As Seen On Blogcritics – Page 8

Music Review >> Kelly Clarkson – ‘Stronger’

Multiplatinum artist Kelly Clarkson unleashed her fifth studio album, Stronger, as a special Monday release on October 24. Known for her incredibly powerful and soulful vocal prowess and her unabashedly honest lyrics, Clarkson is showcased on Stronger at her all-time best.

“What separates this album are the vocals,” Clarkson said in a press release. “They sound richer and fuller, and, for the first time, how I sound when I’m performing live. The producers I worked with just let me sing and be me. They didn’t strip away the personality.”

“And it was one of those things where if the people I’m working with have confidence in me, I have more confidence in myself and that changed everything. I can’t wait to perform these songs on tour. I think that’s the best way to get to know an artist, and where you get to see actual personality, because we can’t hide much onstage.”

Clarkson co-wrote five of the 13 tracks on Stronger, which was produced by heavy hitters Rodney Jerkins, Greg Kurstin, Josh Abraham, and Toby Gad.

With the high energy dance-pop title track, “What Only Kills You (Stronger),” Clarkson belts out an empowerment anthem about not allowing the end of a relationship to be the end of her.

Continue reading Music Review >> Kelly Clarkson – ‘Stronger’

David Cook Discusses Hitting the Road with ‘This Loud Morning’

David Cook on touring: “I think as long as people want to watch us play, we’ll keep playing.”
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Music Review >> Scotty McCreery – ‘Clear As Day’

This past May, Scotty McCreery was announced the winner of American Idol season 10 and five months later, the now 18-year-old singer has released his debut album, Clear As Day. McCreery worked on the album this past summer while headlining the American Idols Live! tour, which took him all over the U.S., Canada, and the Philippines.

Clear As Day producer Mark Bright had nothing but praise for the singer. “His voice is shockingly great,” he said in a press release. “Everybody knows Scotty has a deep voice, but what a lot of people don’t know is that he has a pretty high range. His listeners will get to hear the nuances, emotions, and actual range of his voice.”

Clear As Day kicks off with “Out of Summertime,” which was originally slated to be McCreery’s Idol coronation single. It’s a sweet, uptempo number in which the singer looks back on a summer love. Truth be told, I think it would have made an excellent follow-up single to McCreery’s first one, “I Love You This Big.” Nevertheless, McCreery’s second single, “The Trouble With Girls,” is quite charming. His voice combined with the song’s lyrics (“They smile that smile, they bat those eyes, they steal you with hello, they kill you with goodbye”) have the ability to make any girl swoon. Continue reading

Can You Do the “Toe Tappy”?

These days it’s hard for anyone to get a leg up on their dream. However, Coke Zero is hoping to change that for one ambitious and passionate individual who is willing to show off their creative flair.

Earlier this year, Coke Zero teamed up with director Jon M. Chu (Step Up 2: The Streets, Step Up 3D) and his dancers from the web series “The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD)” to find “a fun and infectious dance.”

After going through hundreds of entries, the “Toe Tappy,” choreographed by LXD with Knucklehead. credit: LXD Enterprises Joel “Knucklehead” Turnman, was selected. Knucklehead’s credits include competing during the sixth season of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew as part of the Street Kingdom Crew.

Now Coke Zero wants to see your one-of-a-kind interpretation of Knucklehead’s “Toe Tappy.” Check out YouTube star Corey Vidal’s version of the dance below.

“We were blown away by the creativity that dancers at every level brought to us. We saw so many amazing moves and enjoyed crowd-sourcing the dance so much that we’re raising the stakes to see how people will put their own unique spin on “Toe Tappy” to take it to the next level. It’s such a cool opportunity for someone to score their big break, while being part of a collaborative experience,” Jon M. Chu said.

To take part in Coke Zero’s open casting call, all you have to do is upload a video with your version of Knucklehead’s “Toe Tappy” at CokeZero.com/MakeItPossible.

Jonathan Mildenhall, VP, Global Content Excellence from The Coca-Cola Company said, “We recognize that some of the best performances can come from the most unexpected places, which is why we’re taking our casting call outside of traditional venues and allowing anyone with a gift and ambition to share their vision with us.”

If you have the artistic vision and drive, auditions will be accepted online throughout October. The star of the upcoming Coke Zero campaign will be announced in November.

Originally posted on Blogcritics.

Q&A with ‘The Sing-Off’s’ Nick Lachey

This week on NBC’s The Sing-Off, the remaining six groups from the second bracket of the competition will be singing “Radio Hits” and “60’s Classics” for judges, Sara Bareilles, Ben Folds, and Shawn Stockman.

The show’s host, Nick Lachey, recently did a question and answer session with various media outlets, where he spoke about aspects about the show, the judges and contestants, plus his love of acapella music.

What was the decision to expand the competition to 16 groups this season?

We were afforded the opportunity to have a longer season, 11 episodes this year opposed to the five we had last year. So, it just gave us an opportunity to expand the search and expand the audition process and ultimately have more groups compete, which I think is great.

