Album Review: Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns (3/5)

Following up a highly successful album is tough. Too many times it seems artists fall prey to trying to repeat that success--delivering a follow-up that while melded in the vein of the previous album, falls well short of its grandeur.

That, in a nutshell, is my assessment of Snow Patrol's fifth album, A Hundred Million Suns. Their last, Eyes Open, was a major success, becoming the UK's biggest-selling album of 2006 and giving them the massive international hit "Chasing Cars." I thought Eyes Open was brilliant when I reviewed it 2 years ago. I noted how distinctive the songs were, a step forward from Final Straw which suffered from too much of the same thing. Now this album finds the band stalled firmly in their tracks trying too hard to remake Eyes Open.

The album begins with "If There's a Rocket Tie Me to It," which opens with quietly building layers of instruments, is then punctuated by guitar and vocals for the first verse, and finally goes full tilt rock for the chorus. Snow Patrol isn't the first and certainly not the last band to open an album with something carved from U2 marble. It's a good song, but they've been here before with "You're All I Have" which was better (and rocked harder).

Piano-backed ballad "Crack the Shutters" follows. It starts quietly and then pounds those ivory chords along with strings, guitar, synths, and glockenspiel. It's all not unlike "Chasing Cars," but as uplifting as it tries to be, can't recreate that song's emotional punch. These are good songs, and if Eyes Open didn't exist, I might really like them, but I'm too distracted by what seems like an obvious attempt to repeat themselves. Then there's "Take Back the City," an upbeat track that is quite repetitive, although that works well for the band. This was the album's first single--a great choice, as it's probably the best song on the album.

After that, there's not much else on this album that really grabs me. "Lifeboats" is mellow--mostly guitar with space-like synths (outer space being a theme here). Actually, it's kind of dull to be honest. Somber "The Golden Floor" has a hand clap beat and acoustic guitars. If you feel a nap coming on, "Please Just Take These Photos from My Hands," shows up to revive you. This is another track in the stadium guitar rock vein underpinned with some '80s-style synthesizers a la The Killers. In other words, it's a lot like Eyes Open's "It's Beginning to Get Me."

Then there's "Set Down Your Glass," another weepy guitar ballad that starts with the lyric "just close your eyes." "The Planets Bend Between Us" is very mellow and plodding. "Engines" has a nice melody, but is marred by an annoyingly repetitive guitar loop with too much feedback. I've read that the band said this album would be more upbeat than their previous works, but clearly that direction was ditched in favor of even more ballads.

I wouldn't blame you for wanting to tune out at this point, but hang in there, because the end of the album is actually pretty decent. "Disaster Button" is the only saving grace of the second half of the album. Finally a rocking moment from the band! It's a got a great groove, an assertive synth bassline, layered guitars, and its short enough to not wear out its welcome. "The Lightning Strike" is the final track--a 16-minute 3-part song. First there's "What If This Storm Ends?," a dark and dramatic mix of piano, horns and percussion. It's followed by "Sunlight Through the Flags'" lighter mix of multiple pianos. The final part, uplifting "Daybreak," is an effective ending to this epic track.

To sum up, this album has a few good tracks as it opens and ends, but in general has too many dull ballads, too much repetition and too few songs of distinction. As I wrote this review I listened to snippets of Eyes Open to refresh my memory, which in general made me wish I was listening to that instead of this bland imitation. That album was more varied, rocked harder, and soared higher. It's a shame to see such a blessing turn into a curse.

Best: Take Back the City, If There's a Rocket Tie Me to It, Disaster Button, The Lightning Strike

Snow Patrol

Billboard is reporting that Snow Patrol will release their fifth album in October, titled A Hundred Million Suns. The band is best known in the U.S. for their 2006 hit "Chasing Cars," which was also a major UK hit, along with "You're All I Have" and 2004's "Run."

Fall Music Preview - October

Album of the Month: Keane - Perfect Symmetry (10/13) They've been around since just 2004 and already Keane are poised to release their third album. They fell prey a bit to the dreaded sophomore slump for Under the Iron Sea--great album, but not as successful as the band's debut Hopes and Fears, the UK's second best-selling album of 2004. Known for their piano-backed guitarless pop/rock, the first singles from this album, "Spiralling" and "The Lovers Are Losing," already point to a new and exciting direction, heavy with synths and even featuring electric guitar.

Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul (10/6) Oasis's career has been a bit rollercoaster. Lately its been on the up though, so I'm hopeful this, their seventh album, will be really great. Last album, Don't Believe the Truth, gave us the great singles "Lyla," "The Importance of Being Idle," and "Let There Be Love," and this new album has already produced an upbeat first single, "The Shock of the Lightning" and the dark album cut currently offered by iTunes "Falling Down."

Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns (10/27) Until 2004, Snow Patrol were a little-known band. Then their third album Final Straw produced a major UK hit, "Run," and then their fourth album Eyes Open, which was the best-selling album in the UK in 2006, produced an even bigger international smash, "Chasing Cars." The album's first single, "Take Back the City," gets its UK radio premiere next week.

Kaiser Chiefs - Off with Their Heads (10/13) Another band that had a bit of a sophomore slump (although they did hit #1 with "Ruby") is back for album number three. This time they've enlisted hot retro soul producer Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse) to steer their sound in a new direction. First single "Never Miss a Beat" is a great start.

Pink - Funhouse (10/27) Pink is back with her fifth album. It's first single "So What" finds the singer in her usual punkish pop/rock vein, and already it's a massive hit, debuting in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and the Australian ARIA chart this week. Max Martin, who helmed her last album's two major hits "U + UR Hand" and "Who Knew" produces the track.

Chris Cornell - Scream (10/14) Timbaland produced--no joke. First single "Long Gone" is, as expected, a bit reminiscent of OneRepublic's "Apologize" from last year. From Nelly Furtado, to Justin Timberlake, to Madonna, Timbaland is positively the hottest producer in popular music right now, if not this whole decade. Struggling has-beens everywhere are selling their souls to have him produce their next hit, although he doesn't seem to be as good at launching new artists (see Nicole Scherzinger).

Bloc Party - Intimacy (10/27) The British indie band offers their third album. Already available as a download, the CD gets its release in late October with a few bonus tracks. First track "Mercury" sounds a lot like their previous stuff.

High School Musical 3 Soundtrack (10/20) With the Disney gang hitting the big screen for outing #3, this is sure to be one of the best-sellers of the year, considering that HSM1 was the best-selling album in the US for 2006 and HSM2 was #2 for 2007.

Sugababes - TBD (10/20) The 'babes stumbled a bit with their fifth album Change, which scored only one major hit (the #1 "About You Now") and became their first album not to have a fourth single. The jury's still out on first single "Girls," which features a lot of horns.

John Legend - Evolver (10/28) Soulful R&B singer John Legend puts out his third album. First single "Green Light" finds him teamed with Outkast's Andre 3000, exploring a more modern sound than we've heard from him before. Then there's the more traditional "If You're Out There," which he performed at the Democratic National Convention.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor - TBD (10/27) Her fourth album, with songs produced by Calvin Harris (including the Cathy Dennis-penned first single "Off and On," which is on her myspace page) and Freemasons. After the underwhelming performance of her third album, Sophie needs a hit.

Peter Bjorn & John - Seaside Rock (10/6) Swedish Indie band that had a hit last year with "Young Folks" offers their fourth album.

Razorlight - TBD (10/27) Not much info on this yet, other than it's possibly coming in October.

Other:

Anastacia - Heavy Rotation (10/27)
Ludacris - Theater of the Mind (10/21)
Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping (10/6)
Hoobastank - Untitled (10/14)
Boyzone - Greatest Hits (10/13)
Jennifer Lopez - Greatest Hits (10/27)
Sarah McLachlan - Closer (greatest hits) (10/7)
Katie Melua - The Collection (10/27)

Essential Albums of the Decade: 41 to 60

41. Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul (2008). An all-around great rock album, Dig Out Your Soul finds Oasis continuing to demonstrate its excellence years past the Britpop heyday. Although they've mined the Beatles' sound extensively in the past, John Lennon's had no more fitting a tribute than "I'm Outta Time." Best: I'm Outta Time.

42. U2 - No Line on the Horizon (2009). Probably the least popular of U2's albums released this decade, but it was my favorite. In fact, I never really connected with a U2 album until I heard this one. Best: Magnificent.


43. Will Young - Let It Go (2008). Will Young continued to create infectious, soulful pop music on his fourth album, his most personal work to date. The mood get a bit on boisterous pop productions like "Love" and "Grace," but this album's best moments are its quiet, tender ballads like "Tell Me the Worst," "Disconnected," "You Don't Know" and the title track. Best: You Don't Know.

