Jane Badler – Page 3 – BILLCSMUSIC BLOG

BILLCS Top 30 #390, October 22/12

This edition of my personal chart is top heavy with activity, which means only two debuts and a number of songs which will exit the chart in two weeks (including DATABOY’s magnificent #1 “Dreams Are Gold” (#10), which is at its maximum 10 appearances – 20 weeks).

“Spectrum” by Zedd featuring Matthew Koma slides comfortably into #1 as the German producer continues his tour (stopping here in Toronto on November 2) to promote his new album Clarity. But the song will be battling it out in two weeks with the insanely catchy “Music Makes Me Lose Control” by Portugal’s Carlos Nóbrega, which has been itching to bust a move up the chart these past few weeks, and finally does so, vaulting 6 to 2. This leaves “Remember When (Push Rewind)” by Chris Wallace at #3, “Go For Gold” by Kyle Patrick at #4, and the Green Children remix of “Houdini” by Foster The People at #5.

And there’s no shortage of movement in the rest of the Top 10. “Long Time” by Sweden’s John De Sohn featuring Andreas Moe climbs to #6, “Anything Could Happen” by Ellie Goulding (below) jumps 10-7 despite getting lost in the extended success of “Lights”, and “Feel It” by Bright Light Bright Light featuring Mikal Kilgore is the only new addition to the Top 10 at #9.

You can view the full chart using the link under ***BILL’S PERSONAL CHART*** to the right, or you can click right here. You can hear all of the songs on the chart or watch their videos by clicking on the pics on the chart page. Any free downloads that are identified are sanctioned by the performer. There’s always a tiny place at the bottom of the blog post with tags and the statement “Leave A Comment” – please feel free to do so

There’s a bit of a log jam just outside of the Top 10, with “Unheard” by Jeronimo bumped up to #11, and Bim’s “Lights Out” rising to #12. But then we have the fastest riser, “Don’t You Worry Child” by Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin soaring 24-14 and bound to be a contender for #1 in the coming weeks. Jane Badler’s sensational drama of “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” moves to #15, “Evolved” by Vague-à-bonde (below) climbs to #16 – the lady herself is opening for Diamond Rings in Minneapolis soon – with “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons and “Between The Raindrops” by Lifehouse featuring Natasha Bedingfield right behind. Lifehouse announced the title of its new album this week, which is called Almeria.

Last week’s debuts make bountiful moves. “Your Body” by Christina Aguilera zips up to #19, with Mika’s “Popular Song” immediately after, and Matt & Kim’s rollicking “Let’s Go” (official lyrics video below) bounding 30-22.

The two debuts this week are guaranteed to make your feet move. The renown BT has teamed up with young Russian DJ/producer Arty and the always marvelous Nadia Ali for “Must Be The Love” at #24. It’s a dandy hybrid of trance and house made even more conspicuous by Nadia’s signature voice, and resonates in the original 12″ version at the top of this page. Both BT and Nadia Ali are no strangers to my chart. Here are their respective chart histories:

Simply Being Loved (Somnambulist), #1, 2003

Superfabulous (featuring Rose McGowan), #1, 2003

The Force Of Gravity (featuring JC Chasez), #3, 2003

Love Comes Again (with Tiesto), #5, 2004

Break My Fall (with Tiesto), #6, 2007

Suddenly (with Christian Burns), #6, 2010

The Emergency, #17, 2011

Nadia Ali and iio

Rapture (Tastes So Sweet) (iio), #3, 2002

At The End (iio), #2, 2003

Smooth (iio), #5, 2003

Is It Love (iio), #21, 2005

Love Story, #3, 2009

Believe It (with Spencer & Hill), #12, 2012

The remaining debut is “Good Girlfriend” by Danish producer/DJ Kid Massive featuring the one and only DATABOY at #25. This song takes a little time to catch on and will finally be available digitally in the coming two weeks. All kids of remixes abound with Alex Van Alff’s currently available as a free download. Do check out the video at the top of the blog. Not only does the song flow really well with the story, you get to see DATABOY’s Cameron and Adam performing (and you can match up the voices to the guys now ;).

