SIXTH ANNUAL AMAZY MUSIC AWARDS: TOP 10 ALBUMS

What a year, right. I know that every song or album we listen to affects us in different ways, so here are the albums this year  that made me laugh, cry, find my joy, express my pain or simply sit and contemplate. The purpose of music, in my opinion, is to move one emotionally, whether to elevate a current mood or to facilitate healing. These artists and their music have put a smile on my face, brought a tear to my eye and a couple of them even turned out to be pretty good sex music. See, music can do anything. So can you. Enjoy all of these albums, have a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year. Bring it, 2015.

10. AM Static - fDeluxe. The old group is back again. The follow up to their stellar 2011 comeback album Gaslight, fDeluxe dips into the past for this excellent cover album of funk and rock from the 70s. The former Family keep consistent with their sound while updating all these classics from Eric Carmen's All By Myself to Come Together, the Beatles classic. This is a cohesive, excellent album by a group steeped in Minneapolis funk.

9. It's The Girls - Bette Midler. The Divine Ms. M doesn't miss a step with her covers the girl group goodies that made an impact on not only her, but American music as a whole. Taking on The Supremes, the Andrews Sisters and, yes, TLC, Bette hits all the right notes with her signature take on classic songs. The real standout here is her melancholy cover of TLC's Waterfalls. Bring a tissue, cuz you are gonna jizz cry for sure.

8. I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss - Sinead O'Connor. After years of uneven releases, Sinead comes back with her most honest, hard hitting and pop-friendly record since her 90s heyday. I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss drips with confessional freedom from one of the most troubled, forthright artists of the modern pop generation. Take Me To Church is perhaps her poppiest song ever and 8 Good Reasons belongs in the pantheon of her greatest songs like Black Boys on Mopeds and Mandinka. A true return to form from the queen of brutal honesty.

7. Sheezus - Lily Allen. Never one to hold back, Lily Allen made the bold move to mock Kanye by calling her album Sheezus. Lily still kept her same sarcastic bite on songs like Hard Out Here and the excellent Insincerely Yours, but also expressed her softer side singing about love on As Long As I Got You and loss on Take My Place. Luckily deciding to record again after a self-imposed break, Lily's sound continues to evolve and I'm glad we have her back.

6. Nostalgia - Annie Lennox. The third and final cover album on my list, Ms. Lennox washes her luscious alto over every song she chose from the Great American Songbook to create a truly stunning work with Nostalgia. Her take on classics like I Put A Spell On You and Summertime will leave you with chills and her rendition of Strange Fruit is drenched in heartbreak for what is unfortunately a still-timely song. Every single track is made better by one of the truly great artists of our time.

5. ART OFFICIAL AGE/PLECTRUMELECTRUM - Prince/Prince and 3rd EYE GIRL. Prince never went away, as far as I'm concerned. Sure, he stopped writing radio hits, but he is still a genius of the highest degree. This year he had so much new music, including new jams with his band 3rd EYE GIRL, that he put out two albums at once. One, ART OFFICIAL AGE, a throwback to his 80s pop domination, and two PLECTRUMELECTRUM, a full-on rocker worthy of Purple Rain. I decided to count them as one because it's just not fair to everyone else to have to compete.

4. Morning Phase - Beck. To say that Beck's Morning Phase is a dreamy masterpiece would be a huge understatement. Every chord on this album drips with a melancholy California dewdrop. Waking Light is one of the most stunning works of the year and Morning will make you weep tears of joy. The songs evoke the psychedelic 70s with strings, guitars and Beck's subtle delivery lending itself to beautiful effect.

3. 1989 - Taylor Swift. Girl, you got me again. Songs so catchy and so poppy, how could you not love them? 1989 opens with Welcome to New York, Swift's ode to her new hometown, and from there on it delivers beat after infectious beat. Not so much a replica of the year Taylor was born as a reference point, songs like Style, Blank Space, All You Had To Do Was Stay and This Love prove you are not listening to your mom's older sister's Taylor Swift. Her sound is more full, sophisticated and her experience is broader. I'm loving the new Taylor and 1989 is a perfect aural demonstration of person growing up in front of us.

