Singer-songwriter Christina Perri wrenched our hearts and shot herself to fame last year with Jar of Hearts, and she manages to tug on our heartstrings once again with the second single off her upcoming album lovestrong. entitled Arms. Much like her previous song, Arms is a stunning ballad that starts off docile and builds up to sweeping melodies, only this time around, Perri is crooning about insecurities and uncertainties that she feels when venturing into a relationship. While Arms doesn't possess the same pain that Jar of Hearts laid out, it's a clever narration of a very relatable story, and this kind of familiarity that Christina Perri's music holds makes it all the more beautiful.

Arms is now available on iTunes to be followed by the release of her debut album lovestrong. on May 10th.

Three years, four singles, and many rumoured release dates later, English pop warbler Sophie Ellis-Bextor has finally disclosed her much awaited fourth studio album Make A Scene. Even by just its title, a little buzz fills the air with the promise of a glorious pop record.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor is no stranger to the word 'quality', and it certainly shows on the LP. Although the timing of Madamoiselle EB's releases are sloppy at best, the appetizers that have come in the form of Bittersweet and Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer) inter alia kept us from giving up on Make A Scene.

With amazing producers such as the Freemasons, Richard X, Calvin Harris, and Greg Kurstin present in the LP and given the span of three years in recording, Make A Scene set high expectations upon itself. The main question remains: was it worth the wait?

The LP kicks off with a "bang bang" in Revolution, and the highly energized track is quite a head turner, even giving a nod to one of Sophie's previous hits, Murder on the Dancefloor. Lead single Bittersweet is a pop treat reminiscent of Girls Aloud's Untouchable-- both being elegant songs bursting at the seams with brilliance. The superb intro coupled with the push-pull chorus in Off and On possess such magnetism that you won't be able to stop yourself from shimmying ever-so-slightly while listening.

Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer) is an excellent collaboration with the Freemasons, and the bridge instrumental is incredibly climactic and infectious. Not Giving Up On Love, although too 'trance-y' for my tastes, holds its own ground in the LP. Can't Fight This Feeling with French dj Junior Caldera is lackluster, average, and fails to keep up with previous tracks. Starlight is another album standout. It feels slightly ethereal, lush but light at the same time, creating an alluring mystique to it.

Under Your Touch lacks the appeal of Off and On and the momentum of Revolution, falling in the 'decent but not entirely great' category. The title track, Make A Scene, is a total disappointment. It's messy and the parts of the song don't fit together properly. The verses actually remind me of Kelis' Flesh Tone, but the odd instrumentals and the awkward flow drags the song down.

One of the more interesting tracks in Make A Scene is Magic, produced by Richard X, who is also responsible for Starlight. True to its title, Magic possesses an enchanting quality that hoists up the song from great to outstanding. The 80's synth bursts in Dial My Number keep the energy going, but overall it's just a teensy notch above average at best. The same goes for Homewrecker, the blunt and direct lyrics further driving the song into the ground.

No matter how downtempo the ballad Synchronised may be, it doesn't stall the flow of the LP. It's one of those rare tracks that can generate both joy and melancholy simultaneously. Cut Straight to the Heart is a less pleasing ballad, and while flashes of brilliance sporadically turn up, it remains underwhelming.

Make A Scene is a compact collection that presents the Sophie Ellis-Bextor we're all familiar with. It may not cross new territories, but that doesn't mean that the LP is devoid of bold tracks (Magic, Bittersweet, Revolution). Even with a song about mistresses and whatnot, the LP stays tasteful. Another feat that I'd like to commend is the album consistency and how one dance track after another doesn't wear it out.

After the blissfully clubtastic Only Girl in the World and the very Caribbean What's My Name, Rihanna is keen on keeping the ball rolling with yet another (presumably) smash single in the form of S&M. RiRi gets down and dirty in the third single from her upcoming album LOUD as she purrs over thumping beats, "Sex in the air, I don't care, I love the smell of it". That line alone is enough to get your senses tingling.









Listen to the track below.



