Today's Music from ww_adh

Adele's 21 Racks Up Milestones

2012-01-27T18:48:00.002-05:00

As Adele's 21 continues to dominate albums charts well into its second year of release, there are a couple of notable milestones worth mentioning this week.

1) Weeks at #1

Adele's 21 has now spent 17 weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200, the most weeks at #1 since since The Bodyguard Soundtrack topped the chart for 20 weeks in late 1992/early 1993. That puts her in the company of only 26 other albums that have topped the albums chart for that long, the champion being the South Pacific cast album from 1949, which was the nation's most popular album for 69 weeks. See the full list here.

2) Number One Singles

With "Set Fire to the Rain" having ascent to the top of the Hot 100, 21 now has three #1 hits under its belt. That puts the album in the rather exclusive camp of albums to have had three or more #1 hits.

With Katy Perry's Teenage Dream scoring five #1 hits recently, there was much written (including by me) about how there are nine albums with four or more #1s (including two with five).

The club of albums with at least three #1s widens the circle a bit, but is still a pretty exclusive group of just 19 albums:

The Supremes - Where Did Our Love Go (1964): Where Did Our Love Go, Baby Love, Come See About Me

The Beatles - Help! (1965): Ticket to Ride, Help!, Yesterday

The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour (1967): Penny Lane, All You Need is Love, Hello Goodbye

The Beatles - Let It Be (1970): Get Back, Let It Be, The Long and Winding Road

Bee Gees - Spirits Having Flown (1979): Too Much Heaven, Tragedy, Love You Inside Out

Wham! - Make It Big (1984): Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Careless Whisper, Everything She Wants

Whitney Houston (1985): Saving All My Love for You, How Will I Know, The Greatest Love of All

Madonna - True Blue (1986): Live to Tell, Papa Don't Preach, Open Your Heart

Milli Vanilli - Girl You Know It's True (1989): Baby Don't Forget My Number, Girl I'm Gonna Miss You, Blame It On the Rain

Wilson Phillips (1990): Hold On, Release Me, You're in Love

Mariah Carey - Daydream (1995): Fantasy, One Sweet Day, Always Be My Baby (*Notable for having three #1 hits and no other official singles)

Monica - The Boy Is Mine (1998): The Boy Is Mine, The First Night, Angel of Mine

Christina Aguilera (1999): Genie in a Bottle, What a Girl Wants, Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)

Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006): Sexyback, My Love, What Goes Around...Comes Around

Fergie - The Dutchess (2006): London Bridge, Glamorous, Big Girls Don't Cry

Rihanna - Good Girl Gone Bad/Good Girl Gone Bad (Reloaded)(2007/2008): Umbrella, Take a Bow, Disturbia

The Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D (2009): Boom Boom Pow, I Gotta Feeling, Imma Be

Rihanna - Loud (2010): Only Girl, What's My Name, S&M

Adele - 21 (2011): Rolling in the Deep, Someone Like You, Set Fire to the Rain

Personal Chart, January 28, 2012

2012-01-27T18:46:00.000-05:00

Top 40: Will Katy Perry hit #1?

2012-01-23T08:04:00.002-05:00

It looks like Katy Perry's "The One That Got Away" will not be hitting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has fallen below the top 5, and with Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain" sure to claim the top spot next week and hold on for some time, I think Perry's lack of sales will prevent her from topping the chart, even if her airplay is peaking.

At top 40 radio though, she still has a shot. She's been running neck-and-neck with Bruno Mars' "It Will Rain," with both songs waiting for Rihanna's "We Found Love" to finally release its grip from #1. This finally happened this week, allowing Mars to ascend to #1 with Perry close behind at #2. The big question is what happens next week. I see three scenarios:

1) Mars remains at #1. Certainly a possibility if his airplay loss stays minimal, but he's not going to be #1 for long, given that he's hit #1 with a spin loss and several singles in the top 5 now with gains.

2) Flo Rida hits #1. "Good Feeling" is at 12,870 today with a 7-day gain of 548. Another 500 gain will put him at nearly 13,400 next week. If Mars drops 100 spins, Flo could end up at #1.

3) Katy Perry hits #1. This is probably the least likely scenario, but it's still possible. For it to happen, Mars' spin loss has to increase, which it probably will; Flo Rida's spin gain needs to hold or lessen a bit, which is also likely; and Perry's spin gain needs to at least hold for the week and certainly not decrease. Even those I say all those things are likely or possible, it's the fact that all three have to happen that makes this scenario the least likely, in my opinion.

Finally, there is an outside shot that Adele would be #1, but I think "Set Fire to the Rain" is 2 weeks away from #1. Even a 2000 spin gain (500 more than this week) would only put her at 12,200 spins, whereas the #1 contenders are all over 13,000 at present. Never the less, after next week, #1 is all hers.

Source: http://www.mediabase.com/mmrweb/insideradio/charts.asp?format=1&showyear=y&dpt=n Accessed January 23, 2012, 8 a.m.

Personal Chart, January 21, 2012

2012-01-22T18:32:00.002-05:00

Personal Chart, January 14, 2012

2012-01-16T18:31:00.002-05:00

Scissor Sisters "Shady Love"

2012-01-11T20:45:00.002-05:00

Scissor Sisters return with "Shady Love," the first single from their upcoming fourth album. It's a different sound for them, but I think I'm liking it. The track features 2012 buzzy-new-artist Azealia Banks, although she's billed as "Krystal Pepsy" in honor of the failed clear '90s Pepsi product Crystal Pepsi.

New Blog

2012-01-08T19:53:00.001-05:00

After 6 years of "Today's Music from ww_adh," I've decided to shift my writing focus to food. Thus today is born my new blog: Cook In / Dine Out, where I will writing about cooking, eating, drinking, restaurants, etc. I will continue to post on this blog, particularly my personal chart, but I expect there will be far fewer posts as I concentrate on this new topic.

Personal Chart, January 7, 2012

2012-01-07T08:08:00.003-05:00

Best of 2011 - Movies

2012-01-06T18:19:00.002-05:00

1. The Artist. Director Michel Hazanavicius and stars Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo of OSS 117 fame re-teamed for this beautifully shot and lovingly rendered homage to the silent film era. A thoroughly entertaining film with a wonderful story at its heart. In a year where the love of cinema was an important theme in movies (see Hugo, Super 8, War Horse, Drive, for example)--just as moviegoers continue to show less interest in actually going to movies--this arty gem shined the brightest.

2. 50/50. Cancer is no laughing matter, but 50/50 managed the perfect balance of comedy and tragedy in this sweet portrait of a young man battling cancer and his allies that support him through it.

3. Drive. Drive manages the rather remarkable feat of paying homage to cheap '80s action flicks with a pitch-perfect production and all-star cast led by Ryan Gosling, with his best performance in a stand-out year. Let's also not forget Albert Brooks playing against type in a truly scary role.

4. Hugo. I didn't plan to see this movie and didn't know what to expect when I went into it. So I was pleasantly surprised that it was absolutely dazzling, telling love story about the movies that also pays tribute to the feats of engineering that make things work.

5. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Harry Potter movies tend to be good but not great, until now. This no-holds-barred finale was a fitting end to the film series, masterfully depicting the books' thrilling and revealing conclusion.

6. The Descendants. George Clooney sheds his usual studly demeanor to play a flawed father struggling to keep his teenage daughters in check while his wife lays dying after a boating accident. Hawaii never looked this real.

7. War Horse. Sure it's a bit over the top, but it this gorgeously retro war film from Spielberg proves the director still knows how to manipulating our hearts like no one else. Since there are so many films about World War II, it's nice to see media turn to World War I more this year (see Downton Abbey).

8. Midnight in Paris. Woody Allen's moved on from London to Paris, spinning this whimsical time-traveling tribute to great figures in historical literature. Owen Wilson's great comeback.

9. Moneyball. I'm not really into baseball, so that this movie was so engrossing despite that, was really something. Another great performance from Brad Pitt.

10. Bridesmaids. Proving that gross-out humor isn't just for the guys, Kristen Wiig and the gang scored a major summer hit and a major star-making turn for Melissa McCarthy.

Honorable mention: Hanna, Shame, The Tree of Life, The Ides of March, Crazy Stupid Love, Super 8

Personal Chart, Top 100 of 2011

2011-12-31T23:59:00.000-05:00

Best of 2011 - Television

2011-12-31T09:29:00.000-05:00

1. Downton Abbey (PBS/ITV). Season one deftly introduced us to the stately Crowleys and their servants, while season two pulled our heartstrings even tighter as the story progressed into the perils of World War I. Fast-paced, beautifully filmed and perfectly acted, Downton Abbey gave off-the-air Mad Men a run for its money for the title of television's best period serial.

2. Happy Endings (ABC). What started as a mid-season replacement with little buzz has, by now, grown to become the funniest show on television. The ensemble cast is uniformly great, especially the uber-expressive Damon Wayans Jr. (wisely choosing this series over the vastly inferior New Girl) and Casey Wilson as zany Penny. But of course I also love control-freak Jane, her goofy sister Alex (Elisha Cuthbert, finally moving past the cougar), wacko post-gay Max and straight-guy Dave.

3. Modern Family (ABC). Moving into its third season, Modern Family isn't as fresh as it used to be, but it's still the best family sitcom on television.

4. Parks and Recreation (NBC). Unlike most shows, Parks and Recreation just keeps getting better, with Amy Poehler proving she's a comic genius to rival her pal and former coworker Tina Fey. After a few cast tweaks last year, the show has really hit its stride.

5. Project Runway (Lifetime). Runway continues to prove itself the best reality show on television, making fashion's behind-the-scenes antics a compelling watch as guided by Heidi, Tim, Michael and Nina.

6. Walking Dead (AMC). Walking Dead may have felt like a stall this year, as the action took place almost exclusively in and around a rural farmhouse, but it was really the perfect boiler to watch the tensions between the characters simmer and boil over once they discovered the pastoral estate's secret.

7. Top Chef (Bravo). Tom, Padma, Gail and friends took their Project Runway in the kitchen to Texas this year for a spicy, southwestern third season.

8. Glee (Fox). Glee has definitely slid in quality. The third season got off to a particularly rocky start, although it picked up near the end. About the best decision they made this year was making Darren Criss a regular. He's fantastic.

9. American Horror Story (FX). The most bizarre show on television, with credible actors Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, and especially Jessica Lange making the gruesome head-scratcher a tasty treat.

10. 30 Rock (NBC). It's not what a it used to be, but when it's on, it's great TV.

Personal Chart, December 31, 2011

2011-12-30T22:49:00.000-05:00

Best of 2011: Albums

2011-12-24T07:05:00.006-05:00

1. Adele - 21. This year, Adele's 21 proved resolutely that the pop album is not dead. That a young woman from Britain can release an album to near universal acclaim and appeal is really something, recalling the great pop albums of the '80s. In an era where tastes are sliced, diced, dissected, genred and market-tested to death, it's nice to know we can still all come together around something that we all like because it's just that good. Best: Someone Like You.

2. Lady Gaga - Born This Way. Lady Gaga is basically the polar opposite of Adele, but I have plenty of space for her and her dazzling third album in my year-end top 10. Born This Way was funkier and more ambitious than The Fame or Fame Monster, ultimately proving to be her best and most cohesive work yet. Even if the singles aren't all hitting #1 anymore, she's still got the touch. Best: Born This Way.

3. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake. This was the critics' favorite album of 2011, but don't let that stop you from enjoying it too. History buffs will appreciate Harvey's historical references to specific World War I battles. Music fans will just enjoy her eclectic mix of sounds and clever lyrics. Best: The Glorious Land.

4. The Strokes - Angles. This is the one album among my favorites that I'm surprised to see missing from most other year-end lists. I thought Angles, The Strokes' fourth album, was a winning return to form form the band many consider the most "important" of the '00s indie rockers, putting in some of their trademark simple arrangements but also exploring new wave and other territory. Best: Machu Picchu.

5. Foster the People - Torches. I'll give Torches the award for the year's best debut. Foster the People--aka this year's MGMT--dominated pop radio this fall with "Pumped Up Kicks," but their lively debut has lots of other gems from the indie band. I'm surprised they haven't scored a follow-up hit yet. Best: Helena Beat.

6. Will Young - Echoes. Here's one I'm not surprised isn't on a lot of year-end lists, but it's a shame, for Will Young turned out another fine pop album with Echoes, employing producer Richard X to give his love-spurned pop songs a pleasing electronic veneer. Best: Jealousy.

7. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto. Coldplay continue to earn their keep on this fifth album. Although at times it feels that Chris Martin & company are too eager to please, they still churn out their brand of pop/rock uplift effectively. Best: Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall.

8. Florence + the Machine - Ceremonials. On their second outing, Florence Welch & co. rocked out with even bolder and better songs than on their 2009 debut Lungs, with a larger than life sound that proves everything and the kitchen sink can be a god thing. Best: Shake It Out.

9. The Weekend - House of Balloons/Thursday/Echoes of Silence. The modern R&B mix tape became a staple of 2011, as artists too cool for things like labels, albums and selling their music, took to the internet to give us free tastes of their remakes, remixes and original songs. The Weekend's House of Balloons was the best of that set, but his follow-up Thursday was interesting too, and although I'm just starting to enjoy his third set, Echoes of Silence, it's clear already that it ranks up with the other two. Best: What You Need.

10. Beyoncé - 4. With I Am...Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé proved she could put out a blockbuster two-disc concept album that stocked radio with hits and earned her critical acclaim at the same time. With her fourth album, 4, she didn't have to prove anything, freeing her to buck the electro trend and put out a mostly acoustic set ranging from the manic "Countdown" to the Prince-worthy "1+1." Although it didn't sell as well, it showed a great deal of artistry and continued growth. Best: Countdown.

11. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light. Along with Adele and Lady Gaga, this is one of three albums released this year nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Although some said it was a surprise, I thought it was totally deserving, representing a solid set of muscular guitar-rock. Best: These Days.

12. The Decemberists - The King Is Dead. Gotta love a good indie band from my hometown, especially when they start the year off with putting out a great album like this. When I reviewed this album, I said they reminded me of a folksier, more backwater R.E.M. Best: Down by the Water.

13. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy. This was my first exposure to American musician St. Vincent, who put out this highly compelling set of eclectic and deftly produced tunes. Best: Chloe in the Afternoon.

14. James Blake - James Blake. Another important trend this year was dubstep, which, frankly, I still have trouble identifying, but apparently this was one example. Whatever you want to call it, I thought it was crafty, soulful electronic that recalled both The XX and Bon Iver. Best: The Wilhelm Scream.

15. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes. Joining the long line of Swedish pop tradition (Abba, Roxette, Ace of Base, Max Martin, Robyn) this year was Lykke Li, whose lo-fi production style was, in many ways, the antithesis of the usual Nordic gloss, but still with an ear for a good pop tune. Best: Sadness Is a Blessing.

16. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. Sure, Oasis split last year, but they all kept making music. You'll find the rest of the gang further down this list. Both were very good, but I felt that Noel Gallagher's songwriting skills meant that his album was just a little bit better. Best: If I Had a Gun...

17. Take That - Progressed. Take That's album Progress was one of my favorite albums of 2010. In fact, it's one of my favorite pop albums of all time. This follow-up EP was a welcome second helping of that album's greatness. Best: When We Were Young.

18. Amy Winehouse - Lioness: Hidden Treasures. Posthumous releases should always be viewed with suspicion, but thankfully this one manages to be an appropriate tribute to an amazing singer gone before her time. Her modern take on '60s soul remains one of pop music's most interesting tricks in recent years. Best: Our Day Will Come.

19. Jessie J - Who You Are. Jessie J received so much hype that it would be hard for the singer to live up to it. And yes, her album wasn't "all that," but it was still pretty decent pop from the strutting "Do It Like a Dude" to the affecting title track. She's got a lot of people in her corner. Album #2 could be even more interesting. Best: Who You Are.

20. The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow. Like Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, The Civil Wars achieves a beautiful alchemy with the tried-and-true formula of a male/female vocal harmony over a lovelorn folksy sound. And then they kicked up their heels with the album's title track. Moving and fun. Best: Poison & Wine.

21. The Black Keys - El Camino. These southern-influenced blues rockers from Ohio shifted their sound more toward classic rock & roll for this seventh album. More and more they sound less like the stopgap for The White Stripes' absence and more like that duo's worthy successor. Best: Dead and Gone.

22. Ed Sheeran - +. I didn't get around to reviewing this album, since I only recently got it (consider it a 4/5 rating). Although I wasn't initially sold on Sheeran via "The A Team," in the end, I was ultimately won over by his acoustic-leaning pop debut, particularly its more upbeat tracks. Best: Lego House.

23. Radiohead - The King of Limbs. That Radiohead's eighth album is more of an exercise in sounds than in songs means this album won't be for everyone, but for those who like Kid A and Amnesiac because of that, then should be up your alley. Best: Bloom.

24. Kasabian - Velociraptor!. Fourth album by British rockers Kasabian finds them mining familiar '60s territory but with a bolder take than on their last album. Best: Days Are Forgotten.

25. Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys. For their seventh album, these indie rockers from Bellingham, Washington, make their sound lighter and more modern than their recent works. Hints of Arcade Fire permeate the buoyant title track with its deep mix of strings, piano, guitar, bass and drums. Best: Codes and Keys.

26. Bon Iver - Bon Iver. The last thing Wisconsinite folk singer Justin Vernon probably thought when he released his 2008 debut, For Emma, Forever Ago, was that a few years later he'd be a major influence in alternative rock music. Even Kanye West got into him. On this second Bon Iver album, he gets a little more adventurous and manages to still please, even despite the deafening hype. Best: Towers.

27. Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie XX - We're New Here. Serving as an effective stopgap before the hotly anticipated second album from The XX, its member Jamie XX remixed nearly every track from the late soul and jazz poet Gil Scott-Heron, reinterpreting his quirky, final spoken-word album into a satisfying dose of late-night electronica. Best: The Crutch.

28. Frank Ocean - Nostalgia, Ultra. Singer Frank Ocean has been tipped to be a major breakout star next year. This year, however, he's already racked up a lot of acclaim for his self-released mix tape, a winning mix of original songs and remakes where he sings over popular songs with his own new lyrics. Best: Strawberry Swing.

29. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues. Like Bon Iver, this is another indie act that achieved significant acclaim with its folksy debut and followed it up this year with a second album of similarly great material. Title track "Helplessness Blues" proves that, like Mumford & Sons have shown, folk music doesn't equate always with slow and quiet. Best: Helplessness Blues.

30. Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin'. Retro R&B is a trend right now for sure, but with so many great examples of it, like this eclectic set from Raphael Saadiq, I'm not ready for it to end. Stone Rollin' is an eclectic, decade-jumping work with a of heart and soul. Best: Go to Hell.

31. Wilco - The Whole Love. Wilco's eighth album delivers much of the same from the band as what we've heard before--accomplished alt. rock with influences from country and '70s rock. But it's the dynamite 7-minute opener, which dabbles a bit in Radiohead Kid A electronica and delivers a 2-minute guitar solo, that makes this album worthwhile. Best: Art of Almost.

32. The Naked and Famous - Passive Me, Aggressive You. Although "this year's MGMT" ended up being Foster the People, New Zealand's The Naked and Famous auditioned for the role with this lively, at times moody debut of new wave revival pop. Best: Young Gun.

33. Kanye West & Jay-Z - Watch the Throne. Two kings of rap show they can effectively share the throne with this collaboration, one of the year's most hotly anticipated albums. As you'd expect, modesty is rarely displayed on this album chock full of ego and big-name guests (including two acts named above). Best: Why I Love You.

34. Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding. One fourth of the former Oasis is up at #16 and the rest are here at #34. It might sound corny to say these albums sound like brothers, except for the fact that they literally are made by brothers, so its fitting. Oasis fans should find solace in the fact that both albums are pretty great, with this being the bolder and more upbeat of the two. Best: If I Had a Gun...

35. Rihanna - Talk That Talk. Another year, another Rihanna album. On her sixth outing, the Barbadian singer continued global chart domination with her most risque work yet, continuing to churn out frothy dance pop and laid back island-inspired grooves. Best: We Found Love.

36. Britney Spears - Femme Fatale. Britney got her career back on track with 2008's Circus and she continued her hit streak this year with this unabashedly frothy dance pop album. She slowed down a bit for the album's final track, "Criminal," and that proved to be interesting too. Best: Till the World Ends.

37. Katy B - On a Mission. Those needing a lesson on contemporary dance music styles could do worse than listen to Katy B's debut album, on which she explores a variety of contemporary and (recently) retro dance styles, including dubstep, garage and drum 'n' bass. Best: Lights On.

38. Real Estate - Days. On Days, Brooklyn-based Real Estate's second album, the band churns out mellow and melodic rock. They don't produce much in the way of variety, but have a pleasant sound--the kind of music that's a nice soundtrack to a sunny Sunday afternoon. Best: Green Aisles.

39. Washed Out - Within and Without. Washed Out wears its influences on its sleeves--its ambient electronica evokes names like Moby and Chemical Brothers. Another "chill" album that lives up to that nickname. Best: Eyes Be Closed.

40. Glee: The Music Presents - The Warblers. With The Warblers release, Glee came as close as it may ever come to putting out a proper album, since the group, which is really actor/singer Darren Criss and Tufts University's male singing group The Beelzebubs, sing all these songs a cappella, effectively imitating a bevy of instruments. Best: Teenage Dream.

Worst Album of the Year

Moby - Destroyed. I supposed it's unlikely this is actually the worst album of the year. Hopefully I never had a chance to hear that. Still, I was awfully disappointed by this bland release, which only recycled his old sounds.

Personal Chart, December 24, 2011

2011-12-23T14:56:00.000-05:00

Mix Tapes of 2011

2011-12-20T20:10:00.000-05:00

Gather 'round kids. Let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time, back in the '80s and early '90s, kids like you had total control over their music.

"Oh C'mon," you might chortle. "You gotta be kidding. Y'all could only buy whatever was on tape or CD and you had to go to the store...and pay...a lot." Well yes, this is true. The options were fewer. And yes, today there are a myriad of ways you can slice and dice your music collection, creating, uploading, sharing and downloading playlists via iTunes, Genius, Spotify, Facebook, MySpace, Pandora, Last.FM, etc., etc., (Bit Torrent, shhhh...), etc.

These services provide an amazing amount of convenience and options. But what you may not be aware of, or just choose to ignore, is that all of those things are corporate products, and by using them, you're agreeing, in essence, to allow them to use you. To monitor, track and profile you to improve their services, to market to you, and sometimes to sell information about you to third parties.

I'm getting off track. Anyway, back in good ol' days, it wasn't like that. If you wanted to create a mix of songs and share it with friends it was nobody's business but yours, and it was super simple. Any 8 year-old could do it. All you needed was a a dual cassette player with a radio and you were all set.

Of course, I'm talking about the mix tape. That magical piece of media that millions of youths (and adults) assembled in the complete privacy of their own homes and either shared with friends or kept for their own enjoyment. Just like an iTunes playlist, you could drop in any song you already owned or even copy one off the radio. Unlike an iTunes playlist, neither Apple nor any other corporate entity could find out what you were up to. It was all you. You could assemble your own greatest hits collections, build a mix tape with a particular theme (songs made up of girls' names, for example), or just tape new songs off the radio that you didn't yet own (a no-no, but since you weren't getting perfect digital copies like you can today, no one really cared).

I had quite a few mix tapes, mostly recorded onto TDK SA-90, which was my favorite brand, since its higher quality meant that it sounded better for non-radio copying. And 90 minutes was the perfect length too, allowing you to fit about 10 songs on each side.

In recent years, the mix tape is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance, although in a significantly different form. The term is being used to describe collections of songs, often by new artists, that are more than EP but not quite an album, often containing remakes, remixes and lack of unifying concept that would signify an album.

Many of the year's most exciting "mix tapes" are by R&B artists doing exciting work that's far from the mainstream David Guetta/JR Rotem sound that's all over pop radio today. The nice thing about all three of these is that you can download them for free and not illegally, as they're intended to be free. How novel.

Frank Ocean - Nostalgia, Ultra (4/5). The year-end accolades keep piling up for Frank Ocean and his self-released debut, the mix tape Nostalgia, Ultra. The melodies are easy to recognize: Coldplay, Radiohead, MGMT. But listen to the lyrics and you'll notice they've been mostly re-written. "Spaceships are lifting off of a dying world; millions are left behind while the sky burns," he sings over what would normally be the instrumental middle 8 of Coldplay's Viva la Vida hit "Strawberry Swing," put a much darker spin on the uplifting song. Original track "Novocane," a Tricky Stewart production, is smooth, horny R&B, while "We All Try" is even smoother and "Lovecrimes," during which the unmistakable sounds of sex can be heard, even hornier. The lovelorn, autotuned vocals on "There Will Be Tears" reminds me of Bon Iver. The interludes are clever too: "Bitches talkin'" features what the title says--a few women wondering who Radiohead is while Radiohead's Kid A track "Optimistic" plays briefly. Best of all, Ocean nods to the cassette origin of the mix tape, with the sound effects of tapes being played, stopped, rewound, turned over, etc. during several interludes. Best: Strawberry Swing, Novocane, There Will Be Tears, American Wedding.

The Weeknd - Thursday (4/5). I already reviewed The Weeknd's first 2011 mix tape, House of Balloons, which I thought was really good. Although Thursday isn't quite as great, it's pretty similar. Like Ocean, The Weeknd churns out modern, electronic-flecked R&B. He's horny too, such as on "Lonely Star." Baby, I could fuck you right" he offers on the downbeat piano tune. I'm sure the girls are lining up, even if he might be a jerk (he's certainly not coming off as a nice guy on these mix tapes). "Life of the Party" is a nice change of pace, pulsing with an insistence swagger and a harsher arrangement. It feels very '90s, bringing to mind Lords of Acid with a slower tempo (I imagine The Weeknd loves the Sliver Soundtrack). "Thursday" has a nice vibe, both cool and cold, owing to its slow tempo and processed sound. Fellow Canadian and superstar rapper Drake shows up on "The Zone," a highlight of hollow beats and tinkling keys. Things get really dark on "The Birds, Part 2," during which Tesfaye sings about who gives him all her pills and ends up on the floor. Best: The Zone, Life of the Party, Rolling Stone.

