Artist name: Jennifer Lopez
Album name: Brave
Label: Epic
Gender: Pop
Release date: October 8, 2007
ZMErating: 8/10
Website: http://www.jenniferlopez.com/

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This is the fifth English language studio album recorded by Jennifer Lopez and beyond any predetermined ideas it is not that bad. Her previous release which was named Rebirth lacked many things and the R&B act was not that good. She goes for a 70s/80s pop sound and manages to keep you listening to it. There are no tracks which are remarcable but they manage to keep things upbeat and interesting. This retro sound she goes for is an interesting choice.
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Tags: brave, Jennifer-Lopez, jennifer-lopez-brave, Marc-Anthony

Artist name: LeAnn Rimes
Album name: Family
Label: Curb Records
Gender: Pop/Country
Release date: October 9th, 2007
ZMErating: 9/10
Website: http://www.leannrimesworld.com

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With this release she shows that she has grown up into a true artist that can sing loud and soulful. She has made the difference from a great voice and a great vocalist. She also shows that she is a true songwriter. Co-writing everything but the two bonus cuts previously released duets with Reba McEntire and Bon Jovi she wrote good tracks which talk about relationships.
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Tags: leann-rimes, leann-rimes-family, marc-broussard, Reba-McEntire

Artist name: Vanessa Carlton
Album name: Heroes & Thieves
Label: The Inc Records/Universal Motown
Gender: Pop
Release date: 9 Oct 2007
ZMErating: 9/10
Website: http://www.vanessacarlton.com/

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According to her this is “the best patch of songs I’ve ever written”. She also describes it as “pretty uplifting” and as having “a lot of layers … [There are] very complex arrangements but everything just makes me feel good and not in a simplistic way.”. She also says that the concept of the album is “about personal evolution and that Every song is like a different chapter in a book”.

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Tags: Heroes-&-Thieves, nolita-fairytale, vanessa-carlton, vanessa-carlton-Heroes-&-Thieves

This week, what is considered, one of the best music biopics ever made, Control, is set to hit the US theaters. The movie follows Ian Curtis (Riley), the enigmatic frontman of Joy Division whose personal, professional, and romantic troubles led him to commit suicide at the age of 23.

The biopics soundtrack is made out of old, classic Joy Division sons and covers performed by various artists, one of these songs is  the band’s hit “Shadowplay” covered b The Killers. Is it any good? Unfortunately not really, Brandon’s voice is totally out of key and simply the band just doesn’t sync very well to the JD vibe. You can listen to Shadowplay here. The cover will be included in the upcoming Killers B sides collection “Sawdust” scheduled for 11/13 on Island.

Tags: Joy-Division, The-Killers

Don’t let the title track scare you away, it’s really a sweet video for a sweet song from a equally sweet Nellie McKay. Her stand up comedy days came up in handy when making the video for her ‘50ish in house jazz extravaganza “Zombie.” The video features scenes with Nellie performing on a stage, teaching people the lost technique of the zombie dance, it’s really simple really: hands forward, positioned at the 90 degrees angle with your body, one slow left crippled step left, then one rotten and rocky step right and so on, if you really want to impress your friend you can add a growl.

The rest of the video features clumsy New Yorkers trying to impersonate zombies, doing a pretty terrible job at it I might say. Sweet song, a tad too long at 6 minutes plus, but worth a listen and especially watch. “Do the zombie!”

Tags: Nellie-McKay

The Black Eyed Peas have showed interest in the problems of the world in their songs. They also took part in some charity but this time it is something big for them.

“Being in Mexico is special to all of us, being from Southern California,” singer Fergie added. “They call Will a “blaxican” because he grew up with all Mexican friends and family. Taboo, of course, being of Mexican heritage. My great-grandmother is from Guanajuato (Mexico), and (Apl.de.ap) just loves the Spanish women, the Mexican women.”.

