Interactive Playlist

The Lumineers - Ho Hey

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:33:00 GMT

The Lumineers, a folk-rock trio out of Denver, Colorado, have a pretty interesting sound, an Americana mesh of folk, rock, and gospel that is similar in tone to the Waterboys, say, or an alt-folk version of Bob Dylan circa Desire, thanks in no small part to Neyla Pekarek's inventive cello. And there are some very good tracks on this debut album, including the chamber honky tonk of "Dead Sea," the delightfully goofy but then ultimately sad and elegant "Submarines," and "Stubborn Love," which manages to be bright and chiming while also being haunting and mournful. Not everything here clicks together at that level, but each track is inventive, and when the songwriting and arrangements cross paths perfectly, as they do in the above songs, this is a delightful band.

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Maroon 5 - Daylight

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 12:56:00 GMT

A mix of polished pop/rock and neo-soul made Maroon 5 one of the most popular bands of the 2000s, with songs like "This Love," "She Will Be Loved," and "Makes Me Wonder" all topping the charts worldwide. Previously, bandmates Adam Levine (vocals/guitar), Jesse Carmichael (keyboards), Mickey Madden (bass), and Ryan Dusick (drums) had spent the latter half of the '90s playing in Kara's Flowers, even releasing a debut album for Reprise Records while still attending high school. The record tanked, however, and Kara's Flowers found themselves dropped from Reprise's roster. After briefly attending college, the bandmates regrouped as Maroon 5, added former Square guitarist James Valentine to the lineup and embracing a more R&B-influenced sound. Several years later, the quintet had officially risen to the forefront of pop music with Songs About Jane and It Won't Be Soon Before Long, both of which went multi-platinum... Read More!

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Taylor Swift - I Knew You Were Trouble

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:11:00 GMT

Taylor Swift became one of country's brightest (and youngest) faces in 2006, when the 16-year-old released her first album. Although new to the American public, Swift had been performing since her preteen years in Wyomissing, PA, where she first took the stage as part of a children's theater troupe. Encouraged by the troupe's manager to pursue music instead, Swift began performing karaoke songs at a local mall, with open-mike gigs following shortly thereafter. She sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" before a Philadelphia 76ers game at the age of 11; the following year, she began practicing the guitar several hours each day, modeling her early songwriting attempts on crossover artists like Shania Twain and the Dixie Chicks. Swift's parents realized her dedication and began making regular visits to Nashville, Tennessee, where Swift could perform casually and meet with songwriters in the area. The family then decided to move to an outlying Nashville suburb, which accelerated Swift's career...Read more!

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Bruno Mars - When I Was Your Man

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:18:00 GMT

After working a string of behind-the-scenes jobs -- including writing songs for Brandy, singing backup for the Sugababes, and impersonating Elvis -- songwriter/producer Bruno Mars put his name on top of the charts in 2009 by co-writing Flo Rida's hit song "Right Round." One year later, he collaborated with rapper B.o.B on "Nothin' on You" and co-wrote Travis McCoy's "Billionaire," both of which became Top Ten hits. Mars used that momentum to launch a solo career, quickly becoming the first male vocalist in two decades to crack the Top Ten with his first four singles...Read More!

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P!nk - Just Give Me A Reason feat. Nate Ruess

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:43:00 GMT

P!nk has never been afraid to speak her mind, bare her soul, and share her deepest feelings in her songs. As she casually confers, “I have no choice. It’s what I do.” Indeed, it is what P!nk does. And, her 23 million in album sales, two Grammy Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards, and eight top 10 hit singles are proof that the tattooed badass with the heart of a pussycat does what she does well.

Click here to read the rest of her biography.

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Rihanna - Stay (Feat. Mikky Echo)

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:05:00 GMT

Rihanna established her dance-pop credentials in summer 2005 with her debut smash hit, "Pon de Replay," and continued to demonstrate such hit potential in subsequent years (e.g., "S.O.S." in 2006; "Umbrella" in 2007; "Disturbia" in 2008). However, it was the singer's third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, that made her a full-fledged international pop star with a regular presence atop the charts. Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty on February 20, 1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados, she exhibited a certain star quality as a young child, often winning beauty and talent contests. Because she lived on the fairly remote island of Barbados in the West Indies, however, she never foresaw the sort of stardom that would later befall her...read more!

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Bruno Mars - Locked Out Of Heaven

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:48:00 GMT

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Phillip Phillips - Home

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 14:15:00 GMT

The winner of the 11th season of Fox's American Idol, singer Phillip Phillips is a soulful vocalist with a throaty style and a bent toward mixing acoustic singer/songwriter material with jam-oriented rock. Born in Leesburg, Georgia, Phillips began studying music in his teens. He eventually formed a group with brother-in-law Benjamin Neil and began performing locally. During this time, he won first place in the local singing competition Albany Star in 2010. While attending school at Albany Technical College, Phillips auditioned for American Idol, performing both Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" and Michael Jackson's "Thriller" -- on which he accompanied himself on guitar. Phillips was sent through to the Hollywood rounds and eventually made it into the Top Ten after performing Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle." Phillips suffers from a congenital kidney condition that produces large stones that cannot pass through his kidneys. During his time on American Idol, Phillips underwent eight surgeries to remove stones. Despite the pain, Phillips continued to compete on American Idol and ultimately beat out vocalist Jessica Sanchez for the top spot. He released his Idol-winning single, "Home," on May 23, 2012. The song was also included on his 2012 post-Idol performance compilation Journey to the Finale. After Idol wrapped, Phillips underwent successful reconstructive surgery on his kidneys.