Album Reviews

2011-12-20T18:02:00.005-05:00

The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow (4/5). Folk duo The Civil Wars' debut album, Barton Hollow, has drawn comparisons to the folk duo of Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, stars of the charming musical Once and the recent documentary The Swell Season. It's easy to see why, as the album exudes a similar warm, acoustic sound and male/female vocal harmonies. Most of the album is slower songs, climaxing with the brilliantly beautiful "Poison and Wine," although they do also let their hair down on the toe-tapping title track. Best: Poison and Wine, Barton Hollow, I've Got a Friend, 20 Years.

Wilco - The Whole Love (4/5). Wilco begins their eight album, The Whole Love, with a real knockout of an opening song: a 7-minute epic that begins like Radiohead with beats and electronic blurts that are eventually drowned out by a tuning mass of strings before the song proper begins. "Art of Almost" is quite brilliant. It concludes with a satisfying 2 minutes and 30 seconds of guitar solo. While the rest of The Whole Love lacks that level of ambition, it doesn't lack for quality. Much of it floats around them doing what they do best--alternative rock with tinges of country and '70s rock influences on songs that are alternately bouncy and upbeat or slower. "I Might" and "Standing O" exude a similar retro feel, while "Dawned on Me" rolls along over a prominent bass line with a tune that sounds an awful lot like Supergrass' "Alright." I tend to like these more than the slower songs, although I do like the somber acoustic guitar of "Black Moon." Overall, I don't think it's as consistent as Sky Blue Sky, but I do think it's better than their last album. Best: Art of Almost, I Might, Dawned on Me, Black Moon.

UK Singles Chart, December 24, 2011

2011-12-19T20:38:00.002-05:00

1.(NEW) Cannonball - Little Mix

The X Factor winner leads what is certainly the season's biggest X Factor-influenced chart yet. For the first time, the show ended up with a group as the winner. Not for the first time, the single they chose to put out was a cover, this time a version of Damien Rice's "Cannonball," itself charting at #19 this week.

Little Mix's version sold about 210,000 copies of "Cannonball," making it the year's biggest one-week sales for a #1 single, surpassing the 154,000 of previous champ, One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful." As impressive as that may sound, it's a pretty small haul for an X Factor victory single. Only Steve Brookstein's paltry first-week take of 127,000 copies was less.

Artist	Song	Sales
2004: Steve Brookstein	Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)	127,370 (debuted at #2 the week of Christmas, sold 26,400 when it hit #1 the following week)
2005: Shayne Ward	That's My Goal	742,180
2006: Leona Lewis	A Moment Like This	571,253
2007: Leon Jackson	When You Believe	290,740
2008: Alexandra Burke	Hallelujah	576,046
2009: Joe McElderry	The Climb	450,838 (debuted at #2 the week of Christmas, sold 195,730 when it hit #1 the following week)
2010: Matt Cardle	When We Collide	439,007

2.(7) Paradise - Coldplay

Also benefiting from the X Factor finale are the show's guest performers. Coldplay, who see 2-month-old "Paradise" reach a new peak position of #2. At first it didn't seem the single would ever chart this high. After debuting at #14, it fell to #20 two weeks later. But it's been climbing ever since, entering the top 10 last week and now reaching #2, where it will surely peak. This is Coldplay's fourth single to reach the top 2, including #2 hits "In My Place" and "Speed of Sound"--there's been one from each album except their 2000 debut. Only "Viva La Vida" climbed a notch higher to hit #1.

8.(NEW) Hurt - Leona Lewis

The other big star was former X Factor winner Leona Lewis, doing a remarkable rendition of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt." Early in the week, this was as high as #4, so I'm bummed it slipped through th week down to #8.

Album Reviews

2011-12-18T09:18:00.008-05:00

St. Vincent - Strange Mercy (4/5).

On her third album, Strange Mercy, St. Vincent paints her emotions on the surface and fills in her canvas with a range of sounds that can be airy and ethereal or heavy and raspy--sometimes both at that same time. "Chloe in the Afternoon" has a beautiful arrangement composed of cacophonous elements that resolve under the bass synths of the chorus and then vanish, replaced by gentle electric guitar. "Cruel" is bouncier, bursting with retro synths but also light, airy choruses. "Cheerleader" and "Surgeon" approximate Goldfrapp, with the former throwing out a bold synth-draped verse garnished with electronic flourishes and the latter repeating a airy refrain reminiscent of John Barry's James Bond theme for You Only Live Twice. She rocks out harder on "Northern Lights," sounding more like Liz Phair, on which she sings "it's a champagne year full of sober months," setting up later track "Champagne Year," one of the albums slower cuts, along with the art-rock title cut (although that picks up toward the end). "Dilettante" shows a bit of swagger, with a loud, raspy guitar cutting incisively into the groovy melody. It concludes with a lush brush of keyboard and piano. "Year of the Tiger" completes the picture, but leaves some spaces unfilled with its mysterious lyrics about "living in fear in the year of the tiger," (the period ending last February, according to the Chinese calendar). Best: Chloe in the Afternoon, Cruel, Cheerleader, Surgeon.

Black Keys - El Camino (4/5).

On their seventh album, The Black Keys continue to churn out tight, minimalist songs with a rugged feel, although this time their faster, harder tempos push them away from blues-rock and more toward a classic rock & roll sound. It's apparent from the start with "Lonely Boy" pulsing along its racing guitar melody and the harder drum and bass of "Dead and Gone." Other kicky tracks include "Money Maker," with its cool use of talk box, "Run Right Back," which charges along a staccato bass line and "Nova Baby," which nicely uses the new female trio of backup singers. Producer Danger Mouse (Gorillaz, Gnarls Barkley, Broken Bells), who was responsible for the group's fifth album and their last album's big hit, "Tighten Up," returns to work the controls on the entirety of this release, an influence you can hear on the retro instrumentation of tracks like "Gold on the Ceiling," through which the prominent guitar and bass overlay the less obvious keyboards and hand claps. Subtler "Sister" has them too, along with a darker melody. "Little Black Submarines" starts out as a ballad but transforms into a loud rocker halfway through. Best: Dead and Gone, Lonely Boy, Little Black Submarines, Gold on the Ceiling, Nova Baby.

Real Estate - Days (3.5/5).

On Days, Brooklyn-based Real Estate's second album, the band churns out mellow and melodic rock, the kind of music that's a nice soundtrack to a sunny Sunday afternoon. The vocals are delivered somewhere just above a hush and never louder, the guitars play continuously but never threaten to rock out and distort. Because the songs sound so much alike, it's hard to pick standouts, although the dual guitar arrangement of "Green Aisles," makes it a strong contender, as does the sweetness and slightly faster tempo of "It's Real" and the brighter sound of "Wonder Years." Instrumental passages are long and, in the case of "Kinder Blumen," constitute the entire track. Best: Green Aisles, It's Real.

Amy Winehouse - Lioness: Hidden Treasures (4/5).

After last year's disappointing Michael, I'm suspicious of posthumous releases. Made by definition without the artist's input, it's easy for such an album to feel undercooked and lacking a continuous thread that would define the work as an album and not just a collection of leftovers. Thankfully, Lioness actually manages to feel rather cohesive, making it a touching coda to Amy Winehouse's brief by vibrant pop music career. That it lacks the gusto of her 2006 masterpiece Back to Black is fitting: it's emphasis on slower songs plays up the album as a memorial and tribute. Because Winehouse sounded so comfortable in her soulful retro '60s mode, the remakes of actual '60s songs like "Our Day Will Come" and "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" sit comfortably alongside new songs written in a '60s-inspired mode like the breezy "Between the Cheats." Several of the tracks are alternate versions previously songs. Particularly interesting is "Tears Dry," which recasts the boisterous Back to Black single as a rueful ballad with a gorgeous strings arrangement. The album closes with a 2009 recording of "A Song for You," on which Winehouse sounds quite fragile--she was, after all, in quite a bit of trouble at that time. Nonetheless, her beauty and talent shine through. In the end, she may have been overcome by her demons, but songs like this leave a lasting impression of her beauty. Best: Our Day Will Come, Tears Dry, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, A Song for You, Between the Cheats.

Album Review: PJ Harvey - Let England Shake (4.5/5)

2011-12-17T05:16:00.000-05:00

I have to say, the view from this bandwagon is looking pretty good.

When it was released in February, I decided to take a pass on PJ Harvey's Let England Shake. All I knew of her was her acclaimed 1995 album, To Bring You My Love, which I don't like. It's so nasty and growly sounding. Not my thing. So I assumed I wouldn't like this new album either. Even when it won the Mercury Prize, I still didn't get interested.

Well now everyone is naming it the album of the year, so I decided I should probably give it a listen. And I have to say...I love it. It's really great. And nothing like To Bring You My Love. Doesn't even sound like the same person, as she uses a completely different vocal style, singing in a higher register.

Needless to say, I haven't followed Harvey's career. Had I done so, I'd have known that one of her signatures is exploring different musical sounds on her albums, from the atmospheric electronica of Is This Desire? to the piano balladry of her last album, White Chalk.

There's no shortage of ambition on Let England Shake, an album about war, nations and England. And when I say "war," she's not just singing about the modern wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, but about history too, including World War I. And when she's sings about England, there are criticisms, but there is love there too. The opening of "The Last Living Rose" is particularly well written:

"Goddamn' Europeans! Take me back to beautiful England and the grey, damp filthiness of ages, fog rolling down behind the mountains, and on the graveyards, and dead sea-captains."

In the span of just one verse there's humor, of a very English sort, beauty, grime and death. How quite poetic. "The Glorious Land" continues the theme of nations, critical of England (and its trans-Atlantic partner in all things globalism) for "farming" its land not with plows and grain but with tanks and orphaned children. Dark stuff, but it's also beautiful song with a bouncy melody punctuated with the cavalry bugle charge. The love/hate nationalism returns strongly on "England," a gentle, sad song on which she sings about her homeland, "you leave a taste, a bitter one...to you, England, I cling. Undaunted, never failing love for you..."

She sings from a soldier's point of view on "The Words That Maketh Murder," describing seeing "soldiers fall like lumps of meat, blown and shot out beyond belief." "All and Everyone" is a lovely ballad; its opening notes remind me of Keane's "A Bad Dream," incidentally another song about war. Some research will reveal the song's subject: The Battle of Lone Pine, a 1915 fight between Australia and Turkey as part of the World War I Gallipoli campaign in what was then called the Ottoman Empire. Again the lyrics are grim: "Death's anchorage: when you rolled a smoke or told a joke, it was in the laughter and drinking water." That Downton Abbey's second season shifted the story into WWI couldn't have been better timed.

Googling some of the album's many unique references can turn up quite a history lesson. But what is Harvey's lesson? Clearly she's not a warmonger. Rather quite the opposite, as she sings about the costs of war, namely loss and destruction, such as on the stirring title track that opens the album with a kinetic melody composed of xylophone and autoharp. It's easy to ignore these grim lyrics and just let the gentle, soothing tune wash over you. Closing track, "The Colour of the Earth," has a gentle rolling melody, even though its another soldier's point of view story about losing a friend during battle. In "Hanging on the Wire," the album's gentlest tune, she sings of a "smashed up waste ground" with no foliage but "unburied ghosts." Since I'm usually not a lyrics guy, I enjoy the tunes immensely, but I found the lyrics to be interesting, and they do make quite an impact.

So a Harvey convert I now am. I'm definitely planning on checking out her 2000 album, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea, which is apparently about New York City, as well as England, and also more mainstream than her other work. Along with To Bring You My Love, it's considered another highlight. I'm looking forward to it. I expect it will be totally different from this.

Best: Let England Shake, The Glorious Land, The Last Living Rose, All and Everyone, The Words that Maketh Murder, England, The Colour of the Earth

Personal Chart, December 17, 2011

2011-12-16T16:22:00.002-05:00

Billboard Hot 100, December 24, 2011

2011-12-15T20:30:00.002-05:00

1.(1) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

Rihanna commands the Hot 100's top spot for a 7th consecutive week with "We Found Love." The run ties Adele's 7-week run with "Rolling in the Deep" for 2011's longest-running #1 hit. The song also ties Rihanna's "Umbrella" and "Love the Way You Lie," as her longest-Running #1.

3.(3) It Will Rain - Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars is the airplay gainer, again, but it's still not enough to move him past LMFAO and Rihanna. As "We Found Love" continues to lose ground, competition for the next #1 is stiff.

4.(9) The One that Got Away - Katy Perry

Katy Perry climbs five notches to #4, her 8th single to reach the top 5. It's the 6th top 5 hit from Teenage Dream, moving her album into the very exclusive sphere of albums that have scored 6 top 5 hits: only two others have achieved this, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989) and George Michael's Faith (1987). The push is on to see this single hit #1. This week, it's price was cut to $0.69. Next week, a new remix with B.o.B will be released. Personally, I love this song. I hope it makes it.

10.(11) 5 O'Clock - T-Pain (feat. Wiz Khalifa & Lily Allen)

This single debuted at #6 on the UK singles chart this week and also enters the US top 10. This is Lily Allen's first appearance in the top 10 and Wiz Khalifa's fourth.

12.(NEW) We Are Young - Glee Cast

I'm behind in my Tivo queue, so I haven't actually seen the most recent episode of Glee yet, but this must be great, since it gives the show another big hit. It's a cover of a song from the group fun, yes "fun" is the band's name.

17.(35) Red Solo Cup - Toby Keith

Mmm...country. (zzzzz) The Digital Gainer and biggest mover within the top 40 this week.

21.(37) Set Fire to the Rain - Adele

So she's not the biggest mover of the week, but Adele still makes a nice 16-notch jump to #21 with "Set Fire to the Rain," her third single from 21, which is topping all sorts of year-end lists. Adele's first #1 hit, "Rolling in the Deep," holds on to the top 40 at #40 while her most recent #1 hit, "Someone Like You," is still in the top 10 at #7.

23.(19) You Da One - Rihanna

It's possible this won't actually be a hit. The track has had an odd trajectory on the chart, buoyed at first by great out-of-the-box sales and a strong first-week airplay push, it's faltered ever since. It's growth at top 40 has slowed significantly. Expect another new Rihanna single very soon as this may be her "Judas."

38.(48) Domino - Jessie J

Jessie J scores her second top 40 hit, the follow-up to "Price Tag," which reached #23.

Leona Lewis "Hurt"

2011-12-14T17:12:00.004-05:00

Following the fall release of "Collide," Leona Lewis's first dance pop single, fans were expecting a November release of her third album, Glassheart. Perhaps because of the underwhelming response to "Collide" (it debuted at #4, but suffered a swift descent out of the top 40 a month later), retooling was in order.

So fans have to settle instead for a three-song EP of covers. But really, they're hardly settling, for "Hurt" is quite amazing. This is as mesmerizing a cover as her take on Snow Patrol's, "Run," perhaps better even.

"Hurt" was originally released in the spring of 1995 to promote Nine Inch Nails' first full-length album, The Downward Spiral. It was the album's second-biggest hit after "Closer." "Hurt" was famously covered in 2002 by Johnny Cash, his last single released before his death in 2003.

Lewis's version nicely references both the original as well as the Cash remake. The backing arrangement is spot-on, a building storm of guitar and piano that is more in keeping with the Cash version but also nicely references the dissonant melody of the Nine Inch Nails original that Cash's remake didn't. Oh, and she sounds really great on it too, nicely resisting the urge to oversing what is both a fragile and very angry song. She holds herself in and cuts loose appropriately at the second chorus and bridge.

Her performance on X Factor looks to have ensured this a top 5 placement on the UK singles chart this weekend. She's apparently also set to perform this on the US X Factor finale later this month.

Album Review: Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes (4/5)

2011-12-13T16:36:00.007-05:00

More and more the Swedes continue to prove they are masters of not just mass-produced pop music, but less mainstream pop subgenres too. Lykke Li got quite a bit of ink earlier this year as the indie pop act to watch--she even got a shout out from a Glee character bemoaning the show's tendency to cover only top 40 hits. Her second album, Wounded Rhymes, is a strong set of diverse songs grounded in a lo-fi production of booming drums and soulful '60s-era melodies. It's not as retro-kitsch as say Amy Winehouse or Duffy, but the Phil Spector-ish layering is definitely apparent on the track-heavy production. If '60s girlgroups were still around, she probably wouldn't join up, but she'd definitely be following them.

"Youth Knows No Pain" is a percussion-forward opener, followed by the gentler but tuneful "I Follow Rivers" and "Love Out of Lust," both with choruses that needle their way into your head with repeat listens. "Unrequited Love" stripes back the production layers to just a single guitar and some backing vocals, bringing Li's confident vocal to the fore. It's a bit folksy, in the way that Jenny Lewis sometimes was with Rilo Kiley. "I Know Places" is even more stripped down--just a raw vocal and acoustic guitar--until its dark, synth-based coda.

The album's middle delivers its best moments. "I'm your prostitute; you're gonna get some," declares Li on the fiery "Get Some," which charges along over buzzy synth bass and the unrepentant clatter of enough percussion to fill a small warehouse. "Rich Kid Blues," while less propulsive, fills out your headphones with multiple guitars and even some organ. "Sadness Is a Blessing" has the album's best hook, a sad and lovely tune with an unforgettable chorus. Closer "Silent My Song," in contrast, is its quirkiest tune, with a rhythm that sounds like bad plumbing, although I do like its big swooning chorus.

As I work my way through my albums queue, this was one I wasn't initially sold on. It often takes a while (if ever) for quirky indie pop to sink in, but when it does, it's often worth it--something I can appreciate in the long term, and I've listened to this enough since last April that's its gotten through to me.

Best: Sadness Is a Blessing, Get Some, Youth Knows No Pain, I Follow Rivers.

Album Reviews

2011-12-11T07:48:00.002-05:00

This year, there were many albums that I didn't get around to reviewing that I wanted to. Coupled with the year-end lists, which always contain interesting ones that I missed, I've got of reviewing to do! I'll do my best to write about the highlights, especially those I'm considering for my own year-end list. Today's focus: electronic music.

Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie XX - We're New Here (4/5). The late Gil Scott-Heron, who Wikipedia describes as a "soul and jazz poet, musician and author," released his final album I'm New Here in 2010. His first album in 16 years, it was a seen as a critical comeback for an artist dogged by legal and addiction problems. Although not a big hit, it did receive significant acclaim, showing up on a quite a few critics' year-end lists. I found the idea interesting, but after sampling the album ultimately decided the mostly spoken-word style wasn't my thing. However, this album, featuring remixes of the I'm Not Here by Jamie XX--best known as a member of the British electronic group XX--is right up my alley. It features dreamy, minimalist electronic arrangements, reminiscent of the XX album, on tracks like "My Cloud" and "The Crutch," but also turns up the tempo on "Ur Soul and Mine," which smartly samples Rui da Silva's 2001 dance smash "Touch Me" into a late-night lounge sort of mix. The last song will sound very familiar to many of you: Jamie XX reworked "I'll Take Care of U" into "Take Care" for Drake and Rihanna. Best: I'll Take Care of U, The Crutch, Ur Soul and Mine, My Cloud.

Little Dragon - Ritual Union (3.5./5). Thanks to the influence of dubstep and the aforementioned XX, minimalist electronica with an R&B kiss is all the rage. A decent example from last summer was Little Dragon's third album, Ritual Union, which also rides the (now fading) '80s revival. Dreamy opener "Ritual Union" is by far my favorite track, with keyboard that swoop in and out of its beat-forward production. The new wave vein that runs through the album is prominent on cuts like "Shuffle the Dream," with its bouncy '80s synths, and "Little Man," which has a minimalist R&B feel. As does spartan "Please Turn" and dreamy "Crystalfilm." Not everything is to my taste, especially more off-kilter tracks like "Brush the Heat" and "Nightlight" and "Precious" may be a little too minimalist. Best: Ritual Union, Shuffle the Dream, Cystalfilm.

Washed Out - Within and Without (3.5/5). With Moby having apparently hit a creative rut, it's time to find a new master of doughy-eyed electronica. Washed Out's Within and Without makes a good case for itself. It feels very familiar: "Eyes Be Closed" sound an awful lot like Moby's "Porcelain," "Echoes" reminds me of La Roux's "Colourless Colour" and "Soft" reminds me of something too, although I can't quite put my finger on what (The Chemical Brothers' "Another World" or Passion Pit's "The Reeling" maybe). Not that I mind, as these are some of the album's best cuts. Within or Without doesn't try to push the bounds of ambient electronica (i.e. "chill"), but it does provide some nice tunes to relax to. Best: Eyes Be Closed, Soft, Echoes.

Album Reviews: Beady Eye and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

2011-12-10T06:34:00.006-05:00

We all know what it looks like when a major band dismantles--sometimes messy press, always sense of loss. But what does it sound like? The 2009 breakup of Oasis led to two acts that released albums this year, each fronted by one of the Gallagher brothers.

Three-fourths of Oasis formed Beady Eye, comprised of its vocalist (Liam Gallagher), guitarist (Gem Archer), bassist (Andy Bell) and drummer (Chris Sharrock, who joined Oasis for their Dig Out Your Soul tour). The last fourth, its lead guitarist and songwriter (Noel Gallagher), formed Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds with support from other musicians.

As splits go, this is an interesting one. Beady Eye has most of the band's tools, but High Flying Birds has its songs. As such, I'd expect Beady Eye to have inherited Oasis' sound and High Flying Birds its soul, and in listening to these two albums, I think that holds true.

Of the two, Different Gear, Still Speeding is bolder and more upbeat with a definite retro feel. Jacked up "Four Letter Word" and mellower, twangy "Millionaire" both sound like like the '70s, while "The Roller" proves Beady Eye has inherited Oasis's love of The Beatles. As does "Beatles and Stones," quite literally, which has a kicky rhythm a nice guitar-driven, piano-kissed tune. "For Anyone" is a mellower '60s-flavored love song, while "Bring the Light" reaches even further back to early '50s and really pushes up the energy. I can't recall an Oasis tune that was ever this joyous.

Liam begin writing songs for Standing on the Shoulder of Giants and was responsible for writing later singles "Songbird" and "I'm Outta Time," both of which had definite retro flavor. While he lacks his brother's head for lyrics, he does come up with some good ones, like this zinger on the moodier "Wind Up Dream" ("If tonight is all we have, then make the bed with sheets of glass").

The album sags a little in the middle. "Kill for a Dream" has the ingredients to be a killer rock ballad, but feels undercooked, losing steam when its hits the chorus instead of kicking into higher gear. "Standing on the Edge of the Noise" isn't very interesting. "Wigwam" is a little too tie-dyed for my taste.

But then things pick up toward the end. "Three Ring Circus" is classic Oasis, which is fine, but the last two tracks are among the album's best. "The Beat Goes On" updates a Beatles in ballad mode sound as well as any Oasis song has with a rich production layered with horns and piano. But they save the best for last in "Morning Son," a touching guitar ballad that Liam clearly penned about him and his big brother Noel ("You go your way, and I'll go mine"). The first time the strings break through at about 2:35 is quite good.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds is a more elegant affair and, although the energy of Beady Eye is fun, the superior songcraft on Birds makes it the better album, even if it does basically nothing to distance Noel from the sound of his former band. It's apparent right from the start with the slow build to grandeur of "Everybody's on the Run," a perfect opening track. "Dream On" is simpler and instantly recognizable as the kind of song Oasis would have released as a single (something akin to "Lyla" but with horns). Really easy to get into and sing along with--in short, a great pop song.

"If I Had a Gun...," the strongest of the album's strong opening trio, is a ballad, also along the lines of what we've heard before from Oasis (I'd note "I'm Outta Time," except Liam wrote that one). Its electric guitar production, touched here and there with a slight country twang, grounds its lovelorn lyrics ("If I had a gun, I'd shoot a hole into the sun, and love would burn this city down for you").

"The Death of You and Me" was the album's first single, and although a lot of people really like it, it's actually a low point for me. After the richness of production on the first three tracks, its simpler sound feels a bit lacking. "(I Wanna Live in a Dream in My) Record Machine" sounds exactly like Oasis, since, well, it really is an Oasis song that, along with "Stop the Clocks," has existed in demo form for years (Oasis's 2006 retrospective was even titled "Stop the Clocks," although curiously the song was left off the setlist).

If people still bought vinyl albums, this one would work great, since "Record Machine" being the perfect soft ending to Side A and "AKA...What a Life!" the propulsive opening to Side B. It's as upbeat as this album gets and it's another definite highlight with a muscular piano and guitar melody. I'm not sure what the connection is supposed to be between it and "AKA...Broken Arrow" but there must be some reason for that common "AKA." It sounds a lot like Dig Out Your Soul's "Falling Down." "Soldier Boys and Jesus Freaks" shuffles along nicely with prominent bass (think "The Importance of Being Idle" with a little less staccato).

Despite apparently different vibe on these albums, neither strays too far from what made Oasis great and its good that both succeed, particularly High Flying Birds. Dump the tracks from these two albums together in a playlist with tracks from Dig Out Your Soul and I'd doubt you'd really notice much difference.

Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding (3.5/5). Best: The Morning Son, The Beat Goes On, Bring the Light, Beatles and Stones.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (4/5). Best: If I Had a Gun..., AKA...What a Life!, Dream On, Everybody's on the Run, Soldier Boys and Jesus Freaks, Stop the Clocks

Billboard Hot 100: Year-End 2011

2011-12-09T20:07:00.012-05:00

Billboard has all of its year-end charts up now. Here's a rundown of the top 10 with peak positions of the year-end Hot 100:

1. Rolling in the Deep - Adele (#1, 7 weeks). 2011 belonged to Adele. No contest. "Rolling in the Deep" is the year's biggest hit, no surprise there. The song spent the most weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 and was a fixture on the chart all year long (it's still in the top 40). Her album, 21, was also the #1 album on the Billboard 200. Other #1 honors for Adele: Artist of the Year, Billboard 200 Artist, #1 Digital Song ("Rolling in the Deep"), #1 Digital Album (21), #1 Digital Albums Artist, #1 Adult Pop Song ("Rolling in the Deep").

2. Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO (feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock) (#1, 6 weeks). "Party Rock Anthem" was the summer hit of 2011. Like "Rolling in the Deep," this song stuck around a loooong time. "Party Rock Anthem" is #1 on Pop Songs.

3. Firework - Katy Perry (#1, 4 weeks). "Firework" was atop the Hot 100 when the 2011 calendar year began (Billboard's chart year runs from the beginning of December 2010 to the end of November 2011). It was her third #1 hit from Teenage Dream, following summer 2010's biggest hit "California Gurls" (the #4 hit of 2010) and fall #1 hit "Teenage Dream." Katy Perry was the year's #1 Radio Songs Artist, Digital Songs Artist, Pop Songs Artist and Adult Pop Songs Artist.

4. E.T. - Katy Perry (feat. Kanye West) (#1, 5 weeks). The fourth #1 hit from Katy Perry's Teenage Dream was also the fourth biggest hit of the year (the album's fifth #1 hit, "Last Friday Night (TGIF)" is just outside the top 10 at #14). The single version added a new rap from Kanye West, helping to propel the single's immense popularity last spring. Katy Perry is the only artist who appears more than once in the year-end top 10. For her effort, she is this year's #1 Hot 100 Artist. "E.T." is also the #1 Dance/Club Song and Perry is the #1 Dance/Club Songs Artist.

5. Give Me Everything - Pitbull (feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer) (#1, 1 week). Although this spent only 1 week at #1, it was a massive hit, especially at radio, where it was one of top 40's ubiquitous hits. In fact, the song is the year's #1 hit on Radio Songs.

6. Grenade - Bruno Mars (#1, 4 weeks). This, along with "Rolling in the Deep" and "Firework," is one of three Grammy Record of the Year nominees from 2011 in the year-end chart (a fourth from 2010 appears at #7 below). After he hit #1 with the sweet love song "Just the Way You Are," which is #15 on the year-end chart (penalized for having its chart run split between 2010 and 2011), he followed it up with this darker and even better pop hit.

7. Fuck You! - Cee Lo Green (#2). The F-word was big in 2011, forming the title of three top 5 hits from early this year. While Enrique Iglesias's "Tonight (I'm Fucking You)" is #16 and Pink's "Fuckin' Perfect" is #19, this Grammy nominee for Record of the Year was the year's biggest. Released in the summer of 2010, it slowly climbed the Hot 100 becoming a proper hit early this year.

8. Super Bass - Nicki Minaj (#3). Watching Nicki Minaj's career unfold this year was a magical thing. The buzz was deafening at the end of 2010, raising the stakes as to whether she'd live up to it. Initial singles failed to become big hits, but slowly but surely Minaj transformed into a star, with this single becoming far and away her biggest hit.

9. Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 (feat. Christina Aguilera) (#1, 5 weeks). The biggest late-year hit, "Moves Like Jagger" became Maroon 5's biggest hit in 7 years. Their 2004 smash, "This Love" was that year's fourth-biggest hit. Christina Aguilera appeared at #7 on the 1999 year-end chart with her #1 debut hit, "Genie in a Bottle."

10. Just Can't Get Enough - Black Eyed Peas (#3). Black Eyed Peas are no newcomers to the year-end top 10. In 2009, they had the year's biggest hit, "Boom Boom Pow," as well as the third-biggest hit, "I Gotta Feeling."

Personal Chart, December 10, 2011

2011-12-09T16:43:00.001-05:00

Billboard Hot 100: December 17, 2011

2011-12-08T21:02:00.002-05:00

1.(1) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

Rihanna maintains her hold on the Hot 100's top spot with "We Found Love." That makes the single the second-longest running #1 hit of the year, tied with Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" and LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" and just 1 week behind the year's longest, Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," which stayed at the top for 7 weeks. Rihanna has now spent a total of 40 weeks at #1, making her #6 on the list of artists with the most weeks atop the Hot 100. More than half of those weeks (21) were earned within the last 2 years for "Rude Boy" (5 weeks), "Love the Way You Lie" (7 weeks), "What's My Name" (1 week), "Only Girl" (1 week), "S&M" (1 week) and "We Found Love" (6 weeks).

3.(3) It Will Rain - Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars holds at #3. Although Billboard reported his sales were down a bit this week, he nonetheless climbs to #1 on the Digital Songs chart. "It Will Rain" is also the Airplay Gainer this week, and the highest charting track with a bullet. Definitely a strong contender for #1 at this point.

8.(15) Ni**as in Paris - Jay-Z & Kanye West

The rap duo whose collaboration album Watch the Throne has proved to be a favorite on critics' year end lists sees the album's biggest single climb into the top 10. The album's first single, "Otis," hit #12. Except for West's appearance on Katy Perry's #1 hit "E.T.," this is the highest-charting single this year for either artist.

9.(9) The One that Got Away - Katy Perry

Perry holds at #9 this week and loses her bullet due to sales decline. She's still going strong at radio though, so if the price cut helps sales, expect an upward move next week. #1 is possible but still a long way away for this.

32.(59) Marry the Night - Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga scores her 13th top 40 hit with "Marry the Night," the sixth Born This Way track to reach the top 40.

37.(56) Set Fire to the Rain - Adele

Adele sees her third 21 single crack the top 40 this week. The previous two--both former #1s--are both still in the top 10, with "Someone Like You" at #6 and "Rolling in the Deep" up two spots to #36 in its 48th week on the Hot 100.

Best of 2011: Rolling Stone's Best Albums

2011-12-07T21:30:00.005-05:00

The Rolling Stone list is out! Topping the revered music and culture magazine's list of 2011's best albums is Adele's 21. I'm surprised and happy to see Adele atop the list. It's rare that RS chooses a pop album. They generally go in for something rock or hip-hop. In fact, the last time a female pop artist topped the list was, appropriately, 21 years ago, when Sinead O'Connor's I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got was named the best album of 1990.

1. Adele - 21. I adore this album, so it's great to see it #1 here, as I didn't expect it would be the kind of album Rolling Stone would choose for its favorite album of the year, particularly considering that they gave it only a 3.5/5 when it was originally reviewed (recent #1 albums were from Kanye West, U2, TV on the Radio, MIA and Bob Dylan).

2. Jay-Z and Kanye West - Watch the Throne. Kanye West had Rolling Stone's favorite albums in 2004, 2005, and 2010 (he was #5 in 2007), and Jay-Z has had four albums appear in the top 5, so it's no surprise the duo's collaboration finishes well.

3. Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What. Rolling Stone likes to pay tribute to the legends, so this is not unexpected, but don't expect to see it on the "cooler" lists. He had RS's favorite album of 2006 and his 2000 album, You're the One, made the top 10.

4. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues. Fleet Foxes' second album outpaces their 2008 debut (it was #11), although personally I liked their first album better.

5. Radiohead - The King of Limbs. Surprised to see this in the top 10. The reviews were good, but not their usual. All of Radiohead's albums since OK Computer have appeared in the RS year-end top 10, with OK Computer and Hail to the Thief placing the highest (#2 in 1997 and 2003 respectively).

6. Lady Gaga - Born This Way. Another I didn't expect to see in the top 10, but it deserves it. Her best album yet and first appearance on the RS list.

7. The Decemberists - The King is Dead. Not seeing this on a lot of lists and I'm surprised. It's great. They were #23 on the 2006 list.

8. Wilco - The Whole Love. Great choice. I haven't reviewed this yet, but I like it.

9. Wild Flag. Don't know this one, although I know I've seen it (it has distinctive cover art). Described as post-punk girl group rock. Could be interesting.

10. Robbie Robertson - How to Become Clairvoyant. Don't know this one either. This is the only list I've seen this on so far.

Other selection entries:

11. My Morning Jacket - Circuital
12. The Black Keys - El Camino (nice)
16. R.E.M. - Collapse into Now
20. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
21. Bon Iver (strikingly low, but more in line with my thinking)
22. Drake - Take Care
25. Beyonce - 4 (glad this made it)
26. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
27. Florence + the Machine - Ceremonials (a bit low I think)
41. Little Dragon - Ritual Union
44. Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin'
47. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake (shockingly low, considering how many lists have this as #1)

Enjoy the full list here.

Katy Perry Makes a Run for #1

2011-12-07T20:45:00.007-05:00

Ever since last summer when Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (TGIF)" became the fifth #1 hit from her album Teenage Dream and tied Michael Jackson's record for the most #1 hits from an album, there's been talk of whether she could break it with her next single, "The One that Got Away."

When the single was first released, her label seemed to downplay that potential, saying the single wasn't chosen to be record-breaker. As reported by Billboard, EMI Music/Capitol Records EVP/marketing and promotion Greg Thompson said that "If it goes to No. 1, that would be great," said Thompson. "If not, we still have a Katy song on the radio in fourth quarter."

However, now that #1 is potentially in sight, things may have changed. "The One that Got Away" entered the Hot 100's top 10 two weeks ago, and it's the fastest growing track at radio. At top 40, it's #5 and the fastest-gaining track overall, well ahead of anything else in the top 5.

Perhaps most telling is what's happened at iTunes. While all of the tracks from Teenage Dream sell individually for $1.29, the price of "The One that Got Away" was cut to $0.69 this week--nearly a 50 percent discount. So far, it doesn't seem to be helping--the song is #6, which is about where it was before the price cut.

Best of 2011: Q Magazine's Best Albums

2011-12-05T20:58:00.004-05:00

It's that time of the year! Get ready for the all the year-end lists.

Q Magazine puts out one of the best year-end album lists in my opinion, and this year they don't disappoint, naming Florence & the Machine's second album, Ceremonials, their favorite long-player of 2011.

Here's the top 10 and select others (see the full list here):

1. Ceremonials by Florence + The Machine. Great choice. The group's first album, Lungs, placed #2 in 2009.

2. Let England Shake by PJ Harvey. This is getting lots of year-end buzz. I just listened to it for the first time and I really liked it. I didn't expect to, as I don't care for some of her previous work, like To Bring You My Love, which appeared in Q's top 10 in 1995. But I might have to get this.

3. 21 by Adele. This is a no-brainer. Her previous album, 19, was #17 in 2008.

4. Bon Iver by Bon Iver. Not a personal favorite, but one I expect will show up on a lot of lists. For Emma, Forever Ago, which I think is superior, was #34 in 2008.

5. Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay. Surprised this is so high, given that its reviews have been, while good, not as good as their other albums (it has their lowest Metacritic score at 65). Viva La Vida was #3 in 2008, X&Y was #1 in 2005, A Rush of Blood to the Head was 2002's "Readers' Choice," and Parachutes was 2000's "Readers' Choice."

6. Watch the Throne by Jay-Z and Kanye West. Surprised this is in the top 10. The album was good, but not that good. This is better than any Kanye West solo album has placed (last year's brilliant album was apparently released too late to be considered for the 2010 list).

7. Suck It and See by Arctic Monkeys. Took a pass on this one. Still not really that interested anymore. Like Coldplay, Q has long had a soft spot for these guys. Humbug was #6 in 2009, Favourite Worst Nightmare was #3 in 2007, and their debut was Q's favorite album of 2006.

8. Strange Mercy by St. Vincent. I hadn't heard of this until I saw this list. I got the album and I think it's great. Nice end-of-the-year find. First appearance on the Q list.

9. Go Tell Fire To The Mountain by WU LYF. I don't know a thing about this band. I listened to a few samples on iTunes and I don't think it's my thing.

10. Build a Rocket Boys by Elbow. This album was so-so. Not their best. Elbow was #8 in 2008 (their best album), #33 in 2005, and #12 in 2003.

13. The Weeknd - House of Balloons
18. Anna Calvi
20. The Weeknd - Thursday
21. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
24. Real Estate - Days
26. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes
27. Ed Sheeran - +
29. Kasabian - Velociraptor! (Had Q's favorite album in 2009)
30. Lady Gaga - Born This Way
32. Radiohead - The King of Limbs
36. Katy B - On a Mission
37. Washed Out - Within and Without
39. James Blake

Best of 2011: Other UK Pubs

2011-12-05T20:57:00.003-05:00

Mojo

Let England Shake by PJ Harvey
Skying by The Horrors
Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
Gentle Spirit by Jonathan Wilson
50 Words for Snow by Kate Bush
D by White Denim
Last Of The Country Gentlemen by Josh T. Pearson
Anna Calvi by Anna Calvi
Bad As Me by Tom Waits
Smother by Wild Beasts

Uncut

Let England Shake by PJ Harvey
The Harrow & The Harvest by Gillian Welch
The English Riviera by Metronomy
D by White Denim
Last Of The Country Gentlemen by Josh T. Pearson
Skying by The Horrors
The King of Limbs by Radiohead
Smother by Wild Beasts
Bon Iver by Bon Iver
Slave Ambient by The War on Drugs

Four albums appear in common here (including obviously the #1, which is their only match in common with Q's top 10). Bon Iver appears in Q and Uncut. Josh Pearson sounds pretentious. White Denim sounds interesting. The Horrors album I might consider getting.

UK Singles Chart, December 10, 2011

2011-12-04T20:10:00.004-05:00

1.(NEW) Wishing on a Star - The X Factor Finalists (feat. JLS & One Direction)

For the fourth year in a row, the X Factor finalists have covered a song, released it as a charity single and hit #1. This year the track is "Wishing on a Star," originally released in 1978 by Rose Royce, the track hit #3. A 1993 cover by, appropriately, The Cover Girls, saw the song reach the top 10 in the US for the first time, although that version only peaked at #38 in the UK. Over covers include those by Jay-Z, Beyonce and Seal.

Two former X Factor acts get featured credit, giving JLS their sixth #1 hit and One Direction their second.

2.(2) Dance with Me Tonight - Olly Murs

Olly Murs holds at #2 on the singles chart but scores his first #1 album as In Case You Didn't Know tops the albums chart, fending off stiff competition from Michael Buble's Christmas album while knocking Rihanna off the top spot.

3.(1) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

Speaking of Rihanna, she's also knocked off the top spot of the singles chart, although she climbs to #1 on the airplay chart, ending the 11-week run at the top for Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera's "Moves Like Jagger."

8.(37) Who You Are - Jessie J

Nice jump this week for Jessie J's "Who You Are." The track reached #28 two weeks ago, which looked like its peak, but her performance of the song on X Factor re-energized it, sending it into the top 10. Thus "Who You Are" goes from being her album's lowest-charting single, the becoming its fourth to reach the top 10, even peaking above "Nobody's Perfect," which reached #9.

15.(43) Fight for You - Jason Derulo

Derulo scores his seventh top 40 hit. "Fight for You" gets its official release next week, which could possibly send it into the top 10 to become his sixth top 10 hit.

21.(NEW) Daddy - Emeli Sande (feat. Naughty Boy)

This is very disappointing. Sande's first solo single, "Heaven," hit #2 this summer. Then just recently she hit #1 on Professor Green's "Read All About It." "Daddy" is another great single, but it limps into the top 40 at #21. #21?! Really? She deserves better.

23.(47) Fairytale of New York - Pogues (feat. Kirsty MacColl)
27. (64) All I Want for Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

They're baaaaaack!

28.(54) Love on Top - Beyonce

Beyonce scores her fourth top 40 hit from 4.

Album Review: Rihanna - Talk That Talk (3.5/5)

2011-12-04T11:14:00.001-05:00

Time flies, as they say, so it's hardly believable that Rihanna has now released six albums. What has releasing a sixth album meant for other major female pop stars? For Madonna, it meant turning away from her signature radio friendly pop to explore the steely, sexualized concept of Erotica. For Mariah Carey, it meant stepping further toward R&B and away from adult contemporary with Butterfly. For Janet Jackson, it meant a little of both, who incorporated more old school R&B while working her own fetishistic concept on The Velvet Rope.

In all cases (particularly for Madonna and Janet), those were pretty big risks, but if you're a pop star and you get to album #6, you're not going to be interesting much longer unless you take some. Hence, while shadings of those ideas are visible on Talk That Talk, the album unfortunately also plays it safe, rehashing a lot of what made her previous albums big successes but with less cohesive results.

Musically, Talk That Talk seems to have three main ideas: bubbly dance pop, slutty R&B and the uplifting ballad. Bubbly dance pop is an area where Rihanna excels, and she continues to do so here, especially with the global chart-conquering single "We Found Love" and the deeper dance floor groove of "Where Have You Been," both of which have renowned dance producer Calvin Harris' help.

R&B-leaning pop forms the core of the album, and here's where the results are markedly mixed. While the breezy, island-leaning fare like "You Da One" and "Watch n' Learn" work well (particularly the former, now a single, and clearly indebted to previous hit "What's My Name"), much of the rest does not. Particularly disappointing is the title track, which re-teams Rihanna with her "Umbrella" co-star Jay-Z, but fails in every way to match that single's appeal. In place of a catchy tune, we get Jay-Z making fun of pregnant wife Beyonce's increased need for the loo.

VH1 calls Talk That Talk the dirtiest album since Erotica, but frankly, it isn't nearly as clever, showing about as much finesse as a 12-year-old. Remember when Madonna coyly described cunnilingus on "Where Life Begins?" ("Colonel Saunders says it best: finger-licking good. Let's put what you've learned to the test. Can you make a fire without using wood?"). Rihanna takes a more straightforward approach on "Cockiness (Love It)": "I love it, I love it, I love it when you eat it." It's not a bad song actually--I like the spare beat--and even though its key refrain is clearly intended to send teenagers into titters ("Suck my cockiness, lick my persuasion"), I have to admit it made me smile too. The track that follows, "Birthday Cake," has a really cool minimal bass groove, and would have made a great song, except that after just a minute when Rihanna says "Ooh, I wanna fuck you right now." It was just a tease. Too bad.

"Roc Me Out" has that hard-edged electro sound that so many songs have these days, which frankly means it's a real snooze. Much, much more interesting is "Drunk on Love," which wisely samples "Intro" by XX, the group that made one of the best albums in recent years by realizing that a minimalist electronic approach was much more interesting that the layer-upon-layer approach most pop producers are doing now. It's a perfect sound for Rihanna, one I would love to hear her explore more.

The last element on Talk That Talk is its uplifting pop ballads, of which there are two, both not bad, but not knockouts. Cliche-ridden "We All Want Love" is the lesser of the two--a nice enough guitar-driven, mid-tempo melody, but it's just not that interesting, either musically or lyrically. Although it's also a cliche to end an album with a song called "Farewell," in this case, it's a good enough song that I'll let that slide. The chorus is particularly fine on this, achieving that delicious boost that eludes "We All Want Love."

Talk That Talk has some really great songs--in fact, as you'll see below I found five that I really like, which would generally accompany a four-star review. It's just that the album is so uneven, with some sparks of ideas that, if explored further, might have panned out to be something wonderful. This is the unfortunate consequence of Rihanna putting out an album every year--she doesn't take enough time to really hone it into something special. I say next year release a greatest hits album (there are certainly more than enough contenders to choose from) and spend the extra time to make album #7 something really, really remarkable.

Best: We Found Love, Where Have You Been, You Da One, Drunk on Love, Farewell

Album Review Supplemental: Rihanna - Talk That Talk

2011-12-04T11:11:00.003-05:00

As I said above in the review, Talk That Talk rehashes a lot of sounds from previous Rihanna albums. Here's some key examples.

Talk That Talk track...	Sounds like previous track...	Because...
We Found Love	Loud's Only Girl	Both songs feature similar radio-ready dance pop productions and were chosen as their albums' lead singles
You Da One	Loud's What's My Name	Both songs feature breezy, mid-tempo productions with a definite Caribbean underpinning.
Talk That Talk	Rated R's Rude Boy	Both songs have a similar vibe and beat courtesy of production team StarGate.
Where Have You Been	Good Girl Gone Bad's Disturbia or Loud's S&M	These are clubby songs like "We Found Love" and "Only Girl" but with a harder, electro edge. All produced by different people though.
We All Want Love	Good Girl Gone Bad's Hate That I Love You	These songs slow down the tempo, but not too slow and go for a positive, uplifting sound.
Farewell	Loud's California King Bed	They are both ballads, but with epic-sounding production.
Roc Me Out	Rated R's Hard	They achieve that same synthesizer "growl" by making the song sound both highly processed but also a bit rough around the edges.

Grammy Awards 2012: Record of the Year

2011-12-03T07:52:00.008-05:00

The nominees:

As a slate, this year's list isn't quite as hit-heavy as last year's, in which all five nominees charted no lower on the Hot 100 than #2 (except "Fuck You," which only achieved that feat after being nominated). Rather, this year's list has three massive hits, a modest (but very pro-Grammy) release and a real head-scratcher.

Adele - "Rolling in the Deep"

Of course, there was no question this would be nominated. It's the year's biggest hit, definitely in sales (5.6 million copies sold), if not airplay as well (look for it to top Billboard's year-end Hot 100 list that will be out soon). And everyone loves it...still. This is Adele's second nomination in the category, after "Chasing Pavements" 3 years ago. The song was co-written (with Adele) and produced by Paul Epworth, the British producer behind the latest Florence & the Machine album. [US peak: #1(7 weeks), UK peak: #2]

Bon Iver - "Holocene"

This, then, is the head-scratcher. Many considered Bon Iver's Bon Iver a strong contender for a slot in Album of the Year, but ROTY? Really? It's very odd. It's possible it got a lot of votes because 1) it was the track chosen to compete in ROTY, 2) a lot of people like Bon Iver and voted for it wherever they saw it, and 3) the band just missed out in AOTY, but made it in here. I don't consider it a very interesting song--it's not one I singled out when I reviewed the album (NME, Pitchfork, The Guardian praised it, even AllMusic, which didn't like the album, said it was a highlight, so maybe I just missed the boat on this one). Nevertheless, despite its nonhit status, or perhaps because of it, I would consider this a strong contender, given recent Grammy history (it's been 12 years since a #1 single has won ROTY and generally the lowest-charting nominee has been the one to win). [US peak: --, UK peak: --]

Bruno Mars - "Grenade"

Had Bruno Mars been a bigger name last year and the timing been a little different, his "Just the Way You Are," the first Doo-Wops & Hooligans single, would probably have been a ROTY nominee. "Grenade's" nod makes up for that (as well as Doo-Wop's AOTY nod). I'm not at all surprised to see this song on the list, but I would be surprised if it won, given that I think this is about fourth on the list. Still, in Britain, this is the single that kept Adele's aforementioned megahit from hitting #1. Counting his guest vocal on B.o.B's "Nothin' on You," this is Mars' second ROTY nomination. [US peak: #1(4 weeks), UK peak: #1(2 weeks)]

Mumford & Sons - "The Cave"

There's one main reason this song is on the list and it's a really important one: During last February's Grammys, British indie folk quartet Mumford & Sons, nominated for best new artist and rock song, charmed critics and audiences with their stirring live performance of this song. It generated a lot of buzz, sending their single into the top 40 and making their album, Sign No More, a bestseller (it sold twice as much this year as it did last year when it was released). Good will like that is extremely valuable and thus "The Cave" becomes an unlikely although not unexpected ROTY nominee. [US peak: #27, UK peak: #31]

Katy Perry - "Firework"

In the middle of Perry's five-song streak of #1 hits from Teenage Dream (a 2010 AOTY nominee) came "Firework," the biggest of her singles from the 2011 eligibility period. Despite the cultural significance associated with her singles "I Kissed a Girl" and "California Gurls," neither snagged a ROTY nominee, making this Perry's first. I chalk that up to a bias against big summer hits (although Rihanna's "Umbrella" and Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" did receive nominations). [US peak: #1(4 weeks), UK peak: #3]

The snubs:

Don't really see any major snubs in ROTY this year; snubs in general are hard to identify, since the field is so wide open. Some people may think Lady Gaga was snubbed for "Born This Way," but she didn't submit the song for contention (she didn't even submit "The Edge of Glory"), and it's really not a surprise that "Judas" or "You and I" weren't nominated.

Among the other AOTY nominees not represented in ROTY, Foo Fighters didn't have a breakout hit like they did in 2007 ("The Pretender," a ROTY nominee from their AOTY-nominated album). And Rihanna didn't submit anything from Loud; she submitted "We Found Love" instead, perhaps too new to draw much attention.

The songs I'd have thought had a chance at getting in here that didn't make it are (in order): 1) Foster the People - "Pumped Up Kicks," 2) Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera - "Moves Like Jagger", 3) Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson - "Don't You Wanna Stay," 4) Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - "The Lady Is a Tramp," 5) Nicki Minaj - "Super Bass," and 6) Taylor Swift "Back to December."

Personal Chart, December 3, 2011

2011-12-02T20:50:00.001-05:00

Grammy Awards 2012: Album of the Year

2011-12-01T20:27:00.011-05:00

The Nominees:

The nominating slate of Grammy's biggest award held more surprises this year than usual. Remember all that ink I've bled the last few years with my theories about AOTY spreading its nominations across popular music's biggest genres? You can throw that argument aside this year, as four pop albums made the cut this year with not a an R&B, country, rap or folk album in sight (at least my insistence that a rock album always gets nominated held true).

Adele - 21

This is one of two albums I picked as sure-bet nominees this year, so it's no surprise to see it here. Certainly she's the favorite to win, as 21 is the year's best-selling album (and the fastest-selling in the last 6 years)--a true phenomenon of the likes that hasn't been seen in a long time. The album has achieved a level of cultural consciousness few have reached in recent years, sending singles on to multiple radio formats, appealing to all ages, and getting props from the likes of Saturday Night Live and Glee (both in the same week even). Naysayers who say the album is dead were proven wrong this year.

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

Some people might be surprised to see the Foo Fighters' Wasting Light on the list, but I wasn't. The album was heralded as their best work in years, surpassing the acclaim of their 2007 album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, which was also an AOTY nominee.

