Mariah Carey- "Touch My Body" (Music Video)

The highly anticipated music video for Pop/R&B diva Mariah Carey's newest single, "Touch My Body" has been released. Accomplished video/film/TV director Brett Ratner reigns as director and concocts a surprisingly playful approach to the sensual song. Carey looks stunning as ever, and does a remarkable job of delivering on the video's good-humor premise. The video features a co-starring appearance from Jack McBrayer of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby fame. McBrayer emphatically delivers in his nerdy role, and interacts with Carey exceptionally.

With its refreshing concept and undeniable humor, the clip for "Touch My Body" brings an instant spark plug shock to the catchy, yet ultimately monotonous song. (Click to read review of "Touch My Body") Carey and Ratner continue their illustrious winning combination making "Touch My Body" Carey's most creative video since 1999's "Heartbreaker."

Mariah Carey- "Touch My Body"
© 2008 The Island Def Jam Music Group and Mariah Carey





--Quinton

Danity Kane Sings Solo for Diddy

On this week's episode of Making the Band 4, (MTV Monday's at 10 pm ET/PT) along with relationship tribulations, (i.e. Aubrey and Donnie) Day26 and Donnie J. were put through extensive vocal training after Diddy decided to halt recording on their debut albums. Later in the episode, the girls of Danity Kane (Aubrey, Aundrea, Shannon, Dawn, and D.Woods) are featured giving Diddy a solo vocal assessment. Each member sounds amazing in this video clip and sings with abundant emotion. Partially surprising are Shannon's and Aubrey's performances; giving the fact that both members' vocals have been questioned in the past. In the end, each girl proves that they absolutely can hold their own vocally.









--Quinton

Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown- "No Air" (Music Video)

"No Air" marks the second single release from American Idol Season 6 winner, Jordin Sparks' 2007 self-titled debut. The Underdogs produced track teams Sparks with R&B phenom, Chris Brown. Sparks and Brown shine brightly on the beautiful rhythmic ballad. Brown displays some of his best vocals to date, while Sparks shows listeners unfamiliar with the Idol winner, that she has the chops to stand along the current batch of female pop contemporaries. With its passionate duet performance, thought-inspiring lyrics, and remarkable instrumental backdrop, "No Air" is a refreshing blast of originality to music airways.


The music video for "No Air" is ordinary, yet involving. The video does a solid job of directing out the premise of the actual song. Sparks and Brown look vibrant, and do a great job of relating; particularly in the video's final scenes.

Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown- "No Air"

© 2008 Zomba Label Group





--Quinton

*Q's Picks* American Idol Season 7- Top 12 Males Perform

Tuesday night, American Idol kicked off the semifinal rounds (that feature the Top 24 contestants) with the Top 12 males singing songs from the 60's. Overall, this year's males are absolutely stronger than last season's selections. While some guys managed to separate themselves from the pack, all the guys showed (or have proven in earlier auditions) that they are talented.



Best overall performance: David Archuleta

















David Archuleta gave a rousing performance of The Miracles classic "Shop Around." While he is only 17 year olds, his voice is amazingly seasoned. Looking natural on stage while displaying his wonderful vocal tone, Archuleta's performance was a highlight of the night. While his vocals may have been off in a few places, there's no denying his vocal talent and overall "X" factor. Look for Archuleta to go quite far in this competition.





Honorable Mention(s): Michael Johns, Jason Castro, Robbie Carrico

















Michael Johns closed out the show cruising through The Doors' rock anthem, "Light My Fire." The Australian born rocker certainly has a great voice, and an undeniable "it" factor. Johns' performance was dazzling, and managed to come off as the most contemporary singer of the night.





















Robbie Carrico performed the hit Three Dog Night version of "One." The former member of Boyz-N-Girlz United, (the band toured with Britney Spears in 2000) sounded superb, providing some of the finest vocals of the night. While his rocker authenticity may be in question, there's no doubting his talent.





















Jason Castro was the only male singer who took advantage of Idol's newly implanted "instruments allowed" during his performance. Castro took on the 1966 number two Billboard hit, "Daydream," originally performed by The Lovin' Spoonful. The Texas native sounded quite appealing on this nearly acoustic take of the song. Competitively, Castro's vocals aren't in the upper echelons, but they are optimistically sufficient. Castro also posses an unique aura that may potentially end up making Castro embrace the persona of a "wild card" in the competition.







