play new songs

R. Kelly feat. Sean Paul & Akon - "Slow Wind (Remix)"

2005-12-27T23:44:00.000Z

R. Kelly ain't ever going away Just forget it. It doesn't matter what the hell he may or may not do, or who he may or may not marry, he'll always be around. Even if he's not there, he'll be writing half the songs on the chart. And he's back, this time with Sean 'Dutty' Paul and Akon 'I don't have a second name because I'm that cool', for a crazy six-legged r&b race to the end of the song. Of course, the point about these races is that you're tied together with rope so you end up falling over. No one wins. Especially not the public who have been forced to watch three grown men crying on the still-dewey grass of a suburban lawn. Let's get to the lyrics:

With all that meat hangin' girl, I feel like a butcha,
Just wanna chop you up and cut ya.

What's that about? Have they run out of ways to put words together to make a rap? "Just wanna chop you up and cut ya"? These three are nuttier than a bag of Planters.

Beyonce feat. Slim Thug - Check On It

2005-12-27T17:20:00.001Z

Uh oh, these two aren’t going to be happy. First, “Stand Up For Love” the first track from Destiny’s Child’s final album (#1's) bombs in the charts. Then Beyonce decides to release this, solo, which is climbing up the ratings like an agile climber with the latest crampons. Not the best of Beyonce tracks, it still beats DC’s latest effort, not to mention their foray into, um, burlesque. Losing hope that you’ll ever top ‘Crazy in Love’, B...

Eminem - When I'm Gone

2005-12-27T17:20:00.000Z

Um, he's back again. Again. In this track, reminicent of 'Mockingbird', Slim Shady is telling his daughter, Hallie how to behave when he's dead. A bit morbid, really. I wonder what she's going to think of being included in a bunch of her dad's work without being asked. Maybe she'll DISOWN HIM and become a rap starlet, airing her family troubles in a song and the whole thing will become beautifully symmetrical.

And when I’m gone, just carry on don’t mourn,
rejoice every time you hear the sound of my voice
Just know that I’m lookin’ down on you smiling
And I didn’t feel a thing so baby don’t feel no pain, just smile back

Feist - One Evening

2005-11-30T21:46:00.001Z

I have to post this song because it has one of the coolest videos ever. In it, Feist and a partner (Buck 65) dance though three minutes of beautiful choreography. The song is about a couple who meet and their relationship begins and ends in One Evening. Feist has a wonderful, distinctive voice. And she is a lovely dancer. Check out the video on waxy.org, but you might fall in love with her white tights. Just a warning.

Frou Frou - Psychobabble

2005-11-30T21:46:00.000Z

Frou Frou. We never knew you. This band was a collaboration between the vocals of Imogen Heap and the production of Guy Sigsworth. Their music, though well received, flopped pretty badly, and they disbanded the project to concentrate on on other musical attempts. Then the movie Garden State, directed by Zach 'Zac' Braff, comes along and features the song 'Let Go'. Everyone piles onto the internet looking for them and finds their site and the news of their untimely demise (artistically). Anyways. That's the history. Psychobabble is one of their darkest songs, but is still accessible, with a beautiful Indian strings instrumental break. Try Frou Frou. Though we're unlikely to get any new material from them, we can still appreciate what they produced when they were around. Some lyrics:

If love is surrender / Then whose war is it anyway? / Do just what I tell you / And no one will get hurt / Don't come any closer / 'Cause I dunno how long I can hold my heart in two

P.S. Another one of their songs, Maddening Shroud might be a lovely song for your Christmas party playlist. Just a little tip from your friendly play new songs (it has some lovely bells in it).

Madonna - Hung Up

2005-11-30T21:43:00.000Z

One reviewer called this song 'foxy', and we would have to agree. Madonna's new single tells the story of a lover who never called back. In Hung Up, she shouts:

I can't keep on waiting for you /I know that you're still hesitating / Don't cry for me / 'cause I'll find my way / you'll wake up one day / but it'll be too late

She takes his call near the end of the song and tells him where to stick his relationship:

Stick your relationship somewhere where even ANTS couldn't find it. Like in a volcano. A volcano that's EXPLODING. I'm goddamn MADONNA!!! I do the dumping around here!!!! Bye.

Note: that last bit was a lie. It's a good song.

Mariah Carey - Don't Forget About Us

2005-11-16T12:56:00.000Z

This feels like 90s R&B come back to haunt us. In this single, Mariah recollects a previous relationship and although the guy is now with someone else, the lyrics are very clear:

Nothing can compare to your first true love / So I hope this will remind you / When it's for real it's forever / So don't forget about us

Not a huge leap for Mariah, one critic said: "On its own, "Forget" is a soulful, satisfying track, but it suggests that Carey has hit a creative wall." We have to agree.