You see, a real diversity between the groups, everything from high schoolers to our first ever rapper on the show, and the old doo-wop guys, North Shore. You’ve got a wide range of acapella represented. And think it’s great we’re able to expand it.

What does Sara bring to the table as a judge?

Sara has been such an absolute joy to around to work with. I think she’s such a brilliant songwriter and musician in her own right, and she brings a wealth of knowledge to the panel. I said this before and I’ll say it again, I think she’s the absolute perfect fit for The Sing-Off is and what The Sing-Off’s all about.

Although you’ve had a solo career after 98 Degrees, do you ever yearn to be a part of a group again after watching these talented acapella groups on The Sing-Off?

Sure, sure yes. It’s a contagious show to be a part of. And I think there’s a camaraderie that comes with being in a group of any kind or a band. And certainly that was true for 98 Degrees. There was a real kind of special brotherly kind of bond that we all shared.

And yes, I miss that. It’s fun to go through those experiences with other people and guys you care about. And so yes, there’s definitely something to be said for being part of a group like that.

How do you feel this year’s groups compare to the previous season’s?

Not to take anything away from previous seasons, but I think the groups this year have been just unbelievable. The talent level across the board is certainly improved this season. And as I said earlier, the diversity of the groups has really I think improved this season.

Continue reading Q&A with ‘The Sing-Off’s’ Nick Lachey

Enrique Iglesias to Bring Euphoria to the Bay Area

Enrique Iglesias kicked off his current Euphoriatour last month, along with Pitbull and Prince Royce, in support of his ninth studio album, Euphoria, which spawned the hits, “I Like It” and “Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You).”

Before the singer-songwriter embarked on his latest journey, he spoke with Enrique Iglesias credit: EnriqueIglesias.com media outlets about how the Euphoria tour differs from his previous tours, the visual elements of the show, and what you might find on his tour rider.

Iglesias has been on the road almost non-stop since last year, most recently visiting the UK and Australia before hitting up the States.

So what’s the difference between this tour and his previous tours overseas?

“Well, the thing is that this one, there’s a much larger combination of songs. That’s due a lot to this album. It’s more eclectic musically than any other tour I’ve ever done,” Iglesias shared.

“At the same time, too, I also get to create a setlist where I can cover songs – even Spanish songs – from 1995 to now. So, when you think of a setlist, being able to do a song like ‘Experiencia Religiosa,’ which a song that I first sang on my first album in Spanish, to songs like ‘I Like It’ or ‘Dirty Dancer’ or ‘Tonight,’ they’re very, very different.”

Even in a large arena, such as the HP Pavilion in downtown San Jose, California, where Iglesias will be playing Friday, October 7, the fans should expect somewhat of an intimate performance from the singer throughout his show.

“The cool thing about the stage, it’s very interactive with the audience. I always like getting as close as possible to a crowd, even to the people that are all the way in the back,” the singer explained. “We like to set up a B stage because I feel that an arena is that perfect size. I know for some people, it might be a little big. But I actually think they’re my favorite venues to play, because they’re big. They can be up to 15,000 people or more, but still you can make it very intimate.”

Continue reading Enrique Iglesias to Bring Euphoria to the Bay Area

Tim Halperin Talks About His Debut Album, ‘Rise and Fall’

If you haven’t been keeping tabs on singer-songwriter Tim Halperin since he appeared on season 10 of American Idol this year, allow me bring you up to speed.

Halperin released his first single, “The Last Song,” in less than a week after not advancing to the Top 13 on Idol. He was recognized by a nationally syndicated radio host, “DJ Kidd Kraddick,” and took part in a Kidd Kraddick in the Morning segment called “Idol Got It Wrong,” where fans could vote on whether his version of an Idol performance was better than the contestant’s version each week. Add in raising $8,000 to make a video for “The Last Song,” a mini-tour and his ongoing work for Komen For the Cure, you could say that Halperin’s managed to keep himself pretty busy so far during his post-Idol career.

On September 26, Halperin spent the final 24 hours of his American Idol contract in “Idol jail” outside a shopping center in Texas, while entertaining 50,000 viewers on USTREAM with live performances of songs from his debut full-length album, Rise and Fall. On September 27, the day after his contract with Idol was up, Rise and Fall was digitally released to iTunes at midnight.

Later that week, Halperin graciously took the time to talk with me about where the idea to go to “Idol jail” came from, his fantastic new album, and what’s coming up next for him.

How was your caged existence on Monday?

[laughs] You know, I see why it’s not fun to be in jail. I did have some fun, though, because my jail wasn’t your typical jail. I had people bringing me Starbucks and coming and hanging out with me and dancing around. I had a piano in jail and for me, that’s not jail at all. It was good. It was long, though. It was very exhausting. I only slept probably 30 minutes during the 26 hours that I was in prison. I really enjoyed it, though.

I had tuned in for an hour or so during the afternoon, and then I tuned back in after your album was released, which was like 9:30-10:00 my time (PST), and you looked so tired by then.

