Signed to Levels Entertainment, Yasmin has made an impression on the music industry with her natural born talent.

Her first stint of success was when she was featured on English rapper Devlin’s single “Runaway” in which she wrote and sang the chorus.

Yasmin went on to release her first solo single called “On My Own,” in which she sings about her independence and struggle to become a successful artist.

Her most recent single “Light Up” featuring Shy FX and Ms. Dynamite shows another side to Yasmin. Compared to the fast tempo of “On My Own”, “Light Up” gives a chill and island style melody paired with a fast tempo beat.

Yasmin having the talent to DJ and having strong vocals is just the first layers of her artistry. She shows diversity in the styles of music she can create and she will be bringing something new and fresh to the music scene.

Follow Yasmin on Twitter: @itsyasmin

Check out her website for more music updates and tours: Yasmin's World

Theatrical, spastic and colorful are three words to describe the YMCMB chick.

She has gained a large number of followers after her single “Super Bass” did incredibly well on the pop charts. But Nicki offers something that I’ve yet to see in any modern to-date rap artist like herself.

Inventive and outside of the box, Nicki reaches a large demographic of listeners.

With her most recent single “Stupid Hoe”, I will have to admit it took me about 5 listens to start to enjoy the song. And Now? I’m completely hooked on it, listening to it several times a day.

The impressive thing I’ve noticed about the video since its premiere is it’s averaging about 2 million views a day. TWO MILLION, that is out of this world. Of course some are disturbed by the sound or visuals but I think it’s a great song because of its originality. It has also gotten a lot of criticism for its repetitive chorus, but if you listen to the verses it’s anything but repetitive.

Below is the video. Word of advice: Listen to this song AT LEAST three times (I’m serious) and if you don’t like it at least you gave it a chance.

Her songs vary in style and sound, from norah jones and colbie caillat, to a sound more on the side of imogen heap. But one similar characteristic that can be found in all of her music, is the relaxation and calmness the sound creates.

The fun part of yuna is her ability to cover popular songs, and create a new sound for the song. One of her covers include that of Nirvana ‘Come as you are”. Yuna is able to change the entire feel of the song, to a more calming sound rather than an on-edge, rugged sound that Nirvana creates in the original.

Recently signed to an American label Fader Label based out of New York, Yuna has just begun her creative career.

Below is Yuna’s version of “Come as you are” and her original songs “Decorate” and “Live Your Life” (produced by Pharrell Williams).

Her self-title debut album is set to hit stores in Spring 2012.

I know this because that is how I initially heard of the group, and immediately bought the single. Although I didn’t hear much after that song, when I heard they were releasing their sophomore album I had to check it out.

Set to be released on January 24, 2012, Chairlift has made some minor but effective changes in the group. Originally, chairlift was formed by Caroline Polachek (vocals, synthesizer) and Aaron Pfenning (drums, keyboard).

After their first EP was released in 2006, Patrick Wimberly joined the group in 2007. And in 2010, Pfenning left the group to pursue a solo career.

Their debut album released in 2008, Does You Inspire you had an overall slow tempo and soft lyrics, although a little too slow for the entirety of the album.

The upcoming sophomore album, shows the growth of Polachek’s vocal ability and the overall sound of the group has improved greatly. I was able to preview the album on the KCRW 89.9 website and the album definitely has the talent to do well on the charts.

Below I’ve put in a few songs from their past albums to get a feel of what their previous work is like. The last video “Sidewalk Safari” will be on their newest album.

You can get their new album on itunes and amazon starting tomorrow January 24th.

Slow tempo, heart stricken melody and emotional lyrics are the key to a successful pop group looking to leave a mark on their fans.

Their EP titled The EP included five songs that all have one universal theme: Love.

Busted Love, off of The EP, at the start gives you deep and saddened lyrics of someone who has a broken heart.

“Winter has come back again/feels like the season wont end/My faith is dying tonight/And I won’t try to pretend/I’ve got it all figured out/I don’t have any doubts/I’ve got a busted heart/”

Although For King and Country have similar sounds to groups like The Fray and The Script, they have a lot of talent and potential to break through the similarities and create a sound that makes them distinctive.

The song Fine Fine Life shows the potential For King and Country has for the long road in this industry. It has an upbeat tempo and melody and the lyrics give hope.

Their debut album is set to come out February 28, 2012 and it should be something of a wonder. They will definitely be a hit.