Heard Em Say - Kanye West feat. Adam Levine

2005-11-16T12:55:00.000Z

How does Kanye West top the understated cool of 'Gold Digger' featuring Jamie Foxx? The short answer: he doesn't try. Instead, Mr. West's new single takes a departure into more reflective territory, featuring Adam Levine's wonderful vocals. The lyrics talk of low-wage living, cigarette addiction, the government, among many other things. The original video, filmed by Michel Gondry who directed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was scrapped at the last minute and replaced by a hand-drawn animation by Bill Plympton. There has been no official word as to why this was.

WE ARE MOVING!

2005-11-09T15:16:00.000Z

That's it, folks, this site is finished... and moving to a brand new shiny domain! Update your bookmarks to playnewsongs.com. Kind of rolls off the tongue, don't it? Hope to see you there, we have many new features in store!

Keith Urban - You'll Think Of Me

2005-11-07T21:05:00.000Z

Country / Anyone just stumbling across this page from a Google search: Keith Urban is NOT urban. Seriously. He's sugary and cuddly and emotional and all that stuff. And he is Australian. This song is about someone who broke up with him. 'You'll Think of Me', he is saying. 'You Heartless Wench, You Ruined Me and I Can't Stop Crying', he doesn't add (though that may have improved things). See his official site below.

Keith Urban's Official site.

The Australian singer's site.

David Banner - Play

2005-11-07T20:49:00.000Z

Rap / The Mississippi rapper is back with his biggest hit so far. The reason for this is due to the radio-friendly nature of the (edited version of the) song and the MTV-friendly nature of the video. The lyrics are still thought through, and the album, Certified, contains many of the deeper tracks that fans have come to expect from David Banner. It should be pointed out, though, that the version of 'Play' on the album is much more dirty (I mean, dirrty) than the one you'll hear on the radio on the way to the shops with your folks. Just a heads up.

David Banner

Some lyrics.

Nelly - Fly Away

2005-11-01T11:39:00.000Z

Hip-Hop / Ashanti's current squeeze Nelly releases his latest which is also part of the soundtrack from Adam Sandler's latest train-wreck 'The Longest Yard'. It's a slower number from Nelly, and actually is about being locked up (like the film) and what he would do if he was given another chance outside. Check it out on his site below.

Rock the video

Check out the Nelly goodness at his site.

Ryan Cabrera - Shine On

2005-10-24T11:25:00.000+01:00

Pop / Ryan Cabrera is a very serious kind of singer. Lots of strained voices, sharp breathing in and out, and it always sounds like he about to burst into tears. You wouldn't see his ex-ladyfriend bursting into tears, would you? No, exactly. We quite like this track, though, quite poppy and fun. Just chill out a bit, Ryan. See his site below.

Ryan Cabrera Online

You know, pics, listen to sound clips, news, watch videos, all that good stuff.

Ashlee Simpson - Boyfriend

2005-10-24T11:19:00.000+01:00

Pop / Well, welcome back Ash, how's it going? Just heard your new song, Boyfriend. We liked it. You sound cool. We always liked you better than your sister. We are linking to your video below. Please don't beat us up.

Watch the video for Boyfriend

She is driving a car in this video and shouting.

Gavin DeGraw - Follow Through

2005-10-24T11:15:00.000+01:00

Pop / Gavin sounds a bit like Adam Levine from Maroon 5, so that's a good thing. Follow Through, unfortunately, is nothing like a Maroon 5 song. It's not fun, it's not infectious, it's not catchy. Still, it has an OK chorus, but there's no feeling there. Pop songs can have feeling, you just have to try. Still might be worth checking out his album, Chariot. A short clip is below if you want to judge for yourself.

Listen to a clip of Follow Through

A short clip fo Follow Through so you can judge for yourself.

Frankie J - More Than Words

2005-10-23T14:49:00.000+01:00

Pop / Super Frank covers an old Extreme song after his last release, How to Deal. It's not horrible, Frankie has a good range, but he has an inability to a hold a note in one place. It's warbling, and it gets really annoying, especially at the higher end of the scale. If this was a cover that did something different, then the fact that he's singing it differently would be good. The fact that this is 99% identical to the original makes it look pretty bad when compared to it. Sorry, Frankie. His website's below.

Frankie's Site

Just in case you want to visit. Maybe you want to go and complain about this cover.

Pretty Ricky - Your Body

2005-10-23T14:46:00.000+01:00

R&B / So, yes, they have an awful name, but then these R&B boy bands always have awful names, it's like a rule or something. This track hasn't been as big a hit as "Grind With Me" which reached number 4 in the US hot 100 but it is still an OK track. Apart from the lyrics. These kidz are saying things like "get a taste of the salami", which, considering the target market for these bands is 14 year old girls, is pretty inappropriate. Unless they're actually talking about making sandwiches. In which case that is fine. Check their site below.