BILLCS Top 30 #389 – October 8/12

While the rest of my personal chart is stunted with pent-up activity from songs on the rise, the songs at the top of the chart pretty much stay intact. So that means we have the very talented Chris Wallace gracing #1 for a fourth time with “Remember When (Push Rewind)”, and you can watch for another song from the Push Rewind album to debut in these parts in two weeks.

Zedd has been on Lady GaGa’s lips a lot lately, if you happened to miss the “High Princess/Stache” mashup on the weekend (it’s below). So featuring Matthew Koma’s dulcet boyish tones, the German producer claims #2 with “Spectrum”, which looks to succeed “Remember When” at the top.

“Go For Gold” holds steady at #3 for Kyle Patrick, while “Dreams Are Gold” by DATABOY (#4) continues to hang in the Top 5 – where it has been for all of its appearances but one (it debuted at #8) – while the loveable “Genius” continues to rise at #8. “Houdini” by Foster The People holds tight at #5 with the free download of the Green Children remix, which is just cause for lots of random dancing.

There’s a long stretch of songs on hold or rising between #5 and #15, so I’ll touch on the bigger moves. “Music Makes You Lose Control” by Carlos Nóbrega (below) moves 8-6, hovering just below the Top 5 in anticipation of a bigger move in two weeks – can it get to #1? I have been saying it since I first heard it – Hallowe’en dance parties, this is YOUR song!

Vaulting 12-7 is the emotional Swedish dance music that is currently so appealing by way of “Long Time” by John De Sohn featuring Andreas Moe. Another dance floor filler is Markus Riva’s “We Dance 4 Reason”, holding at #9. And then Ellie Goulding’s “Anything Can Happen” arrives at #10 just as her Halcyon album hits stores tomorrow in North America. Let’s get those remixes onto iTunes as well, shall we?

The fastest riser of the lot is “Feel It” by Bright Light Bright Light featuring Mykal Kilgore, which soars 18-11. Bright Light Bright Light has scored opening UK concert dates for Scissor Sisters, which I hope will translate into a second go round for the Sisters in North America. Their “Let’s Have A Kiki” is still on the pulse of dance clubs right now, and BLx2’s own mashup of it and “Feel It” (“Let’s Have A Feel”) continues to put a smile on my face, prompting me to want to lock the door and lower the blinds… Listen below.

While we do not have a video for Colin Munroe’s triumphant “Over It” (up 17-13), we do have one for previous Top 5 single “The Fight Of My Life” from his mixtape Unsung Hero, so give it a view below. There’s some intriguing imagery completely befitting of the song. Well done!

That smashing duo from the UK, Bim, currently has “Lights Out” climbing the chart, moving 19-14, but in preparation for their stunning Lifelines EP (now on pre-order on iTunes – you can read my initial thoughts on it right here), the pair have a new video on deck below for next single “Burn”, which remembers those fond days when we as children could be superheroes for just one day. There’s some pretty impressive graphic artistry, see the poster below as well.

“Yesterday’s Tomorrows” by Jane Badler climbs 21-17, but that captivating Stormby’s Drama mix of the song is now also featured on the compilation Kiss My Lipstick Off, now available on iTunes and featuring other fine folks like Liz Primo, Spray, and Nathalie Archangel. Last week’s debuts all get stuck together temporarily at songs #20-22, waiting for a gap in the chart to occur (likely in two weeks), so be sure to check out indie release “Evolved” by Vague-a-bonde (watch for the video soon but in the meantime listen to the song below), Imagine Dragons’ “It’s Time”, and “Between The Raindrops” by Lifehouse featuring Natasha Bedingfield (video also due soon).

