Album Review: Will Young - Echoes (4.5/5)

Why do I find Will Young so compelling? He's attractive, although not conventionally so. And yes, he sometimes sounds a bit like Mickey Mouse, but he can sing circles around most any other guy trying to score a pop hit in the last 10 years. And in fact, it's his unusual voice used so well that makes him so appealing. Sexy even.

My passion for Young remains hotly ignited with Echoes, his fifth album. This time he's gone out on a limb and teamed up with dance producer Richard X as the album's sole producer and first time Richard X has produced a full album. The resulting sound is an appealing landscape for Young’s songs, more love-burned and less lovelorn this time. Yes, it's more electronic than any of Young's prior albums, but I wouldn't call it dance music per se. Maybe the kind of dance music you put on but don't dance to. It's far too moody for that. Far better to glare across the room at some hot guy you've been pining for who won't give you the time of day. At least that's how I imagine first single "Jealousy" unfolding, a gorgeous, glittery upbeat number that ranks among the best of Young's album's first singles.

"Come On" is another stunner, a boisterously upbeat but not exactly happy song, as it sounds like it's about a break up--always fodder for a good hit, which this could certainly be if it's chosen as a single. "I Just Want a Lover" is another gem from the album's first half with a Scissor Sisters-worthy disco stomp over which brokenhearted Young pines for an easy lay to take the mind off his pain. It's the first of several tracks that recall the Bronski Beat-tinged sound of Young's recent Groove Armada collaboration, "History."

That sound continues into the album's solid second half with tracks like "Losing Myself," whose prominent synthesizer melody definitely nods to Bronski Beat's classic "Smalltown Boy." The driving closer, "Safe From Harm," is in a similar vein. It's not all retro dance though. "Hearts on Fire" has a more modern sound akin to Madonna's Confessions on a Dance Floor, seemingly blooming into the dance pop song you weren't sure it would be at first. "Good Things" too sounds like something that Madonna could have put out.

Which brings me to my one area of criticism with this album, which is its ballads. None of them are particularly memorable for me, which is surprising given that sound of my all-time favorites by him are slow songs ("Leave Right Now," "Love Is a Matter of Distance," "All Time Love" and "You Know Me," in particular). They aren't bad by any means, but "Lie Next to Me" and "Silent Valentine" feel somewhat slight against the boldness of the dance pop tracks. And "Outsider" is just too melancholy for me. Young tries to express vulnerability on these songs, but I actually think he comes across as more vulnerable on the songs where’s he’s trying to mask his pain rather than revel in it.

Better is the downbeat “Happy Now,” which, doesn’t at all live up to its name, sounding like moody early ‘90s Pet Shop Boys (and nothing like Take That’s recent single of the same name), and “Runaway,” which I guess isn’t really a ballad, but serves the same purpose with its hushed vocal and gentle melody, despite the dance beat.

I was going to give this a "4," as I feel it isn't quite as good as Friday's Child or Let It Go, but I think it deserves to be more in the company of those superior albums than From Now On or Keep On, Young's enjoyable but less fully formed first and third albums. It's possible it will continue to grow on me, as I find I'm liking it more and more with every listen.

Best: Jealousy, Come On, I Just Want a Lover, Losing Myself, Hearts on Fire

UK Singles Chart, September 3, 2011

1.(NEW) Heart Skips a Beat - Olly Murs (feat. Rizzle Kicks)
[8.(8) Down with the Trumpets - Rizzle Kicks]

The charts this week are dominated by former reality show contestants who have all moved on in one form or another, making for some interesting contrasts. On the singles chart, it was the old versus the new as Olly Murs, one of the biggest male soloists to emerge from The X Factor, battled with first Pop Idol winner Will Young, the first star among the recent slate of acts to get his start on a reality show and certainly the one with the most enduring career.

In that race, Murs is victorious, scoring his second #1 hit exactly a year after topping the chart with his first single, "Please Don't Let Me Go." "Heart Skips a Beat" is presumably the first single from his upcoming second album and it's a real charmer--by far the best song he's put out so far. I'm happy to see it at #1. This is Murs' fourth top 40 hit, his only single to fall short of that was his last, "Busy," which peaked at #45. "Heart Skips a Beat" is also a second top 10 hit for Rizzle Kicks, whose own single, "Down with the Trumpets," is still firmly planted in the top 10 at #8--its peak position where it's now spent 3 consecutive weeks.

2.(NEW) Feel So Close - Calvin Harris

David Guetta may be the reigning king of dance music these days, but Calvin Harris is still very much a going concern, scoring his second consecutive #2 hit this week, just a couple months after last single "Bounce." This is his sixth single to reach the top 3, ninth to reach the top 40.

5.(NEW) Jealousy - Will Young

So Will Young loses out on scoring a #1 hit, but frankly I'm quite surprised (in a good way) to see that "Jealousy" has done as well as it has, becoming his first top 5 hit in 5 years. The lead single from Young's last album, "Changes," was an airplay #1, but became the lowest-charting among his albums' first singles when it peaked at only #10--and subsequent singles from Let It Go charted far lower than that. So it's nice to see his chart fortunes turn around a bit, showing that there's still quite a bit of interest in the 32 year-old singer.

Over on the albums chart, the story is even better, where Young's fifth album, Echoes, debuts at #1, becoming his third chart-topper--first since 2003's Friday's Child. With Radio 1 having taken a pass on "Jealousy," and with generally less airplay than he's had in the past, it would appear that Young is being fashioned now as an albums artist, or at least an adult pop artist, which is probably perfectly fine, since he excels at it.

On the albums chart, there was yet again a contest among former reality show performers, as Joe McElderry, winner of The X Factor two seasons ago, was also set to chart with his second album. On paper, Young and McElderry are as similar as possible--both are fresh-faced, seemingly nice guys who also both happened to come out after winning their respective shows. In Young's case, this didn't hurt his career at all, in fact, it may have helped him earn a dedicated fan base, as he saw his post-Idol pop career take off quite spectacularly.

McElderry, on the other hand, didn't do so well, as his first album was pretty much a failure, getting him dropped from his label. Credit him then for re-emerging as a kind of classical pop singer, appearing on--and winning--the second season of Popstar to Operastar. Without missing a beat, his second album, Classic, a covers collection, is released less than a year after his pop debut, Wide Awake, charting at #2, higher than Wide Awake's #3 peak. Despite this seeming like a strange choice, at least for now, it appears to have been a good one.

11.(18) Marry You - Bruno Mars

Mars gets close to scoring his sixth top 10 hit, as the lovingly retro "Marry You" climbs 7 notches this week.

15.(NEW) The Death of You and Me - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Former Oasis member Noel Gallagher's post-Oasis debut lands at #15, a fair bit better than his bandmates did when they regrouped as Beady Eye and hit #31 with "The Roller" earlier this year. This sounds very much like an Oasis song--as much as Beady Eye does as well. Although interesting that where Oasis was always good for a top 10 hit, apart, these acts can't rustle up one.

16.(21) Who's Laughing Now - Jessie J

Jessie J continues to climb with her fourth single. I think it's officially out tomorrow, so we'll see if it can become her fourth top 10.

18.(NEW) Party All Night (Sleep All Day) - Sean Kingston

Eventually the Jamaican rapper will release a third album, although I haven't read there are plans for it yet. This follows a year after his Justin Bieber collaboration, "Eenie Meenie," which hit #9.

24.(NEW) What the Water Gave Me - Florence + the Machine

Florence + the Machine was a hot breakout act in 2009 and 2010, hitting #5 with her remake of "You've Got the Love" and then #2 with a remake of that featuring Dizzee Rascal, "You Got the Dirtee Love." They also scored a hit in the US last year, with "Dog Days Are Over," which hit #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. Now Florence returns with the first single from her second album, which is due in November.

Personal Chart, August 26, 2011

Essential Albums of the '80s: Huey Lewis & The News - Sports (1983) and Fore! (1986)

To be sure, Huey Lewis & The News were not my thing back in the '80s, nor can I say listening to their two big albums from the '80s have made a fan of me today. However, I found their music interesting if only because it so unlike any current pop music. They were purveyors of a sort of “macho” pop-rock sound. The kind of band that could play in a bar but also score top 40 hits. And score many they did--the group had 12 top 10 during the '80s, including three #1s, most of which were the singles from these two albums.

They broke out big with their third album, Sports, and continued that success with the following album Fore!, between which they scored a #1 hit with “The Power of Love,” which was prominently featured in the film Back to the Future. Between the two there were lots of hit singles: four US top 10 hits from Sports and five top 10s from Fore!, including two #1 hits, “Stuck with You” and “Jacob’s Ladder.”