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fun. - Some Nights

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 19:52:00 GMT

Fun. (often stylized as fun.) is an American indie pop band based in New York City that was formed by Nate Ruess, formerly of The Format. After the 2008 breakup of The Format, Ruess formed Fun with Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff of Anathallo and Steel Train respectively. Fun has released two albums: their debut Aim and Ignite in 2009 and their latest Some Nights in February 2012. The band is best known for its hit single "We Are Young" featuring Janelle Monáe. "We Are Young" reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Digital Songs charts. It became the first rock/alternative song to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart since Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" in 2008.

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Kelly Clarkson - Catch My Breath

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:18:00 GMT

The winner of Fox TV's first American Idol competition during the summer of 2002, Kelly Clarkson went from an anonymous talent to a nationally known singer in a matter of months, performing for an audience of millions. One of the show's most naturally gifted singers, the affable Texan then went on to enjoy a successful pop career, with only Carrie Underwood rivaling her as American Idol's most commercial export.

Clarkson was born in Fort Worth and raised in Burleson, Texas, and her vocal talents were discovered in seventh grade, when a music teacher heard her voice and urged Clarkson to join the school choir. After high school, she opted to skip college and went to Hollywood to make her name; she appeared as an extra on an episode of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, but no other opportunities materialized. Upon returning to Burleson, Clarkson worked at a movie theater, promoted Red Bull energy drinks, and ultimately worked as a cocktail waitress at a comedy club before entering the American Idol contest.

One of 10,000 aspiring singers, Clarkson distinguished herself not only with her big, surprisingly mature voice, but also with her down-to-earth charm and sense of humor; at one of her auditions, she switched places with judge Randy Jackson, who did an impromptu version of R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly." Over the course of the 13-week show, her consistently strong performances of songs like "Respect," "Natural Woman," "Stuff Like That There," and "Without You" earned Clarkson enough audience votes to claim one of the contest's two finalist positions. After singing "A Moment Like This" and "Before Your Love," both of which were written for the show, Clarkson won the American Idol contest with 58 percent of the audience's votes. In addition to the show's prize of one million dollars and a recording contract with RCA, Clarkson secured a deal with Creative Artists Agency and several bookings, including the national American Idol tour and a performance of the national anthem at the September 11 commemoration at Washington, D.C.'s Lincoln Memorial.

Despite her newfound fame, Clarkson opted to remain in Texas rather than move to New York or Los Angeles. Her first single, "A Moment Like This," was released just two weeks after she won the contest and quickly earned platinum sales. Clarkson's debut full-length, Thankful, was released in spring of 2003, just in time to coincide with the second season of American Idol (and right before the American Idol movie, From Justin to Kelly). Breakaway followed in late 2004 and was a huge success, selling over five million copies (making it the third best-selling album of 2005) and spawning the hit singles "Because of You," "Behind These Hazel Eyes," and the enormously popular "Since U Been Gone." That song and Breakaway earned Grammys for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album, respectively, at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards in early 2006. Clarkson continued her busy touring schedule into the summer and announced plans for her third album.

Clarkson released My December, the studio follow-up to Breakaway, in 2007. Notable as Clarkson's first foray into songwriting, My December featured a darker, more rock-oriented edge than its predecessor and even featured a guest appearance by punk icon bassist Mike Watt. However, label exec Clive Davis openly disapproved of the album's direction, claiming that it lacked the commercial appeal of Breakaway. A public feud ensued, and Clarkson was dealt another blow when poor ticket sales resulted in the cancellation of her upcoming tour. The leadoff single "Never Again" nevertheless became a Top Ten pop hit, and My December climbed its way to platinum status by the year's end.

Kelly Clarkson returned to the top of the charts in early 2009, when the sugary single "My Life Would Suck Without You" set a record for the largest leap to number one. Composed by songwriting vets Max Martin, Lukasz Gottwald, and Claude Kelly, the song also set the stage for her fourth album, All I Ever Wanted, whose pop-minded material was mostly produced by OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder. While touring in support of All I Ever Wanted, Clarkson announced that she had began work on material for her follow-up. Eventually, she collaborated with a handful of writers and producers, including Claude Kelly and Howard Benson as well as Jason Halbert, Rodney Jerkins, and others. In 2011 Clarkson released the resulting album, Stronger. Her fifth studio effort, the album featured the single "Mr. Know It All." ~ Heather Phares, Rovi

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