[Announce]I'm going on vacation for 3 weeks, and so is my blog!

Dear Readers,

Thank you so much for being a faithful reader to this blog and posting some surprisingly thoughtful comments. I'll temporary stop blogging due to I'm going on a vacation for holiday, and will resume on January 15, 2010 with a lot of catching up probably:-) So please give my blog and readers a Vacation! Thank you once again for always being there and wish you guys a very happy Christmas and wonderful New Year!

Kevin

Calvin Harris Premiered "You Used To Hold Me"

Scottish Electronica musician Calvin Harris has proven himself a force to be reckoned with and is back with a brand new music video for his moody dance jam "You Used To Hold Me." Harris announced on his twitter message Wednesday morning at 4:56a.m. that "I've got a new video for You Used To Hold Me here!" I can never really take Harris seriously until you hear his music.
The Scottish artist has hit big in the UK and other parts of the world with his pop/synth/electroclash sound, which mixes some disco influences with his quirky vocals and always catchy songs, such as No.1 single, trance-pop masterpiece "I’m Not Alone". Harris produces, writes and sings most of his own stuff and has also worked with people like the Kylie Minogue and UK rapper Dizzee Rascal. "You Used To Hold Me" is an upcoming 2010 single release from the 25-year-old Scottish Pop/Dance singer and DJ's fifth single taken from his decent sophomore studio album "Ready For The Weekend," out now on Fly Eye/Columbia/Sony, and reached No.1 in the UK Album Charts in August. The song will be released on February 8, 2010 from Ultra Records.
Favoring a naughty schoolboy look that makes him seem even younger than his already tender years (22 when his first major-label album was released), Scottish artist, producer, and remixer Harris has a similarly youthful and forward-looking approach to his music. Skipping the usual apprenticeship in the clubs or on indie labels, Harris went from posting his own D.I.Y. electroclash music online through /MySpace and similar sites to signing with the multinational giant EMI almost in a single step. No surprise since he now has over a million sales on his last album worldwide!
Like many of Harris's video clips, this one involves a pack of model-perfect girls wearing skimpy clothes gyrating across the screen, except this one has a monster truck in it. The car-crunching video is like a car show with a slew of dancing women amongst Harris DJ'ing in front of a monster truck. How many times has your heart been broken, feeling like you got ran over or hit by a truck? That's what I got from this video, but I'm sure your interpretation may be something else.

Amerie Debuts "More Than Love" Feat. Fabolous

R&B Singer Amerie is back to rocking out over big band production. Her staple sound fits her better than the jeans she's struttin' in. Amerie has premiered an accompanying music video on Christmas Eve for her latest single, "More Than Love," featuring some help from rapper Fabolous. "More Than Love" is the third single from Amerie's fourth studio album entitled "In Love & War." which is an ambitious collection of old-school jams, and has been in stores on November 3rd. Just in time for Christmas and its attendant depression/loneliness/frantic calls to therapists. she hands us a little bundle of trust issues in the new video for "More Than Love."
The video for the Del Pearson and Lenny Nicholson-produced track was directed by TAJ and shot in New York City. Simple and to the point, this video really encapsulates the message of the song. Although the extended narration at the beginning was quite tedious to endure, the rest of the clip served its purpose. The clip is very nice with a storyline that corresponds perfectly with the lyrics of the track, and the twist at the end of the videos is dope.
Amerie and Fabolous get their quarrel on in this new video, they are trying to save their broken relationship as narrated in the video. After going through a hectic schedule, Amerie, as seen in video, finally has a night for herself and Fabolous, her collaborator who plays her lover. But things do not go as she plans as he leaves abruptly, which then raises her curiosity. "I'm not sure I trust him with my heart anymore," she said. "Gonna take more than love to make this work." Amerie concludes as she considers the state of affairs in her fictional relationship with Fabolous. What unfolds is sort of the music video equivalent of Cheaters, with Amerie and her friends leafing through what appear to be incriminating photos of Fabolous cavorting with another woman. Should she trust him or not? We don't learn until the end, but the way Amerie wraps her raw, soulful vocals around the lyrics captures just how it feels to have the relationship on the line.
Amerie's old-skool-R&B flavoured album "In Love & War" never was going to appeal to the masses, but premiering the video to your new single about a difficult relationship, right around Christmas is quite a clever move. In addition to teaming up with Fabolous, Amerie also joins forces with Trey Songz in a song called "Pretty Brown" and hooks up with rap mogul Lil Wayne in the remix version of the album's lead single "Heard Em All."