Sports begins on a typically upbeat note with “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” the album’s third single. It’s guitar-keyboard-drum melody, while not exactly original, is quite inoffensive. “Heart and Soul,” the album’s first top 10 hit, is similar in tone and sound but has a better hook. “Bad Is Bad” aims for a more bluesy sound but misses before getting back on track with “I Want a New Drug,” which sounds suspiciously like Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters”—enough so for Huey Lewis & the News to sue. “Walking on a Thin Line,” the album’s fifth single and only one to miss the top 10 has a pulsing bass line under its synths and guitar chords, as does the bracing “You Crack Me Up.” “Finally Found a Home” starts with good guitar and bass interplay but then dates itself once those signature keyboards start up. “If This Is It,” which was the album’s fourth consecutive top 10 hit, has warm, retro flavor.

Unsurprisingly, Fore! is pretty similar to Sports. “Jacob’s Ladder” strikes a confident pose with its amped guitars and plodding drums. “Stuck with You” has a little more heart, even if its lyrics about a couple considering divorce but deciding it’s not worth it are ridiculous. “Whole Lotta Lovin’” has a ‘50s melody and a bit of doo-wop (an obvious nod to Back to the Future). “Doing It All for My Baby” tries to be sincere but comes off sappy. Yet maybe that’s okay for a band who’d put out a song called “Hip to Be Square” as a single (and see it reach #3). The song sounds a lot like “Power of Love.” “I Know What I Like” has a nice groove with a warm melody.

Some ‘80s music ages well and, even it sounds dated, is still quite fun, especially that which sounds like the ‘80s-leaning sounds that are so popular these days. This sound is not one of those, so unless you were a Huey Lewis fan back in the day (which I wasn’t), this doesn’t have much to offer, other than a chance to scratch your head and wonder why this was such a big deal 25 years ago.

Sports Best: Heart and Soul, I Want a New Drug, This Is It
Fore! Best: Jacob’s Ladder, Hip to Be Square, I Know What I Like

UK Singles Chart, August 27, 2011

1.(NEW) Don't Go - Wretch 32 (feat. Josh Kumra)

After a couple of ho-hum weeks, the British singles chart bounced back nicely this week with an exciting race to #1. Sales have slumped a bit--summer has delivered three #1 hits with 100,000+ copies sold in their first week, but Cheryl Lloyd's "Swagger Jagger" moved only about 67,000 and last week Nero's "Promises" had the year's lowest #1 sales tally of just under 47,000. Although I haven't seen the sales figures for this week yet, having three solid contenders for #1 meant that at least it was an interesting race this week.

The victor is British hip-hop artist Wretch 32, riding a nice upward trajectory that began with #5 hit "Traktor" from the beginning of the year and spring's #2 single, "Unorthodox." The appropriately summerly "Don't Go," his best single yet, continues this year's interesting trend of hip-hop/dance singles. Wretch 32 is the third BBC Sounds of 2011 longlister to score a #1 hit this year, coming directly after the second one (Nero).

2.(NEW) Heaven - Emeli Sandé

Emeli Sandé comes in at #2, which I can't help but feel a little disappointed about, since I adore the song, and would have loved to see it reach #1. This is Sandé's first solo single, although she has visited the top 10 twice before as a featured vocalist on Chipmunk's "Diamond Rings" (#6) and Wiley's "Never Be Your Woman" (#8).

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

I haven't been as excited about a Maroon 5 single in years. "Moves Like Jagger" rounds out an all new top 3 this week, hitting the same mark in Britain as the song achieved on the US Billboard Hot 100 this week. This is Maroon 5's third top 3 hit, tying the #3 placing of "This Love" and just short of #2 hit "Makes Me Wonder," their biggest UK release. For Aguilera, this is a return to form. From her 1999 debut to 2006, she scored 14 top 10 hits, but none in the last 5 years as her last album, Bionic, had pretty dismal chart prospects. Interesting that this is the second top 10 hit in recent weeks to pay tribute to Mick Jagger, after Cheryl Lloyd's recent #1 "Swagger Jagger."

6.(7) The A Team - Ed Sheeran

This single just won't give up, despite Sheeran having lined up its follow-up "You Need Me (I Don't Need You)," which I think is quite superior really to this song, which is okay, but I don't see why it's so appealing as to have become the oldest song in the top 10 and 17th-biggest hit so far this year.

18.(28) Marry You - Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars climbs 10 notches with his latest single, "Marry You," the follow-up to his recent #1, "The Lazy Song." This song isn't catching on the US, which surprises me, since it's another great release from Mars, covered memorably on the last season of Glee, which hit #51 earlier this year.

21.(37) Who's Laughing Now - Jessie J
22.(38) Wet - Nicole Scherzinger

Jessie J and Nicole Scherzinger make twin 16-spot leaps this week, both with the fourth singles from their respective albums. Both saw their prior three releases reach the top 10, with one #1 hit each. Hmm... This is sounding so curiously identical.

Personal Chart, August 19, 2011

Essential Albums of the '80s: Michael Jackson - Bad (1987)

Michael Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller is hands-down the biggest pop album of all time. How do you follow that? You can’t, even if you’re a studio perfectionist like Jackson it’s going to fall short. But nonetheless, Bad doesn’t live up to its name, even if it doesn't live up to Thriller. In fact, it can claim a chart feat Thriller cant, which, until this week, was that it was the sole album ever released that scored five Billboard Hot 100 #1 hits. The dance pop on Bad has a harder edge than Thriller and if those songs fall short, it’s only by a hair. The pulsing keyboards of the title track, the rolling melody of “The Way You Make Me Feel” and the dark sheen of “Smooth Criminal” make those songs almost in league with “Thriller” or “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin.’” And the ballads are actually better than those on Thriller, particularly the album’s first single and Siedah Garrett duet, “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” and the classic “Man in the Mirror,” which was the album’s biggest hit and the best of Jackson’s “change the world” songs. However, the obligatory rocker track, the paranoid “Dirty Diana,” doesn’t come close to bliss of “Beat It” (it’s amazing it was the album’s fifth #1 hit). The album hits its lowest points on the weird racing car-themed “Speed Demon” and, surprisingly, the Stevie Wonder duet “Just Good Friends.” In Britain, those are the only two tracks that weren’t released as singles. In addition to the seven tracks released in the US, Brits also got bonus track “Leave Me Alone” and breezy “Liberian Girl,” whose video featured, well, everybody. Best: Man in the Mirror, Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, I Just Can’t Stop Loving You, Smooth Criminal.

Billboard Hot 100 - August 27, 2011

1.(2) Last Friday Night (TGIF) - Katy Perry

Earlier this week I was convinced this wasn't going to happen. For weeks, I've been noting how this single was on the brink of hitting #1, which would make Teenage Dream only the second album ever to score five #1 hits, but then it stalled at #2 behind LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" for 3 weeks. As this week began, its top 40 airplay had started to decline, and iTunes showed it outside the top 5 earlier this week. So early Wednesday, I was resigned to this not happening. And then, miraculously, I was proven wrong, and we have chart history. What a delight! Katy Perry is now tied with Rihanna for most #1 hits this decade, with five each.

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

Maroon 5 vaults up five spots to #3 with "Moves Like Jagger," a song that at first seemed like just a novelty but has actually become a major hit. And deservedly so...it's a great song! This is Maroon 5's fourth top 5 hit and their second-highest-charting after their only #1, "Makes Me Wonder." For Christina Aguilera, this represents a pretty major comeback. Although it's her 7th top 5 hit, she hasn't had one since "Beautiful" hit #2 in early 2003. If it goes #1, it will be her first chart-topper in 10 years. This week the song is both the Digital and Airplay Gainer.

4.(3) Super Bass - Nicki Minaj

Probably not going to be #1 now, but still a major showing for Minaj. Great song too. I'm really glad she managed to pull a proper hit from Pink Friday. It's still bulleted but slips a notch this week.

8.(13) Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People

Foster the People, this year's big indie breakout band, jump five notches to #8, scoring their first top 10 hit. That's a pretty significant accomplishment for such a band. In fact, we probably can't call them an "indie" band anymore. After all, a top 10 hit is not something that can be claimed by Arcade Fire, Phoenix, Grizzly Bears, MGMT, or Vampire Weekend--other notable "indies" of recent years.