Below are a few of their songs that are on both their EP and full length album Crave

His debut album 31 minutes to take off was something of a success, especially for a male vocalist.

I wouldn’t put him in the category of Robin Thicke (R&B) or Michael Buble (Jazz), both of which have great vocals. But he has a distinctive voice that makes it easy to recognize his work.

So when I heard he released a single, I was excited to take a listen to “she looks like sexy.” But to my dismay, I was greatly disappointed.

With a song released 2 years after his debut album, the sound was not far off from what he premiered himself with.

Take a listen below:

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

When you see the movie in its entirety, this song fits it perfectly.

Immigrant Song, originally by English rock band Led Zeppelin, has a great intro that has a Nine Inch Nails feel to it. That is because the remake is by Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails). Karen O gives desperate and emotional vocals that pairs well with Trent Reznor’s musical experience with a dark and unique sound that only a Nine Inch Nail fan would immediately be drawn to.

The best part about this remake, is it doesn’t stray from the Led Zeppelin’s version. The only difference is the obvious sound of all real instruments (in the original), where as in the Karen and Trent version you can hear the usage of a sound board. The original also gives you a 70′s sound, where as the remake has a modern sound.

I’ll be honest, Led Zeppelin has never been a band of choice for me, but after hearing the remake I had no choice but to listen to the original. And I have to say, Led Zeppelin is a band I’ll have to check out.

Below is the original and the remake and let me know in the poll what you think!

Well, if others are out of the loop like me, Middle Class Rut is a great local band out of Sacramento.

Middle Class Rut is a duo of (vocals/guitarist) Zack Lopez and (vocals/drummer) Sean Stokham. Because they’ve been around for a few years now, they’ve had the opportunity to open up for bands including: Alice in Chains, Social Distortion, My Chemical Romance and 30 Seconds to Mars, just to name a few.

Middle Class Rut has released several EP’s, but it wasn’t until 2010 that they released their first full studio album titled No Name No Color.

Off of the No Name No Color Album, one song that stood out to me was “Busy Being Born.” Lopez’s vocals remind me of other lead vocalists from Thrice, Senses Fail and Papa Roach. It’s a strong and masculine sound, creating a more aggressive sound to the song.

But not all of their songs have an intense sound, Are You on Your Way and
New Low have a slower tempo and lyrics that can hit home to many listeners.

Are You on Your Way lyrics:

“Don’t you miss your friends and your family?/Don’t it feel like this road never ends?/And don’t your freedom make you feel so small?”

Middle Cut Rut are one of the few bands left out there, that give alternative rock fans hope that it isn’t a dying genre. Bands have crossed over to more pop sounds over the years, and it’s great to hear that Sacramento has breed a band that shows that alternative rock isn’t dead.

Below check out a few of their videos and take a look at their website, they are about to go on a UK/US Tour.

Middle Class Rut Official Website

What I’d call some real Rock ‘N Roll.

I’m talking about The Blakes, a rock band out of Seattle, Wa. Composed of members: Garnet, Keim, Snow Keim and Bob Husak. The Blakes are the epiphany of rock sound and lyrics.

A “I just dont care” voice, is what reels you in with songs like Pistol Grip.

My favorite song is Two Times, because it has a sound that reminds me of The White Stripes.

With their height of their popularity in 2007, The Blakes have created a side project called Beads and it has a different side to their previous work.

Beads is a softer vocal sound, and a slower tempo. Beads has a real life lyrical perspective, different from the crazy rock and party sound that The Blakes previous records sound like.

If your into the hard rock and roll have like bands like: The White Stripes, The Solid and The 88′s, this is a band to check out (The Blakes).

Below is a video of The Blakes track Two Times and a Video of their side project Beads Evil

An electronic band from Portland Oregon, Starfucker is a great example of dance electro music, that weighs heavily on simple melodies, and soft vocals.

Lead vocals, Josh Hodges has hypnotizing vocals and since the start of the group in 2006, have released two albums. Both albums, Starfucker and Reptillians have their own styles to them. Besides the two studio albums, Starfucker has also released three EP’s.

The first studio album, Starfucker, has a slower tempo feel to it but still has their creative beats.

The second studio album, Reptillians has a faster, more upbeat sound to it. My favorite songs are Julius and Quality Time.

Below are the two songs I recommend for a listen, but feel free to check out their website as well!