2. Food - Kelis. Sexy, funky and full of spicy lyrics. Kelis has always combined these things in her work, from the R&B of Tasty  to the EDM/club bangers on her last album Flesh Tone, but arguably it has never come together in such a fully satisfying way as it does on the retro-groove of Food. Influenced by her Harlem upbringing and her love of food, Food is soulful and introspective on tracks like Rumble and Breakfast, soft and sexy on Dreamer and funky as hell on Jerk Ribs. You'll listen from beginning to end and go back for seconds for Food.

1. Ultraviolence - Lana Del Rey. Nothing really came close to Lana's Ultraviolence this year. Lana's debut album and its extension Born to Die: The Paradise Edition, was moody, pouty and offbeat and Ultraviolence keeps most of that and adds some truly amazing production and lyrics that draw you into her story and build on it with each song on the record. Lana's voice coos over first single, the 70s inspired West Coast and longingly hurts over the fantastic title track. As a whole, the album is a cornucopia of dreamy emotion. It's consistent, beautiful, naughty, dichotomous and beyond the scope of all other albums I enjoyed this year. My #1 album of 2014.

SIXTH ANNUAL AMAZU MUSIC AWARDS: ALL MY TOP 20 SONGS IN ONE EASY POST

Can you believe it's been SIX years I've been doing my annual countdown? That's just crazy talk. Anyway, here is an all-at-once post with links to the four blogs giving my top 20 songs of 2014. Suck on all of them.
16-20
11-15
6-10
1-5

AMAZY MUSIC AWARDS: TOP 20 SONGS OF 2014, 1 - 5

5. Thea - Goldfrapp

4. Waking Light - Beck

3. L8 CMMR - Lily Allen

2. Sissy That Walk - RuPaul

1. Ultraviolence - Lana Del Rey

REVIEW: LILY ALLEN - SHEEZUS

Lily Allen has two full length albums under her belt; 2006's Alright Still and 2009's It's No Me, It's You. Though the sound changes, one thing remains: Lily's biting wit and clever lyrics. Allen's newest effort, Sheezus, does not disappoint on that front. Instead of the retro-kitsch of her debut or the electronic-influenced follow up, this time Lily delivers a (mostly) hip-hop inspired album (thus the name riffing on Kanye's Yeezus) full of shimmering gems just in time for summer. Of course, we have had plenty of build up with the release of the hard-hitting satire on Hard Out Here last November and the airy charm of Air Balloon in January, both of which hit the top 10 in her native UK. As bright and fun as those two singles are, they are just the tip of the iceberg on Sheezus. Insincerely Yours in particular is a standout track with it's sort-of-sampling of Michael McDonald's I Keep Forgetting (it doesn't, but does it?) the biting lyrics are all sass and stank. "Let's be clear, I'm here to make money, money, money" Lily croons over the smooth beat. L8 CMMR, which was featured on the Girls soundtrack this season, is probably the most romantic, happy song to ever contain the words "motherfucker" and is my favorite track on the album. Sheezus is not ALL hip hop though, much like the country-tinged It's Not Fair on It's Not Me, It's You, As Long as I Got You swerves off the theme of the music and delivers a zydeco number with aplomb. Lily's softer side comes out as well on tracks like the pensive Take My Place, the sexy Close Your Eyes and Life For Me. But of course, it being Lily, the album still has the brutal Hard Out Here and the fuck you of Wind Your Neck In to remind us of the amazingly sarcastic social commentary that Lils does so well. Sheezus delivers on everything you expect from a Lily Allen album and then some. The maturity of a mother is new on this album and Lily has grown lyrically and musically from her 2009 self. Enjoy the vids below! Sheezus is available on iTunes today.

NEW LILY ALLEN SONG: SHEEZUS

Lily Allen, as everyone knows, pulls no punches. Her new song, the hip-hop inspired title track from her upcoming 3rd full album Sheezus, finds Lily claiming the diva crown from Katy, Gaga, Lorde, Beyonce and beyond. Of course, Lils is always a little tongue-in-cheek, so take it for what it is. The chorus is a veritable who's who of female pop stars, "Ri-Ri isn't scared of Katy Perry's roaring, Queen Bey's gone back to the drawing/Lorde smells blood yeah, she's about to slay you, Kid ain't one to f--k with when she's only on her debut/ We're all watching Gaga, LOL haha, dying for the art so really she's a martyr." Heehee. I love Lily. It's all in good fun. She tells MTV, "It's kind of ridiculous because I name-check Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Rihanna and Lorde, and I don't think that I could even possibly take one tiny diamond off of any of their crowns," she explained. "The idea of the song is the ridiculousness that there even is a Sheezus." The video is a psychedelic romp with lots of bright colored graphics. Anyway, enjoy the video below. Sheezus, the album, is out May 6th in the US and May 5th in the UK.

