The new Dolly Rockers single is quite possibly already the best song of the year

It's been a hot second since I last wrote an installment of Getting Dolly Rockered. I guess now I won't have to, because A NEW DOLLY ROCKERS SONG JUST LEAKED!

No, it's not from an old recording session with their UK label, it's it's produced RedOne! The man who produced the newly-released "Starships" by Nicki Minaj also produced this song. And let me tell you one thing...

Starships x 100 < Get You Alone

"Get You Alone" is an electro-pop ditty with bubbly beats and thundering synths. The lyrics are step up for the girls who, although already great lyricists, learned a thing or two in the area of theme-setting. The way the girls harmonize in certain areas to emphasize a certain word is glorious and is a nod toward their old material.

Although this song isn't instrumentally similar to any of their old material one bit, it still shows the same Dollytude these girls are known for. The chorus is also reminiscent of "Boys Will Be Boys" and "Automatic Girl" in the fact that the euphoric energy present in all three of these choruses are not present in any other song on the radio right now, or in the last few years for that matter. The girls sing their hearts out in a top-40 radio-friendly song, which is highly unusual nowadays thanks to the double-sided phenomena of auto-tune. Vocals: perfect.

The Dollies have never been ones to shyly wait in the corner to be picked up, and they're not about to change that now. The same care-free attitude towards hooking up found in "Je Suis Une Dolly" is refined into an ambitious, feministic exclamation as the girls confess they can't stop thinking about getting that certain somebody alone. These girls are cute as kitties but ferocious as lionesses!

Although it is unfortunate when a song leaks prematurely, especially a demo like this one, it's amazing how great just a demo from these girls sounds. The mastered version will probably leave me in tears, surely. Remember when the demo of Gaga's "Bad Romance" leaked and it was pretty good but then the real version came out and it just blew everyone away? That's what I'm expecting with this puppy, and I'm sure the girls won't disappoint!

I hope this leak gets the ball rolling on releasing material from The Dollies. Even if they're not done recording their album, they can at least release some singles periodically ala Neon Hitch (who is still releasing singles, five so far, no albums yet) or Paramore (a "singles" club is a bit annoying, but it's better than nothing). I don't know whether or not this song will be on the album, but I can tell you if it is it would be amazing. I don't know if this song will be a single, but I can tell you if it becomes one then the Dollies can say "hello" to their first No. 1 single in the states.

Out of respect I will not post a download link, but you can listen to the song below.

These songs are pretty much all I want to listen to this week

"Part of Me" - Katy Perry

When this song originally leaked back in 2010, shortly after the "California Gurls" and "E.T." leaks, I immediately fell in love with it. The song sounded like a dark version of Teenage Dream's lead single "California Gurls," but it really shows off Katy Perry's vocals amazingly. "This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me," she exclaims in the explosive chorus. The song was re-written in order to fit better with Miss Perry's current emotional struggle: her divorce with comedian Russel Brand. "You can keep your diamond ring," she bitterly sings to Brand. If this song is an omen to her future offerings, we might have ourselves a new, more radio-friendly Adele.

Listen to Katy Perry's new single here.

"Starships" - Nicki Minaj

Ok here's the deal with this song: it's actually three different songs. There's the beginning which is very "let's go to the beach" and kind of makes one think of Selena Gomez & The Scene's "Summer's Not Hot" but for adults. Then there's that little Jamaican-esque part that's really like a cheap rip-off of Rihanna's "Man Down" except not about killing people. And those are both rubbish. There's a part in between all that junk that's actually good. Very good actually. The RedOne produced track boasts a monstrous dance breakdown that is just so good you must hear it for yourself. Imagine Lady GaGa's "Bloody Mary" mixed with Kat DeLuna's "Everybody Dance." Yeah.

Listen to Nicki Minaj's new single here. 

The problem with this Katy Perry album cover is...

It's such a great picture of Katy, but all the rubbish around it kind of takes the attention away from it.

I get that it's called "The Complete Confection" and that she really likes candy and all that, but it could have been done classier, like this:

but that's just a thought.

