WILL SECOND ALBUM FROM LEONA LEWIS ECHO THE HUGE SUCCESS OF DEBUT ALBUM?

Leona Lewis_Echo_Album Cover 1

She made it big after her win in the third season of X-Factor competition, with her highly successful debut album titled Spirit in 2007. Spirit became the fastest-selling debut album and the biggest seller in that year in UK and Ireland, making her the first British solo artist to top the Billboard 200 with a debut album. The debut single A Moment Like This from that album became the fastest selling UK single after being downloaded over 50,000 times within thirty minutes of its release, while her second single Bleeding Love reached number one positions in over thirty singles charts around the world.

Leona Lewis_Echo_Album Cover 2

The second studio album titled Echo is released in November 2009. This time, Leona worked with Ryan Tedder, Justin Timberlake, Max Martin, John Shanks and Harvey Mason Jr to produce this album, where she co-wrote 8 of the 14 songs (including one hidden track titled Stone Hearts & Hands). After the successful collaboration with OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder with Bleeding Love, they worked together again for the leading single for the album, Happy, which peaked at 31at the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the number 2 spot in UK's official chart. It's going to be pretty hard to top the huge success of Bleeding Love, but Happy is no lesser of another great track for me, it's sung with full emotions. Apart from that, Tedder has also co-wrote You Con't Care and Lost The Found, a duet between the two. Justin Timberlake contributed to the song Don't Let Me Down, where he had also provided the backing vocals. Not a great fan of that song, but you can definitely detect Timberlake's imprints all over the song's tune and beat.

Leona Lewis_Happy_Single Cover

Leona told Variety Magazine that she wanted this album to have a little bit of more of a live feel to it, with a little live instrumentation. She also described Echo as more 'guitar-driven' compared to Spirit, with a 'harder edge'. If you are a fan of her album Spirit, and still expect the typical pop-feel to the songs especially with the more conventional ballads like Footprints In The Sand, Here I Am, I Will Be and A Moment Like This, then Echo may not be the album for you. Of course we'll miss how well Leona hits the notes in her previous ballads, but hey, how far can she grow as an artist if she carries on dwelling in the typical pop mould. This album carries a more matured approach, definitely more guitar-driven like she described herself, eminent in tracks like Love Letter and Naked. Her ballads are also more 'alternative' sounding now, including Brave and My Hands. You can still expect a lot of heart-felt vocals in this album especially in songs like Broken and Stop Crying Your Heart Out, both great tracks especially the latter.

If there is one thing I can criticize on Echo, it would be the lack of variety in its approach. The songs would make great singles to listen to individually, but they do tend to rather blend in among themselves a little when you listen to the album as a whole.

Rating : B

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THIRD TIME STILL A CHARMER

Sandy Lam Live At KL Putra Indoor Stadium 2009

She is definitely one of the longest lasting Canton diva to have graced the music industry, spanning her music career and hailed as diva status not just in Hong Kong, but also in Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore and China. This was actually my third time getting a chance to watch Sandy Lam perform live, and she has inadvertently become the artist I have watched live the most. Not that I'm complaining, both her previous concerts held here on a smaller scale at Genting Highlands in 2002 and 2006 were a blast. I can still remember how she got everyone standing up towards the end of her last concert, dancing to her disco-medley, making the Arena Hall at Genting looked like a huge dance club.   

She's also known for being a great sport, rarely starts her concerts late like how many divas like to, and most importantly, always being candid and willing to please her fans when they call for an encore. This time however, her concert started about 45 minutes late at the Putra Indoor Stadium on the 28 November 2009. But once she began her show, it was non-stop entertainment. Sandy has hand-picked the songs she performed in each city she went, and she knew for sure Malaysians would expect her classic hits including 至少還有你 (Zhi Shao Hai You Ni), 傾斜 (Kheng Che), 灰色 (Fui Sek) and 瘋了 (Fong Liu) just to name a few. We can also see her trying on a more rock/alternative approach in several of her hits including her evergreen hit song 爱上一个不回家的人 (Ai Shang Yi Ge Bu Huei Jia De Ren). She also sang my favourites like Moot Keet Guo and 紙飛機 (Zhi Fei Ci, video above), but I was waiting to no avail that night for another favourite Moot Yao Nei Wan Si Ngoi Nei. Apart from that. Sandy included a special segment where she rendered some of the soundtracks from memorable classic movies, where she stunned the audience with her impressive vocals where she hit the high notes in the song 玫瑰香 (Mooi Gwai Hiong), impeccable!

