Down to bidness:
Melissa O'Neil
I still don't follow American Idol because I don't have a television. And I still haven't really gotten on the bandwagon anyway, although I'm more interested in the artists coming OUT of the show and their respective career paths. Anyway, I should be tracking other Idols across the globe, because if I was, I would have noticed Melissa O'Neil before now. Producers on her s/t debut album don't ring a bell (apparently she's worked with some writers from the new BSB album), but one of them produced Hampton the Hampster, so I guess he's doing something right. Major production team crossover with elfin Idol dude Kalan Porter, who, as we all know, presented with Skye at the Junos.
Not bad post-Avril angsty rocky angst-rock. "Let It Go" is Veronicas with less harmful harmonies, "Alive" is a shade above a snooze ballad. The rest is semi-forgettable [EDIT: I realize I only left one streamed song, and I actually like it about as much as "Let It Go." So track record is slightly better than suggested, still not great], although O'Neil's "Speechless" is better than the Veronicas' by default. Which isn't to say it's particularly interesting. Tip: If Kara DioGuardi did not write your power ballad, you may want to think twice about singing it.
A question for many of these major label Myspace people -- why only offer 30 second clips on a STREAMING site?? Bad business decisions! You can bet the Lovemarks [pauses to will meme to the internet...meme! meme! meme!] will openly stream all of their songs because they'll double as commercials, hence every download is actually a successful "lovemark" on listeners. Smart, smart, smart.
Platinum Weird
Speaking of Kara DioGuardi, here's a bizarrely back-storied side project she's doing with Dave Stewart. Great songs that don't totally hit as hard as they sound like they should with Kara's own voice. Ashlee MUST sing "Avalanche," it's as good as anything on I Am Me. Listen and enjoy. (Re: the back story, apparently there's some gimmick that these recordings are from the 70s, when the lead singer mysteriously disappeared. ...I don't get it.)
Bec Hollcraft
Maybe the best of the bunch (Platinum Weird excepted), 16 yo Meredith Brooks protege from Portland who, uh, rocks. Musical template is (shock) Avril and Meredith Brooks, splits the difference nicely between metal-influenced teen pop and angryish adult contempo pop-rock. On cursory listens, the lyrical content seems more mature than most teen pop in this musical vein -- "Numb" denies easy F-YOU EX lyrics for more complex self-examination. "Cannonball" tries a "Hypocrite"-style verse with limited success (too vague! Give me SPECIFICS...Skye brings the detail, which is why she wrote what is in the running for my favorite teen pop song of all time while you wrote an OK song that needs a better chorus hook).
Bec keeps the delivery a little too casual and sardonic to stick, but I do like the streamed songs. Especially where she flexes her vocal cords on "Perfect Me," revealing an Avirl (or maybe Alanis) vibe that might work, not really enough here to tell. Can she really sing, though? Makes all the difference -- Brie Larson is starting to pick up on this, too, a sort of indie-affect "I could sing (maybe), but I don't want to" thing that doesn't really work. Harm with them harmonies, girls -- you are allowed to take voice lessons to keep in shape. It's, like, what you do.
Tiffany Affair
Stargate production team strikes again. Not bad bubble R&B (I might like it better than Ne-Yo maybe sort of...OK maybe not),
Amanda Frazier
Hawaiian teen pop NOT courtesy Hoku...not interested. Sleepy acoustic ballads. All songs are downloadable, which is a plus. Not much to add except...HOKU, WHERE ARE YOU??? PLEASE PLEASE COME HOME! WE STILL LOVE YOU!!
Tigarah
...Finally, this isn't teen pop exactly, but if you want some awesome Japanese baile funk (or favela-whatever) (?!) check out Tigarah. Amazing and downloadable. DO IT NOW.
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