Damien Leith's new album "Remember June" is out now.

Irish-born singer/songwriter Damien Leith soared into the local music scene when he won the ‘Australian Idol’ back in 2006.

Unfortunately for Leith, his debut album, “Where We Land” probably didn’t receive all the accolades it deserved — part of the stigma many ‘Australian Idol’ artists struggle to overcome.

After a somewhat questionable U-turn with the cover-album “Catch The Wind: Songs of a Generation”, Leith surges back into the mainstream with the powerfully diverse and complex album “Remember June”.

The album opens to the title track “Remember June”, which long time Leith fans will instantly find familiar.

“Golden Line” ups the ante, with a faster rock sensibility. There’s even a little falsetto thrown in for good measure.

Next up is probably the standout track of the album — and possibly Leith’s entire recording history. “To Get To You” is one hell of an addictive track, which will leave you humming the tune for hours after. It’s clearly Leith’s attempt at targeting the mainstream audience with it’s strong pop/rock vibe.

It may sounds familiar to some, who will recognise it from Seven’s promos for medical drama ‘Mercy’. It’s unclear why the single hasn’t received more air play on the radio, cause it’s by far one of the most hit-worthy tracks.

Leith ventures ridiculously close to “epic” territory with the massive track “Forgive, Forget” — think U2 or Coldplay. The chorus simply soars.

“See You Again” feels like an homage to The Buggles’ iconic track “Video Killed the Radio Star”, with its punchy melodic beat. A little kitschy, but memorable none the less.

Other standout tracks on the album are “Don’t Give Up” and “Unordinary World”.

The album “Remember June” is an obvious progression for Leith. It encompasses everything those familiar with his previous music will appreciate, plus an overall shift towards the mainstream.

If you’ve yet to pick up any of Leith’s previous albums, then now is the time to jump in.

Get the album on iTunes.

Guy Sebastian's new album "Like It Like That" is out now.

It’s taken him three originals and one cover album to get here, but it seems Guy Sebastian may have finally struck gold with his latest outing “Like It Like That” — not in the top 40 sense, but creatively as an artist.

There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Sebastian’s previous ‘Memphis’ record has inspired him like no other. From the first beat of his new album, it screams soul. It’s bold, brash, but it works —  it really works.

It’s probably one of the most cohesive albums from Sebastian to date. Listening from start to finish, you truly feel like you’ve experienced a musical journey.

The title track “Like It Like That”, which everyone already knows from Seven’s on air idents, is possibly one of Sebastian’s greatest singles ever. It’s foundations of soul and the accompanying surf guitar makes for a truly addictive 4-minutes.

The second track on the album “All To Myself” is like a bizarre, yet intriguing fusion of old and new. The verses are reminiscent of Maroon 5’s distinctive funk rock sound, yet the chorus is easily motown inspired. It’s quite an odd mix as first, but it actually becomes far more palatable on repeat listens.

Next up is the RnB single “Art of Love”, which Sebastian has recruited ‘American Idol’ winner Jordin Sparks to lend her vocals. It’s likely to be a huge chart topper for Sebastian, and possibly his big break into the US market, but a little misplaced on a motown inspired album. It would however feel right at home alongside Sparks’ similarly powerful duet with Chris Brown, “No Air”.

The track “Attention” does just that — it grabs your attention with its big swinging sounds, courtesy of the precise orchestration of instruments.

“Bring Yourself” is a standout track on the album. It encompasses everything you’d want and expect from a slow jam session. Even the Prince of Motown, Marvin Gaye, would feel comfortable singing this impressive track.

Other notable tracks include “Magic” and “Never Hold You Down”, neither of which are single worthy, but  run with the soulful swing of motown. Derivative, but none-the-less gallant efforts.

The final track “Perfection”, diverts from the motown vibe just once more to offer a rather sickly sweet romantic ballad. Clearly a serenade to his newly-wed wife. It’s poetically beautiful, but amongst the rest of the album, again a little misplaced.

The album, while not without its flaws, is definitely one of the most artistically complex records we’ve heard from an ‘Australian Idol’ artist to date.

It’s rich, multi-layered  and engaging. The motown influences are clear, and it just feels right for Sebastian to be playing in this space. We look forward to seeing where he takes these talents next.

“Like It Like That” is out now.

Buy the album on iTunes.

Amy Meredith's debut single "Pornstar" is out now.

It’s not often we do music reviews here, but every so often we find some tunes that really gets our blood pumping.

Up and coming Sydney rock band, Amy Meredith’s debut single ”Pornstar” is one of those songs.

These five young rockers originally joined forces back in 2006, after members from various local Sutherland Shire bands came together.

They had a bit of a false start in the music scene, signing with fashion brand Ksubi’s now defunct in-house record label — after which they turned to extensive touring and writing new tracks.

In 2008, the band released the self titled EP “Amy Meredith”, which featured the quote “Smiths/Joy Division” inspired track “Black Eyes”. The song saw moderate success, becoming the “Free Single of the Week” on the Australian iTunes Music Store — often a sign of future success.