Malaysia was Sandy's last show, the last leg of her lengthy world tour which kicked off in Hong Kong, and continued to places including Toronto, Las Vegas, San Diego, Melbourne, Perth, Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Nanking, Guangzhou, Kunming and Macau  I wasn't very familiar with the first few numbers she performed as the opening of her show. It was rather slow with a tinge of trance mood, which wasn't in my opinion a great idea to use as the opening. Lightings and montage shown on the big screen behind helped however, illuminating the show in myriads of colours from beginning to end.

As she is already known for, she pleased her 8,000 Malaysian fans that night with four rounds of encore, making her whole concert lasting slightly more than 3 hours. She returned to stage for the fourth encore, smiling as sweet as ever, teasing her audience that she really had to end the show, else everyone would be chased off by the organizers as she needed to vacate the stadium by midnight!

Rating : A-

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THE PERFECT COMBO FOR DUFFY-NATASHA BEDINGFIELD FANS

Pixie Lott_Turn It Up - Album Cover

It's way overdue for me to blog about Pixie Lott (amongst the many more backlog albums and movies I've yet to come around blogging!) as I've grown to like her album a lot. She's all that I've been recommending lately. Her album titled Turn It Up was released in September 2009 in UK, debuted at number six at the UK Albums Chart , and have so far given her two number one hits at the UK Singles Chart.

Pixie Lott_Reaps 2 Number One Hits With Debut Album

Apart from being a singer-songwriter, this eighteen year-old English sensation is also an actress and dancer. One of her demo songs was heard by L.A. Reid, and he immediately signed her to Island Def Jam Music Group, but it was only after some complications of manager changes which resulted in a bidding war that the album was eventually released in September 2009 in UK, where she is now being signed under Mercury Records in UK and Interscope Records in US. Her infectuous debut single Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh) caught everyone's attention as it went straight to number one at the UK Singles Chart in June 2009, and this was ensued by another number one hit Boys And Girls three months later.

Pixie Lott_UK Singer-Songwriter Sensation

If we look back at the recent uprising trend of English female artists with husky vocals who go for the more quirky-centric approach like Amy Winehouse, Natasha Bedingfield and Duffy, not sure if you'll agree with me, while many of them have managed to catch our attention with their catchy hit singles, but none (with the exception of Adele) has actually produced thoroughly impressive albums with sufficient strong tracks. I've tried Winehouse's debut album (despite her highly successful triumph at the Grammys), Duffy's debut album and all three of Bedingfield's albums, sad to say all equally disappointing. Their albums are all only as good as their hit singles go, and nothing more. Lott is perhaps the best bet for this genre with the strongest album by far, where Turn It Up contains many more potential chart toppers besides her two number one hits.

Cry Me Out, the heart-felt ballad which was released as the third single from the album and reached Top 20 at the UK Singles Chart, is by far my most favourite. The album promises many more great listening tracks including the uptempo Turn It Up and Jack, the easy listening Bandaid, and the intensed ballads Nothing Compares and Gravity. And with the quirky and infectuous track Here We Go Again, the album practically is a treat to listen from beginning to end. Totally impressed with this debut effort, highly recommended!

Rating : A

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AWARD-WINNING STAR-STUDDED MUSICAL

Nine_Movie Poster

Another movie adapted from musical theatre, not just that. The 2009 American musical film titled Nine directed by Rob Marshall, promises much more that what we have witnessed in Chicago and Dream Girls, as it packs one of the most award-winning stars in any single movie by far. Daniel Day-Lewis, multiple Oscar & BAFTA award winner, leads the cast as a fifty year-old director facing his midlife crisis and his complicated involvement with the women in his life, portrayed by all Oscar winners themselves Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman and Marion Cottilard, and Golden Globe winner Kate Hudson and Grammy winner Fergie.

