[Music Video] Mariah Carey "Almost Home"

Mariah Carey is serving up "good face" in the video for her Oz: The Great & Powerful tie-in, Almost Home. Just like back in Kansas, Mariah's segments are shot entirely in black and white, with the Diva left to hold our attention with her expressive self and a chair...riveting stuff. ( see some of my favourite "moments" in Gif form below)

These scenes are contrasted nicely with inter-spliced clips from the actual movie, which are presented in glorious (techni?)colour. I'd really have loved to have seen some Carey in Oz moments, especially since this was the perfect excuse for her to embrace her "eternally 12" side, but it wasn't to be.

The video for Almost Home is clearly budget, but it's a simple and elegant movie tie-in that works well enough. The only real problem I have with it is Mariah's sexy poses and strange "Pow" moments, all which seem slightly inappropriate and out of place. I guess ain't nothing going to stop Mariah from doing Mariah. Not even a kid's film.....

Check out the visuals for Almost Home below, and let me know what you think in the comments.

[Video Review] Florence Welch And Calvin Harris "Sweet Nothing"

I really wasn't sure about the Calvin Harris and Florence Welch collaboration, Sweet Nothing. Being a fan of both Brits I was expecting to have fallen madly in love with it on first listen, and this not happening left me confused, ashamed and shaking uncontrollably.

However, time, and repeated exposure to the song, have somewhat warmed me to it. I was only hoping the Vincent Haycock directed video would turn up the heat on our thawing relationship. But that didn't happen.

[Watch] Colton Haynes Joins Leona Lewis In "Trouble" Music Video

The video for Leona Lewis' new single, Trouble, has hit the net. Co-starring Teen Wolf actor Colton Haynes as the Diva's other half in this troubled relationship, the video charts the breakdown of their once happy life together via a series of flashbacks.

I think "edgy" and "realness" is what the director was going for- check out the constantly shifting camera, muted colour scheme, and "urban" setting- but as for most things Leona Lewis (other than her voice) it's strangely lifeless and dull. An odd result considering the acting isn't half bad.

[New Video] P!nk- "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)"

Was P!nk's new video shot on a HD camcorder and edited together on the bundled video software that comes with every Mac? Because it sure looks like something I could have created at my local National Trust manner house, with a budget of ...let's say....50 quid. Realistically most of that'll go on the booze- because this is one director who needs to be liqueured up to create his "art"- but I'm sure I could create something that is a close approximation of the video Dave Meyers' delivered here for Blow Me (One Last Kiss)...well bar the flying machine part at the end. I'd probably need an extra tenner for that!

[New Video] Little Mix: "Wings"

Last year's X-Factor winners, Little Mix, have just released the video for first single, Wings (yes, I am wilfully blocking out their massacre cover of Damien Rice's Cannonball).

Managing to capture the energy of their youthful years, Wings is surprisingly good. I'm not sure it's something I'd be putting on my Ipod- the rhyming of "things" and "listening" literally made me cringe- but it's a lot better than some of the tosh that other winners have released as a first single.

Coldplay & Rihanna "Princess Of China" [New Video]

Coldplay and Rihanna finally release the green-screen heavy video for single Princess Of China [which I reviewed here, what seems like an eternity ago]. The teaser released a while back hinted that something a little special, and dare I "iconic" was in the making, but the actual video doesn't quite fulfil that promise. Well not to me anyway.

[New Video] Florence + The Machine: "Spectrum"

Florence + The Machine have released the video for one of my favourite tracks off of the Ceremonials album, Spectrum.

Keen to mirror the opulence and luscious feel of the track itself, Florence + The Machine enlisted world renowned photographer David LaChapelle to direct the clip.

There are some gorgeous set pieces to be found in the video for Spectrum, for instance the flooded cityscape, and the golden-hued apartment, but it feels like they either ran out of time, or money to really use them to their best advantage. The choreography looked particularly loose. But I suppose that will happen when you're trying to squash in a video shoot while on a world tour.

Review and Video: Jessie J ‘Laserlight’

I am a sucker for a song that makes me feel like I can take on the world single handedly [Mary J Blige knows what I'm talking about-link] and David Guetta has the ability to create that emotion down-to-a-tee with his derivative/reductive music production. So it's no surprise that it's just what Jessie J is serving up on new, David Guetta co-produced, track LaserLight.

Video Review: Madonna "Girl Gone Wild". The Queen is back!

Is it possible for me to dislike a video featuring high-heel wearing and ultra fierce male dance troupe/singers Kazaky? I think not! So it's no small wonder I really like the accompanying video for Madonna's new single, Girl Gone Wild. [single review]

Single review and Video: Katy Perry Ft Kanye west "E.T" #winning

I must admit I'm out of the loop when it comes to most things Katy Perry. I hadn't even heard of her new song E.T until it was in the entertainment news for not only ending Lady Gaga's 6 week Born this way reign, but also achieving the more impressive feat of being her fourth number one from her latest album Teenage Dreams. Still, it wasn't until the video was released, today, that I actually heard the song, which features Kanye West, and am pleasantly surprised that I quite like it.

Lady Gaga "Born this way" video

Lady Gaga in Born this way

I've just watched the video for Gaga's Born this way and don't want to make the same mistake I made by reviewing Britney's Hold it against me without letting the video truly sink in. Instead I'll post the video here, for you guys to check out, while I watch the video a few more times and ruminate on my thoughts.

Look out for the Madonna reference at the end!

Watch Mariah Carey's video for "Old Lang Syne": Laughs a plenty!

Mariah Carey in the video for Auld lang syne: seen the image, basically seen the video

Boy oh boy has the recession hit Mariah Carey hard if her current video is anything to go by. The video for Auld Lang Syne, from the Merry christmas ii you album, has got to be the cheapest video I have EVER seen from any singer, let alone an A-lister.