Lady Gaga - Born This Way

I must admit to a little bit of surprise to see Lady Gaga's Born This Way on the list. Gaga experienced a bit of backlash this year, with "Born This Way" being called an "Express Yourself" rip-off and "Judas" flopping on the charts. And the album didn't sell as well as expected. Nonetheless, "The Edge of Glory" and "You and I" generated positive buzz, and "Marry the Night" is quickly looking it could be massive, so I'm glad to see it here, since I think it's her strongest album yet.

Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Hooligans

Two months ago I said that since Adele was a lock that if voters were willing to nominate a second pop album, it would likely be Bruno Mars' Doo Wops & Hooligans, a solid album that generated three big hits this year. Grammy proved last year that it liked Mars, nominating his productions of B.o.B's "Nothing on You" and Cee Lo Green's "Fuck You" for Record of the Year.

Rihanna - Loud

The biggest surprise of what's on the list is Rihanna's Loud. Although Good Girl Gone Bad was a bigger commercial hit and Rated R a more artistic album, neither managed an AOTY nod. Loud, which I would consider inferior to both of those albums, nonetheless scored three #1 hits, and so I think it's commercial appeal is what put it on the list (akin to last year's nod to Katy Perry's Teenage Dream, which has since proven to be one of the all-time biggest producers of big pop hits).

The snubs:

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. After 21, this was the other album I was sure would be nominated. West has been nominated three times before, and his latest album was just as acclaimed as those--if not more so, with "masterpiece" being bandied about to some extent. Still, the album produced no major hits on par with a "Gold Digger" or "Stronger," which may have been what sank it against this pop-heavy slate of hit albums. Nevertheless, I consider this a snub on par with the recent omissions of Bruce Springsteen's Magic and Bob Dylan's Modern Times.

Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What. This isn't a snub against Simon so much as it is against Grammy pillars. Nostalgia has long played an important role in the Album of the Year category (see Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Herbie Hancock, Robert Plant, etc.), but not so much this year or last, when Carole King and James Taylor's album was similarly snubbed. Foo Fighters have been around for awhile, but like 20 years, not the 40+ years for the artists listed above.

Taylor Swift - Speak Now. This was tipped by some as a pretty hot bet, but frankly, I'm not surprised she didn't make it in. Speak Now wasn't nearly the crossover success that Fearless was and Swift was so well-decorated 2 years ago that voters may feel like honoring someone else this time.

Bon Iver - Bon Iver. Bon Iver showed up in Best New Artist (despite having put out a popular album 3 years ago) and this was the year's hottest alternative album. So after a win by an alternative album last year (Arcade Fire's Suburbs), I thought this had a good chance of making the cut. Surprisingly, he shows up in ROTY instead for "Holocene."

Tony Bennett - Duets II. There was some talk that he could get in there, but I'm glad it didn't turn out that way in the end. He's not really that interesting to me.

Grammy Awards 2012: My reviews of AOTY nominees

2011-12-01T18:26:00.000-05:00

One of the best things about this year's slate of AOTY nominees is that they are all winners--I recommend all of them, an improvement over the last 2 years' slates, which each contained only two albums I gave at least 4 stars to.

Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops & Hooligans (Reviewed October 10, 2010). "At just 10 tracks, Doo-Wops and Hooligans feels lean and mean. As I always say, I'd rather have a tight album of high points than a longer one with filler. With his debut, Mars firmly solidifies his pop music cred and raises expectations as one to watch in the coming years." (4/5)

Rihanna - Loud (Reviewed November 24, 2010). "Fittingly titled Loud is an assertive pop record from its high-octane production to its leading lady's vocal. Rihanna sounds different these days--there's definitely more heft in her voice, evident from the get-go on first track 'S&M,' a brassy dance pop number over which Rihanna sings that 'sticks and stones may break my bones by chains and whips excite me.'" (4/5)

Adele - 21 (Reviewed February 5, 2011). "In a way, 21 is a concept album like 19 was, documenting a year in the life of a young singer. This time around she's famous of course, but that doesn't mean the heartbreak stings any less. Still, the ability to transform a dead relationship into top 40 gold has to provide some level of consolation. It's certainly given us 2011's first fine pop album." (4.5/5)

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light (Reviewed April 17, 2011). "I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Wasting Light, the group's seventh studio album. Dave Grohl and company excel at muscular guitar rock that doesn't need to result to trends and tricks to be enjoyable." (4/5)

Lady Gaga - Born This Way (Reviewed May 29, 2011). "Frankly, it's not the best pop album ever, or even the best pop album released so far this year. But compared to her prior work, it definitely exceeds expectations. Against any meaningful measure, Born This Way is a triumph, continuing to push the boundaries of pop music (as well as a few buttons)." (4.5/5)

Grammy Nominations Announced

2011-12-01T06:30:00.002-05:00

Grammy nominees were announced last night, with Kanye West scoring the most nominations (7); however, surprisingly not netting an Album of the Year nod for last year's critical darling, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

In a decidedly pop-heavy slate, Album of the Year nominations went to Adele, Foo Fighters, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Rihanna (for last year's Loud).

Record of the Year nominations were snagged by Adele ("Rolling in the Deep"), Mars ("Grenade"), Katy Perry ("Firework"), Mumford and Son "(The Cave") and, also surprisingly, Bon Iver ("Holocene"). All but Perry were also honored in Song of the Year, where Kanye West's "All of the Lights" was also nominated.

As expected, Nicki Minaj tops the list of Best New Artist nominees, where she'll compete against The Band Perry, Bon Iver, J. Cole and surprise nominee Skrillex.

More to come later!

Music of 1991: November

2011-11-29T20:45:00.001-05:00

Prince was a pop icon of the '80s, but managed to keep his career hot through the first half of the '90s too. "Cream" was his fifth and final #1 hit, the quick follow-up to "Gett Off," which peaked at #21 just the month prior. Although I personally like "Gett Off" better, this is an undeniably good Prince song, with a quirky melody. And what's it about really?

The first two singles from Michael Bolton's Time, Love & Tenderness reached the top 10, but he scored the album's biggest hit with its third release, a remake of "When a Man Loves a Woman," which became Bolton's second (and last) #1 hit. The original version by Percy Sledge was also a #1 hit 25 years prior.

Karyn White was never hotter than she was in November 1991, when she scored her biggest hit with #1 single "Romantic." I've always liked this song, and listening to it lately, it's cemented a position as one of my favorite singles of 1991. The song has a vibrant upbeat production courtesy of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the men responsible for Janet Jackson's Control and Rhythm Nations (you can hear definite similarities to Rhythm Nation in the production of White's 1991 album, Ritual of Love). I also like classy luxe video shot by Matthew Rolston, a longtime music video director (Miley Cyrus' "The Climb," Sugababes' "Push the Button," Destiny's Child "Bootylicious," En Vogue "My Lovin'").

November was chalk full of #1 hits--four of them--the last of which came from PM Dawn with their first hit single, "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss," a vibrant piece of hip-hop dance pop. The song liberally sampled Spandau Ballet's "True," which hit #4 in 1983.

Canadian rocker Bryan Adams followed the year's biggest hit, "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You," with this #2 hit, upbeat pop/rock single "Can't Stop This Thing We Started." His 1991 album, Waking Up the Neighbours, would score three more top 40 hits in 1992.

Rap group Naughty by Nature scored one the year's biggest mainstream hip-hop hits with the anatomically minded "O.P.P." (#6). A minor pop culture phenomenon, the song, about cheating, cleverly hints at the female and male sex organs as "another word to call a cat a kitty" and "a five-letter word rhyming with cleanest or meanest," respectively. When compared to Rihanna's "suck my cockiness, lick my persuasion," it seems rather tame, but at the time it had everyone in titters. The group would go on to have a few more top 40 hits, including top 10 hit "Hip Hop Hooray," but nothing was ever as memorable as this.

Amy Grant reached the top 10 for the third time in 1991 with the ballad "That's What Love is For" (#7). Sandwiched between her album's bigger hits--#1 "Baby Baby," #2 "Every Heartbeat" and 1992's bubbly top 10 hit "Good for Me," this one never really struck my fancy.

November 1991 was the last month of musical history where most people hadn't heard of Nirvana, meaning that it was also the last call for hair band rock, that breed of heavy metal rockers that shined so brightly in the '80s but faded in the early '90s as alternative rock and grunge became rock's mainstream sound. Guns N Roses were certainly one of the biggest heavy metal groups, having scored big with their 1987 album Appetite for Destruction and its hit singles like "Paradise City" and "Sweet Child o' Mine." In 1991, GNR delivered the one-two punch of Use Your Illusion volumes 1 and 2, two separate albums released on the same day. Although volume 2 initially took off faster, thanks to its Terminator 2 song "You Could Be Mine," ultimately volume 1 had the bigger hits, including "Don't Cry," the group's fifth top 10 hit (an alternate version of "Don't Cry" appeared on volume 2). The video, directed by Del James, is a moody cinematic affair, the first of several such videos from this era of the band.

For anyone under the age of 20, Paula Abdul is best known as a judge on American Idol and X Factor, but years ago she was a pop star too! She had six #1 hits in the span of two and a half years, which is nothing to sneeze at. Her second album, Spellbound, was as successful as her first, although it did show her softer side. After topping the chart with Forever Your Girl's exclusively dance pop releases, she chose a ballad to launch Spellbound. That song, "Rush Rush," became the singer's biggest hit. After another dance release, "The Promise of a New Day," became her final #1, she once again chose another ballad as album's third single. "Blowing Kisses in the Wind" peaked at #6, becoming Abdul's eighth and final single to reach the top 10. It's a nice song with a beautiful video, although it does tend to emphasize the limits of her vocal prowess. I remember a good friend of mine got to see her concert and was particularly impressed with this song's staging, which recreated the ballet dancing but had them flying through the air.

Hip-hop girl group Salt-n-Pepa scored another major mainstream rap hit with "Let's Talk About Sex," the group's third top 40 hit from their 1990 album Blacks Magic, peaking at #13. Although the song's title was bound to spark controversy, it's a really great message, encouraging people to have an open, frank discussion about sex and HIV/AIDS during a time when the right (and even portions of the left) were all up and arms and ready to censor popular culture.

Male solo pop stars are a rarity today, but in 1991 they were pretty common. In addition to those named above, British pop singer Chesney Hawkes scored his only major hit with "The One and Only" (#10), jazz/pop artist Curtis Stigers had his only major hit with "I Wonder Why" (#9), Washington D.C.-born R&B singer Tony Terry had his only major hits with "With You" (#14) and Luther Vandross scored his third top 10 hit with "Don't Want to Be a Fool" (#9).

Something old and something new teamed up on the love song duet "Set the Night to Music," the kind of pop ballad that used to be so common but it pretty rare today. Roberta Flack was a major pop star in the '70s, during which she had three #1 hits, two of which I'd consider classics ("The First Time Ever I Saw Your face" and "Killing Me Softly with His Song"). Maxi Priest, however, scored his first #1 hit just the year before with "Close to You" (he had a minor top 40 hit in 1989, "Wild World"). A love song between a 54 year-old woman and a 30 year-old man isn't the most believable, but it's a decent enough song. The song, written by Diane Warren, is actually a remake first recorded in the '80s by Starship.

Several acts who scored big summer hits had their only other top 40 singles peak in November. The biggest of which was Jesus Jones, who followed up their summer #2 hit "Right Here, Right Now" with "Real, Real, Real," which hit #4. Rythm Syndicate, who's summer hit "P.A.S.S.I.O.N." also hit #2, reached #13 with "Hey Donna." And EMF, the British indie band who scored a #1 hit with "Unbelievable," reached #18 with their second single, "Lies." In all of these cases, these singles were these groups' last appearances in the top 40.

Also making their last appearance in the top 40 was British pop group Simply Red. The group hit #1 in 1986 with "Holding Back the Years" and topped the chart again 3 years later with "If You Don't Know Me By Now." Although they continued to be quite popular in Britain, scoring top 10 hits as recently as 2003, this was the end of the road for them in the US, as "Something Got Me Started," which peaked at #23, was their final top 40 single. It's follow-up, "Stars," was a great song that just missed the top 40, peaking at #44. "Fairground," their 1995 release that was their only UK #1, never touched the Hot 100.

UK Single Release Dates

2011-11-28T05:24:00.002-05:00

Nov. 27/28

X Factor Finalists (feat. JLS & One Direction) - Wishing on a Star
Emeli Sande (feat. Naughty Boy) - Daddy
Lady Gaga - A Very Gaga Holiday (EP)

Dec. 4/5

Amy Winehouse - Our Day Will Come
T-Pain (feat. Wiz Khalifa & Lily Allen) - 5 O'Clock
Example - Midnight Run
Plan B - My Manners Ill
James Morrison (feat. Jessie J) - Up
Jason Derulo - Fight for You
Katy Perry - The One that Got Away
Lady Gaga - Marry the Night
Estelle - Back to Love
Christina Perri - A Thousand Years
Foster the People - Call It What You Want
Matt Cardle - Starlight
Beyonce - Love on Top
The Black Keys - Lonely Boy

Dec. 11/12

The X Factor Winner's Single
Wretch 32 (feat. Etta Bond) - Forgiveness
Alexandra Stan - Get Back (ASAP)
Hurts - All I Want for Christmas Is New Year's Day
Foo Fighters - These Days

Dec. 18/19

Lil Wayne (feat. Bruno Mars) - Mirrors
Delilah - Love You So
Nero - Reaching Out
Nicki Minaj - I'm the Best

Dec. 25/26

The Wanted - Warzone
Pixie Lott - Kiss the Stars
Rizzle Kicks - Mama Do the Hump
Annie Lennox - The Holly and the Ivy

UK Singles Chart, December 3, 2011

2011-11-27T17:30:00.002-05:00

1.(1) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

Despite stiff competition, Rihanna remains at #1, logging a sixth week in the top spot to become the year's longest-running #1 hit. That's the longest a single has been #1 in four years, since Leona Lewis's "Bleeding Love" spent 7 weeks at the top of the chart. Rihanna also tops this week's albums chart with her new release, Talk That Talk, giving her a chart double. She also scored a chart double back in January with "What's My Name" and Loud and, according to what I've read on the web, this makes her the first female artist to score two chart doubles with different albums within a calendar year.

2.(NEW) Dance with Me Tonight - Olly Murs

Olly Murs was running neck-and-neck with Rihanna all week long, but in the end must settle for #2 with "Dance with Me Tonight," his fifth top 40 hit and fourth to reach the top 5. This is the second single from his second album, In Case You Didn't Know, which is out tomorrow.

3.(2) Good Feeling - Flo Rida
4.(NEW) Levels - Avicii

A rather unique sight in the top 5 this week, as Flo Rida's "Good Feeling" sits one notch above the single it samples, Swedish dance musician Avicii's "Levels," a new entry at #4. Both tracks feature a vocal sample of American soul musician Etta James' "Something's Got a Hold on Me."

6.(NEW) Down for Whatever - Kelly Rowland

Two months ago I first heard this on British radio and finally the single is out. It's Kelly Rowland's ninth top 10 hit and second official release from her third album, Here I Am.

9.(12) Take Care - Drake (feat. Rihanna)

Drake scores his first top 10 hit as a lead artist as "Take Care" climbs three notches to #9. He's previously appeared in the top 10 as a guest on the aforementioned Rihanna track, "What's My Name." It's just another feather in the cap for Rihanna, who is so red hot right now. This is her 7th appearance in the top 10 this year. And not the last time I'll be talking about her in this post.

10.(NEW) Nothing's Real But Love - Rebecca Ferguson

Last year, Rebecca Ferguson lost The X Factor to Matt Cardle, but that doesn't mean she can't be a pop star too. Thus she joins G4, Chico, JLS, Diana Vickers, Jedward, Cher Lloyd, One Direction and the aforementioned Olly Murs as X Factor "losers" who have gone on to score top 10 hits, a group that collectively has had 11 #1 hits--the same number of #1 hits scored by the show's winners.

11.(13) Paradise - Coldplay

Another climb for Coldplay this week up 2 to #11. Can it reach the top 10? Would be great to see that.

23.(Re-entry) Don't Let Go (Love) - En Vogue

Before Destiny's Child, before TLC, En Vogue was the ruling R&B girlgroup of the '90s, back in the chart this week due to their song being performed on The X Factor. Most of their songs that were big hits in the US, were also their biggest UK hits, including this, their fourth and final top 10 hit in 1997.

25. (NEW) Talk That Talk - Rihanna (feat. Jay-Z)
39. (NEW) You da One - Rihanna

The release of Rihanna's new album Talk That Talk gave fans the chance to cherry-pick tracks if they didn't want to buy the whole thing, send two of those tracks into the top 40 this week. Jay-Z helped Rihanna score her biggest hit in 2007, "Umbrella," which spent an amazing 10 weeks at #1. The duo is back together on the title track from Talk That Talk, well above the #39 debut of "You da One," already the album's official second single in America.

I mentioned earlier that Rihanna's had 7 top 10 hits (so far) this year. As for top 40 hits, she's had a rather remarkable 14 of them this year.

Rihanna's top 40 hits of 2011 (*peaked in 2010)

Title	Peak
1. What's My Name (w/Drake)	1
2. Only Girl	1*
3. Who's That Chick (w/David Guetta)	6*
4. Love the Way You Lie (w/Eminem)	2*
5. All of the Lights (w/Kanye West)	15
6. S&M	3
7. California King Bed	8
8. Cheers (Drink to That)	15
9. Fly (w/Nicki Minaj)	16
10. We Found Love (w/Calvin Harris)	1
11. Princess of China (w/Coldplay)	33
12. Take Care (w/Drake)	9
13. Talk That Talk (w/Jay-Z)	25
14. You da One	39

Album Review: Florence and the Machine - Ceremonials (4/5)

2011-11-27T07:21:00.005-05:00

Florence Welch nicely sidesteps the sophomore slump on Ceremonials, her well-wrought if it at times overwrought sequel to her 2009 debut, Lungs that positions the singer as a powerful, more distinctive voice in pop music. Lungs was a good start, but I found it hard to slog through, a problem I don't experience with Ceremonials, which features overall better songwriting and musical diversity. Welch is still delivering a big, massive, pillar-shaking sound with her voice so strong (and well mixed) to always rise above the layers of strings, harps, organs and outsize drums.

Somber "Only If for a Night" opens the album on a strong note and then kicks it up a notch with "Shake It Out," the delightfully upbeat single that keeps growing on me. It opens with just vocal and organ and then grows from there with an uplifting lyric about picking yourself up and moving on ("It's always darkest before the dawn"). Promotional teaser "What the Water Gave Me" contrasts nicely, with a moody, understated sound with occasional bursts of guitar, harp and choir. The only metaphor big enough to match Florence's sound is the landscape itself, so it's no surprise she fills "Never Let Me Go" with imagery of being carried out to a turbulent sea.

"Breaking Down" sounds like Arcade Fire making a really great pop song. It's prominent strings carry the melody forcefully. "Lover to Lover" finds Welch in an Adele-like soulful mood, adding some '60s-style piano to the mix. "No Light, No Light," recently announced as the next single, is another highlight, alternating tender verses with forceful choruses. "Spectrum" is a particularly fiery track, with Welch's command to "Say my name" feeling like something one would be rather foolish to not comply with. Second-to-last track "All This and Heaven too" may sound like a lot to promise, but you almost believe they can deliver it with their sheer force of will (and thankfully, this is one of the album's calmer tracks, giving a needed rest toward the end). It would have made a fine closing track, making "Leave My Body" feel unneeded, but not necessarily unwelcome.

When reviewing Lungs, I said Florence Welch reminded me other quirky pop singers of the day--voices like Feist and Bat for Lashes. On Ceremonials, she and her band make a stronger case for themselves as a distinctive force on the pop music landscape, a landscape they fully inhabit with their larger-than-life sound.

Best: Shake It Out, Breaking Down, Only If for a Night, No Light No Light, What the Water Gave Me, Spectrum

Personal Chart, November 26, 2011

2011-11-25T22:55:00.002-05:00

Billboard Hot 100, December 3, 2011

2011-11-24T06:48:00.002-05:00

1.(1) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

It's the first week of the 2012 Billboard chart year, and once again, Rihanna leads the Hot 100 with "We Found Love," spending its fourth week at #1. The song is (or has been) #1 all over the world, including in Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. The song is the Airplay Gainer for a fourth consecutive week.

5.(9) It Will Rain - Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars climbs four spots, earning this week's Digital Gainer. It is his seventh track to reach the top 5.

9.(NEW) Take Care - Drake (feat. Rihanna)

It's not an official single yet, but just like she did for Coldplay's "Princess of China," Rihanna's appearance as guest vocalist enticed buyers to cherry-pick this album cut enough to make it chart. It debuts at #9, matching the peak of the album's official second single, "Make Me Proud." Similarly, the track debuted at #12 in Britain this week.

10.(15) The One that Got Away - Katy Perry

Katy Perry's "The One that Got Away" climbs 5 spots to #10, becoming her ninth top 10 hit. Most notably, this is the sixth top 10 hit from her album Teenage Dream, making it only the seventh album in history to achieve such a feat and the first in 17 years.

Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)

Title	Peak
The Girl Is Mine (w/Paul McCartney)	2(3)
Billie Jean	1(7)
Beat It	1(3)
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'	5
Human Nature	7
PYT (Pretty Young Thing)	10
Thriller	4

Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA (1984)

Title	Peak
Dancing in the Dark	2(4)
Cover Me	7
Born in the USA	9
I'm on Fire	6
Glory Days	5
I'm Goin' Down	9
My Hometown	6

George Michael - Faith (1987)

Title	Peak
I Want Your Sex	2(1)
Faith	1(4)
Father Figure	1(2)
One More Try	1(3)
Monkey	1(2)
Kissing a Fool	5

Michael Jackson - Bad (1987)

Title	Peak
I Just Can't Stop Loving You (w/Siedah Garrett)	1(1)
Bad	1(2)
The Way You Make Me Feel	1(1)
Man in the Mirror	1(2)
Dirty Diana	1(1)
Another Part of Me	11
Smooth Criminal	7

Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)

Title	Peak
Miss You Much	1(4)
Rhythm Nation	2(2)
Escapade	1(3)
Alright	4
Come Back to Me	2(2)
Black Cat	1(1)
Love Will Never Do (Without You)	1(1)

Janet Jackson - Janet. (1993)

Title	Peak
That's the Way Love Goes	1(8)
If	4
Again	1(2)
Because of Love	10
Any Time, Any Place	2(1)
You Want This	8

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream (2010)

Title	Peak
California Gurls (w/Snoop Dogg)	1(6)
Teenage Dream	1(2)
Firework	1(4)
E.T. (w/Kanye West)	1(5)
Last Friday Night (TGIF)	1(2)
The One that Got Away	10

11.(NEW) Rumour Has It/Someone Like You - Glee Cast

The hits from Glee have really dried up this season. Similar to what has happened on the UK singles chart, their singles that used to be no stranger to US top 40 have been absent until this year. Season 1 yielded 15 top 40 hits, including their highest-charting, "Don't Stop Believin' (#4). Season 2 produced an amazing 31 top 40 hits, including two top 10s: "Teenage Dream," (#8), the track that holds the record for Glee's biggest 1-week sales, and "Loser Like Me" (#6), one of the few original songs from the show.

This season though, the hits have dried up. The first five episodes produced no top 40 hits--the closest being their version of Coldplay's "Fix You," which peaked at #53. The mashups have been among the show's most interesting musical productions, so it's no surprise that the third season's best mashup becomes its first major hit, debuting at #11 with the show's fifth-best sale (behind the three aforementioned top 10 hits and "Forget You," which also hit #11).

One final somewhat related note: Over on the albums chart, Adele's 21 spends a 39th consecutive week in the top 5, breaking the record for the longest such streak previously held by Michael Jackson's Bad, which spent 38 consecutive weeks in the top 5. Among 21's 39 weeks in the top 5, a third of them (13 weeks) have been spent at #1. No album has spent that many weeks at #1 since the Titanic soundtrack logged 16 weeks at #1 in 1998.

14.(73) You Da One - Rihanna

Rihanna's second Talk That Talk single rockets up 59 notches to #14 after its first full week of sales. Watchers of the daily top 40 radio chart may be scratching their heads over the track's airplay trajectory. After reaching #20 within its first week, the track has dropped to #26 as of today and is shown without a bullet. Apparently, the song was pushed rather hard at radio during its first day of release, causing an incredible spike in its airplay for the first 7 days and then a rather dramatic drop once it reached day #8. My question is...why? What was behind the push? Did money exchange hangs? If so, this is very problematic.

18.(NEW) The Motto - Drake (feat. Lil Wayne)

Another Drake album cut with a big-name guest star cherry-picked into the top 20.

35.(45) Not Over You - Gavin DeGraw

DeGraw scores his fifth top 40 hit. His first, 2004's "I Don't Want to Be," remains his biggest, having peaked at #10.

UK Singles Chart, November 26, 2011

2011-11-20T15:15:00.002-05:00

1.(1) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

Rihanna spends a fifth week at #1 with "We Found Love," tying Adele's "Someone Like You" as the year's longest-running #1 hit.

2.(NEW) Good Feeling - Flo Rida

Rapper Flo Rida lands at #2 with his new single "Good Feeling." It's the second top 10 hit in the last few months to sample an Avicii track that itself samples another track. Flo Rida's Avicii sample is "Levels," which gets a single release next week, and features elements of soul singer Etta James's song "Something's Got a Hold on Me." In September, Leona Lewis hit #4 with "Collide," featuring a sample of Avicii's "Penguins" (aka "Fade Into Darkness"), which sampled Penguin Cafe Orchestra's "Perpetuum Mobile."

3.(NEW) Gotta Be You - One Direction

This looked a surefire #1 hit this week and led midweek reports through Thursday. Well, something must have gone horribly wrong over the weekend, as it lands instead at #3 on the eve of the group's release of their debut album. Not a bad song, but not a stunner, so #3 is probably really quite appropriate for this.

