THROWBACK THURSDAY Michelle Branch "Everywhere "

As the new millennium dawned in music , a new wave of female singer'songwriters brandishing guitars and armed with radio friendly melodies became quite pandemic.
Alanis Morisette led the way in the 90's after the massive success of Jagged Little Pill. Following her success , there was many a woman scorned singer/songwriers to come.
Jewel, Sarah McLachlan , Fiona Apple, Natalie Imbruglia  and Meredith Brooks all had their moments in the commercial sun before fizzling out as the Noughties approached.

Pop rock would prove to be big business in the early part of the new decade as Avril Lavigne and Pink would soon attest.
The first to strike commercial gold would be Arizona singer/songwriter Michelle Branch. The breezy , acoustic FM friendly bop of Everywhere would become a staple of pre-reality show era MTVin the summer of 2002.

The track was less gritty and bad tempered than the likes of Fiona Apple et al. It was catchy , relatable to teen girls and Branch's inoffensive , girl next door image , helped the song peak at Number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
It's accompanying album The Spirit Room , would go platinum and spawn a Top 10 hit in follow up single All You Wanted.

But it's Everywhere that proves most memorable 13 years on , not least for its inclusion in 'that scene' in American Pie 2. When Jim has his little mishap involving superglue and a VHS porn tape.
The video for the track would win the Viewers Choice Award at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards , where she beat out the likes of Avril Lavigne.
In 2003 , Branch was shortlisted for the prestigious Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards , but lost out to Norah Jones. However she did win a Grammy alongside Santana for their hit collaboration Game Of Love.

Hotel Paper , her second studio album arrived in 2003 , with mixed reviews and failed to capture the public imagination.
Twelve years on , fans are still waiting on her long delayed third studio album , after Branch's brief detour into country music in the late Noughties as part of duo The Wreckers.

However , it's the infectious , pop rock strum of Everywhere for which she'll continue to be best remembered.


Revisit Michelle Branch's Everywhere below

Rudimental premiere Never Let You Go

Hackney dance collective Rudimental have premiered their blistering new single Never Let You Go.
It's the first single taken from their forthcoming second album and features the vocals of Northern Irish troubadour Foy Vance. It is due for release on June 17th.

A busy summer awaits for Rudimental. As well as releasing the follow up to 2013's acclaimed Home , they are due to play Glastonbury , T in the Park ,and Wembley Stadium alongside pal and collaborator Ed Sheeran,
They also headline Lovebox and their own festival Wild Life alongside Disclosure.


Rudimental scored huge commercial success with debut album Home. It spawned two UK Number 1 singles in 2012's John Newman led Feel The Love and 2013's Waiting All Night featurimg Ella Eyre.
Waiting All Night scooped Best British Single at the 2014 BRIT Awards.

Listen to Rudimental's Never Let You Go below. Available June 17th

THROWBACK THURSDAY Bone Thugs n Harmony -Tha Crossroad

Ohio rap collective Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rose to public prominence in 1996 with hip hop classic Tha Crossroads.

Krayzie Bone , Lazy Bone , Wish Bone and Bizzy Bone , hailed from Cleveland and were mentored by rap icon , N.W.A legend Eazy E. It was he that signed them in 1993.
Eazy E passed away due to AIDS in March 1995 , and it was a tribute record to his memory that rocketed his proteges Bone Thugs -N-Harmony to the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 a year later.


Such was its rapid rise to the summit of the US charts , it mirrored the successes of iconic tracks such as I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston and Cant Buy Me Love by The Beatles. Its accompanying video only further enhanced a stunning moment in hip hop.
The video saw a Reaper collect the souls of various individuals before the video ends with the Reaper revealed as an angel returning the dead to heaven.
It is by far , one of the most striking music video's of the 90's. No easy feat in itself , given how many classic videos were made throughout this golden age of music video. It was nominated for four MTV Video Music Awards , but cruelly walked away empty handed.

Tha Crossroads went on to become the 7th biggest selling single of 1996 in the USA. And at the 1997 Grammy Awards, the song was rightfully rewarded with a gong for Best Rap Performance by a Group/Duo.
Nearly 20 years on , it remains their crowning glory and a bona fide hip hop classic as well as a watermark for music videos.