--Quinton

*NEW* Day26- "Over Now"

Day26 (Robert Curry, Willie Taylor, Brian Andrews, Qwanell "Q" Mosley, Mike McCluney) is the R&B quintet that was formed during the fourth season of MTV's popular Making The Band series. Currently, the guys can be seen on the newest season of Making the Band 4 (MTV Monday's @ 10 p.m. ET/PT, with various repeats during the week) along with platinum Pop/R&B group Danity Kane and solo artist, Donnie J.

"Over Now" is a track from Day26's upcoming self-titled debut due to be released on March 25th. The amazing ballad features the guys singing passionately over a compelling production. Band member Willie vocally breezes through the first verse and can be heard on the song's bridge that smoothly flows into the heartfelt chorus. Other Day26 members that are heard predominately are Mike, who utterly shines in the second verse and Robert, who emphatically delivers in the song's final verse.

With its firm lyrics, beautiful composition, and emotionally charged vocal delivery; "Over Now" shines intensely, and gives listeners a true glimpse into what Day26 can truly bring to the table.

Listen: Day26- "Over Now"
(Due to limited bandwidth, please only play the song no more than 2 times max. Thank you.)


© Bad Boy/Atlantic Records




--Quinton

The-Dream- "Falsetto"

"Falsetto" marks the second release from R&B triple threat (singer, songwriter, producer) The-Dream's debut album, Love Hate. Following on the heels of his debut hit, the Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 hit "Shawty is a 10," "Falsetto" is a quintessential mid-tempo entry into the world of R&B. The track features playfully creative lyrics, first-rate production, and a refreshingly unique ending structure. Vocally, the Dream sounds superb, coasting through the production while giving odes to the falsetto vocal technique in the song's inventive chorus, and ingenious breakdowns.

The music video for "Falsetto," while nicely edited, doesn't bring forth anything creative nor noteworthy to the medium; turning out to be the typical R&B video skewed towards the image of Hip-Hop. While it lacks visual gratification overall, the ordinary style does allow viewers to focus more on the exceptional song itself.

The Dream- "Falsetto"
© The Island Def Jam Music Group





--Quinton

Ferras Tells American Idol "Hollywood's Not America"

Listen: Ferras- "Hollywood's Not America"

(Due to limited bandwidth, please only play the song no more than 2 times max. Thank you.)

© EMI & Capitol Music Group

This week, the immensely popular television show American Idol is down to its final twenty-four contestants vying for the instant ticket (s) to stardom. The reality is that there will only be one "official" winner, and the other twenty-three contestants will face seeing their dreaded memoir of 'Idol' memories set to an infamous farewell song. For the past two seasons, the featured send-off songs have not only brought Idol teardrops, but have also taken over various Billboard charts. Season five's swan song featured David Powter's unforgettably poignant "Bad Day" and last season's eliminated contestants were treated to Daughtry's heartening ballad, "Home."

"Hollywood's Not America" is the song that has been chosen for this season's exits. Performed by singer/songwriter Ferras, (Ferras Alquasi) "Hollywood's Not America" follows in the pop/rock footsteps of the previous Idol farewell staples, but adds a refreshing folk twist. The song is beautifully composed, and the lyrical content is upstanding. Ferras does just enough in his assured vocals to separate himself from the Ryan Cabrera's and Gavin DeGraw's of the Pop/Rock spectrum.

Undeniably captivating, "Hollywood's Not America" is poised to become another Idol exit song ace. While it may not posses the instant hit potential of “Bad Day” or "Home," the song should be able to carve out its own satisfactory niche in today's popular music. Ferra will be an artist to keep an eye on as his debut album, Aliens & Rainbows, is scheduled for an April 1^st release.

--Quinton

*Must See* America's Next Top Model Is...

It's Tyra Banks fools! Don't believe it? Watch the video below from You Tube User: Gloostikk. This video was ingeniously edited, which results in one of the funniest videos I've ever come across. It's must see!




Tyra Wins ANTM



--Quinton

*Leaked* Ashanti- "The Way I Love You" Music Video

Here's the apparent leak of Ashanti's video for "The Way I Love You," the lead single off her upcoming album, The Declaration. "The Way I Love You" is an assertive, and melodic tune, and the video manages to portray the lyrical content of the song to the highest degree. With it's impressive cinematography and subtle shock value, the video for "The Way I Love You" sets a new standard for Ashanti; managing to become her best video yet.


--Quinton

Ashanti - "The Way I Love You"