You can watch the video for the lead debut on the chart (#24) at the top of this post. While I’ve enjoyed the music of Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello over the years in solo and various other projects, their Swedish House Mafia project never really got on my radar till this year. And apparently their album Until Now and sell out tour represent an end to the project. I never believe ‘never’ in the music business, but in the meantime we can all enjoy “Don’t You Worry Child”, once again featuring outstanding urgent and emotional vocals by another of Sweden’s go-to-guys, John Martin.

I’ve long appreciated the powerful and soulful voice of Christina Aguilera, though her songs have not always been consistent and therefore haven’t appeared in this chart until more recently. But every time a song has charted (this is the 7th time), it has reached my Top 10. We’ll see if that happens with the outrageous but fun “Your Body”, which bows at #25 with the accompanying entertaining video. It’s from her upcoming 5th studio set (excluding Latin, Christmas, and Best Of compilation) called Lotus.

I recently wrote about Mika’s The Origin Of Love album, which is a diverse collection that may take a few listens to grow on you. One aspect of the record that is very appealing is how it lets loose on a couple of the songs. So two songs debut on this chart, the quirky “Wicked” inspired “Popular Song” at #26, and then his duet with Pharrell Williams (himself no stranger to the chart, having appeared with Snoop Dogg on “Beautiful” and Robin Thicke on “Wanna Love U Girl”, as well as with his trio N.E.R.D. on the #1 “Rock Star” and “Hypnotize U”) on “Celebrate” at #29. These songs mark Mika’s 7th and 8th appearances, with his most successful being in 2009-10 when “Rain” got to #1 and “Blame It On The Girls” and “We Are Golden” reached #2 and #3 respectively. Watch the joyous video for “Celebrate” below.

And at #30 is “Let’s Go” by Matt & Kim, the lead single from their fourth album Lightning, which hit stores last week. I caught them in concert last week and will have my thoughts about that show and their album in the coming week. The duo have worked exceptionally hard to make all of their music accessible in various formats, and have created lyrics videos for each song on the new album. Watch the video for “Let’s Go” below – I’m sure we’ll be seeing and hearing more from Matt & Kim as their tour progresses. The Brooklyn, NY duo have previously reached the Top 5 on the chart with “Daylight” and “Block After Block”.

15th Anniversary Edition: BILLCS Top 30 #388 – September 24/12

In some ways it seems like a lifetime ago, in other ways it’s like yesterday. 15 years ago this week I began posting my personal chart online on a regular basis.

As I was discovering the ‘Net through our dial-up connection in 1996/97, I was able to find message boards and chart sites where, yes, there were actually music chart geeks like me, who created their own lists of favourites, or sometimes a list of songs that were heavily influenced by radio play of the day. I had compiled my own charts back in the 70’s, but abandoned that when I joined my university radio station, where I influenced their chart and my fellow DJ’s, and eventually became in charge of producing their chart! I continued to assist with this well past graduation and into my free-lance writing days. After that, I still produced my own lists but they weren’t charts, just a way to keep track of what I liked and what was current.

So the rabid presence of all kinds of music on the Internet has been and will continue to be a blessing for me, and I’ll keep on producing my chart as long as people are interested in reading it and chatting with me about it and its songs. I posted charts now and again throughout 1997 online, but I don’t have copies of any of those charts until January 1998 when I began saving them and documenting them, because I just knew this wasn’t going to go away, though “Turn My Head” by Live was my #1 in September 1997. So I’m 388 bi-weekly editions in (the first 8 months had a Top 10 only), and here’s what’s happening 🙂

His Push Rewind album goes several songs deeper, but “Remember When (Push Rewind)” by Chris Wallace holds at #1 for a 3rd appearance (6th week), with “Dreams Are Gold” by DATABOY not giving up second place yet. This makes it difficult when two fun and engaging songs, “Go For Gold” by Kyle Patrick, and “Spectrum” by Zedd & Matthew Koma, each advance within the Top 5. They are joined by “Houdini” by Foster the People, making it 3 for 3 for the trio following fellow Top Fivers “Pumped Up Kicks” and “Call It What You Want”. Also – Mark Foster’s tweets under @FosterThePeople are so worth following. He’s definitely got interesting opinions but also tweets about great things, including the challenge he gave to a photographer to lose weight over a number of months, with the reward being a financial amount from Mark himself. Inspiring!