Nine_Movie Anticipation

What can I say, already a big fan of Daniel Day-Lewis since his early works in My Left Foot (1998), and to have one of my all time favourite actress Nicole Kidman in the same movie, definitely a must watch! Plus Judi Dench is always a treat to watch, especially with her Oscar nominated intensed and lesbian role in Notes On A Scandal (2006).

Nine_The Leading Female Cast

Nine is scheduled for a world-wide release on the 25 November 2009, and it won't be nothing less than a movie packed with elaborated musical scenes and dramatized acting.  

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HANG-OVER EFFECT AFTER THE 2009 AMA, LAMBERT'S SHOW GETS CANCELLED WHILE JLO IN TOTAL DENIAL 

Both Taylor Swift and Michael Jackson were the big winners at the recent AMA, but it was Swift who bagged the Artist of the Year title that night. Swift took home 5 awards including Female Artist for both Pop-Rock and Country categories, and Album for Country. MJ on the other hand won 4 in total, Male Artist for both Pop-Rock and Sould-R&B categories and Album for both the same categories. Black Eyed Peas and Jay-Z were also doing well where each took home 2 awards. Beyonce was given the award for Female Artist for Soul-R&B.

AMA 2009 - Taylor Swift Wins Big

Quite a few shockers took place that night, but Jennifer Lopez and Adam Lambert made the biggest impression. Lambert closed the show with his provocative and controversial performance of his new single For Your Entertainment, with his stage antics indulged in both sexual and S&M theme, including walking with a male dancer on a leash, pushing another dancer's face against his crotch and finally dropping the biggest bomb that night as he kissed one of them on stage, sparking both positive feedback and complaints from public.

AMA 2009 - Adam Lambert's Racy Performance

ABC has also decided to cancel his show on the Good Morning America program, where their spokesperson said, “Given his controversial American Music Awards performance, we were concerned about airing a similar concert so early in the morning.” 

While Lambert made his statement intentionally, JLo on the other hand did not plan for hers at all, as she falls right on her biggest selling 'asset' during her performance. Credit given for her quick recovery on stage, but rather than being gracious and grounded for the fall, she decided to do the oppostive when Ryan Seacrest interviewed her during his KISS FM Radio Show. She jokingly said “Did I trip a little bit? I don’t even remember.” When Seacrest commended her for the great recovery, she then coyly added to her not-so-funny joke "I meant to do that. What are you talking about? Don’t you know me better than that? It was part of the choreography!" And it didn't just end there, she decided to proclaim it herself, trying to squeeze whatever pride that's left of her embarassing act on stage by saying “The measure of things is, it’s not what happens when you fall, it’s how you handle it when you fall.” Very gracious JLo, well done.

Janet Jackson gave an opening act with a medley of some of her greatest hits, showing that she can still move, but perhaps not too much can be said of for her vocals as she was miming all the way. I particularly liked Kelly Clarkson's performance as she tones down her current hit Already Gone. Already a big fan of that track, I equally enjoyed her mellowed version that night.

The night was also accompanied by Lady GaGa's performance of Bad Romance and the song she sang about her father, Speechless. The performance was filled with the usual GaGa antics, including her crashing a glass panel to reveal a piano which she played on for her second track.

Here's the full list of winners that night:  

Artist of the Year: Taylor Swift

Pop-Rock
Male artist: Michael Jackson
Female artist: Taylor Swift
Band, duo or group: Black Eyed Peas
Album: Michael Jackson, "Number Ones"

Soul-R&B
Male artist: Michael Jackson
Female artist: Beyonce
Band, duo or group: Black Eyed Peas
Album: Michael Jackson, "Number Ones"

Rap-Hip-Hop
Artist: Jay-Z
Album: Jay-Z, "Blueprint 3"

Country
Male artist: Keith Urban
Female artist: Taylor Swift
Band, duo or group: Rascal Flatts
Album: Taylor Swift, "Fearless"

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BEYONCE AND LADY GAGA'S DOUBLE COLLABORATION

Not a surprising work-together as they are both two of the most hyped about female artists lately, but it is a shocker when both Beyonce and Lady GaGa released not one but two singles. First was Beyonce's Videophone, released as the eighth single from her I Am...Sasha Fierce album.

