Raymond v. Raymond |
CRITIC'S CHOICE
R&B
While it purportedly explores the conflicts between Usher the star and Usher the man, Raymond v. Raymond, which comes after last year's split from Tameka Foster, will ultimately go down as Usher Raymond IV's divorce album. The personal drama helps make for a juicier affair than 2008's Here I Stand, his testament to marital bliss. Usher serves up his most explicit dish on the bitter ballad "Papers": "I done damn near lost my mama/ I done been through so much drama/ I done turned into the man that I never thought I'd be." Other key tracks point to suspicions ("Guilty," a hip-hopping trial with T.I.) and infidelities (the heartfelt mea culpa "Foolin' Around"), while coyly leaving you to wonder whether Usher's confessions are real or not.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "There Goes My Baby," an exquisitely sung slow jam
Gretchen Wilson
I Got Your Country Right Here |
COUNTRY
On the butt-kicking title track of her fourth studio album, Gretchen Wilson cites southern rockers like Charlie Daniels, the Allman Brothers Band and ZZ Top. Meanwhile on "Outlaws and Renegades," she salutes country classicists such as Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. The redneck woman brings both of those sensibilities to this CD, thumbing her nose at today's country mainstream.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Earrings Song," a catfight-ready stomp
Goldfrapp
Head First |
DANCE-POP
The dance-pop revolution brought on by Lady Gaga gives acts like Goldfrapp the perfect opportunity to take their turn in the disco-ball spotlight. Here the airy, synth-infused grooves of singer Alison Goldfrapp and multi-instrumentalist Will Gregory are a heady delight.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Rocket," the cloud-surfing single
Amy Grant
Somewhere Down the Road |
POP/CHRISTIAN
It's been seven long years since Amy Grant's last album of new material, Simple Things. Even here only six songs are actually brand new (two others were previously unreleased). That's not going to win her any bragging rights in her household, with husband Vince Gill releasing the four-disc These Days in 2006. Still, this is a soothing set of inspirational pop, as the pure-voiced Grant exudes a simple warmth on tracks like the title tune, which finds the intersection between folk and gospel.
DOWNLOAD THIS: "Unafraid," a tender, comforting ballad
FOR DOWNLOAD PICKS INFO, GO TO PEOPLE.COM/DOWNLOADTHIS
>• Just when femme emcees appeared to be a dying breed, this Lil Wayne protegee turns up on recent tracks by Usher, Ludacris, Mariah Carey and Robin Thicke. We can't wait for her fall debut!
>KIDZ IN THE HALL
Land of Make Believe
Founded at the University of Pennsylvania, this alternative rap act delivers on brains and beats, making one of the best albums by a hip-hop duo since OutKast. Believe it.
JOSH ROUSE
El Turista
Traveling from Spain to Brazil, singing in English and Spanish along the way, this singer-songwriter produces a disc that at best sounds like the Latin answer to Graceland.
BRIGHT EYES & NEVA DINOVA
One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels
Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) and Jake Bellows (Neva Dinova) unite outfits for an alt-folk affair with modest charms.
THE BIRD AND THE BEE
Interpreting the Masters Volume 1
On this disc, subtitled A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates, the duo suck much of the blue-eyed soul out of hits like "Rich Girl."
>• The "Fireflies" guy (a.k.a. Adam Young), 23, starts a U.S. tour for Ocean Eyes March 30.
ON HIS OWL CITY ALIAS
I was browsing online and saw that name. It had a mood, a ring to it. It's a silly little thing and makes me smile. (If I went by Adam), I think I'd be like, "Everyone stop saying my name!"
ON JUMP-STARTING HIS CAREER
Two years ago I lived with my parents in their basement in southern Minnesota. While they were gone for a weekend, it was a good time to be loud and obnoxious, so I wrote these seven songs that became the first Owl City EP. I put them on MySpace, and kids discovered it.
ON "FIREFLIES"
That song kind of wrote itself, honestly. It's about finding inspiration when I can't sleep at night. My insomnia is a blessing and a curse.
ON THE REVENGE OF THE NERD
I remember people making fun of me in high school. Now those people want to go eat at Applebee's.
>• The cult hero from the Box Tops and Big Star died at 59 on March 17. Here are five songs to remember him by.
"THE LETTER"
(Box Tops)
A No. 1 hit in 1967.
"CRY LIKE A BABY"
(Box Tops)
A soulful outpouring.
"KANGAROO"
(Big Star)
Psychedelic grooviness.
"THANK YOU FRIENDS"
(Big Star)
Power-pop nirvana.
"ALEX CHILTON"
(The Replacements)
Alt-rock tribute.
>• Just when femme emcees appeared to be a dying breed, this Lil Wayne protégée turns up on recent tracks by Usher, Ludacris, Mariah Carey and Robin Thicke. We can't wait for her fall debut!
>KIDZ IN THE HALL
Land of Make Believe
Founded at the University of Pennsylvania, this alternative rap act delivers on brains and beats, making one of the best albums by a hip-hop duo since OutKast. Believe it. [
JOSH ROUSE
El Turista
Traveling from Spain to Brazil, singing in English and Spanish along the way, this singer-songwriter produces a disc that at best sounds like the Latin answer to Graceland. [
BRIGHT EYES & NEVA DINOVA
One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels
Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) and Jake Bellows (Neva Dinova) unite outfits for an alt-folk affair with modest charms. [
THE BIRD AND THE BEE
Interpreting the Masters Volume 1
On this disc, subtitled A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates, the duo suck much of the blue-eyed soul out of hits like "Rich Girl." [
>• The "Fireflies" guy (a.k.a. Adam Young), 23, starts a U.S. tour for Ocean Eyes March 30.
ON HIS OWL CITY ALIAS
I was browsing online and saw that name. It had a mood, a ring to it. It's a silly little thing and makes me smile. [If I went by Adam], I think I'd be like, "Everyone stop saying my name!"
ON JUMP-STARTING HIS CAREER
Two years ago I lived with my parents in their basement in southern Minnesota. While they were gone for a weekend, it was a good time to be loud and obnoxious, so I wrote these seven songs that became the first Owl City EP. I put them on MySpace, and kids discovered it.
ON "FIREFLIES"
That song kind of wrote itself, honestly. It's about finding inspiration when I can't sleep at night. My insomnia is a blessing and a curse.
ON THE REVENGE OF THE NERD
I remember people making fun of me in high school. Now those people want to go eat at Applebee's.
>• The cult hero from the Box Tops and Big Star died at 59 on March 17. Here are five songs to remember him by.
"THE LETTER"
(Box Tops)
A No. 1 hit in 1967.
"CRY LIKE A BABY"
(Box Tops)
A soulful outpouring.
"KANGAROO"
(Big Star)
Psychedelic grooviness.
"THANK YOU FRIENDS"
(Big Star)
Power-pop nirvana.
"ALEX CHILTON"
(The Replacements)
Alt-rock tribute.
