Today's Pick

Mariah Carey teases her sexy collaborator with a playful dance routine in a fun and sweet simplistic video for her new popping duet with R&B throwback crooner Miguel, "#Beautiful," the lead cut from her forthcoming as-yet-untitled fourteenth album, and the long-awaited follow-up to her 2009 recording "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel." The pop/R&B diva, the best-selling female artist of all time with more than 200 million albums sold to date, recently told Billboard her new album "has more raw ballads than people might expect."
"#Beautiful" is a mid-tempo and stripped down pop, an nod to the old school-flavored and soul track, and blends the two singers' vocals into a sticky-sweet ballad. Carey and Miguel embark on a motorbike cruise during the night, as Miguel begins it and boldly crooning about her beauty. Carey does not enter the song until a third of the way through, she matches Miguel's glorious tone with the confidence of someone who knows she can lift her verse to equal whatever comes her way. "#Beautiful" ends at the exact moment it should with a textured layering of both singers' vocals which gradually fade as the song draws to a close.
The retro-tinged, breezy guitar-driven number is gritty and vital, filled with a crawling, dirty bass line, a seductive, immediately embeddable guitar melody and just enough tambourine to get the engine running. The song's lyrics called for Carey to be dressed in sexy attire, and her big vocals combined with Miguel's signature eclectic rock and roll sound results in "#Beautiful" having an old school vibe to it reminiscent of the Stax Records/Motown Records era. Miguel's soothing R&B pipes and Carey's 1991-sounding ethereal vocals make "#Beautiful" such a winner!
Filmed out in Los Angeles, the visual takes us on a motorcycle ride with Miguel behind the wheel and Carey riding shotgun suited up in some beautiful leather attire. Director Joseph Khan seamlessly superimposed the pair onto the countryside backdrop along with shots of Carey seductively propped on a big bike in front of a giant tree for a very light and breezy feel and mood for the video that matches the sweet ballad. The 43-year-old superstar isn't messing around in what's probably her hottest music video yet and looks as young and fresh as her 1997 "Honey" video days in the playful dance routine she does for the younger 27-year-old neo-soul singer.

Lana Del Rey defines what stunning is in the most enthusiastic music video for the cinematic ballad, "Young and Beautiful," the first single and the official theme song from the soundtrack to the theatrical remake film of the novel "The Great Gatsby," by visionary director Baz Luhrmann. The clip was expected to dropped on April 22, and changed to the same day that "The Great Gatsby" hit theaters on Friday. The dark video is fitting. Simple, emotional, epic and styled perfectly for the films era with typically lush Del Rey.
The alternative rock ballad, "Young and Beautiful," finds Del Rey channeling some of the film's spirit, and the era's fragile glamor. With the lyrics, "Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?" Del Rey adds a hint of desperation which parallels the idiosyncrasies faced by the characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, a story about the young and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his quixotic passion for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan on prosperous Long Island in the summer of 1922. The track falls very much in-line with what Del Rey's fans have come to expect from the singer.
Del Rey's dreamy vocals are draped over sedated strings and canned percussion. The soft and dreary vocals play over an epic backing, making it easy to see how this song would fit within the world of the decadent 1920s, falling in line with her affectation, fit the atmosphere of the 1920s when the novel is set. The lyrics rotate around the themes of pleasing a lover, nostalgia, and the gloom of aging. The song was relevant to the book because of its obsession with decay and the fleeting nature of the good life certainly resonate. It is an artifact of Del Rey's consistently dark tone, and a big, sweeping ballad with piano, violins and Del Rey's warbly delivery.
Directed by Chris Sweeney and shot by Sophie Muller, the dark clip features close-up shots of the 26-year-old songstress in her typical melancholic fashion, sultrily singing with two bedazzled diamond tears on her face, about life, love, age, and looking simply exquisite in 1920s art deco grand hall as an orchestra plays the "Young and Beautiful" notes and elaborated a tale of wealth and power, betrayal and downfall with a full orchestra ensemble backdrop playing the haunting and strikingly somber tune. The clip does not feature any characters from the film, but instead focuses on just the indie pop singer up close and personal, performing her soundtrack contribution.

