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Hear New Music First – HP

Taylor Swift still holds No. 1 spot on Billboard 200

Posted in Music with tags Eminem, Glee, Jackie Evancho, Jamie Foxx, Keyshia Cole, Michael Jackson, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Susan Boyle, Taylor Swift on December 29, 2010 by HitPredictor

Taylor Swift has the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for the second week in a row. Billboard claims that last minute Christmas shopping and a few post holiday purchases give Taylor the boost she needs to stay on top.

No. 2 – Susan Boyle’s “The Gift” again at this spot this week with 240,000
No. 3 – The “Glee” Christmas album rises two spots with 160,000
No. 4 - Jackie Evancho’s “O Holy Night” is steady with 151,000
No. 5 - Michael Jackson’s “Michael” slips two with 150,000
No. 6 - Jamie Foxx’s “Best Night Of My Life” with 144,000
No. 7 – Eminem’s “Recovery” flys up 15 rungs with 137,000
No. 8 – Nicki Minaj’s “Pink Friday” stands here again this week with 133,000
No. 9 – Keyshia Cole’s “Calling All Hearts” debuts on this chart with 128,000
No. 10 – Rihanna’s “Loud” up one slot this week with 111,000

New and Noteworthy – Jamie Foxx is the highest new entry on the list at No. 6. Eminem flew up from the bottom, 15 spots to make it to No. 7. Billboard reports that [Recovery]… “benefits from sale pricing in the iTunes Store and also zips 15-1 on the Digital Albums chart with a whopping 513% jump in sales.”

Does any artist on this week’s Billboard 200 surprise you?

After six week break, Taylor Swift returns to top of Billboard 200

Posted in Music with tags Diddy Dirty money, Glee, Jackie Evancho, Kid Rock, Michael Jackson, Nicki Minaj, R. Kelly, Susan Boyle, Taylor Swift on December 22, 2010 by HitPredictor

Taylor Swift has moved back into the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 for the third (non-consecutive) week – more than six weeks since it was last at No. 1 in fact, after selling 259,000 copies of Speak Now. She beat out last week’s No. 1 – Susan Boyle’s The Gift by a mere 5,000 copies.

Billboard reports that Speak Now has already sold a total of 2.6 million copies, making it the third best-selling album of the year behind Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now (at 3 million) and Eminem’s Recovery (at 3.2 million).

The six-week break between Swift’s position at No. 1 is the longest gap between No. 1 sets since Dec. 07-Jan. 08 when Alicia Keys’ As I Am stepped down for eight weeks before returning to the top according to Billboard.

The rest of the Billboard 200 top 10 includes:

At No. 3, Michael, Michael Jackson, 228,000
At No. 4, O Holy Night, Jackie Evancho, 191,000
At No. 5, Glee Christmas Album, Glee cast, 158,000
At No. 6, Love Letter, R. Kelly, 154,000
At No. 7, Last Train to Paris, Diddy-Dirty Money, 101,000
At No. 8, Pink Friday, Nicki Minaj, 97,000
At No. 9, Born Free, Kid Rock, 94,000
At No. 10, Glee, the Music: Season Two: Volume 4, Glee Cast, 87,000

Another notable debut to the Billboard 200 this week is Crystal Bowersox’s Farmer’s Daughter which starts out at No. 28 with a starting sales figure of 58,000, which beats the starting sales of American Idol winner Lee DeWyze’s Live It Up, which debuted at No. 19 after selling 39,000 units in its first week.

Do you hope to get any of these albums in your Christmas stocking this year? If so, which one?

Positive message helps win Nina over – catch her full weekly wrap here!

Posted in Music with tags Adele, Enrique Iglesias, Kanye West, Kings of Leon, Lupe Fiasco, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Nicki Minaj, Nina C, R. Kelly, Ray J, Reba McEntire on December 22, 2010 by HitPredictor

Guest blogger and HitPredictor member Nina C. reports on the new music finds and what she liked and didn’t like in the jukebox each week at HitPredictor. Many of these songs are still available so make check them out and let us know whether you agree or disagree! And, make sure you check out Nina’s other blog, TwilightNera’s Entertainment Hotspot for other news in the entertainment world!

