David Sneddon is a Scottish singer, songwriter, musician and music producer of contemporary pop music. He began his career performing on stage and television, singing lead roles in stage musicals in Glasgow. In 2002, he won the first series of BBC One music competition Fame Academy. He released his first single "Stop Living the Lie" in 2003 which was a UK number one hit single selling over 250,000 copies, making it Britain's twelfth-highest selling single of 2003. Sneddon's debut album Seven Years – Ten Weeks was released in April 2003 and reached number 5 in the UK Albums Chart. He achieved three more UK Singles Chart singles – "Don't Let Go", "Best of Order", and "Baby Get Higher". His song "Baby Get Higher" was a hit on the dance floor for Almighty Records and a chart hit for VanVelzen in 2006, and also for Emin Agalarov.
Show Your Bones is the second studio album by American indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, released on March 28, 2006 by Interscope Records. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2007.
Sam Newton Battenberg Faulkner is an English singer-songwriter and musician from Reigate, Surrey. He is known for his percussive style of guitar playing. In 2007 Faulkner's debut studio album Hand Built by Robots was certified double platinum in the United Kingdom. The album topped the UK Albums Chart in August 2007. It was promoted by three singles, "Dream Catch Me", "I Need Something" and "Teardrop". "Dream Catch Me" reached number seven on the UK Singles Charts.
"Rain on Your Parade" is a song by Welsh singer Duffy from the deluxe version of her debut studio album Rockferry (2008). It was released as the lead and only single from the deluxe album worldwide on 9 November 2008. The song was written by Duffy and Rockferry collaborator Steve Booker and produced by Booker. It is an up-tempo pop song in which Duffy uses an idiom for ruining her lover and their intentions. The song marked a departure from the down-tempo soul and balladry of the original version of Rockferry, incorporating elements of R&B and soul. It received positive reviews from critics, with many complimenting Duffy's vocals. Musically, the song bears a striking resemblance to James Bond songs, making notable use of strings. It was called a "big, retro-sounding pop-soul number".
Let Em Ave It is the second studio album by English rapper Giggs. The album was released on 21 June 2010 under XL Recordings. It is the follow-up to his debut album Walk in da Park (2008). The album was supported by four singles — "Slow Songs", "Don't Go There", "Look What the Cat Dragged In" and "Hustle On", two of which charted in the top 60 of the UK Singles Chart. The album features guest appearances from B.o.B, Joe Grind, Gunna Dee, Starboy Nathan, among others. Production derived from Bayoz Musik, Boom Productions and Drumma Boy.
Alive Till I'm Dead is the first studio album by the English rapper Professor Green, released on 16 July 2010. The album includes guest vocals by Lily Allen, Example, Labrinth and Emeli Sandé, among others.
Siberia is the second studio album by Canadian recording artist Lights. It was released worldwide on October 4, 2011, excluding Australia and the United Kingdom. Production was handled by Tawgs Salter and Canadian electronic band Holy Fuck, while featuring guest vocals from Canadian rapper Shad on two of the album's tracks. Musically, Siberia has been described as being "grittier" and "darker" whilst also incorporating "poppier moments", and while the album still uses prominent elements of synthpop, it also features influences of other genres such as dubstep and hip-hop and bitpop.
Unbroken is the third studio album by American singer Demi Lovato. It was released on September 20, 2011, by Hollywood Records. Primarily a pop record, Lovato described the album as "more mature" and with more R&B elements than her previous material, citing Rihanna as the major influence. While some of the album's lyrical content was heavily influenced by Lovato's personal struggles, it also deals with lighter subjects, such as love, self-empowerment, and having fun. Contributions to the album's production came from a wide range of producers, including Toby Gad, Ryan Tedder, Timbaland, Jim Beanz and Rock Mafia.
Secret Codes and Battleships is the fourth studio album from Australian singer-songwriter Darren Hayes. It was released 21 October 2011 on Mercury Records in Australia, on EMI Records in the United Kingdom on 24 October, and on his own label Powdered Sugar for the rest of the world on 25 October.
The Big Black and the Blue is the first studio album by Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit. It was released on 25 January 2010 in the UK via Wichita Recordings, followed by a US release on 25 May 2010.
