ROBYN JOINS KATY PERRY ON "CALIFORNIA DREAMS" TOUR

Katy Perry at eTalk Live

Great news, Katy Perry Fans! Those of you planning to see her California Dreams Tour which lands in Toronto on June 30, 2011 at Air Canada Centre, just may be getting an extra treat!  

Swedish Pop sensation Robyn who seems to be getting love everywhere but North America on wide scale, will be opening for Perry at select dates throughout the Tour.  You're getting two shows for the price of one as I've seen both Perry and Robyn live and they're both wonderful.  Really sweet Girls who love their Fans.

As a bonus, many of you Glee Fans will be happy to know that Lea Michele will be singing a cover of Perry's Firework on the upcoming February 8, 2011 episode of the Golden Globe-winning Series. 

  

For a complete list of California Dreams Tour dates, click here.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W.)

ROBYN - BODY TALK REVIEW

Resisting the three separately-released installments of Robyn's Body Talk has been a bit of a battle for me, but I waited and it paid off as Universal Music is now releasing the best selections from each disc, on one complete album. And is it ever worth it!

I love Robyn and despite my honest opinion being that Parts 1-3 of Body Talk were hindered by  too much filler and unnecessary Mixes, this Disc gives us only the best and what we have here is a Tour-de-Force Collection even stronger than the Swede's excellent self-titled 2008 re-introduction to North American audiences.

Robyn has mastered the art of Dance Floor-ready Electro Pop, hitting all key marks including melody, hook and the irresistible seduction of Melancholy. Dancing On My Own, Indestructible and Time Machine are Pop Gems and it is a shame that the first two never caught-on with mainstream audiences in North America.   

Fembot, I have always been fond of with its witty futurism and along with U Should Know Better (ft. Snoop Dogg), crosses the boundaries of Urban and Alternative - a rare feat only few contemporaries like M.I.A. have been able to achieve.  Robyn though, has done it with continual critical acclaim and the undying loyalty of her Fans.  Call Your Girlfriend is unique in that it is a Break-Up Song she has written for her new love interest's Girlfriend.  And since Robyn does it so nicely, how can you blame her for the bit of Homewreckery?

ROBYN BODYTALK PT. 1 SIGNED CD GIVEAWAY

Our friends at Celebuzz and Swedish Pop Icon Robyn are teaming up to give away one free signed copy of her forthcoming album Body Talk Pt. 1, out June 15, 2010.  To qualify for a win, all you have to do is take a photo of you dancing by yourself along with a brief explanation. Click here for details.  Good luck, Peaches!

REVIEW: ROBYN - BODY TALK PT. 1

I’m disappointed to say that Robyn’s long-awaited return, Body Talk Pt. 1 isn’t quite what I was hoping for. The eight-track album, the first of three to come this year, has a few hidden gems like Fembot and gleefully sombre lead single Dancing On My Own, previewed here earlier. The collection otherwise lacks any real coherency, concept or flow, which we got a full serving of on unforgettable 2005 masteriece Robyn. Fans instead are given offerings here which otherwise wouldn’t make the cut on a full studio-length album, dispresed over the span of multiple discs.  I am of course being quick to comment not having heard the second and third discs in the set in all fairness.

My impression is that tracks like Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do, the quieter Hang With Me and lone Swedish track Jag Vet En Dejlig Rosa, although appreciable in their minimalism, all sound like they belong on separate albums. Above this, Body Talk Pt. 1 gives an impression of incompletion based on its lacking complexity, failing to bring out the ferocity Robyn is capable of. Not even the fantastic duo Röyksopp could salvage the disc with their collaboration None of Dem where it is apparent that Sweden’s Lady of Pop is tired; the track takes flight beautifully though after the 3:20 mark “taking her far away from here”.

NEW MUSIC: ROBYN - DANCING ON MY OWN

After much anticipation, I must say that the new Robyn single is beyond rewarding.  Sweden's Lady of Pop impresses with Dancing on my Own, the confirmed first single from her first of three albums to be released this year, Body Talk Part 1.  It's like a happier sounding antithesis to Kleerup-produced With Every Heartbeat, but lyrically similar to Be Mine, watching a past love from the sidelines with someone new.

Body Talk Part 1 hit stores in North American June 15, 2010 and one day prior in Europe.  I may just have to forgive Robyn for stealing my album title, after all!

Preview Dancing on my Own in full below (audio content owned by Universal Music):