5.(5) Lego House - Ed Sheeran

This week marks the "official" release of "Lego House," which has been available as a download ever since the album came out. So it looks like it's going to peak at #5, following the #3 peak of "A Team" and #4 peak of "You Need Me, I Don't Need You."

7.(9) Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 (feat. Christina Aguilera)

Maroon 5 climbs back up a couple notches this week with "Moves Like Jagger," a song that never reached #1 but spent an amazing 7 consecutive weeks at #1 (while #1 turned over each week). Although it never topped the singles chart, the song is the year's fourth best-selling single, and, as of this week, has spent 10 weeks at #1 on the UK airplay chart.

12.(NEW) Take Care - Drake (feat. Rihanna)

The UK response to Drake's "Take Care," a track from his new album out this week, appears similar to that in the US, where this song will most surely debut in the top 10 on next week's Hot 100 chart. This placement is much higher than that of his "official" singles "Headlines" (#57) and "Make Me Proud" (#49), and is, in fact, Drake's highest charting single yet in the UK. it's success is likely owed to the appearance of Rihanna as guest vocalist.

13.(20) Paradise - Coldplay

Speaking of Rihanna guest appearances, although her turn on Coldplay's "Princess of China" threatened to overshadow proper single "Paradise," at threat appears to have waned as "Paradise" reaches a new peak of #13 this week.

15.(NEW) My Heart Takes Over - The Saturdays

The Saturday's new ballad misses the top 10, becoming only their second single to do so after "Work" peaked at #22. If this never reaches the top 10, which I doubt it will, this ends their streak of 6 consecutive top 10 hits.

18.(NEW) Marry the Night - Lady Gaga

The official release of this is 2 weeks away, so a #18 bow this week hopefully tees this up for the top 10. "Marry the Night" is the fifth single released from "Born This Way," after "Born This Way" (#3), "Judas" (#8), "The Edge of Glory" (#6) and "You and I" (#23), as well as promotional release "Hair," which hit #13.

28.(59) Who You Are - Jessie J

The law of diminishing returns means that despite being a brilliant pop song, Jessie J's fifth release from album Who You Are, manages to reach only #28. Really loving this song though.

32.(NEW) Lighthouse - Westlife

Speaking of diminishing returns. Used to be a time when Westlife was a major chart powerhouse. The group had 14 #1 hits (including their first 7 singles) and never knew anything other than a top 5 hit until "Us Against the World" hit #8 a few years ago. These days though, the best they can do is #32, a sure sign that the apparent decision to release a greatest hits set and call it quits is surely a wise one.

35.(NEW) Rumour Has It/Someone Like You - Glee Cast

Speaking of once powerful chart forces. Used to be a time when Glee regularly produced top 40 hits: season 1 produced 17 top 40 hits (topped by #2 signature single "Don't Stop Believin'"), season 2 produced 12 top 10 hits, although notably none that reached the top 10. This third season has seen the hits dry up. So far this season, nothing has reached the top 40 (goes for the US singles chart as well). Honestly, nothing has really been that deserving until this brilliant mash-up of Adele's "Rumour Has It" and "Someone Like You" came along, putting the show back on the chart.

Personal Chart, November 19, 2011

2011-11-18T19:20:00.001-05:00

Billboard Hot 100, November 26, 2011

2011-11-18T03:43:00.002-05:00

1.(1) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

Rihanna spends a third week at #1 with "We Found Love." This is her 37th week at #1 (I erroneously said so last week, but it was only her 36th then). That ties her with Michael Jackson as the artist with the sixth-most weeks at #1. Leading that list is Elvis Presley and Mariah Carey, both with 79 weeks at #1. Among female acts, Rihanna is second behind Carey and just ahead of the 36 weeks Beyonce has spent at #1, the 33 weeks for Janet Jackson, and the 32 weeks for Madonna.

"We Found Love" is this week's Airplay Gainer, although I imagine next week that honor may fall to Rihanna's new single, "You Da One," which debuts at #73 on the Hot 100 this week and is up 3111 spins at top 40 radio this week, where it is currently #21.

4.(6) Without You - David Guetta (feat. Usher)

David Guetta and Usher are up two this week to #4, earning this week's Digital Gainer. This rise makes the song David Guetta's highest-charting hit in the US, surpassing the #5 peak of "Sexy Chick/Bitch."

9.(12) It Will Rain - Bruno Mars

Mars climbs two notches to #9, scoring his fourth top 10 hit as lead act, eighth top 10 hit overall including featured appearances.

10.(NEW) If This Was a Movie - Taylor Swift
13.(NEW) Ours - Taylor Swift
26.(NEW) Superman - Taylor Swift

When Swift's Speak Now was released last year, a special edition was available exclusively at Target with a second disc of bonus material, including three additional songs. A year after that release, those songs were made available as downloads this week, sending those three tracks into the top 40 this week. The biggest of them, "If This Was a Movie," becomes Swift's eighth release to debut inside the top 10 (a record). This is Swift's 10th top 40 hit. In total now, the country/pop singer has had 31 top 40 hits.

Glee "Rumour Has It"/"Someone Like You"

2011-11-16T04:26:00.002-05:00

Like a lot of people, I haven't been as into the third season of Glee as I was in the past. The storytelling has been really messy, I'm tired of Sue (sorry Jane, I still love you), and I felt like the show was straying too far from what made it great...a delightful balance of true-to-life teenage stories and larger-than-life theatrics. That new Irish kid? I don't think he's needed. That Quinn wants to get her baby back story? Ridiculous. That Jane v. Burt for Congress story? That's absolutely ridiculous and completely implausible. Hopefully it will wrap up soon, although in real life, the election isn't for another year.

Nonetheless, I've been impressed with the last two episodes--the one where Blaine/Kurt and Rachel/Finn contemplate having sex for the first time, and this week's annual mash-up episode. I thought both were handled well, and the latter finally gave this season a truly worthwhile musical moment.

Will Young "Come On"

2011-11-16T04:22:00.003-05:00

"Come On" is another great track from Will Young's album Echoes, a remake of a Kish Mauve track released 2 years ago. I'm not into dog shows, or dogs for that matter, so I wasn't sure I was going to like his new video, but by the end, I decided it's pretty cute.

The One That Got Away

2011-11-16T04:16:00.001-05:00

Katy Perry's released another stylish video. Finally I get to hear the single mix of "The One that Got Away." Do you like the makeup or does she pull a J. Edgar?

Single Serving

2011-11-15T05:19:00.000-05:00

*Adele - Rumour Has It. For her fourth 21 single, Adele has chosen another surefire hit--the album's most stomping, upbeat track. Love the rhythm and bass on this.

*Coldplay (feat. Rihanna) - Princess of China. My initial reaction to this song when I reviewed Mylo Xyloto was that it didn't fit on the album. As a single though, it's starting to grow on me, especially if you consider it a Rihanna song with an amazing backing band instead of a Coldplay song.

Drake - Headlines. This strikes me as pretty typical from Drake: skittering beats, staccato keyboards.

Example - Midnight Run. Hip-hop/dance pop artist Example churns out another decent tune as his fall release, although it's not quite as delicious as "Stay Awake."

Foo Fighters - These Days. This third or fourth (depending on where you are) single from Wasting Light is one of the album's highlights, with an uplifting rock melody.

Foster the People - Call It What You Want. This third single from Foster the People keeps their party going with an upbeat, piano-backed melody. Not quite up there with "Pumped Up Kicks" and "Helena Beat," but still fun.

Fray - Heartbeat. Remember The Fray? Five years after "How to Save a Life" became a massive hit, they are still trying to find another. Not going to do it with this. Sounds like top 40 radio filler.

Cee Lo Green - Anyway. New track from the re-release of Green's album The Lady Killer sounds more modern and upbeat than the album's generally retro sound.

Michael Jackson - Immortal Megamix. MJ gets the Vegas treatment..a la The Beatles' The Love Album, with this megamix of "Can You Feel It," "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Billie Jean" and "Black or White."

*Jessie J - Who You Are. This song has really gotten under my skin lately. I love the lean guitar arrangement and Jessie J sounds really great here. I just wish they'd have made her vocal even more bare, as she's turned in a pretty great vocal performance for this one. Way better than US single "Domino."

Jo Jo - Disaster. The girl who had massive hits in the '00s with "Leave (Get You)" and "Too Little, Too Late" is grown up now. In pop music parlance, strings=maturity, so you can expect quite a few here. It's merely fine--nothing original on display here.

*Lady Gaga - Marry the Night. Born This Way's opening track and stand out cut finally gets its turn in the sun. Another winning dance pop "anthem" from one of pop music's most interesting voices. Can't wait to see what she does for the video.

Avril Lavigne - Wish You Were Here. Although Lavigne seems best known for her perky brand of pop "punk," I think her slower songs are generally her best work. This guitar-driven ballad might be my favorite release from Goodbye Lullaby.

Nicki Minaj - I'm the Best. This is about the 10th single released from Pink Friday, depending on whether "promotional" releases can be counted as "singles" (who knows these days). Anyway, it's a pretty fun song--not a standout on the album, but not bad either. It's upbeat, bright and boastful, a perfect fit for Minaj's personality.

Moby (feat. Inyang Bassey) - The Right Thing. Moby's underwhelming album from earlier this year, Destroyed, is somehow managing to continue generating singles. The song, like the album, isn't particularly notable, although vocalist Inyang Bassey (no apparent relation to Shirley) gives a nice performance.

One Direction - Gotta Be You. The newest kids on the block deliver their follow-up to UK #1 "What Makes You Beautiful." In typical fall boyband fashion, this one is a ballad, drenched in strings. I'm sure it will sell bucket-loads, but it's missing the spark that made their first single something special.

*Rihanna - You Da One. Just like frothy "Only Girl" was followed by the more laid back "What's My Name," so now does Rihanna follow clubby "We Found Love" with this breezy Dr. Luke production as the second Talk That Talk single.

Alyssa Reid (feat. Jump Smokers) - Alone Again. Heart's "Alone" is a great song because 1) it's just a great heartbroken love song and 2) it sounds awesome when a singer really lets loose on the chorus, as in the Heart original, and to some extent the recent Celine Dion and Glee versions. Alyssa Reid, whoever she is, lacks the vocal chops to do this song justice.

*Emeli Sande (feat. Naughty Boy) - Daddy. Emeli Sande turns in another trip-hop kissed pop tune, slinkier than "Heaven," so not as showy, but still a very decent track. Her album, when it appears, will be a must-have.

*The Saturdays - My Heart Takes Over. Steve Mac produced this ballad, the third On Your Radar single. It's about as good a ballad as The Saturdays have executed, with a production sound big enough to make Leona Lewis jealous. Some good remixes of this out there too.

The Wanted - War Zone. After two dance pop tracks, it's ballad time for The Wanted. I've never been a fan of war metaphors for pop songs, but this does have a nicely varied production though, pushing up the tempo a bit on the second verse, with piano throughout. Capital FM is already playing this to death, despite its January release date.

Westlife - Lighthouse. Although co-written by Gary Barlow (with producer John Shanks), this bears no resemblance to the gritty electro-pop from Take That's last album. It's classic Westlife all the way...a typical pop ballad with piano, strings and a big middle section. I think after this Greatest Hits set, they are done.

*Amy Winehouse - Our Day Will Come. I'm glad that we're getting some Amy Winehouse extras with the upcoming posthumous release. But I think it's going to be clear that when you get "extras," there's a reason they were left off the album. Thus, this sounds an awful lot like Back to Black's closing track "Addicted," but not as hard-hitting. Still, a nice song though and very welcome on the radio.

*Will Young - Come On. Second Echoes single is another winner, a mid-tempo, downbeat, lovelorn track that finds Young once again baring some fragile emotions over a mature electronic melody. Hope it's another hit for him.

UK Singles Chart, November 19, 2011

2011-11-13T20:42:00.003-05:00

1.(2) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

Rihanna returns to the top spot for a fourth week at #2 after 2 weeks away from the top spot. That gives the song a fourth week at #1, tying it with LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" as the second-longest-running #1 hit of the year. Both songs are behind the year's biggest #1 hit, Adele's "Someone Like You," which spent 5 weeks at #1 and was also the most recent single to also have an interrupted run at #1.

2.(NEW) Take a Chance on Me - JLS

What looked like a surefire #1 ends up at #2 this week, unable to stop the resurgent Rihanna. Thus ends the JLS tradition of a November ballad #1 started in 2009 with "Everybody in Love" and continued last year with "Love You More." The song's failure to hit #1 mimics that of The Wanted recent single, "Lightning," also a #1 hopeful that stopped short at #2. This is JLS's 8th top 10 hit.

5.(6) Lego House - Ed Sheeran

"Lego House" climbs another notch to #5, becoming Ed Sheeran's third consecutive top 5 hit.

7.(10) Without You - David Guetta (feat. Usher)

"Without You" has been in the top 20 for the last 8 weeks, steadily climbing to this week's new peak of #7.

10.(NEW) What Do You Take Me For - Pixie Lott (feat. Pusha T)

Pixie Lott's new single misfires this week, debuting at #10. Last time Pixie Lott released a single just before putting out an album, it hit #1. That was 2009's "Boys and Girls," released just a week before her debut album, Turn It Up. Now, on the eve of Young Foolish Bad, Pixie just manages to scrape her way into the top 10. As Pixie Lott singles go, "What Do You Take Me For" is among the least interesting, but only making it to #10 doesn't bode well for future singles from the album.

12.(26) Shake It Out - Florence & the Machine

"Shake It Out" debuted at #27 and then fell out of the of the 40. But since last week, it's shown a remarkable resurgence, re-entering the top 40 at #26 and jumping this week to #12. It now ties "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" as their third highest charting hit.

14.(NEW) Me Without You - Loick Essien

British pop singer Loick Essien debuts at #14 with his second single, the follow up to summer hit "How We Roll," which reached #2. I'm shocked this has debuted so low. I like this song and thought it was good for the top 5. Apparently not. Sorry Loick.

16.(NEW) It Will Rain - Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars earns his 8th top 20 hit this week, albeit his smallest as "It Will Rain" debuts at #16. His last solo single, "Marry You," reached #11.

18.(NEW) I Need - Maverick Sabre

Summer release "Let Me Go" hit #16, and now Sabre follows that with #18 hit "I Need."

Personal Chart, November 12, 2011

2011-11-11T08:15:00.001-05:00

Billboard Hot 100, November 19, 2011

2011-11-10T17:10:00.001-05:00

1. (1) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

Rihanna spends a second week at #1 with "We Found Love." Doing so means the single outpaces all three of the Loud singles that reached #1, as each of those only spent 1 week in the top spot. This is Rihanna's 36th week at #1. Although she's one #1 hit short of Madonna's 12 chart-toppers, Rihanna's spent 5 more weeks at #1 now than Madge. "We Found Love" is also this week's airplay gainer, up three spots to #4 on Radio Songs.

2.(3) Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO

LMFAO moves into second place with "Sexy and I Know It," making it a possible #1 contender. It's strong in both sales (#2) and airplay (#5).

6.(7) Without You - David Guetta (feat. Usher)

Also a future #1 contender is David Guetta, whose "Without You" looks poised to be #1 at pop radio within a week. It's up one this week to #6.

8.(12) Good Feeling - Flo Rida (feat. Etta James)

Flo Rida climbs four spots scoring his sixth top 10 hit. The song samples Avicii's "Levels," which itself contains a sample of Etta James' 1962 hit "Something's Got a Hold on Me." James doesn't gets a featured credit on the song, but if she had, it would be her first top 40 appearance since her 1967 single "Security." The 73-year-old soul singer first appeared in the top 40 in 1960 with "All I Could Do Is Cry" (#33).

12.(21) It Will Rain - Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars' Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 single "I Will Rain" is this week's digital gainer, up 9 notches this week. I kinda thought this single might flop, but apparently not.

18.(34) The One that Got Away - Katy Perry

Katy Perry has this week's biggest mover within the top 40, up an impressive 16 notches to #18. The video for this song debuts tomorrow, and judging from the trailer (yes, music videos, which once basically were trailers, now have their own trailers), it's going to be epic. I think it's a safe best now that Teenage Dream will become the 7th album to score at least six top 10 hits. Still though lingers the big one--will it become history's first album to score six #1s.

20.(30) Dance A$$ - Big Sean (feat. Nicki Minaj)

I hadn't heard of this before, so I decided to check it out. It's interesting. This is American rapper Big Sean's third and so far biggest top 40 hit. It samples MC Hammer's iconic 1990 hit "U Can't Touch This." It also features Nicki Minaj in her 100th chart appearance this year. Well, okay, I think it's her 8th, but still, that's a lot.

UK Singles Chart, November 12, 2011

2011-11-06T18:01:00.003-05:00

1.(1) Read All About It - Professor Green (feat. Emeli Sande)

It's relatively quiet week on the UK singles chart, as there is no change at #1, giving Professor Green a second week at the top spot. After the intense turnover at #1 from late July to early October, it's a real switch to have a second single in a row spend more than a week at #1.

4.(NEW) With Ur Love - Cher Lloyd (feat. Mike Posner)

The biggest new single of the week turns in a solid, although slightly disappointing performance. Cher Lloyd's debut single "Swagger Jagger" was a surprise #1 in August, albeit one of the lowest sales tallies for a #1 hit this year. I found this second single to be quite a bit more charming than her first and, although it's released a week ahead of the album, it pulls in only at #4. Yes, it is a much more competitive time of year, but I would have thought this could have managed #2.

6.(12) Lego House - Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran's latest climbs into the top 10, up 6 notches. Still a week away from its release. Will be interesting to see if he can keep climbing like this. Radio is all over it.

18.(NEW) Try With Me - Nicole Scherzinger

This fifth single from Scherzinger's debut album is a new track from the upcoming re-release of her album. I haven't heard this song yet. I don't think it's had much promotion, which the #18 debut might reflect.

33.(NEW) People Help the People - Birdy

Birdy scores her second top 40 hit.

Personal Chart, November 5, 2011

2011-11-04T06:33:00.003-04:00

Billboard Hot 100, November 12, 2011

2011-11-03T19:56:00.003-04:00

1.(2) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

Rihanna continues her amazing hit streak, racking up her 11th #1 hit this week as "We Found Love" climbs a notch to ascend to the top spot. Rihanna is the 8th artist in pop music history to have achieved 11 #1 hits, after The Beatles (20), Mariah Carey (18), Elvis Presley (17 or 18, depending on what you count), Michael Jackson (13), The Supremes (12), Madonna (12) and Whitney Houston (11). Among the ladies, she's tied with Whitney Houston for third, edging ahead of the 10 #1 hits from Janet Jackson. Apart from the British Beatles, she's the only other nonAmerican on this very exclusive list.

The song's success has most been sales-driven at this point, although it is this week's airplay gainer. At top 40 radio it's currently #8 and the second-fastest gaining track behind LMFAO's "Sexy and You Know It," currently #3 on the Hot 100. The song's producer, Calvin Harris, who also bestowed upon himself a featured artist credit, enjoys his first American #1. Although Calvin Harris productions have been hot in Britain for years, this is his first major success in the US.

10.(19) Mr. Know It All - Kelly Clarkson

Well, I didn't think this song would do it, but I'm proven wrong as "Mr. Know It All" jumps a solid nine spots to become Kelly Clarkson's 9th top 10 hit. The single had previously peaked at #18, and with airplay cooling off, it didn't look like it was going to climb any higher. But a sales rally this week sends the single into the top 10 for the first time. I think credit goes to the release of Clarkson's album, Stronger, which debuted at #2 on the albums chart this week.

12.(31) Good Feeling - Flo Rida

Flo makes a 19-point jump to #12 this week. This is the first single from his fourth album, Only One Rida (Part 2).

20.(NEW) Princess of China - Coldplay (feat. Rihanna)

Also benefiting from the release of their new album is Coldplay. Their fifth album, Mylo Xyloto became the group's third #1 album this week, while its track and future single debuts at #20 on the back of strong cherry-picking sales. Certainly its the presence of the song's featured vocalist driving that, giving Rihanna a second (albeit far less significant) chart note this week. "Princess of China" follows previous Mylo singles "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" (#14) and "Paradise" (#15) into the top 20, making this album by far their biggest producer of hit singles, since they've only ever had two other top 20 hits.

34.(55) The One that Got Away - Katy Perry

Katy Perry scores her sixth top 40 hit from Teenage Dream, the album that has so far produced five #1 hits. All eyes will be on this one to see whether it can climb to #1. It's growing fast at top 40 radio, but the song needs a sales boost--perhaps if the rumored single mix comes out or when the video debuts.

Ed Sheeran "Lego House"

2011-10-31T17:28:00.001-04:00

Ed Sheeran is so popular now he gets to have Ron Weasley star in his video! Fun to see Rupert Grint here.

UK Singles Chart, November 5, 2011

2011-10-30T16:13:00.004-04:00

1.(NEW) Read All About It - Professor Green (feat. Emeli Sande)

Professor Green and Emeli Sande lead a strong sales week on the singles chart. "Read All About It" clocked in 153,000 copies sold, just under the 154,000 One Direction moved during its #1 week for "What Makes You Beautiful," making "Read All About It" the second-biggest #1 hit so far this year. It's the fourteenth week this year the #1 song sold over 100,000 copies. That matches the 14 weeks of 100k sellers there were last year. This is the fifth top 40 hit and third top 10 single for Professor Green, enjoying his first time at #1. This is Emeli Sande's fourth top 10 hit and also her first turn at the top spot, beating her #2 summer single "Heaven." Her own single, "Daddy," will be out soon.

2.(NEW) Earthquake - Labrinth (feat. Tinie Tempah)

Labrinth was well outsold by Professor Green this week, but nonetheless racked up a rather impressive 115,000 copies sold--more than all but eight of the year's #1 hits. This is Labrinth's fifth top 40 hit, all but one of which have reached the top 3, and two of which were guest appearances on two of Tinie Tempah's biggest singles, "Pass Out" (#1, although he was uncredited) and "Frisky" (#2). This is Tinie Tempah's 13th top 40 hit.

4.(6) Mr. Know It All - Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson climbs two notches to #4 to score her top 5 hit. In the US, this is turning out to be a minor hit for her, but in the UK, it's now her second-highest charting single, even beating out the #5 peak of "Since U Been Gone."

8.(NEW) When I Was a Youngster - Rizzle Kicks

Rizzle Kick's first single "Down with the Trumpets" peaked at #8, but it took it 7 weeks to get there. This second single achieves that peak position instantly. Counting their appearance on Olly Murs' #1 hit "Heart Skips a Beat," this is the group's third top 10 hit.

12.(18) Lego House - Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran continues to climb with his third single, still a couple weeks from a release date.

14.(NEW) Paradise - Coldplay

So, this is a bit ridiculous. A few years ago the chart rules were liberalized to allow basically any track to chart, allowing for all those old singles performed on the X Factor to chart, plus shenanigans like the alternative Christmas #1 of 2009. But as much as the rule changes were supposed to open up the chart, apparently there were some exceptions, to which Coldplay fell victim with this single. "Paradise" was released as a single on September 13, but because the track was available as "free"download for pre-purchasing their album Mylo Xyloto (this week's #1 album), the single was eligible for the chart. Nevermind the fact that it was also available as a standalone purchase. Seems really crummy to me. Billboard managed to figure it out. Why couldn't The Official Charts Company? Upon the release of the album, the single has (finally) allowed to appear, but surely this would have been a top 10 hit in the last couple of weeks. Such a shame.

As it is, "Paradise" debuts at #14, becoming Coldplay's 15th top 40 hit, the 13th to reach the top 20.

16.(NEW) You Make Me Feel... - Cobra Starship (feat. Sabi)

Cobra Starship debuts at #16, beating by just 1 notch the #17 peak of their only other top 40 hit, "Good Girls Go Bad."

19.(NEW) Runaway Baby - Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars' recent X Factor performance sends this album track into the top 20, making it his 8th top 40 single.

33.(NEW) Princess of China - Coldplay (feat. Rihanna)

With Rihanna being one of the biggest global superstars of the year, it's no surprise this Mylo Xyloto album track (and apparent future single) got cherry-picked enough to land it in the top 40 as Coldplay's 17th top 40 hit.

36.(38) Set Fire to the Rain - Adele

Despite never reaching the top 10, this single, released back in July, has held onto the chart a remarkably long time--20 weeks in the top 40 now. Adele just announced that "Rumour Has It" will be 21's fourth UK single. Speaking of which, the album, released over 8 months ago, finally fell out of the top 5 this week, dropping from #4 to #8. Prior to this week, the album had never fallen any lower than #4. That's an incredible chart run for an album, considering how the albums chart has turned over almost as fast as the singles chart in recent years. In the US, where there's generally a new #1 album every week, 21 has performed similarly well, spending 13 weeks at #1 (including this week) since its late February release.

10 Videos

2011-10-29T06:19:00.003-04:00

Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris) - We Found Love
How long before Rihanna shows up in a movie? She seems interested in acting, with many of her videos depicting stories. "We Found Love" is the most fully formed we've seen from her yet, the story of a passionate but deeply troubled young couple on a drug-fueled course to self destruction. It has the look of a grimy art house film.

Beyonce (feat. J. Cole) - Party
Wow. This video is really cool and kind of shameless. It takes the beautiful (and filthy rich) Beyonce and recasts her as a trailer park girl. Love the grainy '80s look. The best bits--the girl who drinks from a hose, Beyonce smiling with the frying pan, the crimped hair, and the yellow faux fur jacket. Look for cameos from lil sis Solange and cousin Kelly.

Beyonce - Countdown
This video, dressed in '60s chic, couldn't be more different from "Party." As fun as that one is, this is really the better of the two, with a lot of interesting and retro visual film elements. The Audrey Hepburn homage works great. Check out the clearly pregnant Beyonce at 0:36.

Olly Murs - Dance with Me Tonight
I hadn't even heard this song yet until I just watched this video. What can I say? Great '50s swing-influenced song and a super cute video. Olly's looking better than ever.

