be closer to the music industry. While there, she began to upload cover songs on YouTube while submitting demos. By 2008, Jordan's YouTube page was racking up millions of views. The exposure led Jordan to the attention of production team Stargate who called her to fly over to New York and record a few songs with them. It wasn't until rapper Jay-Z walked into the studio and then signed Jordan to StarRoc/Roc Nation. Her debut single 'Happiness' has peaked at #3 in the U.K and Australia where it has received platinum certification. Her self titled debut album will be released at the end of February in most parts of the world but a stateside release is not on the cards just yet.  





Her talent is undeniable and her vocals are strong, as is evident in her audition below:

Her single 'Happiness' is typical euro bubblegum pop which is the trend right now and her management were clever to jump on that, that said you can still hear that this girl can sing and throws shade to many of her label mates like Willow Smith a.k.a 'I whip my lack of talent back and forth'!

I predict big things for this girl, well outside the U.S anyway!

Destiny's Child Reunite!

Okay well the heading may be just a tad misleading! LOL. The multi-platinum group do not intend releasing new music anytime soon, although all 3 members are hard at work on their solo releases scheduled for later in 2011. The ladies did however reunite for a birthday lunch celebrating Kelly turning 30! The fact that they remain friends gives us just a little hope that the biggest selling girl group ever might reunite as a group some day soon!

Music- Who Made Bank 2010

Here is the list of the top earners in the music industry for 2010, the majority of these artists made their money from touring and endorsements since the internet has crippled music sales! Shockingly Beyonce didnt manage to crack the top 40!

40. Rihanna- $4,473,304

39. Sugarland- $4,478,705

38. Alicia Keys-$ 4,693,696

37. Michael Jackson-$ 4766283

36. Susan Boyle-$4,770,339

35. Daughtry-$4,852,769

34. Muse- $5,812,629

33. Elton John- $7,160,887

32. Reba McEntire- $7,199,374

31. George Strait- $7,361,898

30. Nickelback-$8,542,208

29. Brooks & Dunn-$ 8,698,351

28.”Glee” Cast- $8,830,710

27. Rush- $8,990,258

26. James Taylor- $8,995,614

25. Carole King-$9,131,527

24. Lady Antebellum- $9,161,199

23. John Mayer- $9,275,991

22. Cher-$9,613,175

21. Toby Keith-$9,872,996

20. Eric Clapton-$ 10,230,660

19. Phish- $10,520,240

18. Eminem- $11,211,140

17. Jay-Z- $11,636,462

16. Racal Flatts- $11,958,021

15. Usher- $13,249,179

14. Tim McGraw- $13,494,734

13. Carrie Underwood- $13,501,387

12. Brad Paisely- $13,955,990

11. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers- $13,997,727

10. Paul McCartney- $ 14,180,842

9. The Black Eyed Peas- $ 16,823,576

8. The Eagles- $18,304,214

7. Michael Buble’- $ 19,813,232

6. Taylor Swift- $20,730,431

5. Justin Bieber- $22,492,565

4. Dave Matthews Band- $23,942,353

3. Roger Waters- $24,489,675

2. Bon Jovi- $30,441,776

1. Lady Gaga- $30,559,342

American Idol Season 10 Top 40!

American Idol 10 Top 40

Aaron Sanders – Age: 26 – Audition City: NY/NJ – Hometown: Atlanta, GA – Made it to the Top 50 on AI7 – Photo – Road to Hollywood


Alexander Ryan – Age: 17 – Audition City: NY/NJ – Hometown – Glenrock, NJ Video, Video – Road to Hollywood


Ashthon Ahmirr’ Jones – Audition City: Nashville – Hometown: Nashville

Brett Loewenstern –  Age: 16 Hometown: West Palm Beach, FL


Brittany Mazur – Age: 21  Hometown: Tuscon, AZ -  Former Ms. America Outstanding Teen – Age: 21 – Hometown: Tucson, AZ  