44. Robbie Williams - Reality Killed the Video Star (2009). Robbie Williams excels at making grand, sweeping pop songs, the kind that few male pop stars seem able to pull off. On Reality Killed the Video Star, he delivered the best set of them that he's done in many years. Best: Bodies.

45. Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose (2004). White Stripes' Jack White produced this album for Loretta Lynn, giving her the biggest hit she'd had in years and one of the decade's most acclaimed country albums. It also gets bonus points for giving my hometown a worthy anthem. Best: Portland, Oregon.

46. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky (2007). The Chicago-based alternative band Wilco is best known for their 2002 album, Yankee Foxtrot Hotel, but I much prefer this softer, later album, beautifully scored with long guitar, strings and piano passages. Best: Impossible Germany.

47. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand (2007). British Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant and American bluegrass singer Alison Krauss teamed up to make this bluesy pop album. Much acclaim ensued, including last year's Album of the Year Grammy Award. Best: Please Read the Letter.

48. Rihanna - Good Girl Gone Bad (2007). Best: Umbrella. On her third album, Barbadian pop singer Rihanna made the transition to international pop star, with a mostly dance pop set that also showed her effectively tackling R&B and pop ballads. Best: Umbrella.

49. The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (2007). The Arcade Fire's 2004 debut, Funeral, received a lot of acclaim, but didn't impress me. I much prefer this second album, which has better songs and a bigger sound, particularly on songs like "Black Mirror" and "Intervention," as well as the jolly "Keep the Car Running." Best: Black Mirror.

50. Dido - Life for Rent (2003). On her second album, Dido Armstrong continued in the same vein as her surprisingly successful debut, No Angel, giving us sing-songwriter pop with a lush, modern production. And anyone who dismisses Dido as too "sleepy" should check out "Stoned" and anyone who thinks "Don't Leave Home" is a sappy love song hasn't listened to the lyrics carefully. Best: White Flag.

51. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Ballad of the Broken Seas (2006). Another winning trans-Atlantic male/female pairing, This time two former members of prominent alternative bands--the Scottish Isobel Campbell and American Mark Lanegan. They joined forces to deliver this lovely pop album, with shades of brooding country and folk. Best: The False Husband.

52. Snow Patrol - Eyes Open (2006). Between the lush, but unvaried Final Straw and the uneven A Hundred Million Suns, Snow Patrol released this amazing album, bristling with confidence, diversity and quality songcraft. The band proves itself as adept at upbeat rock on the driving hit single "You're All I Have" as they do at rock balladry on their international smash, "Chasing Cars." Best: Chasing Cars.

53. Kanye West - Late Registration (2005). For the first-half of the decade, hip-hop was dominated by thug-rap a la 50 Cent, party rap a la Nelly, tuneless crunk and whatever it is Eminem does. Then Kanye West came along with his tuneful, ambitious and pointedly mainstream take on the genre. Late Registration is my favorite of his works, imbuing tracks like "Heard 'Em Say" and "Touch the Sky" with an old-school feel and masterfully sampling Shirley Bassey's Bond theme "Diamonds Are Forever" into two versions of "Diamonds from Sierra Leone"--the remix, which explores the problems of African conflict diamonds issue, and the original, which is just a fun song. Best: Gold Digger.

54. Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak (2008). Kanye West's fourth album, his first to not be nominated for the Album of the Year Grammy Award, was controversial for its lack of rap, overuse of auto-tune and overall dark mood. I loved it. After the showiness of Graduation, this album felt much more intimate, exploring heartbreak from the loss of his mother and the end of a romantic relationship. Best: Paranoid.

55. Pet Shop Boys - Yes (2009). After delivering a mixed bag of albums for the last 10 years or so, Pet Shop Boys went back to the quirky dance pop of their landmark 1993 album Very on this, their 10th studio album. Best: Beautiful People.


56. Kings of Leon - Only By the Night (2008). Kings of Leon flew under the radar until last year, generating some buzz and a few hits in the UK, but little interest in their native US. That all changed with this album, particularly hits massive international hits "Sex on Fire" and "Use Somebody," taking this set of traditional but quality guitar rock songs to the top. Best: Sex on Fire.