Pretty Ricky Official Site

Website for the Pretty ones

If You Were Mine - Marcos Hernandez

2005-10-23T11:24:00.000+01:00

Pop / Ok so here's the deal. Marcos Hernandez was discovered by Vanilla Ice manager Tommy Quon (doesn't he look like Vanilla Ice?!!?). This is what it says on Wikipedia, and that's always true, right? Anyway, while 'If You Were Mine' doesn't quite live up to the greatness of an initial release that 'Ice Ice Baby' reached, it is still a good pop record. We wait for more from the 23 year old. And more from Vanilla Ice (hey, we can dream, right?) Check out the official site below.

Marcos' Official Site

Where you can see Marcos in all his chiseled glory.

Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc

2005-10-23T11:21:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / It's no secret that we love the Gorillaz here in PNS towers. This was the first song released from their 'Demon Days' album and was the most successful until their next single, which was even better. What is the song about? It has been alleged that the 'Feel Good Inc' is the media and the line "lining them up like ass-cracks" refers to the singles played over and over again on radio stations. Watch the video for Feel Good Inc. below and judge for yourself.

Gorillaz Videos

Videos on their official site including those you can play on your PSP. Great.

The Click Five - Just The Girl

2005-10-23T10:47:00.000+01:00

Pop-Rock / These squeaky clean MIT boys are making waves with their first track 'Just the Girl', written by Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne. They have toured as the support act for Ashlee Simpson (imagine being the support act for Ashlee Simpson?!) and are living up their 6 months of fame. Will it last? Only time can tell. Check out their official site below.

The Click Five Official Site

See pictures of the fresh-faced little scamps.

Shakira - La Tortura

2005-10-22T20:43:00.000+01:00

Latin / Our favorite latin temptress, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripolli is back with a new album and thankfully it is breaking records for latin artists in the US, all set by a certain Mr . Martin. This song has had tremendous success in the charts, and let's not beat around the bush, this may have something to do with the fact that the video consists of her being spied on from an apartment window as she writhes erotically, covered in black oil. You guys all do that, right? No? Ok, just us then.

That Oily Video

See the Shakira video for La Tortura. You know, the one with the spying.

Bow Wow feat. Omarion - Let Me Hold You

2005-10-22T20:33:00.000+01:00

R&B / Aw, he's all grown up, look at him. Anyway, this is the first signle off Bow Wow's album, 'Wanted', and features the phenomenally named Omarion 'B2K' Grandberry. It is a good track, and shows Bow Wow's increasing maturity. I think we get another couple of months with the 'aw you were so cute when you were eight!' stuff and then he becomes another singer and we must release him from the shackles of his past. It is only fair. Check his official site below.

Bow Wow's Official Site.

See the (somewhat disturbing) transformation from novelty child-rapper into REAL ARTIST at his official site

Natasha Bedingfield - These Words

2005-10-22T20:15:00.001+01:00

Pop / UK's Natasha Bedingfield was contacted by Britney Spears after Brit heard 'These Words' and fell in love with it. Natasha is now reportedly writing "at least one song" for Britney's next album, you know, after she gets bored of the baby. This was a former UK number 1 hit and is a pretty little song. At least she wrote it herself, how often does that happen these days, eh? You can check out Natasha Bedingfield at the link below.

Natasha Bedingfield's official site.

You know, all the usual stuff. You can listen to music or oogle pictures of the lady herself.

Fat Joe Feat. Nelly - Get It Poppin'

2005-10-22T19:56:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / Fat Joe and Nelly team up in this track, and Nelly does the vocal gymnastics while His Fatness sticks to the spittin'. This is upbeat as you'd expect from the title, but it ain't breaking any new ground. Which is a shame as Fat Joe is one of the more interesting rappers out there, not getting drawn into long DISS BATTLES with people like 50 Cent. Check his official site below for clips of all his tracks.

Fat Joe's Official site.

A flashstravaganza with loads of music clips, if you want them.

Frankie J - How To Deal

2005-10-22T19:43:00.000+01:00

R&B / Francisco Javier Bautista released his most successful album, 'The One' this year. How To Deal, taken from it, is a reflective track on the heartache caused by giving up on a relationship for THE CAREER. You'll get over it, Frankie. Check out his page on MTV.com below for more info on Frankie J.

Frankie J on MTV.com

MTV.com's page on Frankie J

Green Day - Holiday

2005-10-22T19:33:00.001+01:00

Rock / Green Day, back with another song from their phenomenally successful album, American Idiot (now in filming for a move). Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool bash their instruments as usual for this upbeat, fast-paced track. It is the track that leads into Boulevard of Broken Dreams and the video ends in the place where the video for this next song begins. Listen to the track below.