You’ll notice that “Spectrum” by Florence & The Machine is now out of the Top 5 at #7 and “Timebomb” by Kylie Minogue rests at #14. But despite reaching #3 and #4 respectively, both songs will rank highly at year’s ends, possibly higher than some of my #1’s! We’ll see! Markus Riva’s “We Dance 4 Reason” climbs to a new peak at #9.

The fastest riser on the chart, for a second time, is the completely crazy and irresistible “Music Makes You Lose Control” by Carlos Nóbrega, which leaps over his own “Turn It Up” (at #11), to move 17-8. You can listen to the full song near the top of this post or below on Soundcloud. Once “MMYLC” grabs you, it doesn’t let go, so you can find it on iTunes – and right now I’m waiting for remixes! Carlos is just finishing off his album, and you’ll know more about that from me as it happens. Joining “MMYLC” in the Top 10 for the first time is the irrepressible “Genius” by DATABOY at #10. That song can also be found on the duo’s Dreams Are Gold album.

Lots of great new songs continue to move up. A massive hit in Sweden, “Long Time” by John De Sohn & Andreas Moe climbs to #12. Andreas also recorded an acoustic version on his Collecting Sunlight EP which I wrote about a while back. “Anything Could Happen” by Ellie Goulding is whetting fans’ appetites while she’s on tour in anticipation of the Halcyon album, and rises to #13. Jeronimo’s “Unheard” isn’t released as a single anywhere, but it’s my next favourite song to the title track of his album One Kiss and jumps to #15. “Unheard” is just one of those singalongs where the lyrics just find their way easily into your mouth. Jeronimo is starring in a new movie called “My Dad’s A Detective – The Battle”, and a video for his beautiful ballad “Firefly” includes snippets of scenes from that movie. I’m not sure if we’ll see this movie in North America, but our young Netherlander is obviously a double threat! Watch the video below.

Songs 16 through 21 keep the chart looking busy – as they should because every song on this chart is a winner regardless of where it peaks. The offbeat melodies and lyrics of songs on Saint Motel’s Voyeur album are really appealing to me, and the clarinet-sample-led “Benny Goodman” is at #16. “Over It” by Colin Munroe looks to follow “The Fight Of My Life” into the Top 10 and rises to #17. “Feel It” is the latest single by Bright Light Bright Light, featuring Mykal Kilgore, and soars to #18. Of course, Rod Thomas (aka BLx2) has double-whammied us once again with a new video for the song, and a mashup for free download called “Let’s Have A Feel”, which has great fun in setting Scissor Sisters’ #1 club hit “Let’s Have A Kiki” to the music of “Feel It”. Watch the video and listen to the mashup below.

UK duo Bim are busy working on an album, and you’ll find out more when you go to their website and download “Lights Out”, which resides at #19. Despite the blond look on the cover of his EP We Should, Kyle Brylin has returned to short brown hair for a new single, the piano ballad “Ain’t The Same” (which you can hear below and download for free from Soundcloud right here). In the meantime, the chart sticks to the electro-house of the poignant “Hurricane”, which climbs to #20. There’s always a place for a theatrical sound on my chart from time to time, and “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” by Jane Badler nails it in spades and rises to #21.