ALSO, here are 30-second clips of the tracks from LOUD.

Ed Drewett is getting ready to release his debut single entitled Champagne Lemonade this October 31st. The man who penned the #1 smash hit All Time Low has also appeared with Professor Green in the top 5 hit I Need You Tonight. Champagne Lemonade flaunts a lyrical creativity we initially caught in All Time Low, and I'm hoping it turns out to be an Ed Drewett trademark. As Ed croons "All because he buys you champagne, I buy you lemonade, makes him something of a Casanova" over smart beats, there's really nothing to complain about in the track. It's a sleek number that makes us wonder what else Ed Drewett has up his sleeve.

Before I had even listened to a single song of theirs, I had a preconceived idea of what The Wanted would sound like-- a JLS ripoff, a male version of The Saturdays. The buzz regarding their debut single All Time Low swelled up, and when I finally caved in, every single notion I'd assumed about the band vanished.

Their eponymously-titled debut album is still 'boyband pop', essentially speaking. The Wanted established a certain maturity in All Time Low-- something we don't often see in pop groups, particularly new ones-- and the album is keen on reminding us that this boyband isn't 'fluff material'.

With highly commendable people like Steve Mac (Boyzone, JLS, Westlife), Cutfather (Pixie Lott, Blue, Pussycat Dolls), Greg Kurstin (Britney Spears, Lily Allen, Nelly Furtado), and Guy Chambers (Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams) working behind the scenes, it's clear that they spared no expense in production, resulting in a polished pop record that flows effortlessly from start to finish.

In hindsight, the eponymous album is undoubtedly pop, though little but conspicuos bits of indie, rock, and soul are sprinkled here and there. Epic string sections similar to the ones in All Time Low surface in Behind Bars, a track that would fit Plan B's The Defamation of Strickland Banks if it went pop. Hi and Low, a cover of the Greg Laswell song, sticks to its singer-songwriter genre, and the delicate piano ensemble slows down the pace of the LP.

It's also quite clever how themes are prominently incorporated in some tracks. Let's Get Ugly blatantly situates us in the wild, wild west where two cowboys are getting ready for a square-off. Personal Soldier is pretty obvious as well-- not to mention brilliant. It rivals Replace Your Heart and Heart Vacancy as the "perfect boyband song" i.e. pop enough to pull off 'boyband hand gestures' without being too cheesy.

Ballads-wise, Golden unarguably steals the show. The subtle verses are succeeded by a bold chorus that builds up emotion for one dramatic release at the end-- pure genius. Weakness is a decent example of songs that don't need exploding choruses to hook you in. In the case of Lose My Mind, the bridge pulls you in, along with borrowed "oh"s from Kings of Leon.

The Wanted's eponymous debut is still far from perfect, but it sets them in a niche where both fan-girls and serious music lovers can agree on the fact that it is a genuinely great album that puts on a great balancing act-- not too serious but not annoyingly cheeky; not very experimental but certainly not monotonous. It's a solid attempt that implies that The Wanted aren't going anywhere.

New York-based The Knocks has done it again. From the absolutely clubtastic Blackout to the summery Make It Better, it's clear that this production duo isn't just playing around. Their third single, Dancing with the DJ, is in the same vein as Make It Better-- only instead of sand and surf an imaginary club scene comes to mind. It's very Alphabeat/late 80's dancepop with some modern whiffs here and there, begging to be heard on the dancefloor.





Click here to get your copy of 'Dancing with the DJ' + the equally brilliant B-side 'Thinking About You' for FREE!

The Black Eyed Peas have taken sampling to another level. The Time (The Dirty Bit) flaunts a reinvention of the Dirty Dancing classic (I've Had) The Time of My Life. Unlike their previous sampling effort of Misirlou in Pump It, The Time (The Dirty Bit) is a less successful attempt-- it defaces the chorus instead of paying homage. The autotuning adds insult to injury, and the rap verses seem to be existing on another planet. If this robotic nonsense wasn't the creation of the Black Eyed Peas, it would most probably be shunned by the media.