The video just has Mariah dancing- am i allowed to call it that?- in front of a green screen that has fireworks projected on to it while she mimes BADLY to the song. I think Mariah might have actually filmed this herself, maybe in her shed under the influence of all those pregnancy hormones, and released it online before anyone could stop her because the production values are next to nil. I especially love 2.45 when she twirls majestically onto the screen. Delightful.

Perhaps Mariah has just decided to inforce some austerity measures on her spending habits, she has got a baby on the way after all. Besides why should she still  spend huge amounts of money on her videos when it's not converting into sales for her.

Loving Mariah even more after this video. What do you think?

Nicole Scherzinger - Poison Official video

Nicole Scherzinger - Poison

I initially really disliked Nicole Scherzinger's new song Posion due to it  sounding like a weak, mess of noise to me. But today, for no reason, I succumbed to a craving for the song and since then, like some kind of fungus, its taken root in my mind and now I actually quite like it.

Maybe I've finally succumbed to Nicole's poision (shock!)! oh and props to her for keeping fully clothed  in the superhero inspired video.

WIki desciption:
"Poison" is an up-tempo synthpop and dance-pop song produced by RedOne. The "guitar-driven" number uses a "pulsating" and "toxic" beat throughout, which is similar to that used in the Britney Spears's song "Toxic". The lyrics were also compared to "Toxic" and said to have similar themes, according to BBC Music blogger, Fraser McAlpine.

Brandys : Warm It Up (with love) 2009

Brandy 2010

An album track from Brandy called Warm it up (with love) is an unashamedly uplifting song with a commendable message about resisting the current climate of fear and strife with the use of Love and hope.

Warm it up features Brandy's unique alto over a simple backing track that consists essentially of a piano and drum loop, with soft synths used during chorus and middle eight to create contrast to the verses. The overall simplicity of the backing track allows, quite rightly, the lyrics to take centre stage.

The message  Brandy brought on this song  highlights by comparison how overtly self-indulgent and decadent contemporary music has become of late.  Here's hoping her seed of positivity  will bloom and blossom in 2011, spawning a new batch of socially aware music to grow and flourish. India Arie I'm looking at you to come back and show the world how its done!

Watch the video for Mariah Carey & Patricia Carey - Oh Come All Ye Faithful / Hallelujah Chorus

Mariah Carey and her mother Patricia
Carey perform "Oh Come all ye Faithful"

The video for one of my favourite cuts from Mariah Careys' Merry Christmas ii You album, "Oh come All ye Faithful" has just been released. The video features both Carey and her mother, Patricia, singing the medley in a Christmassy studio environment.

Watch and read the review of Keri Hilson ‘The Way You Love Me (ft. Rick Ross)

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Kerri Hilson gets practically
nude in the video of "The way
you love me". 

So what do you do when your last album didn't live up to industry expectations. You do what Keri Hilson has done with her new single "The way You love me" off her upcoming second album  and switch to sex to sell your music.

The song:
Don't let the title of the song fool you; this is not a love song or  a ballad. Its an up-tempo track about sex that is neither subtle or poetic about it. In fact I'm surprised they went with such a tame title considering the lyrical content being so crude and the obvious desire to shock with this release.

Warning to anyone listening with kids about: DON'T! This song has repeated swears in the chorus!The whole thing is all just TMI (too much information).

The video:
The video looks like its had a lot of money thrown at it and features a lot of suggestive dancing and semi clothed ladies.To "cleverly" try and disguise it from being being a desperate attempt to sell music using ones body, they've thrown in a thin plot about Kerri and a group of femme fatales-including Faith Evans(?!) - successfully carrying out a heist for a group of  male gangsters who doubted their ability. In fact if you concentrate REAL hard you can see that its not actually a load of smut, but an advert for feminism and female empowerment...(!)

Unfortunately for all there is more to come because the video ends with the joyous line"to be continued.". Yikes

Summary: "The way you Love me" and it's video were undoubtedly chosen to wake the world up to Kerri Hilson again, and it succeeds for the duration of its playtime. However, once you get over the lyrics and the seedy video , the song, at its core, is ultimately bad and forgettable.

Comment as to what you think of the video/song/review/Kerri Hilson/ at the bottom of the post or by clicking here.

Keri Hilson and Rick Ross together in her new video "The Way you Love me"

Cheryl Cole "The Flood" : Video and Review

Cheryl Cole still taken from "The Flood"

Cheryl Cole is back with new single The Flood, a soppy, mid-tempo ballad about, you guessed it, Love (symbolised by the water) and its transient nature. All in all it's a pretty mediocre and forgettable follow up to her last single Promise This, but will no doubt go top 10 thanks to her X-factor profile.

Watch the video below:

Watch the Official video for Rhianna's- "What's My Name?"

Rihanna's new video to accompany her American number 1 hit Whats my name? featuring Drake. Yeh or meh?

Rihanna and Drake

Alexandra Burke & Beyoncé duet on "Listen"

Alexandra Burke , Beyonce and Cheryl Cole

Alexandra Burkeduets withBeyoncéon the song "Listen". This performance was ultimately what sealed Alexandra's fate as the winner of the X-factor in 2008 and its not surprising considering she held her own against such a formidable singer.

Christina Aguilera can sing without shouting!! Shock! Who'd have thunk it? Watch her new song

Christina Aguilera has jettisoned  her last album Bionic, after the lukewarm reception, and is instead concentrating on her new film Burlesque. Below is a new song from the film called "I Am a Good Girl" and shows Ms Aguilera's demonstrating a softer vocal styling.  I am enjoying the break from the usual high belts and indulgent melisma. Enjoy

Christina Aguilera - I Am Good Girl ( Burlesque )