Talk about a summertime sure thing. Nineteen-year-old Dominican Kat Deluna is prepped to combust with a platinum-plated debut so certain you can practically smell the smoke emanating from its juicy one-spin hook and manic tempo. Accompanied by reggaeton queen Ivy Queen and dancehall staple Elephant Man, aka the Energy God, the bilingual crossover beauty — […]
The follow-up to Ne-Yo’s top 10 Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs single “Because of You” is being branded as part two of 2006 No. 1 single “So Sick.” The Stargate production in “Do You” creates a powerful tag team duet, where Ne-Yo asks a past love interest if she’s still in the game. […]
Jason Michael Carroll’s hit debut, “Alyssa Lies,” dealt with the serious subject of child abuse. Here, he offers lighthearted fare in the engaging “Livin’ Our Love Song,” with its sweet, sticky melody and upbeat romantic lyric about “a backwoods boy and fairy-tale princess.” This North Carolina native has a strong voice and an edge to […]
With 2006 fifth effort “Black Holes and Revelations,” Muse delivers an onslaught of progressive stadium rock hits, earning the Brit trio a lofty top 10 view on the U.S. album chart and second consecutive No. 1 U.K. album. On “Starlight,” lead Matthew Bellamy’s vocals effortlessly rip through an introductory barrage of percussion and bass […]
Ayla Brown may be a blip on last season’s “American Idol,” finishing at No. 13, but she has parlayed her nanosecond in the spotlight into numerous public appearances and indie release “Forward.” Ironically, the track demonstrates a more soulful vocal stamp than the did pageant’s top two finalists from 2006, with an adult-contemporary-ready signature […]
Still largely unknown in the United States, London-based alt-rock quartet Razorlight scored a huge radio hit in Europe with this playful but serious anthem, which peaked at No. 2 on the U.K. singles chart and helped earn the band two Brit Award nominations this year. Musically, “America” — the diary entry of someone glued […]
Rap-metal’s sell-by date expired many, many years ago, and no one noticed more than Linkin Park, whose “Minutes to Midnight” finds the band throwing all manner of styles at the wall to distance it from a genre that currently enjoys a lower approval rating than Cheney. Linkin Park’s ambitions are nearly palpable, but songs […]
Nearly every song on Maroon5’s two albums is about a girl leaving or being left, or getting loved within an inch of her life by Adam Levine. “It makes me burn to learn you’re with another man,” he sings on new album opener “If I Never See Your Face Again.” “I wonder if he’s […]
Much of a band’s appeal lies in the lead singer’s voice, and Jason Roy’s distinctive vocals have helped make Building 429 one of the Christian industry’s most successful new bands. Roy, who is also the band’s principal songwriter, has a warm, rough-textured voice that is equally effective on the gorgeous ballad “Waiting to Shine” […]
In Roman mythology, the Titan god Saturn, fearing that one of his sons would overthrow him, ate his infant sons. Tamir Muskat and Ori Kaplan, co-founders of Balkan Beat Box, have apparently eaten all the music from Mecca to the Bronx. The result of this musical repast is “Nu Med,” an album that is […]
Let’s get it out on the table: Fiction Plane’s Joe Sumner is a dead vocal ringer for Sting, which isn’t a surprise, since he’s the Police frontman’s firstborn. If you can get past that familial resemblance and some other obvious Police references (the “Bring on the Night”-style arpeggio on “Presuppose”), there’s a lot to […]
The Bravery remains the band most likely to please those who crave a fix of vintage New Wave, right down to the synth hooks and anthemic choruses. But on its second album, the New York quintet succeeds in sounding more like its own band, a group that works within familiar conventions but — save […]
Swedish rock outfit Dungen returns with more fuzz-out psychedelic flair on its latest effort, “Tio Bitar” (”Ten Pieces”). Like on 2004’s breakthrough “Ta Det Lugnt,” mastermind Gustav Ejstes puts his multi-instrumental and production skills to work. The melodic “Familj” is laced with breezy organ and light drum fills. “Du Ska Inte Tro Att Det […]
Like Ozzy Osbourne says on the opening track of “Black Rain,” he’s “Not Going Away.” He underscores that intention with infectious, chugging lead single “I Don’t Wanna Stop.” The song also signals the return of Zakk Wylde as a co-writer. Every gleeful zing of the guitar solo shouts, “Yeah, I wrote this!” Osbourne shows […]
