Talk about being on the hot seat. How do you top a debut album that sells 5 million copies worldwide and churns out four damn fine successful singles?
That’s the task ahead for the Killers as they follow up their “Hot Fuss” album, which was released in June 2004 and became the longest-running rock album inside […]
It has been five years since Shawn Colvin has had an impact on the charts with “Whole New You,” which reached the Adult Contemporary top 25. Fans will also remember her inspired 2002 collaboration with Chris Botti, “All Would Envy,” though Colvin probably is best-known for her Grammy Award-winning top 10, “Sunny Came Home,” in […]
Dierks Bentley follows his recent chart-topping hit, “Settle for a Slowdown,” with another potent single that continues to demonstrate the irresistible chemistry that occurs when a great singer meets a memorable tune. Bentley really knows how to sell a song, and he gets the job done on this well-written track. The picturesque lyric tells the […]
It took exposure on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” for Anna Nalick’s “Breathe (2 AM)” to reach critical mass despite Columbia’s efforts during the course of an entire year to convince top 40 that it was being handed a hit — prime proof that FM radio has a misguided agenda (though adult top 40 and AC radio, […]
Stacy Ferguson, a.k.a. Fergie, steps out from the Black Eyed Peas to deliver an annoying “My Humps” sound-alike. The track from her debut album, “The Duchess,” follows the current trend of overproduction, but what worked for Gwen Stefani in “Hollaback Girl” and Nelly Furtado in “Promiscuous” fails here. Funky horns, sirens and other distractions cannot […]
While many of her higher profile contemporaries — Justin, Janet, Beyonce and Fergie — are releasing summer singles that are anything but high quality, 15-year-old JoJo demonstrates that she is taking her sophomore step seriously. Pop/R&B compo “Too Little Too Late,” co-written/produced by master scribe Billy Steinberg, provides desperately needed balance to a top 40 […]
Frankie J’s “That Girl,” lead single from the third, as-yet-untitled album, is a jumpy pop cut that tows the line between cliched and endearing. The thumping drum-bass beat is ideal for clubs and radio, and the singer’s breathy falsetto is as refreshing as cool iced tea. Houston rapper Chamillionaire is a charismatic presence (with impressive […]
Lourds Lane inadvertently wrote a new sports anthem when “Victory” scored some prime exposure. The track caught the ear of ESPN, and the sports conglomerate has licensed it. A thick, heavily distorted bassline leads “Victory,” while the remaining instruments are covered with a scratchy, industrial coat. Rousing hand claps and chants of “Get up now […]
Pharrell Williams fully flexes his artistic license on this 15-track solo debut “In My Mind,” split almost evenly between rap and R&B. But the Neptunes’ hitmaker proves he is more believable as a producer or guest than as a starring attraction. It is easy to imagine more capable artists draped over the album’s jazzy arrangements […]
With Arthur Kane gone, it’s just David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain from the original glam-bam brat pack, and some cultists may have a problem with “authenticity.” But get over it: This first new Dolls album in 32 years is not just a legitimate entry in their catalog, it’s a great one. Johansen, apparently having […]
Bowling is a Southern gospel music veteran who has spent time with the LeFevres, the New Hinsons and the Perrys. After a successful season as a solo act, he’s put together a new group, with his brother Jeff, Jeff’s wife Kim and their cousin Karen Parker. Bowling has a warm, powerful voice that shines […]
The title song by J.D. Souther is so derivative of “Only The Lonely” that Roy Orbison and Joe Melson should get co-writing credits; there are two versions of Randy Newman’s “Feels Like Home” (one pop, one a country duet with Martina McBride); production is by Peter Asher. Yes, for his second solo set, Malo […]
Green Gartside, aka Scritti Politti, is such a musical chameleon that he’s hard to follow, though his release schedule has included gaps of 11 and now seven years between new albums. The band’s U.K. punk-era beginnings mutated into synth-pop perfection in the ’80s. After a long hiatus, 1999’s “Anomie & Bonhomie” blended hip-hop with […]
Brazilian singer/ songwriter Lenine belongs to the new generation of MPB (Brazilian popular music), which he infuses with electronica, funk, soul, rap and most anything he can think of. His first album released in the United States is a compilation of hits from his three Brazilian releases, designed as an introduction to U.S. fans […]
