Fresh Songs: Cobra Starship, Esmée Denters, Fallbrooke, Mandy Moore, David Guetta & Kelly Rowland

Quick reviews of some fresh songs for this week...

Cobra Starship (feat. Leighton Meester) - Good Girls Go Bad: The poster boys (and girl) of hipster pop/rock in the Fueled By Ramen family are back to the scene. In preparation for the end-of-summer (August) drop of their new album Hot Mess, they are serving up a slice of sweet electro-pop pie with the help of Gossip Girl actress Leighton Meester that is far from being a disaster. Who knew Blair Waldorf could sing and play the role of pop star well? Cobra's fearless leader Gabe Sapporta sounds reliably good as well. The song was apparently produced by Kara DioGuardi

Esmée Denters - Outta Here: It's quite inspiring to see someone's dream finally develop and become realized. It did for one young and beautiful Dutch singer who was one of those video recording singers on YouTube that suddenly became one of the most popular users on the site. It was Esmée's soulful renditions of modern pop songs impressed many, including a certain Justin Timberlake who 'discovered' and signed her to a development deal as his label's new star-protegé. Her album and first single of the same name, "Outta Here" dropped in her native The Netherlands and the soon will soon impact on Top 40/R&B radio in the US.

Fallbrooke - Losin' It: This South Florida-based band is the epitome of freshness as they recently dropped their latest eponymously-titled debut album on iTunes and Amazon. The first single for the song "Losin' It" is a catchy song about the very current issue of falling in love with someone over the Internet. The band's lead vocalist Eric McNeely brings an energy matched with the band's power pop sound. I have not listened to the rest of their material yet, but if this song is any indication, I will name myself a fan.

Mandy Moore - I Can Break Your Heart Any Day Of The Week: I remember Mandy Moore as being a part of the original quartet of pop princesses who emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, she later denounced her earlier work and reinvented herself as an organic singer-songwriter. In the vein of her new direction is her latest, a retro-sounding and clapworthy track off her freshest LP, Amanda Leigh. In the accompanying music video, Mandy shows Ultimate Fighting champ Chuck Liddell who's got the bigger....

David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland - When Love Takes Over: I am consistently amazed at the works of French DJ David Guetta as he expertly crafts pop songs backed by House/electro/Euro dance sounds. He is already a well-known name in Europe and the rest of the world, however he aims to break into the US with a new disc out in August and this surefire summer hit, in which he enlists former Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland in a song of epic proportions. Her voice, arguably her strongest, soars through the ridiculous production. I wouldn't be surprised if she releases a full album of dance-pop. Amazing.

The Really, Really Ridiculously Good Looking Tour featuring Cobra Starship on 2.13.08

I've been planning on arriving early for the Cobra Starship headling show of the "Really Really Ridiculously Good Looking" tour at Slim's in San Francisco on February 13, 2008. However, one wrong bus later, I was in The Mission and figured I was pretty much going in the wrong direction. Fast forward twenty minutes later on the phone with my friend Maricel, I get to Slim's where I was greeted by a ridiculously long line that stretched over the corner. Trace Cyrus (half brother of "Hannah Montana"), the part-time vocalist and guitarist of emo-electro band Metro Station, was in front of their tour bus snapping photos with fans.

Once I got in the doors, I took position about seven rows back on the floor, which was still farther back than I prefer. The show started at 7:30 p.m. with the latest band to join the Fueled By Ramen/Decaydance family, The Cab.

Their set was the shortest out of the four bands, but the lead singer Alex DeLeon arguably had one of the better rock voices overall. He even sang a cover of Edwin McCain's "I'll Be" for the Valentine's Day lovers. The band has some really catchy songs, including "Singing Myself To Sleep" and "Take My Hand". I'm excited to see what these kids come up with when their yet unnamed debut album comes out in April.

The ended their set with their current single and Friss Zene's current #1 "I'll Run". By then, I was somewhat squished -- but not to the extent I would experience later in the show.

The intermissions are interesting at Slim's. Prior to each band's set, a projector screen is lowered in front of the stage area so the audience can't see the changes. In between performances, the most random stuff were played, like "The Pink Panther" cartoons and "?" singers from the early 1990s. What made it even more odd was the music played, which was inconsistent with the images on screen, since they were playing "Low" by Flo Rida and stuff from LCD Soundsystem.

Next up was We The Kings led by Travis Clark. They started with "Stay Young", and prior to singing the next song, Travis took off his jacket and revealed an *NSYNC fan shirt as a "dedication" to the band. They later followed with the first single off their self-titled album "Skyway Avenue" and their new single which they said a video will be premiering soon on MTV and Fuse, "Check Yes Juliet". And because it was the night before Valentine's, it was appropriate that they play "Sweet Valentine".

The third band was Metro Station led Mason Musso. They started off with "Disco", then "Wish We Were Older", "Seventeen Forever", "California", "Tell Me What To Do", "Kelsey", "Now That We're Done", and lastly "Control". I overheard someone saying "Seventeen Forever" is "so controversial" and another girl was spouting out how much she loves "Hannah Montana" in a sarcastic tone. Anyway, their set was really good and as I mentioned earlier, Mason is also one of the better lead vocalists. Taking the whole electro element away from their live performances, they work just as well as emo/punk rock songs.

The last, but certainly not least, band of the night was headliner Cobra Starship. The wait for the band was longer than the other sets. The crowd grew restless. Heck, I grew restless. It that point, my throat was dry, my energy levels have been exhausted, and I was about ready to collapse. Then at 10 p.m., Cobra went on.

Lead singer Gabe Saporta was in his signature violet purple hoodie but with his glasses for the opener "The City Is At War". He soon ditched the glasses for the remainder of the set, which was about a little less than an hour and a half. Among the songs Gabe sang were "Prostitution Is The World's Oldest Profession", "Send My Love To The Dancefloor", "The Church Of Hot Addiction", "Smile For the Paparazzi" -- which Gabe boasted of its use of Spanish words, "My Moves Are White (White Hot That Is)" (which is apparently about keytar player Victoria), and one of my favorite songs off of ¡Viva La Cobra!, "Kiss My Sass". Here's a clip:

Immediately after "Kiss My Sass", Gabe went into "Damn, You Look Good And I'm Drunk". And for Valentine's Day, Gabe sang their "only love song", "The World Has Its Shine".

The pretty apparent flirting between Gabe and Victoria made me question if they were an item or not. At this point, somehow I got pushed enough that I was on the left side of the audience. The band performed "Snakes On A Plane" while everyone made the "Cobra Starship" sign with their hands.

Cobra came back for the encore to play "Guilty Pleasure". Post-concert, I met with Metro Station's drummer Anthony and got an autograph pic of him and the band. Travis of We The Kings was also there signing and meeting fans but there was a long queue I was unwilling to enter. Overall, it was a great show! I have the bruises and the interestingly intimate experiences with the fans as good souvenirs, but ultimately the music made it worthwhile.

Cobra Starship show tonight!

Tonight, I am attending my second concert in a matter of thirty hours. This time, it is at Slim's for the "Really, Really Ridiculously Good Looking Tour" featuring main act Cobra Starship with support by We The Kings, Metro Station, and The Cab! It'll be a Fueled By Ramen affair! As a preview, here's one of my favorite Cobra Starship songs called "Kiss My Sass" where lead singer Gabe Saporta boldy proclaims: "I'm bringing sassy back"!

DL: HERE

(Uploaded by me! Thanks and comments appreciated!)