Let me say to all the members of HitPredictor – Merry Christmas! I hope you’re having a really good holiday season and hopefully you are taking a little time out to do some rating at HitPredictor. One of the better songs in the jukebox this week is “The Show Goes On” by Lupe Fiasco. It was a really positive rap song, a lot of Fiasco’s songs are very positive and that is what makes him a special rapper. “The End” by Kings of Leon is a good rock song and I just love the lead singer’s raspy voice.

“All of the Lights” by Kanye West sounds like a forced effort. Kanye always seems like he is forcing himself to me. Unfortunately, Rihanna did not make this track any better. “Last Wish” by Ray J was a really good and well-written R&B song. “Moment 4 Life” by Nicki Minaj is a good rap song and is one of the highlights of her new album Pink Friday. “Lost in Your Love” by R. Kelly is a pretty good R&B song and for once he does not sound like he is forcing himself. “Cry” by Reba McEntire is a really good country song. The lyrics are really good and I think Reba has one of the best voices in all of country music. I also love Adele’s voice. The song “Rolling in the Deep” is a really good classic type song.

“Hollywood Tonight” is a really good Michael Jackson song, it is classic Michael. I did not care for “Oh Santa” by Mariah Carey. I really like the original All I Want for Christmas but this one is not another Christmas classic for her. All of Enrique Iglesias’s current music is annoying to me and his song “Tonight” is no exception. There were a few other yay’s and nay’s this week I cannot mention but I will try to mention it next week. Have a Merry Merry Christmas Music Listeners :)

– DJ Lilly, Owner of Resolution Radio!

DJ Lilly gives us her picks, reminds us of top 50 countdown this Sunday night!

Posted in Music with tags Black Eyed Peas, Enrique Iglesias, Family Force 5, Forever the Sickest Kids, Kat DeLuna, Michael Jackson, Michelle Branch, Miranda Cosgrove, R. Kelly, Rihanna, Stone Sour on December 21, 2010 by HitPredictor

Hey HP, only 2 more blogs until the new year :).

There is nothing new to report on the Hot 100 this week; so this week’s blog is all about the jukebox (as it should be-lol). I liked the Kat DeLuna songs that I heard in the jukebox lately – good dance music is always a good thing. I also really liked Stone Sour’s “Hesitate”.

I didn’t like ANY of the songs by Black Eyed Peas (which is too bad). I liked Rihanna’s “Man Down” (submitted by Nina). I don’t have the album yet; but it’s just yet another reason for me to get it. I liked Forever The Sickest Kids’ “Keep On Bringing Me Down”. I would say that I like Enrique’s song, “Tonight”, but I can’t say that because it sounded very similar to “I Like It”. I used to like R. Kelly’s music; but I think he is going downhill faster than a Dallas Cowboy. I liked Switchfoot’s “Bullet Soul”. I also liked Art of Dying’s “Die Trying” and the Sick Puppies’ “Riptide”. I didn’t like Popular‘s “Huey Mack.”

I liked Micheal Jackson’s “Hollywood Tonight” and I wish he was around to see it be successful. I thought Miranda Cosgrove’s “Dancing Crazy” was ok. Since it’s the Holiday season, I also liked Family Force 5’s version of “Carol of the Bells” – it was nice to see a different take on the song. I played the Emmy Rossum version on my show the other night. My favorite song of the week was Michelle Branch (ft Timbaland)’s “Getaway” – it’s nice to see her back and they made a really good song together! She was doing country type stuff for awhile and I just wasn’t feeling it. I hope the other songs off this album are more like this one. As far as worst song of the week, there wasn’t a specific song that stood out for me as “god, this song is awful”; but the ones I voted as bad, were pretty bad – let’s just leave it at that. There was way too much country and rap in the jukebox this week (for me anyway) and I know my music settings aren’t set for either one of those.

