A new addition to the ever-bulging eccentric female singer-songwriter lane, New Zealand-born/ Australia-based Kimbra makes quite the first impression on debut single “Settle Down”, a desperation-soaked plea for her fantasy beau to ditch his girl with the fancy car and go steady with her so they can raise a child together named “Nebraska Jones” (“She’ll have your nose…”).
Sound a lil’ kooky? Yes, but her marrying this teenybopper daydream to jazzy-curlicued, stop-start phrasings and a whimsical arrangement that starts with nothing but “boom-buh-boom-bah” mouth-noise and handclaps before being filled out with layers of sub-Timbaland quirk-funk and cutesy tip-toe piano plinks just show that being a bit “out there” is the name of her game…a fanciful lil’ game we wouldn’t mind hearing a little more of.
Even if Yael Naim was never to record another song again, it’s likely her presence wouldn’t be absent from the blogosphere for too long as DJ’s, producers and rappers seem obsessed with finding new ways to spin her 2008 fluke hit “New Soul”.
On this latest twist on the Naim tune, Sydney mash-up man Lezington crafts an admittedly cheesy, but definitely likable, marriage of “New Soul” with the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s kooky classic “Got Your Money” that has embedded inside our brains the hilarious image of a Muppet-ed Big Baby Jesus slapping down felt-made groupie ho’s on the seedier side of Sesame Street.
Grab it below, alongside another one of Lezington’s simplistic-but-irresistibly fun blends: Lil’ Wayne’s “A Milli” merged with a-ha’s “Take On Me”.
Back in 2008, 16-year-old Aussie Gabriella Cilmi emerged with one of the better Winehouse-wannabe tracks with debut single “Sweet About Me”, a seducing slow-burner that found her naughtily winking to boys that she wasn’t one of those goody-goody girl-next-doors.
Fast-forward a couple of years and Cilmi has conveniently done away with the retro-soul trickery for sophomore album Ten, trading in one overdone pop trend for another in a somewhat jarring makeover that sees her targeting the futuro-dance diva niche.
On first listen, Ten lead-off “On A Mission” registers overwhelming in it’s intent to throw everything (Hi-NRG electro pulses!!! ’80′s aerobics-pop synths!! Disco guitar flickers!! “I am woman/ Hear me roar” chutzpah done with a loud Anastacia growl!!! Cheerleader B-girl-isms!!) at the listener at once at rapid speed. But once you’ve grown accustomed to all it’s overdramatic, heavy metal-meets-Studio 54 goofery, the song enters the realm of being an irresistible slab of awesomely bad guilty pleasure Velveeta, the laughably determined combination of faster-than-fast tempo and hefty vocal firepower making like the aural equivalent to a loudmouth physical trainer trying to get you in tip-top beachwear shape for the summertime.
Loses points for Cilmi not being able to deliver lyrics that paint her more inside the joke though (cause the corny, self-serious “super-heroine theme song” songwriting fails miserably).
Catch the video below, then peep the Eve-featured remix (which should evoke a giggle or two out of it bringing to imagination Ruff Ryder’s First Lady being trapped in some weird, arcade game 8-bit hell).
Australian chanteuse Sia has attached herself to so many different musical styles over the years (whether it’s the jazzy diva stylings of 2002′s quirky Healing Is Difficult or her many Zero 7 collaborations; the seducing, adult-pop melodrama of her Six Feet Under-featured breakout “Breathe Me”; or the more straight-forward, blue-eyed soul tinges found on her solid 2008 triumph Some People Have Real Problems) that if one was to try to absorb her entire back catalogue all at once, they might find it impossible to grasp that it all emerged from one artist.
New single “You’ve Changed” once again finds the singer shattering expectations and taking on an entirely different sonic realm: this time, mainstream-glossed disco-pop. And while it’s definitely an initially jarring new route for Sia to conquer (and will likely garner it’s share of “sell-out” balks), it’s also one she aces spectacularly, her pipes gelling perfectly with the track’s funky Studio 54 jubilance, while commanding your attention from gleeful note one as she soulfully celebrates the way her love has transformed a man who was, up-to-this point, widely known for his heartbreaking ways.
