Paulina Rubio - Boys Will Be Boys

Paulina Rubio is gunning for Shakira's Latin pop crown. A decade after Mexico's queen of pop made a moderately successful bid for international chart glory with the still amazing "Don't Say Goodbye" (a top 20 smash in Australia!), the 40-year-old diva is back with a RedOne-produced club-banger called "Boys Will Be Boys". It's not the first time they've worked together. In fact, the Swedish super-producer had his sticky fingers all over Paulina's...

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Mr. Little Jeans = My New Obsession

"Runaway" by Mr. Little Jeans was the free download on Australian iTunes last week. I usually don't bother with the freebies because they're usually horrendous but the name was vaguely familiar. And then it clicked. The Norwegian diva briefly appeared on my radar a couple of years ago when she dropped a cute cover of Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" and was signed to Neon Gold - the ultra hip record label that is home to Marina & The Diamonds and Ellie...

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4Minute Turn The Volume Up

My Sunday routine basically involves stumbling home in the early hours of the morning, demolishing enough bacon to wipe out Babe's entire family and then crashing on the lounge to watch Pop Asia on SBS. It can be a bit tragic at times - I'm referring to sad flops like this guy - but I love seeing my K-Pop faves on TV. The highlight of last week's episode was 4Minute's stunning "Volume Up" video. My friend Jacques had been raving about it on his blog...

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Ricky Martin's Ex Releases Awful Pop Song With Softcore Video

I have featured a lot of shit on this blog over the years but Valerio Pino's "GogoStar" is truly without merit. This formerly smokin' hot piece of Eurotrash - what happened to the beard and chest hair? - speaks about being an erotic dancer in heavily-accented English against some of the clumsiest beats ever thrown together on someone's home computer under the influence of cocaine and poppers in Chueca. I know that sounds kind of amazing but it isn't.The...

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Pop Panel 2012 - Volume 3

It's time for another installment of Pop Panel. Yay? The latest edition turned out to be another civilised exercise in music appreciation. Yeah right. The acid-tongued judges had a field day destroying some good and not-so-good tunes. I think I need some fresh meat because these bitches are pressed! The sheer outpouring of hate aside, we settled on a deserving winner. I think there were better songs in the mix but I can deal. Also of note is our...

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Lights Gets It Right

Lights is one of those critically acclaimed electro-pop divas that I really want to like but can't quite get into. The Canadian's first album was more my tumbler of vodka but her latest effort "Siberia" left me cold. Pun intended. It's just an achingly hip mess - albeit with a couple of really good songs thrown into the mix. One of those gems is "Banner" and, happily, it has just been released as the album's third single in Australia.Even more exciting...

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Beyoncé To Release "4: The Remix" EP

Let's just get this out of the way. That cover is the most hideous thing I have ever seen. And I own 23 different versions of La Toya's "Bad Girl"! Seriously, it's almost enough to distract you from the brilliance of Beyoncé's latest offering. You see, King B has blessed nightclubs with a 6 track EP of her favourite remixes called - funnily enough - "4: The Remix". The package includes the amazing winner of her "End Of Time" competition as well as...

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Valerie Claire - Model & Underground '80s Icon

I was driving home from work today and nearly crashed the car when my iPod shuffle settled on Valerie Claire. To be honest, I don't know much about this immaculate diva. My friend Jamie introduced me to her years ago and it was love at first listen. I did some digging and learned that "I'm A Model" was produced by German electro-giant Harold Faltermeyer (best known for his Grammy-winning instrumental "Axel F") in 1984 and followed by an equally classy...

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Heidi Montag & The Laziest/Most Amazing EP Of 2012

Just when I thought enduring pop icon Heidi Montag had turned her back on the music scene to pursue a career in... having lots of Twitter followers, the woman behind the best dance album of 2010 is back with a new EP. However, in true Heidi style, there's a twist. All the tracks are at least two years old and have been previously released. But why not? Each track on "Dreams Come True" is better than anything on "MDNA" and a timely reminder that the...

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Labrinth - Tunes, Tinie Tempah & A Glass Of Remy

One of the biggest musical revelations of 2012 has been UK electro/hip-hop pioneer Labrinth. "Earthquake" made a slow but steady rise into the national top 10 with its bone-crunching beats and irresistible chorus and his debut album "Electronic Earth" is an absolute knock-out punch. There are soulful tunes (his duet with Emeli Sandé is gorgeous), sprawling electronic anthems and cameos from urban superstars like Tinie Tempah and Busta Rhymes. The...

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Haley Reinhart & The Best American Idol Single Not Recorded By Kelly Or Carrie

One of the highlights of my stint in LA last year was being sent to review American Idol Live at the Staples Center. To be honest, I hadn't watched any of the series and spent the afternoon frantically watching clips on YouTube so I would have some idea about the acts I was about to watch. Most of the contestants left me cold but 21-year-old Haley Reinhart made an impression with her jazzy voice and unusual song choices. My instincts turned out to...

