Gaga Gifts "The Late Show" With "G.U.Y" and "Dope" Performances

Lady Gaga took herself to The Late Show with David Letterman to continue the promotional trail of latest single, G.U.Y. She also took the opportunity to push its housing LP Artpop- not to mention illustrate her versatility- by banging out album cut Dope on the old pianie.

Although Gaga was giving us constant choreography with G.U.Y, something didn't feel quite right about the performance. It wasn't that she was missing her marks, or that she was all over the place- because she wasn't. Instead, there was an air of hazy laziness about the routine, almost as if she wasn't quite committed to being that "guy under you" today. Oh well, at least she kept the vocals tight.

Golden Fable Take Us On A Magical Journey With "Star Map"

Here's something very different for you guys. I saw Golden Fable opening for Charlotte Church last year, but lazily slept on their album Star Map despite buying it on the night. The last few weeks have seen that remedied.

Now don't go expecting bombastic vocals, or anything that is going to immediately knock you off of your feet. The female half of the group, Rebecca Palin, does indeed have a beautiful voice, but it's a soprano that is soft and feminine, not aggressive or showy- listen to Sugarloaf, Always Golden and The Chill Pt.1 to get an immediate taster. The music is also different to the pop/Rnb I regularly scribe about, being folksy and sweet with an almost choral quality to the vocals.

[New Music] Tori Amos Returns With "Trouble's Lament"

Tori Amos is back, and she's talking about her friend Lucifer again- religious types beware!

New song Trouble's Lament is a jaunty track that sees the Diva personifying "trouble" and giving her an origin story that's deserving of its own comic. Tori spoke a little about the inspiration behind the song, saying:

"It's really in the blood. It's almost like you listen to the land speaking to you. And wherever I am I can hear the South calling me. I really like the idea that trouble was a young woman....I see her on my travels a lot. And maybe I knew her many years ago when I was in my twenties."

Source: Broadwayworld.com

Taken from her forthcoming LP, Unrepentant Geraldines, Trouble's Lament is Tori Amos finally back doing Tori Amos after what feels an age of concept, seasonal and classical-inspired output. Hopefully the single hints to LP number 14 being overall more insular and less collaborative in nature. I need some undiluted Tori, stat!  

[Discuss] Missy Elliot And Timbaland Think Popular Music Is Sounding The Same. Are They Right?

Are they right? I don't really listen to the radio that often, but I do admit that the last time I did, I thought along the same lines. There was a hell of a lot of EDM clogging up my speakers,I tells ya.

However, I'm not entirely sure if this is a new phenomenon. I distinctly remember periods in the past- when I did listen to the radio- that it seemed to be dominated by boy bands (Backstreet Boys/Take That/ Boyzone), then girl groups (Spice Girls/ All Saints/ Destiny's Child) and then rap music (Ja Rule, Eminem, Dr Dre). Heck, there were even times when our Divas appeared to be ruling the waves: first in the earlier 90's with Whitney/Mariah/Celine, and then again at the close of that decade with Britney/Christina/Pink.

[Music Video] Ellie Goulding - "Beating Heart"

Not quite sure what is going with Ellie Goulding at the moment. I'm pretty sure I listened to her last album  Halcyon quite a bit when it was released in 2012(!), but yet I haven't recognised the last few songs she's released as being from it.

Latest song, Beating Heart, doesn't even feature on the album re-release, Halcyon Days- madness, I tell you!! Well, whatever she's doing, at least she's still releasing her brand of folksy electro-pop, as I do quite enjoy it. There's something otherworldly about it.

You vocal fiends might enjoy hearing the little run at 3.26, where the Diva showcases the nimbleness of her voice, transitioning from head to chest voice effortlessly. Take a listen!

(Ok, so I stopped being so darn lazy and looked up where the song is from. Beating Heart is taken from the soundtrack of new movie, Divergent. I probably would have figured that out if I'd actually watched the video, instead of just listening to the song. Silly me. Fans of Ellie, and the movie, can now put the stones down!)