Shannon Noll - 'A Million Suns' Showcase

For a while there Shannon Noll was Australian Idol's biggest success. And based on sales - he probably still is. The 36-year-old's first three albums went nine times platinum between them and he had a run of ten straight top 10 hits (eleven if you include "Rise Up"). Unfortunately for Nollsie, his brand of perky pub-rock fell out of favour and he's been quiet for the past couple of years. But the rest seems to have done him good. "Switch Me On" (below) was a real return to form and the nicest man in the music business has plenty of other tricks up his King Gee sleeve if last night's album showcase is any indication.

Nollsie kicked off the acoustic set with the album's Benji Madden-penned lead single. I love "Switch Me On" and I love his pared-back live version even more. I don't think Shannon's ever sounded better. He followed that with "A Million Suns". The album's title track sounds like a real gem - as does his next single "My Place In The Line", which closed the showcase. After that, Universal played the album and liked what I heard. There are a lot of similarities to his first two offerings - that would be the influence of Bryon Jones - but the songs have a grittier feel this time around. Pay particular attention to the contributions from DNA and Adam Reily, which sound very promising. "A Million Suns" is released on October 14. Pre-order it now for the bargain price of $15!
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Elen Levon - Sydney Showcase & Video

Elen levon first graced Pop Trash Addicts way back in April. At the time I called her demo the best I'd heard in a long time and told everyone to remember her name. Four months have passed and the 17-year-old school girl is all over Australian radio and burning up the blogosphere. Mystic Meg has nothing on me! Her debut single "Naughty" will take over iTunes on September 23 - pre-order it now - but her promotional campaign began last Wednesday with an industry showcase at the Beresford Hotel.

Like most people who have been following Elen's career, I knew she could dance like a demon but wasn't completely sure about her vocal chops. Don't get me wrong. "Naughty" is pure fire but there's enough autotune on that fucker that make Cassie sound good. So, it was a pleasant surprise to discover that Elen has an impressive set of pipes. She tore into "Naughty", looking every inch the superstar surrounded by her dancers. Next up was a new track called "Like A Girl In Love", which is a stone-cold smash. The heavy synths show Elen in an edgier light and I love the anthemic chorus. That flowed effortlessly into "Ooh Yeah". Don't worry about the dodgy title. Team Levon has cooked up another radio-ready winner that gets lodged in your brain after the first listen.


Yours truly with Elen
While the songs were uniformly excellent, the most impressive aspect of the short (but sweet) showcase was the budding diva's poise. Elen held her nerve like a veteran, hitting every note - while dancing like a non-gutter whore Ciara. Jessica Mauboy can't move like that. Havana Brown would probably break a hip trying. Only time will tell if she connects with the Australian public but the Year 11 student has the raw talent to go a very long way.

Now in case you haven't seen Elen's recently released "Naughty" video yet, here are five points to mull over while soaking in the visual extravaganza.

1. It reminds me of Amy Pearson's "Butterfingers" video - only with competent dancing and enough financial backing to afford a set.

2. My favourite look is the singlet and pony-tail. Leave the heavy make-up and edgy clothes for sad bitches who need to distract from their face. Like Lady Gaga and Cassie Davis.

3. The "Slow" inspired floor-dancing routine is adorable.

4. Why are these children hitting up the club with no parental supervision? It's clearly past their bed-time and I fear they've been drinking more than Powerade.

5. Choreography is back! I feel like we're returning to the 80s/early 90s when a killer dance moves were absolutely essential.

Make sure you follow Elen on Twitter to get the latest news and check out the following links for more stanning:

- Idolator review
- Toya'z World commentary
- Interview with The Prophet
- The expert musings of Feed Limmy


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Wynter Gordon - Live & Acoustic

I guess I should start this post by reminding everyone that Wynter Gordon's debut album "With The Music I Die" was released on Friday. It's absolutely brilliant and you need to own it. Expect a full review soon. Now that's out of the way, time to talk about the gorgeous singer's Sydney showcase. When I hear a dance diva is doing an "acoustic set", I usually run in the opposite direction. Memories of Melissa Tkautz belting out "Sexy Is The Word" accompanied by only a piano still haunt my dreams but I had faith in Wynter. After all, this is the woman who cut her teeth on soulful jams like "Surveillance" before conquering the dance world - so I knew she would bring it. And she did.

302 is a tiny venue the size of a luxurious toilet cubicle. So they really weren't lying when they said it was going to be intimate. Wynter squeezed her way through the horde of admiring gays and eventually sat down at a microphone with only a guitarist for back up. She started with a knock out rendition of "My Guy", which showcased exactly how strong her voice is. J Lo's favourite songwriter told us she had a sore throat but it was impossible to tell. She sounded flawless. Next up was "Til Death", which came across a lot darker pared back to basics, and a surprise cover of Katy Perry's "ET". I loved her version and think it would make a cool B-side somewhere down the track.

I have to admit I had reservations about an acoustic rendition of "Dirty Talk" but it was a lot of fun. Her next surprise was a cover of Arcade Fire's "Wake Up". I have to admit I'm not familiar with the original but I'm going to hunt it down because Wynter's version was achingly beautiful. She closed the set with "Buy My Love", which has been confirmed as the next single from her album. I love the song and can imagine radio lapping this up. It's so cute and catchy! The only disappointment in an otherwise fantastic set was the absence of "Still Getting Younger". Happily, I was told that remixes have already been commissioned and the best song Kylie never released is firmly scheduled to be her fourth single. It's going to be massive!

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Carrie Underwood's Sydney showcase

On Thursday night I was lucky enough to be invited to Carrie Underwood's Sydney showcase at the Museum of Contemporary Art in The Rocks. The country superstar was in town to promote the Australian re-release of her 2009 album "Play On" and introduce herself to the local media. I'm not going to lie and pretend I've been Carrie's number one fan since the beginning but I genuinely adore "Some Hearts" and secretly stan for her crossover pop hits. So it was extremely exciting to finally see her in person. I knew she would sound good but I wasn't expecting her to be that brilliant.

Sony CEO Denis Handlin introduced the 2005 American Idol winner, pointing out all her stunning achievements - including 10 number one hits on the US country chart and record sales totalling 13 million. He also told us that Carrie had made the journey from Melbourne by bus due to volcanic ash, which made her flawless appearance and pitch perfect performance all the more impressive! She began with "Cowboy Casanova" before moving on to "So Small" and "Last Name". I like all those songs but she really did save the best for the second half.

"Jesus, Take The Wheel" would probably be my theme song if I were religious and it was amazing to finally hear it live. What a great song! Next up was her current Australian single "Undo It". It's so catchy and could be a hit if radio would embrace it. The last track was "Before He Cheats", which the superstar recently performed on the finale of American Idol. I thought Carrie sounded a bit rough that night but it was obviously the fault of the annoying flop singing along side her because she tore it up on Thursday. "Before He Cheats" really is the best song Shania never recorded.

After the showcase Carrie walked around and introduced herself to everyone. I got the chance to meet her and get a photo. She was really nice and spoke about how much she likes Australia. The best thing is - I think she'll be back. I seriously doubt Sony would have splashed out on such a lavish affair to promote the re-release of an old album. Particularly when she only sang two songs from it. I think they have the bigger picture in mind and are intent on making her a Taylor Swift sized star in this country. It's a smart move. There's no reason why she can't repeat her American success here. Carrie is the complete package.

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