Listen to Holiday by Green Day

Listen to Green Day's Holiday here.

Black Eyed Peas - Don't Phunk With My Heart

2005-10-22T19:24:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / More BEP. They are the hardest working hip-hop act in the world right now. They have released no less than SIXTY singles in the past three months. OK, not really, but it feels like they release a single a week. This is Don't Phunk With My Heart, not a new song, but we're clearing the backlog for completeness, so suck it up. It is a typical Black Eyed Peas dance number and sums up their lacklustre Monkey Business album just like their other releases from it. Only the unreleased My Style, produced by Timbaland and featuring Justin Timberlake can save them now. Check the link to the official site below.

Black Eyed Peas Official Site.

The normal official site nonsense. You can hear some tracks here though.

Kelly Clarkson - Behind These Hazel Eyes

2005-10-22T17:01:00.000+01:00

Pop / Back to our regular feature, 'we love Kelly Clarkson what was off American Idol'. She is clearly the only talented human to ever emerge from that program. This song is sung beautifully, but seems quite similar to 'Because Of You' to us. It's good, though, but for the next single, rock out, ok, K? Listen to a great live version of the song below.

Behind These Hazel Eyes - LIVE

Link to Kelly Clarkson performing Behind These Hazel Eyes, live. Excellent.

Gwen Stefani - Cool

2005-10-09T11:40:00.002+01:00

Hip-Hop / Gwen's solo success makes us happy here, because she is cool. 'Cool' is said (not by Gwen) to be a song about the relationship between her and her former No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal. Who cares, anyway, it is a mid-tempo, 80s-sounding bit of pop chillout that hit the charts, but not quite as hard as Hollaback Girl did. We like it.
Alright, now that's out of the way, did you know that Gwen Stefani is the only artist to have ever won both Best Male Video and Best Female Video awards at the MTV VMAs? It's true. She won it for "South Side" (credited as "Moby featuring Gwen Stefani") and "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" (credited as "Eve featuring Gwen Stefani") in 2001. Crazy, baby. Her next track will be 'Luxurious'.
A link to the song is below.

Listen to Cool

Listen to the full length track, Cool(RealOne Player)

Akon - Belly Dancer (Bananza)

2005-10-09T11:39:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / This song provoked strong and opposing feelings in play new songs towers. I think everyone agrees that the lyrics aren't the most original that have ever been written:

Yo, excuse me, beg your pardon girl / Do you have any idea what you starting girl / You got me tingiling, come to me mingiling / Steppin off lookin bootylicious and jingiling

Now most of those aren't even real words. Apart from the petic license employed, the beats are incredibly infectious and that is what has made this song (and Akon) as huge as they are. You can listen to the full length song below and "shake your body like a belly dancer".

Akon - Belly Dancer

This MTV page contains links to all kinds of funky Akon junk.

Fall Out Boy - Sugar, We're Goin' Down

2005-10-09T11:38:00.001+01:00

Rock / OK so first off, Fall Out Boy get a minus star for laying into The Killers on their website. The fact that The Killers replied by saying, "We got nothing against those guys at all. And I kind of like that song they've got ['Sugar, We're Goin Down']. It's catchy." So, yeah, they were trying to get some publicity stirred up (hey, I'm writing about them so it must have worked) but what about the song? Emo is such a dirty word these days but they kind of fit the (vast) definition. Flowers and co. are right, it is catchy, let's leave it at that.

Fall Out Boy on Wikipedia

Not a very good article, maybe you could improve it?

Papa Roach - Scars

2005-10-09T11:38:00.000+01:00

Rock / Man, someone has had some bad relationships:

I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut / My weakness is that I care too much / And our scars remind us that the past is real /I tear my heart open just to feel

Lyrics from "Scars". Ouch. Papa Roach have had a bit of hard time in the few years since they burst on the scene with "Last Resort", not being fully accepted by the harder scarred rockers or the more thoughtful ones. They exist in a limbo between the two. Scars has a lot of throaty shouting and is musically tight. Check out the official site below for the video for Scars.

Papa Roach Official site.

Watch the full-length Scars video here, as well a bunch of other band-related stuff.

D.H.T. - Listen To Your Heart

2005-10-09T11:34:00.000+01:00

Dance/ Oh my. A remake of Roxette's 1989 classic song, 'Listen to your heart'. Clearly the most important re-release of our generation. It's by some Belgian dance group and it sounds, well, like Roxette with HARD BEATS. It has been a huge hit across the dance clubs of Europe and the U.S.

DHT Official site.

More info on the dance music band.

Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends

2005-10-09T11:01:00.000+01:00

Rock / Wake me up when September ends? Get up boys, September has well and truly ended. It's time for you to pack up this ballad and pick another song off American Idiot to release. With their new album, Green Day have shown that they have phenomenal staying power that other bands would just die for. Keep on truckin' boys. A clip of Wake Me Up When September ends is below.

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Will someone wake them up already. Please.

Weezer - Beverly Hills

2005-10-08T18:53:00.000+01:00

Rock / Weezer are here with their latest (although it's been out for an age now) and are threatening to split up 'at any moment'. While they are still together, they continue to whoop the ass of all their clones. Yes this is typical Weezer, and it's about wanting to live in Beverly Hills and then not wanting to live in Beverly Hills (deep lyrics, man) but it is still strong, unlike the weak bands that are breaking out like a bad case of zits all over the face of pop-rock in the U.S. Check the Weezer site below for the obligatory clip and video.

Weezer official site.

Contains music clips to listen to, videos, photos.

T-Pain - I'm Sprung

2005-10-06T19:00:00.000+01:00

R&B / There's a lot of vocoder nonsense going on in this track. Just to warn you of that. It sounds like an Usher song that's been put in a room with Daft Punk and told to get jiggy. The radio and video stations are going to love this up, and you know you'll be unleashing the dance moves to this at your local discotheque, even if the lyrics don't make a whole lot of sense. That guy on the right is Akon. You can listen to the song below.

T-Pain - I'm Sprung

Listen to the song here.

Skateboard P (a.k.a. Pharrell) feat. Gwen Stefani - Can I Have It Like That

2005-10-05T20:26:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / Holy shit, what the hell is with that name? Does he really expect us to start calling him Skateboard P now? Are you fifteen years-old? The song is clumsy, silly even. This is coming from someone who likes almost everything Pharrell looks at just because it's Pharrell. But this is too much. Hey... maybe it's a grower.

Skateboard P's Offical Site

Totally empty. Well done Pharrell.

Chris Brown - Run It!

2005-10-05T20:00:00.000+01:00

R&B / What have we here? Another Scott Storch produced R&B track, except that this time, it doesn't suck. Chris wants to be Usher right now (doesn't everyone?) and in that comparison, he's always going to come out the loser. Forget about the comparison and you are left with a catchy tune. Good enough to launch a career? We'll soon find out. Video below.

Run It Video

See what you think.

Ricky Martin - I Don't Care

2005-10-05T19:01:00.000+01:00

Pop / Ok so the don from San Juan is finally back with what is unfortunately a very poor song (featuring Fat Joe and Amerie). Blame the producer, that's what I always say. Sorry Ricky fans. On the upside, he is looking great in the video. Check the official site below.

Ricky Martin Official Site

Listen to a clip of the song here.

Howie Day - She Says

2005-10-04T19:31:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / The latest from young singer-songwriter Howie Day's album 'Australia'. This song is acoustic as you would expect, but what gives it its power is, as always, the strength in Day's voice. This will be a big one for him. Check it out below.

Short clip

A short clip of Howie Day's 'She Says'.

Lifehouse - You and Me

2005-10-04T19:11:00.000+01:00

Rock / The return of Lifehouse began with this track, which has gone down a storm in the U.S. This is pop-rock sweetened so much that excessive listening will rot your teeth. Their fans loved everything about it though -- people are playing this at their weddings as we speak. Check out their site below (Lifehouse's, not the people getting married).

Lifehouse official site.

The Lifehouse official site. Shack up.

Black Eyed Peas - My Humps

2005-10-04T18:39:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / OK, let's get these lyrics out of the way.

What you gon’ do with all that junk?
All that junk inside your trunk?
I’ma get, get, get, get, you drunk,
Get you love drunk off my hump.
My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump,
My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my lovely little lumps.

Look, it's the peas. These are the kind of lyrics they write. It's not Shakespeare. On the other hand, the beats are OK, not the best they've ever done, but you can bounce to it. Like Fergie is in the video. Check out the monkey business below.

My Humps

Listen to a short clip here.

Nickelback - Photograph

2005-10-04T18:33:00.000+01:00

Rock / Nickelback are still here, still trying to escape the four-year long shadow of their biggest hit 'How You Remind Me'. This simple rock ballad with simple rock lyrics won't do that, but it is climbing up the MP3 download charts pretty rapidly, with the video getting heavy coverage. They'll survive a few years yet.

Nickelback - Photograph

Listen to the track.

Sugababes - Push the Button

2005-10-03T19:04:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / Push the Button is the first Sugababes track off their fourth studio album, 'Taller in More Ways'. It's got old-school samples and a killer chorus. This is all you need. Take note Mr. Paul. It's not the best Sugababes song but you can dance to it and that's basically all we ask for here. And the video is hot. Check it below.

