David Guetta - Without U

If you combine David Guetta with Usher, what do you expect to get? A massive dance hit maybe? Nope, sorry but this song is quite far away from dance. The song is a slower lamenting post break up song. The problem is, this isn't exactly the best move for either David Guetta or Usher.

David Guetta's last hit "Where them Girls at" opened the way for his next big hit, if he followed up with another dance song he probably would have another success, but with this new style he's taking a risk. As for Usher, we just got used to his club dance style, and now he's doing something completely different. In "Without U" Usher lacks a lot of the power that was featured in some of his previous hits. It's definitely a step down for him.

Of course, I can't blame them for trying this out, 2011 has been full of slower ballads and such. But this song lacks any build it's just the same gentle lyrics again and again. This would be a good way to start, but it needs to go somewhere. Furthermore is the fact that Adele's "Someone Like You" has just topped the billboard 100 and that song is a really powerful lament, there is no way that "Without U" can compete with that. Perhaps if it had been released a little earlier than it would have been unique and been a better idea, but now it's just asking to be crushed.

And then there's the lyrics, an important part for this type of song since if you're not getting people dancing then you have to make them think about the message. Some of the lyrics are pretty but really it's just the same things again and again. Eventually it stops making sense and they're just trying to repeat 'Without you' as much as possible.

I respect the attempt to branch out in this, and I think this could have been a hit with a few changes. But from Usher I really expect something more powerful, even if it is a ballad and not dance. And David Guetta has held a strong hold in the dance world, I don't see why he needs to leave. Overall this song was just a bad idea in the wrong time.

Kelly Clarkson - Mr. Know it all

Kelly Clarkson has been holding out this year while most of the major divas have been clashing. Now that the main competition is settling down she's set to dominate again; and she's going to start with "Mr. Know it all." I wasn't too keen on her last album, but she's changed up her style a little bit and it's an improvement.

"Mr. Know it all" doesn't take the powerful angry approach like some of her past hits, this one is mellowed up a bit. Though the lyrics are just as harsh as she's ever been. The song starts out smooth and transitions into a bouncy catchy chorus while staying out of dance territory. So Kelly has combined a catchy sound with her own style so she can still sound original and have a hit. This is a good message towards people getting worried about all music becoming too dancy.

Lyrically the song also displays a unique message. Kelly's often sung about breaking up and she does it again, but it's presented in a different way then before. The lyrics clearly have thought put into them and Kelly sings them with meaning and that's all it takes to give the song a real feeling.

So people have compared this song to Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are." There is a similarity, but I don't think it's worth getting worked up about. The songs each have their own unique styles and it's not so noticeable that it will ruin the song, like "Already Gone." Songs can sound similar and not be direct copies of each other, if people like it then you're probably going to be hearing similar tunes a lot.

Katy Perry and Rihanna are the major pop stars of the last couple of years, but they're wrapping out now. So all that really leaves is Lady Gaga, and if "Mr. Know it all" can make it to the top or at least come close then that should open the way for the rest of Kelly's album.

Selena Gomez and The Scene - Love You Like a Love Song

Selena Gomez has got to be one of the few artists that I can never decide if I love her or hate her. Her songs are each very different, so one could be awesome, the next might be painful. No doubt her most annoying was her last single, "Who Says," but fear not, because she's left that behind for the dancy, "Love You Like a Love Song."

The song combines dance style, with clever lyrics, with a unique sound, so altogether it makes quite a nice song. Although it is the dance-pop style the song isn't super fast, it goes at its own pace which is a defining point for the song. The lyrics offer something a little new; it's not revolutionary but it clearly has more effort than some of the current major songs. The song also combines the mellow sound of the verse with the catchy chorus ("I keep hitting repeat peat peat.")

The song may seem like its lacking because it doesn't build up to anything particularly strong, but I think that it still sounds good and it shows unique style from Selena Gomez and The Scene. The song has had a lot of effort put into it and I would say that it is a major highlight for Selena. Knowing how her songs are so unpredictable I can't say if her next single will be this nice, so I'm going to enjoy it while I can.

Jessie J - Domino

As Jessie J tries to infiltrate America again she tries to emulate the current top star, Katy Perry. And, yes, she sound exactly like Katy Perry. Even if you know that you're actually listening to Jessie J you will still pause for a second and say, "This sounds a lot like Katy Perry."

The sound is a super bouncy dance piece that Americans love so much. Add that with the lyrics that are all about partying and having a great time and you've got the perfect hit. It's called "Last Friday Night" ... but apparently it's also called "Domino." Like "Last Friday Night," "Domino" is an awesome party song and would be a great hit for Jessie J, but we just heard "Last Friday Night." Katy's current number hit is being played non-stop, so why would we want to have to listen to all over again with the Jessie J version. On top of that why would we want to hear anything Katy Perry related for a while, she's been pumping out number one hits non-stop for more than a year now.

The sad part of this is that there's nothing wrong with "Domino" it's an upbeat dance song that is sure to grab everyone's attention while keeping the lyrics less than ridiculous. And there's nothing wrong with trying out a new sound that is proven to be a huge success, it's simply bad timing.

While we're talking about Katy Perry, rumour has it that her team are deciding whether or not they want to release a sixth Teenage Dream single. "Peacock" and "Circle the Drain" we're both suggested to be singles before the album was released. Both of them show new unique sides of Katy, although I can't imagine "Peacock" becoming a hit, with its complete lack of any tune, transparent lyrics, and clear sexual meaning. Whereas "Circle the Drain" offers us a stronger angry sound similar to some of Kelly Clarkson's hits which I think is the only possible remaining option for Katy. The other songs that have yet to be released are "Hummingbird Heartbeat" which is a really fun song that I really like, but the problem is that it's nothing more than a filler song with a toned down style of her other hits, like "Firework" and we've already heard that enough; and the two ballads "Not Like the Movies" and "Pearl" which although could be a good move for Katy are also a risk, like we saw with Rihanna's "California King Bed" and there's no need for her to end on a sour note.

