I’m still kinda baffled by T-Pain’s staying power; I never would have imagined that he’d be so successful. After all, he is neither the best vocalist or a lady-magnet. Whatever the reason, people are feeling him and this new single/video ‘Bartender’ is set to further cement his place as a viable artist. It’s more of the same from the ‘Buy U A Drank’ singer – nothing groundbreaking or too serious. The song is pretty good and the video serves it’s purpose. T-Pain’s latest album ‘Epiphany’ is currently #1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

What do you think of the video?

R&B star Ciara recently shot the video for ‘Can’t Leave ‘Em Alone’ – the third single from her current album ‘Ciara: The Evolution’. The Darkchild produced track features 50 Cent and the video is expected to premiere in the coming weeks. Check out the pics from the set:

Though ‘Can’t Leave ‘Em Alone’ is a good track, I would have preferred she release the previously-confirmed 3rd single ‘So Hard’ instead. I can see why the label went with ‘Can’t Leave ‘Em Alone’ though; the song has laid-back summer vibe to it and releasing it during this period would be logical.

What do you think of the pics / single choice?

Ja Rule has been laying low these past few years; with little heard from him since the release of his last album R.U.L.E in 2004. However, the rapper is readying his latest LP ‘The Mirror’ for a September 25th release. This new track, Body’, is slated to be the first single from the CD. Produced by 7 Aurelius (Ashanti’s ‘Only U’) and Irv Gotti, ‘Body’ is a typical Ja Rule song – he’s singing on the hook. I’m really feeling this, though; it has a cool summer vibe to it. Many have written Ja off since his feud with 50 Cent a few years back; with 50’s career waning, I’m left wondering:

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I always felt ‘LoveStoned’ was one of the better tracks from Justin Timberlake’s sophomore effort ‘Future Sex/Love Sounds’. However the video is just not cutting it. Sub-par at best, the vid comes across as cheap and rushed. Maybe after the big-budget videos for ‘SexyBack’ and ‘What Goes Around’, the label didn’t have much (funds) to work with? Whatever the case, this is a disappointment.

What do you think of the video?

There seems to be no stopping R&B star Rihanna. The singer’s mega-hit ‘Umbrella’ remains on top of the official UK singles chart and her LP ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’ debuted at #1 on the album chart. This marks the first time the singer has had #1’s on either chart.

It seems all that promo has paid off; Rihanna, 19, has been all over Europe in recent weeks. Even if the album isn’t selling as well in the US, I have a feeling she’ll do very well over here. The new musical direction she has taken on is very much what’s ‘hot’ over here right now. The confirmed 2nd single, ‘Shut Up & Drive’, should further cement her place as a viable artist here.

R&B singer and burgeoning Broadway star, Fantasia performed at the 61st Annual Tony Awards last night. Singing ‘I’m Here’ from the Tony-nominated Broadway show ‘The Color Purple’, Fantasia absolutely nailed it. Each time I see her perform the song, she tops the last.

What did you think of the performance?