Mary J. Blige Premiered A New Video For "I Am"

The super talented Mary J. Blige premiered her brand new video via vevo.com for her most recent hit "I Am," the second single taken from her ninth studio album "Stronger WithEach Tear," which was just released through Universal on Monday, after being pushed back twice. Penned by Johnta Austin, features leading rapper T.I., singers Trey Songz and Drake. Blige is all about empowerment and says she wants her new album to be "a picture of strength." She told USA Today that "The things that I allowed to happen in the past will never, ever be allowed to happen again."
Blige has won nine Grammys, and has received the World Music Legends Award for hip hop and soul. As of 2008, she had sold over 48 million records worldwide. The Queen of R&B and Hip Hop Soul lets it be known that she's irreplaceable on her latest single "I Am," which confidently tells one's lover nobody can treat them better than the person they are with at the present time. Sounds pretty promising, and this sampler alone is a lot more relentlessly upbeat and packed with hit potential. She continues to represent for the Hip Hop and R&B scene, and build a brand that reaches beyond music, and is giving it another shot at chart success with this new single, produced by Stargate.
The video is simple and nice, and was directed by famed lensman, Anthony Mandler. Unlike certain other R&B-pop stars unveiling their new music video, Blige knows how to wistfully stroll down a beach with sophistication. In her video, Blige's showcases her vocals and rocks some pretty sweet full-length frocks while trying to convince her lover she's the best one out there.
The dynamic star has a lot to be proud of. In addition to putting out mega hits, she recently had a supporting role in Tyler Perry's movie "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," and will appear as a guest judge in the upcoming American Idol, Season 9. Blige has also landed her own reality show on BET that will feature her new foundation. She wants to air stories about how people are changing their lives just like music changed hers.

"When Love Takes Over" Features Kelly Rowland

Producer, hit-maker and worldwide ambassador of club culture David Guetta has premiered the video for his new single "When Love Takes Over" featuring main vocals by American R&B singer Kelly Rowland on Yahoo! Music. With three chart-topping albums to date, "When Love Takes Over" is the first single from French DJ's latest fourth studio album, "One Love," released on August 25 by Astralwerks.
Guetta is a name synonymous with the world's greatest house and dance music, and has sold over 2 million albums worldwide and over 3.2 million singles since 1992. Rowland demonstrates that she has the classic diva vocal pipes to be a major star and that "When Love Takes Over" is just the push she needs. Fusing classic dance beats with a heady, emotionally-charged vocal, it's a world away from the midtempo R&B numbers with which she started her solo career. With its exhilarating pop melody and uplifting, powerful beats supporting a ringing vocal performance of impeccable clarity and rousing emotion by Rowland, "When Love Takes Over" became a No.1 smash, topping charts in 10 European countries, as well as top on U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs charts, and is slowly crawling up the Hot 100, mainly due to heavy-airplay at radio-stations. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category for Best Dance Recording for the 52nd Grammy Awards.
The ex-Destiny's Child Rowland met Guetta while attending one of his shows in Southern France during the summer of 2008. She later met up with him and asked him to show her one of his tracks and what he showed her was a "pop number built around a lush piano loop and throbbing percussion" which was the early works of "When Love Takes Over". The beat moved Rowland to tears. "I felt so much emotion from the track; something happened the first time I heard it, and it was just beautiful", she said. Guetta, meanwhile, is banking on the single to garner a stronger stateside following. The piano part is noted for being similar to that of "Clocks" by Coldplay. "The track with Kelly has made me experiment with a more American urban influence", Guetta says. "Musically, it's opened a new world for me. It's pure pop with a lot of detail, and Kelly had this Whitney Houston vibe and nailed it."
The beach party themed video which was shot at Venice Beach, CA on May 19 is the latest video by ground-breaking director Jonas Akerlund, who perfectly captured the essence of the track. In the clip you can see Rowland walking alone down a road, and singing on the beach as the sun is setting. Guetta is seen pushing his DJ equipment around town until they meet at a party. "They share that love and share it with the other people to make that big party", said Guetta. In the end Rowland and Guetta meet up and finish the song at the party.