Rounding out the chart are three debuts. I wrote about “Evolved” by Minnesota singer Vague-à-bonde (aka Nicole Brenny) a little while back. The combination of soft, genuine vocals and one of the best chorus hooks you’ll hear this year sends the song into the chart at an impressive #24. You can download it for free right here. It’s taken a little longer than usual for “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons to sink in, but the opening episode of this season’s “Glee” has kept the song in my head (especially in its Penguin Prison remix, which you can get on iTunes). “It’s Time” bows at #26 (watch the video at the bottom of the post if you’re not yet familiar with it). And this past week I wrote about “Between The Raindrops”, the single from the upcoming new Lifehouse album, which features Natasha Bedingfield in a well-placed guest appearance. The song arrives at #27 and is Lifehouse’s 9th entry on the chart since debuting back at the end of 2000 with one of my all time favourite songs, “Hanging By A Moment”. Here’s the complete list:

“Hanging By A Moment”, #1, 2001
“Sick Cycle Carousel”, #20, 2001
“Everything”, #3, 2001
“Spin” #1, 2002
“You And Me”, #3, 2005
“Halfway Gone”, #3, 2010
“Had Enough” (with Chris Daughtry), “#11, 2010
“All In”, #8, 2010

BILLCS Chart #387 – September 10/12

I often refer to my bi-weekly chart as a list of my favourite songs of the moment, but it also serves as a recap of what I’ve been listening to over the last few weeks.

Suffice it to say, my last week has been filled with Chris Wallace songs from his solo album Push Rewind, which was released last Monday, and I posted my thoughts about it in the week. Lead single “Remember When (Push Rewind)” holds on to #1 on my chart quite handily, the first of what I expect will be a few appearances for Chris on the chart in the coming months. With three songs on the chart, DATABOY is hardly out of the picture, with “Dreams Are Gold” ranking #2 and the fun “Genius” rising to #13. Both “Spectrum”s on the chart now surround “Go For Gold” by Kyle Patrick, which rises to #4. Florence & The Machine stay at #3 with the Calvin Harris remix, and Zedd & Matthew Koma soar to #5 (the video is below if you’ve missed it). Who will succeed Chris Wallace at #1. Frankly, I just don’t know yet!

Also climbing within the Top 10 is Bright Light Bright Light with “Moves” from Make Me Believe In Hope at #6 – though it’s not the second single from the album (more on that below). Right below is “Houdini” in a free download Green Children remix by Foster The People. New to the Top 10 are Baiyu’s “Hunter” at #9 and “We Dance 4 Reason” from Markus Riva at #10. Baiyu may get a wild card spot on “The Next” TV show in coming episodes due to her strong performance in the New York City round. Markus has another single up his sleeve, with a video being shot soon for “Chase”. The video for “Reason” is below.

Portugal’s Carlos Nóbrega is close to descending on the Top 10 with two songs, “Turn It Up”, which rises to #11, and the big, bouncy anthem “Music Makes Me Lose Control”, which is the fastest riser, vaulting 23-17. The trance-oriented “Long Time” by Sweden’s John De Sohn featuring Andreas Moe on vocals moves up to #14 (strange but eye-catching video below), Ellie Goulding’s infectious single “Anything Could Happen” from her upcoming Halcyon album rises to 16, “Benny Goodman” by Saint Motel is up to #19, “Lights Out” by UK duo Bim jumps to #22 as a free download, and “Hurricane” by Kyle Brylin is at #25.

Three familiar faces comprise 3/4 of our debuts. My next favourite song from young Netherlands singer Jeronimo’s album One Kiss after the title track is the jaunty “Unheard” (listen below), which bows at #20 as “One Kiss” spends its last appearance on the chart after a maximum of 10 (20 weeks). Then, Toronto’s Colin Munroe unleashed his latest mixtape Unsung Hero mid-last week, and I’ll have some detailed words on that in the week. In the meantime, his free download of the empowering “Over It”, which I wrote about last week, arrives at #23. The second official single from Bright Light Bright Light’s Make Me Believe In Hope is in fact the tailored-for-clubs “Feel It”, featuring Mykal Kilgore in a shimmering remix below, at #26. The last debut, if you didn’t guess it from yesterday’s blog post, is “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” by Jane Badler at #28.

