Mariah Carey - Bye Bye

The much talked about second single from Mariah's latest album has already become a fan favorite. Her song about loss (whether temporary or permanent) has already struck a chord in most people. It does remind the listener of her single "Don't Forget About Us" since the production is quite similar, and one cannot help but notice the similar melody too. The vocals are top-notch, as are the lyrics. An alternate remix aimed at Urban and Rhythmic stations featuring Jay-Z only changes up the production a little. Unfortunately, Jay-Z doesn't add anything new to the song and takes away from the heartfelt, powerful lyrics Mariah is singing.

Album version
Grade: A-

Remix with Jay-Z
Grade: F

Basshunter - Please Don't Go

This is the followup to the worldwide smash hit "Now You're Gone." This is a cover of the KC & The Sunshine Band song. KWS and Double You both remade the song in the 90's too, at roughly the same time. Double You remade it again in 2005 with a Trance/Pop flavor. The vocals on this one are just okay. Same with the production. Considering the previous single wasn't standard Euro Hi NRG fare, this one is just not as strong and really pales in comparison.

Grade: C-

Fergie - Labels Or Love

This song is from the forthcoming movie version of Sex And The City (on May 30) and Fergie's own re-release of The Dutchess (on May 27). The song is one part "Fergalicious" and one part "Glamorous." It's not simply a knock-off of either. The song immediately calls to mind Sheila E.'s 80's club hit "The Glamorous Life" and Cherrelle's "Didn't Mean To Turn You On." The song contains synthesized samples from the original SATC theme song. And the lyrics pertain to some of the subjects that were covered and dealt with in the show and movie. Overall, it's fresh and fun. This could be a huge Summer hit for her.

Grade: A-

Buy The Madonna 4 Minutes Remixes

Rachel Panay - Repeat Performance

This is the followup to last year's "It's Got To Be Love", from 2006's Back To Love. This track made an appearance on a couple of WMC and label samplers prior to the album's release. Now it has become a single. There had been some buzz about this one by fans who had taken a liking to it. This song is not about a proper theater performance. It's about, well another kind of performance. The song's steamy lyrics are very well-written and don't feel vulgar the way some other songs in this vein have been. Produced by Guido Osorio, the song is a hard, thundering anthem. Additional remixes by Monster Taxi, Trypsin, Twisted Dee, Ranny and more will take this release to the top of DJs' playlists. The single is to be released on April 22. Preview some of the mixes at Rachel's MySpace. The album version can be purchased from most digital retailers right now.

Grade: A+(Clever, sexy and hot!)

Madonna - 4 Minutes (Remixes)

The remixes for "4 Minutes" will be released this Tuesday, April 15 via iTunes, Amazon and other digital retailers. Bob Sinclar, Junkie XL, Marcos Castellon, Peter Rauhofer and Tracy Young provided the mixes this time around. A CD maxi featuring all of their main mixes will be released in the U.S. at some point during the next two weeks. There are three main mixes by Peter Rauhofer. One for New York, Paris and London. The Paris mix will be on the CD single. The others will be digital only.

All the main mixes can be previewed on Amazon's MP3 store.

Mariah Carey - E=MC2 + Adventures Of Mimi DVD

The much-awaited followup to 2005's The Emancipation Of Mimi will be released on Tuesday, April 15. There are both a physical and digital release planned. A limited edition is available at some store and online. The overseas editions include a bonus track called "4Real 4Real" which features Da Brat. The iTunes edition also includes it as a bonus for pre-ordering the album. It is still available.

A digital release of the "Touch My Body" remixes will be happening on April 15. It includes the Seamus Haji and Craig C. mixes. Amazon's MP3 store already has previews of all the mixes up.

And a wider release of the Adventures Of Mimi tour DVD will also happen this Tuesday. The DVD was only available at Best Buy stores previously.

In support of the album, Mariah will be making the following appearances on TV (these are subject to change):

April 14th-April 20th - MTV Artist Of The Week (10 hours of
commercials, skits, etc.)

April 14th - The Oprah Winfrey Show

April 15th - Mariah will be a celebrity mentor on American Idol

April 16th - Mariah will be performing on American Idol
BET concert special: The Relativity Of Mariah

April 17th - E=MC² CD Signing @ Universal City Walk

April 25th - Live With Regis & Kelly

April 25th - Performing LIVE in Times Square on Good Morning America

Donna Summer - I'm A Fire

After her last outings in 2005 with "I Got Your Love" and "The Power Of Love/Love Power", she is back with a new album (coming in May) on a major label (Burgundy). Her latest single "I'm A Fire", aimed at the clubs and Dance radio just topped the Billboard Dance/Club Play charts. Donna worked with Sebastian Arocha Morton.

It comes loaded with a plethora of mixes by Solitaire, Craig C, Rod Carrillo, Redtop, Baggi Begovic, Matty and Lost Daze, in addition to the original. All of these mixes are available as a limited 2 part CD maxi available through PerfectBeat. Some of the mixes are also available for purchase through the various digital download stores.

Overall, this single is much stronger than her previous ones from '05. Donna's vocals are on-point and she sounds fantastic. It's hard to believe that Ms. Summer is approaching her 60's and her vocals sound just as crystal clear and smooth as they did back in the days of Disco. Keep up the good work!

Grade: A

Madonna - Hard Candy