SUMMER 2013 -The 10 Essential Songs To Soundtrack Your Summer

It may not seem it , what with the schizophrenic weather , but summer is upon us. Early May it is indeed , but why not look ahead to the songs that will soundtrack the sunburn and barbecues of the months ahead. Traditionally , many of the years biggest hits have been released during the summer months. Last year we had Carly Rae Jepsen , Fun, Maroon 5 , Cheryl Cole and Rudimental soaring up the charts as the mercury attempted to rise. Heres 10 sure fire anthems that will conquer this coming summer

John Newman - Love Me Again
Summer 2013's biggest and best anthem has arrived. And it is an absolute corker. You'll remember John Newman as the voice behind last summer's massive Number 1 with Rudimental , Feel The Love. He's gone one better on this outstanding solo outing. Set for release in July , a guaranteed solo chart topper for young Newman awaits. One of the songs of the year. A triumph

Katy B -What Love Is Made Of
Katy B has returned in spectacular form with this trailer for her forthcoming second album. After the massive success of her debut album , the South London singer looks set for a potential maiden Number 1 with this laidback house anthem. Watch her stock continue to rise this year

Afrojack feat. Chris Brown -As Your Friend
The Dutch DJ featured on Pitbull's massive Give Me Everything , back in 2011. Two years on , he's roped in R&B bad boy Chris Brown for a thumping dance anthem. His appearance will do little to deter this from being one of the summer's biggest club anthems.

Diana Vickers - Cinderella
The former X Factor starlet got off to a flying start back in 2010. Her debut single Once and its album Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree , both went in at Number 1. Since then , she's been busy working away on a new album , out later this year. It; s first single Cinderella , is a slice of breezy pop brilliance you wouldn't expect from an X Factor alumni. Both JLS and Alexandra Burke finished ahead of her back in 2008 on The X Factor. Diana is clearly having the last laugh.

Dizzee Rascal & Robbie Williams -Goin Crazy
A British blockbuster collaboration that after a few listens works spectacularly well. Both are veterans at this stage , yet Robbie has never sounded better. Dizzee meanwhile , is as charismatic and sharp as ever. Two of the biggest names in British music have created an instant smash, that will put them back at the chart summit

Icona Pop -I Love It
Swedish dance duo and Charli XCX seemed to have been around with this track for ages. Having had it's initial Spring release delayed , this track is finally released in June. It's brash , anthemic chorus is one of the years best and hopefully it will finally earn chart success this summer.

The Wanted -Walks Like Rihanna
British boyband The Wanted are no strangers to having summer chart success. Both their Number 1 tracks All Time Low and the massive Glad You Came , were both huge summer hits in the past few years.
This time around , they've enlisted pop genius Dr Luke and a superstar namecheck to land chart success. Consistently better than more successful rivals One Direction , Walks Like Rihanna , may be cheesy , but man is it catchy

Pink feat Lily Allen -True Love
Pink has already scored one of the biggest hits of the year with Just Give Me A Reason. This next single featuring Lily Allen more than stands a good chance of replicating that success , come late summer. Pink gloriously espouses on love over a breezy pop hook.

Mariah Carey feat Miguel -#Beautiful
I've already waxed lyrical about the brilliance of Mimi's comeback. The perfect , windows down , summer R&B anthem , that could have been recorded by a rival half Mariah's age. The diva has never sounded better , and this is made to be blasted out of radio's and Topshop's all summer long. It's a classy , sublime masterclass from Mariah

Jennifer Lopez feat Pitbull -Live It Up
Third time out for J Lo and Mr Worldwide following the globe conquering On The Floor and last years Dance Again. Pitbull may be , an acquired musical taste , but sells records and has a knack for notching up the hits.
And whilst this rather generic pop belter may not be a patch on the duo's previous efforts , it's bound to be a huge summer anthem

'Beautiful ' Mariah back on form

Love her or loathe her , the inimitable Mariah Carey remains one of music's most enduring and recognisable voices. Probably one of the greatest female voices of all time. Yesterday , Mariah unveiled the stunning comback single #Beautiful featuring R&B prince Miguel.
And quite frankly , it's Mariah's best track in almost a decade. A summery , sensual , deliciously hooky and laidback R&B groove , that is catchy and classy. It's already soaring up iTunes charts worldwide and truly deserves to give the ultimate diva another Number 1.