Little Broken Hearts is the fifth studio album by American singer and songwriter Norah Jones, released on April 25, 2012, by Blue Note Records. The album was produced by Brian Burton, better known as Danger Mouse, who is notable for his production work with the Black Keys, Gnarls Barkley, and Beck among others.
A Million Lights is the third studio album by English singer Cheryl, released on 15 June 2012 through Fascination Records. Following her divorce from Ashley Cole, this is Cheryl's first album to be released under the mononym Cheryl, dropping her married surname. The album was recorded in 2011 and 2012. As the executive producer of the album, Cheryl enlisted a variety of producers such as Alex da Kid, Calvin Harris, will.i.am, Pantha, Agent X, HyGrade, Dada Life, Jim Beanz, Taio Cruz, Mathias Wollo, The Beamer Boyz, Billy Wes, Electric, Bibi Jones and Dave Munday. Sonically, A Million Lights is a pop, dance and R&B album that draws influence from other genres such as dubstep, house and electronic music in its production.
"Dinosaur" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Kesha, taken from her debut studio album Animal (2010). The song was written by Kesha in collaboration with Max Martin and Shellback; the latter two also produced the song, while all three are responsible for the instrumentation. The song's conception stems from an encounter Kesha had with an older man that had been hitting on her, which she compared to a prehistoric dinosaur. The lyrics discuss an older man that is attempting to hit on a younger female, which is ultimately rejected. The song received generally negative reviews from music critics.
Standing at the Sky's Edge is the seventh studio album from English musician Richard Hawley, released in the UK on 7 May 2012 and in the US on 28 August 2012. The album is markedly different from Hawley's previous efforts, often relinquishing softer instrumentation in favour of squalling guitars. As with all of Hawley's previous albums, the title obliquely refers to a location in his native city of Sheffield, in this case Skye Edge, a hillside area with views over the city centre and formerly known for its crime-ridden estates but largely redeveloped in the mid-2000s.
"Gotta Be You" is a song by English girl group Sugababes from their fourth studio album, Taller in More Ways (2005). It was written by Tricky Stewart, Penelope Magnet and Terius Nash, while Dallas Austin produced the song. There are two versions of the song, one with vocals by founding member Mutya Buena, and another featuring Amelle Berrabah's vocals, Buena's replacement. "Gotta Be You" is a crunk&B song that lyrically discuss reacting to judgements created by the media. Several music critics noted similarities between the song and "Try Again" by Aaliyah. Upon the release of the album, "Gotta Be You" garnered mixed reviews from critics.
"Write It on Your Skin" is a song by English singer-songwriter and musician Newton Faulkner from his third studio album of the same name. The song was released on 20 May 2012 in the UK as the lead single from the album. The song peaked to number 54 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was written and produced by Newton Faulkner.
Open Your Heart is the third studio album by the Brooklyn punk rock band The Men, released March 6, 2012 on Sacred Bones Records. The album saw a change in sound for The Men, being less aggressive than the band's previous album Leave Home and incorporating influences from classic rock, country music and surf rock. The album received mostly positive reviews.
Rocks and Honey is the sixteenth studio album by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler, first released by ZYX Music on 8 March 2013. Eight years after Wings was released in 2005, this was the longest gap between album releases in Tyler's career, and is the first of her studio albums to chart in the United Kingdom since Hide Your Heart in 1988. With tracks written by Nashville-based songwriters such as Frank J. Myers, Desmond Child, Brett James and Beth Hart, the album consists of a number of country songs reminiscent of Tyler's country albums from the 1970s with elements of rock.
Twins is the fifth studio album by San Francisco singer-songwriter Ty Segall. It marked his third and final release of the year, preceded by Slaughterhouse by the Ty Segall Band and Hair in collaboration with White Fence. Still in Rock described this LP as being "the darkest of all Ty Segall albums". "The Hill" was released as the lead single of the album along with an official music video. In January 2013, Segall issued the second single off the album, "Would You Be My Love", along with the video for "Thank God for the Sinners".
What the Future Holds is the sixth studio album by the British group Steps and was their first album to be released with their new record label BMG on 27 November 2020. They had originally intended to release the project in the Spring, however the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and imposing of lockdown resulted in a temporary delay of promotion. The album was preceded by singles "What the Future Holds" and "Something in Your Eyes". Promotional tracks "Under My Skin", "Hold My Heart" and "To the Beat of My Heart" were also released, the latter becoming the album's third single in January 2021.
