Stefano Langone feat New Boyz & Rock Mafia - I'm On A Roll

The former American Idol contestant and fan favorite's debut single is finally here. The Dance/Pop track feels like a mishmash of "Love At First Sight", "I Gotta Feeling", and any of the recent Jason Deulo singles in terms of the production. In similar fashion, far too much autotune has been used on his vocals. Given that he is a reasonably good singer, this much was unnecessary. The song feels rather ordinary amongst other similar songs that are flooding the airwaves right now. It's not bad, nor is it great. It's just okay.

Listen to the song here:
 

Grade: B-

Help Choose Kimberley Locke's New Single!

The American Idol alumni is going to be releasing and promoting a new single real soon. She is calling upon her fans to help choose it. There are 3 songs: "Finally Free", "I Can't Get Enough", and "Sirens." All three are Dance/Pop-oriented. Vote for the song on her Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/kimberleylocke to determine which song will become her new single.

Anoop Desai - My Name

His claim to fame was appearing on American Idol last year and making it into the top 7. "My Name" is his first post-Idol single from his forthcoming album entitled All Is Fair. He is much more in his element on "My Name." Vocally, he sounds much better. The uptempo song is really simple and catchy. The production is R&B/Pop-oriented with light touches of traditional Indian instruments, a nice nod to his Indian heritage. This song could very well pave the way for establishing him as a bona fide radio staple. Time will tell whether that is possible, but this song is a step in the right direction.

Listen to the song here (People First Listen)

Today is the release date for the single digitally. Links to the stores will be added when available.

Grade: A

Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment

This is the much-awaited lead single from his first album due in Noveber. "For Your Entertainment" is an uptempo dance/pop track very much in the same vein as Sam Sparro's "Black & Gold", Christina Aguilera's "Keeps Gettin' Better", and Amii Stewart's "Knock On Wood." Parts of the song instantly call to mind those other ones. That's not a bad thing. Vocally, Adam sounds great. His performance is restrained for a good part of it, but he really lets loose with high notes towards the middle/end.

Listen to it here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Allison Iraheta - Friday I'll Be Over U

She came in 4th place on this year's season of American Idol. Despite the judges harsh criticisms of her performances, she was a fan favorite. Her punk/rocker performance style distinguished her from many of the other contestants. On the Max Martin produced "Friday I'll Be Over U", it is totally in that style. It's a catchy uptempo that really showcases her great vocals. This one could prove to be a good sized hit for her.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

LaKisha Jones - Let's Go Celebrate

This is the first proper single from the former American Idol contestant. She gained notoriety for her performances of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" and "Diamonds Are Forever" during her time on show. Taken from her debut So Glad I'm Me, "Let's Go Celebrate" is a mild club banger. With it's happy synths, clap-beats, and lyrics about going out to an evening of dancing at a club, it would lend itself really well to remixes. LaKisha delivers an on-point, restrained performance.

There are remixes by Jody Den Broeder, Friscia & Lamboy, and One Cool Cuban. Jody delivers the goods with a funky piano-driven Disco throwback. It's very classy and just what the song needs. Friscia & Lamboy provide an electro/house mix that is a bit dirtier. It's an interesting throwback to the rave-type mixes of the 90's. The amount of vocoding on the vocals as heard on the original is a bit distracting at times and sometimes clashes with the production. One Cool Cuban's are sort of in-between what the other two did. They're just okay. Jody's is the best overall.

Radio edits of the Jody Den Broeder and Friscia & Lamboy mixes are available as bonus tracks on the iTunes release of her album. Get them here.

Grade: A-

Kris Allen - No Boundaries

This season of American Idol yielded quite a surprise when Kris Allen won. Many had expected early frontrunner Adam Lambert to take the title. It's too soon to tell which will be the more successful of the two.

Both recorded "No Boundaries", a song written by Kara DioGuardi, Cathy Dennis and Mitch Allan. Both performed the song during the finale last week. Many felt that Adam's more emotive version was better, however, others felt that the more subdued one Kris delivered was more fitting. There are significant differences between both contestants' versions, however, the more subdued one works much better. It's more effective. While it may not be THE single that launches his career, this could be a good step in the right direction.