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Eva Simons Is On A Mission To Slay

Eva Simons is comin' for ya faves. Be afraid! The Dutch diva has threatened to break through a couple of times in the past - most notably with 2009's epic "Silly Boy" and last year's US top 50 hit "Take Over Control" - but 2012 could be the year she really does some damage. Make no mistake; her latest single is an absolute smash. Crisply produced by massively-hyped German DJ Zedd (best known for remixing Skrillex and Lady Gaga), "I Don't Like You"...

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Kerli Redeems Herself With Zero Gravity

I'm proud of the fact that I was one of the first bloggers to write about Kerli back in 2008. From the moment I heard "Walking On Air", I was hooked. The Estonian diva brought something fresh and interesting to the table and her debut album, while somewhat hit-and-miss, had its fair share of decent tracks. But then I saw her perform "live" last year in Chicago. I'm pretty forgiving when it comes to PAs in packed gay nightclubs but this was one of...

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Dulta's Back - More Boring & Redundant Than Ever

I guess this was inevitable. Ever since it was announced that Dulta had signed up for The Voice in a desperate bid to kickstart her stalled career, the prospect of new music from the horse-faced diva has loomed over my stereo like a black cloud. I finally got around to playing "Sitting On Top Of The World" last night and it's pretty dire. The serial a-dulta-ress is still trying to make that whole piano-pop vibe happen with a song that sounds like...

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Alison Moyet - Is This Love?

Twitter is so amazing. Yesterday I was skimming through my timeline at lunch and saw a typically eccentric tweet from '80s pop star Alison Moyet. Her largely non-sensical ramblings always put a smile on my face and I felt compelled to celebrate her unique brand of crazy with a tweet. Before too long, I was chatting with the iconic diva about booze (turns out she's not a drunk), La Toya (she never went down on her) and tea that tastes like bong water...

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Pop Panel 2012 - Volume 2

After last week's not entirely disastrous return, I've decided to revive Pop Panel on a fortnightly basis. Every second Sunday there will be a new battle to determine the best track currently making the rounds online. This week's winner was well-deserved but let's face facts. A certain senorita was robbed and there will be hell to pay! On the bright side, there is some next level gay-bitching this time around and the outcome offers further proof...

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Elle Varner & My New Fave Urban Jam

When I'm not reveling in pop trash or stanning for some ancient hoe that hasn't had a hit since 1984, chances are I'm kicking back to some R&B. One of my current faves is Elle Varner. The talented 23-year-old has been making huge waves for about a year now with her smooth, retro-tinged sound. Her debut single "Only Wanna Give It To You" was a top 20 hit on urban radio and the follow-up is currently shooting up the same chart. I absolutely love...

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Beyoncé To Re-Release 4

*ring, ring*"Hello""Hai Mike! It's your Lord and saviour Beyoncé.""Yes, my Queen?""FYI I'm re-releasing 4 in May with - you guessed it, boo - four new tracks and the entire Year Of 4 documentary.""Can. Not. Breathe.""Imma show the lessors who's boss! But now I gotta go wipe Blue Ivy's arse with $100 bills.""Ok, bye."Read more about the musical event of the year he...

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Martika's First Video In 20 Years

Have two decades really passed since Martika's last video? I still remember the sexy bath scenes in her Australian top 40 hit "Coloured Kisses"! It's a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions that we've been denied a new visual for this long but the magnificence of "Flow With The Go" takes away some of the sting. The first thing that strikes you about the now 42-year-old diva's new clip is how fresh and youthful she looks. She hasn't aged a day in 20...

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Demi Lovato & The Year's Best Power Ballad

I know it's pointless to compare emerging stars with existing icons but if Selena Gomez has her eye on Madonna's dance-pop throne, then Demi Lovato is Generation Y's answer to Mariah. I guess that makes Victoria Justice the new Pat Benatar. But I digress. My point is that Demetria can actually sing. The 19-year-old has a fearsome set of pipes and she gives them one hell of a workout on her latest single "Give Your Heart A Break". To be honest, I...

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Beyoncé Scores 18th US #1 Club Hit

I think it's so cute that your fave even bothers to get out of bed in the morning when they know King B could snatch their wig at any moment to dust her Grammys or line Blue Ivy's 24 carat gold cot. Not content with running the pop and R&B charts, Beyoncé has made history by notching up her 18th US #1 dance hit with "Love On Top". Bey is now the third most successful act of all-time on that highly relevant chart behind only Madonna and Janet....

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Ricki-Lee Copies Beyoncé, Remains Basic

After years of loyal stanning, Ricki-Lee really plummeted in my estimation after bashing Breezy on Facebook in a calculated move to improve her social media presence. She might be as basic as a cheeseburger without the cheese but I've never been able to fault her music - until now. "Do It Like That" sounds like a reject from Mariah's Rainbow album. It's so dated and embarrassing. The hook is catchy in a late '90s kind of way but the whole thing falls...

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