10.(11) Good Life - OneRepublic

Further proving that when this band scores a hit, it just sticks around...forever...and won't go...away.

13.(NEW) Headlines - Drake

Big Hot 100 for Drake this week, scoring his 15th top 40 hit. This is the first single from the Canadian's upcoming second album.

18.(17) Best Thing I Never Had - Beyonce
22.(19) Motivation - Kelly Rowland feat. Lil Wayne

So it looks like neither of these songs is going to be a really big hit, which is shame. And Kelly Rowland has to be ticked off that once again her more famous cousin outdid her--"Best I Never Had" peaked at #16 while "Motivation" only managed to reach #18. Still, this is pretty bad news for Beyonce, who has now released two singles from 4 without scoring a top 10 hit. Not good. For Kelly, it's not as bad a deal, since this is her third-highest charting hit. It's all about perspective.

25.(50) Cheers (Drink to That) - Rihanna

Rihanna takes a big leap into the top 40 with "Cheers," a song I'm really loving this summer--perfect release timing. This is Rihanna's 24th top 40 hit.

39.(NEW) It Girl - Jason Derulo

Jason tries a ballad this time with "It Girl," and frankly, it's not up to par, so I expect it will under-perform like "Don't Wanna Go Home" did. Sorry Jason.

Katy Perry Achieves Hot 100 History

Congratulations are due to Katy Perry, who tomorrow, will become only the second artist in history to have an album generate five #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. After having been held at bay by LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem," Perry's "Last Friday Night (TGIF)" will top the Hot 100 tomorrow, becoming the fifth single from her album, Teenage Dream, to achieve that feat.

Perry's previous four chart-toppers from Teenage Dream began hitting #1 last summer with the album's first single, "California Gurls" (feat. Snoop Dogg), which spent 6 weeks at #1, followed by the album's title track (2 weeks at #1), then "Firework," which spent 4 weeks at #1, and then spring's "E.T." (feat. Kanye West), which spent 5 weeks at #1.

The first album to have achieved this feat was Bad (1987), Michael Jackson's seventh studio album, which saw its first five singles reach #1: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (1 week), "Bad" (2 wks), "The Way You Make Me Feel" (1 week), "Man in the Mirror" (2 weeks) and "Dirty Diana" (1 week).

Although Bad scored its five #1 hits within a shorter period of time--about 9 months compared to Teenage Dream's 14 months--Teenage Dream's #1s have collectively spent many more weeks at #1--18 in total--versus the 7 weeks for Bad's singles.

Bad's haul in terms of weeks is actually quite small among albums with multiple #1s. Among those that have had four our more #1s, it ties Whitney Houston's Whitney (1987) for fewest weeks at #1 ("I Wanna Dance With Somebody"-2 weeks, "Didn't We Almost Have It All"-2 weeks, "So Emotional"-1 week and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"-2 weeks). Among such albums, Usher's Confessions (2004) reigns with 28 weeks at #1 for its four #1 hits ("Yeah"-12 weeks, "Burn"-8 weeks, "Confessions Part II"-2 weeks and "MyBoo"-6 weeks), which is the most weeks at #1 an album's singles have achieved, tied with The Black Eyed Peas' 28 weeks for its three singles from The E.N.D. (2009): "Boom Boom Pow"-12 weeks, "I Gotta Feeling"-14 weeks and "Imma Be"-2 weeks. Four other albums have had singles collectively spend at least 20 weeks at #1:

• Mariah Carey's Daydream (1995), 26 weeks with 3 #1s ("Fantasy"-8 weeks, "One Sweet Day"-16 weeks and "Always Be My Baby"-2 weeks)
• Santana's Supernatural (1999), 22 weeks with 2 #1s ("Smooth"-12 weeks and "Maria Maria"-10 weeks)
• Monica's The Boy Is Mine (1998), 22 weeks with 3 #1s ("The Boy Is Mine"-13 weeks, "The First Night"-5 weeks and "Angel of Mine"-4 weeks)
• Boyz II Men's II (1994), 20 weeks with 2 #1s ("I'll Make Love to You"-14 weeks and "On Bended Knee"-6 weeks).

Teenage Dream would be next in line with its 18 weeks, at least so far.

Essential Albums of the '80s: Whitney Houston - Whitney (1987)

This was one of the first albums I ever owned, so my absolute love for this album might have more to do with nostalgia than its actual quality, although I think it would be hard to deny this is a great pop album, even if it isn’t quite as consistent as Whitney Houston’s self-titled1985 debut. Pure pop pleasure “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” gets things rolling on really strong note. The song is pop perfection and my favorite track by Houston. From there on, the album follows a pretty predictable path, alternating almost track-by-track between big adult-leaning love ballads and frothier dance pop confections. Although the ballads may have shined more on her debut, there’s a definite push to grow her younger audience here with the upbeat songs, which are generally the better tracks. “So Emotional” in particular is a highlight, and I also quite like “Love Will Save the Day” and even find the ridiculous “Love Is a Contact Sport” to be a guilty pleasure. Two of the album’s ballads were US #1s, the better of which is “Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” which was produced by Michael Masser, who produced several hits from Houston’s debut. The other, “Where Do Broken Hearts Go,” was produced by Narada Michael Warren, who produced most of the album. Among the album’s non-singles that dominate its second half, I’m particularly fond of the laid-back feel of “For the Love of You.”

Best: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me), So Emotional, Didn’t We Almost Have It All, Just the Lonely Talking Again, Where Do Broken Hearts Go, Love Will Save the Day.

Essential Albums of the '80s: Paul Simon - Graceland (1986)

Graceland is probably Paul Simon’s most acclaimed work. His seventh studio album, it won the 1986 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and its title track won Record of the Year the following year. The album’s sound draws on a rich mix of instrumentation, most notably its use of South African musicians, but there are other sounds too like the accordion of “The Boy in the Bubble,” which begins the album on a buoyant, festive note. It’s easy to hear how groups like Vampire Weekend were inspired by the sound of songs like “Graceland,” ostensibly about a road trip to Memphis, but also about the loss of love, perhaps referencing the recent dissolution of Simon’s marriage with Carrie Fisher. “I Know What I Know” skewers Hollywood elitism (“Don’t I know you from that cinematographer’s party?”) contrasted with the far-from-Hollywood sound of South African musicians General M.D. Shiranda and The Gaza Sisters. “Gumboots” strikes me as a Woody Allen-esque moment, talking about sharing a taxi downtown with a friend having a breakdown. “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” has an a cappella beginning that transitions to a laid-back vibe. “You Can Call Me Al” is the most recognizable of the album’s songs and its most mainstream sound. It’s rich horn-heavy production contrasts with the a cappella arrangement of the following track, “Homeless,” featuring African singers Ladysmith Black Mambazo. “Crazy Love, Vol. 2” is another bright, pop-oriented highlight.

Best: Graceland, You Can Call Me Al, I Know What I Know, The Boy in the Bubble, Crazy Love Vol 2.

Personal Chart, August 12, 2011

Album Review: Bon Iver, Bon Iver (4/5)

The second album from Wisconsinite folk singer Justin Vernon is a curious departure from his beloved debut, For Emma, Forever Ago. Much of that album's appeal lied in its simplicity, which underscored Vernon's tender falsetto. His voice may sound the same on Bon Iver, but the production is dramatically different.

Those hoping for a second album of woodsy folk-rock will be disappointed by this album's bolder rock arrangements, particularly those at the end of the album that jump on the '80s revival bandwagon. "Beth/Rest," the album's divisive closer, is awash in synthesizers with bursts of electric guitar and saxophone--the sort of production that recalls late '80s Phil Collins, Don Henley or Bette Midler. Opinion seems to be divided whether this choice was bold and unexpected or brilliantly ill-advised (Given my current '80s focus, I happen to think it's fun). The album's single, "Calgary," is another indie rock trend rider.

The '80s focus constrasts sharply with much of the rest of the album, a work dominated by its emphasis on more and different sounds. "Perth" starts with gentle guitar--the album's closest moment to its predecessor--before stripping in some marching drums and rocking electric guitar. Blending an unusual mix of instruments is taken to an extreme on "Minnesota, WI," which tosses in some nice bass play, harp, layered saxophone, and banjo. "Towers" takes quite a few musical turns too, shifting from brooding rock to upbeat folk with a hint of country. "Wash." begins tenderly with piano, vocal and some far off strings, building later with deeper piano chords and strings.

