Colette Carr Is Finally Back With EP "Static. Start."

There is a God! I guess now I'll have to become a devout Christian or something, right? Regardless it's time to celebrate because whiz kid pop goddess Colette Carr has made her comeback, and she's as amazing as ever. Take a quick look at Static. Start.

 I can't even express how excited I am to discover this. I had noticed that Colette was more active on social media, but I didn't realize she had a whole new EP for us. I heard rumblings about a new album coming out this year called Believe In Us, but since then I had not seen a thing. Lucky for us all Colette is a fan of releasing EPs to get the music out quicker to us, thus we have Static. Start.

Of the four songs on this release all of them are the more pop flavor, completely leaving her rap elements in the dust. The title track "Static" is the best example of Colette's new vibe. It's not electro-pop, exactly, but it's also nothing like you'd hear on today's radio. cCarr has tapped into her inner muse and found her sound, and it is an amazing one. Even on slower tracks like "Moments In Love", she manages to keep the energy up and keep any listener interested.

After the initial disappointment of the "Going Ham" mixtape disappearing, I was unsure whether she was still up to making music, but thankfully she's back on the steady trail. Along the way she has recruited her old friend Frankmusik to produce this masterpiece. I don't know about you, but I'm damn happy to have her back on my iPod.

For anyone unsure if this release is for them, not only are all the tracks preview-able, but also "Static" is currently free for everyone with an iTunes account. Get it now and enjoy it forever!

Single of the Month - Colette Carr "Ham"

Ok, so I covered this song just last week, but honestly I can't get enough of it. This is cCarr's first appearance on this list since we switched from Song of the Week to Song of the Month. Sure the music scene has been a bit slow lately, but 'cmon. Even if it wasn't, how could I say no to Colette Carr? Let's check out her new track with Ben J of the New Boyz, "Ham".

This song is very different from what people may be used to hearing from her. Sure she has rapped before, and had complete songs dedicated to just her rapping, but we haven't seen a song of this caliber since her debut mix tap Sex Sells. This song is fun. This song is polished. This song is exactly what needs to be played on the radio. Not only is it radio-worthy, but it's the same style as what is popular right now. Let's push this track to blast off.

I was pleased to see Colette working with one of the New Boyz again. They were featured on her killer track "Sex". Having big name rappers in at her side certainly is not hurting her career at all. She's also featured Kev Nish from Far East Movement, and electropop icon Frankmusik on her last album.

This track is fresh off the heels of her debut album, The Skitszo Collection, and it proves that she isn't going to slow down one bit. This is the first single off of a new mixtape (which usually means it will be free!) called Going, Going HAM set to be released sometime this year.

You can snag the track off of iTunes now!

Colette Carr's New Music Video Is All About Twerking

No, seriously. Her new video is pretty much just about twerking. I mean that's basically all that happens. A lot of twerking. I mean a lot. This time around, she's teamed up with one of the New Boyz (also seen on her hit single "Sex"), for a track called "Ham". And in true cCarr fashion, no time was wasted getting a killer video out. Check it.



For those of you who don't know what "twerking" is, go and watch Miley Cirus at this year's VMAs. Then, look it up on YouTube to see how it really should look. Twerking is pretty much shaking your booty fast and skillfully. Yes, it is a skill, and no I can't do it well. It has become a huge fad spread all over the internet, and even artists like RuPaul in his video for "Peanut Butter" and Todrick Hall in his "Mean Gurlz" skit have picked up on this craze.

Colette wasted no time getting started on new music, it seems. Her album was released over the course of several months, all wrapping up in mid July with the full collection. While she has been known to drop a rap track now and then, they are usually reserved for album tracks while the electro-pop songs take the spots for singles. I guess that's a thing of the past. She states at the beginning of the video that both her and Ben Jelen are there to rap.

The video itself is quite entertaining. Even as a gay man, I'm still amused by ladies twerking (but c'mon girl. Couldn't you have at least one guy up in there shakin' his thang?). Her cake dress was amazingly adorable, while much of the other featured fashion was a bit of a miss for me. I did like her return to the crazy contacts that had been missing lately from her videos. Her eyes always pop in photographs and videos, but the contacts bump it up a notch and make it that much more "bamf".

If you like rocking out to this song as much as I do, pick it up on iTunes.

