By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
Welcome to the latest edition of New Music Releases!
This week, two of pop’s latest darlings unleashed their debut albums! Meanwhile, three music veterans dropped new material and we travel to Bulgaria to learn about a brand new artist.
Meghan Trainor’s epic debut album, “Title,” might be a strong contender for both Billboard and American Music Awards. (Album cover property of Epic Records)
Title by Meghan Trainor
Ms. Trainor is on fire! Her breakthrough single, “All About That Bass,” is nominated for two Grammy Awards and her music video is a viral hit with 492,132,290 views on YouTube. Title is a very strong album that showcases Ms. Trainor’s affection for long gone musical genres including doo-wop and Bubblegum pop! I also admire the fact that a good bulk of her debut album features songs written by Ms. Trainor and her producer, Kevin Kadish. It showed that both of them took the initiative and produced one of the best debut albums that I heard in years! Bravo, Meghan and Kevin! I look forward to hearing more terrific material from you soon. A-
Tracks to Download: “All About That Bass,” “Dear Future Husband,” “Close Your Eyes,” “Lips Are Moving” & “Like I’m Going Lose You”
Uptown Special by Mark Ronson
For his fourth studio album, Mark Ronson took his listeners back in time to the mid-1960s and 1970s. During those two decades, Funk exploded and its presence helped James Brown, Prince and Stevie Wonder become music legends. Uptown Special feels like a hybrid between funk, disco, psychedelic rock and synthpop! While there are some strong standout tracks including “Uptown Funk,” “Daffodils” and “I Can’t Lose,” I wished that Mr. Ronson utilized guest collaborators Stevie Wonder and Bruno Mars more. Otherwise, this album might be a strong contender for next year’s Grammy Awards. B+
Tracks to Download: “Uptown Funk,” “I Can’t Lose,” “Daffodils” & “In Case of Fire”
“X Factor UK” alum Ella Henderson’s highly anticipated debut album finally dropped in the USA! (Album cover property of Syco Records)
Chapter One by Ella Henderson
Three years ago, Ella Henderson’s musical career began with an appearance on The X Factor UK! After being controversially eliminated during the seventh live show, Ms. Henderson might have the last laugh as her debut record finally dropped in the United States! With the help of several A-list producers and songwriters including Ryan Tedder, Claude Kelly and Babyface, Ms. Henderson might soar to the top of the Billboard charts with her powerful vocal tone and superb pitch! A-
Tracks to Download: “Ghost,” “Empire,” “Mirror Man,” “Hard Work” & “Glow”
“Ready for Love” by Iren
I love listening to new artists! In this edition of New Music Releases, I am introducing Bulgarian artist Iren to my viewers. “Ready for Love” is a sturdy club hit that would definitely send its listeners in a Technicolor trance. Iren has a strong voice and if she continues to drop sturdy tracks…Iren will be ready to be an international superstar. B
Kelly Clarkson’s first post-baby single: “Heartbeat Song” is a great piece of pop rock ear candy! (Album cover property of RCA Records)
“Heartbeat Song” by Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson is back! “Heartbeat Song” is the first piece of new material since her critically acclaimed Wrapped in Red holiday album. I believe a good chunk of her fans were relieved that the original American Idol winner released a pop rock song instead of a country ballad! While it is great to know that Ms. Clarkson could be a musical chameleon, she truly returned to her pop roots for this track. Also, I want to give a big kudos to the track’s co-writers and producer Mitch Allan, Jason Evigan, Audra Mae, Kara DioGuardi and Greg Kurstin for delivering this quality track! Not only is “Heartbeat Song” one of Ms. Clarkson’s strongest pieces of work, but it is also my Song of the Week! A+
“Homegrown” by Zac Brown Band
The Zac Brown Band rounds out this week’s New Music Releases. “Homegrown” is the country rock band’s first single off of their 2015 album. This is one of the band’s warmest songs to date because it has superb harmonies, lyrics that the listener can relate to and amazing instrumentation that is sprinkled throughout the album. I can definitely predict this song taking over the CMAs and the country music charts this year! A-
I do not own any of the clips that are featured in this article. They belong to the artists and their respective record labels!