Most of the songs are named for places, including some that don't actually exist ("Minnesota, WI"), as if the songs represent the unspooling of memories--not always accurate--from a recent tour. It's a journey that begins in Justin Vernon's backwoods cabin and ends, surprisingly perhaps disappointingly, in Bette Midler's recording studio, but takes some worthwhile turns along the way.

Best: Perth, Wash., Towers, Beth/Rest, Calgary

Vacation Stop

Back August 14.

Personal Chart, August 5, 2011

Billboard Hot 100, August 13, 2011

1.(1) Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO (feat. Lauren Bennett)

LMFAO spends a fifth week at #1 with "Party Rock Anthem." That ties it with Katy Perry's "E.T." for the second-longest #1 run this year.

2.(2) Last Friday Night (TGIF) - Katy Perry

Speaking of Katy Perry, she spends a second week at #2 and is the Airplay Gainer for a third consecutive week. She is now #1 at pop songs, where she now holds the record for most #1s from one album (5 with this song). Of course, that chart is only about 20 years old, and the real record will be if she can achieve that feat on the Hot 100. On Pop Songs, Perry's five #1s from Teenage Dream hold the distinction of being five of the six songs with the highest weekly plays (along with Pitbull's "Give Me Everything"), although I think that speaks more about the number of top 40 stations right now than the songs themselves.

3.(4) Super Bass - Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj is in the top 3. Go Nicki!

5.(6) How to Love - Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne climbs into the top 5 this week, his second appearance there after his #1 hit "Lollipop."

9.(11) I Wanna Go - Britney Spears

Britney Spears climbs two notches to #9 to score her 11th top 10 hit. It's the third from her latest album, Femme Fatale, which is now her first album to score three top 10 hits.

12.(47) Otis - Jay-Z & Kanye West (feat. Otis Redding)

Get ready for Watch the Throne, the Jay-Z and Kanye West collaboration album out next week. It's second single, "Otis," makes a big jump into the top 40 this week, up 35 spots as this week's Airplay Gainer. The album's first single, "H.A.M.," peaked at #23.

18.(29) Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People

This song is rising remarkably fast, up 11 notches to #18 this week.

21.(68) Marvins Room - Drake

Drake makes a big jump this week, up 47 spots to #21. This is his second single from his upcoming second album.

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

"Moves Like Jagger" returns to the top 40 this week. The song initially peaked at #8 on the back of strong first-week sales. Now it's coming back with airplay and sales.

Lastly, it's another week of annoying advertising on the Hot 100. Last time I was really irritated it was Chevrolet. This week it's Starburst, whose banner ad makes the Hot 100...page....function......really.....s-l-o-w.....

New Albums, August 2011

After the maddenly dry month of July, August promises a few interesting releases.


Jay-Z and Kanye West - Watch the Throne (August 8). The month's hottest release is one that's been generating buzz since the beginning of the year. It first it looked like it would come out in the spring on the back of single "H.A.M.," but that song never became a major hit, so it got shelved for a while so its superstar duo could do some retooling. New single "Otis" is a tribute to the late soul singer but also features his vocals. Surely "Lift Off," which features a vocal from Jay-Z's wife, will be a future single. Can't wait to hear it.



Lil Wayne - Tha Carter IV (Aug. 26). It's been pushed back a bit, but it looks finally set to premiere later this month. This will be be Lil Wayne's ninth album and fourth in Tha Carter series, most notable for Tha Carter III (2008), which was nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy Award and spawned the #1 hit "Lollipop." This albums comes on the heels of the poorly received rock album, Rebirth, and the lukewarm reception for last year's I Am Not a Human Being. But I expect this album will be treated differently. It's already got a hit single: "How to Love," currently climbing the top 10.

Will Young - Echoes (Aug. 22). Each of Will Young's last few albums has generally sold less than the previous one. Yet I'm glad he's not thrown in the towel yet, for all of them have proven to be great pop listens. On this, his fifth release, he's teamed up with producer Richard X, for what will surely be a more dance pop-oriented sound. First single "Jealousy" is certainly in that vein and already climbing the UK airplay chart.



Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm with You (Aug. 30). It's been 5 years since the last RHCP album. That was the double album Stadium Arcadium, the third major hit in a row for the group, which was also given a Grammy Album of the Year nod and included "Dani California," the group's second biggest hit after "Under the Bridge." I'm not sure whether we should expect anything really different from them musically, although they do have a new guitarist now, John Klinghoffer. "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" is the first single and sounds like a pretty decent tune.

David Guetta - Nothing But the Beat (Aug. 26). Dance music DJs generally spend their time in dance club booths, but every once in awhile one of them breaks free and becomes a star dance music producer-celebrity. David Guetta is the reigning king of that phenomenon right now. In fact, I can't think of a dance producer who's ever been this big. This fifth album of his arrives on the back of several big hits, "Sweat" with Snoop Dogg, "Where Them Girls At" with Flo Rida and Nicki Minaj, and "Little Bad Girl" with Taio Cruz and Ludacris. Other guests this time include Usher, Will.I.Am., Lil Wayne, Jennifer Hudson, Akon and Jessie J.

Joe McElderry - Classic (Aug. 22). The former X Factor winner, dropped from Simon Cowell's Syco label earlier this year for underwhelming sales, reemerges with a new label and a new sound, singing classic pop tunes. When the album was announced last month, it hadn't been recorded yet, so if this release date really holds it seems like a major rush job. I feel a bit sorry for Joe. I thought Wide Awake fell short of the mark but delivered a few really fun tunes ("Ambitions," "Fahrenheit" and "Someone Wake Me Up").

Barbra Streisand - What Matters Most (Aug. 23). Babs releases her 33rd album.

UK Singles Chart, August 6, 2011

1.(NEW) She Makes Me Wanna - JLS (feat. Dev)

JLS are straight in at #1 with "She Makes Me Wanna," the lead single from the groups forthcoming third album. It's the group's fifth #1 hit after "Beat Again," "Everybody in Love," "The Club Is Alive" and "Love You More." That's a significant milestone, for it makes JLS not just the act among X Factor alums with the most #1 hits but among all artists launched from the recent slate of UK reality singing competitions. With "Love You More," the group's fourth #1, they were already head of the X Factor pack, beating the three #1s each for Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke. Within this fifth one, they edge ahead of Pop Idol's Will Young and Gareth Gates, who each had four #1s and Girls Aloud, who formed on PopStars: The Rivals, and also have had four #1s.

8.(Re-entry) Back to Black - Amy Winehouse
[27.(Re-entry) Tears Dry on Their Own - Amy Winehouse]
[29.(Re-entry) Rehab - Amy Winehouse]
[33.(Re-entry) Love Is a Losing Game - Amy Winehouse]
[37.(Re-entry) You Know I'm No Good - Amy Winehouse]

The untimely death of Amy Winehouse brought on a predictable slate of tribute buying. Interestingly, the song overwhelming chosen by the British public to remember her most was not one of her biggest hits--2006's "Rehab" (#7) or 2007's "Valerie" (with Mark Ronson), but rather the appropriately dark single "Back to Black," which previously peaked at #25 but this week re-enters the chart at #8, becoming the singer's third top 10 hit. Joining "Back to Black" in the top 40 are four other Winehouse singles, including "Love Is a Losing Game," which appears in the top 40 for the first time, becoming her 7th top 40 hit. Two versions of "Valerie" also charted just outside the top 40.

On the albums chart, Winehouse's acclaimed 2006 album Back to Black--the source of all five of her singles in the top 40 this week--returns to #1, spending a fifth week at #1. Her first album, Frank (2003) re-enters at #5, making its first appearance in the top 10 after previously peaking at #13. Rounding out the top 10 at #10 is the double album set of Back to Black and Frank.

The tribute buying is reminiscent of what happened in the wake of Michael Jackson's death 2 years ago. In July 2009, his death saw the return of 13 of his singles into the top 40, including "Man in the Mirror" at #2. He also made a good dent in the albums chart, particularly with the compilation albums Number Ones and The Essential Michael Jackson, which both hit #1.

10.(12) Super Bass - Nicki Minaj
[19.(15) Where Them Girls At - David Guetta (feat. Flo Rida and Nicki Minaj)]

Nicki Minaj scores her first top 10 hit as a lead artist as "Super Bass" climbs two spots to #10. As a featured artist, she hit #9 last year on Jay Sean's "2012 (It Ain't the End of the World)" and #3 earlier this year on David Guetta's "Where Them Girls At," which is still in the top 20 this week.