The group though , never reached such commercial heights , but are on the verge of a welcome comeback.

On July 15, 2014, it was announced that Bone Thugs-n-Harmony will release their final album in 2015. There will only be one copy released, which will be auctioned off, with bidding starting at $1 million. The group will also conduct a 20 country world tour beginning in December 2014.^[20] The following day, Krazyie Bone revealed that the album would be titled E. 1999 Legends. He then told XXL that he approached the group about a reunion album in the middle of last year, and they began recording it at the end of last year. He estimates that Bone Thugs-N-Harmony has probably recorded 75 to 100 songs since they begun recording it. The album will be a double-disc project. The first disc will be only Bone Thugs-N-Harmony records with no features and will be 18-20 songs. The second disc will be feature a large amount of big-name guest appearances such as Mariah Carey, Kendrick Lamar, Phil Collins, Wiz Khalifa, Drake, A$AP Mob and DJ U-Neek will be producing E. 1999 Legends along with Dr. Dre, who has some beats on the album.^[21] On Valentine's Day, February 14, 2015 DJ Damizza officially presented their first single "More Than Thugs" which is slated to appear on the "E. 1999 Legends" album


Revisit the classic Tha Crossroads by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony below

Game of Thrones star steams up new Sia video

Game of Thrones star Pedro Pascal gets up and close and personal with legendary German supermodel Heidi Klum in the video for Sia's latest clip Fire Meets Gasoline.

Sia , only last week debuted the final video from the acclaimed Maddie Ziegler trilogy of videos , with the stunning Big Girls Cry.
This time around , the cinematic Fire Meet Gasoline sees Pascal who played Oberyn Martell in the fantasy phenomenon , make out with Klum in a field.

The clip marks the fourth single to be taken from Sia's current album 10,000 Forms Of Fear which has spawned the worldwide hit Chandelier and Elastic Heart.
Sia can currently be heard on Italian dance icon Giorgio Moroder's thrilling new single Deja Vu.

The media shy Aussie atar is expected to release a new album , tentatively titled This Is Acting later this year.


Watch the video for Fire Meets Gasoline by Sia below

Lianne La Havas announces new album

British soul singer Lianne La Havas has announced details of her second album Blood.  The London singer garnered huge critical acclaim back in 2012 when debut album Is Your Love Big Enough ? earned her a Mercury Prize nomination.

The new album drops on July 31st preceded by new single Unstoppable , produced by producer du jour Paul Epworth. The Oscar winning , knob twiddler behind Adele , Florence and the Machine and more recently FKA Twigs.

The full tracklisting for Blood out July 31st is as follows

1. Unstoppable
2. Green and Gold
3. What You Don't Do
4. Tokyo
5. Wonderful
6. Midnight
7. Grow
8. Ghost
9. Never Get Enough
10. Wonderful


Watch the video for Lianne La Havas' gorgeous 2012 single Lost and Found below

Rihanna coming up for 'American Oxygen '

Rihanna will release the politically charged American Oxygen on iTunes tonight. Its the third track to be lifted from her as yet untitled forthcoming eight studio album.
It follows the recent Bitch Better Have My Money and January's worldwide hit FourFiveSeconds.

All three tracks have showcased a more mature edge to Rihanna's sound , with mixed but ultimately intriguing results. None more so than on Amnerican Oxygen.

Rihanna dissects the American dream and in the accompanying video which she premiered on her TIDAL streaming service. She juxtaposes the American dream in striking fashion , with interspersing images of 9/11 ,  Martin Luther King lying in an open casket , the Klu Klux Klan , police violence on black men , and images of the unrest in Ferguson.

It may be Rihanna's most controversial yet socially conscious video yet. Patriotic  yet nodding to the 'new America ' , the Barbados born star sings about. It's a stunning new side to the Bajan star and a world away from hits like Whats My Name and Take A Bow.

Rihanna has also come out to deny any use of cocaine , after a video circulated online apparently showing the singer snorting cocaine at Coachella.
The star responded angrily taking to Instagram to blast " Your lame ass got some f**king nerve!!!" s. "Any fool could see that's a joint that I'm basing with cigarette! Who snorts tobacco??!! FOH witcho 'never been to a rodeo so someone squeezing their nose means they're doing coke' lookin ass!!"