Overall, like I said I think "Circle the Drain" is the only one that stands a chance, but really she could just end now and give us all a break.

Oh, right, "Domino" yeah...it's a good song but terrible timing.

Rihanna - Cheers

Even before Loud was released there were rumors that "Cheers" would be a single; after a ton of other songs we've finally got "Cheers" released as a single. And it makes it the fourth song by Rihanna on my blog, more than anyone else.

Rihanna is in a dangerous position right now. She's already pumped out a ton of singles from Loud and people are probably hoping for something fresh by now. On the other hand, "California King Bed" didn't quite reach major success, so being too different is also out. I'd say that she made a good decision with "Cheers" because it's got a signature Rihanna sound, party lyrics, yet has a different smoother style than her usual blaring vocals.

"Cheers" is more subdued than Rihanna's party jams which gives a nice feel of something that you can enjoy when you don't feel like going all out with dancing. Rihanna still blends in some of her familiar sound which all works together nicely.

But that she went into overkill mode... First off is the fact that she's sampling Avril Lavigne's "Yeah yeah yeah"s from "I'm with you," the sound is quite clashing and immediately creates a different mood to the song. The two voices have no blend at all and the "Yeah yeah yeah"s just come out of no where. Then there's the bridge which is a group of voices singing offkey. I can see that she's trying to create the party mood with that, but it really doesn't add anything to the song. It's weird and annoying and just slows down the song's momentum.

This song could have been super, but now it's just annoying. It'll probably still pull Rihanna out of her tumble with "California King Bed" and may even become a number one. After that we should be getting a break from Rihanna for a bit (she's only got like three songs left that haven't become singles.) But of course knowing Rihanna, it won't last long and she'll have another album out in no time.

Alexandra Stan - Mr. Saxobeat

This is another song that's been around for a while, but is only just getting noticed where I live. Edward Maya and Vika Jigulina first broke out of Romania and into the world earlier this year, and now Alexandra Stan is doing the same with a similar song. Like "Stereo Love," "Mr. Saxobeat" has a very european mysterious sound which I say can only help the song.

Musically the song is very interesting and is a great dance song. The saxophone in the background immediately sets up the song to be captivating and Alexandra's vocals carry the feeling. With a catchy hook and repitive beat it's easy to just dance to this song. Alexandra switches between a sexy whisper and a dancy chorus which both make the song strong.

On the other hand, however, the song is not lyrically interesting. The lyrics are quite repitive and feature a lot of breaks where there's nothing but, "Mm yeah!" over and over again. The term 'Mr. Saxobeat' is something that may have deep meaning or is just weird, and I'm leaning towards the latter. Other than that it's really just another invitation to dance sort of song. We've heard it before.

Overall it's a good song that sounds unique if you're looking for something to dance to; otherwise you won't find anything to special in the words.

Also, a little recap on music in general: Summer is nearing an end and it's still unclear exactly what is the song of the summer. Personally I'd say it's "Give Me Everything" which has enjoyed big success, however others would argue that it's LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" which also has been dominating this summer. Don't expect the hype to die down once summer ends though. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars and Jason Derulo, three major artists, have all released new singles, "You and I," "Marry You," and "It Girl." It would seem as though Adele is releasing "Set Fire to the Rain" in America now as it's starting to climb the charts, and I'm betting it'll do just as good as "Rolling in the Deep." Britney has a poll to decide her next single and it looks like it's going to be "Criminal." Rihanna still isn't done with her latest album and has finally released "Cheers." I've heard rumours that Ke$ha's next single will be "The Harold Song." Finally Jessie J is working to emulate Katy Perry with "Domino" in production

Yeah so, it looks like there's going to be another big smash this fall.

Bad Meets Evil - Lighters

Remember last year when Eminem teamed up with major pop star, Rihanna, to create "Love the Way you Lie"? Or how about when Bruno Mars was lending his voice to rapper, B.o.B, for "Nothing on You"? Both songs were pretty big hits, so this leads to the conclusion that if Bruno Mars and Eminem teamed up it would be an even bigger hit. Also there's that other guy, Royce da 5'9, since he's also part of "Bad Meets Evil."

Rappers like Eminem have a reputation of being overall angry in their songs, but "Lighters" is a bit of different turn with a more sentimental emotional feeling to it. Of course you can still expect Eminem to rap with his usual intensity and foul language, but there's a different message behind this song. Bruno Mars sings the chorus and that's probably where most of the emotion comes from; as we've seen before, Bruno Mars, can make anything sound tender. He sets up the song with a very emotional verse, then we get rougher, but still emotional, verses from Eminem and Royce.

The lyrics for the most part have a lot of meaning in them; though for rap it's sometimes hard to tell if lyrics are just weird or have a deeper meaning. But like I said there's plenty of swearing in it, and if you're not into that the censored version is incredibly choppy. However, even without the censor the rapping is still a little choppy sounding, so maybe it's just the song itself.

This song combines many different strong emotions, similar to Diddy-Dirty Money's "Coming Home" with the tender chorus but more intense rap verses. All parts of the song continue the feeling of many dynamic feelings no matter whose verse it is. Bruno Mars has yet to fail to deliver a hit, and Eminem has proven to be capable of massive smash songs. And I'm sure Royce da 5'9 will help too. So overall I can see this song being a major hit.