Lady Gaga - You and I
This isn't exactly recent, but I hadn't watched it yet. It's definitely worth checking out. After the lo-fi production of "The Edge of Glory," "You and I" sees Gaga return to a more typically epic video. It's inspired by the song's lyrics about returning to Nebraska to salvage a failed relationship, but takes that story to an extreme, with imagery of a cybernetic chic Gaga, mermaid Gaga, and even a male Gaga, along with a ripped mad scientist (Taylor Kinney).

Nero - Crush on You
At first blush, it looks like this is going to be some gauzy teen love story set at a boarding school. Then--bam! It morphs into a '70s style horror movie, complete with cool lo-tech effects and lots of creepy images.

The Saturdays - My Heart Takes Over
Beautifully shot on location in Iceland with imagery that compliments the ballad nicely.

Loick Essien - Me Without You
"Me Without You" tries to do for Los Angeles was "How We Roll" did for London, but unfortunately doesn't pull it off. I think this video is dull, which is a shame, because I really like this song.

Labrinth (feat. Tinie Tempah) - Earthquake
This is mostly uninteresting computer animation with a blatant Mini product placement. Although I do like the weird robed guys that show up at about halfway.

David Guetta (feat. Usher) - Without You
Speaking of earthquakes...This video is awfully silly. The premise is that people all over the world dancing simultaneously to David Guetta's irresistible music cause massive tectonic upheaval that sends the continents on course to merge, allowing the people dancing on the various shores to unite and dance together in harmony. Of course if this were to really happen, they all wouldn't be smiling, they'd be dead.

Album Reviews

2011-10-29T05:39:00.000-04:00

Kelly Clarkson - Stronger (3.5/5). "Stronger" as a title for this album is fitting if describing the singer behind it but unfortunately not its songs. Kelly's never sounded better, but the songs on this albums, while generally well-crafted, lack the strong pop hooks she's known for. This is evident on the album's first single "Mr. Know It All," which has managed to reach the top 20 but not the top 10 on the back of its decent melody and delivery but weak chorus.

The zippy second track, "What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger)," sounds like it would have made a better lead single, although its lyrics can be a mouthful too, reminding me of the problem Alanis Morissette had on her second album. Lyrics are a problem throughout, particularly on "You Can't Win," during which Clarkson sings "if you're gay, why aren't you waving a flag?" Well, Kelly, maybe I have other things to do with my time, thanks. One song that actually manages to deliver a memorable chorus is "I Forgive You," a charged track that comes about halfway through.

Since most of the album posits Clarkson in that fast-and-angry mode she's become known for, I appreciate its few slower, effective moments, like the lovelorn "Honestly" and the tender "Standing in Front of You." Also welcome are the forrays into country--a genre Clarkson is showing increasing interest in. Although nothing here is full-on country, there are hints, like the shuffle of "Hello" and the slow song finale "Breaking Your Own Heart."

Max Martin was the producer responsible for many of her biggest hits, so it's surprising he doesn't show up in the liner notes, with Clarkson instead turning to a mostly new slate of pop producers, such as Greg Kurstin and Brian Kennedy. Despite it being a commercial flop, I'd love to see Clarkson do something as gutsy as My December again. I think it would be a lot more interesting.

Best: What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger), Mr. Know It All, Honestly, I Forgive You, Standing in Front of You

Kasabian - Velociraptor! (4/5). Q Magazine named West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum their favorite album of 2009, but I wasn't sold on it. This isn't that much different, but for some reason, it works better this time. I'm hearing a strong '60s influence again, particularly on the album's three opening tracks, which I think are its strongest. They've moved from psychedelia into '60s spy movie territory on "Let's Roll Just Like We Used To," an energetic and slightly sinister track that reminds me of U2's "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me." "Day Are Forgotten" is an even more muscular rock track, contrasting with the sweeter Beatles-esque romanticism of "Goodbye Kiss." The rest of the album isn't as strong, but its never weak either, mixing in some surprising sounds like the Middle Eastern touches on "Acid Turkish Bath (Shelter from the Storm)" and '80s synths in "I Hear Voices." Best: Days Are Forgotten, Let's Roll Just Like We Used to, Goodbye Kiss, Re-Wired.

Personal Chart, October 29, 2011

2011-10-28T15:57:00.002-04:00

Billboard Hot 100, November 5, 2011

2011-10-27T20:00:00.002-04:00

1.(1) Someone Like You - Adele

Adele spends a fifth week at #1 with "Someone Like You." I think her days at #1 are numbered. The song has started to drop off in both sales and airplay, slipping from #1 to #3 on Digital Songs and, at radio, losing its bullet at top 40 (where it looks like it has peaked at #2). It's still #2 with a bullet on Radio Songs, but it just can't seem to dislodge "Moves Like Jagger" at radio. Billboard has reported that since this song has now spent 5 weeks at #1, that makes Adele the fourth female artist to rule #1 for at least 5 weeks twice within a calendar year, after Mariah Carey in 1995 with "Fantasy" (8 weeks) and "One Sweet Day" (16 weeks, 5 of which were in 1995), Monica in 1998 for "The Boy Is Mine" (with Brandy, 13 weeks) and "The First Night," and Beyonce in 2003 for "Crazy in Love" (8 weeks) and "Baby Boy" (9 weeks). If you count featured appearances, you can also include Rihanna in 2010 for "Rude Boy" (5 weeks) and her appearance on Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie" (7 weeks).

2.(6) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

I suspect that shortly Rihanna will collect her 11th #1 hit. She's up four this week with the first single from her forthcoming sixth (!) album. She's also making good strides at radio. In the UK, this is the #1 hit for a third week.

4.(4) Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO

This stupid song (which I actually kinda like), holds at #4 but is this week's airplay gainer. Depending on how it plays out with Rihanna, this could have a shot at #1, but it's going to be tight. At radio though, it has the upper hand.

9.(97) Make Me Proud - Drake (feat. Nicki Minaj)

Canadian rapper Drake makes an incredible (but not record-breaking) 88-spot jump to #9, scoring his 7th top 10 hit. The song, featuring of-the-moment female rapper Nicki Minaj, must owe some of this to the duo's Saturday Night Live appearance from about 2 weeks ago. "Make Me Proud" out-charts Drake's other recent single, "Headlines," which is bulleted at #16 this week but peaked so far at #13. The song is this week's Digital Gainer.

11.(NEW) Mistletoe - Justin Bieber

It's too soon to be thinking about Christmas! But apparently not for the Biebster, whose seasonal-themed single becomes both his third-highest charting single and, according to Billboard, the third-highest-charting seasonal single ever after the Chipmunks' 1958 #1 hit "The Chipmunk Song" and New Kids on the Block's 1989 #7 hit "This One's for the Children."

15.(38) Paradise - Coldplay

Nice jump for Coldplay, up 23 notches to #15 this week on the eve of their album's release. This is the group's fourth top 40 hit, charting just a notch below where their summer hit, "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" peaked. The group may get a nice surprise next week, as cherry-picking has Xylo Myloto album track (and reported future single) "Princess of China" currently #4 at iTunes.

19.(24) Mr. Know It All - Kelly Clarkson

Also seeing a nice bump on the eve of her album's release is Kelly Clarkson's "Mr. Know It All," which is still threatening to go down as the lowest-charting first single from a Kelly Clarkson album, having peaked at only #18.

20.(25) 5 O'Clock - T-Pain (Lily Allen)

T-Pain and Lily crack the top 20 this week. Awesome.

21.(27) Ni**as in Paris - Jay-Z and Kanye West

I'd thought the fervor of Watch the Throne had died down, but apparently not, as the album is possibly going to score its second top 20 hit.

28.(34) Fly - Nicki Minaj (feat. Rihanna)

Here's the song that represents over 10 percent of this week's top 40. Nicki Minaj and Rihanna both have two other singles in the top 40, meaning that 1 out of every 8 top 40 hit this week features one or both of them.

33.(47) It Will Rain - Bruno Mars

Mars's new single rebounds this week. It initially peaked at #28.

Grammy Submissions

2011-10-26T20:11:00.004-04:00

So I haven't been able to get a list of this year's submissions for Grammy Awards. Apparently they're really hard to come by this year. This source has a nice list by artist, so here's my list, based on that and other research by category of who some of the frontrunners are this year:

Album of the Year

Adele - 21
Jason Aldean - Dirt Road Anthem
Tony Bennett - Duets II
Beyonce - 4
Bon Iver
Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
Kings of Leon - Come Around Sundown
Lady Antebellum - Own the Night
Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Bruno Mars - Doo Wops & Hooligans
Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday
Rihanna - Loud
Taylor Swift - Speak Loud
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye West & Jay-z - Watch the Throne

Record of the Year

Adele - Rolling in the Deep
Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson - Don't You Wanna Stay
Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - The Lady Is a Tramp
Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks
Lady Antebellum - Just a Kiss
Lady Gaga - You and I (or Judas)
Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger
Bruno Mars - Grenade
Nicki Minaj - Super Bass
Mumford and Sons - The Cave
Katy Perry - Firework
Pitbull - Give Me Everything
Rihanna and Calvin Harris - We Found Love
Taylor Swift - Back to December
Kanye West & Jay-Z - Otis
Kanye West and Rihanna - All of the Lights

Song of the Year (listed by performer)

Adele - Rolling in the Deep
Jason Aldean - Don't You Wanna Stay
Bruno Mars - Grenade
Lady Gaga - You and I (or Judas)
Mumford & Sons - The Cave
Katy Perry - Firework
Taylor Swift - Back to December
Kanye West - All of the Lights

Best New Artist

The Band Perry
James Blake
Bon Iver
The Civil Wars
J. Cole
Jessie J
Foster the People
Lykke Li
Nicki Minaj
Christina Perri
Wiz Khalifa

Best Pop Album

Adele - 21
Katy B - On a Mission
Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Bruno Mars - Doo Wops and Hooligans
Rihanna - Loud
Britney Spears - Femme Fatale

Best Pop Solo Performance

Adele - Someone Like You
Beyonce - Best Thing I Never Had
Kelly Clarkson - Mr. Know It All
Lady Gaga - You and I (or Judas)
Bruno Mars - Grenade
Katy Perry - Firework
Pink - Fuckin' Perfect
Rihanna - S&M
Britney Spears - Til the World Ends
Taylor Swift - Back to December

Best Pop Group Performance

Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks
Glee Cast - Teenage Dream
Gym Class Heroes and Adam Levine - Stereo Hearts
LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem
Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull - On the Floor
Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger
Nicki Minaj and Rihanna - Fly
Katy Perry and Kanye West - E.T.

Best R&B Album

Marsha Ambrosius - Late Nights & Early Mornings
Beyonce - 4
Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin'
Jill Scott - The Light of the Sun
Jazmine Sullivan - Love Me Back

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Bad Meets Evil and Bruno Mars - Lighters
Beyonce and Andre 3000 - Party
Dr. Dre, Eminem and Skylar Grey - I Need a Doctor
Rihanna and Drake - What's My Name
Kelly Rowland and Lil Wayne - Motivation
Kanye West and Rihanna - All of the Lights

Best R&B Solo

Beyonce - Countdown
Jill Scott - The Light (Piano Mix)

Best Alternative Album

Bon Iver
Foster the People - Torches

Best Rap Performance

Chris Brown, Lil Wayne - Look at Me Now
J. Cole - Work Out
Lil Wayne - She Will
Nicki Minaj feat. Drake - Moment 4 Life (or Right Thru Me)
Kanye West & Jay-Z - Otis

Some odd submissions:

Lady Gaga did not submit "Born This Way" or "The Edge of Glory" for ROTY or SOTY
Beyonce's ROTY/SOTY submission was "I Was Here" instead of "Best Thing I Never Had"

Album Review: Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto (4/5)

2011-10-25T21:26:00.002-04:00

Coldplay has always been a band that demands, or rather asks politely, to be liked. Since their 2000 debut, their subsequent albums have all taken slightly different directions, but none have strayed too far from an essential formula of guitar- and piano-driven pop songs that shoot for and generally succeed in delivering uplift and optimism with the occasional “woe is me” ballad thrown in to keep those hearts bleeding.

Mylo Xyloto’s twist is that it’s a concept album--albeit one that Green Day already covered--a story of two young lovers, Mylo and Xyloto, trying to find their way in a dystopian world. There’s also some business about New York graffiti and Nazi-era, Anti-Hitler German intellectuals. Even HBO's (brilliant series) The Wire is reportedly an inspiration. Not really sure how it all adds up, as I didn’t get a digital booklet to let me parse the lyrics this time. Regardless, it certainly adds up to tuneful, uplifting, U2-loving pop/rock, which is all anyone is really hoping for from a Coldplay album in the first place.

“Hurts Like Heaven” is a killer opening track bursting with the kind of bright energy that proclaims something great is coming. This is the first of several songs with a strong electronic presence, during which even Chris Martin’s vocals get more than their usual processing.

The happy feeling continues through current single “Paradise” and “Charlie Brown,” both of which are typical big-sounding Coldplay pop songs. “Paradise” is particularly pop-oriented, with its beat veering ever so close to hip-hop, recalling OneRepublic’s similar flirtation when it teamed up with Timbaland. It goes for the big sonic build, overlaying synthesizers, strings, hand claps and, during the chorus, the backing choir. “Charlie Brown,” a track many have named as a standout, has Asian touches not unlike Viva La Vida’s “Life in Technicolor” or “Lovers in Japan.”

The album concept comes on strong for “Us Against the World,” the album’s first slower song. I appreciate that Martin’s vocal is pretty clean on this song, and the production, which tends to be overbearing throughout, has a lighter touch here. It’s almost folksy, in a Bon Iver-ish way.

Another instrumental signals a segue to the album’s next segment. Whether its title “M.M.I.X.” is a musical reference, “2009,” or some reference to the characters name is unclear, but the interlude is over before you’ve had time to overthink it, pushing quickly into summer hit “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall.” It’s certainly welcome to this party, an anthemic tune that sits nicely alongside the band’s greatest hits. I love how the bass really picks up at 1:40. “Major Minus” follows. It’s the most traditional rock arrangement on the album and thus sounds more like U2 than anything here. I find its comparatively restrained production refreshing, hearkening back to A Rush of Blood to the Head days, and wish more of the album sounded like this.

This section of the album is a real mishmash of sounds. After the uplift of “Teardrop” and the darker rock sound of “Minus” comes the softly acoustic almost interlude “U.F.O.,” followed by what will surely be the most divisive track on the album, the aforementioned Rihanna collaboration. “Princess of China” is awash in distorted synths, burying Chris and RiRi in layers of electronic sounds. It’s not a bad song, but it’s overproduced. It’s certainly better than the song that follows, “Up in Flames,” which is the album’s low point. Nothing much happens in the song. It’s a middling hip-hop beat, piano and a soft vocal, with a tune that just seems to repeat over and over.

Last stretch of the album brings two welcome tracks. “Don’t Let It Break Your Heart” may be traditional Coldplay stadium filler, but it’s not an album filler, pumping up the album’s sound at just the right point. “Up with the Birds” is gentler, switching gears from airy synths and strings to more muscular guitar halfway through, an effective transition that ends the album on a strong note.

All this wanting to be loved feels like it goes just a little too far on this album. It’s like the nerdy ninth grader who suddenly decides he can be cool by dressing like and hanging out with the cool kids. Thus Coldplay dress their songs in so of-the-moment synths and hip-hop beats and even spends some time with the coolest pop kid of the moment, Ms. Rihanna. They even nod to last year’s coolest rock album, Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs, evoking that group’s shimmery multi-instrument layering on Mylo’s opening instrumental. Still at its core, this is definitely a Coldplay album, and while not their strongest work, it’s a welcome addition to the family.

Best: Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall, Hurts Like Heaven, Major Minus, Paradise, Don’t Let It Break Your Heart

UK Singles Chart, October 29, 2011

2011-10-23T17:44:00.002-04:00

1.(1) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

Rihanna spends a third week at #1 with "We Found Love." It surpasses "Take a Bow" and "Only Girl" to become her second-longest running #1 hit. It's got a long way to go if it were to surpass her biggest #1, "Umbrella," which spent a whopping 10 weeks at the top spot.

2.(NEW) Lightning - The Wanted

Early in the week it looked like The Wanted might have been headed for their third #1, but in the end, they will have to wait a bit longer for that, as "Lightning," was surpassed at midweek by Rihanna, who kept her momentum through the weekend. Thus the single lands at #2, following summer's #1 hit "Glad You Came." This makes The Wanted's chart run of late look a lot like how they performed last year, when their first single, "All Time Love," was a summer #1, followed by a fall #2, "Heart Vacancy." The group's second album, Battleground, is out in 2 weeks.

3.(7) Wherever You Will Go - Charlene Soraia

What seemed like a novelty has turned into a bona fide hit, as Charlene Soraia's "Wherever You Will Go" storms the top 5, up four this week to #3. It will be interesting to see if this sticks around for the holidays--seems like it definitely could. I wouldn't even count it out for a #1 contender. Despite the stiff competition, there are some weeks ahead where it's possible.

4.(2) Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 (feat. Christina Aguilera)

After 7 consecutive weeks at #2, Maroon 5 falls to #4 this week, ending the longest second-place streak since All-4-One's "I Swear" did the same thing in the summer of 1994. Can't tell you when a song has spent longer at #2, or even if one ever has. During the '80s, the longest run at #2 was Wham! with "Last Christmas/Everything She Wants (Remix)," which spent 5 weeks at #2.

6.(NEW) Mr. Know It All - Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson scores her 11th top 40 hit with the forthcoming first single from her fifth album, Stronger. This is Clarkson's seventh top 10 hit.

9.(NEW) Video Games - Lana Del Rey

This is an unusual, but in my mind welcome sound in the top 10. Lana Del Rey, the stage name for American singer Elizabeth Grant, has created a haunting tune with a stirring acoustic arrangement, ironically free of the electronic enhancement its title might suggest.

10.(16) Without You - David Guetta (feat. Usher)

David Guetta scores his 12th top 10 hit as "Without You" climbs 6 spots. This is Usher's 16th appearance in the top 10, first so far this year.

11.(NEW) Got 2 Luv U - Sean Paul (feat. Alexis Jordan)

Beginning in 2002, Sean Paul had five top 10 hits early in his career, plus appearances on Blu Cantrell's #1 single "Breathe" and Beyonce's #2 hit "Baby Boy." But it's been 6 years now since he's appeared in the top 10. He misses out again this week, but just barely. This is the third chart appearance for Alexis Jordan.

18.(30) Lego House - Ed Sheeran

I was thinking that Ed Sheeran's third single might not follow his previous two into the top 10. But 3 weeks from its release, it's already #18 and rising fast. The song has grown on me a lot in last couple weeks and now might be my favorite from him.

21.(NEW) Mistletoe - Justin Bieber

It's WAYYYY to early for this. I think the low chart placing is proof of that.

22.(NEW) The One that Got Away - Katy Perry

Katy Perry scores her 12th top 40 hit, the sixth single from her 2010 album Teenage Dream. All of the album's previous five singles reached the top 10. I think this one will struggle to do so (and in fact, I expect that it won't).

23.(6) Run for Your Life - Matt Cardle

it's not looking good for Matt Cardle. Last year, Joe McElderry's single "Ambitions" debuted at #6 and then dropped to #21. This week, Matt Cardle's single, which debuted at the same spot, falls even farther. Nonetheless, he's done well on the albums chart, debuting at #2 with Letters.

32.(37) Crush on You - Nero

Nero follows his recent #1 hit "Promises" with a significantly lower chart placing for "Crush on You." Surprised this didn't chart higher. This is Nero's fourth but smallest top 40 hit.

37.(74) Natural Disaster - Laidback Luke vs. Example

Another single I'm surprised didn't chart higher.

Personal Chart, October 22, 2011

2011-10-21T15:11:00.001-04:00

Essential Albums of the '80s: Janet Jackson - Control (1986)

2011-10-17T07:38:00.002-04:00

It must feel good if you’re an artist struggling to find an audience and finally discover the sound that fits your style and delivers what the public has been hungry for. That’s what Janet Jackson did with her third album, Control, which was wildly more successful than her hitless first two albums.

Although she was already famous for her television work (and for just being a Jackson), Control proved that Janet was an artist in her own right. The hard-edged dance pop sound was honed by Minneapolis-based production duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, cementing a musical relationship with Jackson that would last into the ‘00s, producing hit after hit.

What’s satisfying about Control is that as much as it delivered hit singles—five top 10s in the US—it also holds together well as an album, both musically and thematically. It’s a statement about independence, professionally, personally, even sexually.

The title track spells it all out with its spoken-word intro before breaking into the album’s signature high-octane dance pop. “Nasty,” my favorite track, finds Jackson bending gender stereotypes, treating men like playthings she can love or leave on her own terms. Its deep bass grind still feels fresh and fun. “What Have You Done For Me Lately,” finds Jackson on the verge of a breakup, but rather than a sob story about some guy dumping her, she’s the one laying out how’s it going to be if he wants her to stay.

As in your face as these songs are, “Let’s Wait Awhile” shows that you don’t have to give up control to be sensitive, with Jackson telling her beau she wants to forgo sex…for now. She later seals the deal on closing track “Funny How Times Flies (When You’re Having Fun),” introducing Jackson’s signature sexual coos that permeate many of her later albums, although at this early stage, it doesn't yet feel so tawdry. Elsewhere, the album stays aloft with the joyful dance pop of songs like “The Pleasure Principle,” “You Can Be Mine” and her first #1 hit “When I Think of You.” A true ‘80s gem.

Best: Nasty, When I Think of You, What Have You Done For Me Lately, Control, Let’s Wait Awhile

Further Listening: Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)

I already wrote about this album as part of my 1990 series, since its multiple hit singles (seven top 5 hits) were such an integral part of that year’s music landscape. But the album did come out in the twilight hours of the ‘80s, so it deserves mention here, since it’s even better than Control, with Jam & Lewis pushing Jackson further into groovy dance pop with a touch of new jack swing. After the inward-looking Control, Rhythm Nation’s theme looked outward at the problems of the world, but also found time for love, sex and hedonistic fun. Best: Rhythm Nation, Miss You Much, Love Will Never Do (Without You), Come Back to Me, Alright, Escapade, Black Cat, State of the World.

UK Singles Chart, October 22, 2011

2011-10-16T20:07:00.003-04:00

1.(1) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

Rihanna and Calvin Harris spend a second week at #1, bringing to an end an 11-week run of weekly turnover at the #1 spot. That's the longest such run since early 2004, when there were 12 weeks of different #1 hits.

3.(NEW) Stereo Hearts - Gym Class Heroes (feat. Adam Levine)

Gym Class Heroes score their fourth top 10 hit, debuting at #3 with "Stereo Hearts." Its peak ties with their first major hit, "Cupid's Chokehold" from 2007. The placement gives Adam Levine side-by-side top 5 hits this week, as Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger" spends a 7th week at #2.

4.(12) Jar of Hearts - Christina Perri

"Jar of Hearts" gets a burst of new energy, climbing 8 spots, reclaiming the peak position the song reached 2 months ago.

6.(NEW) Run for Your Life - Matt Cardle

All X Factor "victory-lap" singles have hit #1. But their "first pitch" efforts? That's a different story. Only two acts have managed to reach #1: Leona Lewis with "Bleeding Love," which went on to become a massive international hit, and Alexandra Burke with "Bad Boys." Shayne Ward did pretty well too, hitting #2 with "No Promises." After that, the songs get particularly less memorable. Leon Jackson's "Don't Call This Love" hit #3, but he never had another top 40 hit. Joe McElderry performed similarly last year, hitting #6 with "Ambitions," but missing the top 40 with its follow-up. No one's done as poorly as Steve Brookstein, who's never scored a top 40 hit beyond his victory single, "Against All Odds."

When I first heard "Run for Your Life," I thought it was solid, so I'm surprised to see it land toward the bottom of X Factor artists first post-X Factor singles. Chances are, his next single will fare significantly worse.

7.(20) Wherever You Will Go - Charlene Soraia

The remake of The Calling's hit single jumps 13 notches to become a top 10 hit.

9.(13) The A Team - Ed Sheeran

Seriously? Back in the top 10? I'm really tired of seeing this on the chart. It's been around 18 weeks now! Sheeran's new single, "Lego House," enters the top 40 at #30 this week, while his last single, "You Need Me," drops 7 notches to #39.

21.(48) Super Bass - Nicki Minaj

Big jump back into the top 40 for Nicki Minaj. The song originally peaked at #8 in August.

25.(57) Wherever You Will Go - The Calling

Way to capitalize! The Calling re-enter the top 40 this week, bolstered by their song's resurgent popularity due to the Charlene Soraia remake.

Music of 1991: October

2011-10-16T07:21:00.004-04:00

Last year, I did a monthly series looking at the hits from the same month 20 years prior. It was a lot of fun, and although I haven't been writing about 1991 this year, I've been listening to songs from each corresponding month as the year's gone by. So I decided I might resurrect this feature.

Singles

Mariah Carey had the month's biggest hit with "Emotions," the lead single from her second album of the same name. It was Carey's fifth #1, leaving little break between it and her previous #1, the last single from her self-titled debut, "I Don't Wanna Cry," which was a #1 hit in May and June. Although most of Carey's singles to date had been ballads, she chose an uptempo track to introduce emotions, with production courtesy of dance pop powerhouse duo David Cole and Robert Clivilles, the men behind the C&C Music Factory that had scored a #1 hit earlier in the year with "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)."