All of those colors are really stunning, but in a bad way. In my opinion the album cover should have looked like this:



You see, this cover, is actually perfect. There are roses and an old-timey phone and a hair straightener (even though her hair is wavy in the picture) so it all looks very teenager-y but the dress she's wearing makes her look like a mature woman.

But if you're really caught up with using the official cover photo, you might fancy this:

You'll notice it's not perfect, but it's quite nice, yes?

Also, can we take a moment to admire the beauty of the cover art of "Part of Me"?

I like blonde Katy. I like the pose. I like the font. I like the dress. I like the way they put those pink stripes (that kinda remind me of a cat) in a way to make an "A." I love how the ends of the letters look like ripped ticket stubs, or a "part" of a ticket stub if you will. Why couldn't the same people that came up with this masterpiece have made the album cover? Why?

"Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection" will be released on March 27th. What do you think of the album cover? How does it measure up to the fanmade ones? Comments greatly appreciated!

I am all for eccentric Grammy performances, but I am not so keen on this one.

I am not against religious influences in music, much like Lady GaGa or Madonna often take, but this has taken that to another level.

It is a good idea conceptually to parodize The Exorcist, but when you actually do it make sure it does not look like the above.

I like the song, though, so the performance has got that going for it. And not much else.

K, thanks.

What do you think of Nicki Minaj´s Grammy performance?

Dia Frampton releases amazing cover of Lana Del Rey's "Video Games", remains true winner of The Voice

Meet Dia Frampton. She was originally one-fifth of indie rock band Meg & Dia, but later went on to find mainstream success as the runner-up of the popular NBC singing contest The Voice. She really should have won, I mean where in the world is Javier Colon? Nowhere, that's where.

While touring with The Voice mentor Blake Shelton, Miss Framps found the time to show a little love to our girl Lana Del Rey. And by 'show a little love', I mean 'completely diminish the talent of.' Below is Dia's rendition of the Lana Del Rey single "Video Games."

While Del Rey's version included classical instrumentation including harps and violins among other ambiance sounds, Frampton's cover is accompanied only by a guitar. It's no shock that Dia Frampton is more vocally talented than the song's original interpreter, but the way she redid this song is completely ridiculous. Irrelevant now is the original, in fact replace it in your iPods with this one.

Dia's delicate, wispy vocals walk along the simple guitar chords in perfect unison. The way she emphasizes certain words or vowels that Del Rey did not gives the song a completely different feel to it. Then, she lets her vocals soar in the chorus. "I heard that you like the bad girls. Honey, is that true?" she sings in her silky voice with just the right amount of rasp. It's utterly perfect.

The best part, though: the last chorus. Chills!

Request a download link in the comment box and I'll put one up ASAP

Dia Frampton's debut album Red is out in stores and iTunes now.

What do you think of Dia Frampton's cover? Do you prefer Lana Del Rey's or Dia Frampton's rendition of "Video Games"? Comments greatly appreciated!

SMASH Music Review: "Pilot" - 2/6

Last night was the premier of the new NBC TV show SMASH. The musical drama is beyond amazing, I highly recommend it, but alas this is not a TV blog, but it is a music blog. So here is the review of the songs from last night's episode, "Pilot."

"Over The Rainbow" (Cover) - Katharine McPhee

McPhee's character Karen Cartwright sings this song during one of her auditions. Regardless to say, this piano ballad was beautiful, but nothing out of the ordinary. 6/10

"Never Give All The Heart" (Original) - Megan Hilty

Hilty's character Ivy Lynn sings this with the songwriters of the musical-in-works Marilyn. The song is a beautiful ballad inspired by Miss Monroe herself (seriously she's everywhere!) and introduces Hilty's voice to the small screen. Her rich, full voice is a treat to the ears and will no doubt be great competition for McPhee on this show. 8/10

"The National Pastime" (Original) - Megan Hilty

This song is one giant bucket of innuendos if there ever was one. The song is sung by Hilty's character as Monroe as she prances around with a bunch of baseball players that are little too overzealous in their attempts to get with her.The suggestive dance is hilarious, the suggestive lyrics are cute, and this song, even though it's very Broadway-driven, still works well on the small screen and on your iPod. 9/10

