Highlights from the American Idol Finale and Congrats to Candice!!!

I have to say I was so thrilled and proud of American on Thursday night when the nation and American Idol viewers crowned the brilliant Candice Glover the season 12 winner. She was the best singer, the most consistent vocalist, and the greatest entertainer and innovator of the season. Obviously she was the right winner and that’s no disrespect to the lovely and talented runner-up Kree Harrison, who should have a big country career ahead of her…. But back to Candice. I am just so thrilled that the right person and my personal favorite finally won for the first time in 6 years. That’s since Jordin Sparks ya’ll! (In case you’re wondering I think David Archuleta, Adam Lambert, Crystal Bowersox, Pia Toscano and Jessica Sanchez should’ve won their respective seasons as the best vocalists, but that’s just me.)

For further proof of Candice’s brilliance, check her out dueling with Oscar and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson on “Inseparable” below. It was the stunning highlight of the finale broadcast and let me tell you, it was even better live!

Candice Glover/Jennifer Hudson “Inseparable”

And while Candice had the best number of the night with that one, there were some other great collaborations. First I loved the duet from third place finalist Angie Miller (who is due to sign her record deal this week too) and Grammy nominated Idol alum  Lambert on “Titanium”. It was beautiful and the harmonies were amazing…. Angie followed that up with the raucous duet with Jessie J on “Domino” that was awesome too. Seriously Jessie J is incredible.

Angie Miller/Adam Lambert “Titanium”

Angie Miller/Jessie J “Domino”

Another shocker favorite performance for me was from 5th place finisher Janelle Arthur who rocked some serious hair-ography with The Band Perry on their current hit “Done”. It was so good.

Janelle Arthur/The Band Perry “Done”

So, those were my favorite moments from a good, not great finale. (Seriously, what was up with all the lip synching superstars, the horrible boys number and a strange Frank Valli?)… But, I am thrilled a woman finally won and an amazing one at that. I have high hopes for Candice’s career and I think she, Kree and Angie all have a great shot at success. You can buy all three ladies debut singles on iTunes now. I sure did. =)
So, that’s it for season 12 of American Idol. I loved all the girl power this season and congratulations to Candice! Let’s hope next year, we get another great winner along with some new theme nights and better judges too. (Sorry Nicki was a mess. Mariah was lovely but long-winded and buh bye to the Dawg Randy Jackson after way too long on the panel.) In the meantime, please enjoy Candice Glover’s first official hit “I Am Beautiful” below.

Candice Glover “I Am Beautiful”

The Charts~ Adele breaks more records while Kelly Clarkson and NIcki MInaj breath down her neck…

Adele was the undisputed music artist of 2011, and it seems like she has no intention of losing that crown in 2012. Her sophomore album, 21, marks a 17th week on top which is the longest run at # 1 since Whitney Houston’s Bodyguard soundtrack, and she also tops the Hot 100 singles chart with her third straight # 1 “Set Fire to the Rain”. To have simultaneous chart topping albums and singles is incredibly rare, but to do it three times in a row is unheard of. And that’s just the record Adele accomplishes this week. She previously held the # 1 album spot during a few weeks of her “Rolling in the Deep” reign and also during one week of “Someone Like You”‘s chart topping run. Now, “Fire” makes it three in a row. Wow… Can she do it again next week? I’m not sure as Tim McGraw will be hot on her heels on the album charts and she has a lot of competition on the singles chart. More on that below. In the meantime check out the new top ten albums.

