It’s curious that I even appreciate Jessie’s music because she’s just as much country as she is pop. But not too much. I wouldn’t like her at all if she was all Nashville. Her sound reminds me of the late 90s when pop music had a lot of crossover tunes from the likes of Faith Hill, LeAnn Rimes, and Shania Twain. I bought all of their albums and some of those hits still reside on my iPod to this day. Jessie James takes me back to that, and that’s why I’m a fan.

Not only that, but the girl’s got some serious pipes! Have you heard her sing? It’s ridiculous. I hear hints of Miss Aguilera at times and that’s a very, very good thing. She is a pure vocalist, which I consider an endangered species these days.

WHO IS JESSIE JAMES?
Jessica Rose James is a former “military brat”, who spent much of her youth moving around from town to town. Music has always been a part of her life as she was writing songs when she was as young as 9 years old and singing as a 2 year old. Her early demos got the attention of Mercury President David Massey which led to an audition with L.A. Reid, after which she was immediately signed.

Jessie has been writing and living in Nashville for a while now, so it’s easy to see where the country influence comes from. She describes her sounds as “pop with a little bit of twang”.

WHAT’S GOING ON NOW?
Jessie contributed a song, “Blue Jeans”, to the Confessions of a Shopaholic soundtrack before her debut single “Wanted” hit radio stations. Her self-titled album is due July 28th, and she is about to embark on the Jonas Brothers world tour as their opening act. That’s a huge stage for a new artist and I’m sure she’ll impress!

Her current single, “Wanted”, is doing well on the charts. I’s about to go Top 30 on pop radio, is currently sitting at #98 on the Billboard Hot 100, and is selling well 50s on the iTunes charts.

Read the Billboard review of “Wanted”:

Pull out all the sex appeal from Carrie Underwood in “Before He Cheats,” throw on a Pussycat Dolls beat and infuse some powerhouse Christina Aguilera vocals, and it’s nearly Jessie James’ “Wanted.” The Nashville-based singer’s first single has a forceful bang and a slight Southern twang, tapping into Pink and Kelly Clarkson territory with its slamming rock vibe. Mitch Allan (Daughtry, Faith Hill) constructed an alluring rock song with some parts country, some parts hip-hop. James crafted the track with a hot pop/rock team of songwriters: Allan, Kara DioGuardi and David Hodges; paired with her convincing vocals and swagger, she’s got what it takes to make a name for herself. —Michael Menachem

WHAT’S NEXT?
Single #2 is “Bullet”. Take a listen below:
Jessie James Bullet

OFFICIAL LINKS
Official site by Island Records
MySpace
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
Imeem (Check out the live sessions!)
Kyte.tv Channel

ANYTHING ELSE?
Watching studio produced video doesn’t always impress. Sometimes you need to see live and/or acoustic performances to really appreciate a singer’s talent. Below is a video of Jessie singing the National Anthem at a Cavs/Magic NBA Playoff game a couple of weeks ago.

Click here to view the embedded video.

And check out the new Billboard Breaking & Entering feature. They just did one on Kristina DeBarge a little while ago.

She told me that she sampled the Zombie’s hit song “Time of the Season” for her debut single, “Give It To Me Right”. She sang the beat to me and at first I thought “kind of like Duffy’s song?” Not quite. She told me just to download the single and listen for myself. I did and I am obsessed with “Give It To Me Right”. I love the sass and attitude Melanie shares in the track.

My favorite lines, in no particular order:

I’m not, I’m not
Tryna run your life
That’s why, that’s why
I’m nobody’s wife
But when I want, when I want it
You gotta be ready…
…
I don’t think you understand
If you can’t please me,
I know someone who can.
So give it to me right
Or don’t give it to me at all …
…
I don’t want it all the time,
But when I get it,
I better be satisfied
So give it to me right,
Or don’t give it to me at all …
…
This is the real thing baby
When I’m alone I can make me say
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeeeaaahh

Tell those men what’s up, mama!

After falling in love with the song, I wanted to know more about her background. Headed over to good ol’ Google for that, as usual. It never fails me. It also helps that Melanie has a full official website that is open for business and not coming soon.

Melanie hails from Toronto, but her background is both Canadian and Caribbean. She was raised in a household full of music which, along with her ethnic background, helped shape her sound. Her father had his own band and played the guitar. Her influences span from Reggae sounds to contemporary Whitney Houston material.

