Avicii feat. Robbie Williams - The Days

Swedish producer/DJ Avicii has had many successes during these last few years. He is all set to release his new artist album Stories. The first single is a guitar-driven Dance/Pop song with vocals by British Pop singer Robbie Williams (of Take That fame) performing the vocals. Robbie's vocals are excellent, blending well with Avicii's production. This one has the potential to be another worldwide club and radio hit and could potentially re-introduce Robbie Williams to the U.S. He had several solo hits stateside in the late 90s and early 2000s but he has not released anything targeted towards that market.

Listen to the song here:


Grade: A

Novaspace - There For Me

This is the latest single from the Swedish producer and DJ. It is an uplifting, euphoric big room Electro/House track. The song is carried by a gorgeous female vocal hook, reminiscent of last Summer's crossover hit "Take Me Home" by Cash Cash. This is underground enough for the clubs, however, it has crossover appeal. This is smash hit waiting to happen.

Listen to the preview here:


Check out Novaspace on Facebook

Grade: A

Joi Cardwell - The Art Of Being

Joi's brand of Soulful House music with thoughtful, inspirational lyrics is always welcome. She has released a handful of singles here and there in between albums. The Art Of Being is the singer-songwriter's first album in nearly 3 years. It contains a few of the singles that were released separately. This is her strongest album to date. Every single one of the songs is beautifully produced by many of the heavy hitters of clubland. All of the songs have a melodic sound that is distinctly classic but also sounds current. Joi's vocals are amazing! There are a couple of revisits to her earlier singles "Jump For Joi" and "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else" as well. Every one of the songs is great so it is hard to choose the best ones, but "Confusion", "Return To Love", "Je T'Adore", "Shot Through The Heart", and "Lucky Charm" really stood out. All of the songs could work as singles. With the recent shift towards early 90s House sounds, this record arrives at just the right time.

 Tracklisting:
1. Lucky Charm (Quentin Harris Production)
2. Return to Love (Director's Cut Mix)
3. Confusion (NovoGain Production)
4. Love Somebody Else (Maceo Plex & John Dasilva Mix)
5. Shot Through the Heart
6. Indian Giver
7. I Just Wanna (Kraak & Smaak)
8. Sweet Sadness (Mlle Lucy Mix)
9. Je T'adore (Life+ Mix)
10. Feels Like Heaven
11. Music Saved My Life (Maurice Joshua Mix)
12. Jump 4 Joi (Mike Cruz Radio Mix)
13. Jump 4 Joi (J Zuart Remix)

Purchase the album here (iTunes) and here (Juno) [Juno has it in lossless DJ friendly/collector format]

Grade: A+

Annie Lennox - I Put A Spell On You

The first single from the singer's new covers album Nostalgia is her take on Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put A Spell On You." The hypnotic production is faithful to the original but updated slightly. The song takes on a more dramatic, almost sinister tone. This recording of it makes it sound like it could be the opening theme of a James Bond movie. Annie's vocal performance is full and rich. She has always excelled on using the darker parts of her voice. This is a fresh and exciting cover.

Listen to a clip and purchase on iTunes here

Grade: A

Kiesza - No Enemiesz

This is the new single from the Canadian singer-songwriter's debut album Sound Of Woman due out on October 21. This is in a similar style as previous singles, though this one is far more bass-driven, and is quite the room shaker. Her uplifting vocals remain the focus. The hook and chorus are super memorable. This is easily her strongest single to date.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Nick Jonas - Jealous

Nick was a formerly a member of the teen group The Jonas Brothers with his brothers Joe and Kevin. They recently went their separate ways. He recently showcased his new, mature musical direction with "Chains" a few weeks back. "Jealous" is a groovy R&B/Electro-pop track. One could compare the style of the song to that of Miguel's recent material. Nick's falsetto-laden vocals are a joy to listen to. The song has already begun to gain traction on radio just a week after its release. This has serious crossover potential and will be a multiformat smash.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Sam Smith - Stay With Me (Mark Picchiotti remixes)

The haunting ballad by the English singer-songwriter has topped the charts in nearly all parts of the world. The song has struck an emotional chord with many due to the relatable lyrics and the genuine vocal performance by Sam. There have been dozens of bootleg remixes which just did not mesh that well with the sentimental vibe of the song, however, the legendary Mark Picchiotti stepped up to the plate and produced some unorthodox Chic-inspired remixes which work perfectly. The Disco/R&B-styled remixes are at a lower tempo. The song is less melancholy in this arrangement.

Listen to the remix here: (it is also available as a free download if you 'Like' Mark's Facebook page)


Grade: A+

Lenny Kravitz - The Chamber

This is the lead single from his new album Strut which will be coming out on September 23. The single was released several months back, however, the music video was a released today. The song is a throwback to the sounds of the 80s but within a modern context. The main guitar riff and programming bear a striking, unintentional resemblance to that of Stevie Nicks' classic "Edge Of Seventeen". It's classic Lenny from the hook to the lyrical style, and of course, his always strong vocal performance.  The song is quite the grower.

Watch the racy cinematic music video: NSFW


Grade: A