Peppermint - "Working Girl" - Courtesy of HCG Music
A drag queen who produces, writes and sings? Yes, Peppermint is a true recording artist who is making some incredible club friendly dance music. I had the pleasure of being in New York to catch her live show at Barracuda when her new cd Hardcore Glamour was released. Imagine a cross between Janet Jackson (catchy pop songs sung live with solid choreography) and Wendy Williams (hot dish and great crowd interaction), for a frame of reference. Coproduced by Adam Joseph, the CD is a great mix of pop, midtempo and club jams - a great soundtrack for clubbing, working out or just having fun around the house. With two hits on Logo TV already ("Servin It Up" and "Thought Ya Knew,") Miss Peppermint is no stranger to videos. The video for "Working Girl" features footage from her international tours - and yes, I said international. Here's hoping that a video and remixes for my favorite song on the album "Excuse My Beauty" is coming soon.
Video - Youtube
Armand Van Helden & A-TRAK Present Duck Sauce - "aNYway" - Courtesy of Data/Fools Gold
Here's another track I first heard in London that's been gaining buzz over the past few weeks. Based on a sample of "I Can Do It" by Final Edition, "aNYway" is a feel good discohouse jam by DuckSauce, the team of DMC Champion A-Trak and producer/DJ Armand Van Helden. This is one of those rare tracks which has the support of a wide base of DJs from the bloghouse guys to the underground. The video is a spoof of the classic Midnight Special series produced by Burt Sugarman in the 70s. Now it is the Midnight Spectacular by Burt Kirshner, with a Jackson 5 styled dancing team performing the song. If that's not enough for you, there is another version of the video which spoofs the infamous pottery scene from the movie Ghost. Either way, "aNYway" is a hot track that will igniting dancefloors through the new year.
Midnight Spectacular Video - Youtube
Ghost Video - Youtube
David Guetta featuring Estelle - "One Love" - Courtesy of Capitol/EMI
The third single and title track from David Guetta's massive One Love cd is quite incredible in its own right. Reminiscent of tracks from fellow Frenchman Bob Sinclar ("World Hold On" and "Love Generation"), it features Estelle singing about unifying people through love to overcome universal struggles. That's a lot to bite off in a pop song but it communicates the message over house groove with subtle electro/progressive flourishes. Its interesting to note that in each video for this album, David has had a major role sharing the spotlight with the featured vocalist. Even doing something that could be perceived as cheesy (shaping his hands into a heart symbol to send waves of dancing energy to depressed people), David maintains his coolness while obviously having fun and embracing the message. To point out the presence of a superstar dj in Madonna's "Celebration" video would just be an obvious example of the opposite.
Video - Youtube
Vanessa Amorosi - "This Is Who I Am" (Wideboys Remix)- Courtesy of Universal
When you think of Australian pop female singer, its the sisters that normally come to mind - the Minogues (Kylie and Dannii) and Imbruglias (Natalie and Laura.) Known to the international world mostly for the 1999 dancepop hit "Absolutely Everybody," Vanessa Amorosi is a major pop star down under and seems ready to launch globally with the new hit "This is Who I Am." A pop-rock song about empowerment, fighting against personal struggles, and loving yourself, Vanessa sounds like a cross between Pink and Wynonna Judd, able to harness her powerful voice for an insanely moving and emotional song. Just as Almighty turned out an insane remix of "Absolutely Everybody," the Wideboys blew this one of out of the park as well. Watch out for this one to explode and launch her as the next global superstar. Has anyone played this song for Tyra or Oprah yet?
Video - Youtube
Basshunter - "I Promised Myself" - Courtesy of Ultra
Has anyone else realized that there are certain song that euro dance artists tend to cover on a regular basis? "Wonderful Life" and "I Promised Myself" definitely come to mind. It's amazing how perfectly the lyrics fit not only the Basshunter hardstyle sound but the storyline of the music videos. The second single from Basshunter's Bass Generation CD, the video continues the story from where the video of "Every Morning" ended. Will the two lovebirds elope? Stay tuned for the next video..
Video - Youtube
