Singles Serving

Judas - Lady Gaga. Clearly the big new single of the week. Lady Gaga returns with the second helping from her upcoming album, Born This Way. It's edgier than "Born This Way," although still very much in her usual vein of electro-dance pop. This "Bad Romance" only a bit dirtier ("Fame hooker, prostitute wench, vomits her mind"). Definitely another winner.

Turning Tables - Glee Cast feat. Gwyneth Paltrow. Gwyneth Paltrow tackles an album track from Adele's 21 and manages to pull the song off quite well. It makes me hope Adele releases this as a single soon. Such a beautiful song. It is odd that I think Gwyneth sounds a bit like Chris Colfer?

Unorthodox - Wretch 32 feat. Example. Wretch 32 is the year's hottest new British rapper. He hit #5 earlier this year with "Traktor" and returns with this superior single. It doesn't move the Earth, but it's enjoyable enough upbeat hip-hop track with a little taste of reggae melody underpinning it.

Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair - Arctic Monkeys. Remember when Arctic Monkeys delivered tight little explosive bombs masquerading as rock songs? Well, they don't do that anymore. Not that this is a bad song--the deep bass guitar growl recalls '90s-style alternative--but they aren't as much fun anymore. This is the first single from their upcoming fourth album.

Telling the World - Taio Cruz. This song is pretty cheesy, but I actually kind of enjoy it. Taio Cruz backed with piano and soaring synth-based melodies is a winning enough combination. Then the chimes come in...and you know you're in for the kind of song that works well in advertisements. It is, after all, from the soundtrack to the film Rio. Enjoy it for what it is.

Stop and Stare - Fenech-Soler. Fenech-Soler is a British electropop group from Northhamptonshire (isn't that a great name for a place to be from?). Not a bad bit of dance pop. Still, it's a genre that's been worked over of late, and while enjoyable, this isn't adding anything new to the conversation.