New Albums This Week

November is the biggest month for new album releases. And this week is the biggest week of the month--making it one hell of a week for new music. Here's the biggest releases out in stores this week:

Rihanna - Rated R
The Barbadian pop singer breaks her silence with this dark fourth album. It follows Good Girl Gone Bad, the album that transformed Rihanna from merely a successful pop artist to a pop megastar, giving her #1 hits around the world in songs like "Umbrella," "Don't Stop the Music," "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia." Although it had a good variety of songs, it was most notable for its R&B-flavored dance pop. Rated R is instantly notable for its lack of such good times, focusing on edgier R&B and rock sounds. Although it doesn't directly address the end of her abusive relationship with Chris Brown, it does so indirectly through songs like "Russian Roulette" and "Stupid in Love." It's a move reminiscent of Kelly Clarkson's My December--a darker, more personal album following a mega-successful pop album. Will it pay off for Rihanna in ways that it didn't? We shall see; however, "Russian Roulette" is already performing on the charts exactly like Clarkson's "Never Again" did--"Never Again" debuted at #8 on the Hot 100 due to strong sales, but fell off after that and stalled at #22 at top 40 radio after a fairly rapid rise. Similarly, "Russian Roulette" reached #9 on the Hot 100, but has slipped to #16 this week, while the track climbed quickly at top 40 radio only to peak at #21. Could this be a sign? Immediate standouts: Stupid in Love, Rockstar 101, Russian Roulette, Fire Bomb

Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment
Expectations are high for Adam Lambert's debut album. This year's American Idol runner-up developed quite a following for his flamboyant style. His debut certainly lives up to his image. These are big, over-the-top pop songs in the vein of Queen and Mika. Immediate standouts: Broken Open, Music Again, Fever

Lady GaGa - The Fame Monster
This is officially an EP, but can't we consider it an album? Sure it's only got 8 tracks, but in the '80s that was pretty common (Madonna's Madonna, Wham's Make It Big and Lionel Richie's Can't Slow Down each had only 8 tracks). While most albums now have an average of about 13 tracks, sometimes this isn't a good thing, as a shorter album of all good songs is often preferable to something bloated that's a mix of good songs and filler. That was kind of how I felt about The Fame, which opened strong with her four big hits but was a mixed bag after that. This leaner follow-up all sounds pretty good so far and no less diverse. Immediate standouts: Bad Romance, Alejandro, Dance in the Dark, Speechless

Those were the albums I bought this morning. Two more releases worth noting:

Susan Boyle - I Dreamed a Dream
Who's got a better rise to fame story than Susan Boyle? The plain, middle-age nobody who became a star in Britain on Britain's Got Talent and the rest of the world via YouTube. I Dreamed a Dream is her debut, a collection of remakes she chose herself to express what she's gone through. Of course it includes the title track, a Christmas song ("Silent Night"--I think a whole album of Christmas music from her would be worth getting), a Madonna remake ("You'll See") and a rather grand Streisand-like first single, "Wild Horses," which is quite beautiful. This broke the record for most pre-ordered album at Amazon.com. Check out: Wild Horses.

Shakira - She Wolf
I'm not a Shakira fan, but I know she has a rather rabid following. This is her third English-language album following in the wake of hits like "Whenever, Wherever," "Underneath Your Clothes," and "Hips Don't Life." I've read reviews that just salivate over this and others that declare it a hot mess. Check out: Give It Up to Me

So how are they stacking up at iTunes so far? Here's the current placings:

1. Lady GaGa - The Fame Monster (EP version)
2. Susan Boyle - I Dreamed a Dream
3. Lady GaGa - The Fame Monster (Deluxe EP + The Fame)
4. Rihanna - Rated R (Explicit)
6. Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment (Deluxe)
8. Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment
14. Shakira - She Wolf (Deluxe)
29. Shakira - She Wolf
58. Rihanna - Rated R (Censored)