david guetta feat taio cruz, ludacris and jessie j - sweat / little bad girl / without you (live @ 2011 mtv ema awards)
[it's a rollicking medley by david guetta and friends. kind of digging jessie j's version of 'without you' instead of the usher one... just saying (*cough*...re-release...*cough*)]
taio cruz - telling the world (rio soundtrack)
[it's a totally pleasant animated film track that hits all the right notes for a cheesy pop song! i'm a fool for pop, so this is pretty darn cool!]
taio cruz feat kylie minogue - higher
[i probably wouldn't have given this song too much notice were it not for kylie's involvement. as usual kylie looks AMAZING and the song is just your standard catchy dance pop song that is overwhelming the charts these days. oh did i mention kylie is in this vid?]
mcfly feat taio cruz - shine a light
[further proof that a good song doesn't discriminate, boy band mcfly have written themselves a perfect single that just ranks as one of the best pop tracks out at the moment. i've never really had any thoughts about these guys, but now that they've hit my radar, i am a (better late than never) fan!]
estelle feat kanye west - american boy [link 2] [this wonderful second single by uk rapper/singer estelle is not only produced by will.i.am (isn't it weird how he continues to produce better songs for artists other than himself), but also features kanye as a collaborator. damn! moolah is being spent on this gal and all this effort sure is working! love her!]
leon jean marie - bed of nails [link 2] [leon jean marie seems to be part of this new breed of acts that incorporate retro uk influences with soul funk to create something completely their own (see david jordan). produced by a certain mark ronson are you surprised this track has all these diverse influences involved?]
funkerman - speed up [link 2] [considering that this tune is at least 2 years old and STILL causing buzz really tells you that a good song is hard to squash. disco-y and soulful, this usually falls under club music, but strip away the beats and you have a really wonderful tune here!]
sam sparro - black & gold [link 2] [there's something really complex about this song (even though it sounds like 'fever' pt 2) and much has to do with sam's intricate vocal harmonies mixed in with a chilled out sexy groove. though the track has been around for ages, it continues to snake around in my psyche and linger. genius.]
taio cruz feat luciana - come on girl [link 2] [though taio cruz has been making a name by doing ne-yo uk knockoffs, he ends up getting the biggest hit of his career by merging the current electro craze with soul music. the end result now sounds like a craig david knockoff. sigh... the guy just can't win!]
though the following acts have produced underwhelming content (whether musically or visually), i want it on record that i'm actually a fan and just want them to do better!
[now that you've seen the misguided video (i mean, c'mon, a shot of a watch when she sings 'time'!), check out the fabulous live performance at the VMA's a few weeks back...]
alicia keys - no one [link 2] [it actually took this performance above that convinced me how much i really liked this song. this also proves that alicia is a far better live artist than a video one.
kanye west feat t-pain - good life [link 2] [how commercial does it have to get? well in the case of kanye, bringing the lame vocoder stylings of hitmaker t-pain is the ingredient for success. am i the only person not into his latest album graduation?]
nicole scherzinger feat will.i.am - baby love [link 2] [simplistic melody, middle of the road sentiments, do YOU think head pussycat doll nicole scherzinger is doing a good job of going solo? this video just makes me want to go to the beach, NOT listen to the song. all i can say is release the neyo penned 'sway' already.]
taio cruz - moving on [link 2] [trying so hard to be the 'next' neyo, uk artist taio cruz has shamelessly released two tracks that sound like tossed aside demos of the 'ney-ster'. how do you spell bland? apparent with a 't' and ending in an 'o'.]
sugababes - about you now [link 2] [how shiteous can a video be? the yellow outfits, the lame guy jumping over everything, the mediocre pop song. where is the edge that we loved about this group? bring them back!]