As far as Resolution Radio news/updates go, the Top 50 contest (for the Amazon Gift Card) ends tonight (Tuesday, December 21^st) at 11:59 p.m. EST, so get those guesses in soon if you have them! The Annual Top 50 Show (aka the biggest event of the year) is this Sunday night (December 26^th) at 8:30 p.m. EST. Tune in to find out who rocked my socks, and who was the dirty water left behind. You will also hear the previous number 1’s from 2006-2009, AND I will be doing a very special dedication too. Twitter followers are also getting a special treat, so if you aren’t following us yet; then you should start now! (@resolutionradio). Have a great Christmas and I will see you next Tuesday!

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New Members’ picks ready for you to rate: Michelle Branch, Michael Jackson, R. Kelly and more!

Posted in Music with tags Forever the Sickest Kids, Michael Jackson, Michelle Branch, R. Kelly on December 17, 2010 by HitPredictor

We have some new tracks ready for you to rate this weekend that come to you directly from our members! Among the artists with new tracks our members think have hit potential are Michelle Branch, Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, and Forever the Sickest Kids. So check these tracks out and let us know whether you think any of these picks from our members have hit potential!

Michelle Branch has been pretty quiet for the last few years, her last album release was 2003’s Paper Hotel. Earlier this year Branch began working on her long-awaited studio album with artists including Akon and Timbaland. Her latest single release “Getaway” features Timbaland, and was sent into us by HitPredictor member DreamChaser, who thinks this will be a hit – do you agree? Could this be a track that proves Branch has lasting power?

Fresh of R.Kelly’s 10^th studio album Love Letter is “Lost in Your Love.” This album is an homage to the great singers of love songs in the 60s and 70s, and “Lost in Your Love” is no exception. In the track R. Kelly says “I wanna bring the love songs back to the radio,” – do you think he can? Nominated by HitPredictor member trevorstrain269, we need you to tell us if you think this throwback track has the potential to be a hit on today’s radio airwaves!

Brand new from Forever the Sickest Kids is the track “Keep on Bringing Me Down.” This song, nominated by mangofreako, is about the struggle we all feel some days when it seems to be you against the world. In the track the band battles against the forces that “Keep on Bringing Me Down” – do you think they won the battle? Is this track one that you think has hit potential? Let us know with your vote!

Fresh off Michael Jackson’s posthumous release Michael is the new track “Hollywood Tonight.” Nominated by HitPredictor member xvintagehearts, this poppy track has a dark undertone in the lyrics as a young girl boards a Greyhound bus to pursue her dreams in Hollywood and is lured into the streets to turn tricks desperate to keep her dream alive. Do you think this posthumous release – which the producer openly admitted was heavily edited to get Jackson’s vocals in key – has the potential to be a charting hit for the now-deceased King of Pop?

Check all of these tracks out in your HitPredictor jukebox now and let us know whether you think any of our members’ picks are potential hits!

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Producer of Michael Jackson’s posthumous album reveals considerable processing done to Jackson vocals in the studio

Posted in Music with tags Michael, Michael Jackson on December 14, 2010 by HitPredictor

Michael Jackson’s posthumous album Michael officially drops today (Dec. 14), and producer Teddy Riley said the work required quite a bit of digital enhancement on the Jackson’s vocals in the studio.

Billboard reports that Riley, who was one of the main producers on the project, told Reuters on Monday: “I had to do more processing to the voice, which is why people were asking about the authenticity of his voice. We had to do what we had to do to make … his voice work with the actual music.”‘

Riley had previously worked with Jackson on his 1991 album Dangerous.

The technology producers used to get Jackson’s “raw” vocals in key was Melodyne, which Riley explains: ”With the Melodyne we actually move the (pitch) up which is the reason why some of the vibrato sounds a little off or processed, over-processed,. We truly apologize for that happening, but you are still hearing the true Michael Jackson.”

“…I know it’s great material, I know that it needs to be out, I know that the legacy needs to continue because he’s such a great person, and there’s more to come.”

Billboard reports Riley worked on three of the 10 songs on the album – “Monster,” Breaking News,” and “Hollywood Tonight.” He also stated his interest in continuing to produce future Jackson albums from other pre-recorded and never released material.

Does it bother you that the new Michael Jackson songs are so heavily produced in the studio? Do you think that is what Jackson would have wanted, or do you think his estate is taking advantage of his private material?