16.(NEW) Let Me Go - Maverick Sabre

Maverick Sabre scores his first top 40 as lead artist as his "Let Me Go" debuts at #16. I'm disappointed this didn't make the top 10, as I like it quite a bit. Sabre previously hit #31 as a featured artist on Professor Green's "Jungle."

Essential Albums of the '80s: Billy Joel - Glass Houses (1980)

The cover of Billy Joel's Glass Houses is a photo of the singer, rock in hand, ready to throw it throw a modern home's large plate-glass window--shattering both the window and his image. Joel had proven he wasn't afraid to make grand statements: With "The Entertainer," de'd already taken swipes at fickle music critics and programmers intent on editing his sometimes longer songs down to "radio edits." With Glass Houses, Joel attempted to break his pop crooner image with a more rock-oriented sound.

It's an image that's well-worth exploring, cultivated at the time Joel was at the height of his career. This summit arguably began in 1977 with his fifth album, The Stranger, the first he'd record with producer Phil Ramone, with whom Joel would record six albums. The Stranger became by far Joel's biggest to date, eventually being RIAA-certified Diamond in the US. It's generally regarded as his best album. It was followed in 1978 by 52nd Street, which also achieved tremendous success, going 7-times platinum and winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. To put context to Glass Houses, I bought both of these albums and, although I've never thought myself a Joel fan, they've really won me over. Both albums feature a compelling mix of finely crafted upbeat pop songs and piano ballads, all delivered with a deft sense of showmanship. You can see why his music lent itself to becoming a Broadway musical.

That brings us to 1980's Glass Houses, which, on "You May Be Right," begins with the sound of breaking glass before breaking into a rollicking guitar-based tune. Joel's voice sounds different now--raspier, rawer and deeper. That he's taking a different tack is immediately obvious. "Sometimes a Fantasy" follows with a very '80s sounding bass line. Like a lot of Joel songs there's a story here, one about a lonely man seeking out some late-night phone sex. There's little piano here until you get to "All for Leyna," which features pounding keys and electric guitar. No crooning balladry here.

"Don't Ask Me Why" is comparatively lighter, more in the spirit of his late '70s work. Despite its title, so is "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me," which goes for a new wave sound and manages to sound a bit retro too. It's a great song, which became Joel's first song to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Most of the songs that were singles are highlights, but even many of the album tracks are good. "Sleeping with the Television On" has a bright piano and guitar melody and among the couple of ballads that come toward the end of the album, I like the gentle "Through the Long Night," on which Joel thankfully abandons his "rock" singing voice to harmonize with himself.

Glass Houses is good, but I don't care for it as much as his previous two albums. It might not rock out as much as he'd hoped, as these are still pop songs at their core, and while I think it's admirable to attempt a new sound, his softer pop sound was so great that it's a shame he didn't hold it in higher esteem. I've read that critics weren't a fan of Joel's work at the time and many skewered this album (read Rolling Stone's scathing review). They've since come around though: Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 best albums of all time lists The Stranger at #67 and 52nd Street at #348.

Best: It's Still Rock and Roll to Me, You May Be Right, Sometimes a Fantasy, Don't Ask Me Why

Personal Chart, July 30, 2011

Billboard Hot 100, August 6, 2011

1.(1) Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO (feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock)

LMFAO spends a fourth week at #1, making "Party Rock Anthem" the fifth single this year to spend at least 4 weeks at #1. I expect this will be its last week at #1, although I said that last week and was wrong.

2.(3) Last Friday Night (TGIF) - Katy Perry

Katy Perry climbs another notch to #2, once again earning Airplay Gainer. She's now #2 at Digital Songs and #3 at Radio Songs, although critically, as of today, she's #1 at top 40 radio, having just inched LMFAO out of the top spot after 1 week at #1.

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

Bad Meets Evil, the rap duo that is 1/2 Eminem and one half some other guy (Royce da 5'9"), climbs 7 notches to #10, scoring their first top 10 hit and earning this week's Digital Gainer. Of course Eminem is no stranger to the top 10, having been there earlier this year on Dr. Dre's "I Need a Doctor," two other times as a featured artist and 11 times with his own hits. Featuring vocalist Bruno Mars scores his sixth top 10 hit.

38.(NEW) The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Red Hot Chili Peppers are gearing up to release their 10th album, I'm With You. "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie," the album's first single, is their eighth top 40 hit and this week's highest Hot 100 debut.

Singles Serving

Emeli Sande - Heaven. My favorite song at the moment. Spectacularly epic, both downbeat and upbeat at the same time. I don't know who this woman is, but she's fantastic. Can't wait to hear more.

Maverick Sabre - Let Me Go. This first single from British singer/rapper Maverick Sabre is a real gem and I hope it makes the UK top 10 this week. If the song is reminiscent of Portishead's "Glory Box," it's because, like that song, it samples Isaac Hayes' "Ike's Rap 2."

Olly Murs feat. Rizzle Kicks - Heart Skips a Beat. Olly Murs returns! The X Factor runner-up, who by now has surely out-charted the man who beat hit him, returns with the first single from his second album. With Rizzle Kicks adding a nice assist (fresh from their own hit, "Down with the Trumpets"), this is the best single from Murs yet. It's got a '90s hip-hop beat over a vaguely reggae beat. Sounds great on the radio.

JLS feat. Dev - She Makes Me Wanna. JLS's clubby summer single--released to radio like 2 month ago--is finally this week. It's no "Beat Again," but it's much, much better than their last single, "Eyes Wide Shut." I expect it will be their fifth #1 hit this weekend and deservedly so.

Rihanna - Cheers (Drink to That). After three massive hits, Rihanna's Loud has sputtered a bit in the US. "California King Bed" failed to become a major hit, and its follow-up, "Man Down," was only worked at rhythmic radio, so it seems never intended to be big. The perfectly timed release of this breezy, warm track could turn things around for her though. It's a fun song, even with the silly Avril Lavigne sample. I expect it will be welcome in the late summer mix.

The Horrors - Still Life. Do the Horrors always sound like Simple Minds? They do a pretty good impression of "Don't You (Forget About Me)" with "Still Life," the first single from their upcoming album Skying.

UK Singles Chart, July 30, 2011

1.(1) Glad You Came - The Wanted

The Wanted lead what is probably the most boring UK singles chart I can recall. It's a completely static top 5 and the top 10 has the same 10 songs as last week. About the only thing notable about this is that "Glad You Came" is now The Wanted's longest-running #1 hit, since "All Time Low" only spent a week at the top.

13.(21) I Need a Dollar - Aloe Blacc
21.(32) Dirty Dancer - Enrique Iglesias (feat. Usher & Lil Wayne)

With so many songs moving barely or not at all, any movement beyond 5 or so places stands out this week, such as these older songs that both rebound pretty decently.

22.(44) Down with the Trumpets - Rizzle Kicks

British hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks score their first top 40 hit. I expect at the end of the summer, they will have a much bigger hit as the featured artist on Olly Murs upcoming single, "Heart Skips a Beat"--a fun song I'm rather enjoying at the moment.

Amy Winehouse, Dead at 27

The UK Press Association is reporting that Amy Winehouse was found dead in her London apartment. That's all I know so far.

It's such a shame. Her second album, Back to Black, is one of my all-time favorite albums--a true pop masterpiece.Now we'll never know if she had an even better set to give us.

Personal Chart, July 23, 2011

Top 40 Airplay - Close Race for #1

I mentioned that it's possible LMFAO won't get a week at #1 at top 40 radio, since Katy Perry is gaining faster. But it's hard to say. Here's the Mediabase chart right now. Look at the current spins and spin gains. This is a close one!

Billboard Hot 100, July 23, 2011

1.(1) Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO (feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock)

LMFAO spends a third week at #1. It's still #1 on Digital Sales, despite declining this week. At radio, it's #3. At top 40 radio it's #2 but looks like it's going to be overtaken by Katy Perry and thus will miss #1.

3.(4) Last Friday Night - Katy Perry

Katy Perry earns the Airplay Gainer again and climbs a notch to #3. Can't you just feel #1 for this song? It's palpable. Next week...gotta be. It will definitely be #1 at top 40 radio next week, which will be her 7th #1 on that chart.

10.(NEW) Skyscraper - Demi Lovato

Fueled by very strong sales--she's #2 at Digital Songs--Disney star Demi Lovato makes a strong debut at #10 with her emotional ballad, "Skyscraper." This is her second top 10 hit, following her #9 single "This Is Me" with Joe Jonas from a couple years ago. Although the song barely had any airplay for this week, it's catching on at radio--at top 40, it's #73, up from #175, today. So there's definitely interest. Could probably become her first real mainstream hit.

