Late Registration
Long on bluster—he even threw a tantrum after losing out to country star Gretchen Wilson for Favorite New Artist at the American Music Awards last November—Kanye West starts his sophomore CD, Late Registration, with unusual humility. On the relatively subdued "Heard 'Em Say," which employs a lovely piano sample from Natalie Cole's "Someone That I Used to Love" and a falsetto-tinged croon from Maroon 5's Adam Levine, he displays more appreciation than arrogance. "Nothing's ever promised tomorrow today," he raps, as if knowing that success like what he achieved with his 2004 debut, The College Dropout (2.7 million sales, two Grammy wins), can be fleeting. But this follow-up actually improves on the somewhat overrated Dropout, demonstrating that West has a few new tricks in his backpack. He has clearly learned from the stellar work he has done as a producer for artists like Common, John Legend and Brandy (all of whom return the favor with cameos here), bringing a more soulful, even jazzy vibe to his hip-hop. Much of Registration boasts a lush, live-sounding feel; in fact, West makes use of real strings and horns on tracks like the anti-haters "Bring Me Down." In signature style, though, he really gives life to the production with his savvy old-school samples: Etta James's version of "My Funny Valentine" on "Addiction," a heady, Latin-spiced number; folk singer Donal Leace's "Today Won't Come Again" on "Hey Mama," a reggae-flavored tribute to West's mother; Ray Charles's "I Got a Woman" on the great single "Gold Digger," which opens with Jamie Foxx channeling the Genius. West even samples a gospel choir on the disc's hardest cut, "Crack Music," which features a socially charged lyric equating the drug crack with the black music that comes from the streets. He may still not be in the same league as some of the best emcees, but West knows how to hook you.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Gold Digger"
INDIE ROCK
Twin Cinema
CRITIC'S CHOICE
Give them credit: It's hard not to notice the name. Even better: The music's terrific on this third album from the New Pornographers, a Vancouver indie-rock collective. With the exception of the catchy title track, the more intricate Twin Cinema may not be as instantly likable as the hummable power pop of 2003's Electric Version, but the new CD is ultimately more rewarding.
Like fellow Canadians Arcade Fire, the Pornographers maximize their versatile cast—fronted by AC. Newman, who plays six instruments and writes and sings most of the tunes—with expansive instrumentals and frequent role changes, sometimes in mid-song. Beginning as a spare ballad, "The Bleeding Heart Show" builds to a rollicking chorus highlighted by singer Neko Case's harmonies. While melancholy gems like "The Bones of an Idol" and "These Are the Fables" are more in line with Newman's 2004 solo release The Slow Wonder, trademark high-energy tracks such as the upbeat anthem "Use It" are what really reel you in to Cinema.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "The Bleeding Heart Show"
REGGAE/R&B
Music of the Sun
With its infectious, hand-clapping dance-hall groove, Rihanna's smash "Pon de Replay" has indeed had deejays turning the music up, over and over, this summer. But whereas you might have expected this 17-year-old Barbados native to be destined for one-hit wonderdom—much like Lumidee was in 2003 with her similarly styled reggae jam "Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)"—Rihanna's debut suggests her career outlook may be decidedly sunnier. Playing up her lilting island sounds on cuts like the breezy, bouncy "If It's Lovin' That You Want" and the Spanish-guitar-laced title tune, she distinguishes herself from the pack of Ciara clones. Sheeny, age-appropriate ballads such as "Willing to Wait" also display why she could be the Caribbean teen queen.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Pon de Replay"
JAZZ/POP
Possibilities
Pop stars from Carlos Santana and Sting to Christina Aguilera and Joss Stone sit in with the innovative jazz keyboardist on this genre-defying disc. The impressive result feels like one big jam session with Hancock presiding; there's a real collaborative spirit at work as they push boundaries-and each other—reimagining old songs and creating new ones. Best of all is the haunting version of the Billie Holiday standard "Don't Explain," on which Hancock's evocative piano surrounds the exquisitely hushed vocals of Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Don't Explain"
LATIN
Island Life
The festive second album from this Afro-Cuban collective is sure to pump some life into your next party. With hip-shaking tropical rhythms and a funky urban edge that nods to hip-hop, New York's Yerba Buena captures the energy of both the island of Cuba and the island of Manhattan. The tasty "Sugar Daddy" employs the reggaeton sound that has made its way from the beaches of Puerto Rico to the streets of New York City. "Bilingual Girl" makes a sexy statement about being able to speak English and Spanish: "Two tongues are better than one."