Avril Lavigne is back, and she's pulled a youthful, brings old her back, takes her fans to the prom and wants to stay young forever in the music video for her new unwilling-adult anthem, "Here's To Never Growing Up," the trailer cut from the Canadian pop/rock singer's upcoming yet-untitled fifth studio album, due in stores in September via Epic Records. The point of the song is unapologetically holding onto that notion of being young at heart. Lavigne, who is now 28-years-old but looks exactly identical to her 17-year-old self in the prom-themed video to her fittingly titled new single.
The pop-punker having been world-famous for over a decade, and having gone through a marriage and a divorce (and with another marriage upcoming), Lavigne has never exactly seemed like an artist likely to go through a difficult, mature phase. Lavigne's defiant immaturity has been a hallmark of her music for as long as she's being around, and now it appears to be getting more willful than ever, as evidenced by her new song, which is basically what it sounds like from its title–an acoustic power ballad-type, Peter Pan-like manifesto about Lavigne and her buds staying "forever young" against all odds, promising that "we're never gonna change."
The medium-tempo rocker is a classic drinking tune, an anthemic shout-along about railing against the onset of maturity in favor of telling people 'Yeah, whatever' and screaming Radiohead tunes. Its melody is immediately and instantly familiar and sounds exactly like her breakthrough 2002 hit "Complicated." The sing-songy track, built around a big, kick-drum stomp, is an aptly-titled salute to staying forever young. "It's a pop rock tune. And it's just about being young, having fun, being present, living in the moment and that's what I love to do," she told Ryan Seacrest. Lavigne has always had an annoyingly mannered delivery, but it reaches new heights on "Here's To Never Growing Up." The rowdy nature of the track certainly makes it an early entry into the round of summer anthems.

Directed by Robert Hale, the visual follows Lavigne and her ex-bandmates Evan Taubenfeld and Devin Bronsonrocking, who are duded up in red plaid tuxedos, while they prepare to perform at a dull high school senior prom. The event livens up once the band kicks in with Lavigne's ode to teenage rebellion. The singer rocks with the band, skateboards down corridors and even dons her signature look from back in her "Complicated" days, board shorts, white tank top and tie. Lavigne seemed to have a blast in the process of filming, so at least she's happy with her unchanged musical style that's been reincarnated from the previous decade. The Queen will be forever young!

The Wanted try and impress a sexy music video director with their recycled ideas in their just-released new music video for their latest popalicious single, "Walks Like Rihanna," the first cut to be lifted from the boyband's upcoming third studio album, which is yet-untitled. The latest single from The Wanted may be named after Rihanna, but the music video for the winsomely abysmal new track is focusing on an entirely different set of pop idols, as The Wanted channeling the boy banders who've come before them in "Walks Like Rihanna."
The five-piece English-Irish boy band worked with Dr. Luke on the track, which is a summer anthem that was inspired by Bajan singler Rihanna. "We are really excited about this single. We feel it's a little different from the usual Wanted sound, we've stripped it back to pure pop, it's just a feel-good, fun track," Tom Parker said. "Fun is a good word to describe the video too. Let's just say it's got a lot of character." Apparently, The Wanted decided to have a little fun with their boy-band image in their latest music video.
The accompanying "Walks Like Rihanna" video was shot in Los Angeles and has The Wanted imitating major boy bands that came before them, and the entire mini-film seems to be a cheeky homage to boybands of the past. The video follows the boys meet a way-too-hot music video director who pitches them a few ideas for their new video. Unfortunately the director's video ideas are a bit recycled, but fortunately for us, that means we get to see The Wanted pay homage to previous boy-band pop culture. First, the singers poke fun and re-enact the marionette scene from their forefathers by parodying N'Sync's puppet-themed hit "Bye Bye Bye" from their album "No Strings Attached."
And then spoofs the Backstreet Boys' hit "I Want It That Way" with the all-white-everything scene and features the fivesome sporting all-white suits, identical to those worn in the wildly popular 1999 music video. Finally, the guys pay tribute to their earliest U.K. boy band predecessors by frolicking in the rain à la Take That's "Back For Good." In the end, after several attempts to embody the essences of these other bands, she has the right idea. She puts them in an empty warehouse, and strutting like Rihanna, she enters as the video vixen the video so needed all along.

After what seems like a year without rain, the drought has finally ended, as Selena Gomez grows up and pays tribute to pop's past in her brand-new music video for her fun dance track, "Come & Get It," the lead single from the 20-year-old pop songstress and actress' upcoming as-yet-untitled debut solo album, fourth overall, following the three discs she released as the frontwoman of Selena Gomez & the Scene. The new video features Gomez braving the elements as she dances by a fire in a sexy sari-inspired getup before swimming in the open water, and we think it's her best video yet!
The Ester Dean penned and Stargate produced track is a mid-tempo pop song with elements of Indian music, about an up-and-down, on-off relationship. lyrically, it describes an addiction to a troublesome romance as a female lover's attempt to rekindle a previously ended romance. "Come & Get It," an easy, breezy tune with an ambling melody and a hint of reggae lilt, is fairly monotone, but repeat listens reveal the song's infectiousness. The track combines a Bhangra beat and vocal with a club-ready vibe and a dreamy bridge. And Gomez seems completely on-board with her love affair on the dance track.
The tribal electro-pop jam was released a few months after Gomez's split from her former boyfriend Justin Bieber. Fans immediately began speculating that the tune was a message to her ex that she wanted to get back together. However, the singer denied this was the case. She told Ryan Seacrest, "It's not really about a specific person. It exudes confidence and strength and that is something I'm willing to share with the world. I want to represent something good and be a good example."
Teaming up with director Anthony Mandler, who most recently directed Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" video, the two collectively worked to bring the Bhangra beat of "Come & Get it" to life. In the video, Gomez embracing an earthy, tribal feel and showed off a super sultry side of herself that we've never seen before as she battles the elements by taking on Earth, fire, and water. The singer seductively danced with the Earth in a revealing black outfit in a field of flowers. She fought fire in a red-hot outfit dancing with a group in the firelight. Gomez also channeled her inner mermaid by gracefully swimming in the ocean, and looked absolutely stunning while doing it!