Video Alert: “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” by Jane Badler

USA-born, Australia-based performer Jane Badler is known best to most of the world as Diana in the 80s TV show “V” and a role in the soap opera “One Life To Live”, as well as appearances on TV in prime time shows like “Falcon Crest”. But she’s been scoping out another career as a singer for a while now, and as you know from these pages, I’m enthralled by her latest project Mistaken Identity, which features the dynamic and noble “Yesterday’s Tomorrows”, a song that could be a ready-made theme song to an action movie, or the basis for an entire stage play! Jane’s got a fantastic team behind her to make this all happen.

It was so wonderful to hear that a video was in the works, and it doesn’t hesitate to get up close and personal to draw you into the old-fashioned love-letter storyline and drama of the song. Best of all later in the video Jane gets to wear a stunning black gown and ponder on a beach, complete with what looks like fireworks before a colourful sunset, making the East Hamptons look quite magical in the process.

Get Mistaken Identity and the remixes of “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” on iTunes. A debut on my chart this weekend perhaps, too?

September Pop Grab Bag: Colin Munroe, Sky Ferreira, Vague-à-bonde, Sam Sparro, River Tiber, Vista Cruiser, Elle Vee, and Jane Badler

Colin Munroe “Over It”

Colin’s new Unsung Hero mixtape finally dropped today, but preceding it last week was “Over It”, which isn’t as heavy as “Fight Of My Life” and “Invincible”. Even in more of an accessible pop vein like this, the Toronto performer’s sympathetic vocals and resolute lyrics are extremely powerful. Expect more of the same grittiness in the mixtape, but I’ll save my comments about Unsung Hero for later in the week. In the meantime start yourself with “Over It” by downloading it right here.

Sky Ferreira featuring Blood Orange “Everything Is Embarrassing”

At last, it’s a Sky Ferreira song that captures the sexiness and vulnerability I saw on stage in New York City in April 2011. It’s a pretty sparse and fragile sound from her upcoming EP Ghost that could easily put the much-praised Sky in the same leagues as Ellie Goulding in no time. More like this please… and remixes could send clubs positively spinning.

Vague-à-bonde “Evolved”

Hailing from Minneapolis, Nicole Brenny has recorded her second album under the name Vague-à-bonde, and in advance of it comes “Evolved”. Not far removed from Sky Ferreira or Ellie Goulding but with the tough edges we find with Pink and Rihanna, “Evolved” starts out gently unassuming and then seemingly out of nowhere comes this amazingly hooky chorus that will simply slay you. After all what would a vague-à-bonde be if not restless? I can’t wait to hear a live performance of “Evolved”. Get the free download right here and look for more soon from Vague-à-bonde.

Sam Sparro “We Could Fly”

Backtracking to the soul/funk and emotional pop combo of Sam Sparro’s sophomore album Return To Paradise, I would like to humbly suggest “We Could Fly” as the next single. After the video of the the downbeat but cathartic “I Wish I Never Miss You”, “Fly” could serve as a reprise of the vibe of the first single “Happiness” and with some innovative remixes will help this intriguing album gain momentum again.

River Tiber “What Are You Afraid Of”

As regular readers know, I consider Toronto band River Tiber to be one of The Finds of 2012. I adore the many moods of the debut album From Now On, particularly “Someday” and “Symmetry”, which reached #1 and #2 on my personal chart. Led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Tommy Paxton-Beesley, River Tiber segues into more experimental electronic pop/rock on “Afraid”, full of gorgeous smatterings of electric guitar, which all resonate through the images in the video. Watch below, and look for many more fine things to come from Tommy and River Tiber this Fall.

Vista Cruiser featuring Vanessa Barfod “I Dig, You Dig”

A humorous party rock song will always get my attention if the whole package rises among the generally inane setting. Such is the case with Montreal’s Vista Cruiser, comprising Mich and Andy Manaras, who were more known for rocking out a decade ago than the fun electropop behind “I Dig, You Dig” would let on. But with platinum award-winning producer John Nathaniel somewhat uncharacteristically at the helm, and a clever, eye-popping video, you will have a tough time getting the song out of your head. So party on…

Elle Vee featuring Tek-neek “I Like Girls”

Hailing from L.A., Elle Vee is Lindsay Vinarsky, a diverse songwriter whose “I Like Girls” puts her definitively in Britney Spears sounding territory but with lyrical bite that takes no prisoners along along with a well-placed rap. Give a listen below and check out numerous other songs, which show some other sides of Elle Vee on her Soundcloud page.