Listen to American Oxygen below

 

Swift to release Bad Blood

Taylor Swift looks set to release Bad Blood as the fourth single from the globe conquering 1989 later this summer.
It's rumoured Swift has recorded a new version of the track featuring hip hop star of the moment Kendrick Lamar. Lamar has stormed the US charts of late with his universally acclaimed To Pimp A Butterfly album.

He told a recent radio interview that he had been in the studio with Swift. Apparently , Taylor is already shooting the video at the moment , which looks set to feature cameos from close pals Selana Gomez and Karlie Kloss , as well as Paramore's Hayley Williams.

Bad Blood is thought to have been written about Swift's ongoing feud with Katy Perry. The two stars apparently fell out after Perry had poached dancer's from Swift to perform on her recent Prism World Tour.
Perry jibed back at Swift on Twitter -" Look out for the Regina George in sheeps clothing "

Last week Swift revealed the news that her mother was battling cancer in an emotional Tumblr post. Swift heads out on tour this summer. As yet no release or impact date has been slated for Bad Blood. But expect Swift to dominate the airwaves all summer long

Brandon Flowers debuts Still Want You video

Brandon Flowers has premiered the second single and video from next months The Desired Effect. The new track Still Want You , is a far more gospel infused proposition than the 80's brilliance of Cant Deny My Love.

With second solo album The Desired Effect imminent , both tracks bode well for what should be a rousing new album from The Killers frontman.


Watch the video for Still Want You below

Noel Gallagher unveils Riverman video

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds have debuted the video for forthcoming single Riverman. It's the third track lifted from recent Number 1 album Chasing Yesterday. It follows previous singles In The Heat Of The Moment and Ballad Of The Mighty I.

The album yesterday became the first to top the UK's official vinyl chart and is the fastest selling album of the year thus far.

Riverman is set for release on May 11th. Watch the brand new video below

Madonna debuts post apocalyptic Ghosttown video

Madonna has premiered the beautifully gritty Ghosttown video , which will serve as the second single from current album Rebel Heart.
The clip sees Madonna , in top hat and long black cape trudging through a post apocalyptic wasteland.
There she is met a by a gun toting Terence Howard , star of Hustle & Flow and recent US hit series Empire.

The pair face off , before engaging in a wonderful dance sequence. Ghosttown is easily the best Madonna song and video since 2005's Hung Up.
With all the ridiculous criticism of Madonna's age , she looks stunning in this new clip , defying her age as fiercely as always.

Madonna recently performed the track alongside Taylor Swift , with the track gathering momentum on US radio. Bet against the Queen of Pop at your peril.

Ghosttown is released April 20th. Watch the video below

Nick Jonas eyes UK Number 1

Nick Jonas  transformation from teen heartthrob to fully fledged international pop force has been a long time coming. The hunky singers solo career has been a slow burner , but is finally starting to ignite worldwide.

Jealous is currently Number 1 on the UK iTunes chart , battling it out with Jess Glynne and The Voice UK winner Steve McCrorie. His appearance on this Friday night's Alan Carr Chattyman show , could be the final push to give Jonas his biggest hit in the UK.
The summery R&B pop sheen of Jealous has already smashed the US Billboard Top 10. And a UK Number 1 would set up Nick Jonas as pop's resident male sex symbol. A mantle that's been overlooked and left neglected in the past decade.

But anyone who's already heard Jonas' debut album can attest that the star is much more than a stunning face and washboard stomach. His album is packed full of future hits such as current US single Chains.


Watch the video for Jealous below. Nick Jonas self titled album gets its UK release on June 15th

Frank Ocean confirms new album for July

Frank Ocean has revealed that he will release his second studio album this July. The Thinkin About You singer took to Tumblr to confirm - “ ‘I got two versions. I got twoooo versions.’ #ISSUE1 #ALBUM3 #JULY2015 #BOYSDONTCRY.”

The R&B star will release a companion publication entitled Boys Don't Cry alongside the still as yet untitled new album.
It follows 2012's Grammy Award winning channel ORANGE which was welcomed by a large wave of critical success and spawned hit tracks Sweet Life , Thinkin About You and The Playlist's Number 1 song of 2012, the mighty Pyramids.


Watch the video for Thinkin About You below