Beyonce Feat Lady GaGa - Videophone_Single Cover

Before it was released, this song has already hit the Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number fourteen, soon after the album's release in late 2008, due to airplay and strong digital sales. Lady Gaga was included in the extended remixed version as its official release in 2009, where the song makes I Am... Sasha Fierce the first album of the 21st century to have seven entries on the U.S. R&B chart. The song has received mixed reviews and for me it wasn't one of the stronger tracks from the album. A radio-friendly tune, but may not be a chart topper. With the infusion of GaGa's touch, who knows it may just hit Top 10 at the Billboard charts.

Next it's Lady GaGa's turn as she releases her single from her upcoming second studio album, The Fame Monster, where the single was coincidentally titled Telephone. It took me a few listen before taking a liking to it. Catchy and a great tune to play out loud in your car, likely to give GaGa her 6th Top 10 hit at the Billboard.

Lady Gaga With Beyonce

Free MP3 Download:-

To download Beyonce's Videophone CLICK HERE

To download Lady GaGa's Telephone CLICK HERE 

Note : Free MP3s at 2M1F are not of crystal clear quality, do support our artists by buying the orignals

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RIHANNA BACK WITH A STRONG MESSAGE

After the much talked about brutal attack case of Rihanna and her ex Chris Brown, her highly anticipated come back album titled Rated R is due to be released on the 20 November 2009. Russian Roulette was released as the lead single on 20 October 2009, earning generally positive reviews, for both vocal and tune.The single debuted at #100 on the Billboard Hot 100, reached #75 the following week, and has since shot up the chart to #9, giving the Bajan R&B singer her twelve Top 10 hit. Written by Rihanna herself and Ne-Yo, the song introduces quite a surprising tune, different from the usual pop-R&B genre we are expecting. Ne-Yo shared that Rihanna had requested for the sombre vibe to the song, "She wanted to be dark, but not just dark for the sake of being dark. Dark with kind of a meaning, dark with some kind of thing to it." He added that he came up with the haunting Russian roulette theme which is a metaphor meaning that 'you don't know if the next move that you are going to make in the relationship is going to end it all or not'.   

Rihanna_Russian Roulette_Single Cover

The second single scheduled for this album is titled Hard featuring rapper Young Jeezy. Written and produced by The-Dream, this track has a more upbeat and abrasive approach, where Rihanna and guest Young Jeezy proudly discussed their elite status. Not really to mu liking, just another catchy tune you can get anywhere these days.

Rihanna - Hard (Feat Young Jeezy)_Single Cover

Rihanna once again teamed up with The-Dream for the third single for her Rated R album, titled Wait Your Turn. Also with a more serious and slowed-down pace like Russian Roulette, Wait Your Turn is scheduled to be released in early 2010 in UK.

Rihanna - Wait Your Turn_Single Cover

I'm not too impressed with Hard and Wait Your Turn, especially with the anticipation of how she will come back after her ordeal with Chris Brown, where she has to my opinion made it very clear she is coming back stronger and harder, and a survivor. Russian Roulette is a treat and used appropriately as the lead single, I like it. I also think it's great that she is making more attempt to focus on her vocals this time in this song, and not just relying on the tempo and music.

Apart from the lyrics and tunes presented, judging from her latest looks, plus the semi-nude approach for her single covers, including the music video for her song Wait Your Turn where she was spotted in a black hoodie wearing an eye patch, Rihanna wants the message clear with her come back this time, she is stronger, her songs are more serious and she is a survivor.   

Free MP3 Downloads:-

To download Rihanna's Russian Roulette CLICK HERE

To download Rihanna's Hard CLICK HERE

To download Rihanna's Wait Your Turn CLICK HERE

Note : Free MP3s at 2M1F are not of crystal clear quality, do support our artists by buying the orignals

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Jason Derulo_Watcha Say

1) WATCHA SAY - JASON DERULO

Only his first single and he has hit the number one spot at the Billboard Hot 100. Jason Derulo is a singer-songwriter, choreographer, vocal producer and also an actor from Miramar, Florida. It debut at number 54 and went all the way up to number 1 in the charts. This song is will be included in his upcoming self-titled album due in 2010. The song is current, and grows on you after a few listen.