Casey Abrams -   Age: 19 – Hometown: Idyllwild, CA – Audition City – Austin, TX

Chris Medina – Age: 26 – Hometown: Oak Forest IL – Audition City: Milwaukee 

Clint Jun Gamboa – Age: 26 – Hometown: Long Beach, CA – Audition City: San Francisco -  

(Michael) Colton Dixon – Brother of  Schyler Dixon below – Age: 19 – Hometown: Murfreesboro, TN – Audition City: Nashville – Audition Song:  Hanging by a Moment by Lifehouse –

Deandre “Kamele” Brackensick – Age: 17 – Audition City: San Francisco 

Erin (Eryn) Kelly - Age: 20 – Hometown: Bradenton, FL/Long Island, NY – Audition City: New Orleans – Audition Song: Killing me Softly with His Song by Roberta Flack 


Haley Reinhart –  Age: 18 Hometown: Wheeling, IL – Audition City: Milwaukee -

Hollie Cavanagh – Age: 17 – Hometown:  McKinney, TX – Audition City: Austin TX



Jacee Chipcoon Badeaux – Won this year’s Baton Rouge Idol – Was in the Fantasia Youth Choir – Age: 15 – Hometown: Lafayette, LA – Audition City: New Orleans 


James Durbin – Age: 21 -  Hometown: Santa Cruz, CA – Audition City: San Francisco
Jacob E. Lusk Audition City: Los Angeles 

Jerome Bell –  Most Featured in the AI promos – Age: 27 – Hometown: Lubbock, TX – Audition City: Milwaukee 

Jessica Cunningham – Made it to the top 50 on AI9 and Hollywood on AI8 – Tried out for Idol 7 times – Hometown: Portland, Maine – Audition City: New Jersey 


Jimmie Allen – Hometown: Franklin, TN – Audition City: Nashville

John Wayne Schulz –Age: 23 – Hometown: Kansas City, TX – Audition City: Austin, TX 

Jordan Dorsey – Age: – 21 – Hometown:  La Place LA – Audition City: New Orleans 


Jovany Barreto – Age: 23 – Hometown: Harvey LA – Audition City: New Orleans 


Julie Zorrilla –  Age: 20  Hometown: Los Angeles, CA – Audition City: San Francisco 

Karen Rodriguez –Hometown: New York, NY – Audition City: Los Angeles/Facebook 

Kendra Chantelle Campbell – Age: 22 – Hometown: Maryville, TN – Audition City: Nashville – 

Lauren Alaina Suddeth -  Hometown: Chattanooga, TN – Audition City: Nashville



Lauren Turner – Made it to Hollywood in 2004 – Hometown:  Slidell, LA – Audition City: New Orleans – 


Lakeisha “Keisha Renee” Lewis – Hometown: Los Angeles, CA – Audition City: Los Angeles 

Miss Jackie Wilson -  Age – 28 – Hometown: Nashville 

Naima Adedapo –  Age: 25 – Hometown: Chicago, IL – Audition City: Milwaukee 

Pia Toscano – Made it to Hollywood on Season 6 (Was featured) – Hometown: Howard Beach, NY – Audition City: New Jersey 


Paul McDonald –   Age: 25 – Hometown: Franklin, TN – Audition City: Nashville, TN




Robbie Rosen – Age: 16 – Hometown: Merrick, NY – Audition City: New York




Scott (Scotty) McCreery – Went to the same high school as Clay Aiken (Garner High school) – Age: 16 – Audition City: Milwaukee 

Stefano Langone – Age: 21 – Hometown: Kent, WA Audition City: San Francisco  

Ta-Tynisa Wilson – Hometown: Chicago – Audition City: Milwaukee

Thia Megia –  Was on America’s Got Talent – Age: 15 – Hometown: Tracy, CA – Audition City:  Milwaukee 

Tim Halperin – Age: 26 – Hometown: Ohama, NE and Fort Worth, TX – Audition City:  Los Angeles 

Tiwan Strong –  Age: 29 – Hometown: Chicago, IL – Audition City: Milwaukee