Does any other pop star’s album art talk the talk quite like Rihanna‘s?

Two years ago, the black and gray sheen and jagged metal “R” logo perfectly exemplified the grim, post-apocalyptic noir of Rihanna’s 2009 masterpice Rated R, as the singer menacingly peered out from behind her hand while suited in futuristic space gear, looking like Grace Jones beamed in from the year 3000.

Just a year later in 2010, Rihanna smoldered on the cover of LOUD with her fire engine red coif; her eyes closed and lips pouted with pristine 1970′s disco queen poise (where’s Andy Warhol when you need him?). Accordingly, the collection was largely colored by its StarGate-produced dance floor throbbers (“Only Girl (In The World),” “S&M”) and and airy Island-infused mid-tempo jams (“What’s My Name?” “Man Down”).

With Talk That Talk, her sixth studio album released on November 21, Rihanna has once again rih-invented, this time veering closer toward the Rated R menace, albeit not completely: She’s stripped away the metallic sheen of Rated R and given it a decidedly more street vibe.

Buttoned up in a sleeveless camouflage blouse, she appears sweaty and disheveled, her hair mussed as she grips her forehead. With a hungry glare and a dagger-sharp tongue firmly planted in the corner of her lips, she utterly oozes sex. But this isn’t a candle-lit dinner at the Four Seasons followed by a rose pedal-strewn romp in bed. This is a rough, rowdy back-alley FUCK on break during your mid-day work shift.

And that, in a nutshell, is the essence of Talk That Talk.

Read more…

STOP ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING.

Tonight, “Princess of China”–Coldplay‘s hotly anticipated collaboration with Princess Rihanna as featured on their upcoming fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto–has finally surfaced.

And now, here’s the thing…it’s INCREDIBLE. Like, thoroughly so.

Much like Coldplay’s 2008 collaboration with Kylie Minogue, “Lhuna,” “Princess of China” takes the song’s leading pop diva and places her completely out of her own element–musically, that is. The song itself is nothing even close to the radio-friendly Stargate-crafted booty jams that RiRi churns out on the regular: Instead, “Princess of China” drifts along on a hazy mixture of lush, dreamy synthesizers and a progressive stomping beat that come together to form something as fantastically strange and mystical as an ancient Mayan ritual anthem.

In some ways, “Princess of China” is the indie-rock response to RiRi’s stormy 2010 duet with Eminem (“Love The Way You Lie”)–but this time, the heartbreak’s being dealt against the sound of a thousand blaring, bleary synthesizers.

“Once upon a time we fell apart / You’re holding in your hands the two halves of my heart,” Coldplay lead Chris Martin sings during the fairy tale gone terribly wrong. Soon the song’s searing synthesizers drown into the speakers, making way for Rihanna to tell her side of the story. “I could have been a princess, you’d be a king / Could have had a castle and worn a ring / But no, you let me go,” the Bajan beauty fires back.

But it’s one shiver-inducing lyric that remains most poignant as the two singers sadly, almost deliriously sing-song in unison: “You stole my star.”

Vocally, Rihanna has never sounded better than in this moment: From the opening battle chant to the woeful cries on repeat during the tale’s agonizing close (“’cause you really hurt me”), Rihanna’s rarely displayed such versatility in a single song. It’s a testament to her (underrated) range, as well as another sign that RiRi’s still got plenty to offer in terms of emotional depth far beyond her own masterpiece, 2009′s Rated R.

“Princess of China” delivers a painful blow–a stunning victory for all parties involved, and easily one of the year’s best tracks.

Mylo Xyloto will be released on October 24. (iTunes)

“Lying on a fake beach, you’ll never get a tan / Baby I’m gonna leave you drowning, until you reach for my hand,” she croons.

And so begins the second chapter of Electra Heart, the American Dream-turned-Greek tragedy being slowly unwoven by bright red-lipped UK chanteuse Marina + The Diamonds.

After the release of “Fear & Loathing” on August 8 comes “Radioactive,” produced by DJ Chuckie and powerhouse Norwegian production team Stargate–Marina’s most daring lift-off from her usual output, and also one of her finest songs to date.

Boldly charging into mainstream production territory, Miss Diamandis lays her signature chops atop a pulsating, shimmering dance beat that could have just as easily been found layered into Rihanna‘s LOUD or an Alexis Jordan club cut.

Yet this both is and isn’t an immediate radio smash: While the beat is thoroughly Top 40, the songcraft is still very much a Marina production, featuring emotionally charged lyrics (“My heart is nuclear / Love is all that I fear / Ready to be let down, now I’m headed for a meltdown”) and the singer’s signature leaping vocal acrobatics and quivering vibrato. The result? An utterly stellar indie-goes-dance production–the kind of smart pop that helps to continue to redefine the genre.

