Well, finally Nicole has got to release her solo album (Not that the Pussycat Dolls were particularly a group effort), after the scrapped failure of Her Name Is Nicole. After two stellar singles, Poison and the stellar number-one Don’t Hold Your Breath, my expectations were high, especially after hearing that Red-One would be the executive producer of the album.

The result is a mixed one. Yes this is a good pop album, but it just doesn’t flow right. It is almost completely divided between the up-tempo party atmosphere in the first half of the album and the more subdued, ballad-central second part. And what’s more it is hard to distinguish the slower songs from each other as they are pretty standard, the only unique point being Nicole’s distinctive voice. It is fair to say that Nicole is at her best and most confident on the up-tempos, as demonstrated by the title track, Say Yes and the Only Girl soundalike Wet. The album definitely shows that Nicole can cope without the Dolls, but to become a star on the same level as Rihanna, Katy Perry and even Ke$ha, the material has to be a LOT stronger.

7.5/10

So the winner of this year’s BRITS Critics Choice award was yet another female singer Jessie J who has already enjoyed chart success with Do It Like A Dude and Price Tag, two vastly different sounding songs. I like them both and decided to listen to the album. And it was a strange and ultimately disappointing experience.

The mix of genres continue on the album with a few urban songs, mixed with typical pop ballads and a few soul/jazz influenced songs. The result? A mismatched and sometimes painful listening experience. Jessie J has a decidely unique vocal tone but is guilty of oversinging, which in places is similar to listening to a banshee. Her “quirky” way of singing live by adding annoying vocal tics (“B-B-B-B-Beating”) (M-m-m-m-money) drives me insane. As a singles artist, I would call myself a fan but I think I could make a 5-track EP of the songs that I wouldn’t mind listening to again, as there is SO MUCH FILLER on the album , it is unbelievable. This saying, I do think she has potential, if she can reign herself in, so hopefully the high level of success and hype surrounding her will allow her a second album that is celebrated for the right reasons and not just because the public are told she is this great new artist that you SHOULD listen to.

As well as posting album reviews and suchlike, I’m also going to examine artists that generate a lot of hype. There is nobody bigger on the UK charts at the moment than Adele, who has been dominating both the single and album charts since THAT BRITS performance. Is she worth it?

Well, she’s definitely got the talent. There is no doubting that her voice is probably the strongest and most unique out of the current crop of UK female singers. The slight huskiness in particular is what I like about her. Then there’s the personality, as shown by her TV appearances on Chatty Man and Never Mind The Buzzcocks, she’s got it in abundance. Funny, charismatic, and sometimes controversial, all elements which are essential in creating an interesting musician. So is there any flaw to this record-breaking, multi-million selling star?

For me, with what seems to be a rare opinion, yes. Her material is strong and definitely heartfelt as it is written from her personal experiences. But I find 21 particularly samey (I’ve never really felt like listening to her debut). There are some tremendous highlights (Set Fire To The Rain and somewhat obviously, Someone Like You), but a few other tracks seem to blend into each other. I find this on a lot of albums, but for one as hyped and successful I did expect more. However, this slight negative doesn’t deny the fact that Adele is flying the flag for quality British music and her career is going to be an interesting one to watch develop. I just beg and pray that I never have to hear Make You Feel My Love ever again because I detest it. Always have.

So it’s safe to say this is one of my most anticipated albums of the year (anyone that knows me will know what the other one is). Full of hype of a more dancey sound for Britney, as well as rumours of her working with dubstep producer Rusko, the debut Hold It Against Me did not fail to deliver (well except from the usual lack of promotion and stupidly long video delay). Britney was also the first major popstar to try the “on air, on sale” technique that worked wonders in the USA, but not so much in the UK.

Well, after being able to digest the album for a few days, I am pleased to say this is one of Britney’s best albums (not exactly an amazing feat), almost on the same level as Blackout. The dubstep sound that is present on Hold It Against Me is not as obvious on the other tracks but it’s subtle influences make the album sound fresh, compared to the dated sound of Circus. Working with the songwriting monster that is Dr. Luke & Max Martin (Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Adam Lambert), nearly every song on the album is an upbeat ode to the simple pleasures of sex, dancing and drinking, with interesting production and a suitable catchy chorus. The old auto-tune is there and I still feel that it could be stripped back further. However songs such as Inside Out, Till the World Ends and Criminal are so good that I don’t particularly mind.

Standout track: I Wanna Go. Just so catchy, I want to hear this super loud in a club now. The whistling bits are GENIUS.

Worst track: It’s a bit of a toss-up between The Big Fat Bass which is typical Will.I.Am wankery and devoid of much melody and the dreadfully monotone How I Roll, which rather worryingly Britney says it’s one of her favourites. I will shave my head in despair if it becomes a single.

Overall then, a solid contemporary pop album, which is definitely shaping up the sound of 2011. 9/10

It appears that I may have forgotten about this blog, probably due to my “hectic” schedule (ahem). So, I’m going to have another whack at it, but I think it will be primarily focused on music now, going to try my hand at album reviews and such. And celebrate the poor flopstars that are denied success while Rebecca Black becomes a worldwide sensation.