Billboard 200 Albums Top Ten:
1. 21- Adele (last week~ 1)
2, Kidz Bob 21 (debut)
3. El Camino- The Black Keys (lw~ 3)
4. Take Care- Drake (lw~ 4)
5. Talk that Talk- Rihanna (lw~ 7)
6. TM:103: Hustlerz Ambition- Young Jeezy (lw~ 6)
7. Identity- James Fortune & Fiya (debut)
8. Clancy’s Tavern- Toby Keith (lw~ 22)
9. Mylo Xyloto- Coldplay (lw~8)
10. Here and Now- Nickelback (lw~ 9)

Over on the Hot 100 Singles chart, as I stated, Adele climbs to the top with “Set Fire to the Rain” displacing Rihanna after a 10 week run. Adele is a good bet for one more week at the summit, but she will have to fight off big charges from David Guetta and Nicki Minaj‘s “Turn Me On” and Kelly Clarkson‘s tenth top ten Hot 100 “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” which flies into the top ten at # 8 up from # 21. Check out the new top ten which also gives Jessie J her first song to hit the upper regions with “Domino”. For more on all the Billboard charts, head here.

Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “Set Fire to the Rain”- Adele (lw~ 2)
2. “We Found Love”- Rihanna w/Calvin Harris (lw~ 1)
3. “Good Feeling”- Flo Rida (lw~ 3)
4. “Turn Me On”- David Guetta w/ Nicki Minaj (lw~ 10)
5. “The One that Got Away”- Katy Perry (lw~ 6)
6. “It Will Rain”- Bruno Mars (lw~ 4)
7. “Sexy and I Know It”- LMFAO (lw~ 5)
8. “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”- Kelly Clarkson (lw~ 21)
9. “Ni##s in Paris”- Jay Z & Kanye West (lw~ 7)
10. “Domino” – Jessie J (lw~ 15)

And here’s England’s Katy Perry (as I call her anyway), Jessie J with her first top ten hit, “Domino”

My Top 5 Albums of 2011

I’m way behind on all my recaps for the year, but here’s a quickie to tide you over… Check out my top five albums of 2011… Now, I have to put a little asterisk on this list because like most pop music listeners, and ahem, teenagers, I am more of a singles buyer these days. It brings me back to my youth! And let’s be honest, most albums are just really good for a few songs. Rarely does a masterpiece that is brilliant from beginning to end happen anymore. But it sure did with the top-selling and critically acclaimed, soon to be Grammy winning, 21 by Adele. It’s pretty much perfect and it’s my fave of the year. Take a gander at the rest of my top 5 below (and some choice tracks from each album) and watch for more on the year in music to come.

My Top 5 Albums of 2011:

1. 21- Adele: basically every song was flawless, heart wrenching and beautiful. It already has yield two #1 singles “Rolling in the Deep” and “Someone Like You” and “Set Fire to the Rain” just hit the top ten. Watch for this hit heavy record to continue to thrive in 2012. It’s also the biggest selling album in the US since 2004 as it nears 6 million copies sold.
Adele “Rumour Has It”

2. Stronger- Kelly Clarkson: this Grammy winning came back with a vengeance and arguably her strongest record to date. It features the top ten smash “Mr. Know It All” and the #1 country and AC duet “Don’t You Wanna Stay” with Jason Aldean. Watch for several more smashes on the way. And damn does she have some soul for the girl next door.
Kelly Clarkson “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)”

3. Lady Gaga- Born This Way: with the biggest sales week of the year at over 1 million units on its debut, Gaga’s third record was another smash. It yielded the hits “Born This Way” (# 1), “The Edge of Glory” (# 3), “You and I” (# 6), Judas (#10) and “Marry The Night” which just went top 40. It was more fabulous fancy fun dance pop from Gaga.
Lady Gaga “Hair”

4. Body Talk- Robyn: this Swedish dance chanteuse cranked out dance smash after smash from this album grabbing a Grammy nomination last year and two more this year. All the tracks are infectious and unique and it’s hard to pick just one favorite. She also is finally breaking through in the US, thank goodness!
Robyn “Call Your Girlfriend”

5. Nothing But the Beat- David Guetta (with various artists): this dance smash was a nonstop party with wonderful pairings from the French DJ and artists like Jennifer Hudson (the anthemic “Night of Your Life”), Jessie J, Will I Am, and Usher (the top five smash “Without You”). But the best was the brilliant and haunting “Titanium” with Sia.
“Titanium”- David Guetta w/Sia

So those are my favorites. What are yours? And who are you looking forward to in the next year. I don’t know about you, but I’m counting the days til the new releases from Madonna and Adam Lambert.

Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson Bring “Soul” back to VH1 Divas

Grammy winning singers Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson were known for their beautiful soulful vocals when they competed on American Idol (and Clarkson won of course). Since then, they have soared to great success and both released hit albums this year (Hudson’s I Remember Me and Clarkson’s Stronger set to hit # 2 on the Billboard charts next week). And now they’ve earned the right to act like divas… VH1 Divas that is….
Both singers are returning to the VH1 Diva franchise on Monday, December 19 for the latest installment: VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul. Joining them for the special which benefits music education in the schools with the VH1 Save the Music Foundation are former Divas Mary J. Blige and Jill Scott plus newcomers Florence + the Machine and Jessie J. For more on the show, head to VH1 here and watch the show pay tribute to the cities where soul gave birth to music’s most powerful classics from New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom on 12/19 at 9pm.

For a taste of what the ladies might bring to the show, check out Hudson and Clarkson doing songs from the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin below.

Kelly Clarkson “Natural Woman”

Jennifer Hudson “Respect”

The Foo Fighters and Rihanna make waves on the Charts

Rihanna joins an elite club and the Foo Fighters make a big splash on the pop music charts this week. First on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, veteran rockers the Foo Fighters grab their first # 1 as their latest, Wasting Light, sells 235,000 copies to debut at the summit. It leads four debuts in the top ten followed by Allison Kraus & Union Station, Paul Simon and Mexican rockers Mana. Just outside the top ten at # 11, newcomer Jessie J debuts with her first release Who You Are. Check out the new top ten below.

Top Ten Albums:
1. Wasting Light- Foo Fighters (debut)
2. 21- Adele (last week~ 1)
3. Paper Airplane- Allison Krauss & Union Station (debut)
4. So Beautiful or So What- Paul Simon (debut)
5. Drama y Luz- Mana (debut)
6. Femme Fatale- Britney Spears (lw~ 2)
7. Songs For Japan- Various Artists (lw~ 7)
8. Rolling Papers- Wiz Khalifia (lw~ 5)
9. F.A.M.E.- Chris Brown (lw~ 6)
10. Sigh No More- Mumford & Sons (lw~8)

Over on the Hot 100 Singles chart, Rihanna’s “S & M” hits the top due to the new “Ri Remix” featuring Britney Spears that spurs sales up over 100%. It’s able to dethrone Katy Perry’s “E.T.” but both songs and Lady Gaga’s new one “Judas” which debuts at # 10 could fight for supremacy next week. I hope Adele’s fast rising “Rolling in the Deep” makes a play for the top as well… Check out the new top ten singles below.

Hot 100 Top Ten
1. “S&M” –Rihanna w/Britney Spears (lw~ 2)
2. “E.T.”- Katy Perry w/Kanye West (lw~ 1)
3. “Just Can’t Get Enough”- Black Eyed Peas (lw~3)
4. “Down on Me”- Jeremiah (lw~ 6)
5. “Fuck You”- Cee Lo Green (lw~ 4)
6. “Rolling in the Deep”- Adele (lw~ 10)
7. “Look at Me Now”- Chris Brown w/Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes (lw~ 7)
8. “On the Floor”- Jennifer Lopez w/Pitbull (lw~ 9)
9. “Til the World Ends”- Britney Speras (lw~8)
10. “Judas”- Lady Gaga (debut)

With her latest # 1 Rihanna now totals 10 chart toppers joining an elite list of artists with the most # 1′s. Take a look at the artists with the most # 1′s below and for all your chart needs head to Billboard here.

Artists with the most # 1 Songs on the Billboard Hot 100:
1. The Beatles (20 #1′s)
2. Mariah Carey (18)
3. Michael Jackson (13)
4. Madonna (12)
4. The Supremes (12)
6. Whitney Houston (11)
7. Janet Jackson (10)
7. Rihanna (10)
7. Stevie Wonder (10)