Melanie’s debut album is titled The Bridge, and will be released via SRC/Universal later this year. The music video for “Give It To Me Right” has just premiered on her MySpace page. Watch it below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

LATEST NEWS:
Melanie appears to be performing on a stop of THE SEXY SWAGGER TOUR With LeToya Luckett, Pleasure P and Brotha, May 23 at 8 at the Dallas (TX) House of Blues (Tickets). Not sure if this is a full blown tour or a one-off show, but it’s something to keep your eye on. After that, the next announced time you can see Melanie perform is the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans from June 3-5. More dates are TBA. I really hope she embarks on an intimate club tour. Those are my favorite type of shows. You can really get a feel for an artist, their personality, and style in smaller venues.

OFFICIAL LINKS:
www.melaniefiona.com (Official Website)
Melanie’s MySpace page
Melanie’s YouTube account
Melanie’s Twitter Account
Official Ning.com Community

BONUS VIDEO:
Watch Melanie’s rendention of the Star Spangled Banner at the recent Jordan Brand Classic in NYC:

Click here to view the embedded video.

BONUS AUDIO:
Island Boy

Introducing Kristinia DeBarge

I admit to having read news blurbs here and there about how another DeBarge was entering the music biz, but I didn’t really give it another thought. Having grown up during the 80s, I know allllll about the DeBarge family. The group DeBarge (which her father James was a keyboardist in), Chico and El’s solo projects…you name it, I was probably grooving to it!

So, to say that it’s in Kristinia’s genes to sing would be an understatement. And she chose her debut single very wisely! “Goodbye” is another single girl anthem that is a perfect summer jam. Yea, the topic has done before, but that hasn’t stopped any of the other attempts from enjoying success. I don’t think that will be a hurdle at all.

For “Goodbye”, Kristinia looked to a classic sample that sports fans are quite familiar. “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” by the group Steam. The song topped the charts back in 1969. Hopefully the sample will give Miss DeBarge a bit of luck as well. So, say it with me: “Na na na na…Na na na na… Hey hey hey….Goodbye!” Perfect for her song about getting over a breakup and getting her “single girl swag” back!

Kristinia made her first appearance on the American Idol spinoff show, American Juniors back in 2003. I didn’t watch and it, and frankly forgot it even existed until I started reading up on Kristinia.

The song wasn’t supposed to hit radio until this week, but radio stations just couldn’t wait and added it into rotation early. Z100, regarded by many, as THE top pop music radio station in the country led this charge. If you can get your single onto Z100′s playlist, you’re doing well. Many other stations follow their lead and that could lead to a nice snowball effect for “Goodbye”. KIIS FM in Lo Angeles has also caught on. That’s another huge airplay market. We shall see!

Kristinia is signed to music legend Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds’ new label Sodapop Music, which is under the Island Def Jam umbrella. I’ve been a fan of Babyface’s work — as both an artist and producer — for a very long time. So that he wrote and produced much of Kristinia’s material bodes well for her, in my opinion. She is in very good hands. Babyface knows how to run a label. Don’t forget that he built LaFace Records from the ground up with longtime friend and colleague L.A. Reid.

If it hasn’t happened already, the music video for “Goodbye” should be shot very soon. As recently as last weekend, Kristinia was still in rehearsals for it. The album will be out this summer. June 30 is a tentative date that is circulating for her release.

Listen to “Goodbye” below:
Kristinia Debarge – Goodbye

LATEST NEWS:
You’ve heard her brand new single “Goodbye” now get to know Kristinia. You can call her at 310-773-0367 to hear her latest messages, enter contests, listen & buy new music, and even win a call back from Kristinia. She will be giving you an inside look at her world through her Kristinia & Friends video channel. You can subscribe to the channel so you never miss out on a new episode. Check It Out!

OFFICIAL LINKS:
Where to find Kristinia online!
www.kristiniadebarge.com (Official website)
MySpace
Kyte.tv
Twitter
Facebook (Become a fan!)
Imeem

“Goodbye” is available for download on iTunes.

BONUS:
Check out KD’s performance of “Reflection”, from Mulan, on American Juniors when she was 13!

Click here to view the embedded video.