Push the Button Clip

Hear a clip of 'Push the Button' on the Sugababes official site.

Sean Paul - We Be Burnin'

2005-10-03T13:05:00.000+01:00

Reggae / Is it just me or is Sean Paul's music smelling a little bit, well, off? You sometimes want to grab his little shoulders and scream GET ANOTHER PRODUCER WHO USES DIFFERENT SAMPLES FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! And then make him some tea. They will play this everywhere, kids will download it, but it's not good. It doesn't suck, but it's not good. If you love Sean Paul and think I'm a moron then yo, we're cool with that, hit me in the comments.

Official site.

Sean Da Paul's official site. It be burnin' (or something).

Mariah Carey - We Belong Together

2005-09-06T16:47:00.000+01:00

R&B / This song is what thrust Mariah back into the public eye--for musical reasons. The song has become one of the most played songs of all time. It is a ballad, a proper ballad, with handclaps, a head-bopping beat and sickly sweet lyrics, but it's the voice that makes this song. Although she is a fully-fledged R&B star now, this is the type of song she always did best. Listen to a clip after the jump.

We Belong Together Clip

Short clip of the song.

Bow Wow feat. Ciara - Like You

2005-09-06T16:30:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / Bow Wow is all grown up now and hanging out with girls twice his age. He is almost singing, but not quite. Ciara is singing beautifully. It kinda works. What do you think? The bells in the chorus sound like they're being played by a four year-old (a quite talented four year-old).

Official site.

Bow Wow's official site. Contains MP3s, ticket and concert information.

Kelly Clarkson - Because of You

2005-09-06T10:14:00.000+01:00

Pop / There is no way to top the pop perfection of 'Since U Been Gone', so Kelly comes out with a ballad, which is probably a good idea. The lyrics are OK (uninspiring), the production is OK (there is an awful key-change near the end), but there is little to lift it above any other pop-ballads out at the moment. Her voice is still wonderful, though, and hearing this makes you want to go straight back to appreciating her masterpiece.

Official site.

The Kelly Clarkson official site.

Mariah Carey - Shake It Off

2005-09-06T10:08:00.000+01:00

R&B / Man what a comeback. Mariah, queen of the power-ballad, dodgy-marriage and lousy movie has turned things right around with her new album. She is now an R&B star, with some great production leading to some great tracks. This is one of the highlights of 'The Emancipation of Mimi', a simple, subtle, head-bopping beat, and that voice. While it is easy to put all the kudos on the head of the producers, Mariah knows exactly what she is doing, being one of the biggest-selling female artists of all time. Welcome back. Short clip below.

Clip

A short clip of Shake It Off.

Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone

2005-09-06T09:55:00.000+01:00

Pop / You already know how perfect this is. It's not often a pop-song comes around that makes critically acclaimed rockers say things like "I see early retirement staring back at me from the reflection in the pickups on my guitar". This is one of those songs. All your cool indie friends will tell you how it sucks just like everything else in the charts but when it comes on, with that hook that hooks you in about 2 seconds flat, you will see them tapping their foot. Don't be mean to them, they couldn't help it. Listen to it below.

Since U Been Gone

Listen to the genius that is Since U Been Gone.

50 Cent feat. Mobb Deep - Outta Control Remix

2005-09-06T08:51:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / Fiddy is back with this strange remix featuring the once-influential duo, Mobb Deep. The background riff is an electronic, accelerated eastern roll, and starts off as extremely annoying, continues to be annoying, but by the end, you've forgotten all about it. Thick-tongued 50 is still lovable in his way, as are his lyrics (I get the club jumpin, cause I'm sick with flow / You know it's sold out, like wherever I go / I jam packed the show man that's fo' sho'). It's lyrics like that that sells the concert tickets, baby. The video is currently number one in the Billboard charts and I have a feeling that the mp3 will be stuck on repeat on a lot of iPods for a few months. Full track below.

Outta Control

Listen to the full track (wmv).

Missy Elliott - Lose Control

2005-09-02T09:48:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / It's not cool not to like everything Missy Elliott does. So we can do this a different way. This track features Fatman Scoop, who has never been more annoying. Does he think shouting 'HERE WE GO NOW, HERE WE GO NOW, JUST THROW YO' HANDS IN THE AIR, JUST THROW YO' HANDS IN THE AIR' for a whole track is rapping? It's not. Retire immediately. Ciara doesn't deserve to be anywhere near this track, being stamped all over by Fatman. I can't even remember if Missy Elliott was in this track or not. Have I sold it to you yet? Listen to the clip below.

30 second clip

MISDEMEANOR'S IN THE HOUSE! MISDEMEANOR'S IN THE HOUSE! MISDEMEANOR'S IN THE HOUSE! MISDEMEANOR'S IN THE HOUSE!