Nina finds lots of wins in the jukebox this week – have you too?

Posted in Music with tags Akon, Ciara, Diddy Dirty money, Drake, Eminem, Headly, Jaime Foxx, Justin Bieber, Ke$ha, Michael Jackson, Nina C, Rihanna, Snoop Dogg, Swayze on December 1, 2010 by HitPredictor

Happy holidays to everyone at HitPredictor, I hope you ate plenty of food and had a great day! The last two weeks at HitPredictor have been pretty much a win, with just a few exceptions. “Perfect” by Headly was really heartfelt and good lyrics while “Sleazy” by Ke$sha makes me wonder what is wrong with the music industry now-a-days. I mean are people really listening and respecting someone who prides themselves on being sleazy? It is really disappointing that someone like her can become so famous. She definitely gets the award for worst song of the week.

“Love the Way You Lie” Part 2 by Rihanna feat. Eminem really is better than part one and is one of her best songs. I find the song really disturbing but it definitely has a lot of work put into it. I enjoyed both of the Michael Jackson songs “Breaking News” sounded like classic Michael and was really good. “Hold My Hand” feat. Akon was a really good collaboration and brought a nice sound to make it a solid song. “Coming Home” by Diddy Dirty Money was a strong rap song because it has good lyrics (good lyrics still count now-a-days don’t they?) “New Years Eve” by Snoop Dogg may not have been a heavy rap but it had a smooth beat and chill feel to it that gave it enough to keep it going. While Ciara’s “Gimme That” was only good because of its OK beat but I don’t think it’s enough to make it a hit.

“Fall for Your Type” by Jaime Foxx feat. Drake is a pretty solid collaboration between an R&B and a rap star. It has a real mood to it that carries the song really far. I thought “Love Letter” by Swayze was a pretty good rap/love song, you really do not hear that often so I enjoyed that. I was really impressed with Justin Bieber’s “Prayer,” it showed real substance and strength for the young artist. It is a really heartfelt song and I genuinely appreciate that.

Looking back at the last two weeks they were really quite good. There was one BIG exception that hopefully I can mention next week. Happy Holidays :)

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DJ Lilly’s picks and predictions, with an eye on the Hot 100 this week!

Posted in Music with tags Akon, DJ Lilly, Good Charlotte, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Kimberly Caldwell, Michael Jackson, Mike Posner, Nelly, Pink, Resolution Radio, Rihanna, Runner Runner, Willow Smith on November 30, 2010 by HitPredictor

Hey HP!

I hope everyone had a fantabulous holiday weekend! So, I was gone all weekend and didn’t have much time to rate songs for the week, but I didn’t want to leave you with nothing, so I decided to concentrate on the Hot 100 this week.

I still like both of the Rihanna songs that are on the list and I even tried to buy the new Rihanna album, Loud, on Black Friday, but they were sold out.

I still hate the Ke$ha song (“We R Who We R”) and still don’t really understand why it’s so popular.

Katy Perry’s “Firework” is a good song, and the video is awesome too.

My favorite song on the list is probably Pink’s “Raise Your Glass” (its growing on me).

I also still really like “Just a Dream” by Nelly.

Two songs that are on the Hot 100 that I hope eventually reach the Top 10 are “Please Don’t Go” by Mike Posner (I am really starting to like that song and I find it stuck in my head once in awhile) and “Whip My Hair” by Willow Smith – I think both have pretty much run their course though.

The songs I heard in the jukebox were “Hummingbird Heartbeat” by Katy Perry, which was OK.

Another song I heard was “Last Night” by Good Charlotte, which wasn’t OK. I am really disappointed in them sometimes.

“Hey Alli” by Runner Runner was pretty good, “The One That Got Away” by Katy Perry was alright; but not as good as her previous songs. “Hold My Hand” by Michael Jackson and Akon could’ve been better; but it wasn’t too awful. I still really like “Desperate Girls and Stupid Boys” by Kimberly Caldwell (that is the title according to her website).