It's quite a revelation as these days any new Mariah album is met with a mixture of excitement and apathy. She's still a huge star but her 90's glory days are a long time ago. When Mariah is good , she;s unstoppable. When she's bad , well she's dire. Motherhood and marriage seem to suit her. Mariah sounds fresh , reinvigorated and ready to give Rihanna and Beyonce a run for their money. If this is what the rest of teh forthcoming untitled album sounds like , this could be a glorious era for the songstress.

For me , #Beautiful , is Mariah's greatest song since 2005's superb We Belong Together. That was taken from The Emancipation of Mimi , which saw Mariah bounce back in chart conquering fashion after a rocky start to the Noughties. Her infamous appearance on TRL on MTV coupled with the disastrous flop that was Glitter , saw Mariah suffer a breakdown.

However , even after the success of The Emancipation of Mimi , the 2008 follow up E=MC2 was largely disappointing.
The less said about 2009's flop , the lazy and unimaginative Memoirs Of An imperfect Angel , the better.


Now , in 2013 , aged 43 , and enjoying married life for a second time with TV host Nick Cannon and her kids , Mariah Carey seems happier and more focused. She's been around almost 23 years. She is one of teh most beloved singers of her generation and practically embodies the word "diva ".
This is an artist that gave us huge anthems and modern classics such as Hero , One Sweet Day , Always be My Baby , Heartbreaker , Fantasy.
#Beautiful sits perfectly amongst those old skool favourites and is as good as any of the recent output of Alicia , Beyonce , Mary J or Rihanna.

Mariah Carey is truly back and this song deserves to be huge.

 

Timberlake sets date for 20/20 sequel

Having made one of  the biggest comebacks of the year with The 20/20 Experience , Justin Timberlake is not about to rest on his platinum selling laurels.
After a seven year gap , Timberlake burst back onto the scene in spectacular fashion this year and  has already pencilled in another new album for this autumn.

The 20/20 Experience 2 is set for release on September 30th and will comprise another  ten songs. Its highly successful first volume shifted 1 million copies in the US upon its release in March and has spawned the worldwide smash Mirrors.

Timberlake is set to embark on a joint stadium tour with Jay Z this summer as well as a string of his own solo dates.

Watch the video for Justin Timberlakes Number 1 smash Mirrors below

Dizzee and Robbie Goin Crazy

Dizzee Rascal teams up with Robbie Williams for his brand new single Goin Crazy. Almost a decade after winning the Mercury Music Prize with legendary debut Boy In Da Corner , the Hackney star will team up with pops ultimate rascal Robbie Williams. It will be the lead single from Dizzee's forthcoming album The Fifth.

The Brit superstars were filmed in London shooting the video this week ahead of the track's radio premiere next week.
Goin Crazy will be released on June 17th and will surely give both men another stint at the top of the charts. Between the pair , they've both had 11 solo Number 1's. This will be Dizzee's first new material in almost four years , following up 2009's Tongue in Cheek , which included the massive Bonkers.


Robbie , meanwhile , is all set to embark on his huge European stadium tour this summer.

Watch the video for Dizzee Rascals Holiday below

TLC to record new album

The remaining members of the legendary girl band TLC , have confirmed plans to forge ahead with new material. Tionne "T- Boz " Watkins and Rozonda " Chili " Thomas , haven't released an album in over a decade , when they released 3D.
It was released shortly after the tragic death of member Lisa " Left Eye " Lopes. TLC has already confirmed their first live performance in a decade at the Mixtape Festival this July.


TLC has already worked with Drake and Ne-Yo on the new record and said they've had a positive response to the comeback with a string of potential collaborators all willing to appear on the album. Plans are already in place for the duo to go back on tour , with footage of Left Eye to be used on stage.

 While , some may say there is no need for TLC to reunite as their stunning musical legacy is already set in stone. It would be amazing to see them come back for one last album and a farewell tour. For the memory of Left Eye and also for the money spinner , nostalgia.
TLC effectively bowed out with a tragic whimper after Left Eye died and 3D was released. Withe people like Drake on board and maybe more , who says TLC can't recreate that magic that captivated us all almost two decades ago

Watch the video for TLC's Creep below

Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran duet to be single

Taylor Swift has confirmed the latest single from her globe conquering Red album. Her duet with Ed Sheeran , Everything Has Changed will be the 4th single from the album.

Released on June 24th , Everything Has Changed , was made to be released. A charming duet between two of the music scene's current most beloved singer/songwriters. Sure , there are other , maybe stronger single choices on the fantastic Red. 

But this is a nice choice to help round out what has been a hugely successful era for Swift. One in which she has gone from America's sweetheart to full blown pop mega star.

Listen to Taylor Swift's new single with Ed Sheeran Everything Has Changed