Album Review - Colette Carr "Skitszo Part Four"

It's finally here. The last (sort of) part of the epic Skitszo is among us. This journey has been stretched out over half a year, and it has been a trying ordeal. I mean by that each part has left me so hungry for more, and with the cCarr team's lips zipped shut, we didn't know what to expect. Well thankfully part four is out now, and it has four more songs that are begging to be listened to. Let's take a look, shall we?

Colette Carr's "Never Gonna Happen" Gets A Video

Praise Jesus that this song got a video. This song is Colette's first real chance to breakthrough to mainstream radio while still staying (mostly) true to her origins as a rap chica. For those used to hearing her hardcore spit, it may take a bit to swallow this song, but for those who love her more poppy side, this is a goldmine.



Seriously, this video is brighter and bubblier than an Aqua video -- and that's a good thing. From the beginning of her driving a cCarr look-a-like doll in a RC car, to her dancing on her bed, this video is cute and fun. Colette invites her friends over, they get ready, and hit up a party where her ex is. The twist ending? She gets with her ex even though he spent the whole time at the party flirting with another blonde girl.

The ending itself is something I don't think anybody saw coming. Her usual person is "screw men, especially if they cross me", but here we see her willingly giving into temptation. She instead turned and gave out the message "screw girls who try and steal this guy Im working on things with". Strange, no?

The video is a huge step in the right direction for cCarr. The quality is amazing. The direction was fantastic. "F16" was amazing, but with the lack of forward movement with "Why Are You Leaving", I was worried. This video has restored my faith both in Colette Carr and her "Skitszo" movement. Bring on part four. I'm ready.

Album Review - Colette Carr "Skitszo Part 3"

Here we are again. Two months have already passed since the last installment of Skitszo, and it is again time for my bi-monthly review. cCarr has been pushing this album very hard, and she has an amazing fan base that has been waiting patiently as the time creeps by. This week, part three hit the net, and people are eating it up. Let's take a look -- oh and don't mind my poorly edited album cover.

 

Colette Carr News: New Video + Upcoming Hints

Sometimes I feel like my I might as well just make TOTU into a Colette Carr fanblog as much as I talk about here. But alas, she is a very talented, young lady who has been producing music at a rapid pace. It can be hard to keep up with, so I'll do my best to fill you in today. Let's start with her new video.



Yup. That just happened. This video seems to be something to tide over the fans to keep us interested until next month when the third part of Skitszo comes out. Thankfully, this track, a promo song she had released in 2012, is pretty hot. The video is a mix of the style from her debut video "Back It Up" mixed with the over the top sex appeal from her newer videos such as "Like I Got A Gun". The sexiness makes sense given that the song is overly hyped with sexual lyrics.

The perfectly timed release of the video for "(B)A$$" leads me to believe that it may be a part of the Skitszo Collection, probably part three that is coming out in less than a month. To be fair, this is just my take on the line-up of events, but it would be a great addition to the list, especially seeing as the remix used in the video was fantastic.

Another "confirmed" track is something you'd have to pay attention to her social media closely to even catch. According to her Facebook, she will be shooting the video for a new song called "Never Gonna Happen" on March 4th. The track is produced by CherryCherryBoomBoom (so it's obviously going to be amazing) and Fernando Garibay. Sadly there seems to be no other info available just yet on it. I'll keep you posted. You know I will.

Colette Carr Asks "Why Are You Leaving"

So what if I'm bad at predicting things? I often times state my opinion, which turns out to be completely wrong in the end. So what? I'm still hot. No, we aren't talking about Luciana today, we are going to talk about Colette Carr some more. Don't roll your eyes at me! There can never be too much cCarr! Check out the video for her new track "Why Are You Leaving" featuring Kev Nish from Far East Movement.



Can we take a moment here to talk about how gorgeous Colette looks in this video? I mean she always looks good, but here we really see how pretty she can be when she's dolled up. She has been in the spotlight making a name for herself for a good while now, and seeing her all-grown-up was a bit of a shock at first. The only word that comes to mind is "gorgeous".

As for the video, it is a pretty simple set up wherein cCarr is walking about town looking for her lover who has abandoned her and having to deal with the emotional void he's left. While not a lot of action actually occurs over the course of the shoot, it does feel very emotionally charged by being so well tied in with the subject matter of the song. It may not be as energetic as "Back It Up" or as career changing as "Primo", but it does have a strong standing for itself and leaves an impression.