"Beautiful" (Cover) - Katharine McPhee

This song is also sung by McPhee's character at an audition, but this audition is much better. Not only does McPhee do this song, but she redoes it. The melody is different, the piano instrumentation is new, and the vocals are off the hook. They may not be as powerful as Aguilera's, but they really are better. 10/10

"Let Me Be Your Star" (Original) - Megan Hilty and Katharine McPhee

The girls sing this song together (but in the show they sing it separately) in an amazing, Broadway tune that is so perfect it could be the show's theme song. The powerful vocals both girls contribute remind me of Hairspray's "Good Morning Baltimore" but taken into a 21st century NYC scene. Such talent in one song has not been seen since "Lady Marmalade"! 10/10

What did you think of SMASH? Will you be keeping up with the show? Will you be downloading the songs on iTunes? Comments greatly appreciated! 

Madonna reveals standard edition cover for "M.D.N.A." and unleashes LMFAO remix, flaws remain nowhere to be found

Above is the newly-revealed cover for Madonna's new album M.D.N.A. While last week we got to see the cover for the deluxe edition of the album this week we get this glorious piece of artwork. A masterpiece, if you will.

While last week's cover was beyond amazing, everything I could have ever wished for, really, this cover is just everything+more! The red dress and gloves are looking bawm, that tube-like reflection that was seen in last week's cover is seen in this one as well, except from farther away, but most of all Madonna is looking amazing! This should come as no shock, but I still become surprised at how great she looks.

That pose right there beats all three "Give Me All Your Luvin'" poses put together.

This is why she is the queen, plain and simple.

Also, check out the LMFAO remix of her new single.

 

This remix takes the peppy production of the Martin Solveig-produced track and turns it into a club jam. It really is amazing how much these boys can do with remixes. Minaj remains in the track, M.I.A., however is out en lieu of the boys of LMFAO. Well, how courteous.

The cheer leader chant is even better on this version of the track than on the original. It is a big statement to make, but the music truly speaks for itself. This remix has an amazing energy completely different from the original song, but still great. I truly am torn between which version I like the most because both are just so good. Just give this song a listen even if you don't like LMFAO and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

That breakdown! Ugh!

What do you think about Madonna's new album cover? What do you think of the LMFAO remix, does it measure up to the original? Comments greatly appreciated, I want to hear your opinions!

Marilyn Monroe serves as a muse for Jessie and the Toy Boys in latest leak

Yes, another post about Jessie and the Toy Boys. Yes, another post mentioning Marilyn Monroe. But this is for a good reason, I don't dare be redundant for trivial reasons!

"Marilyn" leaked a few days ago, but I never got around to listening to it. I lost precious time, because now I can't stop listening to this track! The delicious dark bubblegum-pop track starts with a genius whispered verse about the tragedy of life and all that good stuff...but then...

"Marilyn, why'd you die young? Was it pressure? Was it cutting through?" Jessie asks the iconic star. Much like the Nicki Minaj song "Marilyn Monroe" this track ponders the connection between today's celebrities to her, possibly the biggest star of the past. 

The blonde chanteuse asks Marilyn for advice, "What's the secre that you can reveal?" before asking the chilling question: "Were you feeling the way I feel?" There's nothing released by this group better than this. Nothing.

The bridge is truly the most haunting part of the song. I don't want to spoil the experience, because trust me it's goosebump-giving, but there are these things involved: cake and a loaded gun. Yeah, I know.

I came up with a formula to show just how great this song is: "Marilyn" >>> life.

I really hope this song makes the final cut for This Is How Rumors Start, or better yet becomes a single. Chills!

What do you think of Jessie and the Toy Boys' latest leak? What do you think of them in general? Comments greatly appreciated!

Nicki Minaj leak shows that Onika Maraj might just be more talented than Roman Zolanski

In the aftermath of Madonna's Super Bowl performance with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. this Nicki Minaj song leaked (with tags).