Black Eyed Peas - Don't Lie

2005-09-02T09:21:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / It's a bit depressing that this is one of the BEPs most popular songs ever, as it is really just a rehash of their earlier 'Shut Up' with much less interesting beats and weak lyrics ("I lied and I cheated and I lied a little more, and after I did it I don't know what I did it for"). Almost every track on their new album is better than this, including the Timbaland-produced 'My Style' and the overlong 'They Don't Want Music' featuring the late, great James Brown. Check out the clip and see what you think.

Video and Full-Length Clip

Requires registration. Try BugMeNot if you want to bypass the registration.

The Pussycat Dolls - Don't Cha

2005-09-02T08:41:00.000+01:00

Pop / I admit that I thought this was going to be yet more crazy semi-pornography on daytime TV (see: Destiny's Child). But this time it's ok, it's cabaret, and actually the video is pretty clean. The song, however, is dirty. And not in a Christina Aguilera "Dirrty" way, but in a "the production is so dirty I don't want it in my ears" way. Busta Rhymes a.k.a. "hired rapper for unknown artists" starts off the song "we about to get it a little hot and sweaty", yeah yeah Busta. Like every track. Then the girls burst in with the amazing line "I know you like me, I know you do, that's why when I come around she's all over you". Watch the video below with the sound off. You'll be hearing it every Friday night anyway. Well, this or that 50 Cent thing.

Don't Cha Video

Click for the video.

Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx - Gold Digger

2005-09-02T08:15:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / Sorry, it's yet another Kanye post, but holy shit this is a good hip-hop song. It's not deep, it's not shallow, it's just rap with Jamie Foxx doing his best Ray Charles impression and some great drums and some great lyrics ("If you aint no punk holla we want want prenup -- WE WANT PRENUP!"). Kanye is paying rent on the best spot in the rap world right now. Listen to gold digger below.

Gold Digger

Listen to the whole track here (.wmp).

Franz Ferdinand - Do You Want To

2005-09-01T12:06:00.000+01:00

Rock / Did you forget about them? The return of another British act who arrived burning with the flames of hype but who managed to survive. Do You Want To is pop-rock produced perfectly. Indie kids have a new favorite song, but it leaves you wondering about the new album--wasn't the return of Franz supposed to be something bigger than this?

Franz Ferdinand

A great fan site. If you click 'audio' on the left, you can hear live versions of all their tracks including 'Do You Want To'.

Ms. Dynamite - Judgement Day / Father

2005-09-01T09:51:00.000+01:00

Urban / She's had a kid and is back with one of those annoying albums that may or may not be all about her child. 'Judgement Day' is the first release from her new album, on sale October 3. In her own words: "The song is about taking responsibility for myself and for my actions.”
(Note: That's probably something to do with the baby.)
“I feel like as human beings we're really lazy and we can be very selfish, like 'Fuck it, i'll just do what I want' and not even bother to deal with the consequences. And I'm totally guilty of that myself but I just feel like I've come to a point where I see things differently.”
(Because of the baby.) Anyway, she is releasing a double A-side. 'Father' is dark and filled with angry lyrics about a father who wasn't around, 'Judgement Day' is a more relaxed track. Listen to a long clip of both on her official site.

Ms Dynamite

Listen to clips of 'Judgement Day' and 'Father' here.

Black Eyed Peas feat. Justin Timberlake - My Style

2005-08-14T18:13:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / This track is cool, not because of the Black Eyed Peas, not because of the barely-audible Justin Timberlake cameo, but because it's the return of Timbaland to the hip-pop scene. The chorus is what he does best, a short riff that you hear once and will whistle for a week ("I know that you like my style, I know that you like my style." Hey I never said it was Shakespeare). You owe yourself a listen, and there's a clip after the jump.

Listen to a clip

Listen to a clip of My Style.

Rihanna - Pon De Replay

2005-08-13T05:00:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / OK, now that we've calmed down after all that Destiny's Child Cater 2 U nonsense, we return to regular videos that don't have naked people in them. Sorry. Rihanna, Pon De Replay. If you haven't heard it, Rihanna is a dancehall singer who has what would be a great summer track if it wasn't already the end of summer. Is she going to be one of those one hit wonderwomen who enchant us for a couple of weeks before we move onto the next one? (Anyone remember Nina Sky?) Watch this space, but the song is one of those you'll be waiting for to come on in the club for the next few weeks at least. Check the link to the video below.

Watch the video

AOL host the video and the track so you can listen for free. That's what we like.

