Artist to Watch: Johnta Austin

Austin is a singer/songwriter who has been working behind the scenes in the music business for the past 10+ years. You may not have heard his name before, but you’ve definitely heard his work. He co-wrote 4 of the hit singles from The Emancipation of Mimi and even won the 2006 Best R&B Song Grammy Award for "We Belong Together".

But now it’s time for Johnta to shine on his own. It all started when he was originally signed to RCA in 1994 at the tender age of 13. Unfortunately, he was dropped from the label 2 years later when Tyrese Gibson was signed. But all was not lost. Just 6 months later, at the age of 16, Johnta wrote the hit song from Tyrese’s debut album, "Sweet Lady".

In May of last year, Austin was signed to So So Def and recorded his debut album Ocean Drive. I recently saw the video for his song "Turn It Up" and loved it from the first down beat. Ironically, before I even found out about his history in the business, I immediately thought his sound was a combination of Tyrese and Craig David. It was a smooth, soulful sound and he even did a little freestyling in there. I definitely look forward to hearing some more of his work.

If You Didn’t Know, Now You Know: Robin Thicke

Yep, his name might sound familiar to you for a couple of reasons. Besides being a musician, this artist is the son of Alan Thicke, star of TV’s Growing Pains, and a Canadian actress. So I guess being in the entertainment industry is in his blood.

Robin Thicke was first introduced to us with his debut album A Beautiful World in 2002. His first single, “When I Get You Alone”, ingeniously sampled Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. And the video featured him as a bike messenger riding through the streets of Manhattan. I loved the track the first time I saw the video and immediately wondered who this guy was. Not many artists out there are able to do this, but he truly created his own sound.

Now, Robin is signed to The Neptunes record label, Star Trak. And hopefully you’ve seen his Hype Williams directed video for his current single, “Wanna Love You Girl”, featuring Pharrell Williams. Now, if none of this has rung a bell with you yet, perhaps you’ve heard “Shooter” by Lil’ Wayne from Tha Carter, Volume 2. Yep, that’s Robin on the track. His next album, The Evolution of Robin Thicke, is scheduled to be released September 12th.

MTV 2006 VMAs

The MTV Video Music Awards will be airing August 31st at 7 p.m. Click here to see the nominees and vote now!

Justin Timberlake

Yes! JT’s long awaited sophomore album is on it’s way! The scheduled release date is September 12th. I’ve been waiting for this since Justified came out. I have to give Justin serious props. He was always a standout during the height of ‘N Sync. And he has managed to use that momentum to elevate him to the next level, a solo career. Not only that, but I was very impressed with how he was able to create his own sound and break away from his boy band stereotype.

Justified had tight beats from Timbaland and he worked with everyone from Janet Jackson to my personal favorite, Brian McKnight. I expect nothing less on this sophomore project. He’s already released his first sing, Sexy Back. Cool song but I’m not overly impressed. Yes, Timbaland has once again done his thing on this track, but anyone could sing this song (if you call that singing). I just hope the other songs are tight and reflect Justin’s vocal talents.

On another note, Justin's actions outside of the studio have been bothering me lately. 1st offense: During an interview with a Brit Magazine, he admitted to doing drugs. He said “I’ve done way too many drugs already. I’ve already inhaled and I’ve already … who knows? I’m just like everyone else, I get completely plastered, I’ve done my fair share of drugs and I’ve been caught places with my pants down. It’s just I make sure there are no cameras around. What I really think is that I’ve never done anything that bad". Now JT, does that really make it better? Did you forget that you're still doing something illegal? 2nd offense: He showed his disdain for TV talent shows (Fine. Go ahead and act like the Mickey Mouse Club was better) and said that 2006 American Idol Winner Taylor Hicks "can't carry a tune in a bucket". I definitely don't look at him the same way anymore. But, his ignorance has nothing to do with his musical talent.

Danity Kane - Making the Band

I’m sure at some point in time all of you have seen or at least heard about MTV’s show Making the Band. Well, Diddy’s latest creation, Danity Kane (I know, I’m still not a fan of the name either), is getting ready to release their debut album on August 22nd. But you can hear it in its entirety right here. I must give props to Diddy for calling in his friends to produce these ladies’ first project. Bryan Cox, Scott Storch and Rodney Jerkins are some (if not THE) hottest producers in the game today, no doubt. (I really encourage you to click on their links to see the very long lists of the work that they've done. You'd be surprised! If you didn't know, now you know!) I must say that I’ve been anxiously awaiting the album’s release so I can download songs from iTunes ever since I saw them in the recording studio on the show. My personal favorite is Ride for You. I love that song!!!

But based on the history of the show, I honestly have to say that I don’t have high hopes for Danity Kane’s longevity. Let’s recap… Season 1 was O-Town who was your typical boy band assembled by the one and only Lou Pearlman. They had their 5 seconds of fame. And the only person from the original group who has managed to bounce back is Ashley Parker Angel (thanks in much part to starring in his own reality show on MTV).

Season 2 looked like it’d have much better results with Diddy (or was he still P. Diddy or Puffy then?) behind the wheel. There was incredible talent that season and what an idea to put together and R&B and Hip Hop super group! But all of them lost sight of how fortunate they were to get picked up by Bad Boy. Diddy had to drop all but 2 of them from the label and I don’t blame him.

And now the 3rd go at Making the Band. It took 3 whole seasons to do it, but Diddy finally did it this time. No doubt these ladies are extremely talented dancers and vocalists. And he had them work with some of the hottest producers. (And not to mention their choreographer, Laurie Ann Gibson. She knows here stuff! Did you know she used to be a fly girl on In Living Color?) But there will always be that question of “What would everyone think of them if they hadn’t been on a reality show?” Personally, I feel I can’t give them any serious props as a group until I hear a sophomore album…

Welcome!

Welcome to my Music Lounge. Here I will discuss my number one love, music. You'll find anything and everything related to music that interests me right here from album releases, artists to watch, concert reviews, celebrity news and more. Enjoy!