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Bilingual Girl"
COUNTRY
Hanna-McEuen
Cousins Jaime Hanna and Jonathan McEuen are the sons of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band members Jeff Hanna and John McEuen, and this promising debut suggests they have inherited some of their dads' musical virtuosity. Not only do they sing their bluegrass-flavored country songs with a hint of Everly Brothers rapport, they write and play a busload of instruments with dazzling dexterity. The 12 tunes range from the quietly moody "Blue Sunrise" to the lively "Fool Around" and the contemplative "Ocean." Their closeness—the duo's mothers are twins—infuses their music mm with harmony in every respect. The Dirt Band may be a country institution, but Jaime and Jonathan carve out some turf of their own.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Rock and a Heartache"
For information on where to find our Download This picks, go to www.people.com/downloadthis or AOL (Keyword: People)
Jared Leto
Actor Jared Leto, 33, is back moonlighting as frontman of the prog-rock band 30 Seconds to Mars with the new disc A Beautiful Lie and a tour through Sept. 24.
THE CURE, DISINTEGRATION: Heartbreakingly beautiful, it's one of the darkest records that still leaves a sense of hope somewhere. The melodies and Robert Smith's vocals are just haunting.
RADIOHEAD, KID A: I can listen to it almost anytime to sort of clear my head. They're really inspirational because of their refusal to be afraid to embrace change. That was a very important factor for us [when making] A Beautiful Lie.
U2, JOSHUA TREE: This was a huge record for me when I was growing up. It's incredibly honest, beautiful, simple and elegant—all at the same time.
NINE INCH NAILS, THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL: A perfect album from start to finish. It's cinematic, brave and unique. You can tell that every moment is part of a pure sense of vision.
BJÖRK, HOMOGENIC: She has such a unique voice and a unique point of view as an artist, and I really appreciate that.
The 22nd annual Video Music Awards will air live Aug. 28 at 8 p.m. ET on MTV. Here's who we think deserves to go home with a Moon Man.
VIDEO OF THE YEAR Coldplay, "Speed of Sound" Green Day, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" Gwen Stefani, "Hollaback Girl" Kanye West, "Jesus Walks" Snoop Dogg with Pharrell, "Drop It Like It's Hot" Green Day poignantly captures the disillusionment of a nation with moody imagery.
BEST MALE VIDEO 50 Cent, "Candy Shop" Beck, "E-Pro" John Legend, "Ordinary People" Kanye West, "Jesus Walks" Usher, "Caught Up" West struts past the field with his clip's cinematic vision in both color and black-and-white.
BEST FEMALE VIDEO Amerie, "1 Thing" Gwen Stefani, "Hollaback Girl" Kelly Clarkson, "Since U Been Gone" Mariah Carey, "We Belong Together" Shakira with Alejandro Sanz, "La Tortura" Cheerleaders! Marching bands! Majorettes! Stefani's high school jaunt is B-A-N-A-N-A-S.
BEST GROUP VIDEO The Black Eyed Peas, "Don't Phunk with My Heart" Destiny's Child with T.I. and Lil' Wayne, "Soldier" Green Day, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" The Killers, "Mr. Brightside" U2, "Vertigo" Green Day scores again, but we also love the Killers' campy, colorful Moulin Rouge homage.
- Contributors:
- Chuck Arnold,
- Chris Strauss,
- Ralph Novak,
- Mark Dagostino.
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!