Destiny's Child - Cater 2 U

2005-07-31T09:30:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / Man alive. OK so yes, that is a grab of the video for the new Destiny's Child song "Cater 2 U". And yes, they are naked. The first few times you see this video, you will fail to listen to the music, as your brain instead tries to understand how pornography got onto your daytime TV. The song is a has possibly the most ridiculous chorus of all time ("I Got Your Slippers, Your Dinner, Your Dessert, And So Much More") and after all that 'independent women' stuff, I though this was a huge joke and that they were going to suddenly break a guy's balls or at least do a couple of high-kicks. Something. But no, they want to cater 2 u and that's about it. Check the nudity below.

The Cater 2 U Video

You'll need Windows Media Player. And make sure the door's shut, you don't want your mum walking in on you.

Gorillaz - DARE ft. Sean Ryder

2005-07-26T03:42:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / We so got over the totally gay "we're cartoons, how crazy is that" hurdle and with their latest album, the Gorillaz have shown that they are one of the most inventive hip-hop acts out right now. Seriously. Get the album then flame us. This is one of the two best songs on the album (other one to be featured here soon). It is a little wasp of a song, crackling with energy. Is hip-pop a term? This is the definition. Check the official site, below.

Official site.

Contains music clips, games etc. Quite a funky site.

Teairra Marí - Make Her Feel Good

2005-07-21T06:58:00.000+01:00

RnB / Teairra Marí is Jay-"I thought you were retiring"-Z's latest signing, the little miss adding only a few kgs to the growing Roc-a-village. She is 17, and sounds good without sounding like she's trying or cares. The track is pretty tight, check the short clip below.

30s clip of "Make Her Feel Good"

From the BBC 1Xtra website.

Kanye West - Diamonds Are Forever

2005-05-23T11:06:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / Kanyeezy back sampling crazy Shirley Bassey just to show that he can. "I remember I couldn't afford a Ford Escort or even a four-track recorder. So it's only right that I let the top drop on a drop-top Porsche, spoil yourself, that's important" he talks breathlessly over dramatic strings and the screaming Bassey in the background. More than whets the appetite for the new album that seems to be spilling all over the internet, unfinished.

Kanye's Official Site

At time of writing pretty-much empty. Hey, he might have got off his ass and hired someone to put something up by now, so check it.

Amerie: One Thing

2005-05-06T18:11:00.000+01:00

Hip-Hop / From the Hitch soundtrack, apparently. You're going to hear it all summer. Big, lazy drums, guitar stabs, an easy chorus line ("it's this one thing that got me trippin'"), and that's a pop song, ladies and g's. She also seems to be wearing boy's swimming shorts in the video. You'll probably like it against your will.

Official site

Including swimming shorts video.

Coldplay: Speed of Sound

2005-04-25T14:25:00.000+01:00

Rock / Uh-oh. Coldplay are back, and it doesn't look good. In all honesty, they were never the most immediately rousing band. I am actually a huge fan but the song is initially uninspiring (only three listens so far though). I remember thinking the same thing about 'In My Place' before the last album came out, then being blown away when I heard the LP. Hoping for the same this June...

Listen to it

On the official site. Otherwise, grab it from iTunes or, you know, buy the album.

The White Stripes: Blue Orchid

2005-04-19T01:43:00.001+01:00

Rock / Jack and Meg are back, and you may be tempted to ask whether they were ever gone. It's only taken them six months to dump out another album (allegedly recorded in two weeks), which kind of reminds me of those kids in class who would get As on every homework without trying. Anyway, the first single off the album (which will be called Get Behind Me Satan) is Blue Orchid and it rawks. Obviously.

Creepy album site, this way.

Would you accept anything less than weirdness?

M.I.A.: 10 Dollar

2005-04-15T13:41:00.000+01:00

Urban / Ok so I could suggest any track from M.I.A.'s album, Arular, but let's start with this one. The first few times you will hear only the beats and the addictive chant at the end ("what can I get for ten dollar? anyfink you want"); after that you will notice the words as this song matures like a fine malt. Or something. Anyway, grab it.

Official site.

Includes some of her artwork. She was an art student, you know.

Kaiser Chiefs: Everyday I Love You Less & Less

2005-04-10T16:22:00.001+01:00

Rock / The Kaiser Chiefs release another song and try to get us to listen. Why will we not listen? It's rock with a little bit of electronica thrown in there for shits n giggles. It's foot-tap inducing and has a great chorus that you will hate after humming it to yourself four hundred times in one morning. Go get!

Official site.

Like any other boring official site.

Snoop Dogg feat. Justin Timberlake: Signs

2005-04-10T15:19:00.000+01:00

Rap / Snoop's new song reintroduces Justin Timberlake to the pop scene. And he's swearing. This is what happens if you hang around with Gs. The song aint breaking ground by any means, but I was head-bopping after the first bar. And anything is better than that damn Mariah track.

See the video.

On the Snoop Dogg website. Contains a bunch of other stuff.