What I really enjoyed was being able to isolate a member of Far East Movement. I haven't followed them closely over the years, so I hadn't seen what each one was capable of on their own. Many people may not know who Kev Nish is just by his name, but his flow is distinctively FM, and with the right push, this song and video have the potential to allow Kev to sway from the pack mentality of being in a musical group from time to time and allow him to shine on his own again.

Album Review - Skitszo Part Two

Ok, guys. The first week of the new year is finally over and I can resume normality -- and what is more "normal" about my site than to see Colette Carr featured on my site? Well she has been releasing her debut album "Skitszo" in segments every two months and the new year is bringing in part two. Let's take a listen.

Colette Carr Drops Her F16 Video

Colette has been pretty good at coming through with her promises. It may have taken her a while to get "Skitszo" off the ground, but it still happened. And now we are seeing the other things she promised come to life, such as the new music videos that we've been so patiently waiting for. This time we finally get to see "F16" realized, and it's pretty awesome.




This video shows us a much softer side to Colette, which isn't too surprising given that the song is about a more sensitive topic than we usually hear. The main portions of the song, those being sang on the plane, show cCarr as a much more mature, yet vulnerable looking version of herself when compared to other videos she's put out like "Primo" and "Like I Got A Gun." I have to say this look really does her well, even if it does clash with the rapped verses a bit.

The best parts of the video, however, are when she is standing in the post-apocalyptic wasteland with the helmet and goggles. This look is probably the most "Colette" look for the video, even with her much more flexible style she's had recently.

The video doesn't have a lot of story line to it, but not many videos outside of fifteen minute pointless Gaga videos do any more. This video is the perfect realization of what the song is about -- a girl who has been burned one too many times by the same guy. This video certainly has me excited for what's next from this ever-budding artist.

You can grab the track on her debut EP "Skitszo Part One" on iTunes. Just one more month until part two is released!

Album Review - Colette Carr "Skitszo Pt. 1"

Dear baby Jesus it is beyond time that Colette Carr has released her debut album. Following in the steps of label-mate Robyn (but with a twist of course), she is releasing it in pieces in order to get the material out to the fans as quickly as possible. Part one may only be four tracks, but it will leave a lasting impact on you, whether you are a long time fan, or just trying to figure out who the hell this crazy girl is!

Colette Carr Confirms "Skitszo Is Coming"

All I have to say is "it's about damn time." Colette has been talking about her debut album "Skitszo" for years. Literally. Ok maybe not as long as I'm making it sound, but it has been a long while, and as promised, she has brought us news -- and it's not as simple as you might think. Check the video.



In the very amusing video, Colette lets all the fans know that her album will be coming out in chunks. Much like Robyn's "Body Talk" series, the album will be released in stages, each set two months after the other, spanning the course of over a half a year, starting in mid November (see the picture below for a full list of dates). The album will be released fully on July 9, 2013 along with four additional songs. But there's a catch. The only way to get the full album is to preorder it, with a link to do so coming later in the week. (Keep up with me on Facebook for the link when it's posted!).

Fans who preorder get all four parts of the album as they are released, the full album, and a special yet-to-be-determined gift from Colette herself. Did I mention the version you get on July 9th will be a physical copy? I live for physical album copies.

My best guess is that each part of the album will have a single, with a video accompanying it. Colette has already said she had three videos in the work (one of which, it was assumed, was for "Like I Got A Gun"), so this wouldn't be a far stretch at all. It should also be noted that rumor has it that Colette is teaming up with Porcelain Black, a RedOne artist who has already made herself known to the CherryTree family buy doing a track with RyeRye.

You probably already know I will be reviewing Skitszo piece by piece as it comes out, and that I will definitely be getting that physical copy. It will be worth the half-year wait. This site could use a lot more cCarr. Hell, the world could use a lot more cCarr.

Colette Carr Drops The Bass

No, she didn't turn to making dubstep, that just happens to be the title of the newest track she has put up on SoundCloud. Well to be exact, it is actually titled "(B)A$$", but I don't feel like the styling of the word should matter all that much. Check out her newest rap piece below.

Different right? I had not expected this out of Colette. As a matter of fact, it doesn't even sound much like her. I can't put my finger on it, but this song sounds like someone trying to sound like cCarr as opposed to being actually her. Maybe they put some new vocal effect on her track, but something is definitely different about this one.

