Today's Pick

After being in the business for 16 and a half years, the Grammy-nominated quartet, Backstreet Boys bounces back into action with their 7th album entitled, "This Is Us" will be released today through Jive Records. The album follows 2007's "Unbreakable," and features songs with upbeat music, like their latest lead single "Straight Through My Heart" produced by RedOne. Despite their fame, the boys said they have dreams and aspirations, just like anyone else.
The pop troupe, which consists of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and AJ McLean, They have 13 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and have sold 100 million albums, making them the best selling boy band of all time. The Backstreet Boys formally announced they will support "This is Us" with a major world tour. Their 26 European dates begin on October 30 in Portugal and wrap up on December 6 in Denmark. North American shows are being planned for 2010.
"This Is Us" isn't Backstreet's first album since their days on the boy-band A list. It's not even their first since the departure of Kevin Richardson, who split prior to 2007's snoozy "Unbreakable". But the new disc does mark the band's return after a decade to its old teen-pop sound, and considering these guys' combined age, the result is surprisingly unembarrassing. The 11-track album features new material that the vocal troupe collaborated on alongside songwriters and producers like T-Pain, RedOne and Claude Kelly. The strong vocals certainly don't hurt, either.
The music video for "Straight Through My Heart" was filmed on August 7 and 8 in LA, and was directed by Kai Regan. It has followed a vampire theme and has been premiered on US Weekly on August 27. The introduction says,"Day Walkers: A group who band together to protect innocent mortals or Kine against the Gentry: Vampires who hunt for prey at bars and nightclubs. Sometimes these hunters become, The hunted."

Jordin Sparks, the 19-year-old American Idol alum has released the music video to her latest and very infectious hit dance track "S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)", the 2nd single off her sophomore album "Battlefield".
"S.O.S." is an uptempo electropop song that contains a sample of "Let The Music Play" by Shannon. It combine 1980’s synths with modern techno-dance beats. Sparks is out to the club and hitting the dance floor along with a bunch of clubbers. She explained why she decided to go in a dancer direction with this song: "I'll always be the ballad girl from American Idol, but I wanted to try something new, though not so far that people wouldn't believe me." The video was directed by Chris Robinson and shot in L.A. on August 10, and was released exclusively to MeetMark.com the website for the makeup company yesterday. Sparks is being praised for showing a side she has never before embraced, stepping out of her usual comfort zone as she stated.
With its potent and *snap snap* send off, the song is filled with charisma and perhaps the attitude and staying power that alongside Sparks’ pipes will allow her to be a prominent force in the music industry. Sparks is the younger, more demure, innocent-esque winner out of all the girls. Kelly Clarkson is the rock chick, Fantasia is the R&B/Lifetime girl, and Carrie Underwood is the country star which leaves Sparks to be the younger face of American Idol female pop music.
The song has some pretty great remixes out there already, and the song is going to be released to US radio on September 29, with loads of promotion while she tours with Britney Spears and will appears on the VH1 Divas special on September 17. The legendary live concert event will also feature voices like Adele, Kelly Clarkson, Leona Lewis, Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Hudson, and hosted by Paula Abdul. Sparks is looking forward to the next round of Grammy nominations, she’d love to do some acting (especially on Broadway), and someday, say 10 or 12 years from now, have "a significant other, but ultimately, I just want to be happy" she said.

The American Idol Season 6 winner, Jordin Sparks' 2nd studio album "Battlefield" hit stores today. Most reviewers agree Sparks' 2nd attempt trumps her 1st. Hear the album on AOL Music's Free Full CD Listening Party (Please note this listening party expires July 26th). You can also listen to select songs off the album on AOL Radio's Fresh 40 Station! The 19-year-old does prove why she deserved the 2007 "American Idol" crown. The 12-track set album named after the 1st single "Battlefield" because it was central to the themes and other recordings for the album, which is a mixture of contemporary R&B and pop although many critics have cited dance-pop and pop-rock influences. The majority of the songs are sad love ballads, but Jordin fails to make listeners emotionally connect.
The youngest-ever winner of American Idol said that "To me, the title 'Battlefield' is about strength and perseverance, things can go from good to bad in an instant, it could be family, friendship or work; and my favorite line in the song is, 'you better go and get your armor,' because it's telling you to be prepared for that time so that you can overcome it."