It’s natural for Ann Wilson to take a stab at “Immigrant Song,” considering her long-professed love for Led Zeppelin. And if anyone’s got the pipes to blow Robert Plant’s caterwaul through the roof, it’s Heart’s formidable frontwoman. So imagine the letdown when, instead of setting off a powerhouse wail, a la “Alone,” Wilson settles for […]
With heavy hitters Kanye West and 50 Cent releasing albums September 11, Nelly also fearlessly enters the fray via his own “Brass Knuckles.” With 40 million records sold and a collection of hits brighter than the grill he dons, “Wadsyaname” is another sure-fire hit. With pimp juice flowing, lyrically he hopes to maximize his final […]
So many American Idols who won favor with voters because of sheer vocal potency ultimately betray that trust by entering the studio and recording music aiming to fluff up the hip factor–and in the process, hiding their gifts behind junk production and throwaway tracks. How refreshing that season six winner Jordin Sparks kick-starts her career […]
Punk-poppers the Dollyrots are gaining momentum via modern millennium tools: branding, baby. When launched in 2002, the song “Feed Me, Pet Me” found its way into an ad for Hewlett Packard. Now signed to Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records, the title track from second album “Because I’m Awesome” leads Kohl’s back-to-school campaign. Lead singer Kelly Ogden, […]
There is so much to love about Little Big Town, starting with incredible harmonies, songwriting chops and stellar stage presence. These four guys are proof that an act can bounce around Music Row and struggle for years, then find platinum-selling success — and on an indie label, at that. This single demonstrates why they are […]
Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend” propelled the singer-songwriter to a lofty pedestal: The 22-year-old now has the most No. 1 top 40 hits this decade (five) and is the No. 2 artist in the 14-year history of Nielsen BDS, behind Mariah Carey’s six chart-toppers. “When You’re Gone,” the second single from No. 1 album “The Best Damn […]
“But my heart/It don’t beat the way it used to,” a feverish Brandon Flowers laments in “For Reasons Unknown,” the fourth single from the Killers’ inexhaustible sophomore set “Sam’s Town.” Indeed, things have changed since the Las Vegas boys dumped Bowie for Springsteen, creating a hook-filled blockbuster that fuses new-wavey melodramas with epic Americana. Destined […]
With her career thrust into first gear via FX cult hit “The Riches,” Academy Award-nominated actress Minnie Driver returns in timely fashion with second musical venture “Seastories,” a calming, thoughtful opus. “Beloved,” written by Driver with producer Marc “Doc” Dauer collaborating on melody (he also helmed her 2004 debut, “Everything I’ve Got in My Pocket”), […]
With the pressure of creating an album comparable to 2003’s poignant, sensory “O,” Damien Rice’s sophomore effort, “9,” delves into new themes and sounds without forgoing the haunting elements and ghost-like resonance that defined the Dubliner’s acoustic-folk roots. Launch single “9 Crimes” pairs lazy piano arpeggios and lingering cello. The simplicity of Rice’s arrangements […]
From the New York-based rock outfit’s second album, “The Sun and the Moon” — which launched at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 — the Bravery’s “Time Won’t Let Me Go” is quite the paradox: a lyric infused with melancholic nostalgia, whispering of “all these precious moments you promised me would come in time/So where […]
Hurricane Chris’ “A Bay Bay” has been heating up in his native Shreveport, La., and is now unraveling its melodic tentacles across the rest of the nation. A chorus laced with a child singing along in almost incomprehensible English adds the right amount of catchiness to a ditty about approaching the opposite sex. The chorus […]
Colbie Caillat put “Bubbly” on MySpace last September and by early this year had shot up to the site’s No. 1 unsigned artist spot, a position she maintained for four months. Universal Republic jumped onboard during that run and stuck with the charming track as the first single from a July LP. Caillat is […]
It took only one listen to recognize that Rihanna’s “Umbrella” was destined to command chart heavens and become the red-hot ingenue’s second Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, following “SOS.” With mission accomplished, the second single from third album “Good Girl Gone Bad,” out June 5, further demonstrates why the 19-year-old continues to trailblaze as top […]
With her U.S. career fully resurrected thanks to Jive’s tireless efforts to push Pink’s gratifying “U + Ur Hand” to the top of pop playlists, the label steps back in time with the rerelease of what was originally the July 2006 previous single from CD “I’m Not Dead.” “Who Knew” is another cool, smart, plenty […]
