Author: Donovan
Date: Apr 24, 2013
In: Donovan, Music
When I heard Alicia Keys recorded a duet with Maxwell, I could barely contain my excitement. For me, Maxwell’s voice is pure butter and melts me every single time. Love his unplugged album from years back. As expected, their vocals complement and meld perfectly with each other. I’m ecstatic they actually filmed a music video for it. Didn’t think she’d pick this as the third single off her latest effort.
Sizzling doesn’t even begin to describe the video. Set in New Orleans, the Chris Robinson-directed clip perfectly captures the sensual vibe of “Fire We Make.” With the warm lighting and intimate camera angles, Keys and Maxwell’s lustful yearning hit scorching levels. Even with a bowl of ice cubes and blowing fan, Alicia can’t seem to cool herself down. Check out their steamy duet below. This is some serious baby-making music if I ever heard it.
Ciara recently renamed her much-delayed fifth studio from One Woman Army to simply, Ciara. Apparently, her old album title isn’t the only thing she’s shedding. The 27-year-old channels her inner exotic dancer and performs a sexy striptease. Girlfriend is launching an all-out sexual assault in her new music video. Someone’s going the sex sells route. To be fair, the steamy visual is a suitable one for the track. With exception to an unnecessary cheesy skit interrupting the clip.
“Body Party” is directed by Director X. His memorable clips include “Yeah” (Usher), “Chasing The Sun” (The Wanted) and “Your Love” (Nicki Minaj) to name a few. Making cameos in the video include Ludacris, Trinidad James and Ciara’s real-life boyfriend, rapper Future. It wouldn’t be complete with a little bit of product placement. This time it comes in the form of Denon headphones. What happened to Beats By Dre?
Hopefully for her, this video gives the track new life on the charts. To date, “Body Party” has peaked at No. 39 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Check out the clip below.
Author: Donovan
Date: Apr 20, 2013
In: Donovan, Music
Forget Jem & The Holograms, it’s all about will.i.am and the Bieber hologram. I know our site has our fair share of will.i.am and Justin Bieber haters, so be forewarned. The Black Eyed Peas member is surrounded by multiple look-alikes, while the Biebs pop up as a ghostly hologram. I’m sure it’s every hater’s worst nightmare.
I’m not the biggest fan of either artist but I appreciate a high-concept well-executed clip. I can give props when warranted. I even half-debated writing this yesterday, but after watching it a few times, I decided to write a post about it.
Ben Mor directs the clip which is set in a futuristic Asian world. It’s all very I, Robot meets Star Wars. will.i.am sports his unflattering harem drop pants while meticulously executing robotic choreography. Meanwhile, Justin takes a page from Tupac’s Coachella appearance last year and only appears in holographic form. Check out the clip below.
Author: Donovan
Date: Apr 19, 2013
In: Donovan, Music, Totally GAY!
Gay singer-songwriter Ryan Amador teams up with Avan Lava singer Jo Lampert for a beautiful new video with a powerful message. The two tackle the unwanted ugly labels that are often times hurled at the LGBT community. Tom Gustafson directed the “Define Me” clip with his partner Cory Krueckeberg editing it.
Brooklyn-based Amador and Lampert begin fully clothed. Slowly they begin to take of their clothing revealing their bodies riddled with homophobic labels. The clip culminates with them washing and scrubbing off their body graffiti. “We’re starting this party tonight, where people will be undefined,” they sing. 100% of the single’s proceeds will be donated to LGBT equality organizations. Check out the clip below.
Author: Donovan
Date: Apr 19, 2013
In: Donovan, Music
I hate to admit it, but Lana Del Rey is starting to grow on me. It started with her cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Chelsea Hotel No. 2” and the accompanying music video. Her latest is a take on Nancy Sinatra’s 1967 track, “Summer Wine.” It’s actually quite fitting since Del Rey has often been compared to Sinatra. Perhaps she should consider becoming a cover artist because that seems to be the only time I’m feeling her music.
For her new clip, the 26-year-old singer enlisted her real-life boyfriend, Barrie-James O’Neill who’s the singer for Scottish alt-folk band Kassidy. The two cavort around in a dreamy Instagram-esque visual with handheld footage captured while in Santa Monica. It’s a little adorable. Check it out below, along with Sinatra’s original duet with Lee Hazlewood.
Author: Donovan
Date: Apr 18, 2013
In: Donovan, Music
Epic doesn’t even begin to do it justice. How else would you describe a music video that was filmed over six continents and is over seven minutes long? The “Can’t Hold Us” music video was co-directed by Ryan Lewis, Jason Koenig and Jon Jon Augustavo and took about 16 days to shoot.
When Macklemore & Ryan Lewis teased the follow up to their smash “Thrift Shop” was going to big, I didn’t imagine this big. The clip features a camel, pirate ship, kangaroos, sled dogs, mariachi band, stunning landscapes and some vintage furniture that looks like it came from a thrift shop. It also includes fellow Seattle musician Ray Dalton belting out vocals and getting a haircut on the beach (random?). Fittingly enough, their world travels end in their hometown of Seattle by hoisting a Heist flag atop the Space Needle. Watch their epic adventures below.
Author: Donovan
Date: Apr 15, 2013
In: Donovan, Music
Next to “Sweet Nothing” featuring Florence Welch, Calvin Harris’ collaboration with Ellie Goulding is my favorite from his third studio album, 18 Months. I just adore the “Anything Could Happen” singer. Clearly, I’m not alone in thinking this. The Scottish producer does as well.
Calvin certainly doesn’t look like he hates pretending to be Ellie’s boyfriend in the clip. These have some serious chemistry. I wonder if their respective significant others sensed it too. Harris is dating Adam Levine’s ex, Victoria’s Secret Model Anne Vyalitsyna and Goulding is with actor Jeremy Irvine (War Horse).
In the newly-released music video, Ellie and Calvin hang out in Miami. They head to the beach, check out the city’s amazing nightlife and kiss a lot during it. Whether hanging out in bed or driving around in a convertible, these two just can’t keep their hands and lips off each other. Normally, this much PDA would be vomit-inducing, but they’re just so darn adorable. Check out their Miami adventures below.
My favorite solo female artist of all time Ms. Roisin Murphy is releasing yet another solo single not attached to any album. God bless her. I mean she did warn us years ago, after two incredibly successful studio album after leaving Moloko, and with a new family on the way, that she had no desire to release a full album any time soon, but the fans want more!
Roisin has been putting out solo tracks since 2009, when she released one of my favorite songs of hers “Orally Fixated“. From then it’s just been collaboration after collaboration and tease after tease, and “Look Around You” feat Boris Dlugosch is going to be no exception.
Boris is an original in the German house music scene, and worked with Roisin back in 1999 with a remix of Moloko’s “Sing it Back”, catapulting the single into stardom.
My gorgeous friend Czahn, equally if not more obsessed with Roisin, posted this new mega mix snippet on my wall of the upcoming releases of this song. With remixes by Chopstick, Johnjon, Raik and Maxxi Soundsystem, this is going to end up being another cult following for inexplicable fans like me that never really know what she’s going to do next. After years of dangling the carrot in front of our faces, we’re still following her to see how badly she teases us next.
listen to the track after the jump