MARCH 16th TO 22nd: THE WEEK IN REVIEW

What a week! Let's just hit, shall we?

Kylie Minogue teased and teased and finally released her Sexercise video!!

Lady Gaga announced her next single, told us where to look for the premiere of the video!

Lily Allen released the cutest lyric video of all time to L8 CMMR.

Remember when middle aged people could have #1 pop hits?

And finally, and most importantly, Madonna's album Like A Prayer turned 25 this week.

LILY ALLEN RELEASED LYRIC VIDEO FOR L8 CMMR. MAKES MY LIFE

My fave of her new songs, L8 CMMR, which will be on her upcoming album Sheezus and is featured on the soundtrack Girls Vol. 2: All Adventurous Women Do, is one of the catchiest songs I've head in a long time. I am ashamed to say that I totally missed the release of its lyric video late last month, but fear not, I am sharing it with you now. It's really as good as any official video could be, especially for those of us who BARELY remember classic 80s video games like Super Mario Brothers. Very creative and amazingly fun. Watch as the 8-bit Lily runs over the lyrics, races a car and wins her man. YAAAAAAAS! Obsessed with this song. Enjoy. Also pre-order Lily's album Sheezus on iTunes like yesterday! DO IT!

LILY ALLEN THINKS HER EXCELLENT NEW SINGLES ARE "RUBBISH"

Lily Allen is never one to hide her true feelings so when a fan called her new singles "docile pop rubbish", Lily spoke her mind and AGREED! WHAT? Nonsense. Lily, I'm afraid, historically does not have a very high opinion of herself, but this has gone to far. Granted, I might be a little biased because I love Lily, but I have really enjoyed all of her new music and I'm going to defend it. I think Hard Out Here is classic, biting Lily. Air Balloon is her sweet side. L8 CMMR is pure, sassy joy and Our Time is a great party-with-your-pals anthem. I WILL keep the faith, Lily. Below is the beginning of the conversation with that evil, doubtful hater fan on twitter and then what they said after and the new videos for the songs released so far from Sheezus:

@RFWilding what you've heard so far yes. All i can do is do my best, the labels and the radio stations won't play the better stuff.
— Lily Allen (@lilyallen) March 10, 2014

@lilyallen Fair play, still gonna buy Sheezus see what the rest offers. I have faith! Chinese is one of my favourite songs of all time.
— Reg Wilding (@RFWilding) March 10, 2014

@RFWilding keep the faith
— Lily Allen (@lilyallen) March 10, 2014

) ) ) )

NEW LILY ALLEN: OUR TIME. RELEASE DATE FOR SHEEZUS ANNOUNCED.

Lily Allen has a new song and video out!!! Our Time takes our girl back to her bad girl days. Lily plays several versions of herself out on the town, smoking, drinking, throwing up and getting in fights, all set to a very lovely tune. Oh, the irony. Another great track from what promises to be a standout album for 2014. So glad Lily is back. Oh, also Sheezus, Lily's third studio album, has set a release date!!! May 5th. You can pre-order on iTunes now! The tracklist for Sheezus is below.
Sheezus
L8 CMMR
Air Balloon
Our Time
Insincerely Yous
Take My Place
As Long As I Got You
URL Badman
Silver Spoon
The Life For Me
Hard Out Here

THAT'S A GOOD BLOG: THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Thought it would be  a good idea to put together a little update for all those who are too busy to stop and read during the week. Here are some highlights from this week all in one nice little package for you. Now CLICK ON THE LINKS AND READ, YOU INGRATES!!! Please and thank you.