57. Sugababes - Angels with Dirty Faces (2002). This was the best and biggest the Sugababes ever were. Having traded out early member Siobhan Donaghy for Heidi Range, the 'Babes sharpened both the quality of their vocal harmony and their songs, particularly on the innovative mash-up/remake of "Freak Like Me" (which was half Gary Numan's "Are Friends Electric") and the gorgeously dark "Stronger," which borrows the sultry downbeat vibe of Massive Attacks's "Unfinished Sympathy." Best: Stronger.

58. The Editors - The Back Room (2005). The Editors made gorgeous guitar rock on their debut, tinged slightly with the synths of Depeche Mode and the beauty of Interpol. Highlights include the rousing opening track "Lights," bracing hit single "Munich" (which really reminds me of the best of Interpol's debut), and the plaintive "All Sparks." Best: Munich.

59. Dannii Minogue - Neon Nights (2003). Kylie Minogue made an electro-pop album in 2003, but her little sister made a better one with Neon Nights, the album which demanded that Dannii Minogue's musical career be taken seriously. Although she's too busy being an X Factor judge to make another album, Neon Nights at least proved she could do it right, delivering down-and-dirty electro-pop songs like "Creep," "I Begin to Wonder," and "Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling" (which was later brilliantly mashed up with Madonna's "Into the Groove"). Best: I Begin to Wonder.

60. Kaiser Chiefs - Employment (2005). This fivesome from Leeds delivered a charged debut, full of promise, energy and hooks, employing new wave touches on songs like the pulsing "Everyday I Love You Less and Less" and racing hit single "I Predict a Riot." Best: I Predict a Riot.

UK Singles Chart, 10/25/2008

1. So What - Pink

Pink rules the UK singles chart for the third week with "So What." American acts have now ruled the top spot in the UK singles chart for 12 weeks--almost a quarter of 2008. That beats the 11-week run for Americans in 2006 when Orson, Ne-Yo and Gnarls Barkley spent 11 weeks in a row at #1 (9 of which were from Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," Britain's #1 single of 2006). As far as I can tell, this is the longest stretch of Americans ruling the #1 spot in the UK in over 20 years. Girls Aloud look set to end that reign next week, returning Brits to the top of the UK chart with their latest, "The Promise." Pink's album Funhouse is out next week.

2. The Winner's Song - Geraldine
3. Don't Call This Love - Leon Jackson

Now for some fun. British comedian Peter Kay is no stranger to the singles chart. His 2005 collaboration with Tony Christie, "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo" was the year's #1 hit, and his 2007 remake/collaboration with the Proclaimers on "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" was a major #1 last year. Now he's gone and teamed up with Gary Barlow to create a parody of UK reality TV show pop singers, "The Winner's Song," from "Peter Kay's Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice," which aired last week on Channel 4. "The Winner's Song" is the victory lap so to speak of that show's "winner" Geraldine McQueen. And it hits all the pop cliches we've come to know and love from songs like "A Moment Like This," "That's My Goal," or "All This Time" like the plodding opening piano chords, self-actualizing lyrics and the last chorus key change (of which this song actually has two).

What's most fun perhaps is that this "parody" of reality TV-produced pop stars has actually trumped a genuine one. Last year's X Factor winner Leon Jackson released his first proper single last week, "Don't Call This Love." Surely he hoped this would be his "Bleeding Love," the similarly positioned record that Leona Lewis has carried to #1 all over the world. Sadly for Mr. Jackson his new single has underperformed, landing at a mere #3. Even Shayne Ward managed better when he hit #2 with "No Promises," his first single after his #1 victory lap. This confirms what I had suspected--while Leona Lewis has gone on to be a international pop superstar, Leon Jackson is going to have to settle for regional (and less substantial) success. I see birthday parties in his future (really great parties though).

5. Up - The Saturdays

Pop girl group The Saturdays prove they weren't a one-hit wonder with "If This Is Love," beating that single to become their first top 5 hit. It comes a week after Sugababes, the reigning queens of British girl group pop hit #3 with "Girls" and a week before Girls Aloud come out with their latest, "The Promise." This is another great track, further piquing my interest. It's got quite an '80s groove, with a deep synth bass line akin to something Michael Jackson would have done. Their debut album Chasing Lights has already garnered a 5-star review from Britain's gay newspaper, Pink Paper, saying "Stop! You might want to remember where you were when you heard that The Saturdays were actually very good indeed."

