Beverley Knight - 100%

100% is the sixth studio album recorded by English singer-songwriter Beverley Knight, and was the first released on her own record label Hurricane Records following her departure from Parlophone. The lead single from the album, “Beautiful Night” is being released as a download-only on the same day as the album. A radio only first single, “Every Step”, produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis was added to BBC Radio 2’s B-list on 17 June 2009. It was released as a free download on July 6, 2009. Knight's vocals are soulful and beautiful.

Ida Corr - Under the Sun

Under The Sun is the fourth studio album by Danish singer Ida Corr, which was released on August 31, 2009. On April 27, the first single Time was released in Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway. The album’s second single, I Want You was released on August 10 and will be released in Germany on September 25. The album was published under the label Lifted House / Warner Music Denmark. This album is full of soulful, groovy tracks. A must listen.

Josh Hoge - Everything She Was

Released in September of 2008, "Everything She Was" is a killer. Full of amazing songs, and even more amazing vocal performances from Josh (with guest appearances from Marc Brousasrd and Caitlin Crosby). The record reflects Josh's Nashville roots and captures his gritty acoustic based pop-soul kind of style. This kid can certainly sing. The record is full of gritty, honest pop soul songs. Also included on this version are the demo tracks, "Top of My Lungs" and "Try", as well as a cover of the classic "Ain't No Sunshine".

Tata Young - Ready for Love

Tata Young's latest international album "Ready For Love" was released on August 25, 2009. The album's first single, "Ready For Love", was written by Alex Smith, Mark Taylor and Ayak Thiik and produced by André Brix Buchman from Valicon Company in Germany. It also features a track ‘Perfection’ co-written by Leona Lewis along with many of the tracks written by internationally acclaimed songwriters. Short-haired Tata Young is "sexy and glamorous", says Rainmaker Cho, the South Korean who's shot her latest music video, but he set out to make her even "more energetic and lovely". Tata Young gets a Korean makeover for her highly anticipated third international album. The concept of the music video for the first single "is basically from me", Tata told reporters the other day as they previewed the CD produced by Andre "Brix" Buchmann of Berlin's Valicon Productions. Like Cho, who's previously worked with South Korean superstars Rain and Wang Lee Hom, Buchmann wanted more variety. Rhythm and blues mix with dance pop on 12 tunes from songwriters around the world. The title track, which has been airing for a couple of weeks, "feels cool and energetic like in the '60s", Tata says, saying she learned the "big voice" techniques of American R&B singers Aretha Franklin, Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson."My Bloody Valentine" will be the follow-up single. "Mission is You" and "Shine Like a Superstar" are Silom Soi 2-style rousers. "Burning Out" and "Suffocate" get melancholy. "Ugly" is a return to the catchy form of "Sexy, Naughty, Bitchy" and "Love is the Law" sounds like Madonna's "Rain". Tata calls "Boys Will Be Boys" her favourite track, and "Exposed" the "opposite of her real life". "It isn't me, but the Sony bosses in Europe said it's gonna be a hit there." It's about a small-town girl who's dumped by her lover after she becomes famous, and that's sure not our big-city Tata. A massive advertising campaign is pushing "Ready for Love" across Asia, Australia and Europe. Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong, India, Singapore and Japan will receive an unprecedented level of promotion for an album by a Thai pop artist.

