Lifehouse Releases "Halfway Gone" On VH-1

The alternative pop band Lifehouse's Official music video in companion to their new single "Halfway Gone" has just made its way out on VH-1 Monday. The Frank Borin directed video captures the four members of the band enjoying some relaxing time with friends and fans 'magically' appear for a day in the park during a sunny day.
The single "Halfway Gone" was released to radio and digital retailers on October 27 in the US. It is the first cut to be taken from their upcoming fifth studio album "Smoke and Mirrors," slated for release on February 2, 2010 (aka Groundhog Day). Its deluxe edition will be made available for purchase as a double-disc set. "American Idol" alum Chris Daughtry and the "Let It Rock" hitmaker Kevin Rudolf are two of the fellow musicians who are set to help this band finishing the record.
Lifehouse have a catalogue to equal the radio-friendly rock of those acts. The group includes Jason Wade (lead vocals, guitar), Rick Woolstenhulme Jr. (drums, percussion), Bryce Soderberg (bass guitar) and Ben Carey (guitar). They have sold upwards of fifteen million singles and albums worldwide to date. Wade has a voice that was always destined to front a band and on "Halfway Gone" it is used to great affect on a rousing chorus. Sure, this isn't boundary pushing in any way, but it's unshakably fun rock-pop that would brighten most people's day. I have always had a fond appreciation for Lifehouse and this song rekindles my love for them!

Keri Hilson Premiered New Music Video "I Like"

Keri Hilson is undeniably one of the hottest Pop/R&B artists of the music scene. She now goes global, premiered a music video for her latest electro-pop song "I like," which is contribution to the soundtrack for the new German blockbuster Til Schweiger-starring "Zweiohrkuken". The footage from the film is sometimes intercepted with captures of Hilson's performance. New single exclusively for Europe which will be released officially on November 20.
The R&B singer started her career writing hits for stars such as Britney Spears, Ciara and Usher, but after the successful release of her album "In a Perfect World...," Hilson's now keeping some of her best songs for herself. Her newest track, "I Like," is a sexy, catchy synthy, dreamy new jam that could very well become a chart topper. Produced by David Jost and Robin Gruber, it has a dark, electronic beat that matches perfectly with Hilson's sultry voice. The track starts off light, and slowly picks up into the chorus, which Hilson handles perfectly. She doesn’t overuse the hook. "I Like" throughout the track, she just simply sprinkles them in at the perfect times. Clearly Hilson is not only a very talented singer, but an extremely adept songwriter as well. "I Like" is the latest single off of the German re-release of Hilson's debut album.
Hilson won two trophies at 2009 Soul Train Awards earlier this month, leading the winners list along with Beyonce Knowles. She took home Best New Artist and her duet with Kanye West and Ne-Yo on song "Knock You Down" was named Best Collaboration. Hilson is going to perform at the inaugural Nelson Mandela Bay International Music Festival on December 18. She will sing alongside several local acts such as Jozi and Bricks at the three-day event to be held at the World Cup Soccer Stadium.

30 Seconds To Mars Released "Kings and Queens"

The rock band, Thirty Seconds To Mars ('30STM') finally unveil an official epic short film/video in support of the lead single "Kings And Queens," known as "The Ride," off their forthcoming third studio album "This Is War" which they have been going through in getting the album done for two years, and will be released December 8.
The bond '30STM' formed in 1998 by actor Jared Leto as vocalist, rhythm guitarist and songwriter, with his brother, Shannon began as a small family project. Matt Wachter later joined the band as bassist and keyboard player. After working with a number of guitarists, the three auditioned Tomo Milicevic to round out the band's roster. According to an interview from Virgin Records, "[The band's name] actually comes from a thesis title that the band found online that was written by a former Harvard professor. What it means to us is, we thought it best described our music, in short."
'30STM' have already gone to great lengths to make sure that their "Kings and Queens" video is a thoroughly epic production. They've filmed in and around some of Los Angeles' most iconic landmarks, recruited a large cast of extras and all manner of surrealist street performers to make cameos. So naturally, they want to roll the thing out in an equally epic manner. The video had two main themes: One featuring a fire-breathing clown and an army of gas mask-wearing cyclists, and the band among them, riding in downtown Los Angeles. The other part of the video simply features the band playing on a cliff edge of some sort that overlooks the city. These two themes alternate between each other during the course of the video.
The frontman Jared has been quoted saying that the video was "basically make a love letter to Los Angeles and to celebrate that side of the world." He discussed the making of the video in an interview with MTV: "We're doing all-night shoots. That was my big, dumb idea, to shoot at night, but I think this city is a beautiful place at night, and we have these empty streets, and it's kind of a haunting, forgotten landscape," the vocalist continued. "It's been an incredible adventure, but it's also been really difficult, because there are so many people, and we're shutting down streets of Los Angeles."
This single "Kings And Queens" shows a definite evolution of their musical style, but I definitely would not classify it as "pop". Instead, I hear traces of Angels & Airwaves and U2 in "Kings and Queens," mixed with classic 30 Seconds. So, overall, an epic single! check it out courtesy of Rock Sound below!