6. Take Back the City - Snow Patrol

Snow Patrol jump up nine spots to #6 this week with "Take Back the City," the first single from their new album A Hundred Million Suns, out next week. As such, it becomes the group's fifth top 10 single, besting by one place the #7 peak of the first single from their last album, "You're All I Have" from Eyes Open. While last year's "Signal Fire" is their highest charting single (#4), they are best remembered by their 2006 #6 hit "Chasing Cars."

9. Raindrops (Encore Une Fois) - Sash! Featuring Stunt

I'm kicking myself for not having bought this in London last week, for it is not available on US iTunes nor any other download store I know of. Sash! became popular in the UK in 1997, scoring top 3 hits with all of their first four singles, all in different languages. Their very first single, Encore Une Fois hit #2 in March of 1997. They followed with seven other top 10 hits, my favorites of which were "Stay" (#2 in 1997) and "Mysterious Times" (#2 in 1998). It's been 7 years now since they've had a major hit, and "Raindrops" comes from their latest greatest hits collection (they've already had a couple of other ones). It's a mashup with Stunt's, "Raindrops," and frankly I fail to see how it's different from that song other than a woman announcing "Encore Une Fois" before the chorus. Still, it's a fun dance track, giving the German dance artist his 9th UK top 10 hit.

11. Love Lockdown - Kanye West

It's a "grower not a shower" as Reggie keeps reminding us annoying during the Radio 1 UK top 40 chart show. Kanye West is up another three spots to #11 this week and should crack the top 10 next week. This is slated to get a physical release in 2 weeks.

23. Spiralling - Keane

The release of Keane's new album Perfect Symmetry, which tops the UK albums chart this week (their third to do so), send that album's first single "Spiralling" back up the chart 11 spots to the #23 peak position it reached 6 weeks ago.

25. Kids - MGMT

MGMT's "Kids" is proving to be another hit for them, jumping 10 spots to #25. Their last single, "Electric Feel," peaked at #22.

28. Be the One - The Ting Tings

The Ting Tings see diminishing returns from their fourth single, which falls well short of the #1 and #6 placings of their last two singles, "That's Not My Name" and "Shut Up and Let Me Go."

October New Releases

October is a very promising month of new releases--perhaps the best of the year. Lots of albums coming out that I'm excited about.

October 6
Oasis - Dig Out Your Soul. Oasis's career has been a bit rollercoaster. Lately its been on the up though, so I'm hopeful this, their seventh album, will be really great. Last album, Don't Believe the Truth, gave us the great singles "Lyla," "The Importance of Being Idle," and "Let There Be Love," and this new album has already produced an upbeat first single, "The Shock of the Lightning" and the dark album cut currently offered by iTunes "Falling Down."








Peter Bjorn & John - Seaside Rock. Swedish Indie band that had a hit last year with "Young Folks" offers their fourth album.

Sarah McLachlan – Closer: The Best Of. Sarah McLachlan isn't a major star, but she did have her moment with her 1997 album Surfacing, which included "Adia" and "Angel," both of which are here in a sequentially sequenced album.

Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping.


October 13/14
Keane - Perfect Symmetry. They've been around since just 2004 and already Keane are poised to release their third album. They fell prey a bit to the dreaded sophomore slump for Under the Iron Sea--great album, but not as successful as the band's debut Hopes and Fears, the UK's second best-selling album of 2004. Known for their piano-backed guitarless pop/rock, the first singles from this album, "Spiralling" and "The Lovers Are Losing," already point to a new and exciting direction, heavy with synths and even featuring electric guitar.






Chris Cornell - Scream. Timbaland produced--no joke. First single "Long Gone" is, as expected, a bit reminiscent of OneRepublic's "Apologize" from last year. From Nelly Furtado, to Justin Timberlake, to Madonna, Timbaland is positively the hottest producer in popular music right now, if not this whole decade. Struggling has-beens everywhere are selling their souls to have him produce their next hit, although he doesn't seem to be as good at launching new artists (see Nicole Scherzinger).







Boyzone – Back Again... No Matter What: The Greatest Hits. Boyzone haven't had a hit in years, but since Backstreet Boys, Take That, and New Kids on the Block have reformed, it seems they didn't want to be left out. Sure, this includes new single "Love Me Anyway," but it excludes "So Good" and "Key to My Life." 1999's By Request did the job, and without more new material, this seems unnecessary.