"Marilyn Monroe" has not been confirmed by the singer herself to be featured on Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, but it would be a crime if it was not. The song sees the rapper channeling her inner...er, human being?...in an average R&B production. The production is not what makes this song, as is the case with many of Minaj's songs. It's the lyrics.

"Call me cursed, call me blessed. If you can't handle my worst, you ain't getting my best," she sings in the songs chorus before asking if this was how Marilyn Monroe felt. Her vocals really sound better than ever when they're reflecting and singing rather than spitting hard rhymes (although I love that too).

Minaj whines about fame in this song, and I guess it is to be expected. Every artist, at one moment in their career or the other, will whine about fame. Although it is dumb to do so, it makes for great songs. This latest Minaj leak shows Onika Maraj (her real name) instead of Roman Zolanski (her alter ego) or The Harajuku Barbie.

"I can get low, don't know which way is up," she says before the chorus. The pensive track truly is a treat to fans of Minaj's songs like "Your Love" where she sings in that average, yet beautiful voice of hers.

I hope there are more moments like this on the album, because you really do need a balance between hard-hitting disses and softly-sung melodious ballads.

What do you think of Nicki Minaj's latest leak? Do you prefer songs like this or are you a bigger Roman Zolanski fan? Comments greatly appreciated!

Madonna releases carelessly fun "Give Me All Your Luvin'" featuring Nicki Minaj & M.I.A.

It's finally here. Madonna's first single from "M.D.N.A." was released to iTunes exclusively at 6 AM, and like a lot of people, here I was at 6, joyfully bouncing in my seat as the download progress bar filled up with that dark gray color: I was seconds away from getting all of Madonna's luvin'!

It must be stated that the official single mix doesn't differ much from the demo that leaked last year. The production is obviously fine-tuned and Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.'s vocals are added in, but other than that the structure of the song doesn't change. This is no "E.T." situation.

With that being said, "Give Me All Your Luvin'" is not Madonna's best single. It is, however, her most blatantly fun. While in past 2000-era singles like "Hung Up" or "4 Minutes" (if you have not heard these songs, look them up for your own well-being) Madonna sang in a sexy, concealed manner, in this track Madonna returns to what first made her famous. The flirty, honest, and downright fun vocal performance she lays on the track she and Martin Solveig produced is reminiscent of her older material. And when I say old, I mean old as in "Holiday" and "Like A Virgin."

"I hear you comin' and I don't wanna know your name," Madonna sings in a soft, friendly voice during the track's first verse. Her flirtatious vocals are intercut with the soon-to-be-legendary "L-U-V Madonna" and "Y-O-U You wanna?" cheerleader-esque chants delivered by none other than Miss Minaj and M.I.A.

"Don't play those stupid games 'cause I'ma different kind of girl. Every record sounds the same you've gotta step into my world," Madonna sings in the chorus or pre-chorus (technically it could be both) when the song's care-free production is at its best. There are soft-hitting synthesizer beats, winding synths, and those delicious bass strums in a frenzy behind Madonna's lush vocals.

The chorus is a clear kick-back to 80's: "Give me all your luvin', give me your love. Give me all your love today," Madonna sings backed by some retro-sounding production. It's almost euphoric.

After the second chorus one starts to wonder: "Are Nicki and M.I.A. just here to be cheerleaders?"

But then, in place of the vocal breakdown in the song's demo is a brand-new verse by the Harajuku Barbie herself. "I'm Roman. I'm a barbarian, I'm Conan. You was sleepin' on me, you was dozin'. Now move! I'm gonin'" she effortlessly raps. Although in my opinion her verse is too short, this performance by Minaj should be ranked among her best collabs. Such a great rapperette!

After that comes Madonna's bridge (same as in the demo) and then M.I.A. comes in. Her laid-back rapping style is such a contrast to Nicki's overzealous rapping style. "It's supersonic, bionic, uranium hit" she says during her verse. It's far from "Paper Planes" and closer to "XXXO."

Then Madonna comes back for another ecstatic, cheerleader-aided chorus and goes out with a bang!

I love this song because it's so unapologetically fun unlike most of the stuff on the radio. This song will definitely be bringing Madonna back to the top of the charts again. And throwing in Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. didn't hurt either.