Janet Jackson Reverts A New Video "Make Me"

We've been waiting for Janet Jackson to return to her true roots as an artist for awhile now. In a revealing interview that aired earlier this week, Janet said that the album that reveals the most of her is "The Velvet Rope," and that shows through it's production and lyrical content. Besides, it's one of my personal favorites! The official music video for her new song "Make Me" has just premiered and I have to say i'm lovin' it, and hope that "Make Me" signifies a new change in her music, back to the dance roots but still showing us the anger and emotion that we love from Ms.Jackson.
"Make Me" is a song from her second greatest hits compilation "Number Ones." It was written by Jackson, Rodney Jerkins, Thomas Lumpkins, and Michaela Shiloh. Janet gave the ultimate thank you to her beloved sibling by posting this new single, and initially presented as an audio stream to those who joined her website's official mailing list, on September 14, it was released via digital download a week after. "Make Me" is a fun, breezy tune with an elastic disco beat and a high-energy Euro-dance backdrop." A lot of uptempo stuff makes you feel good. There's so many different colors of Janet.
In her latest effort, Janet, 43, returns to form with a fast-paced dance routine cut with shots of the youngest of the Jackson siblings in a white room, wearing a space-age white suit with metallic shoulder-pads. The video features a vintage Janet vibe, and is shown she doing what she does best: Janet-worthy, sexy come-on, slick choreography, glamorous shots and a remarkably upbeat and countless hat-tips to brother Michael. The best-selling artist, who has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, struts her stuff in trademark modern routines, flanked by her stylish dancers. The video was directed by Robert Hales, and filmed in black and white. The way the three-minute movie for "Make Me" is shot is reminiscent of the Scream video the singer made with her late brother Michael in their 1995 collaboration. There are some pretty risqué moves in the performance, including one where she grabs the crotch of a male dancer and pushes him forward, and it was amazing she could dance so well wearing those boots!"
"Even though Janet was marking most of the dance moves today, the choreography is obviously very complicated, and she knew it all by heart," says the eyewitness. She is expected to perform the melody "Make Me," to kick off tonight's American Music Awards, which will share the stage with stars like Carrie Underwood and Lady Gaga at Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, and it could be the 'Nasty' singer appears poised for a major comeback. Janet is about to release a two-disc set of her second greatest hits album, "Number Ones," which includes the new single "Make Me," and comprising 33 of her global number one singles. The new album is expected in the second quarter of 2010 and will be produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins.

Alicia Keys's "Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart"

After opening up to Billboard about new music video is revolving around through a behind-the-scene footage, the piano-friendly pop star Alicia Keys finally released a music video for her latest new single "Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart" earlier Tuesday on BET's "106 & Park." The video was directed by Syndrome and inspired by superhero movies "X-Men" series and "Hancock."
The melodic ballad and penultimate song was produced by Jeff Bhasker and was released late October as the second single from her upcoming fourth studio album, "The Element of Freedom," scheduled to be released on December 15. Keys called her "supersupersupersuper joint," a song everyone who has ever been brokenhearted can relate to, a song that is heartbreaking, and yet somehow also empowering.
Keys filmed the video back-to-back with "Empire State of Mind." In this Sydrome-directed video, sees Keys with a superhero ability. It features Keys as a woman with healing powers which brings consequence of not able to touch anyone. Keys takes on humanity and tries flying in a purple catsuit." The clip finds Keys playing an "X-Men"-esque superhero whose powers leave her unable to touch the man she loves. She rolls around in bed, shimmies in a stairwell, then heads off to various parts of the city to do heroic deeds? such as healing a little girl's hurt dog in the street! She eventually ends up shaking her booty on top of a building in said one-sleeved catsuit until she confronts the gentleman who we're to assume is the villain causing this super diva's broken heart. Speaking of the video, recently, Keys said "It basically pictures the movie "Hancock" or the character Rogue from "X-Men" and the way that they have an incredible power that is a blessing but also their curse."
The album will include "Empire State of Mind Part 2" which has her re-uniting with Jay-Z on the hook. Drake is also recruited to lend his vocal on the album and Beyonce Knowles is rumored to make contribution. Keys performed the song at New York University's Skirball Center for Pepsi Music, and also performed it on "Dancing With The Stars." She will performance on Sunday's American Music Awards.