17.(33) Lighters - Bad Meets Evil (feat. Bruno Mars)

Bad Meets Evil, which to most people is really Eminem and some other guy, is this week's Digital Gainer, climbing 16 notches to #17. It's also doing well at radio. This is Bruno Mars' sixth appearance in the top 20.

38.(46) Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People

This year's breakout indie pop group scores its first top 40 hit. I can't say I'm really into Foster the People, although for perhaps the most shallow of reasons, I am slightly more interested after looking them up this after noon (the bassist is hot).

39.(52) Right There - Nicole Scherzinger (feat. 50 Cent)

Nicole Scherzinger scores her first proper top 40 hit this week. She previously had a guest turn on Diddy's "Come to Me," which reached #9. "Right There" has cooled at top 40 lately, so I don't have high expectations for this going very far, although it's 13-notch move this week is pretty impressive. Maybe it's really picking up at rhythmic radio. Even if "Right There" isn't a major hit, it's still given people a taste of her away from PCD, and could well position "Don't Hold Your Breath," if it's released as the follow-up (which surely it will be, right?).

Essential Albums of the '80s: Girl Groups

It was nearly impossible to look at a pop chart in the '90s and not see a girl pop group. From Wilson Phillips to Destiny's Child (and En Vogue, TLC, Spice Girls and All Saints in between), it was the decade where a trio or foursome of ladies was a ticket to chart gold. In the '00s, the concept faded in the US, although it remained big in the UK, thanks to Atomic Kitten, Sugababes, Girls Aloud and The Saturdays.

Although girl groups weren't as big in the '80s, there are a few great examples. Now, I'm not talking about girl bands--the territory of acts like The Bangles and The Go-Gos are a whole separate issue. These acts are singers only, like most of the acts I named above. Two albums, in particular, rise up as great examples of dance pop from both the decade's early post-disco era and its later, higher-paced sound that helped set the template for early '90s dance pop.

The Pointer Sisters - Break Out (1983)
The Pointer Sisters had quite a few hits in the '70s, but their biggest success came with the release of this album. Six tracks were released as singles, four of which reached the top 10 in the US. "Jump (for My Love)" was the album's biggest single, hitting #3 in 1984. The bubbly, synthesizer-heavy song was memorably used in the 2003 film Love Actually, which coincided with a remake by British girl group Girls Aloud. "Automatic" hit #2 in the UK and #5 in the US. It's a little more subdued and as such, I don't think it's quite as fun. I'm more a fan of "I'm So Excited," a song they brought forward to Break Out from their previous album. Although it had been a single and hit #30 earlier, it was re-released and it did even better, hitting #9 on the Hot 100. The song blends obviously synthetic and more natural keyboard sounds, which form the song's insistent melody. "Neutron Dance" was another top 10 hit, although it sounds the most dated of the album's big singles. Funky "Dance Electric" is also worth a spin, Best: I'm So Excited, Jump (for My Love), Dance Electric.

Exposé - Exposure (1987)
Miami-based Exposé got their start with this high-energy outing, which, like the Pointer Sisters' album, generated four top 10 hits. The album is mostly dance pop, drawing also from the Latin "freestyle" sound that was big at the time. "Come Go with Me," "Point of No Return" and "Let Me Be The One" are all similar and all similarly fun uptempo pop songs. "Point of No Return" is particularly good with its stabbing synthesized bass notes. Lots of other songs on the album fall in this vein. The biggest departure though is "Seasons Change," a saxophone-backed pop ballad which, when released as the album's fourth and final single, became the group's biggest hit when it topped the Billboard Hot 100. Best: Seasons Change, Point of No Return, Come Go with Me.

UK Singles Chart, July 23, 2011

1.(NEW) Glad You Came - The Wanted

The Wanted lead a rather boring top 40 this week. Theirs is the only single to debut in the top 10, with the next closest new entry coming at #16. This is their second new single released this year from their forthcoming second album, although it's not expected to be released until November, making it likely that there will be a third single preceding the album. "Glad You Came" follows "Gold Forever," their spring Comic Relief single, which hit #3. This new single is quite a bit better than their last in my opinion and, as "Gold Forever" followed the flukish #19 peak of their third single, "Lose My Mind," "Glad You Came" sees the group solidly back on track chart-wise. It's 117,000 sales tally is pretty impressive too; as it follows last week's 141,000 haul by DJ Fresh, this is the first two we've had back-to-back #1 hits selling over 100,000 this year.

11.(12) Set Fire to the Rain - Adele

She didn't make the top 10, but she did climb a notch to #11 this week. However, the song is #1 on the airplay chart this week and, probably most importantly, her album 21 is back on top the albums chart, where it spends a 17th nonconsecutive week at #1. It's no record, but in recent years, it's pretty significant. To put it in perspective, during the last decade (2000-2009), only two artists spent as many week at #1--Dido (17 weeks) and Robbie Williams (23 weeks)--and of course, they did it with multiple albums (2 for Dido, 6 for Robbie).

16.(NEW) Little Bad Girl - David Guetta feat. Taio Cruz & Ludacris

Is anyone else feel like David Guetta is getting badly overexposed? I'm also getting tired of his sound. I didn't have to listen to this song to know what it sounds like--which is everything else he's done. "Where Them Girls At" was only 2 months ago--his "Sweat" remix with Snoop Dogg just 2 months before that. And lyrically, there's a real obvious trend to his song titles too ("Sexy Bitch/Chick," "Who's that Chick," "Where Them Girls At" and "Little Bad Girl").

17.(NEW) Love How It Hurts - Scouting for Girls

I'm surprised this didn't do better. It's a rather lovely song--the kind of song you expect will soon grace trailers for romance films. "This Ain't a Love Song" was a #1 single last year, but otherwise their recent stuff has not become bit hits.

Introducing Emeli Sandé

Scottish singer Emeli Sandé is no stranger to the top 10, having been a guest vocalist on Chipmunk's 2009 hit "Diamond Rings" and Wiley's 2010 release "Never Be Your Woman." Now she's gearing up for the real thing with the release of her first solo single, "Heaven." It's a really great dance track flavored with a big dose of downbeat trip-hop, obviously inspired by Massive Attack's 1991 trip-hop classic, "Unfinished Sympathy," a sound which has gone on to inspire many great pop songs (Madonna's "Frozen," Sugababes' "Stronger," for starters). "Heaven," will be released in the UK on August 14.

Personal Chart, July 16, 2011

Billboard Hot 100, July 23, 2011

1.(1) Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO (feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock)

It's a second week at #1 for "Party Rock Anthem," which is still selling well and gaining at radio. It's not yet #1 at top 40 radio, and it's going to be a close call whether it gets a week at #1 there, where Pitbull is still reigning supreme, but both LMFAO and Katy Perry are within striking distance--with Perry gaining over 2,000 spins per week, week after week, for a pretty meteoric rise.

4.(4) Last Friday Night (TGIF) - Katy Perry

Katy Perry spends a fourth week at #4, which is kind of shocking, but really it's actually kind of cool how the song has managed to stay in place while it's initial sales surge declined at the same time its airplay has been building very quickly. Once LMFAO begins to cool, this could slingshot to #1, since the only songs in its way now are former #1s by Pitbull and Adele.

7.(8) How to Love - Lil Wayne

A rapper as airplay gainer? For sure, when it's a song as great as this. "How to Love" has really caught on at top 40 this week. It's been hovering around the 30s the last few weeks, but suddenly it's got a 1200 spin gain and jumped up to #21. Of course, it's big at rhythmic and urban, so all that adds up to this week's Airplay Gainer.

8.(9) Good Life - OneRepublic

I'm kind of tired of this song, but apparently others aren't, since they are buying it like hotcakes--it's this week's Digital Gainer, surprisingly.

17.(22) I Wanna Go - Britney Spears

Britney Spears climbs into the top 20 "I Wanna Go." It's her fourth consecutive top 20 hit, a record run for her. It's album, Femme Fatale, is her third album to score three top 20 hits, following her 1999 debut and 2008's Circus.

19.(21) Motivation - Kelly Rowland (feat. Lil Wayne)

Also moving into the top 20 this week is Kelly Rowland, who hasn't appeared in the top 20 in 6 years. Apart from Destiny's Child, Rowland has had rather few hits in the US, although she has had some luck in the UK, where she's had eight top 10 hits. At home though she's had only the one really big hit, "Dilemma," a #1 in 2002 with Nelly. She hit #17 with Trina on "Here We Go" in 2005. So this is Rowland's biggest hit as a lead artist.