The song follows along the same vein as her more rap tracks such as "Back It Up" and "Like I Got A Gun", moreso the latter in that it is another song trying to break away from some of her more silly songs by making a song that is a bit more serious and drops a few f-bombs along the way. I have a love-hate relationship with her pure rap songs. I love them because it's what she is good at and she sounds incredibly natural when she is flowing, but I hate it too, because she makes some amazing pop tracks such as "No I.D." and "(We Do It) Primo". To love Colette is to love both, and that is why I welcome new tracks with open arms.

There is no word yet on if this song is a single, or just a promo track/demo. My opinion is that it might be an album track, as she had similar songs in her mixtape "Sex Sells Stay Tooned". The song fails to break the usual standard of three minutes (by around 20 seconds, which is a lot of time for a song), so I don't really see this being a single.

If she keeps on this route, we will all have heard and memorized every track on her debut album by the time it comes out. It may sound bad, but the more I think about it, it is actually kind of genius. Well played, Ms. Carr. Well played, indeed.

Colette Carr Releases "Like I Got A Gun" Video

I know this one has been out for a bit, but I have been caught up in other matters. I am a huge stan of Colette, and I did not want to miss the chance to talk about her yet again. She made good on her promise of a quick video release for her newest single "Like I Got A Gun", and it is unlike anything you have seen from Ms. Carr before.




Her videos before have been a bit more... tame compared to this release. Here, we have a pool party where everyone is letting everything loose. Girls with big boobies and big booties are abound, and they are shaking everything. Everything.

Colette herself looks really cute, with freshly dyed blue hair. She actually looks a bit out of place in some of the more explicit scenes, being more cute than anything else, but she is keeping up her more credible image at least.

Now we simply must wait to see what else she has in store for her fans. She said that there were two videos in the works, with a strong possible for a third. No word yet on what these videos are for, but it looks like she is going to make good with her promises. Hopefully we get to see both a video for her other single "Sex" as well as a new track, but she is keeping everything under wraps for now.

Top Five: Favorite Recent Remixes

It's been a while since I've done a Top Five post, and I think it is about time this got a revival. This go around I decided to go through my favorite remixes. I had to ponder for a long time on whether it should be "of 2012", but instead I went with "recent" because a few of them that I still listen to today pre-date this year.

Let me also take a moment to explain exactly what I find a "good remix" to be. First off it has to be exciting. Nobody likes a boring song. Secondly, it needs to have the lyrics in tact. I don't want a remix of an artists song with the lyrics only spliced in every couple of minutes, or reduced to an annoying constant stutter where nothing is audible. Lastly, I generally fall in love with remixes of songs that I liked to begin with, and the remix gives it either new life or a new point of view. Now that I have that settled, we can move on to our first song.

5. Nadia Oh - No Bueno (Cory Martin Remix)



It wouldn't be a top five list without Nadia. I placed her so low on the list because the original song isn't even close to being one of my favorite tracks by her (She has an amazing musical library), but this remix really saved the song for me. The remix is sped up from the original, but keeps that same Nadia vibe. I guess I had just had too much Moombahton for one sitting when she had released the original. Thankfully this remix came out and saved the day.

Colette Carr Drops "Like I Got A Gun"

For those of you who didn't happen to be on Twitter at the butt-crack of dawn yesterday, you may have missed a special message from Colette Carr. Via Cherry Tree Radio, she dropped a new song called "Like I Got A Gun". Even more amazingly, she dropped by the chat room to give exclusive details to her dedicated fans.

"Like I Got A Gun" may very well be what Colette's initial fans have been waiting for. Gone is any trace of pop music, and in it's place is that raw rap sound that she was famous for on her initial mix tape. The song is very cCarr, keeping her sense of humor, potty mouth, and her Malibu attitude. In the track she commands her fans to put their hands up like she's "got a gun". Initially, she said that the song would be a CT Radio exclusive, but later in the day it was put on SoundCloud (thankfully) so that everyone can have the chance to experience it.




Along with the song, Colette made an appearance in the chat room to talk to her fans and tease us all on what is coming up. She said that in the next few months she has two confirmed videos coming out, as well as a possible third soon as well. When questioned on release dates, she stated she wants her fans to be surprised by the songs coming out, and challenged them all to keep their eyes open so they can "make it go" when they drop.