Mark Wahlberg is best known as the Oscar-nominated star of acclaimed and hit films like The Fighter, The Departed, Boogie Nights, and Planet of the Apes. But 20 years ago, he was the hard-bodied, pants-dropping, little brother of New Kids on the Block's Donnie Wahlberg, who, with his own act, Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch, scored a #1 hit with "Good Vibrations." The track is frothy dance pop with rapped verses by Wahlberg and a chorus comprised of a sample of Loleatta Holloway's "Love Sensation" (so much so that she was given a featured credit). Although the sound is unmistakably 1991, the idea has a lot in common with the current trend of blending electronic dance pop production and rap. The video effectively showed off his body, and while it's pretty silly, in 1991, I thought he was totally hot (and I know what wasn't alone there, not by a long shot). Marky Mark had another top 10 hit with "Wildside," and even released another album a year later. Following the music career, Wahlberg capitalized on his penchant for showing off his tightie-whitie briefs by becoming a Calvin Klein underwear model. He made his film debut in the 1994 Danny DeVito film Renaissance Man.

Natural Selection was never a household name, but they did have one big hit, "Do Anything, "which spent 3 weeks at #2 in October. For this song, the Minneapolis-based trio employed the vocal talent of Niki Haris, best known as one of Madonna's longstanding backup singers at the time. The track is a laid-back mid-tempo R&B/pop sound, kind of like a mellow New Jack Swing. The group would have another minor top 40 hit, "Hearts Don't Think (They Feel)."

Light rockers Extreme scored their second major hit, "Hole Hearted," the follow-up to their #1 debut hit "More than Words." In contrast to that song's slow tempo, "Hole Hearted" was upbeat, slightly folksy, but showcased the same blend of guitar and harmonized vocals. "Hole Hearted" peaked at #4 and was the group's last top 40 hit.

Bonnie Raitt had been making albums since the early '70s, but didn't achieve massive success until 1990, when she broke through to mainstream consciousness by winning the Album of the Year Grammy Award for Nick of Time. Capitalizing on that success, she followed that album in 1991 with Luck of the Draw, which gave the singer her first top 40 singles, the bigger of which was the top 5 hit "Something to Talk About." The following year, Raitt would win the Grammy Award for Female Pop Vocal Performance for this song, which was also a Record of the Year nominee.

Martika, who scored a number of top 40 hits in 1989, including #1 single "Toy Soldiers," had her only other top 10 hit in October, "Love...Thy Will Be Done," which peaked at #10. This wasn't something I was particularly into back then, but I really like it now. It's a gorgeous song, with a pretty static rhythm that builds a bit with some strings but mostly reaches its stirring climax because of Martika's vocal. It was written and produced by Prince, who found the time to do this despite having his own album coming out at the time. The song was a hit in many other countries, including Australia, where it hit #1.

Rapper Heavy D had appeared on Janet Jackson's #4 hit "Alright" the previous year, but scored his first major hit on his own with "Now that We Found Love," which hit #11. I remember really like this song at the time, which is propelled along at good clip by its dance pop rhythm. The track is a remake of a song by the O'Jays, although it was not a single for them.

Prince had a huge hit in 1991 with "Cream," which became a hit so fast it basically buried what had been Diamonds & Pearl's first single, "Gett Off," which peaked at #21 in October. As good as "Cream" is, I've always been partial to the dirty grind of "Gett Off." Given its suggestive lyrics and racy video--not to mention his butt-baring MTV performance--it's no wonder the record company released "Cream" just 6 weeks after "Gett Off," rightly sensing it was too hot for radio (it did not reach the top 40 at pop radio). "Cream" eclipsed "Gett Off" after just 3 weeks, but "Gett Off" was still climbing the chart, an unusual occurrence for an artist to have two singles climbing within the top 40 at the same time.

When it comes to her singing career, actress and former Miss America Vanessa Williams is best known for her hit ballads--songs like "Colors of the Wind" and "Love Is." But she had some uptempo releases too, of which "Running Back to You" was the biggest. It was the first single from her second album The Comfort Zone, which in 1992 would give the singer her landmark #1 hit "Save the Best for Last."

British alternative group Siouxsie and the Banshees had only one top 40 hit in the US, "Kiss Them for Me," which reached #23 on the Hot 100 (which surprisingly wasn't a big hit for them at home, hitting #32 in the UK). It was the first album from the group's 10th album.

Albums

Prince & the New Power Generation - Diamonds and Pearls. This was Prince's 13th album and first with his band The New Power Generation, which he also used for his 1992 album, . Prince's popularity wanted in the '90s, but at this early point, he was still really hot. Diamonds and Pearls was his biggest hit album of the '90s, scoring two major hits--"Cream," which hit #1 and the title track, which reached #3, plus minor top 40 hits "Gett Off" and "Money Don't Matter 2 Night," as well as "Insatiable," which hit #3 on the R&B chart. The album cover was notable for its 3D image.

Essential Albums of the '80s: Madonna - True Blue (1986)

2011-10-15T07:09:00.003-04:00

This was the first true album by Madonna that I owned, and in 1988 I listened to it pretty much nonstop, instantly falling for its bold productions like the dark ballad “Live to Tell” and the gutsy “Papa Don’t Preach”—both of which were “story” songs, although not necessarily personal stories from Madonna’s own life (that would come later on Like a Prayer).

As much as Like a Virgin was big leap from Madonna, True Blue was yet another big step forward for the singer, who opted for a more mature and broader sound here. Notably, she began preferring her lower vocal register, so she sounds quite a bit different (and better) on True Blue than on her previous albums. The sugar-coated pop sound of Like a Virgin is mostly abandoned for a more adult pop sound, particularly on the album’s first half. The instrumentation is richer too, with strings and electric guitar forming a muscular sound for “Papa Don’t Preach,” while thick layers of keyboard coat “Live to Tell” in a sort of beautiful gloom.

She employs a lighter touch on the album’s second half for the sprightly “Where the Party” and the retro sounds of “Jimmy Jimmy” and the title track. She also unveils her first Latin-influenced song, “La Isla Bonita,” which would be a running theme for some time (“Who’s that Girl,” “Spanish Eyes,” Evita, for example). All of these new sounds paid off: True Blue is Madonna's biggest-selling album internationally and her biggest hit-producing album, generating five top 5 hits in both the US and the UK, including three #1 hits in each country.

The album benefits greatly from the 2003 remastering, more so than Like a Virgin, which didn’t have as strong a production in the first place. The richness of the album’s sound really shines now. I would be hard-pressed to choose a favorite among Madonna’s first three albums, but this is definitely a strong contender. Best: Papa Don’t Preach, Live to Tell, Open Your Heart, True Blue, La Isla Bonita.

Further Listening: You Can Dance (1987)

You Can Dance was one of the first remix albums by a major pop artist (following Pet Shop Boys’ Disco), which helped usher in the format, which is still popular today (Radiohead and Britney both released remix albums this week). Although some might consider it a cash-in, I’ve read that Madonna was intimately involved in creating the album, as she was very protective of her sound. After the Who’s That Girl soundtrack, this was the second work I ever bought of Madonna’s. I remember opting for You Can Dance over True Blue at the record store because it had “Spotlight,” which was on the radio at the time. Curiously, there are four versions of this album. The vinyl LP contains the seven songs proper; the CD version adds dub versions of “Holiday,” “Into the Groove,” and “Where’s the Party”; and then the cassette version drops the “Where’s the Party” dub but instead has dub versions of “Spotlight” and “Over and Over”--one of those instances where the cassette has more songs than the CD. Additionally, there is a very rare version of the album that contains only single edits of seven songs—something I would love to get my hands on at some point. Also of note is that the songs are mixed together to form two continuous suites, a technique Madonna would use again on Confessions on the Dance Floor (2005).

Personal Chart, October 15, 2011

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Billboard Hot 100, October 22, 2011

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1. (1) Someone Like You - Adele

Adele nabs the top spot on the Hot 100 for a third week. That gives her 10 weeks total atop the chart this year--the most of any artist. She's just ahead of the 9 weeks for Katy Perry and well ahead of the 6 weeks for Lady Gaga. "Someone Like You" is this week's Airplay Gainer, but it's been kept from #1 on the radio chart by Maroon 5, which has ruled that chart for the last 3 weeks.

Just like "Rolling in the Deep," "Someone Like You" is a multi-format smash: this week it's #2 on Pop Songs, #10 on Adult Contemporary (where "Rolling in the Deep" is #1 this week for the 17th consecutive week), #1 on Adult Pop Songs, #30 on Dance Club/Play Songs, #26 on Rock Songs, and #48 on Latin Songs (don't get why she's charting on Latin charts).

Finally, this week its download sales surpassed 2,000,000 units, which I guess makes it double-platinum. "Rolling in the Deep" is the year's biggest selling track, with over 5 million units sold.

3.(3) Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People

"Pumped Up Kicks" spends a 7th consecutive week at #3. Billboard reported that's the third-longest a song has spent at #3 as a peak position, tied with H-Town's "Knocking Da Boots" (1993) and behind the 11 weeks for Real McCoy's "Another Night" (1994) and 8 week's for LL Cool J's "Hey Lover" (1995).

30.(62) 5 O'Clock - T-Pain (feat. Wiz Khalifa and Lily Allen)

T-Pain hit #33 with "Best Love Song" from his upcoming fourth album RevolveR, but apparently that wasn't an "official" single, which this single is. This is T-Pain's 9th top 40 hit as lead artist; he's also had 20 as featured artist.

Perhaps more interesting is the fact that this is Lily Allen's first appearance in the top 40. Although she's had 10 top 40 hits in Britain, the closest she's come in the US was #49 for "Smile." The song is this week's Digital Gainer.

39.(43) Fly - Nicki Minaj (feat. Rihanna)

Nicki Minaj scores her sixth top 40 single from her album Pink Friday, a string of hits begun well over a year ago with "Your Love" (#14), "Check It Out" (#24), "Right Thru Me" (#26), "Moment 4 Life" (#13), and "Super Bass" (#3). It's her 14th top 40 hit overall, all of which were earned either this year or last.

This is Rihanna's 5th top 40 hit as a featured artist, bringing her top 40 tally to 26 singles.

UK Singles Chart, October 15, 2011

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1.(NEW) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

What looked at the start of the week to be a rather dull chart actually turned into quite an interesting one. Rihanna's first single from her forthcoming 6th album wasn't due for release until next month, but it got suddenly moved up and released midweek this week. That meant the song didn't appear on the midweek chart until Friday and then at #3. So instead of a week of no big new releases, we get a new #1 hit. This is Rihanna's sixth chart-topper. Her producer, Calvin Harris, takes a featured credit on this, scoring his third #1.

2.(2) Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 (feat. Christina Aguilera)

The casualty of Rihanna's move is Maroon 5, who is yet again kept from #1, spending a 6th consecutive week at #2. It looked like this would be the week that the song would finally, finally hit #1. But it wasn't meant to be. And looking at the crowded new release schedule ahead, I think this was its last shot. It's possible the song will stall at #2 even longer, although I bet Matt Cardle and Gym Class Heroes claim the top two spots this weekend. The last song that spent longer at #2 without hitting #1? Near as I can tell, that was All-4-One's "I Swear," which spent 7 consecutive weeks at #2 in the summer of 1994, kept from the summit by Wet Wet Wet's "Love Is All Around." That a long-running #1 hit would keep a strong-selling single from #1 seems like the obvious scenario that would cause this. That's Maroon 5's been kept from the summit by six different singles over 6 weeks strikes me as quite extraordinary. Or just bad luck.

5.(3) Iris - Goo Goo Dolls

Usually the "X Factor Effect" is short-lived, so it's a surprise to see Goo Goo Dolls in the top 5 again this week. It is a great song, so I suppose 13 years late to the party is better than never.

7.(20) Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO

LMFAO scores their second top 10 hit following spring's massive #1 "Party Rock Anthem." Their last single, "Champagne Showers" misfired at #32, although likely because audiences weren't ready to move on from "Party Rock Anthem" yet.

16.(24) Fly - Nicki Minaj (feat. Rihanna)

Another climb for Minaj and Rihanna. Let's talk more about Rihanna and what a chart powerhouse she is. This year, she's had 10 tracks in the top 40--six of her own plus guest appearances on four others (Eminem, David Guetta, Kanye West and Minaj). Frequently she's had multiple hits in the top 40 at once, in fact, during the first 4 months of the year, there were 12 weeks where she had four singles in the top 40. Only during 3 weeks--Aug. 27 to Sept. 10--were there no Rihanna singles in the top 40. What a dark time that must have been for her

20.(NEW) Wherever You Will Go - Charlene Soraia

Clustered in the 20s are the week's other new singles. The Calling's 10-year-old hit single gets a remake by British singer Charlene Soraia. The track's popularity is due to its use in a Twinings ad. The original version hit #3 in July 2002.

25.(NEW) Radioactive - Marina & The Diamonds

Marina & the Diamonds was tipped as one of the hottest new acts of 2010, scoring #2 on BBC Sounds of 2010, but didn't quite live up to that hype. Although she scored three top 40 hits from her debut album, none reach the top 10 (her biggest was "Hollywood," which hit #12). She had an interesting sound, too quirky really for massive mainstream appeal. Back for album #2, she's put forth a much more radio friendly sound with this dance pop track. Not bad, but still not the hit she may be looking for.

27.(NEW) Shake It Out - Florence + the Machine

Florence sends a second single from her upcoming second album into the top 40 this week, the first, "What the Water Gave Me," having hit #24 just over a month ago. I like this one a lot better and am surprised that it didn't make it into the top 20 at least. This is her sixth top 40 hit in total.

40.(27) Collide - Leona Lewis/Avicii

Leona Lewis plummets to #40 in just the 5th week for "Collide." If it exits next week (which, surely it will), it will tie "Forgive Me" for her shortest stay within the top 40 for an official release (and "Forgive Me" was quickly followed by massive #1 hit "Run," so it was, so to speak, forgiven). The album had been due for release in November, but has been pushed back to spring. Clearly some needed re-jiggering is in the works.

Single Serving

2011-10-09T10:16:00.001-04:00

*Beyonce - Countdown. Beyonce gets props for her surprisingly artistic fourth album. The flipside of that though is that it's struggling to find a real hit. "Best I Never Had" took off in the UK, but not really in the US. Doubt this will either, but it's another really fun song, with quite a frenetic production stuffed with beats, horns, keyboards and, of course, that great Boyz II Men sample.

Birdy - People Help the People. Surprising stirring vocal turn from such a young singer. Could be a surprise hit in the UK.

Bombay Bicycle Club - Lights Out Word Gone. This is decent piece of pop/rock. I like the laidback vibe.

*Matt Cardle - Run for Your Life. When it comes to the guys, X Factor has produced more misses (Steve, Leon, Joe) than hits (Shayne). With the epic sweep of this single, courtesy of Gary Barlow, I'm thinking Matt will go in the former category, at least for now. Rousing strings, confident piano chords and chugging guitars recall Brian McFadden's solo work.

*Kelly Clarkson - Mr. Know It All. Kelly doesn't sound like herself on this. I think it's because her vocals have become even stronger, a bit deeper. Not sure this going to reach the top 10, but I still like it.

*Coldplay - Paradise. Some fans may balk at the obvious pop and hip-hop influences here, but I rather like it. Coldplay making a stadium-filler may be a cliche, but they are so good at doing it, that they still make you believe. Fantastic and can't wait for the album.

Taio Cruz (feat. Flo Rida) - Hangover. Cruz hit pay dirt last year with the one-two punch of "Break Your Heart" and "Dynamite," both massive hits. Which makes this shamelessly bad ode to drinking--and not the fun part, but the nasty later part--all the more disappointing. "I can drink until I throw up," he sings. Yuck.

*Dappy - No Regrets. N-Dubz member's solo single is surprisingly decent. The modern production isn't anything remarkable, but I like the big pop chorus.

Gavin DeGraw - Not Over You. When I first heard this I thought "Ryan Tedder," and thus wasn't surprised to find out he produced and co-wrote it. Sounds good on the radio, but it's not really that special of a song.

*Delilah - Go. Delilah, the singer featured on Chase & Status's "Time," steps out on her own, with this clever interpolation of classic "Ain't Nobody" turned into a dark, swirling track full of angsty, breathy vocals.

LMFAO - Sexy and I Know It. The silliest act on the charts seems to have found a winning formula, as this is looking like it will be another big hit. If you like "Party Rock Anthem," you'll probably like this, and if you didn't, too bad. It's probably going to be on the radio for a long time.

*Loick Essien - Me Without You. After the charming introduction of summer's "How We Roll," Loick Essien returns with this nicely realized mid-tempo pop ballad. This showcases his voice even better. Really liking this.

*Florence and the Machine - Shake It Out. I wasn't crazy about her last single, but I like this one a lot better. She goes for a really big sound this time--organ and drums.

*Friendly Fires - Hurting. Friendly Fires is a group I keep hearing good stuff from, but I haven't taken the jump and bought one of their albums yet. After "Paris," this is probably my second favorite song from them. Takes indie pop into the DJ booth for some gentle soundplay that gives this a clubby boost.

Wolfgang Gartner (feat. Will.I.Am) - Forever. The Black Eyed Peas frontman gives a vocal assist to what would otherwise be a pretty nondescript electronic hip-hop/dance pop outing.

*Skylar Grey - Invisible. Shame this wasn't a bigger hit. I rather like it. Sounds like a mini version of "Bleeding Love."

*David Guetta (feat. Usher) - Without You. David Guetta finally put out something this year that I really like. He tones down his usually overstuffed sound, delivering a nice base to Usher's heartfelt vocal.

Enrique Iglesias (feat. Pitbull) - I Like How It Feels. Iglesias and Pitbull team up again and churn out another hit. This is the kind of song you expect will be played at sporting events to whip the crowd up--it even already has the crowd noise.

JLS - Take a Chance on Me. Speaking of which, JLS's new single is, in typical November fashion for them, a ballad. Hits all the right notes, but not quite as grand as last year's "Love You More."

Jessie J - Domino. For her latest US single (not available in the UK), Jessie J sounds more like Katy Perry than ever before, singing sweet nothings over a bold synth-pop melody. It's already reached top 40, but isn't showing signs it will be a big hit.

Lady Leshurr - Lego. One song about Legos is enough. This sounds like a tuneless Nicki Minaj knockoff.

Cher Lloyd (feat. Mike Posner) - With Ur Love. I thought "Swagger Jagger" was terrible. But Cher Lloyd's new single, while no pop masterpiece, is quite a bit better. Also, I heard her interviewed extensively on Radio 1 today and she was hilarious, which made me like her a lot more.

Jennifer Lopez - Papi. After the smoother R&B of "I'm Into You" it's back to the dance floor for Lopez, which is where I like her best. This even has more of a Latin sound, which is nice to hear from her.

Pixie Lott (feat. Pusha T) - What Do You Take Me For. Every Pixie Lott single has been stylistically different from the last, and this is no exception, trading the dance pop of "All About Tonight" for some swaggering hip-hop flash. It's due to go head-to-head with the next JLS single, which should make for an exciting chart week.

Marina & the Diamonds - Radioactive. The songs she put out last year were too quirky to really catch on. This dance pop piece is a more blatant stab at a mainstream hit. I like it better, although it's not a knockout.

Bruno Mars - It Will Rain. For Breaking Dawn Part 1, Mars has recorded this appropriately dark love ballad. In that vein, it kind of sounds like "Grenade," but isn't nearly as good. Not feeling this yet.

*James Morrison (feat. Jessie J) - Up. Expect James Morrison to repeat the popularity of his Nelly Furtado team up with this second single from his new album, due out late next month. This is what the Bruno Mars song should have sounded like.

Nero - Crush on You. Nero interpolates The Jets' "Crush on You" to give his latest single an obvious '80s flavor, making it his most mainstream release yet. It's fun, but I think I like "Promises" better.

Noah and the Whale - Waiting for My Chance to Come. This fourth Last Night on Earth single has a rollicking Tom Petty quality to it. I haven't really been into them, but I like this.

J. Pearl (feat. Shayne Ward) - Must Be a Reason Why. J. Pearl, whoever she is, has churned out a fun tune by interpolating Wamdue Project's "King of My Castle" and adding a new vocal by Shayne Ward (who, regrettably, is overprocessed here).

*Professor Green (feat. Emeli Sande) - Read All About It. This may be a Professor Green single but what makes it special is Emeli Sande, proving that her epic vocal from her summer hit "Heaven" was no fluke. Loving this.

Rizzle Kicks - When I Was a Youngster. Rizzle Kicks get lighter and brighter on this follow up to "Down with the Trumpets," which has a faster tempo and a Caribbean flavor.

Kelly Rowland - Down for Whatever. Although it's about sexual creativity, it might as well be about pop music production methods. The new X Factor judge may continue to strike out in the US with her R&B ("Motivation" was a minor hit, but just), but her dance pop has done well in the UK, so I expect this should do well.

Ed Sheeran - Lego House. Falls somewhere between the gentle acoustics of "The A Team" and the bolder, upbeat "You Need Me." It's a nice song--like the assertive piano and drum melody. Not sure it's going to be another top 5 hit though.

Skrillex - Ruff Neck (Full Flex). Dubstep is all over the place and this guy is being touted as one of its forerunners. It takes some getting used to, but the disco touches are what makes this one stand above the pack.

Snow Patrol - This Isn't Everything You Are. If "Called Out in the Dark" was a bit of a departure for them, this is back at home base, embodying the grand rock sound they've hit gold with before ("Run," "Chasing Cars"). Despite that, there's something about this song that's just not doing it for me. Not bad, but it feels forced.

Sean Paul (feat. Alexis Jordan) - Got 2 Luv U. Sean Paul has never really been my thing ("Get Busy" being his best work, in my opinion). This isn't really doing it for me either even with the delightful Alexis Jordan doing the chorus.

Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris) - We Found Love. This is calculated to be a major hit, which I'm sure it will. I like it, but I don't love it. It's not up to par with "Only Girl" or "What's My Name." Does the trick though.

*Britney Spears - Criminal. This was a personal favorite from Femme Fatale, so I'm excited it was chosen as the album's fourth single. A slight tweak in the mix keeps this mid-tempo standout sounding fresh. It's darker and less flashy than her last three singles, which is what makes it interesting.

*T-Pain (feat. Lily Allen & Wiz Khalifa) - 5 O'Clock. T-Pain liberally samples Lily Allen's hit single "Who'd Have Known," building around it a sexy hip-hop track with light piano that hits the right notes. One of his best. Recalls the trick Eminem pulled on "Stan" with Dido's "Thank You."

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Garden. Intriguing, but ultimately not particularly memorable late-night "chill" kind of sound.

*The Wanted - Lightning. Eschewing the fall boyband trend, The Wanted follows "Glad You Came" with an even zippier dance pop track. Smart move. It should be another easy hit for them.

Fall Album Releases Update

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Check out the original preview here.

Bold entries are new or substantially altered from the preview.

(*) indicates a highlight release.

October

Steps - The Ultimate Collection (Oct. 10)
Evanescence (Oct. 10)
Radiohead - TKOL RMX 1234567 (Oct. 10)
Bjork - Biophilia (Oct. 10)

Britney Spears - B in the Mix Vol. 2 (Oct. 10). Britney leads her second remix album with slightly reworked radio version of her new single "Criminal" and then moves into the expected dance floor territory with hits from her last 3 albums, including #1 dance hits "Gimme More," "Piece of Me," "Till the World Ends" and "I Wanna Go."

Joe Jonas - Fastlife (Oct. 11). The middle Jonas brother follows the younger in releasing his first solo album, taking an urban pop route with help from producers like Danja and Brian Kennedy (Nick's was a rock album). Features his singles "See No More" and "Just in Love."

Matt Cardle - Letters (Oct. 17)
*Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (Oct. 17)
Patrick Stump - Soul Punk (Oct. 17)

*Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto (Oct. 24)
*Kelly Clarkson - Stronger (Oct. 24)

Michael Buble - Christmas (Oct. 24). Canadian singer Michael Buble turns out a seasonal set of traditional favorites like "White Christmas" (featuring Shania Twain) and his take on Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You."

Justice - Audio, Video, Disco (Oct. 25)

*Florence and the Machine - Ceremonials (Oct. 31).

Professor Green - At Your Convenience (Oct. 31). British rapper releases his second album, featuring single "Read All About It" with Emeli Sande.

Rizzle Kicks - Stereo Typical (Oct. 31). English rap duo releases their first album, featuring hit single "Down with the Trumpets" and new single "When I Was a Youngster."

November

Susan Boyle - Someone to Watch Over Me (Nov. 1). Perhaps sensing the 15 minutes will be up soon, SuBo releases her third album in 3 years, featuring an eclectic mix of covers, including "Enjoy the Silence," "Unchained Melody" and "Mad World."

Pixie Lott - Young Foolish Happy (Nov. 7). British singer releases her second album, featuring recent #1 hit "All About Tonight" and new single "What Do You Take Me For" (feat. Pusha T).

The Wanted - Battleground (Nov. 7).

Birdy (Nov. 7). At only 15 years old, British singer Birdy has already had a top 20 hit earlier this year, a remake of Bon Iver's "Skinny Love," and now is set to release her debut album, featuring new single "People Help the People."

Cher Lloyd - Last One Standing (Nov. 7). Former X Factor contestant releases her debut, featuring recent #1 hit "Swagger Jagger" and new single "With Ur Love" (feat. Mike Posner).

Maverick Sabre (Nov. 7)

Gym Class Heroes - The Papercut Chronicles II (Nov. 14). Gym Class Heroes put out their fifth album, featuring current hit single with Adam Levine, "Stereo Hearts."

JLS - Jukebox (Nov. 14). X Factor boyband releases its second album, featuring summer #1 hit "She Makes Me Wanna" and new single "Take a Chance on Me."

*R.E.M. - Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982-2011 (Nov. 14). The recently disbanded R.E.M. releases a career-capping two-disc greatest hits set featuring songs from all 15 of their albums plus a few new tracks.

Snow Patrol - Fallen Empires (Nov. 14). Northern Ireland's Snow Patrol releases its sixth album, featuring recent single "Called Out in the Dark" and upcoming release "This Isn't Everything You Are."

Drake - Take Care (Nov. 15)

*Rihanna - Talk That Talk (Nov. 21). With the ink not dry on the story that was Loud, her fifth album released just a year ago, which produced three major #1 hits, Rihanna is back with album #6. Don't know much about it yet, but the dance pop sound of first single "We Found Love," produced by Calvin Harris, suggest another party-pop-oriented set like Loud.