Tim McGraw finally revealed his saddest video ever for his latest colossal country superstar collaboration single, "Highway Don't Care," a duet with his labelmate Taylor Swift and featuring Keith Urban on guitar, is the third single from the 46-year-old Country crooner and actor's new album, "Two Lanes of Freedom," which impacted on February 5th, serves as the singer's highly-anticipated debut Big Machine Records release. The track is arguably one of the best collaborations of the decade, maybe even ever.
"Highway Don't Care," a cautionary tale about the dangers of texting and driving, was co-penned by country music's loved one-time-duo, The Warren Brothers who explains: "The cool thing about that song is that the part we wrote for the girl, she is just the voice on the radio." It's about the person you're singing about in the song or singing to in the song is driving down the road. The tune is a mid-tempo ballad where the male narrator is driving his car, and is separated from his lover who is also driving. Lyrically, the song is a take on freedom tinged with regret. Throughout the verses, he tells her what he "bets" she is feeling, when a song comes on the radio.
A new emotional climax is a roller coaster of emotions that reached each time the arrangement slows down for Swift to deliver the almost haunting "I can't live without you, baby." From there Urban introduces the chorus by way of a few passionate pulls at his guitar strings. Suddenly, the air guitar is cool again. Urban's solo at the bridge and slowly and satisfyingly brings us back down to Earth with the relatively gentle sounds of McGraw and Swift's harmonies. These two are a wonderful vocal match. There's no sense of one being underutilized to benefit the other, or one being no match for the other's talents. It's her song as much as it is his, with Urban playing more than a complementary roll.
This such a hauntingly brilliant song accompanied by an absolutely soul-crushing video, directed by Shane Drake, and it features a series of dramatic footage and marks yet another addition to the Car Crash Video genre. It begins with McGraw singing in the middle of a lonely road outside of Nashville on a cold, foggy morning by a river, telling the story of a young girl who jumps into her car all upset, not paying attention to the road while she's driving. She can see Swift singing the chorus in her rear view mirror as she drives. The gut-wrenching sob story about an ill-fated lovers contains Public Service Announcement-esque levels of melodrama, but it is pretty effective! Watch it and remember how precious life is.

The stunning R&B diva Alicia Keys has unveiled a bold and high-energy new video for her new triumphant anthem, "New Day," the lead single and the third international single from her fifth studio album, "Girl on Fire." The 32-year-old R&B songstress fires on her husband Swizz Beatz-produced hit with the very catchy, more up-tempo tune and declares it's a new day and calls listeners to celebrate her new "Girl on Fire" single.
"New Day," Keys' most powerful number to date, is a contemporary R&B song with house, Hip hop, pop and reggae influences, and the song showcases a musical departure from the previous singles by the singer, with a more upbeat sound led by drums and percussion, as opposed to her classical R&B sound. On the song, Keys sings about "touching the sky and not letting chances go to waste." The chorus "It's a new day" speaks of everything. It's a new day for music. It's a new day for her spiritually, mentally. The concept is celebrating life, and that's just the beginning of it.
On the theme of the song, Keys expressed that for her, "a new day is the possibility to chose how to create the life of your dreams and letting no one to stop you." The song is clearly inspired by the experiences and feelings the singer had about her son. She further added that "In short, 'New Day' is a strong start to what will hopefully be a banger of an album." The song marks a musical departure for Keys as it sees her stepping away from her ballads and piano-led R&B music towards a more percussion-led sound. It sounds harder and tougher, sounds like a rhythmic jam with some vocals tucked underneath.
Strutting on the stage and in the streets, the Indrani-directed visuals juxtaposes footage one of her sold-out, jam-packed concerts as Keys performing in a crop top to a packed crowd with scenes of the singer breaking it down in a pair of killer leather pants in back alleys, and sweeping views of New York City as Keys doing some arm-raising choreography with her back-up male dancers. Interspersed in between the two similar-looking set-ups are shots of graffiti being painted on the wall of the alleyway, which when finally done, served as the video's culminating shot, showing a cool artwork of Keys and her new single's title.