Fresh Music - Top 40 For February 2, 2008

Friss Zene Top 40
Cobra Starship penetrates through Boys Like Girls, Chris Brown, and Lifehouse to take #1

TW= this week's position
LW= last week
Δ= change
PP= peak position
WC= weeks on the chart

TW LW Δ PP WC Artist - Title (weeks at top spot)
01 05 +04 01 03 Cobra Starship - The City Is At War (1 week at #1)
02 06 +04 02 05 Jon McLaughlin - So Close
03 07 +04 03 02 Jordin Sparks feat. Chris Brown - No Air
04 01 -03 01 09 Boys Like Girls - Hero/Heroine (2 weeks at #1)
05 02 -03 01 10 Chris Brown - With You (2 weeks at #1)
06 03 -03 01 09 Lifehouse - Whatever It Takes (3 weeks at #1)
07 11 +04 05 28 Rihanna - Don't Stop The Music
08 04 -04 04 05 Janet Jackson - Feedback
09 10 +01 09 03 The Cab - I'll Run
10 08 -02 01 26 Maroon 5 - Won't Go Home Without You (1 week at #1)
11 16 +05 03 10 OneRepublic - Stop and Stare
12 37 +25 12 02 Josh Kelley - Unfair
13 09 -04 01 15 I Nine - Seven Days Of Lonely (1 week at #1)
14 13 -01 08 04 Paramore - Let The Flames Begin
15 DEBUT 15 01 The Starting Line - Island
16 18 +02 16 03 Buckchery - Sorry
17 12 -05 03 10 John Mayer - Say
18 DEBUT 18 01 Sum 41 - With Me
19 21 +02 16 08 Linkin Park - Shadow Of The Day
20 14 -06 05 06 Finger Eleven - Paralyzer
21 28 +07 21 06 Nelly Furtado - In God's Hands
22 23 +01 20 05 Jack Johnson - If I Had Eyes
23 17 -06 11 07 Paramore - Crushcrushcrush
24 - - R E 18 17 Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love
25 24 -01 14 08 NLT - She Said, I Said
26 15 -11 15 04 Sean Kingston - Take You There
27 20 -07 14 04 Kelly Rowland feat. Travis McCoy - Daylight
28 30 +02 28 03 Avril Lavigne - Runaway
29 29 N C 16 07 David Guetta feat. Chris Willis - Love Is Gone
30 19 -11 19 06 Jordin Sparks - Tattoo
31 22 -09 13 06 Good Charlotte - Dance Floor Anthem
32 36 +04 32 03 Kate Nash - Merry Happy
33 38 +05 13 23 Fergie - Clumsy
34 32 -02 14 11 Alicia Keys - Like You'll Never See Me Again
35 25 -10 11 05 Natasha Bedingfield - Pocketful Of Sunshine
36 26 -10 01 21 Rihanna feat. Ne-Yo - Hate That I Love You (1 week at #1)
37 35 -02 01 28 Matt Nathanson - Car Crash (1 week at #1)
38 40 +02 01 33 Jon McLaughlin - Beautiful Disaster(3 weeks at #1)
39 27 -12 08 15 Mat Kearney - Breathe In Breathe Out
40 34 -06 07 18 Pink - Who Knew

Bubbline Under:41 to 45
41 31 -10 22 06 Rihanna - Rehab
42 33 -09 12 06 Ashlee Simpson - Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)
43 39 -04 16 05 Nicole Scherzinger - Puakenikeni
44 41 -03 01 18 OneRepublic - Apologize (1 week at #1)
45 44 -01 03 20 Motion City Soundtrack - Broken Heart

Falling Off
Wyclef Jean feat. Akon & Lil Jon - Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)
Matt White - Best Days
Rooney - I Should've Been After You

Re-Entry
Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love (this week at #24, since its last appearance on January 12, 2008)

Biggest Debut
The Starting Line - Island (debut at #15)

Biggest Jump
Josh Kelley - Unfair (#12, up 25 spots from #37 last week)

Biggest Decline
Mat Kearney - Breathe In Breathe Out (#39, down 12 spots from #27 last week)

Friss Zene
Yael Naim - New Soul
Gavin DeGraw - I'm In Love With A Girl
Yellowcard - Fighting