36.(43) Firework - Katy Perry

This looked about ready to make its Hot 100 exit last week, but now it inexplicably rebounds back into the top 40 in its 38th week, giving Perry three top 40 hits this week.

Album Review: Beyoncé - 4 (4/5)

I Am...Sasha Fierce was a big album. Literally--depending on what version you bought (and there were several)--you could have as many as 20 tracks to listen to. The album was calculated to be a success and it was, showcasing the singer as a versatile goddess of pop music, comfortably moving from sweet balladry ("If I Were a Boy"), funky pop workouts ("Single Ladies"), epic love songs ("Halo") and retro dance pop ("Sweet Dreams"). As much as the dual-disc/dual-personality concept felt a little forced, it worked, as Beyoncé conquered charts all over the world, racking up a few awards in the process (including the Song of the Year Grammy for "Singles Ladies").

4 is not that album, but it does draw successfully from what made Sasha good. Although not the greatest vocalist when she was in Destiny's Child, Beyoncé has improved her pipes over the years, which she showed to great effect on Sasha's first disc of ballads. On 4, she sounds even better, delivering a more nuanced vocal performance. That way she dissolves her strongest notes into a vocal growl serves to highlight the raw desire she expresses on opening track "1+1," which was produced by The Dream and Tricky Stewart but sounds like vintage Prince.

Truthfully, the songs that have been released as singles haven't impressed me much, although they aren't unwelcome here. "Run the World (Girls)" closes the album with a drumline rhythm and deep, clubby bass, but its general lack of melody never sounded that great on the radio. As uptempo songs on the album go, it's upstaged by the vocal acrobatics and funky horns of "End of Time." I'm also really enjoying the '80s-era Whitney Houston-esque "Love on Top," which rolls along with a jolly, warm melody that I'm sure would serve as a great Broadway-themed music video. "Countdown" samples the countdown from Boyz II Men's "Uhh Ahh," and it's a real oddball of a song, but I enjoy it too, chock full as it is with brassy horn blasts, layered breakdowns and goofy lyrics.

On the slower side, "Best Thing I Never Had" is a serviceable piano pop ballad, even if its chorus devolves into the same lyrical inelegance Kelly Clarkson displayed on her last album ("It sucks to be you right now"). Most of the other ballads are more interesting, like "I Care," which starts simply with synthesizer notes and booming percussion, before building to its soulful chorus. "I Miss You" also opens gently with synthesizers but has a more restrained vocal. Restraint goes out the door on "Start Over," this album's "Halo."

My favorite ballad though is the retro-leaning "I'd Rather Die Young," a sultry tune with a funky '70s guitar, old-school keyboards, piano and horns. It's an interesting song--way too interesting to make a good single. Also good is the moody penultimate track, "I Was Here." Written by Diane Warren and produced by Ryan Tedder, it has the best pedigree of any powerhouse pop ballad has ever had. It's also the only song Beyoncé doesn't get a co-songwriter credit on and it's nice to see she continues to develop as a songwriting talent.

Although the songs on Sasha Fierce seemed to scream "make me a hit," the songs here don't feel quite so calculated. Despite the cadre of big-name producers, she doesn't chase current trends as much as she did on her last album. There's no attempt to sound like Lady Gaga or Black Eyed Peas (thank god). Credit also goes to the sound engineers, who made this sound really, really slick. I didn't love this album at first--it's charms aren't so obvious, but they're definitely there. After Sasha, 4 showcases a Beyoncé that has nothing to prove, except maybe that she's a legitimate artistic talent.

Best: 1+1, I'd Rather Die Young, Love on Top, End of Time, I Was Here, Best Thing I Never Had

UK Singles Chart, July 16, 2011

1. (NEW) Louder - DJ Fresh (feat. Sian Evans)
2. (NEW) How We Roll - Loick Essien (feat. Tanya Lacey)

It's not the liveliest chart week this week, except at the very top, where (for a change) there was a nice contest for #1 featuring two relatively unknown acts. It reminds me of the good ol' days (i.e. the late '90s/early '00s) when the UK singles chart was a competitive showcase of new songs frequently by new names. Lately, it's been trending toward having pretty much the same songs at the top that are big in the US, with few surprises. This week then is a nice change with two new songs by relatively unexposed artists (both have been in the top 40 before, but with nothing nearly as big as these songs) duking it out for #1.

In the end, British dance act DJ Fresh scores his first #1 with Louder, an awfully fun throwback drum-n-bass dance track. He's had singles out as far back as 2003, but scored his first top 10 last year with "Gold Dust" (#24). Loick Essien, settles for #2. His song is more typical of the current R&B-pop sound, is a British singer who also had his first top 40 hit last year ("Stuttering," #36).

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

Well, it came close to the top 10, closer than it looked at midweek. Still, would love to see this climb a bit higher. I was also surprised it wasn't this week's airplay #1, an honor that went to Coldplay's "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall," which fell out of the top 10 this week.

24. (39) Next to You - Chris Brown (feat. Justin Bieber)

Brown and Bieber make a big 15-spot leap this week. Will they follow previous hits "Beautiful People" and "Yeah 3X" into the top 10? Perhaps, although Bieber has only seen the top 10 twice before, hitting #3 with his "Baby" and #9 with Sean Kingston with "Eenie Meenie."

28. (NEW) The Mack - Mann (feat. Snoop Dogg & Iyaz)

Mann's first single, "Buzzin'" cribbed heavily from Nu Shooz's '80s hit, "I Can Wait." For the follow-up, Mann advances the clock 10 years, mining Mark Morrison's '90s hit "Return of the Mack" for the more obviously titled "The Mack." It's not quite as loveable as "Buzzin'," so it will be interesting to see if the song ends up taking off over time like "Buzzin'" did (it debuted at #24 and 3 weeks later peaked at #6).

Personal Chart, July 9, 2011

Billboard Hot 100, July 16, 2011

1. Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock

I can't say I'm surprised to see this track at #1. It seemed inevitable that 2011's most hedonistic pop hit would prove to be a summer #1. LMFAO knocks Pitbull from #1 after just 1 week. Like that track, this song has already been #1 in the UK and looks like it will likely be #1 at top 40 radio quite soon. The group had minor hits with "I'm in Miami Bitch" and "La La La," which both peaked in the 50s. That makes this song by far their biggest hit, and it's a hit that seemed inevitable for them to have, considering that they started their career with the EP "Party Rock EP" in 2008, followed by the album Party Rock in 2009 and their new album Sorry for Party Rocking.

4. Last Friday Night (TGIF) - Katy Perry

Katy Perry holds at #4, but don't think this is no longer a #1 contender. I think it still has a shot, if not next week, then in late July once LMFAO's airplay starts to fade a bit. Katy Perry's track is red-hot at radio as this week's Airplay Gainer. It's #5 at top 40 radio, where it's been the fastest gaining track for some time (with LMFAO just behind).

9. Good Life - OneRepublic

OneRepublic gets a nice boost up nine places to #9 this week. Surprisingly, this is only the group's second top 10 hit, after their massive 2007 #2 hit "Apologize" with Timbaland. Although they didn't reach the top 10, the group has had three other really big hits that, despite not charting as high, showed amazing chart longevity: "Stop and Stare," "All the Rights Moves" and "Secrets."

10. Tonight Tonight - Hot Chelle Rae

The first time I heard this song, I thought it was really ridiculous. But like many such things, it's managed to grow on me, so I don't disparage the fact that the Nashville-based pop band has scored its first top 10 hit. Bit of trivia: the band's guitarist, Nash Overstreet, is brother to (former) Glee cast member Chord Overstreet.

[Pause to express annoyance over the fact that Billboard.com is showing last week's chart for #11-#20. Plus there's some really annoying candy ad wrapped around the whole page. Billboard's website sometimes is really REALLY annoying.]

29. Best Thing I Never Had - Beyonce

Remarkably, this song hasn't appeared in the top 40 until this week, when it jumped 29 places to #29. This is exactly the peak position of her last single, "Run the World (Girls)." "Best Thing I Never Had" is Beyonce's 21st top 40 hit.

[Can I say again how thoroughly annoyed I am that Billboard.com thinks it's more important to advertise candy than tell me what songs are at #11 through #20 this week. What a bunch of amateurs.]