The accompanying Casper Balslev-directed clip is equally breathtaking: Like a cross between Bonnie & Clyde and The Virgin Suicides, there’s something simultaneously thrilling and spooky in watching Heart’s rebellious adventures through the windy deserts, sleazy motel rooms and desolate supermarkets of heartland America.

Where will it all end for Electra? We’ll find out soon enough when the story’s third installment is uploaded within the next week or two.

“Radioactive” will be released on October 3. (iTunes UK)

Don’t call it an alter-ego.

Meet Electra Heart: She is a story, not a person, as invented by one of the brightest new talents to come from the UK: Marina + The Diamonds.

After the release of her critically acclaimed debut last year, The Family Jewels, Marina’s been hard at work cooking up the follow-up to her debut with some of pop’s heaviest hitters (despite an initial hesitance), including Dr. Luke and Stargate.

For fans accustomed to the singer’s quirky mixture of bright, hook-heavy pop melodies and dramatic vocalizing, the Top 40 production roster for Marina’s as-of-yet untitled sophomore attempt seems somewhat surprising. As the singer explained in an interview with PopJustice:

If this was a year ago I don’t mind saying now that I would have been, like, “no way am I doing this”. I was not even up for working with anyone. This is why these two songs fit really well together actually, because ‘Fear & Loathing’ is about genuinely not feeling bitter or crazy or jealous any more (nervous laugh) and actually feeling a lot better off for it.

To kick off her new beginning, the singer has given birth to Electra Heart, a character Marina will employ to narrate a grander vision: A tale of the American dream (with a side of Greek tragedy to boot.)

It’s a concept she’s been continuously fascinated by (as previously encountered on her Family Jewels single “Hollywood.) Yet as she explained to PopJustice, the story this time around has more to do with exploring the underbelly of American society than the glitz and glamour that underscored her 2010 single:

Electra Heart is the antithesis of everything that I stand for. And the point of introducing her and building a whole concept around her is that she stands for the corrupt side of American ideology, and basically that’s the corruption of yourself. My worst fear – that’s anyone’s worst fear – is losing myself and becoming a vacuous person. And that happens a lot when you’re very ambitious.

And so it began on Monday, as Marina uploaded Part One of her tale: “Fear & Loathing.” Directed by Caspar Balslev, the video finds the beautiful crooner sitting in front of a vanity, deep in thought and thoughtfully staring into the mirror. At a point, she lifts a pair of scissors and–pensively–begins to hack away at her own curls, inch by inch until settling for a cropped bob and strolling out onto the balcony.

The song itself is a gorgeous, slightly more sophisticated departure for the 25-year-old singer, complimented by echoing piano chords and airy, soaring ambient sound. “There’s no crime in being kind / Not everyone is out to screw you over / Maybe they just want to get to know you,” she ponderously croons. It’s a more mature, developed sound for the singer–an incredibly promising start to a new chapter in Marina’s career.

The next piece of Electra Heart: The Start will be uploaded to Marina’s YouTube next Monday at 4 PM.

And–if you couldn’t tell by now by the copious quotage–you really ought to read the entire interview with Marina over at PopJustice now for added insight.

If you’re looking for Sasha Fierce, don’t bother: She’s gone.

Well, not entirely–she’s certainly still there twerking her hips above the militant beat of “Run The World (Girls)” and the frenzied horn-filled club bounce of “Countdown,” but for the most part, the divalicious alter ego of one of the world’s greatest entertainers has (temporarily?) stepped a stiletto to the side for the majority of her fourth studio album, 4–allowing the record to remain a decidedly Beyoncé experience.

Read more…

After the smashing success of her first two singles, “Happiness” and “Good Girl” (which hit #3 and #6 on the UK Singles Chart, respectively), Alexis Jordan is about to prepare the third single from her self-titled debut: “Hush Hush.”

Jordan’s latest effort, produced by Norwegian pop production masters StarGate (the duo acted as executive producers of her album), bounces along the same dark, throbbing beats and soaring synthesizers as Rihanna‘s “Don’t Stop The Music,” “S&M” and “Only Girl (In The World).” (All three of which were commandeered by–you guessed it: Stargate!)

With its delicious, remix-ready beat and a chorus as equally infectious as her last two releases, “Hush Hush” is yet another shining moment for the burgeoning 19-year-old starlet–no doubt set to make a major splash when released in May.

“Hush Hush” will be released on May 8. (iTunes UK)

Just when you thought the snippets were over…look! It’s a brand new Femme Fatale clip!

