Britney Spears looked like the epitome of elegance and sophistication on Friday when she delicately glided into a L.A. gas station to purchase a cool, refreshing bottle of Fanta. {Pic Source}

Besides invading gas stations across America with her muscular legs, the Queen B is also working on her next album, which paparazzi gossip site X-17 are exclusively claiming will be “more energetic” than her last album Circus, and like “Blackout times 100″.

“Right after this year’s Grammy Awards, Britney met with all of the producers for her next album to explain the vibe she’s looking to capture. Brit, who is co-writing many of the songs, explained that she’s looking to give the new album a vibe like the song ‘Get Naked’ from Blackout.”

They also mentioned that Britney is working with Blackout producers Bloodshy & Avant, Danja and Corte Ellis so she can recreate the vibe of the album again.

I’d trust X-17 about as far as I could throw them (not very), but I figured I’d put the rumors out there then combine prayer with positive thinking in hopes of making them a reality!

First there was Cheryl, and then Nadine, and now the crazy alcoholic member of Girls Aloud, Sarah Harding, has announced that she will also release her own solo album.

“I’m starting my album now but I don’t know what theme of music to go for. I want to step away from pop.

“I would love it to be something like Lady Gaga. She can really sing and perform. In the band we all have a say but we have to compromise. Now I can do exactly what I want.” {source}

Sarah honey, strut your stuff in front of the paparazzi wearing a lobster headpiece and call everything you do “art” and voila, Britain’s very own Lady GaGa.

The 28-year-olds solo aspirations aren’t actually much of a surprise since she’s been working on an acting career for a while now, and last year she recorded a few songs for the soundtrack to one of her flicks St Trinians II.

I can’t exactly picture a Sarah Harding solo album having much success, but hey, stranger things have happened.

During a new interview with British DJ Julie Ann, singer-songwriter Amerie announced that she’s already thinking about what direction she will go in for her next album, and that she hopes to revisit the sound she explored on her poppier, 80’s and new wave-inspired 2007 album Because I Love It.

“The next album, because I’m always already thinking about sounds, I definitely want to incorporate that sound [from In Love & War] as well as mixing some of the vibe I had on Because I Love It. Those sounds, arrangements, harmonies and song structure. It’ll be pretty interesting.” {Via Toyaz-World}

Amerie also went on to say that she’s interested in working with producer Rich Harrison again (“1 Thing”), and that the pair “might” reunite when she decides to start recording her next album.

It’s still early days yet and Amerie is still focusing on promoting her current album In Love & War internationally, but I’m beyond excited to know that she might return to the sounds of Because I Love It in the future. It’s my favorite album of hers and it’s her most critically acclaimed.

It’s also an added bonus to know that we could be getting some more Amerie and Rich Harrison collaborations in the future, because anybody that owns Amerie’s first two albums knows that the pair have created some real R&B magic together.

Now just for fun here’s one of my fave tracks from Because I Love It, “Some Like It”. Check it out below. Read more »

Did you like Trina’s last two albums The Glamorest Life and Still Da Baddest? Yes? Then you will like this new radio midtempo of hers “Always”, which features R&B diva Monica and sounds exactly like every other R&B mid-tempo that Trina has recorded in the past five years.

I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but it is what it is honey!

Meanwhile Trina’s new single “Million Dollar Girl” with Keri Hilson and Diddy has finally started to make some headway on the Billboard charts, so far reaching #23 on the Rap charts and #69 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart.

Trina’s fifth album Amazin’ should be in stores on May 4, and will feature appearances from Lady GaGa, Lyfe Jennings, Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj and more.

As part of the international re-release of her latest album Stronger with Each Tear, the undisputed Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul, Mary J. Blige, has covered two rock classics with Led Zeppelins “Whole Lotta Love” and “Stairway to Heaven”.

Originally released in 1971, “Stairway to Heaven” is not just considered one of the greatest songs ever made, but the epic guitar solo is generally rated as the best guitar solo of all time.