The Saturdays - On Your Radar (Nov. 21). British girlgroup releases its third album, featuring recent hits "Notorious" and "All Fired Up" plus upcoming single "My Heart Takes Over."

One Direction - TBD (Nov. 21). The latest British boyband to make a big splash releases a debut album, featuring recent #1 hit "What Makes You Beautiful."

Michael Jackson - Immortal (Nov. 21). Not another new album from the MJ vault, but a compilation/remix album tied to the Cirque de Soleil show featuring Jackson's songs. Similar in concept to The Beatles' Love.

Nickelback - Here and Now (Nov. 21). Their seventh album.

Westlife - Greatest Hits (Nov. 21). No longer a "vol. 2" set but now encompassing their full career in 1-disc and deluxe 2-disc versions. Features new single "Lighthouse" written by Gary Barlow and John Shanks.

Olly Murs - In Case You Didn't Know (Nov. 28)

December

Taio Cruz - TY.O (Dec. 6). Taio Cruz releases hits third album, featuring new single "Hangover" featuring Flo Rida.

Moved to 2012: Leona Lewis, Loick Essien.

Personal Chart, October 8, 2011

2011-10-07T18:26:00.002-04:00

Adele 'Someone Like You' Video

2011-10-06T21:45:00.003-04:00

"Someone Like You" finally has a proper video. It's a lovely black & white affair shot in Paris, with Adele wondering around town looking sad. Reminds me of Duffy's "Warwick Avenue" and Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2U" videos.

Billboard Hot 100, October 15, 2011

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1.(2) Someone Like You - Adele

Adele returns to #1 for a second week at the top with "Someone Like You." The song is #1 in sales, #2 in airplay. It's currently #3 at top 40 radio, where it's the fastest gaining song (it should be #2 tomorrow). This is the third #1 hit to spend nonconsecutive weeks at #1 this year, following Bruno Mars' "Grenade" and last week's #1, Maroon 5 & Xtina's "Moves Like Jagger."

5.(4) Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO (feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock)
6.(10) Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO

"Party Rock Anthem" may have sounded like a one-hit wonder's #1 hit, but alas, LMFAO has a second hit, "Sexy and I Know It," up four places to #6 this week.

7.(NEW) Strange Clouds - B.o.B (feat. Lil Wayne)

B.o.B is back with the first single from his second album, which is this week's highest Hot 100 debut and B.o.B's fourth top 10 hit.

9.(16) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

Last week Rihanna was in the top 10 with her fifth top 40 hit from Loud, "Cheers (Drink to That)." This week, she's there with the first single from her upcoming sixth album, Talk That Talk. Notably, "We Found Love" is Rihanna's 20th top 10 hit, a feat she's achieved in just over 6 years, which is a record for a solo artist. Madonna held the record previously, having amassed her first 20 top 10 hits in just under 7 years. Mariah Carey did so in about 10 years. Among groups, The Beatles far surpass all of them, having amassed their first 20 top 10 hits in just 2 and a half years. "We Found Love" is this week's airplay gainer.

21.(22) Rolling in the Deep - Adele

Just wanted to acknowledge that this single is still "rolling" around the top 40, up a notch to #21 in its 39th week on the Hot 100.

28.(NEW) It Will Rain - Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars scores his 8th top 40 hit with It Will Rain, the single from the upcoming soundtrack to Breaking Dawn Part I, the movie Twilight fans can't wait to sink their teeth into this fall.

30.(38) Mr. Know It All - Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson may yet make a hit out of "Mr. Know It All." After an initial debut at #18 fueled by first-week sales, the single has had trouble catching on at radio, but it doesn't seem to be going away. It's currently #18 at top 40, gaining but not moving.

35.(45) Ni**as in Paris - Jay Z & Kanye West

Watch the Throne produces its third top 40 hit this week. It's released simultaneously with "Why I Love You (feat. Mr. Hudson)."

UK Singles Chart, October 8, 2011

2011-10-03T18:40:00.000-04:00

1.(NEW) Loca People - Sak Noel (feat. Esthera Sarita)

The record-setting run of 11 British artists in a row topping the singles chart comes to an this week, as Spanish DJ Sak Noel claims the top spot with his dance tune "Loca People." It's a humorous track about a newcomer to Spain who's shocked that the people there just party "all day and all night" and thus exclaims "what the f**k!" Reminds me a lot of late '90s dance stuff like Sash!

2.(2) Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 (feat. Christina Aguilera)

Maroon 5 and Xtina spend a fifth consecutive week at #2. That's more than last year's big #2 hit, Eminem & Rihanna's "Love the Way You Lie," which spent 4 weeks in the runner-up spot. If this song has a chance of finally hitting #1, it's this weekend. Its sales were only marginally less than Sak Noel's--75,000 to 73,000. And this week's new release list lacks a marquee hit.

3.(Re-entry) Iris - Goo Goo Dolls

The soundtrack to the hit film City of Angels scored several major hits in the US, but none really took off in the UK, until now. "Iris" was particularly big in the US--it spent 18 weeks at #1 on the airplay chart (it was ineligible for the Hot 100 at the time, because it wasn't available as a commercial single). In Britain, it reached only#50, although a re-release the following year sent it to #26. Credit this time doesn't go to City of Angels but (of course) to X Factor. This gives Goo Goo Dolls far and away their biggest hit.

10.(13) Lighters - Bad Meets Evil (feat. Bruno Mars)

Bad Meets Evil climbs into the top 10 in its 8th week in the top 40. This is the fifth top 10 for Bruno Mars, the previous four of which were all #1s.

17.(21) Go - Delilah

Delilah climbs into the top 20 with her first single, "Go." She was a guest vocalist on Chase & Status's single from earlier this year, "Time," which hit #21.

18.(19) Without You - David Guetta (feat. Usher)
20.(NEW) Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO

Here's some future hits, both of which are likely to reach the top 10 soon. Perhaps #1, but it's a tough season.

Grammy Awards 2012 Album of the Year - Early Thoughts on 20 possible contenders

2011-10-02T07:24:00.001-04:00

The eligibility period for the 2012 Grammy Awards ended Friday. The nominees won't be out until December, but the list of eligible contenders will be out until sometime later this month. Here's a look at 20 possible contenders for Album of the Year (AOTY):

Top contenders

Adele - 21. There are two albums I expect are a lock. 21 is this year's true musical sensation, a surprise mega-hit from a singer who got mainstream attention for her first album, but not nearly on this scale. For it: A commercial and critical success that continues to score hits around the globe and the year's best-selling album. Against it: Nothing.

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. This is the other one. For it: West has proven himself a popular AOTY contender, with three previous nominations, and this album was widely heralded as his masterpiece. Against it: Unlike those three albums, MBDTF failed to score a hit on par with the likes of "All Falls Down," "Gold Digger" or "Stronger." The release of his collaboration with Jay-Z could split some votes, since it's unlikely voters would nominate both.

After that, it gets less clear, so in keeping with the tradition of AOTY generally representing a mix of genres, I'm going to proceed from that context:

Pop

Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What. For it: This could get the Grammy veteran/nostalgia nod. Simon has a long history of Grammy awards. He's won 12 of them and been nominated in AOTY either solo or with Art Garfunkel 7 times, including 3 wins. This album received high praise from critics and has been a commercial success too. Against it: Last year, AOTY didn't have a nostalgia-type nominee (see snub of Carole King & James Taylor), so if they want to keep the category for young/new/hot acts, then Simon won't be it.

Bruno Mars - Doo Wops and Hooligans. For it: Grammy demonstrated interest in Mars last year, awarding his "Just the Way You Are" with Male Pop Vocal Performance and nominating two of his productions--B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" and Cee-Lo's "Fuck You"--for ROTY. The musical diversity of his debut and its legs with hit singles "Grenade" and "The Lazy Song" should make a strong contender. Against it: Since Adele is a lock, this has a shot only if voters are willing to nominate more than one pop album (which, among all the genres, is the one they are most willing to do that for).

Lady Gaga - Born This Way. For it: Gaga's The Fame and Fame Monster were both AOTY nominees, and Born This Way continued to up the bar creatively and was received just as well by critics. Against it: Commercially, Born This Way didn't quite meet expectations, and Gaga suffered some backlash this year. Since I expect 21 to be a shoo-in and Doo Wops to outscore this, I think it a very long shot for her this time.

Rihanna - Loud. For it: Loud, Rihanna's fifth album, was a major commercial success, scoring three #1 hits. Against it: critics have never fawned over Rihanna, and while Loud was a solid pop album, it lacked the artistry of her previous effort, Rated R, which I had thought her best possible contender yet for this, but it wasn't nominated.

Tony Bennett - Duets II. For it: Bennett is an old Grammy favorite who won the 1994 AOTY for his MTV Unplugged album. So he's got nostalgia plus that Amy Winehouse duet, "Body & Soul," which looks like a possible ROTY contender. Against it: As liberal as the music industry is, his recent public statements about 9/11 may turn off voters.

Rock/Alternative

Bon Iver - Bon Iver. For it: Bon Iver's second album was this year's indie alternative favorite, and since such an album won AOTY last year (Arcade Fire's The Suburbs), I think it a good chance that we'll see another similar album in the mix this year. Critics also really liked it; it's one of the most praised releases this year. Against it: Although the enduring appeal of his first album and this album's release put Bon Iver more in the spotlight, it might not be enough to score an AOTY nod.

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light. For it: Foo Fighters are longtime Grammy favorites. All of their albums except their first were nominated for Rock Album, an award they've won three times. Their last album, 2007's Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, was an AOTY nominee and critical consensus seems to be that Wasting Light is even better. It's also been a decent success commercially. A mainstream rock album is almost always nominated and what other work in that genre released this year is on par? Against it: Grammy strayed last year by not nominating a mainstream rock album, so if Bon Iver fills the bill again this year, Foo Fighters could be overlooked; however, I think it quite possible that both albums will be nominated.

Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. For it: Longtime industry bad boys received universal praise for this, their 8th album. Their 1986 debut, Licensed to Ill, is now considered a classic. Against it: Although they've been nominated before, they don't have a particularly strong history, although they did win an Instrumental Album award for their last album, The Mix-Up. This might not be mainstream enough to get a nod.

R&B/Hip-Hop

Beyonce - 4. For it: It's no secret Grammy loves Beyonce. "Halo" won the Female Pop Vocal award for 2009, and because it was loved so much, a live version of the song was nominated again the following year. 4 sets a new bar for Beyonce creatively, and critics responded in turn (it's her highest rated on Metacritic). Her last album, 2008's I Am...Sasha Fierce, was her first nominated for AOTY. Against it: Critical success doesn't necessarily translate to an AOTY nod--Sasha Fierce, her only nomination--has the lowest score among her works at Metacritic. More importantly, 4 has been a major disappointment commercially, so far generating no significant hit in the US.

Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday. For it: Nicki Minaj has been one of the year's biggest breakout stars, an ascension that began with major buzz late last year and climaxing this summer with her major hit "Super Bass." She's certain to get a Best New Artist nomination, where she'll be duking it out with Bruno Mars for the win. Against it: It look a long time for Pink Friday to really catch on, although in a way that shows the album had remarkable staying power. Critics liked, but did not love, the album.

Kanye West & Jay-Z - Watch the Throne. For it: Two of the industry's biggest stars team up and deliver great results. West is a frequent AOTY nominee, but Jay-Z has often been overlooked. Those wanting to finally give him some credit could kill two birds with one stone by nominating this. Against it: It's a solid album, but not a knockout, certainly inferior to West's own album, which is far more deserving. It's sold well so far, but not produced any major hits.

Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer. For it: Grammy already showed it liked Cee Lo by nominating the album's hit single, "Fuck You!," in ROTY last year. Plus he's been nominated before with Gnarls Barkley. Against it: Despite what I think is its obvious appeal, no one seems to be talking about it.

Lil Wayne - Tha Carter IV. For it: Lil Wayne was the toast of the rap world in 2008, widely regarded as an important creative force. His Tha Carter III was a major commercial and critical success and earned an AOTY nod. Against it: In 2011, this no longer seems to be the case. Too much time away from the spotlight while serving a prison term and some ego-serving vanity projects (the ill-fated "rock" album, for example), have chipped away his credibility. The album has been very successful commercially but received mixed reviews from critics.

Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin'. For it: Stone Rollin' is a solid, retro-leaning R&B album with strong praise from critics. Against it: Saadiq isn't exactly a household name, so while this may be a strong contender for R&B genre awards, I don't think its up for a general category.

Michael Jackson - Michael. For it: Nostalgia for Jackson, gone just 2 years now, is still strong. For many, he is the epitome of popular music talent. His 1982 album, Thriller, is an undisputed classic. It won AOTY, and he was also nominated for Bad (1987) and History (1995) (Let's pause and note the injustice that History is an AOTY nominee, but not Off the Wall). Against it: Nostalgia won't be enough to drive this controversial and frankly underwhelming posthumous release to an AOTY nod.

Country

Taylor Swift - Speak Now. For it: Taylor Swift proved herself a Grammy darling last year, winning AOTY for Fearless and awards in three other categories. Against it: Speak Now is no Fearless, with sales about half of its predecessor and, critically, none of those big crossover hits.

Jason Aldean - My Kinda Party. For it: Although I wouldn't consider him a crossover artist, he came close with this album, reaching the top 10 with his acclaimed hit "Dirt Road Anthem" and even drawing some top 40 airplay with his Kelly Clarkson duet "Don't You Wanna Stay"--both of which were #1s on the country chart. Against it: Most country albums that have snagged an AOTY nod in recent have been artists with major crossover appeal (Shania Twain, Dixie Chicks, Taylor Swift), and Aldean isn't quite there yet (however, Vince Gill got a nod in 2007, so it is possible).

Lady Antebellum - Own the Night. For it: Lady Antebellum became Grammy darlings this year, winning Record and Song of the Year for "Need You Now," a massive crossover hit last year from their second album of the same name, which was also an AOTY nominee. Anticipation was great for this third album, and its first single, "Just a Kiss," looks like it will be another crossover hit for the group. Against it: Critics gave Own the Night mixed reviews and the group doesn't seem to have the cache it did a year ago.

Personal Chart, October 1, 2011

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Billboard Hot 100, October 8, 2011

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1.(1) Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 (feat. Christina Aguilera)

Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera spend a fourth week at #1. It's the 6th single to spend at least 4 weeks at #1 this year.

2.(2) Someone Like You - Adele

Adele is still stalled at #2, but probably not for long. The track is this week's airplay gainer and it's up to #2 at both Digital Songs and Radio Songs. A return for #1 is definitely coming soon.

10.(25) Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO

"Party Rock Anthem" felt like a one-hit wonder, so it's surprising to see LMFAO quickly pull off a second hit with "Sexy and I Know It," which has exploded in sales, but is catching up in airplay too (it's #21 at top 40 radio).

16.(NEW) We Found Love - Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris)

Rihanna unexpectedly unleashed her new single late last week, so it missed out on the full week of sales that could have propelled it into the top 10. Since she elevated her producer to co-artist status, this gives Calvin Harris his first top 40 hit.

21.(32) Just a Kiss - Lady Antebellum

After starting off high on the basis of strong sales and generally falling the last few weeks, Lady Antebellum's latest single rebounds this week, up 11 notches.

??? Glee

A year ago, the second season premiere of Glee generated four top 40 hits, led by "Empire State of Mind" at #21. The third season premiere...produced none. The Glee tracks from last week's episode are down at #65 and #67. At this point, it's hard to tell whether it was the episode's lack of pop hits or the general decline in the show that's responsible for this. It will be interesting to see if the show can recover this year. After a wonderful first season, the second season was uneven, and ended on a low note, so much so that I lost interest in doing a weekly blog entry about it. So far, the third season started with a tepid first episode but a better second one.

UK Singles Chart, October 1, 2011

2011-09-25T17:05:00.003-04:00

1. (NEW) No Regrets - Dappy

Another week, another #1 single. This week it's British singer/rapper Dappy with his solo debut single "No Regrets." Dappy is no stranger to the charts, having appeared on 13 top 40 hits as one-third of the hip-hop group N-Dubz.

As I implied at the beginning, this is the 9th consecutive week with a new song at #1. That's pretty remarkable, but not unheard of. Just last year there was a string of 10 weeks with a new #1 song every week--a run that ended just this time last year in fact. And in 2000, there was a run of 13 weeks with a new #1 hit every week. So this is definitely cool, but not any kind of record.

Way more notable in my opinion is that this is the 11th #1 hit in a row by a British act. At no point during the 59-year history of the British singles chart has this happened before. The closest was a run of 10 British #1s in early 1963 if you count Frank Ifield, who was born in Britain but whose family moved to Australia when he was 9. I just went through the full list of UK #1 hits, and there was always an American, Irish or Australian act to break up such a potential streak--even in the heyday of the Beatles, the Bee Gees and '80s new wave, there were always foreigners in the mix. But not now, with Americans Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera knocking on #2 for 4 weeks in a row now, failing to break through to the top spot.

2.(2) Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 (feat. Christina Aguilera)

Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera spent a fourth week at #2. If they are chartwatchers--presumably if not, their label bosses are--it must be pretty frustrating to see a constant turnover of brides, with your own track planted firmly as the bridesmaid. They might get their shot next week, with Sak Noel's "Loca People" probably the biggest new single this week. Even if it doesn't happen, spending a lot of time at #2 can be its own reward. Last year's #1 single, Eminem & Rihanna's "Love the Way You Lie" was never a #1 hit. If you had to choose, wouldn't you rather be the year's biggest hit than just for a week?

4.(NEW) It Girl - Jason Derulo

Jason Derulo follows his #1 hit "Don't Wanna Go Home"--incidentally the last non-British #1 hit--with another top 5 tune, his fifth so far.

5.(NEW) I Won't Let You Go - James Morrison

British singer-songwriter James Morrison returns with the first single from his third album. It's his fifth top 10 hit and third to reach the top 5, bested in peak position only by his #2 hit with Nelly Furtado, "Broken Strings." The album, The Awakening, is out tomorrow.

7.(14) The A Team - Ed Sheeran

Sheeran's latest single, "You Need Me, I Don't Need You" falls to #20 this week, but its his previous release that's his biggest hit this week. It's the oldest single in the top 20 actually. Still surprises me how this one endures.

9.(39) Cannonball - Damien Rice

Reality show shenanigans are no doubt responsible for giving Damien Rice his first top 10 hit. "Cannonball" had previously been Rice's biggest hit, reaching #19 in 2004. This is actually the song's third chart run. It was initially released in 2003, at which time it hit #32.

10.(9) Jealousy - Will Young

Nice to see Will Young is still in the top 10. This is "Jealousy's" fifth week on the chart and its fourth in the top 10. That's a pretty good run for Young, whose singles have had a tendency to fall rather quickly. Only three of his singles have spent this much time in the top 10: "All Time Love" (#3) spent 4 weeks and "Evergreen" (#1) and "Leave Right Now" (#1) each spent 6 weeks in the top 10.

Album Reviews

2011-09-24T06:19:00.009-04:00

I'm shamefully behind in reviewing albums this year. In an effort to knock a few out, here are some shorter reviews.

The Weeknd - House of Balloons (4/5)

Canadian singer Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, caused quite a stir when he released his debut album, House of Balloons, earlier this year. Not so much for the fact that it was put out free of charge from his website, but for the fact that it made critics swoon. Anyone tired of the usual suspects in R&B should take note of the growing revolution in sound born by the likes of The XX, James Blake and now this haunting, often beautiful, sometimes nasty work. It manages a nice balance between indie experimentalism and pop sensibility, although it definitely has a dark side too. "What You Need" is a clear highlight--a smooth, late-night jam that seduces as much with its sharp beats and liquidy synths as it does with Tesfaye's (surely knowingly) dated lyrics about "knocking boots." But then there's "Wicked Games," with its sad melody and bitter lyrics making a potent, jaded song ("Bring the drugs baby, I can bring the pain"). And I'm not even going to get into "House of Balloons"/"Glass Table Girls"--let's just say these girls aren't playing pinochle on that glass-top table of theirs. Best: What You Need, High for This, Wicked Games, The Knowing.

Kanye West & Jay-Z - Watch the Throne (3.5/5)

So much starpower and ego come together on Watch the Throne, the long-awaited collaboration between rap superstars Kanye West and Jay-Z. With a combination like that, it had the potential to be a masterpiece or a disaster, so it's almost surprising that instead it falls somewhere in the middle. "No Church in the Wild" serves as a subdued if somewhat ominous opener, with auto-tuned vocals from Frank Ocean. Ocean also provides vocals on the album's other track with heavy religious references, the uplifting "Made in America," an ode to successful African-Americans (including themselves) during which they thank "sweet baby Jesus" for their success. As gracious as that song may seem, the duo doesn't escape typical boastfulness, as they have in fact adopted "The Throne" as their nickname throughout this work. Shameless as that may be, they probably deserve it. And after all, when Jay-Z uses "Beyonce" as a slang term to refer to a fine woman (as he does in "That's My Bitch"), he's talking about the Beyonce...his Beyonce. Too bad when the lady herself shows up on "Lift Off" the song stays grounded. Mr. Hudson has a nice guest turn though on "Why I Love You," the kind of grand track that could have felt at home on West's comparatively superior My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Best: Why I Love You, Made in America, Otis.

Hard-Fi - Killer Sounds (3.5/5)

Remember when Hard-Fi were hot stuff back in 2005? Their debut, Stars of CCTV, was NME's album of the year and a Mercury Prize nominee. Then, although I greatly enjoyed their 2007 follow-up, Once Upon a Time in the West, it received a lukewarm reception. After a 4-year break, they finally return with their third album, Killer Sounds, which, despite the lapse of time, manages to sound not unlike their earlier work. And that's not a criticism necessarily. The album opens strong with upbeat "Good for Nothing," followed by the even better "Fire in the House," with its bristling, electronic arrangement. "Give It Up" pushes along with an insistent tempo and guitars to match. After that though, I find it hard to muster much enthusiasm for the rest of this. It's not bad, but it's missing a "wow" factor present on their other albums. Even the songs from one of my favorite producers, Stuart Price--the man responsible for last year's pop trifecta of brilliant albums from Take That, Scissor Sisters, and Kylie Minogue--fails to bring much originality to songs like "Bring It On," which I just find ho-hum, "Feels Good," which sounds like "Cash Machine" recycled with some Middle Eastern instruments, and "Love Song," which seems to curb from Roger Sanchez's "Another Chance" (Price does deserve credit for "Fire in the House," my favorite track, which he produced with Richard Archer). Best: Fire in the House, Give It Up, Good for Nothing.

Personal Chart, September 24, 2011

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Rihanna (feat. Calvin Harris) 'We Found Love'

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When Rihanna says she has new album on the way, she doesn't mess around. It's first single, "We Found Love" is out TODAY! Get it at iTunes. I wonder what this means for "Cheers (Drink to That)," still climbing strong on the charts. Perhaps it means nothing--she'll just have two hits at once.

Billboard Hot 100, October 1, 2011

2011-09-22T20:11:00.004-04:00

1.(1) Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 (feat. Christina Aguilera)

Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera spend a third week at #1, after having bumped Adele from the top spot last week. "Moves Like Jagger" is the third #1 hit this year to spend nonconsecutive weeks at #1, after Bruno Mars' "Grenade" and Katy Perry's "E.T." It's a phenomenon that feels much more common in recent years. Last year there were 3 such #1 hits, 2 in 2009, 5 in 2008, and 2 in 2007. But none in 2006 and 2003 and only 1 in 2005 and 2004.

2.(2) Someone Like You - Adele

Adele holds at #2, still bulleted though, earning this week's Airplay Gainer. I'm still thinking this will return to #1 sometime soon. The song's airplay has quickly caught up with its sales: it's #2 on Digital Songs and #9 on Radio Songs this week.

5.(6) Stereo Hearts - Gym Class Heroes (feat. Adam Levine)

Gym Class Heroes moves into the top 5, giving Adam Levine two top 5 this week. One more notch and it will tie the peak of the 'Heroes biggest hit, "Cupid's Chokehold."

7.(11) You Make Me Feel... - Cobra Starship (feat. Sabi)

They fell out of the top 10 last week only to return this week at a new peak. This now ties "Good Girl Gone Bad" as their highest-charting single.

8.(10) Cheers (Drink to That) - Rihanna

Could Rihanna be any hotter? After scoring her 10th #1 hit earlier this year with "S&M," the singer continued to churn out hit singles from Loud. But she's not stopping there! Her 6th album is coming November 21, and its first single, "We Found Love," was just released today. Meanwhile, "Cheers," her 19th top 10 hit, continues to climb the chart, up two spots this week.

15.(23) Without You - David Guetta (feat. Usher)

David Guetta may be on his way to scoring his biggest US hit. His current high-water mark is "Sexy Bitch/Chick," which hit #5 last year. Teaming up with Usher was a smart move. "Without You" is the most winning single I've heard from Guetta this year (and he's all over the place, so that's really saying something). The track is this week's Digital Gainer.

16.(NEW) Paradise - Coldplay

The British singles chart may not be able to figure out how to credit Coldplay with its sales of "Paradise," but thankfully Billboard doesn't have that problem, and thus "Paradise" becomes the band's 8th top 40 hit.

25.(50) Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO

LMFAO follows up their recent #1 hit, "Party Rock Anthem," with this new track, which makes a surprising surge into the top 40 this week, up 25 spots. This is a mostly sales-driven move, as the track hasn't really impacted at radio yet.

35.(18) Mr. Know It All - Kelly Clarkson

After debuting at #18 last week, Kelly Clarkson takes a big tumble down 17 spots to #35 this week. This could still rebound and be a hit, but I'm not sure. It's really taking off at radio like you'd expect it would.

Sugababes 'Freedom'

2011-09-20T18:14:00.001-04:00

I don't see this on the Radio 1 or Capital FM playlists. What a shame. The single is out next week, and I actually think it's not bad, but without any airplay, I wonder how it will do.