Buy it here (iTunes)

Grade: A-

David Archuleta - Crush

He had been a favorite ever since the last season of American Idol began and many were predicting that he would either win or come in second. He ended up doing the latter. His first proper single was premiered on New York mega-station Z100 earlier today.

This first single is a midtempo pop/rock, pseudo-ballad a la Jordin Sparks' first post Idol single "Tattoo." Some were concerned about David being marketed towards a younger audience given that he is quite young as well. That audience had been really supporting him week after week on Idol. However, this song has a little something for people of all ages. This one could prove to strike a chord with many different audiences. What remains to be seen if this sound is the one he is going to be continuing with.

Overall, he is beginning his music career on the right foot.

Listen to the song here.

Grade: A-

Paula Abdul - Dance Like There's No Tomorrow

This premiered earlier today on L.A.'s KIIS FM. The American Idol judge made a brief appearance on Ryan Seacrest's morning to talk about her new single and that rumored Super Bowl performance, which is now confirmed! This is Paula's first single in over a decade. The single is a mixture of the pumping Dance/Pop that put her on top of the charts for much of the late 80's and early 90's. It does sound slightly dated, but that adds to the charm of the song. Paula's vocals are still pretty decent. This one is screaming for a hot video. Let's hope they get it right.

Grade: A-

Katharine McPhee - Love Story

"Love Story" is the second single from the American Idol alumnus. The old school classic-sounding track has only done mildly well since its release earlier this Summer. It has been remixed as was her previous single "Over It."

Solar City and Soul Banger (Tony Moran with Warren Rigg) have done the mixes. Both deliver stellar circuit-oriented mixes with the vocals as the focal point. Solar City's is a lot synthier and harder. A dub of this would be fantastic with all those vocal samples. Soul Banger's mix is a big room, tribal track. Both mixes are awesome. The Solar City mix is currently unavailable for purchase, however the Soul Banger mix can be purchased, albeit heavily edited on the Thrive Mix 04 compilation.

Original
Grade: B+

Solar City Mix
Grade: A+

Soul Banger Club Mix
Grade: A+

Jordin Sparks - Tattoo

This is the first proper single from the 6th winner of American Idol. After the lukewarm response to her coronation song/obligatory Idol single "This Is My Now", "Tattoo", a midtempo ballad has been chosen to begin her career. This Stargate-produced track sounds very similar to Beyoncé's smash hit "Irreplaceable" which reigned over the Hot 100 not that long ago. It is so strikingly similar that during the first few bars, one may begin to sing, "to the left, to the left." The good news is that Jordin's vocals are on point, however, the lyrics being sung sound very Disney-ish. This one doesn't really feel like it is single material. Time will tell how long Jordin's career lasts.

Jordin's vocal performance
Grade: A-

The song, overall
Grade: D+

Elliot Yamin - Wait For You...Remixed

He was in the final 3 during the 5th season of singing competition American Idol. His first post-Idol album and single have been out for some time now. "Wait For You" has been doing pretty well on the Pop radio format and has begun to get some play on Rhythmic stations as well. The song is an in-between R&B/Pop ballad. It has the feel of some of Brian McKnight's music.

Trendsetting Pop station Z100 in New York has been changing things up a bit and is playing a remix by Jason Nevins. This mix basically takes the piano and bass from the original and adds some rock guitars plus some familiar drum loops. And the vocals on top of this production sound a lot better. The song still has the emotional element found in the original, but it's just a little faster. It's well-done.

Jason did two slightly different mixes. The GTR (Guitar) mixes are a little more Dance/Rock-ish while the Synth mixes are a little more clubbier.

There is also a mix by Midi Mafia which is not really a Dance mix in the conventional sense. It's basically an Urban mix. This is quite suitable for the Rhythmic format. It feels a little more generic in this incarnation, but it's decent at best.

Album Version
Grade: A-

Jason Nevins mixes
Grade: A+

Midi Mafia mix
Grade: B