Lily Allen Announces Title of New Album

Katy Perry Ruins My Eyes With Video For 
Dark Horse

Lady Gaga Performs ARTPOP On Jimmy Fallon

Colin Kaepernick Is The Hotter Than a Two-Dollar Pistol

Kylie Minogue Releases Album Sampler of Kiss Me Once

Dominic Cooper Has A Big One

LILY ALLEN ANNOUNCES NAME OF NEW ALBUM: SHEEZUS

Is it a nod to Kanye or a jab at Kanye? I would prefer to think it was a jab, and knowing Lily, I bet it sorta is. Lily Allen revealed the name of her upcoming third studio album on the Graham Norton Show in the UK yesterday and it is....drum roll, please.....SHEEZUS. Lily explained, "It's a confident title choice....and a little nod to Kanye West." Kanye's last album is, of course, named Yeezus. Heehee. He has such a great sense of humor about things too. NOT! Maybe the name Sheezus explains the floating crucifix at the end of the air balloon video. Perhaps in not Jesus but Sheezus on that cross!! I am loving all of Lily's new music. First single, the amazing Hard Out Here, second single, the infectious Air Balloon (video below) and her song from the Girls, Vol. 2 soundtrack, the fantastic L8 CMMR will all be included on Sheezus. No release date has been announced for the album as of yet.

MORE NEW LILY ALLEN FROM GIRLS, VOL. 2 SOUNDTRACK: L8 CMMR

More excellent sounds coming from Ms. Allen. Here is the new track L8 CMMR that will be on the Girls, Vol. 2 soundtrack coming out February 11th. An electro, auto-tune extravaganza, Lily talks about her man, who is apparently a "bad motherfucker", y'all! Listen and love and pre-order the Girls, Vol. 2 soundtrack on iTunes. Lena and her music supervisor Manish Raval are knocking out of the park once again with their musical taste. Listen, bitches.

NEW LILY ALLEN VIDEO: AIR BALLOON

ADORBS!! Lily Allen is nailing it with all her new music and Air Balloon is no freakin' exception. The second single from her as-of-yet untitled upcoming album, AB takes off in a totally different direction than her last,excellent effort It's Hard Our Here. This is a sweet tune with a beautiful video shot in South Africa. Lily looks great and the song is insanely catchy. Enjoy!! Buy Air Balloon on iTunes NOW!

5th ANNUAL AMAZING MUSIC AWARDS: SINGLES 15-11

The ladies are nailing it in this round. Only one newcomer and then some, by comparison, musical veterans with pretty varied styles. A 16-year-old Kiwi, a country music superstar gone solo, the Princess of Pop, a crossover queen and a comeback from a British Broad. The videos are exciting too! Sisters are doing it for themselves today, y'all!! Dive into my top 20 countdown and take in numbers 15 through 11. Enjoy!

15. Royals - Lorde
14. Without You - Natalie Maines

13. Work Bitch - Britney Spears

12. Red - Taylor Swift

11. Hard Out Here - Lily Allen

NEW LILY ALLEN!!!!! IT'S HARD OUT HERE

AND JUST LIKE THAT, without warning, Lily Allen is back!!! Here is some classic, sarcastic Lily for you to ingest today. It's Hard Out Here is right on track with Lily's POV; sexy, smart, sassy and catchy. "Forget your balls and grow some tits..." YAAAS! She even takes the opportunity to strike back at Robin Thicke......and of course it is perfection! The song is about why it's so much harder for women to be accepted in society, especially in pop music, unless you have that perfect body. Lily just had two kids, y'all!!! Each album she's released has changed up her sound while maintaining that certain Lily-ness that keeps us coming back for more. Who is it hard out here for? A bitch, of course!!! This is awesome. Enjoy and look out for news on Lily's third album (hopefully) coming soon!!!! Lily's last album, the amazing It's Not Me, It's You, came out in 2009.

BEST UNRELEASED SONGS OF 2012

In my humble, and usually correct, opinion, these are the best unreleased songs of 2012. A lot of artists and labels chose to release singles from albums this year that made no sense to me whatsoever, or at least in comparison with these unreleased gems it was weird. Here are some real good tunes that I wish would have gotten their due. Now these are just songs from albums released this year. Don't get me started on Adele, fDeluxe, Nicola Roberts or Lady Gaga from last year, girl!! Cuz' I will go ON! Okay. Settle in, listen and thank me later.