Yeah, the interesting aspect of it is that it was live the whole time. And whenever I have people watching me, I love entertaining people and interacting with people. I felt like I had to entertain and interact with everyone the whole time. Because I’d look and there’d be like 276 people watching, 500 people watching, 400 people watching right now. I’m like, “Oh my gosh!” You know, I thought, This would be like a really good show, like a really good gig to have 500 people sitting there watching me. I can’t waste this time, I can’t waste this opportunity to share my music with people and hang out with people, and talk with people.

Continue reading Tim Halperin Talks About His Debut Album, ‘Rise and Fall’

Music Review >> Tim Halperin – ‘Rise and Fall’

The day after his American Idol contract was up, season 10 alum Tim Halperin released his debut full-length album, Rise and Fall, on September 27.

Halperin began working on the album prior to his Idol journey in August of 2010. Working with producer, Jordan Critz, Halperin selected 13 tracks that he felt gave a well-rounded representation of himself.

“With this record, because it’s my first full-length album, I wanted to make sure that it was the most me. That it had songs on it that I felt like best represented who I am, not only as a songwriter, but as a person,” he explained to me during our interview earlier this week.

I think Halperin definitely accomplished that goal. Rise and Fall is comprised of songs about life, love, and heartbreak.

His first single, “The Last Song,” is currently in the top ten on the Singer/Songwriters Songs chart on iTunes. Halperin told me this past June that the tune was one of the first songs recorded for Rise and Fall about a year and a half ago.

“It just turned out really well, and I think that that song gives people a good picture of who I am, and also that my music is very honest and straightforward. I like to throw all my emotions on the table, because I think people can relate best to honest music,” he said.

Continue reading Music Review >> Tim Halperin – ‘Rise and Fall’

Music Review >> Glee Cast – “The Purple Piano Project”

Season three of Glee kicked off last week, which means my love for Gleeked out cover songs is on like Donkey Kong!

The music from the season premiere, “The Purple Piano Project,” included songs from The Go-Go’s, Barbra Streisand, Tom Jones, Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun, and Hairspray.

The Go-Go’s’ “We Got The Beat” features Lea Michele (Rachel), Naya Rivera (Santana), and Heather Morris (Brittany) on lead vocals. All of the ladies sound pretty fantastic. As much as I enjoy Michele’s voice. It was nice to hear her share the vocal spotlight with Rivera and Morris. Overall, what I really enjoy about this track is that it feels that Glee is going back to basics with this season’s music by making songs from the 1980s staples in our iTunes playlists.

Keepin’ it real, I have to admit that I did not watch much of The Glee Project this summer. I maybe caught about four episodes, so it shouldn’t surprise you that I had no idea what to expect when Lindsay Pearce (Harmony) took her turn in the spotlight this week.

Pearce took on a mash-up of “Anything Goes”/“Anything You Can Do” from Anything Goes and Annie Get Your Gun. Oh my gosh. I truly hope this isn’t the last we hear from Pearce this season, because her voice is phenomenal! The closing notes on the song give me chills just thinking about it. Definitely check out her track this week.

Continue reading Music Review >> Glee Cast – “The Purple Piano Project”

Simon Cowell Discusses What to Expect on The X Factor

This week, one of the most highly anticipated reality-based singing competitions, The X Factor, premieres on FOX.

Simon Cowell, famously known for his candor on the first nine seasons of THE X FACTOR: THE X FACTOR, hosted by Steve Jones and featuring judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, L.A. Reid and Nicole Scherzinger, will award the next superstar solo artist or breakout musical group with a $5 million recording contract with Syco/Sony Music. THE X FACTOR will air on FOX. Pictured L-R: Steve Jones, Nicole Sherzinger, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and L.A. Reid. CR: FOX American Idol, is joined by Paula Abdul, L.A. Reid, Nicole Scherzinger, and host, Steve Jones to find the next music superstar. The winning solo artist or singing group will win a $5 million recording contract, the largest prize in television history.

Recently, Cowell talked with various press outlets during a conference call touching on different aspects of The X Factor, including keeping the music arrangements fresh and original, the importance of the contestant’s back stories, and how their mentoring process is essential to turning their contestants into bonafide stars.

With a $5 million dollar prize on the line, no one should be surprised that former Idol hopefuls showed up to the open auditions to try their hand at this new competition. Unfortunately, it sounds like we won’t be hearing too much from them.

“We did expect some people who we’ve seen before on Idol to come along, so I didn’t really have a problem with that,” Cowell said. “None of them did particularly well. It was quite nice to hear them a second time.

Something Cowell said to expect to see on the show are new, fresh takes on familiar songs to push the contestants to break out of their comfort zones and of course, sell songs on iTunes.

“Within about three weeks into the show you’re going to start hearing contestants way outside their comfort zone and hearing versions of songs you haven’t heard before,” he shared.

Continue reading Simon Cowell Discusses What to Expect on The X Factor