At 16, R’n’B’s latest teen dream, Chris Brown, is already facing the inevitable comparisons to Usher and a young Michael Jackson after the chart-topping US success of his debut single, Run It. Produced by ex-Roots keyboardist Scott Storch (who is reportedly set to unleash Paris Hilton’s debut on to an unsuspecting public), the track […]
Every R’n’B power couple has to release a cheesy duet, hence Like You, from crunk’n’b princess Ciara and her younger man, teen rapper (Lil’) Bow Wow. The beats here are smooth and slick but Bow Wow’s flow is more robot than hip hop dog and Ciara’s voice - which smouldered on her sexy slow-riding […]
Keen to cut ties with the show that propelled her into the spotlight, Kelly Clarkson’s latest album, Breakaway, proves that as an artist she’s worth her salt. Following in the footsteps of five previous hit singles, Walk Away covers familiar relationship territory but instead of delivering feminist angst-driven lyrics in cascading melodies, she busts […]
IT falls to the perennially outspoken Pink to stand up for the gals who don’t want to be bimbette of the week, a la Jessica or Lindsay. Lyrically, she nails it: “What happened to the dream of a girl president? She’s dancing in the video next to 50 Cent”. Musically, it’s catchy but minus […]
They really do make pop mastery sound effortless. The double A-side single - the fourth release from the Demon Days album - kicks off with a moodier, more atmospheric track, part French film soundtrack, part Massive Attack. You can hear the melancholic world weariness in Albarn’s laidback drawl, the same vocal approach he used […]
You can’t blame Debbie Loeb for trying to take advantage of her exposure on sister Lisa’s E! reality show, “#1 Single,” along with the sudden, surprising commercial success of high-energy music by the likes of Cascada and D.H.T. While Debbie may be a true talent, this homogenized beat-box-driven track exemplifies why radio and consumers […]
Call it freestyle, call it high energy, even call it old-fashioned, but “Love of My Life” absolutely rallies within its genre. New York radio mainstays Lucas Prada and Reina have released a song custom-made for the WKTUs and WNEWs of Gotham and beyond that fills the heart with joy and forces the feet to flurry […]
Korn trades in the propulsive, jacked-up rhythms of previous hit “Twisted Transistor” for the polar opposite on the latest single from platinum-selling “See You on the Other Side.” “Coming Undone” is dominated by a sludgy overtone and thick boom-boom-whack of David Silveria’s percussion. The lean production drops the electro tweakings that made “Transistor” a dance-floor […]
Although Theory of a Deadman debuted on the Billboard charts in 2002, the Canadian band still has not caught fire in the States. But it is making progress, as its singles keep pushing into the rock charts’ upper reaches. The group’s commercial rock has obvious appeal, “Santa Monica” standing as a good example. Almost jaunty […]
For all the whimsy that surrounds Chris Isaak’s enduring career, it’s hard to fathom that he has logged only one top 10 hit — 1990’s visually stimulating “Wicked Game.” He has tickled the outer reaches of the airwaves enough times to foster his own Showtime series and now a greatest-hits collection, which, while it may […]
Kenny Chesney ushers in summer with a single that is chock-full of seasonal images: bare feet on the dashboard, cheap shades, a sip of wine and a Yoo-Hoo bottle on the floorboard. Chesney sounds like he’s enjoyed every one of these cool summer moments, and he is confident and playful as he delivers the song’s […]
“4 Minutes,” the lead single from Avant’s upcoming fourth album, “Director,” is an earnest, pressing ballad and just the cut he needs after struggling for years to make an impression. The singer has all of four minutes to plead his case to a woman who is leaving for another man. By hastening his vocals alongside […]
For the past seven years, Mark Knopfler, the voice and guitar of Dire Straits, and country legend Emmylou Harris have been quietly working together — who knew?
The lead single from their upcoming duet album is a relaxed, romantic folk-rocker with lush guitar licks and soulful call-and-response. Harris’ gorgeous voice melts Knopfler’s hillbilly coolness as both […]
Musically, it is hard to find fault with Staind, one of the few bands that survived the nu-metal era, thanks to its considerable performance and songwriting talents. And there’s really nothing wrong with wistful new single “Everything Changes” from gold-certified “Chapter V.” The song has an unplugged feel, but its sparse arrangement carries weight. Singer […]