Some updated Resolution Radio news, my Holiday Show will be on December 12th at 9 p.m. EST – come listen to some of your favorite holiday tunes (and maybe make some new ones too!). I will be playing some classics and some not-so classics :P. The Top 50 contest window opens tonight (Nov. 30) at 12:01 a.m. and will remain open until Dec. 21 at 11:59 p.m. – check out all the details and rules on our site. In the meantime, please listen to me and Mel as we rock your house 3 times a week (Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday nights) at 9 p.m. EST!

See you next week! – DJ Lilly

Michael Jackson & Akon’s “Hold My Hand” ready to rate in the jukebox now!

Posted in Music with tags Akon, Hold My Hand, Michael, Michael Jackson on November 15, 2010 by HitPredictor

Michael Jackson’s new single with Akon “Hold My Hand” made its official debut at 12:01 a.m. EST this morning, and we’ve now got it ready for you to rate in the HitPredictor jukebox!

We want to know if you think this track – the lead single from Jackson’s upcoming posthumous album Michael, due out December 14 – has the potential to be a hit as a universal plea for peace.

As we reported last week, Akon recently put the finishing touches on the track, which was originally recorded back in 2007. This track was selected as the lead single by Jackson himself, who wrote a note stating his desire to give “Hold My Hand” extra attention.

Akon spoke about recording “Hold My Hand” with Jackson saying: “Just to be in the same room [with him], I felt like everything I wanted to achieve in life had already been achieved. That’s how incredible that aura [is].”

Do you think the pair recorded an uplifting hit with “Hold My Hand”? Check it out at HitPredictor now and let us know what you think!

Tracklist, first single from Michael Jackson’s posthumous album announced

Posted in Music with tags Michael, Michael Jackson on November 12, 2010 by HitPredictor

A posthumous album called Michael by the late Michael Jackson is scheduled to be released Dec. 14, and the lead single “Hold My Hand,” a duet with Akon will be made public this coming Monday, Nov. 15 at 12:01 a.m. EST on michaeljackson.com. The complete tracklist to Michael has also been announced, and can be seen in full below.

Billboard reports the new single “Hold My Hand” was written by Akon and recorded by the pair in Las Vegas sometime in 2007. An unfinished version of the song leaked in 2008; however, since Jackson’s death Akon has finished the final production of the track.

In a statement Akon said: “The world was not ready to hear ‘Hold My Hand’ when it leaked a couple years ago. We were devastated about it. But its time has definitely come; now in its final state, it has become an incredible, beautiful, anthemic song. I’m so proud to have had the chance to work with Michael, one of my all-time idols.”

The statement also indicated the late king of pop had slated “Hold My Hand” to be the lead single on his next project, as was recorded in a handwritten letter. This week we saw the release of the controversial new song “Breaking News,” which has even family members disputing it is the late king of pop’s voice on the track.

Jackson’s new album will also feature several other collaborations including Lenny Kravitz and 50 Cent.

Work on the album was nearly complete before Jackson’s death as Billboard reports the tracks on were co-produced by Jackson and consist almost entirely of material recorded in three years leading up the singer’s death in 2009.

Tracklist for Michael:
“Hold My Hand” (Featuring Akon)
“Hollywood Tonight”
“Keep Your Head Up”
“(I Like) The Way You Love Me”
“Monster” (Featuring 50 Cent)
“Best of Joy”
“Breaking News”
“(I Can’t Make It) Another Day” (Featuring Lenny Kravitz)
“Behind the Mask”
“Much Too Soon”

Are you excited to hear the new music from the late king of pop?

Chris Brown overcome with emotion during Michael Jackson tribute

Posted in Music with tags Chris Brown, Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jackson, Rihanna on June 28, 2010 by HitPredictor

Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images

During last night’s (Sunday, June 27) tribute to Michael Jackson at the BET Awards, Chris Brown grew too choked up to carry on his performance of “Man In the Mirror.”

Introduced byJermaine Jackson, Brown channeled the late king of pop as he danced to “Remember the Time,” “Smooth Criminal,” and “Bille Jean.” However, it was when he was handed the mic to sing with “Man in the Mirror” that he became too overwhelmed with emotion to sing, visibly weeping.

