The last time Kelly Rowland and David Guetta worked together, we were treated to “When Love Takes Over”, the summer smash hit that saturated the radio airwaves. And with their latest collaboration, “Commander”, I foresee the same success and exposure. “Commander” follows the same formula that made “When Love Takes Over” a hit -- David Guetta’s insane beats + Kelly Rowland’s strong vocals.
Kelly Rowland has a massive voice, but hasn’t really achieved massive success as a solo artist. Her two solo albums have been moderately successful and have had great singles like “Stole”, “Dilemma”, “Can’t Nobody” and “Work”. But Kelly has always been in the shadow of Beyonce, and this may be the song that helps Kelly find that elusive massively successful solo album.
Take a listen to “Commander” and see if you can stop after one listen.
One of my favorite covers from BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge is The Feeling’s cover of “Work” by Kelly Rowland. The original by Kelly Rowland is a great song, but for some reason, it was not really appreciated and didn’t get massive airplay. And The Feeling capitalized on that, taking a somewhat unknown song and put their own spin on it. I also like that they kept all the exotic sounding elements in the song and heightened it. I think it is super clever and catchy, and they had fun doing it, not taking it too seriously which is always great. The song is on the BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge Volume 3 CD.
And here is the music video for the original by Kelly Rowland:
“All Night Long” is the third single from Alexandra Burke’s amazing debut album, Overcome. If you like pop/RnB, this is the album for you. Seriously, get it now! (The single is actually the fourth single on the album, if you include her cover of “Hallelujah”, which was the track she recorded after winning X-Factor 2008.) “All Night Long” will be released in the UK on May 17. “The Silence” was scheduled to be the fourth single, but was pushed back. “The Silence” is one of my favorite tracks on the album, but it is a ballad, and would be ideal for the winter, whereas “All Night Long” can be a great spring/summer track, similar to “Bad Boys”.
The single edit of the song is different from the album version, and also includes a little rap verse by Pitbull. The single edit is also significantly shorter and has a different vibe. I much prefer the studio version, as it has more of an upbeat dance beat/tempo, and is just a great song. Alex is able to carry the song and doesn’t need to help of Pitbull, (who in my opinion is more of a distraction and detriment on the track). Despite the verse from Pitbull and the single-edit, “All Night Long” is a great track and displays Alex’s amazing vocal ability and will hopefully race up the charts.
Last February Alex signed a deal to have her album revamped and released in the US. It was rumored for an April 2010 release, but that is no longer the case. I’m hoping she gets proper promotion as I believe the album could be massive in the US. There is so much garbage on the radio these days, and with Simon Cowell exporting the X-Factor to the States, it should provide a nice launching pad for UK artists including JLS, Diana Vickers, Cheryl Cole, and of course Alexandra Burke.
I’m excited to have some proper UK pop/RnB in the States soon, but in the meantime, enjoy Alexandra Burke’s new music video for “All Night Long”.
Today, Alexandra Burke released her music video for “All Night Long”, so I thought it would be appropriate to feature Jason Mraz’s cover of the Lionel Richie hit with the same title. Jason Mraz is one of my favorite artists in general, but his covers are exceptional.
The video is taken from Jason Mraz’s latest live CD/DVD release, Jason Mraz’s Beautiful Mess -- Live on Earth, which is a great CD and DVD. If you’ve never seen Jason Mraz, I HIGHLY recommend seeing him. I’ve seen him a few times, in smaller venues, and he is uber talented and has charisma & talent oozing out his eco-friendly self. And as you can tell in the clip, his shows are always fun and interesting. He is a very talented singer-songwriter, and has one of my favorite blogs, Freshness Factor Five Thousand. If you like good music with a great message, check out Jason Mraz and his 100+ songs. (And here is one of my favorite Jason Mraz songs, “Details In The Fabric” with James Morrison)
In the past few years, I’ve spent numerous hours watching clips of YouTube phenom Esmee Denters. She is an amazingly young and talented Dutch singer-songwriter. She was one of the first artists to go viral on YouTube, singing cover songs in her bedroom, with a uniquely distinct style. She soon garnered attention from artists including Natasha Bedingfield, Kelly Rowland, and Justin Timberlake, who have appeared alongside Esmee in her covers of their songs (see videos below). Justin Timberlake was so impressed with Esmee that she was the first artist he signed on his label, Tennman Records. In 2009, Esmee released her debut album, Outta Here, in Europe, where it did well in the Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK. The album is a great pop record with RnB elements, and several great songs that have potential. Justin Timberlake is also featured on some of the tracks. I’m hoping it will be released in the US soon as there are some really great tracks that should be heard. I really enjoy “Outta Here”, “Gravity”, “Victim”, “Bigger Than The World”, and think “Sad Symphony” with Justin is the best track on the album. At the end of the day, it is a pop album, but a solid one at that.
“Love Dealer”is a great pop track with sass and attitude. It is a super slick track with sexy-smooth vocals from Esmee and Justin. It also has a super catchy chorus and a killer hook. Justin Timberlake’s influence and style is very evident in the finished product, (which is a good thing). “Love Dealer” is the third single in Europe, but only the second in the US. She released the title track “Outta Here” worldwide, while “Admit it” was only released in Europe. I was disappointed that “Outta Here” didn’t get much airplay in the US. Hopefully having Justin Timberlake on “Love Dealer” will get her some airplay and much deserved hype/promotion in the US, and will lead to a US release for her debut album. Check out the music video for “Love Dealer” and some of her covers:
“Love Dealer” Music Video
Bonus Videos:
“What Goes Around… /… Comes Around)” with Justin Timberlake
