REVIEWED BY CHUCK ARNOLD
COUNTRY-POP
It's hard to listen to Keith Urban's new album without thinking about the headlines he's made from his personal life this year. A romantic declaration like "Once in a Lifetime"—on which he sings, "I close my eyes and I see you standin' right there/Sayin' 'I do' and they're throwin' the rice in our hair"—clearly seems to be inspired by his June marriage to fellow Aussie Nicole Kidman. Meanwhile, the stand-by-your-woman sentiments of "Won't Let You Down" are now more than a little ironic after Urban's admittance to rehab last month. Musically, the disc represents a marked departure from 2004's superior Be Here, with Urban venturing more toward middle-of-the-road pop-rock. Brooks & Dunn's Ronnie Dunn helps turn up the twang, though, on the uplifting "Raise the Barn," while "I Told You So" finds some fertile common ground between country and Celtic sounds.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "I Told You So"
The Black Parade
CRITIC'S CHOICE
ALT-ROCK
Green Day raised the bar for eyeliner-wearing punks everywhere with 2004's Grammy-winning rock opera American Idiot. You can hear that CD's influence all over My Chemical Romance's new concept album, an ambitious effort that finds the New Jersey emo quintet building on the success of 2004's platinum Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. On The Black Parade—which, like American Idiot, was produced by Rob Cavallo—MCR marches forward with a goth grandeur that will have you breaking out your Doc Martens. The disc sets its dark tone with the opener, ironically titled "The End": "If you look in the mirror and don't like what you see/You can find out firsthand what it's like to be me," sings frontman Gerard Way, connecting with the alienated adolescent in all of us. Later, on the bratty stomper "Teenagers," he sings about "the boys and girls in the clique/The awful names that they stick." With its sweep and snare drums, though, the Queen-like "Welcome to the Black Parade" is the crowning moment.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Welcome to the Black Parade"
El Tren de los Momentos
LATIN
Last year Spain's Alejandro Sanz posted a history-making run at the top of Billboard's Latin singles chart with "La Tortura," his smoldering duet with Shakira that spent a total of 25 weeks at No. 1. The two stars again bring the tropical heat on "Te Lo Agradezco Pero No" (translation: I Thank You, But No), one of the highlights of Sanz's new CD. While one can only hope that one day Sanz and Shakira will do an entire disc together, there is plenty to enjoy in the meantime on El Tren de los Momentos (The Train of Moments). The singer-guitarist inhabits these tunes with such soulful passion that you can feel his every emotion whether or not you can understand the words. Defying genres as well as language barriers, Sanz seamlessly weaves hip-hop, funk, rock and jazz, coming off more like the Latin Sting than the male Shakira.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Te Lo Agradezco Pero No"
Taylor Swift
REVIEWED BY RALPH NOVAK
COUNTRY
Sixteen-year-old Taylor Swift may be Nashville's answer to Britney Spears. On her self-titled debut, the Wyomissing, Pa., native is lively and engaging if inevitably lacking in polish and depth. On the appealing hit "Tim McGraw," the singer-guitarist—who wrote or cowrote all the songs on her disc—settles for being perky and cute instead of evocative and insightful. Swift comes off as a typical teenage girl on "Teardrops on My Guitar," but displays a more adult perspective on the superior "Picture to Burn."
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Picture to Burn"
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>Although it might well describe the country star's ups and downs this year, the name of Urban's new CD (right) was taken from the 1973 romantic drama Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing, starring Maggie Smith and Timothy Bottoms.
Lindsey Buckingham, Under the Skin The Fleetwood Macster smoothly goes his own way on his first solo album since 1992, but gets a little help from bandmates Mick Fleetwood and John McVie on the country-style "Down on Rodeo."
Sleepy Brown, Mr. Brown The featured singer from OutKast jams like "The Way You Move" steps out on his own with a chill style and airy croon reminiscent of guest Pharrell.
Brooke Hogan, Undiscovered Hulk's daughter parlays the VH1 reality show Hogan Knows Best into this lame pop outing, which would be better titled Untalented.
George Benson & Al Jarreau, Givin' It Up Jarreau's reliably supple vocals and Benson's flashy guitar licks face off on a winning mix of jazz-pop numbers displaying fierce technique.
SOUNDS OFF
Signed to hip-hop label Def Jam, British rapper Lady Sovereign (real name: Louise Harman), 20, has invaded the States with her CD Public Warning featuring the hit "Love Me or Hate Me."
ON AUDITIONING FOR DEF JAM CEO JAY-Z He flew me over first-class, which was nice, but the food wasn't. A bit fancy—caviar and all. [At Def Jam] I was shaking, literally shaking. Then Jay-Z walks in and says, "So, can you spit some lyrics?" I'm in front of all these people [including Usher] and it took me about 10 minutes to actually do it. I couldn't wait to get out of there.
ON HOW SHE GOT HER NAME I was sitting in this guy's house. I just see this ring sitting in the corner of the room, and back then I couldn't afford jewelry. I put it on my finger, and I was smoking Sovereign cigarettes at the same time, and it was like, "Well, I'm Lady Sovereign now."
ON WEARING A TRACKSUIT TO HER SISTER'S WEDDING My sister was p——off. The other two bridesmaids had dresses on, and I'm walking down the aisle in my tracksuit. I refused to chuck flowers as well. I wasn't even elegantly walking. I was sort of semi-hopping down the aisle.
Don't let the accent fool you: Lady Sovereign shows that a pint-size white girl from England can rule the mike on her bloody good full-length debut. "It ain't about tea and biscuits/I'm one of those English misfits," she raps. Dropping her rhymes to a fresh mix of old-school hip-hop and futuristic electronica, ska and punk, this Brit shows true grit.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