“It feels good to be able to help the youth because at one point in time we were teenagers that loved getting involved with the arts and there wasn’t really that many programs in East L.A., where I’m from,” Will.i.am, the band’s front man, said at a news conference before the show at Mexico City’s National Auditorium. He also said that his mother is very proud with their work. She is a a teacher at a California school with a large immigrant population.

The funds from the show are going to help fund educational programs for some 1,500 children according to the group. They are going to sing hits from their two releases “Elephunk” and “Monkey Business.”. They also said that they would like to work with Latino artists such as Shakira, Mana, Joan Sebastian, Alejandro Fernandez, Molotov or Los Tigres del Norte in the future, but declined to discuss reported talks on a possible collaboration with the Mexican hit RBD.

Tags: apl.de.ap, Fergie, rbd-black-eyes-peas, will.i.am

Although he would be more at place in the glamorous times of the late ’50s, the eternal romantic Jens Lekman is remarkably catchy and makes extraordinarily beautiful music.  His irresistible charm radiates throughout his latest video “Sipping On The Sweet Nectar“, it feels like the whole world revolves around him, under his strict observation from up above. Sparrow like flout whistles, glamorous piano lines and Jens retro vibe and vocals provide a wonderful trip down memory lane. “Yours truly, Jens Lekman.”

>>You can watch the video over at Rollingstone.com, be warned there’s a pretty annoying short commercial, but it’s worth the wait<<

Tags: Jens-Lekman

Britney Spears spent the night partying in Los Angeles. That is after she heard the court order to undergo random drug and alcohol tests as part of her custody battle.

She was having fun with friends, including Canadian singer Avril Lavigne, People.com reports. Before that she went to the Beverly Hills Police Department because a group of photographers were following her; or so she says. There was no action taken.

A clubgoer told People that “She was dancing on the tables trying to be really sexy, even putting a black sock over her head as a hat, and putting on a show for everyone,” so it is hard to say that she is taking the court order very seriously.

Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon yesterday ordered both Spears and Federline to complete a “parenting without conflict” programme and to stop making derogatory comments about each other. The children have no fault in this and it is sad for them. Growing up and receiving a good education is probably less important for the singer than going out and partying.

Tags: avril-lavigne, britney, Britney Spears, britney-court, kevin-federline

The singer/actress is due to give birth in the spring, according to In Touch Weekly. That would not be such a striking thing.However, a rep for the couple is refuting the story, telling the New York Daily News:

“Everyone calls about this every month with the hopes that they’ll hit the mark.” But In Touch does not go back and it remains faithful to the story.

It looks like Lopez and husband Marc Anthony found out after a visiting fertility specialist Dr Robert Katz. The couple have reportedly been trying to get pregnant for the past two years, and eventually turned to in vitro fertilization.

There might be a twist to the thing because she may have twins. “The way the fetus is lying made it difficult for the doctor to tell if there was more than one baby in there,” a source told In Touch. It is not known whether the baby news will impact the couple’s upcoming tour dates, which begin in early November. Hopefully there will not be any big issues.

Tags: j-lo, j-lo-pregnant, jennifer, lopez

Artist name: Ringo Starr
Album name: Photograph: The Very Best of RS
Label: EMI/Capitol
Gender: Rock/Pop
Release date: August 28, 2007
ZMErating: 10/10
Website: http://www.ringostarr.com/

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The Fab Four had such a huge impact in music that it is hard to believe that there has not been a proper Ringo Starr hits collection since the first, 1975’s Blast from Your Past. That was released just five years after his debut, Sentimental Journey, but it ignored that collection of pop standards. The artist kept recording after that and he found himself somewhere in an insecure space and wandered several labels before he released 1993’s Time Takes Time. But that did not have any hits. He did not have any hits since the Elton John/Bernie Taupin “Snookeroo”.

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Tags: blast-from-your-past, good-night-vienna, photograph:-the-very-best-of-ringo-starr, Ring Starr