David Guetta Ft Akon_Sexy Bitch

2) SEXY BITCH - DAVID GUETTA

Guetta is a popular French DJ who has worked with big artists including Will.i.am, Kelly Rowland, Akon and CHris Willis. Sexy Bitch carries a tune that's although familiar, but a treat to club music lovers. I like it, it's great especially when you're driving. It is Guetta's second single which reached number 16 at the Billboard Hot 100

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MASSIVE IDEA THAT IS HARD TO IMPRESS

Category : Action, Sci-Fi / Starring : Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Ving Rhames, Boris Kodjoe, James Cromwell

Surrogates_Movie Poster

Based on a 2005-2006 comic book series of the same name, Surrogates boast two selling points, the concept and Bruce Willis. The movie anchors on the interesting concept of human living their lives remotely at home controlling their robotic surrogates. And you can imagine how enticing watching the trailer would be. To have Bruce Willis as the leading role in this action sci-fi is definitely a huge selling point.

Surrogates_Radha Mitchell & Bruce Willis

What viewers are eager to watch is how the world would be in Surrogates, where every human you see walking in the streets is young, sexy and sophisticated robots, all controlled by their owners back home. Everyone now gets the chance to live the lives they want, without having to worry about youth, health, risks or any form of imperfection.

Surrogates_Rosamund Pike & Boris Kodjoe

FBI agent Greer (Willis) investigates the muder of Jarod Canter, son of multi-millionaire Dr Lionel Canter (Cromwell), the original creator of surrogates. The case pulls Greer further into the truth of the surrogate-world, and also realization of what he really wants beyond the beauty that this surrogacy concept offers.

Surrogates_Scene From Movie

It was pretty weird watching the usually-jaded Bruce Willis under the excessive make-up, although intended, as they are all supposedly perfect-looking surrogates in the movie. We get to see the plastic version of Willis as the surrogate, and the real aging version of Greer, sitting from home controlling his other half. It was a relief that the real Greer takes over in the second half of the story, as the brushed-up version of Willis just didn't pull it off for me, even as a robot.

Surrogates_Bruce Willis

Do not expect too much of explosive action and stunts like Die Hard, Surrogates is more subtle and like I thought, it is not easy at all to materialize this concept well in a movie. For comic books where imagination is unlimited with drawings, the selling point of the surrogate-world works perfectly well. But in a movie, it is a totally different ball game. Audience expects to witness jaw-dropping sophistication, edgy surprises with technology and amazing gimmicks. After all, we are talking about a world, virtually virtual! Did the movie pull it off for me, I would say not to an excellent level. It was entertaining enough, but I wouldn't shout about it.

The trailer of the movie:-

Rating : B-

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BRUSHFIRE RECORDS RELEASES IMRPESSIVE SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM BY MALAYSIAN ARTIST, ZEE AVI

Zee Avi_Album Cover

If you are a Jack Johnson fan like myself, you would then be able to appreciate the self-titled debut album by Malaysian artist Zee Avi, who was signed by Monotone and Brushfire Records, and her album was released in May 2009. Do not be fooled by that doll face and young age of 23, as you will find the album boasting with music that shows how much Zee is in control of the talent she has. You can expect a lot of Jack Johnson aesthetic and influence, offering cozy sounds that put you at the beach, intimate vocals that belt romance failures in style, and a general feeling of calm.

What impresses me most is Zee's control over her vocals, which is nothing close to her own age. It boasts maturity way beyond many artists and she's able to pull it off with light jazzy tunes like Poppy, dark and heavy melodramatic ballads like Is This The End and Let Me In, and of course guitar-influenced easy-listening tracks including her first single Bitter Heart, and also Honey Bee and Monte, plus not to forget, Jack Johnson's favourite ukelele signature like Just You And Me and Kantoi.

Zee Avi_Album Receives Promising Reviews

Definitely a milestone for the music scene in Malaysia, and a notable story of another humble discovery of raw talent discovered from places like YouTube. An album worth trying, the music is growing fast on me.

Rating : B

Pics courtesy of Zee Avi's official website

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