Adam Lambert - Ghost Town

Newly signed to the Warner Bros. label, the American Idol alum has released the lead single from his 3rd album The Original High. Produced by Pop wunderkind Max Martin, the song fuses Acoustic and Folk elements with 90s House. The deep bassline that comes in 1/3 of the way through the song is reminiscent of Marc Kinchen's signature sound which has recently made a comeback. Adam's vocals sound fantastic from the ballad sections to the uptempo sections. It's one of the strongest singles he has released in a long time.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Katy Perry - Prism (Review)

This is the highly anticipated 3rd studio album serving as the followup to the massive Teenage Dream which spawned 7 consecutive hit singles. This album was reportedly meant to be much darker and introspective when it was first conceptualized, however, the darker elements have been toned down.

Here is an overview of each track:

Roar The #1 hit in which she tells her lover that she will be fine and be stronger than ever on her own opens things up setting the tone for the album clearly inspired by the breakup of her brief marriage to Russell Brand.

Legendary Lovers Things slow down just a little with the exotic Middle Eastern and Indian flavored song. The sensual tabla breakdown in the middle is so hot.

Birthday The innuendo heavy song is classic Katy. This is what "Hummingbird Heartbeat" was for her last album. All the little zingers on the midtempo are very cute.

Walking On Air Taking cues from 90s House music, this one is so very delightful, and speaks of the giddiness one can feel while in love.

Unconditionally A gorgeous powerballad that Jim Steinman would be proud of comes next showcasing a knockout vocal performance from Katy.

Dark Horse The psychedelic Hip Hop track is the only collaboration on the album. The otherworldly feel of the song is really exciting.

This Is How We Do The 80s inspired Synthpop midtempo is two tons of fun with the catchy chorus and delicious bubblegummy production.

International Smile Continuing the 80s trend is a song that could have easily been on Madonna's Like A Virgin album. The "ooh uh ooh" backing vocals in the verses are so pretty.

Ghost The "Bette Davis Eyes" styled midtempo gives the public and fans some insight into the breakup of her marriage: it happened via text message.

Love Me The standard Adult Contemporary fare ends up being the weakest song on the album despite the solid production and vocals.

This Moment The "Such A Shame" styled track also does not live up to its full potential. It feels really middle of the road.

Double Rainbow Things get back on track with this gorgeous ballad. This is easily one of her best vocal performances to date.

By The Grace Of God The stunning tearjerker ballad talks of initially contemplating suicide but ultimately deciding not to go through with it because of a savior helping them through difficult circumstances may resonate with some who have been in similar situations before or are possibly going through something like that right now.

Spiritual The Alanis Morissette-esque midtempo is the perfect next track to the heavier track that came before it.

It Takes Two This Pop/Rock midtempo about the dynamics of a relationship, possibly Katy and John Mayer's current one is rather thought provoking.

Choose Your Battles Things close on a bittersweet note with another song about relationships.

This is a strong collection of songs, however, the album does not really flow all that well as whole as there are so many different styles of music represented. The placement of "Unconditionally" is really odd in the first half of the album whereas the 3 bonus tracks also feel like they don't belong at the end. The latter two would have been more effective in place of "Love Me" and "This Moment" which are easily two of the weakest songs. The lyrics on nearly all of the songs are anywhere from good to incredible. None are cringe-worthy or lazy. The production sounds contemporary despite all the 80s and 90s throwbacks which are a nice break from the ubiquitous EDM sound that is all over radio right now. Those longing for the 80s and 90s might enjoy this. The album is full of great single choices. "Dark Horse", "Legendary Lovers", "Walking On Air", "By The Grace Of God", and "Spiritual" are some of the obvious ones.

Listen to the album here:


Purchase the album here (iTunes)

Grade: A-

Christina Aguilera - Let There Be Love (Remixes)

This is reportedly the 3rd single off of her Lotus album. The uptempo is produced by Max Martin and Shellshock. The song's production immediately calls to mind Ke$ha's "Tik Tok", Katy Perry's "California Gurls", Usher's "The DJ Got Us Falling In Love", and Madonna's "Girl Gone Wild." While the song's lyrics aren't terribly exciting, it's still a lot of fun. Christina sounds great.

Remixes for the song were serviced recently by Ark Angel, Cutmore, DJ Kue, Jump Smokers, and TV Noise. Ark Angel's R&B/Dubstep mix is pleasant. It has lots of buildups and breakdowns. An edit of that could help it on radio. Cutmore's big room House mix maintains the chord progression but really beefs it up in terms of bass, beats, and synths. DJ Kue's mix is in a similar style, though slightly less melodic. The Jump Smokers doesn't deviate that much from their formula and is good. TV Noise's electro mix changes up the structure of the original and makes it dub-like.

Overall, Cutmore's mix ends up being the best of the bunch.

Listen to streams of all the mixes on Soundcloud (these were NOT uploaded by Sweet Muzik)

Ark Angel | Cutmore | DJ Kue! | Jump Smokers | TV Noise


Grade: A

Christina Aguilera - Your Body

There had been some rumors since late last year that this single would be released to start off Christina's new album era, however, it remained unreleased and unheard until now. The Max Martin-produced song is a Dance-oriented R&B midtempo. The sexy song is far catchier than some of her earlier first singles. Compared to her last outing with "Not Myself Tonight", this one is much more subtle. "Fuck Your Body" was the original name for the song as she sings that line in the chorus, but there are edited versions coming out that reportedly change "fuck" to "love". Vocally, Christina shows a bit more restraint limiting her signature runs and ad libs. Overall, this is a really strong lead single.

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-

Britney Spears - 3

This is a new song that will be a part of an upcoming Britney singles collection due in November. There had been speculation for the last few days about what the song would be about. It turns out it's about a threesome. It's written in a way that's naughty without bordering on obscene. It could fit in with songs from both her Blackout and Circus albums, but it's still pretty different. The uptempo will be quite a floorfiller in clubs. Pretty good overall.

Listen to "3" here (MySpace)

Grade: B+

Kelly Clarkson - My Life Would Suck Without You

This is the highly anticipated lead single from Kelly's upcoming fourth album All I Ever Wanted. Produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin and Claude Kelly, this one does call to mind the sounds heard on her Breakaway album, however, this is not just a carbon copy of that era. The first few bars recall "Since U Been Gone", but the similarity ends there. Kelly sings about how her life wouldn't be great if her man isn't there to share it with her. It's a happy, fun, sing-along song. This one will make for some really good Dance remixes. The new album will be released on March 17. The digital single for "My Life Would Suck Without You" will be released on January 16 as an exclusive at Amazon's MP3 store. It will be available everywhere else shortly after.

Grade: A