Earlier this year, the band signed with major label Sony Music, under which they’ll release their debut album in 2010.

But for now, the band’s debut single “Pornstar” is out and it gives us a taste of what’s to come on the band’s forthcoming album.

With it’s punchy pop sensibilities, the single is sure to have broad appeal. It’s reminiscent of both The Killers earlier alternative rock work “Mr Brightside” and their more recent synth based endeavours “Spaceman” and “Human”.

The possibilities for Amy Meredith’s evolution into more of a rock and pop synth fusion is pretty evident, just from the progression the band made from “Black Eyes” to “Pornstar”.

Whether this is the direction the band is moving towards, or if they’ll return to their alternative rock roots remains to be seen.

Whatever the band comes out with next year is sure to be just beginning for these talented young Sydney siders.

Keep an eye out for Amy Meredith, I have an inkling they’re going to be huge.

Download the single “Pornstar” on iTunes.

Download the EP “Amy Meredith” on iTunes.

Visit Amy Meredith on MySpace.

"The Resistance", out now.

Muse are one of those rare bands that can reinvent themselves without reinventing themselves. The last outing, “Black Holes and Revelations”, saw them experiment with different sounds that would have alienated fans of any other band. Instead, they embraced the new direction, which saw said album closer “Knights of Cydonia” hit the number one spot on JJJ’s Hot 100 of 2007.

Clearly not content with walking on the knife’s edge of fan alienation, this follow up sees even more daring diversion from the norm. Pop, rock, operatic, dance, retro; Muse dabble in just about everything other than what they are known for. While it could come across as a lack of focus to some, the success rate in which they hit the right notes definetly suggest otherwise.

If there is one flaw, it’s that track 2 “Resistance” is what should have opened this album. Okay, it’s kinda obvious as an opening track when you listen to it and perhaps that’s why it’s second. But there is nothing wrong with lead single “Uprising” leading the pack. It’s clearly the safe bet before things just go crazy.

“Undisclosed Desires” is bordering on dance pop…the sound is instantly a hook…it’s crying out for single! Matt’s soaring vocals appear on “Guiding Light” is itself a guiding light. “Unnatural Selection” is crazy guitars and just a great old-skool rock track. “MK Ultra” has retro electro/techno rock; there is just so much going on in this one; listen for the warped vocals at 1:50. “I Belong to You” is just plain cheesy pop. In an album full of so many completely out of character sounds from the boys, this one is easily the standout when it comes to weirdness.

Ending on “Exogenesis”…incredible. It’s their most ambitious endeavour ever and combine to make easily the standout musical moments of the year. Amazing and worth the wait… the definition of epic.

Despite the massive shift in style, there is still something comforting in hearing Matt belt out his unmistakeable falsetto over the length of the album. Every track is epic in it’s own effortless way, pushing the progressive boundaries even further than they ever have. They make sure there is never a dull moment, you can be certain of that. And as different as things sound, it’s that curiosity in what lies around the corner that keeps The Resistance on the rails.

The Resistance is the album that will test the long term Muse fans. Weather fans are agreeable or not, The Resistance is the step that they needed to take creatively. It’s the sound of a band that is comfortable with where they are in their career, in that they can afford to take a chance on something new. it’s a bold move that has paid off in that it’s quite possibly their most consistent album yet. If nothing else it’s definitely one of the most unique albums of the year, and again proves that Muse are one of the very best bands that will continue to surprise. Just listen to the final track of Exogenesis and see how moving a rock band can be without being cheesy. Incredible.

Get the album on iTunes.

Jordin Sparks has already proved she’s one of the ones to watch out for from ‘American Idol’, arguably the only other Pop/R&B winner of the program to have continued success in the international market alongside Kelly Clarkson. Her debut album sported hits such as ‘Tattoo’, ‘One Step At A Time’, and thewWorldwide smash duet with Chris Brown in 2008, ‘No Air’.

Now she’s back with her second album, ‘Battlefield’, and it’s a really solid album, surprisingly so for this reviewer, not many albums are that easy to listen to from start to finish, sometimes you have to be in the groove not to skip certain tracks, but Battlefield has such a good flow, from Pop/ one moment to a string of lighter R&B numbers that still pack a punch and don’t descend too much into monotonous balladeering, which is a pitfall some R&B artists fall into quite often.

The lead single ‘Battlefield’ is a pretty multilayered and epic sounding song and a great choice as first single. Written by OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder (Who has been swanning around quite a bit lately, also behind Beyonce’s ‘Halo’ and Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Already Gone’) it has had the critics raving. One reviewer, ‘Popjustice’ writes, “to start with you think ‘this isn’t up to much’ then by the end of it you think ‘this is going to be number one for precisely 2.5 months’. There is a brilliant middle eight where everything falls out and it’s just Jordin bellowing “like a battlefield! Like a battlefield!” and then it all crashes back in and then it all falls out again and then it all goes back in again and it’s all jolly good.”