A reminder, in anticipation of its video launch on Saturday, September 8, do check out Jane Badler‘s wonderful “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” below in all of its original glorious drama and then in the so chi chi Stormby’s Drama Mix. I’ll have the video coverage on the weekend. There are all kinds of details on Jane’s Facebook page .

Quick Reeecap: DATABOY’s New Gem, Jane Badler’s High Drama, Sam Sparro’s Dancing Kingpin, and Nick’s High Notes

DATABOY “Dreams Are Gold”

It’s no secret that I can’t get enough of the music that DATABOY is creating right now. The Austin, Texas duo of Cameron Maxwell and Adam Bailey continued to win me over recently when I wrote about their free Summer Now EP, and their song “Lotion” in particular is on repeat in my head as I write. But today they unveiled the title song of their upcoming album Dreams Are Gold. It’s a real gem. These fellas are amazingly clever. They’ve managed to meld a beautiful and often playful melody, crafty house rhythms, ever so soulful vocals (secretly, I think they listen to a lot of R&B), and some truly heartfelt and identifiable lyrics. By design it’s a sincere and joyous invitation to get your ass on the dancefloor and to never, ever stop dreaming. And if the rest of the album is this good, DATABOY will be on many playlists for this summer and beyond. So well done!! Listen below.

Jane Badler, “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” (Stormby’s Drama Mix)

Not too long ago, I wrote about the potential of “Yesterday’s Tomorrows”, by noted actress Jane Badler, who has also had a singing career for a while now, with her latest release an EP called Mistaken Identity. Visions of a grand Broadway play with gorgeous costumes, people, drama, murder, and lust, all filled my head. And then along came Stormby’s drama mix… and now my visions are turned on their head, into a grand Broadway musical, with over the top costumes, lots of make up and colour, drama, and dancing. If a song is going to be transformed, do it in high style like this. Dance clubs, here it comes! Listen below.

Sam Sparro, “I Wish I Never Met You” (video)

“I Wish I Never Met You” is the bold antithesis of a pop/dance hit, but it really works, as I wrote recently. I hadn’t found the video though until now, where we have Sam as a 30’s prohibition kingpin who gambles, dances, and gets his comeuppance – or does he? Watch and find out! I hope to find my way to Sam’s Return To Paradise album soon!

Nick “Human Nature”

It’s been a while since we heard something new from our boy Nick Hagelin (now using only his first name). You see, he’s been kind of busy, making new friends in pretty high places, and finding himself a record deal. And not just any deal. You may have heard of Streamline Records. It’s a subsidy of Interscope. The lead act on the label is one Lady GaGa. And while we had a fling with getting to know “X Games”, from his upcoming album, the song was pulled off the interweb to make you anxious for more. A lot of you are out there because you made my post on “X Games” in January my most read blog post in the three years I’ve been writing! So Nick’s promised to be viral once again, and his return to acoustic covers is with a version of Michael Jackon’s “Human Nature”. Nick’s honest charm, talent, and gorgeous high notes are all on display. Watch below.

Spring Popervescence #2, featuring Gentlemen Hall, Jane Badler, Casey Stratton, BAKER, I Am A Camera, Craig Powell, and Cadence Burns

There’s so much good new music about that I can’t get a chance to write about it all. There may have to be a Spring Popervescence #3 before any Summer Popervescence happens!