MTV reported that Brown faded in and out while the pre-recorded back-up vocals continued to play before falling to his knees as Michael Jackson’s voice sang “I’m staring with the man in the mirror.” The shocked audience sang where Brown could not and seemed to help Brown mouth the words along with Jackson’s voice before Jermaine Jackson helped him offstage to console him.

Many media outlets have speculated that the words to “Man In The Mirror” have especially rung true to Brown’s ears as he struggles to overcome the public backlash of his assault of Rihanna last year, which Brown seemed to address in his single, and brief speech of the night saying: “I let y’all down before but I won’t do it again, I promise. I love y’all, good night.”

Did you think Brown’s meltdown during the Jackson tribute was one based on true emotion or rather a publicity stunt to show the public how sorry he is for his assault?

BET Awards to feature star-studded lineup

Posted in Music with tags Alicia Keys, BET Awards, DJ Khaled, Eminem, Kanye West, Ludacris, Michael Jackson, Rick Ross, T-Pain, T.I., Usher on June 18, 2010 by HitPredictor

The 10th annual BET Awards will take place on Sunday June 27th at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, and will feature the who’s who of hip-hop, rap, and rock performers on stage.

The event, set to be hosted by Queen Latifah, has a performance roster includes Kanye West and T.I. – both of which are stepping up their comebacks – as well as Eminem and Usher – with fresh album releases – who will be joining Alicia Keys, T-Pain, Ludacris, DJ Khaled, and Rick Ross on the roster according to Billboard.com in addition to previously reported performers including Diddy-Dirty Money, Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj, and Drake.

Among the scheduled highlights of the night is a tribute to Michael Jackson, which will be just past the one-year anniversary of his death.

The show will air live at 8 Eastern on BET.

Are you surprised at the depth of the lineup? Do you plant to watch?

Feedback needed on “We Are The World” 2010

Posted in Music with tags Michael Jackson, We Are The World on February 16, 2010 by HitPredictor

We first reported on the re-recording of the 1985 single “We Are The World,” a few weeks ago, as the stars came out in force after the Grammy Awards to lend their talents to a cause to raise money for the earthquake victims in Haiti.

Many of you probably heard the debut of the single at the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday, or have seen and heard the video online, but we want to know what you think at HitPredictor!

Please have another listen to “We Are The World,” available in the jukebox now at HitPredictor, and let us know what you think of this single – is it better or worse than the original? What do you think of the auto-tune? Can you pick out your favorite artists’ voices?

The official numbers on the sales will come out later this week, but since its release, the single has been at the top of the downloads list on iTunes.

What do you think of this collaboration, and the use of Michael Jackson’s voice? We want to know!

Let us hear it at HitPredictor!

[Update] Just this morning, Rolling Stone published a reaction piece to the single, with artists such as Jay-Z discussing why he chose not to participate. He said the original version was just too sacred to him, “I think ‘We Are the World’ is like [Michael Jackson's] ‘Thriller’ to me. I don’t ever wanna see it touched. Some things are just untouchable. It was a valiant effort, but for me, it’s gonna be untouchable.”

Rolling Stone also noted in its article, along the lines of what many HitPredictor members have also said, that the use of auto-tune and the addition of the rap interlude was either unnecessary or a bit much. Check out Lionel Richie’s defense of the remake in the Rolling Stone article here, and make sure you give US your feedback as well!

New music first – HP

Michael Jackson’s personal physician expected to surrender today

Posted in Music with tags Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson on February 5, 2010 by HitPredictor

Charges are expected to be filed today against Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson’s former personal physician. There is still some debate between the LAPD and the DA’s office as to whether Murray can surrender to police to avoid a public arrest. The charge is expected to be involuntary manslaughter, as the doctor is accused of administering a deadly dose of sedatives, including Propofol, to Jackson in the hours leading up to his June 25, 2009 death.

According to Rolling Stone, Murray and his legal team plan to surrender to police today at 1:30 p.m. PST. However, because the LAPD and DA’s office cannot agree on the terms of surrender, it is unclear whether he’ll be taken into custody. In the event the LAPD do not take him into custody at that time, Murray’s legal team has planned a conference outside the precinct.

New music first – HP