October 20

Kaiser Chiefs - Off with Their Heads. Another band that had a bit of a sophomore slump (although they did hit #1 with "Ruby") is back for album number three. This time they've enlisted hot retro soul producer Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse) to steer their sound in a new direction. First single "Never Miss a Beat" is a great start. This just got pushed back a week.









Sugababes - Catfights and Spotlights. The 'babes stumbled a bit with their fifth album Change, which scored only one major hit (the #1 "About You Now") and became their first album not to have a fourth single. First single "Girls" is currently #2 on the UK airplay chart, and looks set to enter the top 10 on downloads this week. Buzz is that they turned things around after the disappointment of Change.


High School Musical 3 Soundtrack (10/20) With the Disney gang hitting the big screen for outing #3, this is sure to be one of the best-sellers of the year, considering that HSM1 was the best-selling album in the US for 2006 and HSM2 was #2 for 2007.













October 27/28

Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns. Until 2004, Snow Patrol were a little-known band. Then their third album Final Straw produced a major UK hit, "Run," and then their fourth album Eyes Open, which was the best-selling album in the UK in 2006, produced an even bigger international smash, "Chasing Cars." The album's first single, "Take Back the City," gets its UK radio premiere next week.









Pink - Funhouse. Pink is back with her fifth album. It's first single "So What" finds the singer in her usual punkish pop/rock vein, and already it's a massive hit, debuting in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and the Australian ARIA chart this week. Max Martin, who helmed her last album's two major hits "U + UR Hand" and "Who Knew" produces the track.










John Legend - Evolver. Soulful R&B singer John Legend puts out his third album. Excellent first single "Green Light" finds him teamed with Outkast's Andre 3000, exploring a more modern sound than we've heard from him before. John Legend has been a critics' favorite, but not a mainstream success. "Green Light" could turn that around.










Bloc Party - Intimacy. The British indie band offers their third album. Already available as a download, the CD gets its release in late October with a few bonus tracks. First track "Mercury" sounds a lot like their previous stuff. Reviews are good, but not great.












Celine Dion - My Love: Essential Collection. Celine Dion releases her greatest hits collection, featuring first single "My Love," a slight reworking of the Taking Chances track. North America and Europe get different tracklists--The North American version is mostly chronologically sequenced, which is nice and includes "Where Does My Heart Beat Now," which wasn't on her 1999 hits release. 2 CD versions appear to be pretty comprehensive.

Anastacia - Heavy Rotation. Anastacia had great singles "Left Outside Alone" and "Sick and Tired" in 2004, so it's a bit puzzling why she's waited so long to release a follow-up. First single is "I Can Feel You," which I haven't heard yet.

Essential Albums of the Decade: 20 That Missed the Mark

Before I get into the decade's essential albums, I want to review a few albums that didn't make the list. First up are 20 albums that missed the mark. They aren't all bad (although some are). Some I like, but they didn't connect with an audience or didn't meet my expectations, particularly if a mediocre record followed a really landmark one. Others were just disappointing. I don't have a 20 "duds" list, since if I suspected an album was a dud, I wouldn't be paying it much attention.

Erasure - Loveboat (2000). Erasure fans would be forgiven for not knowing this album even exists. After several great albums in the '90s, particularly I Say I Say I Say and Cowboy, Loveboat was a real letdown. It performed quite poorly in the UK and was even denied a US release.

Backstreet Boys - Black and Blue (2000). Backstreet Boys rode high in 1999 with their third (second in US) album, Millennium--the only "boyband" album to be honored with a Grammy nomination for album of the year--and its massive hit single "I Want It That Way." But they lost their momentum with this uninteresting third release, having already lost the market to the more successful second album by NSYNC, No Strings Attached.

Ricky Martin - Sound Loaded (2000). Another act who was huge in 1999 and tried to follow it up quickly in 2000 but failed. Ricky Martin was everywhere in 1999 with "Livin' La Vida Loca" and its entertaining eponymous album. Nothing from this follow up was as much fun. A few of its singles charted, although none as successfully as the Ricky Martin singles, and then after that he's been pretty much unseen on the pop charts.

Mariah Carey - Glitter (2001). It seems every supermassive pop star eventually stumbles (see the next few entries). For Mariah Carey, this was that moment. After a string of hugely successful albums and a score of #1 hits, Carey switched record labels and embarked on what was supposed to be a crowning achievement: the double-whammy of a major film and accompanying album. It didn't quite work out that way. The movie was universally panned, the album failed to generate a major hit ("Loverboy" charted well, but it was a sales blip, driven by heavy discounting), and Carey suffered a breakdown. The Glitter album deserves a second lesson though--it's better than her lukewarm 2002 offering, Charmbracelet.