The fans in the chat went crazy with this news. Buzz and speculation about the upcoming songs were going crazy. Due to her friendship with Rye Rye, many people are hoping she does a song with her fellow female rapper. The only feature she confirmed was with Far East Movement's Kev Nish.

Colette Carr Drops "F16"

Finally. After months of hiding this track from us, F16 has been revealed. We first got a taste of this when she was on the Cherry Tree Alternative tour a few months back, but only a few shoddy fan-shot videos made it online. I'm not sure if this was a leak or a deliberate upload, but the studio version of the song made it's way onto YouTube. Either way, Colette is embracing it and getting a ton of feedback from the fans.



I love that this song goes back to what she was initially famous for -- dropping super fast paced hilarious rhymes. Rapping is what got her discovered, and I feel like she had been drifting into becoming mostly pop as of late. It was a breath of fresh air to hear her spit that first verse out so fast that I had to listen to it a second time to catch everything.

The song is a bit low quality, leaving a quality freak like me begging for more. Actually, I think this song has everybody begging for more. The original release date was slated for October 2011, but we have yet to see "Skitzo".

What do you guys think? I know I am a bit biased because I have been a huge Goer (thats like being a CCarr stan) so I'd like to hear what you all have to say. Comment below and share the love.

2011 Universal Conquest Award Winners

Welcome one and all to the reveal of the winners for the first annual Universal Conquest Awards. This is my attempt to give the new guys, or maybe just the ones who haven't had enough attention, a bit of recognition. The music industry is a cold and cruel place. I hope that through these virtual awards, I can give recognition to those who I believe are not only doing it right but also doing it well.

Song of the Week - No I.D.

I'm pretty sure everyone saw this coming. I am a huge Colette Carr fan, and I'm quickly getting the same way with Frankmusik. People have been saying "oh that's not fair that you had this song picked out before it even came out!" Well you know what? It's my blog, and I have faith in Colette to always make a sick track. You know what? She didn't disappoint either!

I tried so hard to resist it. The song was leaked a couple of weeks before it's official release. I wanted to listen so badly, but I knew it wouldn't be fair to anyone, especially Frankmusik and Colette who worked so hard on the track. It wasn't until he and Colette both said it was ok for us to check it out that I gave it a listen. I'm so glad I did it, too.

The track is in that same weird category that her previous single Primo was in. Its sort of rock, sort of pop, and sort of techno. It makes it hard to explain to people. I try to tell my friends about it, but most often just saying "You gotta hear it to understand." While not too complex lyrically, it is still a very up beat and fun song. Plus, this being my first track hearing Frankmusik, I was very much pleased to hear his awesome singing talents. And for a "feature" spot, Colette gets to sing quite a bit, unlike the one rap section or verse other featured artists get. Bravo, guys!

And a quick update: On Twitter, Colette Carr confirmed this would also be a track on her debut album "Skitszo"! That makes it a duet, not a feature. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Guess that explains why they both have equal parts more or less on the track.

You can preview and buy the track on iTunes here. Can't wait? Check out the hella awesome X-Cell remix of the song below. I think I sense a bit of dubstep going on there.

Frankmusik - "No I.D." feat. Colette Carr (X-Cell Remix) by Interscope Records

Frankmusik and Colette Carr Reveal No I.D. Video

This video has been a long time coming. I had been looking all over for anything on the video, but as always, the Cherry Tree family was tight lipped about the project -- and they should be. It made watching the video for the first time even better. I first caught wind of the filming a few months back when fellow artist and close friend of Colette's, Simon Curtis mentioned that he was learning choreography for a new Colette Carr video. Both Colette and Frankmusik both announced soon after that the video was a go, as well as a new single.

The video is a throwback to Grease. The first half of the video mimics the beginning of the movie's song "Summer Loving" and the later half of the video pays homage to the climactic race scene. It is a combination of the outfits, their attitudes, and the right timing that make this video phenomenal. While it doesn't have a whole lot to do with the song content, it keeps the fun energy of the track, and adds a bit of cute campyness to the situation. I did find it a little strange that Colette and Frankmusik don't kiss in the video like Sandy and Danny, but I figure Ms. Carr was just staying classy with it.

The video, for now, is only available on AOL (watch it here) but seeing as there is an obvious VEVO logo, I'm sure it will be up on Youtube soon, and I'll embed it here for those of you who aren't link clickers.