Ludacris blazes this remix but, then again, doesn't Luda blaze everything? Robin Thicke's Sex Therapy album is in stores now and while it doesn't include this version, Luda does the damn thing anyway! *Denzel voice* My man...

Whoa NELLY!! Ms. Furtado gets gangsta at the end of this clip, and for good reason. Ladies, this song may be in Spanish, but the video speaks in a universal language. If you find that he ain't givin' you more, there may be a reason. Don't be naive... Check out Mas and her previous single Manos Al Aire on her new Spanish album Mi Plan in stores now!

After some much needed time off, Corinne Bailey Rae is ready to come back  and is wrapping up her sophomore album entitled The Sea, which should be in stores February 2010. I'd Do It All Again is the first single from that project and, like the rest of the album, is very personal in nature and speaks of her late husband. My heart goes out to her for the death of her husband and I wish her well. Her first album is still a favorite of mine so I can only imagine how great this one will be...

Gotta be one of my favorite joints off the album. The beat knocks, the hook is simple but means so much and Jeezy's verse seals the deal. Hard is the latest single off Rihanna's fourth album Rated R. In this high-fashion meets military clip, Rihanna struts her stuff touting the song's infectious line "I'm so HARD!!".

To be honest, I was a bit bored with this performance from the So You Think You Can Dance finale. The song is a lot more tame than the lead single For Your Entertainment, but this performance just bored me to pieces. And I actually like Adam's album. Check it...

This was one of Mary's best performances of her new single I Am, from her forthcoming album Stronger With Each Tear hitting stores next week. Notice how each of her backup dancers embodies a different signature Mary look from an era in her career. Mary J. Blige is becoming a legend in her own right by continuing to make timeless music after 15 years in the game. Gotta luv that... By the way... CONGRATULATIONS TO Russell, a crumper without formal dance training who won this year's competition! He showed a lot of growth and a lot of versatility which was unexpected from a dancer with a native street style of dance! CONGRATS RUSSELL!!!

This movie AVATAR better be the best thing smoking, because it's EVERYWHERE! Leona Lewis performed the theme song from the James Cameron-directed film which hits theaters this weekend. She sounded pretty good up until the climax of the song where she missed quite a few notes and got a little pitchy. I won't hold it against her though, that voice is solid!

J. Lo has been back on the block - the performing block that is. She's been hitting the circuit with her newest single Louboutins, an ode to the famed shoe designer. In this video, she hits the stage at this year's So You Think You Can Dance Finale with one of the best performance clips of the song yet! Her new album LOVE? is set to be in stores Spring 2010!

Remixing a remix? You can't say you didn't expect this, I'm expecting even more remixes from every spitter in and from NYC. This joint has become an anthem, but not just for New York, it's become an anthem for America and we should take pride in celebrating one of our greatest cities. Bottom line: DOPE TRACK!!

Ghostface does some pretty good slow joints, so remixing one of the hottest cuts off Melanie Fiona's The Bridge isn't hard to digest. His temperament on the track adds to the dramatic flair, and I'm not sure if this is official, but it damn sure could be.

I really hate to say it but Chris Brown always seems to outshine Juelz when they collab, though this song wasn't a total failure. Chris' infamous bowtie makes a cameo in the video, along with Lloyd Banks, Red Cafe, Jim Jones and a few others.Born To Lose, Built To Win, 2010...

Why is Young Money so hot on this track? Nicki Minaj kicks it off alongside Gudda, Tyga and more of the crew, who are clearly on a manhunt for their fearless leader over this hot beat. Since it won't be on the We Are Young Money collab project, maybe they should've held this joint til Wayne's prison sentence starts. Then we'll all really wonder... Where's Wayne?