"Give Me All Your Luvin'" was released on iTunes Feb. 3

What do you think of Madonna's new single? Would you buy it? Is it worth performing at the Superbowl? Comments greatly appreciated!

Chris Brown releases amazing house-pop single "Turn Up The Music," almost forgiven for idiocy

Chris Brown is undoubtedly the biggest idiot of this generation. Yes, not even Charlie Sheen is that bad. But when he does things like release such music perfection as his latest single "Turn The Music Up" it's almost easier to forgive him for all he's done.

"Turn Up The Music" is the second single from Brown's upcoming album Fortune. The song veers away from the more R&B-influenced techno-pop of "Yeah x3" and goes more into the grimy, clubby synthesizers of a deadmau5 remix.

 "Turn up the music 'cuz I'm trying to hear the speakers blow," he sings over the winding house beats that veer on dubstep at some points of the song. Although the backbeat of this song could be a lot stronger, the beat is already extremely well put together.

The best part of the song, though, is the post-chorus bit where the son's producers really go bananas. The synthesizers begin escalating in pitch as Brown sings "turn it up, just dance" repeatedly until the instrumentation just reaches about as high as it could possibly go.

While this song is far from the amazing heights of amazing his songs "Kiss Kiss" and "Forever," there's no doubt that this song will get pretty high up in the charts, maybe even to No. 1.

Although that's unlikely. I mean, he beat her.

#requestGLADYOUCAME: The American Takeover of The Wanted

From left to right: Tom Parker, Jay McGuiness, Nathan Sykes, Siva Kaneswaran, Max George

Meet The Wanted.

They're a British-Irish boyband that has taken over the UK with their catchy lyrics, amazing voices, and infectious club beats. Their first single "All Time Low" went to No. 1 on the UK charts. "Glad You Came," the lead single from the band's sophomore album Battleground, also went to No. 1, but had an ever greater impact, charting in nine countries.

Better make that 10, as "Glad You Came" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 85 after a performance on the Ellen Degeneres show as well as kicking off their first US tour. 

"Glad You Came" starts off with Max George singing the song's chorus over nothing but the sound of a delicate piano. Soon though, it becomes obvious that this song isn't a ballad: the song's producer Steve Mac kicks the song into full gear as he throws in some Ibiza-ready Caribbean-influenced synthesizers that become the song's distinctive feature. 

"You cast a spell on me, spell on me.You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me," Nathan Sykes sings in the song's first chorus. The song structure for this song is amazingly simple but incredibly efficient; the repetition in the song's lyrics is what makes it catchy. "And I decided you looked well on me, well on me. So let's go somewhere no one else can see, you and me," Siva Kaneswaran continues in the second verse.

The song really flourishes during it's pre-chorus, though, when a stronger backbeat joins the instrumentation and the great pop songs turns into an amazing club track. "Turn the lights out now, now i'll take you by the hand. Hand you another drink, drink it if you can," Tom Parker sings in the pre-chorus, "Can you spend a little time? Time is slippin' away, away from us so stay, stay with me I can make, make you glad you came."

Suddenly the chorus that was previously sung by Max George over a piano is reprise by the whole band over the clubby synths and strong beats creating a euphoric ambiance comparable to that of Enrique Iglesias' "I Like It." After the chorus comes a great sing-along series of "oh oh oh ohhs" to the tune of the chorus that creates an anthemic feel to the already feel-good track.

And simple enough, Max closes up the track the same way he opened it: over a piano.

While Jay McGuiness (in between Nathan and Tom) doesn't have a solo in this song, watch out for him,his voice plays a big role in a lot of songs by The Wanted.

As the boys tour the US (they're playing New York City tonight) they are promoting the American release of this amazing single. Help them out by trending the hashtag #requestGLADYOUCAME on Twitter and by requesting this song on your local radio station. It's already No. 85 on Billboard Hot 100 and No. 66 on iTunes, help them climb to No. 1, they're worth it.

Click here to download the "Glad You Came" on iTunes!

Look out for their debut album in the US due out this year.

What do you think of The Wanted? Comments greatly appreciated!