Mechanics of The Heart - Cheryl Cole

Inevitable - Scissor Sisters

Woman Down - Alanis Morissette

This Is What Makes Us Girls - Lana Del Rey

Only You - Ellie Goulding

I'm Addicted - Madonna

True Love - Pink (ft. Lily Cooper Rose)

God Only Knows - Wilson Phillips

NEW MUSIC: P!NK (FT. LILY ROSE COOPER) - TRUE LOVE

THIS IS AMAZY!!! Love this song. When I heard that hard-ass Pink was going to be recording a song with my fave British lass Lily (Allen) Rose Cooper I was all aflutter. Well True Love doesn't disappoint. While Lily only shows up on a short bridge, it's the sweet little break we need right in the middle of the song. So good!!! Our beloved Lily wrote the song with Pink and her own current collaborator Greg Kurstin and it certainly has her feel to it. Anyhoo, take a listen and bop along to the love/hate song for yourself. I know Lily is back in the studio recording and I CANNOT WAIT for her next album. This will go a long way in helping me during that wait. Here's True Love. Pink's new album, The Truth About Love, comes out September 18th (next week). To stream even more tracks from the album go to Pink's VEVO page and have at it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LILY ALLEN!!!

The recently un-retired Brit singer Lily Allen turns 27 today!!! I LOVE Lily and I am so glad that she decided to return to recording. After having a baby and getting married, I'll be curious to see how it's changed our sarcastic, caustic, I-don't-give-a-**** Lily. Ha. To celebrate Lily's return AND her birthday, here are three clips to bop along to at your desk, on your treadmill or on the couch this morning. Enjoy, and as Lily would say, "F**k you very, very much".

MUSIC REVIEW: JESSIE J. - WHO YOU ARE

There have been quite a few female singers coming form the UK over the last few years: Amy Winhouse, Lily Allen, Duffy, Leona Lewis. Three of those four had an old-school feel about them and one was like Mariah before the weight gain. Now comes Jessie J. This girl is what you would get if you threw Lily Allen in a blender with Rihanna. Sassy, old-shcool, funky, hip-hop diva. Jessie has already hit it big in the UK with her debut album, Who You Are, scoring two top 10 singles: Do It Like a Dude (#2) and Price Tag (ft. B.o.B.) (#1). Her album is set for release in the US on April 12th, but I got it and I'm telling you it is sass-tastic. Price Tag is currently sitting at #78 on the Hot 100, so I need not tell you how catchy it is, but what I CAN tell you is it's not the best song on the album. That award, IMO, goes to the song I Need This, a Rihanna-worthy ballad with drums that will kill ya. It's got hit written all over it. There's a lot of retro-feel on the disc,like Nobody's Perfect and Abracadabra, but it doesn't come off as a one-trick pony. Ms. J's vocals are spot on, delivering power and emotion with the best of the divas past and present. Who's Laughing Now is a classic tell-you-off number, Big White Room and Who You Are are beautiful and Do It Like a Dude has crunchy guitars rockin' a fat beat. You really have to pick this one up ASAP. FUN FACT: Jessie J wrote Party in the U.S.A. for Miley Cyrus, but I won't hold that against her. Ha. She has also written songs for Justin Timeberlake, Christina Aguilera and Alicia Keys. Work, girl!! ALSO, watch her this weekend on SNL with host Zach Galifanakis. Here's Price Tag (ft. B.o.B.) for you to enjoy this morning.

LILY ALLEN WINS THREE PRESTIGIOUS IVOR NOVELLO AWARDS

I certainly hope this convinces Lily to make another record sooner than later. After announcing that she will be taking time off from her recording career for a while, Lily Allen was honored with THREE Ivor Novello awards honoring British musicians. Lily and her songwriting partner, Greg Kurstin, won for most performed work and best song musically and lyrically for The Fear. Lily said about the song, "this song is so much about feeling so lost. It has made me feel quite found all of a sudden." The pair also picked up an award for songwriters of the year. Lily really deserves this recognition. Her music is catchy, meaningful and clever. Good for you, Lily. Now don't leave us!!!! Watch the video for the award wining The Fear below.