Michael Jackson - Invincible (2001). Michael Jackson's death this summer has served to remind us of all the incredible pop music he made during his career with the Jackson 5 and as a soloist. This wasn't one of those. Invincible, his last proper album, was a disappointment, with Jackson chasing R&B trends that didn't suit him and laying on the ballad cheese too thick.

Whitney Houston - Just Whitney (2002). Sandwiched between her late '90s upbeat My Love Is Your Love and her 2009 "I Will Survive" comeback was this awkward album, made during her troubled years with drugs and Bobby Brown. "Try It on My Own" was a worthwhile ballad, the rest was just unnecessary. This album produced no major hits, although remixes of several of the songs topped the US dance chart.

Madonna - American Life (2003). I actually like this album (I gushed about it on Amazon, when I used to write user reviews), but in commercial terms, this was Madonna's low point. Although it did generate several dance #1s, and two UK #2 hits, its the only Madonna album not to score a top 40 hit in the US.

Annie Lennox - Bare (2003). Annie Lennox's 1992 album Diva is among my very favorites, and I liked the 1995 covers follow-up, Medusa. But I failed to bond with her third solo album, which arrived significantly later. The opening track, "A Thousand Beautiful Things" is quite lovely, and I love "Wonderful," but overall, I think this is her weakest solo set. The cover bugs me too.

Celine Dion - One Heart (2003). Remember when Celine Dion was a major force on the pop charts? It all ended with this album, her first US release to not score a top 40 hit. It still sold well, owing to her legion of fans, but surely even they have dwindled by now. Two of the album's tracks were from her previous album, and underneath the CD was an ad for Chrysler. Tsk tsk.

Kylie Minogue - Body Language (2003). After the dazzling dance pop of Light Years and Fever, Kylie took a step back with Body Language, moving away from her clubby dance pop sound to a more electro one. While the first half of the album has some great songs, particularly UK #1 hit "Slow," the second half is pretty dull.

Daniel Bedingfield - Second First Impression (2004). Daniel's debut, Gotta Get Thru This, was great, but his second album was a real buzzkill. Recorded in a year that started with him suffering a terrible car accident, it could have been that he needed more time to recover. He's still yet to deliver a third album.

Air - Pocket Symphony (2007). On this 2007 follow-up to the brilliant Talkie Walkie, Air got a little too mellow, pushing their airy synths into boring territory. Thankfully they rebounded this year.

Kelly Clarkson - My December (2007). This is another album that I enjoy, but failed to connect with an audience. Clarkson's second album, Breakaway, was a massive success, proving without a doubt she was more than just a reality TV show winner. Then for her third album she tried to take the reins away from the record company, resulting in a rather public spat with Clive Davis, who declared her album to be hitless. She's since atoned, but My December did indeed fail commercially.

The Editors - An End Has a Start (2007). Loved The Back Room, but not its lethargic follow-up. So much so that I haven't checked out their newest album, as they don't seem that interesting anymore.

Sugababes - Change (2007). Sugababes made two excellent albums, and a couple of good ones, and then went downhill. Change gave us "About You Now" but little else that was worthwhile.


Britney Spears - Blackout (2007). An intended comeback that actually continued to fuel the negative tabloid fires from its questionable title to its phoned-in feel. Although it managed a few respectable hits--"Gimme More" and "Piece of Me"--the real comeback was around the corner with Circus.

Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan - Sunday at Dirt Devil (2008). The former singers from Belle and Sebastian singer and Queens of the Stone Age failed to generate the same spark on their second collaboration, which lacked the quirky charm of the first.

The Verve - Forth (2008). With songs that were long, plodding and lacking in energy, The Verve proved that it was indeed a fine idea to call it quits with their landmark 1997 album, Urban Hymns.


Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns (2008). Final Straw made Snow Patrol a name in the UK and Eyes Open a name around the world, but the momentum was shot with this bland release, which tried too hard to repeat the success of Eyes Open without the element of surprise.

Eminem - Relapse (2009). Vulgar for the sake of it and just downright nasty. Where's the enjoyment in that?



Tomorrow: 20 Acclaimed Albums That Just Don't Do It for Me