Safetysuit - Life Left to Go

Safetysuit's "Life Left to Go" is easily the best debut album to emerge in 2008. This is what happens when four guys who have been playing forever together make the right record with the right producer. The first thing to mention with Safetysuit is how well the songs are written. Douglas Brown absolutely gets what it takes to make a great song- good melody and good lyrics. And everything on Safetysuit's "Life Left to Go"- tracks 1 to 12 are great songs. Brown's writing provides the structure for all of the songs but his vocal work is equally as impressive. Whether he's absolutely driving songs home like "Down", "Annie" or "Someone Like You" or just letting the melody do its job on songs like "Gone Away" and "Anywhere But Here" Brown is an impressive vocalist. Even with production and it just being an album, you can tell that these dudes have been playing seriously for awhile now. Safetysuit works together perfectly on all the tracks on “Life Left to Go.” Jeremy Henshaw and Tate Cunningham lay down an impressive rhythm section, Douglas Brown pushes songs vocally from start to finish and Dave Garofolo puts every song on the record over the top. Garofolo does outstanding work throughout "Life Left to Go." His guitar work is original and unorthodox. This guy is an innovator. From just staying within the song to blasting a solo, Garofolo is what makes Safetysuit unique. "Life Left to Go" is an awesome listen from start to finish. The single's at the front of the record; "Someone Like You" kicks things off impressively but after that there's never a drop off. "Something I Said" enthralls a listener with a ton of passion in the chorus. "Apology" is energetic and bouncy as soon as it starts. "Annie" is an amazing song that has the potential to do some great things at radio. And the album finishes with two of my favorite closing tracks so far this year; "Gone Away" is a five minute lament that's perfect for a commute home from work or a late night listen and it sets up the title track- a song about suicide and one person talking another person out if it- “Life Left to Go” perfectly. "Life Left to Go" is one of the best closing tracks I've heard in a long time- it's meaningful because of the lyrics. And it's unique because Doug Brown and producer Greg Archilla added a Frampton-type effect to the vocals throughout to really set a mood. A special note needs to be made for Greg Archilla on this record because it should definitely earn him some more work. The guidance and added effects and sound ideas he gave the band have added layers to what this album has to offer and it already had a ton to offer in the first place. Safetysuit is set up to be the best new band of 2008- as with most bands their success is highly dependent on the success of a single- but if one hits- five will hit harder and the ball will keep rolling. This is an exceptional debut from an awesome band, a band that you definitely need to check out.

Sade - New Album - Soon!

After almost a decade of silence, soul legend Sade will resurrect her career with a new album due this fall. The Nigerian-born singer/songwriter has launched a new Web site (http://www.sade2009.com), and is satisfying her fans’ appetite for information with small details about the upcoming new release, and her reasons for staying silent for so long. “If you know Sade, you know she does not make albums for the money,” says a posting on the Web site. “Sade is an artist who creates music purely on inspiration. Hence why we've waited nearly a decade for another release, like a poet with a nine-year dry spell until she fell in love again, Sade will bless us with another classic. As for what kind of music to expect from the 50-year old, the posting says, “Regardless of the new talent and musical trends that have come and gone since her last studio album, one thing will never change, her honeyed voice.” The new album, her first since 2000’s Lovers Rock, is not yet titled, but did have a tentative release date of November 24, 2009. Why November? Because “Sade loves the Holidays,” says the posting. However, a recent update from Sony Music tells us that the November date has been changed, a representative from Sony confirmed the new release date to be unknown.

Madonna - I Am Because We Are

While Hulu's tagline may be “An evil plot to destroy the world”, the online video-streaming site is certainly helping to do a world of good by showing Madonna’s new I Am Because We Are film. The documentary, which explores the lives of children in Malawi who have been orphaned by the AIDS crisis, is now freely available with limited commercial interruption.

Watch Here

We Are Smug - Darren Hayes

'We Are Smug' is a UK Indie/Eletro/Pop project by Darren Hayes (Australian singer-songwriter and former member of pop duo Savage Garden) and Robert Conley (Australian singer-songwriter and producer). Over the past 2 years, Darren Hayes has been secretly recording this album, which was finished in December of 2008. On May 08, 2009, Hayes's released the album for free legal download. Thank you Mr. Hayes.

http://www.wearesmug.com/

Mandy Moore sings Umbrella - But who sang it first.

Most would believe, and Mandy Moore expresses that Umbrella was originally recorded by Rihanna. Although Rihanna's version is probably the best known, It was Marie Digby who originally recorded the song. Regardless, all three sound wonderful working this song. Mandy's vocals on this acoustic version of Umbrella are beautiful.

Watch Mandy Moore "Umbrella" on YouTube