REVIEW: "Do It Like A Dude" - Jessie J

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Jessie J has hitherto remained a largely obscure figure in mainstream music. Even with writing credits for Miley Cyrus's monster hit "Party in the USA," along with her writing contributions to songs by Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and Chris Brown, Jessie J has had little name recognition. That is, until a little Pop/R&B treasure, known as "Do It Like a Dude," which has the sass, catchy production, and vocal distinction to propel the singer from relative anonymity to worldwide fame.

Exactly what Jessie J does with this song is phenomenal. Over an electronic bass and drum-heavy beat, Jess has the braggadocio and confidence to weave in and out of different vocal accentuations, from a Ester Dean-like vocal arrangement to a British/Jamaican dancehall queen. She has the vocal chops to croon over any song, but chooses to dominate this song with pure boastfulness and dare I say arrogance, but in such an irresistible fashion. Just from a purely sonic perspective, the song sounds like an electronic orchestra, with just the right volume, arrangement, and Caribbean-quality that it doesn't overtake Jessie at the microphone. But, with Jessie J, her voice is so strong and distinct, that it IS the most important instrument of the electronic orchestra. 

"Hold It Against Me" Demo Leaks for Britney Spears Track

The demo of Britney Spears's new single has leaked over the internet, sending twitter and the web a flutter, and it sounds AH-MAY-ZINGG! The bass-heavy dance/pop confection is a not much different than what we'd expect from Britney during the dance-centric music scene of today, but it is extremely catchy and has the undeniable charm of a new Britney track. The song is Cascada meets Taio Cruz, with the Dr. Lux and Max Martin-helmed production specifically designed for the club scene. It has the sound of a hit, and all the right ingredients for pop radio to eat it up.

As you might realize, the singer of the embedded sound byte is NOT Britney, which is expected for a demo. Add to that, the production/writing team responsible for the inevitable number one hit has said that, sans modifications to the song, this is the new Britney track. Get ready iTunes, because upon its release, this will fly to the top.

Listen to the track below:

New Music: "Raise Your Hands" by David Guetta featuring Miguel

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R&B newcomer Miguel has teamed up with dance/pop producer David Guetta for a new song included on the latter's re-release of his album, One Love. The track, a much more upbeat, dance number than Miguel's current urban hit "All I Want Is You", has the archetypal ingredients of a Guetta track. From the thumping beat to the pulsating synths and computer-altered vocals, the song is specifically engineered for techno clubs and dance radio. There's also a subtle sampling of Robin S.'s 1993 dance hit "Show Me Love," incorporating the instrumentals as a nice ode to the era of house/techno domination of the early-mid 1990s. If there were any concerns of Guetta straying away from the sound that has defined his early successes, have no fears as the song fits perfectly within the confines of his previous musical masterpieces. Add to that the fact that Miguel's vocals are equally convincing within the musical constructs of an R&B and dance jam, this track is something that definitely works to both of their advantages.

Check out the new track below:

Keri Hilson Recreates The Supremes on Letterman

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Her name is Keri, and she's so very 60's glam during her performance on Letterman this week. Dressed in a white, sequin studded gown and sporting a Dusty Springfield styled hairdo, the singer croons through her hit single "Pretty Girl Rock" with the jazzy musical and visual embellisments of a late 60's Ed Sullivan performance. Although choreographed with minimal physical movements, the performance is appropriate for the era it is trying to recreate. The vocals sound great and, as the song is one of the winners from her sophomore album, No Boys Allowed, I found the overall performance both aesthetically and musically pleasing.

Check below for the video:

Rihanna Poised to Make UK Chart History

2010 was a very good year for Rihanna and it appears that 2011 may conserve that momentum. After selling one million albums in the United Kingdom alone with her fifth studio album Loud in less than two months, the Bajan singer's single "What's My Name?" may make it to number one this week on the singles chart. According to midweek figures, the U.S. number one hit is poised to take Matt Cardle's X-Factor coronation song's spot at the top this week, making it her fifth number one in as many years.

Un-beliebable! Bieber Fans Threatening Selena Gomez on Twitter

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It seems some Beliebers on twitter are misbehaving, but perhaps that may be an understatement. After the photos of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez swapping spit circulated the internet over the past few days, some Bieber fans have become so blinded by lust and love that they have taken to twitter to publicly threaten the 18 year-old former star of Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place. And they're not just threats, they're actually death threats, with some Belibers making twitter pages dedicated to @KillSelenaGomez because of her recent romantic rendezvous with the pop star.

Here are just a few tweets that have threatened Gomez in the past few hours:

Nicki MInaj on Album Success: "I deserve it this time!"

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Last Christmas, Nicki Minaj had dreams of success; this Christmas, she's reveling in it. And for good reason too, as the 26 year-old emcee has sold 852,000 copies of her debut album, Pink Friday in less than two months of release. The singer/rapper talked with MTV about her success this past year, including the platinum-certified album of hers and how its sales are stacking up with the other big name of hip hop who released the same week as her.

"[Kanye] got a good start, he beat me the first week," she said, as she has narrowed down the 100,000 sales advantage of West's first weeks sales to a mere 30,000, a number that will likely continue to narrow if her recent sales edge over her peer emcee persists.