You’ve changed Sia, and moreso than your previous about-face reincarnations, this Robin S./ CeCe Peniston-reminiscent makeover absolutely feels for the better.
Sia’s fourth album, We Are Born, is scheduled for an April 2010 drop.
Australian duo Ted & Francis‘ original “Erlend” was an infectious, electro-pop confection that made good use of a steady dance backbeat-meets-hushed-vocals marriage, but we’re REALLY feeling the amusingly-titled ‘I Love Whitney’ remix by producer (and fellow Aussie) G.L.O.V.E.S, who recasts the track as a late-night, ’80′s lite-R&B groover.
An award-winning, yet modest R&B/ Pop success in his native Australia before achieving major UK fame last year thanks to guest vocalist duties on Wiley’s “Cash In My Pocket” and Mark Ronson’s universally-lauded remake of The Smiths’ “Stop Me”, blue-eyed soul-ster Daniel Merriweather is now ready to make a return trip to his original headlining role, his long-predicted superstar-to-be future teetering on the edge of fruition.
Perhaps aware that high pop chart placement and heavy radio saturation is likely a given no matter what he drops (especially with Mark on board), Merriweather has chosen to avoid the “easy hit” love ditty for his certain first solo smash, alternately deciding that he’d rather make his listeners think than swoon with social commentary-infused single “Change”.
But for all it’s message-carrying ambition, “Change”‘s lyrics barely register with importance here, too overshadowed by the sublime magical recipe that is Daniel’s faultless soul tenor against Ronson’s horn-y Motown bounce-meets-Rawkus Records’ boom-bap score (with featured rapper Wale as the bonus dessert) to ever matter.
These two could theme a song around the horrors of head lice and it would still probably emerge a retro-glazed, soul-pop must-have.
There’s not enough good things you can say about Sam Sparro‘s still-fire “Black & Gold”. The 2008 (Grammy-nominated!!) breakout single from the Australian newcomer totally delivered what anyone would want from an electro-toned, blue-eyed-soul record (erm…about searching for God). Hell, we bet even Prince had to tap a high-heeled toe once he became aware of the jam.
With that being said, it’s come as a bit of a surprise that rappers haven’t fallen over themselves trying to tap into it as a sample-base “Paper Planes”-style, especially considering they seem to “bless” damn near everything else with a major blog following. Enter Shawn Chrystopher, a Cali-born emcee/ producer currently blazing through the mixtape circuit, to finally give “Black and Gold” a lil’ hip hop touch.
Interestingly, though, it’s not Shawn’s rapping contribution that stands out here as much as his production work. Cooking up a slightly jazzy, slower tempo-ed frame that’s all echoing synthesizer and frantic drum taps, Chrystopher’s work behind the boards is sharp and so complimenting to Sparro’s vocal that we wish it could’ve supported the whole of Sam’s song instead of just keeping the singer’s “involvement” to looped sample hook duties.
As nice as it is to get free music, think of how much better your soul would feel if you purchased it the old-fashioned way.
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(MP3 posts are for promotional and/ or previewing purposes only; if any artist or their representation wish to have the links removed, contact me and I will happily comply!)
A new addition to the ever-bulging eccentric female singer-songwriter lane, New Zealand-born/ Australia-based Kimbra makes quite the first impression on debut single “Settle Down”, a desperation-soaked plea for her fantasy beau to ditch his girl with the fancy car and go steady with her so they can raise a child together named “Nebraska Jones” (“She’ll have your nose…”).
Australian chanteuse 
Australian duo 
An award-winning, yet modest R&B/ Pop success in his native Australia before achieving major UK fame last year thanks to guest vocalist duties on Wiley’s 
There’s not enough good things you can say about
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