Loick Essien "How We Roll"

London-based R&B singer Loick Essien is set to score his first big hit on the UK singles chart this week, with "How We Roll," which is duking it out for #1 with DJ Fresh's "Louder." Essien hit #36 earlier this year with his last single, "Stuttering." Love the London-filmed video for this (filmed in Hackney which you can make out on the dumpster--you can also just see the tip of the Gherkin in the distance).

UK Singles Chart, July 9, 2011

1. Don't Wanna Go Home - Jason Derulo

Second week at #1 for Derulo's "Don't Wanna Go Home." Since his "In My Head" only got 1 week at #1, this is now his biggest chart performer.

3. Best Thing I Never Had - Beyonce

Beyonce lands at #1 on the albums chart this week, while simultaneously scoring a top 5 hit with the album's second single, "Best Thing I Never Had," which outperforms the rather disappointing #11 peak of its first single, "Run the World (Girls)." This is Beyonce's 16th top 10 hit.

7. The Edge of Glory - Lady Gaga

Gaga's up another notch to #7. One more notch up and she'll match the song's original #6 peak when it came out 7 weeks ago.

9. Last Friday Night (TGIF) - Katy Perry

Katy Perry scores her fifth top 10 hit from Teenage Dream--9th top 10 single overall.

10. Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall - Coldplay
(40. In My Place - Coldplay)

Coldplay's latest does quite the boomerang this week. After debuting at #6 just 3 weeks ago, the song had plummeted to #42 last week, now it shoots up 32 spots to #10. Credit for the feat goes to the band's Saturday night appearance at this year's Glastonbury music festival (for which Beyonce's chart fortunes this week were surely also helped). In addition to sending them back into the top 10, the band's catalog got mined quite a bit making several chart appearances this week, even sending 2002's #2 hit "In My Place" back into the top 40 at #40.

18. Notorious - The Saturdays

Up another 3 notches. Apparently this song has staying power after all.

21. Set Fire to the Rain - Adele

This single is out officially this week. Will be interesting to see what that does for the song. From what I've seen, it's not expected to reach the top 10, although I really hope it does.

23. Run the World (Girls) - Beyonce
33. Irreplaceable - Beyonce

Beyonce's other singles in the top 40, no doubt Glastonbury faves.

Female Pop Stars - The 4th Album

Beyonce released her fourth album this week. appropriately titled 4. Critics generally seem to like it, but I haven't read anyone who claims it's a conventional album. Most say it's surprising--for its minimalism, it's lack of focus, it's blatant disregard for current pop trends (and therefore it's lack of an attempt to contain multiple hit singles, which it likely doesn't). It's a bold move for sure from an established female pop star who has managed to make it to album 4 with lots of goodwill and so far no stumble to speak of. What has the fourth album meant for other big female pop stars? Many different things apparently. Here's a look ordered subjectively from what I consider to be the most successful to the least among a crop of major female pop stars of the 25 or so years.

1. Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989). Jackson's third album, Control, was her breakthrough hit, after her first two albums largely failed. Album #4 pretty much road its coattails and upped the ante, delivery more and bigger hits (a record seven top 4 hits, including four #1s), as well as a less subtle social issues concept. Janet. may have sold more globally, but it wasn't as significant an artistic statement at this. Bottom line: Control made her a superstar; Rhythm Nation proved there was a lot more where that came from.

2. Celine Dion - Falling Into You (1996). Technically, this is like her 15th album, but it's her fourth album for the English-speaking world, who didn't really know Celine Dion until 1991's Unison. Already on an upward trajectory with her first three English albums, the fourth one sent her into the stratosphere, selling 32 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling pop albums of all time. In the US, it went diamond, spawned three big hits--including #1 single "Because You Loved Me"--and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Bottom line: This was one of the '90s biggest pop artists at her commercial and creative peak.

3. Mariah Carey - Daydream (1995). Mariah Carey broke out big in 1990 and stayed that way through the mid-'90s. Her fourth album, Daydream, was a crossroads of sort, both reaching back to the pop-AC sound she'd cultivating while looking ahead to the pop-R&B sound she was moving toward. Given what was hot at the time, that meant pop music gold, as the album sent up three US #1 hits, including history's longest-running #1 hit, "One Sweet Day." The album sold 25 million copies globally, went diamond in the US and was nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy Award. Bottom line: Daydream was Carey at her mid-90s peak, featuring three singles that combined spent 6 months atop the Hot 100.

Madonna - Like a Prayer (1989). Although it didn't match the sales of Like a Virgin or True Blue, Like a Prayer was still a big hit and arguably the more notable among those records in Madonna's discography. The album hailed a shift away from appealing but impersonal pop and dance pop toward a broader spectrum of sounds that made her music more experimental as well as more personal. Bottom line: Like a Prayer was Madonna's first true artistic statement and is widely regarded as her best album.

Shania Twain - Up! (2002). When her third album, Come On Over, became the best-selling album ever by woman or a country artist, it almost didn't matter what she followed it up with, but Twain's Up! was just as ambitious a release. It's uptempo country-pop was like a musical equivalent of Prozac (there are nine exclamation points among the songs' titles) and, aware of her multi-format appeal, Twain released the album in three versions, consisting of country, pop and Indian arrangements of the same 19 songs. Bottom line: It sold like crazy, but wasn't the massive crossover success that Come on Over was.

Whitney Houston - My Love Is Your Love (1998). Whitney Houston was one of the '90s biggest stars, but ironically released few albums during that period while she instead relied on a series of hit soundtracks to keep her music on the radio. My Love Is Your Love ended that 8-year period since she released I'm Your Baby Tonight with an exciting push toward more contemporary R&B, a surprising twist after she'd topped the charts with her AC-leaning pop. Although there were no #1 hits off this album, it scored three big top 10 singles, all of which when remixed were also massive dance club hits. Bottom line: An exciting album that sees a major star effectively explore new musical styles.

Britney Spears - In the Zone (2003). Britney's first two albums came straight from the jaws of the teen pop machine, so her venture into different musical territory for her third album yielded mixed results. This fourth set got her back on track though, pushing her back to solid pop territory but with a more cutting edge sound. Spears also co-wrote most of the album's songs, representing her biggest dip into songwriting among her albums. Bottom line: Spears' most experimental and satisfying album, which got her back on top the pop charts with "Toxic."

Rihanna - Rated R (2009). Good Girl Gone Bad was a massive pop album--three #1 hits (including "Umbrella," one of the decade's biggest pop hits), several other top 10s, lots of sales, a big re-release. Etc. Then came the Chris Brown incident, forever changing how pop audiences thought of her (him as well). For anyone who considered Rihanna just a pretty face singing bubbly producer-driven dance pop, Rated R was a bold, artistic statement with darker themes, edgier sounds and emotions ranging from anger to vulnerability. Not as big a hit of course, but it still generated some big singles, most notably "Rude Boy." Bottom line: A dark, exciting album that proved Rihanna had substance.

Pink - I'm Not Dead (2006). Pink's third album, Try This, was a punk-oriented departure, and like many such departures, took the singer out of the mainstream spotlight. I'm Not Dead was a nice return to pop territory. In the US, it took about a year for it to catch on, but eventually "U +Ur Hand" and "Who Knew" became major hits. Bottom line: Return to pop form after a less-than-successful punkish departure.

Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted (2009). Similarly, Kelly Clarkson's third album, My December, was a dramatic departure, meant to be a darker, more personal pop album. It resulted it a lot of animosity between Clarkson and her record company and, although not a complete failure, it was not a major hit. Predictably All I Ever Wanted was a damage control album meant to bring back the singer's pop audience. As such, it's not the most exciting album, but it did the trick of returning her to pop radio with some decent hits, such as "My Life Would Suck without You." Bottom line: It's no Breakaway, but it effectively made up for the weaker reception of My December.

Avril Lavigne - Goodbye Lullaby (2011). If Lavigne doesn't generate a true hit from this album, it may indeed live up to its name. "What the Hell" was a modest hit, but all of her previous albums have had at least one biggie. New single "Smile" doesn't appear to fit that bill. Bottom line: Unless it comes up with a hit fast, this could see Lavigne fade from the mainstream.

Christina Aguilera - Bionic (2010). While Goodbye Lullaby is stumbling, this one fell and hard. Bionic's first single "Not Myself Tonight," couldn't even reach the top 20 in the US and its follow-up, "Woohoo" couldn't even crack the top 40. The album received bad reviews and sold poorly. She followed it with the musical film Burlesque, which was also a flop. Aguilera should be thanking her lucky stars that The Voice came along and helped salvage her career. Bottom line: There is nothing good to say about this album--total disaster.