For Mary’s take on the classic she’s enlisted the help of Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker on drums (duh), American Idol judge Randy Jackson, Steve Vai and Australian rocker Orianthi to tackle the guitar solo.

“Whole Lotta Love” is probably Zeppelin’s second best known song after “Stairway to Heaven”, and it also has it’s spot on several “Greatest of All Time” lists from the likes of VH1 and Rolling Stone magazine.

Mary’s version of the song is actually produced by GaGa’s main man RedOne, and despite it sounding much rockier and organic than his other productions the Swedish recycler makes sure he injects an underlying dance beat into the song.

Both covers are noble and enjoyable efforts on Mary’s part, with “Whole Lotta Love” easily being the better of the two, but I think she set her sights way too high with these. The original tracks are perfect and I don’t see the need for anybody to cover them, especially “Stairway to Heaven” which didn’t add any new or fresh elements to the song leaving it as simply a pale imitation of the original.

The U2 cover of “One” with Bono was cute. MJB’s take on “Stairway to Heaven”… not so much.

Check em all out below and let me know what you think.

[MJB - Whole Lotta Love]

[Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love]

[Mary J. Blige - Stairway to Heaven]

[Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven]

Rolling Stone magazine may have designated Christina Aguilera’s new album Bionic into their “July and beyond” category, but it looks like they may have been mistaken after Aggie revamped and re-launched her official website earlier today today with the promise of some “big news” in 3 days.

Accompanying the mysterious countdown timer on the site is some stunning industrial artwork showing a robotic looking Christina with her trademark Gwen Stefani style red lipstick. The JustJared blog accurately compared to the Stanley Kubrick classic A Clockwork Orange, which actually happens to be one of Aggie’s favorite films.

What do you think Aggie’s big surprise could be? Perhaps her rumored first single, the Tricky Stewart produced “Glam”?

Chris Sorbello is a new Australian dance-pop artist that’s current storming up the Aussie club charts (#20… take that Heidi!) with her first single “So Lonely”.

The video for the song finally premiered last night, and despite it’s low budget and startling similarities to Arq on a Sunday night, the clip manages to capture the sleek subtlety of the song perfectly.

Pinching Roisin Murphy’s wardrobe certainly helped to!

Cheryl Cole’s personal life may be down the toilet but her career is hotter than ever, so the British pop princess painted on a smile with lipstick and pushed her marriage woes aside to deliver a great performance of her top ten hit “Parachute”.

She can’t really sing but I’m a huge fan of Cheryl’s performances because not only is she great to look at *rubs eyes in disbelief at Cheryls beauty*, but she also makes sure to generally include a lot of choreography when she performs.

Besides promoting “Parachute” and her debut album 3 Words, CC is also working on brand new music for release later this year with Ryan Tedder.

Janet Jackson’s new single “Nothing” premiered on radio station v103 earlier today, and the radio rip of the song has now found it’s way online.

The Jermaine Dupri produced ballad is the lead single from Janet’s new movie Why Did I Get Married Too, and was penned by Janet herself, marking a return to songwriting for the singer who didn’t pick up a pen at all on her last album Discipline.

Janet’s never been the best vocalist, so instead of autotuning herself on “Nothing” she’s turned back the clock and gone back to the gentle R&B of her 1993 album Janet.

It’s a beautiful  and understated song that finally heralds the return of the “classic” Janet that’s been promised to us for so long now but has failed to properly materialize until now.

[Nothing/1st single [Radio Rip]

Chart topper Ke$ha is showing the world that she doesn’t always have to look like some dirty $**t that you f*%# in the @$$ after a heavy night of drinking and then throw out the door with five bucks for cab fare, hopping in the shower for the first time in her life and taking it all off for this sexy photoshoot with mens mag Maxim.

She scrubs up nicely!

I’d post some excerpts from the accompanying interview but it’s just all the same super original questions about brushing your teeth with Jack Daniels and stalking Stephan, but Ke$ha did reveal one gem by saying that she thinks Justin Bieber is a “tiny little baby” that she wants to “push around onstage in a carriage”.

{source 1 + 2}