Thanks to my friends at BadMediaKarma, we now have a brand new 45-second clip of “Selfish,” the Stargate and Sandy Vee-produced track (co-penned by Ester Dean!) which is set to appear on the deluxe edition of Femme Fatale.

Plus, some new lyrics!

Okay, the shoe is going on the other foot tonight
I’m ’bout to turn you into my very own flight tonight
Okay you think you got me where you want me
I’mma show you tonight
That I’m a girl, and you’re a boy
And tonight you gon’ be my, be my man

Oh oh oh oh oh tonight I’m gonna be a little selfish, be a little selfish
Oh oh oh oh oh tonight I’m gonna be a little selfish, be a little selfish

Boom, boom baby pick you up in my Mercedes
I’mma be a little selfish, be a little selfish
Boom, boom baby pick you up in my Mercedes
I’mma be a little selfish, be a little selfish

Okay, I literally love everything about this track so far: I love the icy electronica. I love the stomping beat. I love the lyrics. I love the electric guitar. And Godney’s enunciation? Absolutely SLAYING me!

Doesn’t it sound like she’s saying “sale fish”?! AMAZING & ICONIC.

HOW IS THIS ONE NOT ON THE STANDARD EDITION?!

Of all the pop releases in the works this year, Kelly Rowland‘s third album may quite possibly the messiest yet.

Rowland’s third studio album first began to take shape after the smashing global success of “When Love Takes Over,” her 2009 collaboration with David Guetta–a hit that largely cemented Guetta’s dance floor reign over the next two years.

To further capitalize on that winning Euro-pop sound, Rowland returned with an equally infectious follow-up last May: “Commander,” an explosive, almighty club anthem that dominated dance charts all across the world, snagging the #1 spot on the US Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play charts.

Soon thereafter however, the former Destiny’s Child chanteuse began to take a tumble. Her label opted to forgo the winning formula–despite the successes born from Rowland’s new-found dance floor diva status–and instead continue the campaign with two ‘urban’-inspired missteps. It was a move that might have made sense in 2002, but in today’s music market? A severely missed opportunity.

In late June of 2010, Rowland released the Dr. Luke-produced, Ester Dean-penned “Rose Colored Glasses,” a stomping R&B mid-tempo that tapped out at #39 on the US Top 40 Airplay Chart.

The single was followed up by “Grown Woman” in July, the Stargate self-empowerment anthem that literally nobody ended up hearing–stalling at an impressively abysmal #51 on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart.

Two months later, Rowland returned to the dance-pop sound that ushered in her initial success with “Forever And A Day,” a storming, David Guetta/Jonas Jeberg production released in Europe in September. But poor promotion–coupled with the fact that the song just isn’t as strong as her previous Guetta concoctions–led to a mediocre peak at #49 on the UK Singles Chart.

After all this, it seems as though the label have now simply stopped trying altogether.

The project as it now stands is a complete and utter mess, as evidenced by the album’s convoluted Wikipedia page–an impossibly long laundry list of producers and collaborators (Tricky Stewart, Bangladesh, Gucci Mane, Ne-Yo, Jermaine Dupri, etc.), a half dozen “planned singles,” and release date push-backs galore–and not to forget, they’re still wavering on the album title.

Although the album is now apparently slated to be released on April 11 in the UK (only two months away), the release seems highly unlikely.

To her credit, Rowland recently updated her website last week to address the silence surrounding the record:

I just wanna first start off by telling you all thank you SO much for being incredibly patient in waiting for the album. The making of this album has been an emotional roller coaster but empowering for me, which you will hear once it’s all done. I’m just taking my time to make sure it’s everything I want it to be. Just an FYI, it is shaping up beautifully!

Still, new leaks from the third album’s recording sessions have already begun to surface. Case in point: “Just Whisper,” a brand new track that leaked in full yesterday.

The song, which was written by Claude Kelly and produced by Swedish up-and-coming sensation Fredro (Shontelle, Jessica Mauboy), is a gorgeous mid-tempo that floats along above a calm guitar strum that completely recalls Sixpence None The Richer‘s late ’90′s hit, “Kiss Me.”

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, “Just Whisper” is Rowland’s most romantic moment yet within this album’s campaign. “You’re already more beautiful than anything I’ve heard, so just whisper the words,” Rowland croons. The message is quite sweet, even if it’s nothing altogether new: You don’t need to prove anything–just do you.

It’s now become even more difficult to place exactly what this new album’s going to sound like with this new leak. As a result, there’s only one thing for certain: The label better get their priorities straight, because this woman has way too much to offer to allow this campaign to simply slip away.