Film: "Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans"

German director Werner Herzog doesn't do normal. His lengthy and fearlessly brilliant career has involved everything. He captured a gallery of oddballs both real and fictional, turning his lens on everyone from a doomed "Grizzly Man" to "Aguirre, the Wrath of God." He's finally met his match in manic actor Nicolas Cage, and the product of their unholy union, "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," a crime drama shocks and confuses in the Big Easy, from First Look Pictures opens theaters today. It should give fans of the cultish and weird a reason to cheer, and for those seeking mainstream fare should consider themselves forewarned.
"Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," A powerful spiral into oblivion, works best as a study of a man in the grip of madness, magic and iguanas. The movie is not a remake of Abel Ferrara's 1992 tour of New York law-enforcement hell, nor is it a sequel. According to Mr. Herzog, who has taken "Bad Lieutenant" from New York to post-Katrina New Orleans, a perceptive move that allows him to explore his cardinal themes of man's inhumanity to man and the indifference of nature in a city stripped to its swampy essence. "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" is its own special fever-swamp of a movie, an anarchist film noir that seems, at times, almost as unhinged as its protagonist.
"A New Orleans mystery: A Cop So Bad, He's Good" in this Herzog's trippy new thriller, the Oscar-winning actor reunites with his "Ghost Rider" co-star Eva Mendes, and gives one of his best performances in years. Cage plays an on-the-edge and corrupted cop who's just promoted to lieutenant, and investigating the killing of five Senegalese immigrants. He plunges into drug addiction after a heroic on-the-job accident. He throws himself into this role with the energy of a man accepting a double dog dare, that lets him indulge in his most manic, unhinged mannerisms, taking viewers to the very precipice of nihilistic depravity while preserving just enough self-conscious humor to keep from tumbling in. He does some of his best work in over a decade here. Not all of it works, but it's a joy to see Cage take some risks again.

Mariah Carey's "I Want to Know What Love Is"

Madame Butterfly Mariah Carey has unveiled a new music video on her official website to accompany her recent cover of Foreigner's classic 1984 ballad "I Want To Know What Love Is" as the second single lifted from her twelfth studio album "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel," was out November 16. The single has helped Carey reached another milestone, made new album hit her 20th top 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart Wednesday, only been beat by Celine Dion (21).
The single, produced by Carey, C. "Tricky" Stewart and James "Big Jim" Wright, was released in the US for digital download September 15. Before it was re-recorded, the song has been covered by other artists, such as Tina Arena, Clay Aiken, David Phelps and Gloria Gaynor among others. Mick Jones said of her version: "I think she's actually retained the integrity of the song. You know, the arrangement is very similar to the original. They haven't tampered with the song too much. She's captured a certain emotional thing, a feeling."
The Hype Williams directed CG-heavy video was shot in New York City and captures Carey making a live performance in an anonymous baseball stadium, whilst shots are intercut with people who have had tough times in their past, who get quite emotional watching her perform, where a particularly lanky-looking Carey sings into an old-school mic atop a giant butterfly emblem in the field as the True Worship Church Choir provides backup vocals. Mimi looks at least ten years younger in the clip, sporting her Unplugged-era perm-tastic hair and a notable lack of Hello Kitty clothing. This incredible Carey inspire-a-thon clip is so corny, almost magical and really breathtaking.
Career-wise, the 39-year-old R&B singer is almost as powerful as she's ever been. The single has garnered very positive reviews, with many critics praising Carey's version of the classic ballad. Australian magazine "Rhyme & Reason" stated that "While Carey stayed true to the original, this piano-led remake is less an overhaul of the classic '80s hit than it is a modest but impressive update." Bill Lamb from About.com said that "Mariah Carey's new version could leave you speechless. The diversity of vocal coloring expressed in this recording is stunning. This single is a reminder of just how formidable Carey's talents are given a strong production and arrangement."