Brittany Murphy On #1 Hit "Faster Kill Pussycat"

As you've likely read, American actress and singer Brittany Murphy, whose life came to a tragically short end on Sunday morning at the age of 32, after suffering a cardiac arrest. Atlanta-born landed her first job in Hollywood when she was age 14, starring as Brenda Drexell in the series "Drexell's Class," and made a name for herself playing quirky, eccentric roles from the goofy skater girl in "Clueless," to psych-ward patients in "Girl, Interrupted" and "Don't Say A Word." In addition to her movie roles, Murphy also dabbled in music and performed vocals on a range of films, such as "Happy Feet," as well as the long-running animated TV series "King of the Hill." So it made sense that she crossed over to the edgier music scene, not just in "8 Mile," in which she played Eminem's love interest, but as a vocalist in her own right.
Murphy was one of the few singing actresses to make a credible crossover into music, she left her mark on the world of electronic music, scoring a club dance hit in 2006. alongside the world's leading DJ/remixers, Paul Oakenfold with the floor-filler "Faster Kill Pussycat," the opening track and lead-off single from Oakenfold's album "A Lively Mind." Following the death of featured singer, there was an online campaign to get the track to No.1 in the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play charts as a tribute to her. "Brittany Murphy was an amazing talent but above all, she was an amazing person," said Oakenfold Monday afternoon. "She will be greatly missed. Our deepest condolences go out to her family."
The music video for the hit track, "Faster Kill Pussycat," shot on the rooftop of a parking garage in downtown Los Angeles, features Murphy dancing, with scenes of Oakenfold as a DJ and a wild crowd. Directed by renowned music video director Jake Nava, it premiered on television in May 2006, and received airplay on MTV and other music channels. It was also a pre-loaded video on Microsoft's Zune.
While Murphy didn't dive full-fledged into a music career, she did prove her vocal and performance chops in occasional appearances. RIP Brittany Murphy, you were a great person inside and out. You were also amazing at acting and singing. Still can't believe you're gone. Talented, adorable, vulnerable and just delightful on screen. I always felt that she was one breakthrough role away from either dramatic or comedic glory. It's so sad that such a talent is gone, especially in this tough year that has been filled with the losses of so many showbiz legends. One thing is certain: Murphy's death is a great loss to both the film and music world.

Love and Theft Premiered "Dancing in Circles"

American country music group Love and Theft broke into the country music scene to scored a Top 10 hit, (the only new artist of 2009 to do so so far,) with their debut single "Runaway" off of their debut album "World Wide Open," and now the trio has moved on to a great follow-up single in "Dancing In Circles." Written by band member Stephen Barker Liles with producer Robert Ellis Orrall and songwriter Roger Springer, the song fits in well for both the softer fall/winter vibe at country radio while also featuring a message that is universal and questions why humanity does the things that we do to each other.
"Dancing In Circles" is the polar opposite of its predecessor "Runaway," and much more evenly secured within the traditional country vein with the deft usage of a beautiful mandolin, fiddle and banjo. It's a simple, organic song that leaves the band members trying to figure out through the verses why the men and women who share their lives on earth can never seem to find peace with one another and 'keep dancing in circles' to continuously avoid loving one another. The trio do not only prove themselves as talented musicians but singers as well with vocals that are rich, pleasant and produce a beautiful harmony. And while "Dancing In Circles" delivers a heavy message, the boys in Love and Theft present it in a fashion that is endearing instead of overbearing.
Love And Theft gathered on 5th Avenue in downtown Nashville in late November on a chilly Sunday afternoon to shoot the music video for their latest single, "Dancing in Circles." The clip is directed by award-winning Kristin Barlowe, who also helmed the trio's "Runaway." The reason the street was used, she says, was so that one side could "represent celebration and the joyful unity of humanity. The other side is destruction; war, riots, the sadder parts of our human existence." Love and Theft deliver an always timely message in this thought-provoking clip. The trio added "It's a reflection of people interacting with other people, Sometimes that's beautiful and other times it's troublesome. And we want to show that whole gamut of emotion and struggle and joy and victory. This song's about people loving each other. We just wanted to get a bunch of ethnicities and a lot of our friends are in it."
The thing I love about Love and Theft has to be their harmonies. They showed off their fantastic harmonies on their first single, and do so once again with "Dancing in Circles," which features a tinkling mandolin along with those great vocals. Their sound might not appeal to traditional country fans, but they're definitely a hit with the younger, TaylorSwiftish country crowd. Their soul-stirring harmony is icing on the cake. They have themselves a song that very well could be their first chart-topper.