Gentlemen Hall “All Our Love”

I’ve been enjoying the Boston 6 man ensemble’s EP When We All Disappear for a while now, but it’s taken the video for “All Our Love” to bring the song’s anthemic call for love to the forefront for me. Led by a Gavin Merlot vocal, the video takes a few frames to digest but once you’re in, there’s a most worthwhile story that should be a calling card for people to put aside their differences and celebrate love. You can download When We All Disappear from Gentlemen Hall’s website.

Jane Badler “Yesterday’s Tomorrows”

Jane Badler is best known as an actress from the 1980’s sci-fi show “V” (as Diana, the lizard queen – and she made a cameo in the recent reboot too), but in the years since the show she relocated to Australia to continue her film and stage career. Like many multi-talents, Jane is also a singer who has released a few jazz-oriented albums over the past few years. But it’s no wonder that her talents have spread back to the North American market with the upcoming release of an EP called Mistaken Identity. “Yesterday’s Tomorrows” is a stunning and catchy theatrical piece of business where everything old-fashioned is new again, and is most deserving of your attention. Rock it’s not, but visions of theatre or movie theme songs will dance in your head to leave you captivated. Don’t be surprised if Jane Badler quietly makes her mark again worldwide on record. Listen below.

Casey Stratton “When The Fates Came” (EP)

The prolific Michigan-based singer and multi-instrumentalist is on deck with the upcoming album The Calling Of The Crows, which is preceded by this six song EP which will only make you want more. Like many others, I discovered Casey through his major label releases back in 2003/04 which yielded a number one dance/club play hit (“House of Jupiter”). But dance music was not where his music was meant to be. He’s moved comfortably into territory where he joins the likes of Sarah McLachlan, Loreena McKennitt and others who create lush landscapes to compliment personal, direct, and articulate stories. Independently released, as with all of his records since 2005, When The Fates Came touches on loss, love, self-discovery and more. And it’s all led by Casey’s compelling high register, beautifully sung, particularly on the title song and “All I Am”. You can listen to it all and purchase it at Casey’s store (link below).

Casey Stratton’s store

BAKER “Convince Me” and “Heart-Shaped Box”

BAKER is an L.A.-based singer/songwriter who’s in the process of recording his first album, but has put forth a number of songs over the past few years online for your listening pleasure. The model, Harvard grad, and classical cellist alternates between pop/electronica and softer songs which show off his range and style. So in anticipation of some new songs, I’ll tip you off to the infectious “Convince Me” and an engaging take on Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box”, which shows that Baker’s boundaries appear to be limitless. Listen to them below and watch an interview with BAKER as well to learn more.

I Am A Camera “Factory Boys”

I’ve talked about a darker nu-disco kind of dance music that seems to stem from New York City (Jessica 6, Penguin Prison) but I’ve also found out of Austin, Texas (Eleven:Eleven), and now out of the U.K. British duo I Am A Camera do reference the late 70’s and early 80’s club scene with the energetic nu-disco of “Factory Boys”, sure to stay in both your head and your feet. Watch the video below.

Craig Powell “One Night Stand”

You may remember Craig Powell from his appearance on last year’s Ballroom Remixed extravaganza (“You Could Change a Tiger’s Stripes”) though UK dancephiles will know him from some local hits as well as a member of Uniting Nations (“Out of Touch” got to the UK Top 10). Using some of the same key people from Ballroom Remixed, such as producer/remixer extraordinaire Ricardo Autobahn, Craig now showcases “One Night Stand” via Soundcloud below. With a crisp vocal, the song celebrates a crunchy late 80’s early 90’s flavour which could find success in other territories as well.

Cadence Burns “Smile”

Sheer delight overcomes me when I find a new viral talent emerging online. Cadence Burns is a Canadian singer who has been working in L.A. with fellow Canadian Tim Feehan, who has had some hits of his own (1986’s “Where’s The Fire”, particularly) as well as several songs featured in movies. Cadence just has that unspeakable and joyous natural talent about her which rings so true in “Smile”. This is a talent to be nurtured, and I’m sure we’ll hear much more from her. There’s not much available online about Cadence – yet. Watch below.