Sizzling Hot New Music Now

by Hadrian Miguel, Lifestyle & Beauty Director

Here’s our top picks of Summer musical delights from the very popular & electrifying to the quirky & off the beaten path.

Christina Aguilera

Bionic

RCA Records

Christina Aguilera marks her return to the world stage and goes electro with Bionic, her strong musical mix of voice, dance, synth-pop, and R&B. Her best release yet!

She flexes her vocal muscle by not singing all out, showing some restraint and coolness, ultimately reminding us why she has always been the pop princess that stomps to the beat of a funkier drum.

Christina teams up with some of the best in the business, again working with Linda Perry, as well as Tricky Stewart, Sia, Le Tigre, Polow da Don, Nicki Minaj, Peaches, and M.I.A. The special deluxe edition of Bionic contains 6 bonus tracks and collaborations with Ladytron, Cathy Dennis, The Bravery’s Sam Endicott, and Santigold.

The best tracks are the uptempo dance & electro tracks, “Woo Hoo” is a dancehall jam featuring Nicki Minaj, the sexy M.I.A. teaser “Elastic Love”, the runway-walking “Glam”, the fiery Spanglish “Desnudate”, the cheeky “I Hate Boys”, and the super sassy “Vanity” and “My Girls”.

The Linda Perry slow-cooker gem “Lift Me Up” which showcases her voice is another standout, and sounds like a potential big hit. We know Christina can sing, and she doesn’t have to hit us over the head all the time with it, a calculated move that adds to the charm and depth of Bionic along with different styles, and a futuristic, modern sound.

Xtina’s extra hot tracks: “Vanity”

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the M.I.A. joint “Elastic Love” 

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the dancehall boogie throwdown with red-hot Nicki Minaj “Woo Hoo”

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Kelis

Flesh Tone

Will.i.am Music Group / Interscope

The future is bright  for Kelis…a new son, recently divorced from rapper Nas, a new record label, and with her latest release Flesh Tone, she returns with a refreshed and improved sound to her captivating repertoire of music, this time with her feet firmly planted in the world of dance and thumping basslines.

No longer the siren and muse of the Neptunes, Kelis finds herself invigorated and transformed with the midas touch of Will.i.am, David Guetta, Jean Baptiste, and Benny Benassi. This is a solid, exciting, well-conceived, and catchy Kelis record from the very beginning to end.

Best tracks are the super-sweet, disco-esque “Song for the Baby”, electro dance anthems “Brave”, “Scream”,“Emancipate”, “4th of July (Fireworks)”, and of course, the first single and dancefloor hit “Acapella”.

Watch Kelis perform 4th of July on the Brit tv show Later…with Jools Holland

…And, here’s a preview of “Brave”

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…and also “Song for the Baby”

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Drake

Tell Me Later

Cash Money Records / Universal Motown

Canadian artist Drake is the one to watch and the hottest star to emerge in the hip-hop and R&B genre. You can also look for his star to also rise in upcoming movie projects, but it is his full-length, major label debut album Tell Me Later that will definitely catapult him further into the limelight and on the Top 10 charts.

Collaborations include Lil’ Wayne, Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, T.I., Young Jeezy, The Dream, Timbaland, and Jay Z make this one of the strongest, and biggest premiere launches to date.

I love the already chart-topping lead single, “Over” and the Kanye West-produced “Find Your Love” that is the current radio darling, a popular hit with a strong, urban music video to accompany it.

Watch the video here

Other great tunes are “Unforgettable”, “Fancy”, “Thank Me Now”, and the next single “Miss Me”

Listen to a preview of “Unforgettable” (featuring Young Jeezy)

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Also, here’s the album title track and closer “Thank Me Now”

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Uffie

Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans

Ed Banger Records / Elektra

Get ready to Uff…Uffie finally hits stateside with a full-length album after releasing several popular EPs over the years. Uffie has a cute, cocky, and special style of MC’ing, singing, writing rhymes, and rockin’ the party!

Previous releases & singles from a few years ago made the cut and are included here: “Pop the Glock” (a personal all-time fave), “F1rst Love”, and “Brand New Car”.

Produced in part by famed Paris-based record producer, composer, and songwriter Mirwais, Uffie shows us that her time has come with a delightful rendition of Siouxsie & The Banshees’ “Hong Kong Garden”, as well as the new, fun singles “MCs Can Kiss” and “ADD SUV” featuring Pharell Williams.

Other standout tracks include the smart-mouthed and playful “Ricky”, the funky, finger-snappin’ “Neuneu”, and the melodic and smart “Our Song” and “Difficult”.

Here’s a look at some of the hottest Uffie tracks:

“Neuneu”

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“Ricky”

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Check out Uffie’s video for “Pop The Glock”

GET THIS NOW!

Sizzlin’ dance singles that will get you movin’ and groovin’ all summer long!

BreakBot – “Baby I’m Yours” (featuring Irfane)

…funky, vanilla soul like they used to make it back in the day!

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Punches – “Let Go” …a house jam that samples some Mary J.

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Quentin Harris & Jason Walker – “Circles” …a house grinder from Quentin Harris’ Sacrafice album

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Two Door Cinema Club - “Something Good Can Work (The Twelves Remix)” …a feel-good, happy song to pull you through the most dreadful day!

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Benny Benassi – “Spaceship (EDX Remix) ” feat. Kelis, Apl, and Jean-Baptiste…you can only be sitting on top of the world when add a little Kelis to your mix and add some sparkle.

Spaceship (EDX Remix) feat. Kelis

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Blake McGrath – “The Night (Only Place to Go)” …dancer and choreographer to the stars, Blake McGrath takes center stage with his hot debut single.

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