The second single has been confirmed as ‘SOS (Let The Music Play)’ which is a pretty boppy R&B song laced with some great sound effects.

With so many great songs, Wikipedia notes it has been praised for having so many solid songs that any one of them could work well as singles.

General consensus on the TVAus forums is that ‘Don’t Let It Go To Your Head’ is amongst their top picks for a future Single. This reviewer if he had to pick his top most picks from the album other than ‘Battlefield’ would probably choose ‘Watch You Go’, ‘Let It Rain’, and ‘No Parade’. The first two have really good power in their beats, and the latter is a great dynamic R&B ballad sounding track.

I could also see ‘Emergency (911)’ becoming a radio favorite.

Overall a great effort by Jordin and if she keeps it up on future releases, she’s going to become quite an artist in my opinion.

A great, solid album.

Get the album on iTunes.

When Mark Vincent stepped onto the grand finale stage of Seven’s ‘Australia’s Got Talent’ in April, we all knew it was just the beginning for this talented 15-year old.

So here we are just a few months later and Vincent’s debut album “My Dream – Mio Visionario” has hit the scene after a whirlwind tour to Italy and back.

Now I’m no expert when it comes to vocal music, but I can appreciate a great singer like the next guy. What can I say? This kid has talent.

Kicking off the album is Vincent’s rendition of the infamous “Nessun Dorma”, as song which has become synonymous with the greatest tenor of all time. While bringing his own fresh element to this classic, Vincent’s rendition also pays homage to the incomparable Luciano Pavarotti.

One of the standout tracks for me is a rendition of Leonard Cohen’s similarly infamous “Hallelujah”, which was made famous by John Cale as featured in the 2001 animated film ‘Shrek’ and by Jeff Buckley as used in ‘The OC’. Vincent puts his own spin on the popular song, with his trademark mix of English and Italian lyrics. It’s both satisfying for fans of the previously mentioned covers and distinctive enough to warrant a second listen.

A favourite of vocal music fans is Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli’s “The Prayer”, which Vincent does admirably in a rather Josh Groban-esque way.

Another stand out is a cover of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “No Matter What”, in which Vincent teams up with fellow ‘Got Talent’ finalist Jal Joshua. It’s a fun, distinctive track, which would otherwise be overshadowed by the other power ballads on the album.

The last track on the album is the Australian national anthem “Advance Australia Fair”, which I often criticise for being dull and nowhere near as patriotic as the US anthem. But the orchestral arrangement on Vincent’s version is just bold enough to make even me feel a twinge of patriotism, which is saying something.

At only 15 years of age, Mark Vincent is sure to have bright future ahead of him and it shall be interesting to watch him grow and mature as a performer.

“My Dream – Mio Visionario” is now available online from iTunes.

“The Way the World Looks” definitely seems like an apt title for Mr. Carr’s debut album as our ‘Australian Idol’; with his career and fame skyrocketing higher and higher each day, life must seem like quite a blessing though this muso’s eyes.

From the first beat, you know the kind of album you’re in for.

It kicks off with a bang with “Any Other Way”, which features the same bouncy British sensibilities of  The Fratellis.

Wes’ catchy no. 2 single “Feels Like Woah” (which is now the 2009 NRL anthem) bridges us to the fist pumping ”Fearless”, which feels like a promo track for Network Ten’s ‘The Biggest Loser’. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw commercials for the next season running with this track.

Other notable tracks from the album are “When We Were Kings”, a strong anthemic rock tune which progressively builds to a grand chorus, and the similarly bold ”Stay Awake”, which is reminiscent of Gavin Degraw’s 2003-04 hit single ”I Don’t Want To Be” (which went on to become the ‘One Tree Hill’ theme song).

The tone shifts for “Hurricanes”, which feels like a Jack Johnson inspired reggae tune. Wes’ states on his website that he wrote the song while trying to escape a hurricane in Fiji at the beginning of the year.

We’re treated to equally different tones in the softer, Aqualung-esque, piano driven ”Light Years”, the chilled out “Love Is an Animal” and the musing tracks “East Coast” and “The Way the World Looks”.

It’s hard to pick key highlights from the album, with all the tracks bringing something new and unique to the ears. I gather it’ll be a difficult decision to choose the next single from the album, as it’s filled with a plethora of iconic and addictive tracks.

It’s definitely one of the most well rounded debut albums we’ve seen from an ‘Idol’ winner so far, but perhaps that’s more due to the fact that Mr. Carr was already such a well defined artist before landing on ‘Idol’.

From Wes’ humble beginnings at the Robin Hood Hotel in Waverley, to centre stage at the Sydney Opera House forecourt last September; it must’ve been quite an adventure for the Bondi local and “The Way the World Looks” is a testament to his achievements.

The future only looks bright for this accomplished artist.

“The Way the World Looks” is available in stores now and online from iTunes.