REVIEWED BY CHUCK ARNOLD
COUNTRY
Though they went from a trio to a duo—Kristen Hall departed after 2004's double-platinum debut Twice the Speed of Life—the country-pop sounds of Sugarland remain just as sweet on the crowd-pleasing Enjoy the Ride. With lead singer Jennifer Nettles still the driving voice of the group, and Kristian Bush still providing harmony and guitar/mandolin, the twosome carry on without missing a foot-stomping beat. Sugarland continues to connect with the heartland on songs like the small-town anthem "Everyday America" and the nostalgic romp "County Line." On the defiant opener "Settlin'," Nettles strikes a blow for the Everywoman: "I ain't settlin'/For just getting by/I've had enough so-so/For the rest of my life." Meanwhile, the sentimental closer "Sugarland" paints a place that is, more than anything, a state of mind.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Settlin'"
Take the Weather with You
REVIEWED BY RALPH NOVAK
COUNTRY
Although Buffett will turn 60 in December, he is still obsessed with cavorting on the beach, as demonstrated by Take the Weather with You tracks such as "Party at the End of the World," "Duke's on Sunday" and "Hula Girl at Heart." But while Buffett's fans—known as "Parrotheads"—may be keen on his kicking up the sand, others may find it tiresome. He's still enjoyable, though, when he combines reggae and rockabilly on "Reggabilly Hill." Elsewhere, on the insouciant "Nothin' but a Breeze," Buffett sings, "One day I'll soon be a grandpa/All the pretty girls will call me 'sir.'" Clearly, he must be aware that with age comes a certain expectation of maturity, but you'd never know it from most of this disc.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Everybody's on the Phone"
Awake
POP-CLASSICAL
On this, his third studio album, "popera" star Josh Groban seems determined to show that he is not just a classical geek. He enlisted onetime Madonna and Björk collaborator Marius de Vries to produce several tracks, and cowrote songs with Dave Matthews, Five for Fighting's John Ondrasik and alt-pop darling Imogen Heap. While he has some success letting his curly hair down, the tenor stumbles when he ventures into Graceland territory with Ladysmith Black Mambazo on "Weeping," while coming off too stiff on "Machine," a misguided jazz-pop turn featuring Herbie Hancock. In the end, Groban is still all about the tunes that are guaranteed to make Grandma swoon.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Now or Never"
Point of No Return
R&B
Shareefa is the latest hip-hop-soul sister vying to be the next Mary J. Blige. And with that goal in mind, the Newark, N.J., native has recruited early Blige collaborator Chucky Thompson to help produce her debut. The two do well to capture the vibe of the Mary classic My Life on the gritty highlight "No One Said." Shareefa also brings a ghetto realness to the Earth, Wind & Fire-sampling "Phony," while keeping it street on the R&B hit "Need a Boss" with some help from her own chief, label head Ludacris.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "No One Said"
Still the Same ... Great Rock Classics of Our Time
REVIEWED BY STEVE DOUGHERTY
POP-ROCK
On the heels of his hugely popular Great American Songbook series, Stewart furthers the formula for commercial success with this disc, which debuted at the top of Billboard's album chart. Unfortunately, Still the Same is hardly classic Rod. Not to say the songs are all bad; some, like Van Morrison's "Crazy Love," are real gems. And the musicians are first-rate. But Stewart's note-for-note replication of tunes like the Eagles' "The Best of My Love" and Elvin Bishop's "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" makes this feel more like a K-Tel package of hits from the '70s.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Crazy Love"
For more information on where to find our Download This picks, go to WWW.PEOPLE.COM/DOWNLOADTHIS
JAY-Z, "Show Me What You Got"
"What you want me to do? I'm sorry, I'm back." So offers Jay-Z as he launches into his comeback single, a welcome return from his supposed retirement after 2003's The Black Album. This blazing, horn-blaring track from his Kingdom Come CD, due Nov. 21, shows that he's definitely still got it.
The Killers, Sam's Town On their ambitious second album, the Killers venture into the arena-rock realm of Bruce Springsteen. The awesome, anthemic "When You Were Young" is a direct homage to "Born to Run."
Vince Gill, These Days On a remarkable four-disc set of new material, Gill stretches out from country and bluegrass to rock, pop, jazz and gospel with some help from Sheryl Crow, Diana Krall, Bonnie Raitt and, natch, wife Amy Grant.
John Legend, Once Again Reaffirming that he is no ordinary performer, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and pianist continues to lovingly update old-school soul for the hip-hop generation.
Scissor Sisters, Tah-dah The Scissor Sisters put their boogie shoes back on for their second CD, which, with groovy tunes like "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'," is as delightful as its title.
Putting her past personal drama behind her, R&B singer Monica, 26, has a new son, Rodney, 1, and a new album, The Makings of Me.
KIRK FRANKLIN, "IMAGINE ME" It's motivational. It's good to start your day with, to prepare yourself for whatever may come.
FAITH EVANS, "SOON AS I GET HOME" It's very relevant for us [artists] traveling as much as we do. It puts a strain on relationships.
MARY J. BLIGE, "MY LIFE" I love that song. [Mary and I] relate to each other in a lot of different things. She has been through a lot.
MARY MARY, "YESTERDAY" I listen to that a lot because I'm definitely finished crying my tears [about] the past.
The 17-year-old star of the Disney Channel's High School Musical has gone from that movie's hit soundtrack to her debut solo album, V.
ON HER HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL CHARACTER
Gabriella is a great role model. But I'm not the person who sits at home and reads a book by the fire. I'm definitely the girl who's gonna go out to the mall and go shopping.
ON THE NEXT HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL MOVIE
We're going to [shoot] a second one in February. We're all coming back. It takes place during summer vacation and I'm a lifeguard, so I'll get to wear a cute bathing suit.
ON HER FAVORITE MUSICALS
I really like Grease, The Sound of Music and Bye Bye Birdie. And West Side Story. I want to play Maria. That's my dream job. I hope a studio will hear that.
ON HER SINGING IDOL
I've looked up to Celine Dion since I was 4 or 5. I would sit in front of my karaoke machine and all I would do was sing "The Power of Love."
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!