Spotted this joint over at my homie Robo3K's spot. For those listeners of the Sound-Savvy report on Mindstream Radio, Iyaz is the artist whose song has been in the top 5 on Billboard for the past few weeks, and none of us had heard it or knew who he was. Replay is that song, and I can see why - it's infectious, mellow and has a nice simple groove that draws you in. If you think he bears a bit of Sean Kingston's vibe, that's because Kingston discovered him. His debut album will be out next year, so stay tuned...

Maybe I'm late, but I'm really just getting into Ms. Amanda Diva. She gives me hints of Lauryn Hill and Floetry together. Her lyrics come with a respectable amount of depth and her vocals are really nice. More to come from this lovely lady soon... no doubt.

I'm back folks! It's been a while but I'm (Swift) back on Sound-Savvy!  On this newest R.E.D. Album drop,  Game brings another ex-Aftermath artist, Busta Rhymes along for the ride.  Produced by Scott Storch.  Stay tuned, Game's R.E.D. Album is scheduled for a February 16th release, with Dr. Dre AND Pharrell executive producer credits enabled.

DOWNLOAD:  Game  - Breakin' Rules (Feat. Busta Rhymes)

A lot of folks have seen Chris Brown’s claims that he’s being blackballed by several retail outlets who are refusing to carry his 3^rd and latest album Graffiti. To most, this seems like the latest repercussion from this year’s domestic incident involving former girlfriend and fellow pop-star Rihanna. What I’ve also noticed, however, is that critics seem to blackball Chris Brown as well, rating this album significantly lower than his previous work without professional justifications. AllMusic, for example, gave Brown a 1-star rating (out of 5) criticizing Brown for lyrical fallacies that he was “likable and harmless enough to get away with” on his last album, which they rated with 3.5 stars. In actuality, Brown’s lyrical flow sees a significantly more mature stance on much of the album, but it’s not without flaws. The Chicago Sun-Times gives the album a 1-star rating (out of 4) calling Brown “shallow and soulless”, but basing the entire review off the infamous domestic altercation instead of weighing it on the merits of the music. Of all the biased and ill-written reviews, Rolling Stone grades Graffiti with 2.5 out of 5 stars, but the entire review lacks professional journalistic integrity by comparing Brown’s latest project to Rihanna’s entire catalog. Just being honest, Graffiti isn’t a perfect album, nor is it a classic, but it’s far from the total failure it’s being labeled in the media.


I'm making NO excuses for Chris Brown's behavior in his personal dispute with Rihanna, but what we have to remember is that it was a PERSONAL matter and does not change the quality of his music. It seems as if a lot of reviewers had made up their mind to kill this album with their critiques based on the dispute and subsequent breakup between Chris and Rihanna instead of listening to the music, the content, the vocals and making an objective rating. If a reviewer judges personality, shouldn’t it reflect how much (or how little) of the artist’s personality shines through in the actual work?

When it comes to music and albums, is it okay for a critic to judge the art based on the actions of the artist in his/her personal life? Or do you feel the music should be reviewed on its quality and merits alone? How far is too far?

Another cut off Wayne's forthcoming rock (or somethin like that) album Rebirth. This joint is a pretty hot collab from Shady and Weezy, but yet again I think Eminem outshines Wayne on the track. Definitely dope verses from both and Wayne comes stronger on this track than he does on Forever. What do you think?

I want to believe Cassie can do better, but nothing she puts out makes me wanna remember her. For one thing, I think she needs a different sound so she should probably stay away from Ryan Leslie's production. This joint isn't bad, but it's another blah cut from Cassie produced by R-Les. If any of Cassie's people read this *try Danja again*...

Requested by a faithful reader, this joint was featured on the current season of For The Love of Ray J. I don't watch the show, so I don't know much about the context in which it was presented. But it sounds like a pretty okay song. I won't bash Ray J., at least not this time...

In case you've never heard, Tabi Bonney's been doing his thing in the DMV music scene for a minute now - long before you even heard of Wale. I respect him because he's an artist to the core - not easy to compromise his vision or his goals for industry success. I promise to bring more joints from Tabi, but check out his latest video for his new joint Duhh...