Ricardo “Richard” Arjona - Quinto Piso

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Ricardo Arjona Richard Arjona - Quinto

“This Guatemalan singer/ songwriter has an uncanny knack for marrying sophisticated lyrics with catchy hooks and mass-appeal messages. On his debut for Warner after a lifetime with Sony, Ricardo Arjona also gives his timeless songs a sense of place. The album tells stories of urban life as seen from a fifth-floor studio, from the unabashed romanticism of first single “Cómo Duele” to the incisiveness of “Que Nadie Vea,” which chronicles a gay man’s life in the closet. The set traverses a sea of settings and emotions with elegance and an immediate sense of connection. Arjona is thoughtful in his arrangements, using a classical string quartet for “Bailarina Vecina,” big strings for “Cómo Duele” and a more acoustic rock vibe for “La Vida Está de Luto.” There’s also a duet with ranchera queen Paqita La Del Barrio, which underscores how universal Arjona’s songs and themes are, even in the most regional arrangements. —Leila Cobo”

Il Divo - The Promise

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Il Divo - The Promise

“Opera and ABBA: two great tastes that taste great together? In Il Divo’s hands, definitely. Unlike some in the wildly lucrative pop-classical scene, the four hunks in this baritone-beefcake boy band (originally created by “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell) couldn’t care less about converting serious-music snobs. They’re happy to pull every heartstring known to man—or at least middle-aged woman—which gives their crescendo-crammed records a kind of refreshing honesty. The quartet’s fifth full-length (including an easy-money 2005 Christmas set) is Il Divo’s most shameless—and therefore its most enjoyable—yet. Highlights include covers of Charles Aznavour’s “She” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” (the latter in a surprisingly stripped-down arrangement), as well as an over-the-top reading of “The Winner Takes It All” that to post-”Mamma Mia!” ears sounds quite a lot like cha-ching.—Mikael Wood”

We The Kings - Secret Valentine

It took a few listens for me to really dig this song, but afterwards I’m really diggin this track. 8/10

Click below to listen (not the original video)

Theory of a Deadman - Hate My Life

This track should do really well on rock radio stations. Lovin it! 9/10

Click below to listen (not the original video)

Mims - Move (If U Wanna)

Although there are parts of the track I really don’t like, the hook is awesome and overall the track is pretty decent. Grab this one. 7/10

Click below to listen (not the original video)

Dem Franchize Boyz - Mr Feel Good

After a questionable release with “Turnin Heads”, these Atlanta boys are back with another bangin single. Great Beat (Mannie Fresh), and although there are a few questionable parts, the song overall is great. 8/10

Click below to listen (not the original video)

Justin Timberlake feat Esmee Denters– Follow My Lead (Live)

Although there is very little from Justin Timberlake on this track, he is still alright on it. The real star of the track is a young unknown named Esmee Denters, who has a combination of Beyonce and Rihanna sound. She has been working with Mr. Timberlake for a while, and hopefully drops a single of her own sometime soon. While it’s a wonderful concept to drop this song for charity, I have a hard time seeing a Live track being released to mainstream radio. Still a good track though. 7/10

Click below to listen (not the original video)

Justin Timberlake Debuts New Single on MySpace

Want to download a new Justin Timberlake song and help sick children at the same time? All you have to do is “Follow My Lead.”

Timberlake’s new tune, “Follow My Lead,” is available on his MySpace Music page beginning today. All proceeds from download sales will help fund the Shriners Hospitals for Children, which provide free care to children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate.

“Follow My Lead,” featuring Esmée Denters, was recorded live at Timberlake’s recent Justin Timberlake and Friends Shriners benefit concert, which brought together 50 Cent, Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Boyz II Men, Leona Lewis, Lionel Richie, Rihanna, The Jonas Brothers and Will.i.am. Footage from that show is also available for viewing on Timberlake’s MySpace page.

The song will be available to purchase on MySpace exclusively for the next three months.

http://www.myspace.com/justintimberlake

OneRepublic Writing For New Album

To celebrate the platinum success of its 2007 debut “Dreaming Out Loud,” OneRepublic was originally planning to reissue the album with bonus content in time for the holidays.

But guitarist Zach Filkins tells Billboard.com the Colorado band is shifting gears and instead focusing on its sophomore effort.

“Initially we were going to add a new song to a deluxe album, but then instead of doing that we decided to maybe just work on the second album,” Filkins says. “We’re extremely excited to get going with something new because we’ve been playing a lot of these songs for five years now. So we’re definitely ready and inspired for the new album, which is part of the reason why we got off the road. We were supposed to tour into next year.”

While on tour earlier this year, the band “kind of got inspired by a couple of songs” and wound up tracking new tunes in Germany and Japan. “In listening to what was coming out, we decided maybe we should stop and take advantage of this and write the second album,” Filkins says. “The new stuff is a real blend of rock mixed with pop and some of the songs are clearly like top 40 and other stuff is going to be a little more obscure.”

While new track “All the Right Moves,” which is upbeat and pop based, has been getting stage time, Filkins says another new song is the tentatively titled dance/keyboard-heavy “The Other Side.”

Current plans call for OneRepublic to finish touring in early January, with the band convening a month later in a Denver-area house or perhaps an old church to record its second Mosley/Interscope album. The band is hoping to have the record out by summer or fall 2009.

Filkins says there’s one thing fans shouldn’t expect to hear on the new CD: “No goth,” he laughs. “Maybe the fourth album will get a little bit more dark.”

Neil Diamond, Rick Rubin To Get Busy On Third Album

Neil Diamond is about to embark on the final leg of his latest world tour, but he’s already put his next album in motion.

The veteran singer tells Billboard.com that he recently met with Rick Rubin, who produced his last two albums and they’ve set a meeting for Jan. 12, four days after Diamond’s final concert, to start planning the follow-up to his recent chart-topping “Home Before Dark.”

“I told (Rubin) I want to start writing on the 12th,” says Diamond, who hits the road Saturday in Grand Forks, N.D., for a 17-show North American run. “He said, ‘Why don’t you not start writing and let’s sit down and talk about what the concept is and what we’re gonna do.’ I said, ‘Good idea,’ so we’ll meet on the 12th and go from there.”

Diamond says he and Rubin have “spoken about an idea we both like” but adds it’s “too early in the process” to talk about it, other than to say that he expects it will be “a different concept, a different approach to the album than we’ve had on” “Home Before Dark” and 2005’s “12 Songs.”

There’s material left from both albums including a few songs Diamond considers “really wonderful recordings,” but he says he and Rubin still plan to “start fresh. We’re going to make believe there’s no such thing as songs in the can. We don’t know if the songs we’ve recorded are going to be meaningful or even usable on this next album.”

Before fans hear the new music, however, Diamond plans to deliver a souvenir of the tour, which has so far played to nearly a million fans in nine countries since May. He says the show has been filmed, and he expects to roll it out in the new year as a television special as well as a DVD.

“I’m very pleased with it,” Diamond says. “I’ve always felt you could never really replicate the experience of being at a concert, but this film comes as close to replicating it as anything I’ve ever seen.”

Diamond will be honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year on Feb. 6, 2009, in Los Angeles, and he’ll also be acknowledged two nights later during the 51st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony.