Today's Music from ww_adh

UK Singles Chart, 4/18/2009

2009-07-12T19:37:00.002-04:00

1. Evacuate the Dancefloor - Cascada

Cascada spends a second week at #1 with "Evacuate the Dancefloor." The track is the first #1 hit in almost a month to spend more than a week at #1. Although the turnover at the top of the singles chart has slowed in recent years, the last three #1s--La Roux, David Guetta/Kelly Rowland, and Pixie Lott--each managed just a single week at #1.

2. Bulletproof - La Roux

With "Man in The Mirror" falling to #3, La Roux climbs back up a notch to #2.

3. Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson

Interest in Michael Jackson's songs waned a bit this week, but buoyed by the midweek memorial service, he still manages to chart quite a few singles in the top 40 this week, including one that didn't appear last week. In addition to "Man in the Mirror" at #3, MJ also has:

20. Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson
21. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
25. Thriller - Michael Jackson
28. They Don't Care About Us - Michael Jackson (Up four places from #32 last week)
29. Black or White - Michael Jackson
31. Dirty Diana - Michael Jackson
32. Beat It - Michael Jackson
36. Who's Lovin' You - Jackson 5 (new entry)
39. Earth Song - Michael Jackson
40. You Are Not Alone - Michael Jackson

The most significant entry in the bunch is "Who's Lovin' You" by the Jackson 5. It owes its appearance in the top 40 this week to Britain's Got Talent competitor Shaheen Jafargholi's performance of the song at Tuesday's memorial service for Jackson at the Los Angeles Staples Center. Also, it's notable that for a second week, over 1/4 of the top 40 belongs to Michael Jackson, with 11 songs this week (13 last week).

4. Paparazzi - Lady GaGa

The pre-release download sales were so strong for this one that it's a bit surprising the single only manages to come at #4 upon its physical release. Still, it's GaGa's third straight top 5 hit, albeit not her third #1 as I thought it could be.

6. Diamond Rings - Chipmunk

Rapper Chipmunk scores his first solo top 10 hit this week with "Diamond Rings." Chipmunk first appeared in the top 40 earlier this year with "Chip Diddy Chip" (#21) and was featured on Ironik's "Tiny Dancer" (#3) with Elton John.

10. I Gotta Feelling - Black Eyed Peas

As if there was any doubt this would be another major hit for Black Eyed Peas, "I Gotta Feeling" jumps 29 spots to #10 this week, becoming the group's 10th top 10 hit. The CD release is about a month away on this one, so it's a potential #1 contender. Although as GaGa showed above, such early sales may not necessarily point to an eventual #1 placing.

11. Battlefield - Jordin Sparks

Jordin Sparks misses the top 10 with fully released "Battlefield," climbing back up to #11 where it was a few weeks ago. Truthfully, while I like this song, I don't love it, and I'm disappointed she didn't lead her second album with a stronger first single.

12. Crying Lightning - Arctic Monkeys

This took me by surprise! I had no idea Arctic Monkeys had a new single out, and given it's pretty much immediate appearance this week (it debuted straight onto Radio 1's A-list on Wedensday), I suspect few others did too. Hence, it misses the top 10 this week, but surely can climb up next week (or in August once the CD is released).

13. I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) - Pitbull

Pitbull climbs 15 spots to #13 with "I Know Yout Want Me," which will be looking to go top 10 next week. The CD singles is out July 27.

38. Shark in the Water - VV Brown

VV Brown makes a rather slight top 40 debut at #38 with "Shark in the Water." Her album is out tomorrow, but with such a poor showing for the single, I wonder how well it will do.

Best of 2000s: Natalie Imbruglia - Counting Down the Days (4.5/5)

2009-07-11T07:55:00.002-04:00

Under-rated and mostly over-looked, Natalie Imbruglia's third album was a classy pop affair that suffered from bad promotion. While the album launched an the back of the brilliant first single "Shiver," it produced no other hits and quickly faded from the limelight, along with Imbruglia's career (we've barely heard a peep from her since). Too bad, for she's a pretty fantastic pop artist who deserves to be known for more than just "Torn." Most of the best songs on Counting Down the Days are bright-sounding blends of mostly acoustic instrumentation and Imbruglia's smooth vocals. Co-written by Kara DioGuardi, "Starting Today" is a delightful track that balances its guitar melody and with Imbruglia's clear voice. Upbeat "Satisfied" and "Sanctuary" are similarly, instantly likable. "Counting Down the Days," while a bad choice for a single, is not a bad album track, alternating between piano-backed versus and louder choruses. Slower songs are good too, like the moody "I Won't Be Lost." "Perfectly" sounds like it was made to air over TV promos for the CW, which is to say that it would sound great on the radio too. Quirky "Honeycomb Child" is less immediate, but give it a second chance and its music-box melody will charm you. In short, there's little not to like here.

Best: Shiver, Starting Today, Sanctuary, Satisfied, Perfectly, Counting Down the Days

Personal Chart, 7/11/2009

2009-07-10T17:31:00.001-04:00

TW LW Title - Artist
1 .... 5 .... Bulletproof - La Roux (1 week @ #1)
2 .... 3 .... Lovegame - Lady GaGa
3 .... 8 .... Paparazzi - Lady GaGa
4 .... 2 .... When Love Takes Over - David Guetta & Kelly Rowland
5 .... 6 .... Waking Up in Vegas - Katy Perry
6 ... 10 ... Knock You Down - Keri Hilson Featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo
7 .... 7 .... Please Don't Leave Me - Pink
8 .... 4 .... Release Me - Agnes (1 week @ #1)
9 ... 16 ... Don't Trust Me - 3Oh!3
10 .. 21 .. I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas

VV Brown "Shark in the Water"

2009-07-09T21:26:00.003-04:00

VV Brown's first major single "Shark in the Water" is out. While "Crying Blood" sounded a lot like Amy Winehouse, this shows a different, more modern side. Reminds me of Jamelia (whose last album I loved).

Billboard Hot 100, July 18, 2009

2009-07-09T21:13:00.003-04:00

1. I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas
2. Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas rule the top 2 for the fourth week in a row. "I Gotta Feeling" remains on top for a second week. A friend of mine recently declared this the best pop song released within the last 8 years. I don't know if it's that good, but I think I'm enjoying it more than "Boom Boom Pow" at this point.

9. You Belong with Me - Taylor Swift

"You Belong with Me" enters the top 10, becoming Swift's fourth top 10 hit. Her last and biggest top 10 hit was "Love Story," which peaked at #4. I'm really into the song right now and its cute cute cute video.

12. Falling for You - Colbie Caillat

Just when you thought you'd never hear from her again, Colbie Caillat makes a rather impressive Hot 100 debut at #12 with "Falling for You." I haven't heard this yet, but I really wasn't interested in "Bubbly" or "Realize," so my expectations are quite low.

37. 21 Guns - Green Day

Green Day scores their fifth top 40 hit with "21 Guns," the second 21st Century Breakdown single. It follows "Know Your Enemy," which hit #28.

Not a a particularly exciting Hot 100 this week. If only those Michael Jackson songs had been allowed to chart...

Sugababes "Get Sexy"

2009-07-08T20:44:00.001-04:00

Sugababes have a new single coming--due in late August. After the underwhelming performance of Catfights and Spotlights, they could really use a hit. This sounds like a more American R&B/pop direction for them. Interesting. I like it, but it's definitely different. Thanks to Fizzypop Paul for alerting me to this.

Michael Jackson memorial

2009-07-07T20:17:00.002-04:00

I watched bits of the Michael Jackson memorial today. There were some great moments and some not so great ones. Mariah Carey didn't sound very good, but it was nice to see Trey Lorenz again. Jennifer Hudson did a good job with "Will You Be There." Brooke Shields did a nice job telling stories about the good times she and Michael shared, such as sneaking into Elizabeth Taylor's hotel room to look at her dress.

The most genuine moment of the event though, and it made me cry, was little 11 year-old Paris Jackson at the final moment of the memorial. Through tears, and comforted by aunt Janet, she told us simply that he was a wonderful father and she loves him. No matter how famous or how messed up Jackson was, his passing comes down to the fact that this sweet little girl lost her daddy the other week. Seeing him through her eyes for that brief moment made him more human to me than he's ever been.

Arctic Monkeys "Crying Lightning"

2009-07-07T20:08:00.003-04:00

A nice little surprise greeted me this morning on iTunes' new music Tuesday: A new single from the Arctic Monkeys - "Crying Lightning." It's the first single from their forthcoming third album Humbug, due out in late August (that's the cover there up top). I'm pretty impressed with it. I like the dark sound.

Billboard on Thriller

2009-07-07T20:05:00.003-04:00

Billboard has a really excellent feature story about the history and context of the album Thriller. I found it quite interesting. One particular tidbit was that Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones had to re-edit the album a bit after it was recorded to make sure it wasn't too long, since shorter albums sounded better on vinyl (because they could have wider grooves--who knew?). I wish there were features like this about other classic pop albums.

Taylor Swift "You Belong with Me"

2009-07-07T19:53:00.002-04:00

While I found "Teardrops on My Guitar" mawkish, and "Love Story" bland, Taylor Swift has finally won me over with "You Belong with Me." It's got a great chorus, and I love the story. Sure, it's a teenage cliche, but one so many of us (including me) can relate to this situation. The video is really great too--very touching.

UK Singles Chart, 7/11/2009

2009-07-05T17:10:00.002-04:00

1. Evacuate the Dancefloor - Cascada

There was much discussion (and disdain) this week about how Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart would not reflect the amazing resurgence in sales of Michael Jackson singles, since older titles are not allowed on the chart. In the UK, however, there are no such rules, so the British music-buying public had the unique opportunity to honor Jackson with his likely final #1 hit. Faced with the choice between downloading "Man in the Mirror," a great track amazing overlooked in the UK when it was released in 1988 and only peaked at #21, or "Evacuate the Dancefloor," a fluffy, disposable piece of Euro-styled dance pop, must have felt something like this: "Hmmm...'Man in the Mirror' or 'Evacuate the Dancefloor.' I suppose I'd rather have 'Evacuate the Dancefloor.' Sounds like a classic in the making if ever there was one."

Hence Michael Jackson misses the chance of having "Man in the Mirror" top the charts one last time. Instead, German dance act Cascada scores its first UK #1. They've proven to be a surprisingly enduring dance act, having first hit #2 in 2006 with "Everytime We Touch," and three subsequent top 10 hits--dance remakes of "Truly Madly Deeply" and "What Hurts the Most" and "Miracle."

2. Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson
10. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
12. Thriller - Michael Jackson
13. Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson
19. Beat It - Michael Jackson
25. Black or White - Michael Jackson
26. Dirty Diana - Michael Jackson
32. They Don't Care About Us - Michael Jackson
33. Earth Song - Michael Jackson
34. The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
35. You Are Not Alone - Michael Jackson
38. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
40. Bad - Michael Jackson

Still, despite not getting #1 (and you can tell I'm irked by it), Jackson lands 13 singles within the UK top 40 this week, surely a record feat. He scores 9 others outside the top 40:

46. Ben - Michael Jackson
54. Rock with You - Michael Jackson
57. Wanna Be Startin' Something - Michael Jackson
60. You Rock My World - Michael Jackson
63. Heal the World - Michael Jackson
66. Leave Me Alone - Michael Jackson
70. Scream - Michael Jackson
73. Off the Wall - Michael Jackson
74. Give in to Me - Michael Jackson

Plus a few with the Jackson5/The Jacksons:

43. I Want You Back - Jackson 5
50. ABC - Jackson 5
55. Blame It on the Boogie - Jacksons
59. Can You Feel It - Jacksons
65. I'll Be There - Jackson 5

In total then, 27 of the 75 entries in the UK singles chart belong to Michael Jackson this week. Truly amazing.

15. Sticks N Stones - Jamie T

In other news, Jamie T scores his fourth UK top 20 hit with "Sticks N Stones." It's the first single from his second album.

22. Work - The Saturdays

The Saturdays' "Work" is fully released, but climbs only 7 spots to land outside the top 20 at #22. It's the band's fifth single, and while decent, single fatigue seems to have set in.

28. I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) - Pitbull

Pitbull's "I Know You Want Me" has been a hit in the US this summer, and looks headed to do the same in the UK. It debuts on downloads at #28; physical release comes end of the month.

39. I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas

Black Eyed Peas re-enter at #39 with "I Gotta Feeling," which is surely destined to be a big follow-up to "Boom Boom Pow." It's currently #1 in the US.

Album Review: La Roux - La Roux (4.5/5)

2009-07-05T07:22:00.003-04:00

Just last week I declared Little Boots' Hands my favorite pop album of the year, and already I have found its successor. La Roux is a brilliant debut album. Every song works well, revealing both great songwriting, appealing hooks and charming details.

Like a lot of recently launched British pop acts, La Roux's album has been preceded by an envious level of pre-release buzz, generated through key media and judicious release of a few singles (first the quiet release of "Quicksand" and then the full-scale release of "In for the Kill"). Thus duo Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid's debut arrives with quite developed expectations, seeing as their single "In for the Kill" is the third best-selling single of the year (behind only Lady GaGa's hits).

The album opens with a number of high-energy tracks, several of which have already been hits. "In for the Kill" possesses the best bass charge of any pop song released this year. This song has really grown on me over the months, becoming one of my favorites so far this year. "Tigerlily" has a similar charge, with even sharper beats over a more minimal synth melody. Near the end, the song includes a creepy "Thriller"-esque spoken word section. With Michael Jackson on everyone's mind at the moment, it's a nice reminder of his enduring musical influence. Even more so, La Roux's sound is deeply indebted to Thriller-era pop music.

"Quicksand" makes use of (synthetic?) kettle drums, which show up more prominently on "I'm Not Your Toy," giving it a breezy Caribbean flavor. "Bulletproof," the latest single and recent #1 hit, completes the opening energetic salvo, before La Roux shifts gears to moodier, quieter material.

"Colourless Color" has a darker sound, with slower verses that give way to quicker-tempoed choruses. My favorite part of the song is the middle eight, where a raspy synth line gets covered in successive layers of beats and bass. Very cool. "Cover My Eyes" is the album's first ballad. Normally, a song like this on a electronic pop album would be a low point, but credit La Roux for instead delivering a pop ballad with a great melody and genuine emotional punch. Jackson has said that a 5-year relationship (apparently a bad one) was the inspiration for many of these songs, and the heartache comes out loud and clear here.

"As If By Magic" returns us to the uptempo and very '80s side of La Roux. It's going to be hard to choose future singles from this album, because there's so many that would work well. This song has a particularly strong melody, although melody is not lacking on this album. "Fascination" works well too. "Armour Love" is an appropriately restrained closing number, with rich synths driving the melody.

Like a lot of pop duos (Goldfrapp, Roxette, Eurythmics), La Roux puts the lady out front, with the gent playing more of a supporting role. In their case, it may be the one thing that I'm not completely sold about. Elly Jackson is clearly a talented musician, but she's not the greatest singer. Her voice can be a bit shrill and doesn't seem to have much range. It's the only drawback in an otherwise completely satisfying package.

Best: In for the Kill, Quicksand, Bulletproof, Colourless Color, Tigerlily, Cover My Eyes, As If By Magic, Armour Love

Best of 2000s: Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway (5/5)

2009-07-04T07:41:00.001-04:00

Kelly Clarkson's second album achieved a similar hat-trick for the artist as Jagged Little Pill did for Alanis Morissette--turn a pop starlet known mostly for her TV work into a credible pop artist. While Thankful had its moments, Breakaway was a stunning pop album that delivered the promise of American Idol while effectively showing that the singer was so much more than that pageant. Any of the first eight tracks could have been hits--and more of them were, particularly "Since U Been Gone," which became one of the decade's classic pop songs. These songs all sound great together, but each one is also very distinct, from the energetic rock of "Behind These Hazel Eyes" to the affecting balladry of "Because of You" and "Where Is Your Heart" (which really should have been a single). Also not unlike Jagged Little Pill, Breakaway is pop to the core with rock around the edges. Credit goes to the bevy of top-quality collaborators on hand here, including Max Martin, Ben Moody (Evanescence), and Kara DioGuardi (ironic that DioGuardi was one of the talents to help Clarkson "break away" from Idol and then ended up as one of its judges). If the album falls a little short in its final third, it's only because the first two-thirds are so perfect. While Avril Lavigne and Pink made similar rock-leaning pop albums this decade, Breakaway was the best of this sub-genre.

Best: Since U Been Gone, Because of You, Breakaway, Where Is Your Heart, Behind These Hazel Eyes, Gone, Walk Away, Addicted

Personal Chart, 4/1/2009

2009-07-03T17:29:00.002-04:00

TW LW Title - Artist
1 NEW>Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson (1 week @ #1)
2 .... 4 .... When Love Takes Over - David Guetta & Kelly Rowland
3 .... 5 .... Lovegame - Lady GaGa
4 .... 2 .... Release Me - Agnes (1 wk @ #1)
5 ... 10 ... Bulletproof - La Roux
6 .... 9 .... Waking Up in Vegas - Katy Perry
7 .... 8 .... Please Don't Leave Me - Pink
8 ... 21 ... Paparazzi - Lady GaGa
9 .... 1 .... Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh) - Pixie Lott (1 wk @ #1)**
10 .. 15 ... Knock You Down - Keri Hilson Featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo

**I forgot to note last week that "Mama Do" is the 400th #1 on my personal chart. Other milestones:

1st - "Rhythm Nation" - Janet Jackson, 1990
100th - "Dreamlover" - Mariah Carey, 1993
200th - "What a Girl Wants" - Christina Aguilera, 2000
300th - "Gravity" - Embrace, 2004

Thoughts about current female pop stars

2009-07-03T09:07:00.002-04:00

It's no surprise that I'm a big fan of female pop stars. Most of my favorite pop songs come from the ladies. I have, however, observed of late that it seems like their projects are being controlled by the same small set of pop producers. And frequently, it's the case that these people each contribute a few tracks to each album, rather than serving as a lead producer on most tracks. What you get is "producer potpourri," which eventually, if not already, may lead to everybody kind of sounding the same. That's partly why I'm not too jazzed about Jordin Sparks' new album, for I fear I will have already heard everything on it. Here's a quick analysis of producers that keep showing up again and again on such projects:

The Dream: Rihanna, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Beyonce

Tony Gad: Natasha Bedingfield, Beyonce, Jordin Sparks

Greg Kurstin: Natasha Bedingfield, Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears

Max Martin: Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, Pink

Stargate: Rihanna, Leona Lewis, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Jordin Sparks

Tricky Stewart: Rihanna, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Beyonce

Ryan Tedder: Leona Lewis, Beyonce, Kelly Clarkson, Jordin Sparks

It's not that these are bad albums--they are generally quite good--but throwing the same mix of people together tends to make the same kind of sound. I think it's nice when a singer works with one producer. It certainly makes for a more cohesive album. The multiple producer approach says to me "we're looking for the hottest hit sounds for singles, so we'll make sure to have as many as possible on major artist X's latest album." Definitely another sign in the decline of the album as musical art.

Madonna's had a lot of success without employing this trend, using generally only one or two key producers per album. Her only "producer-potpourri" album was Bedtime Stories (1994), which was one of her weaker discs. Look how great the Amy Winhouse/Mark Ronson matchup was, or the Lily Allen/Greg Kurstin pairing on her latest album.

Whitney Houston's new single

2009-07-02T21:11:00.002-04:00

"I Didn't Know My Own Strength" is out and about now. Here's a link, but it might not last long (just search for it on YouTube). My initial reaction is that it's a bit disappointing. While Whitney sounds good, and the instrumentation is appropriately lush, the song seriously lacks a good hook. The lyric "I didn't know my own strength" is too much of a mouthful to make a good chorus. Hopefully, there's a big upbeat pop song waiting around the corner.

Billboard Hot 100, July 11, 2009

2009-07-02T06:38:00.003-04:00

In a week where Michael Jackson ruled the charts for the first time in years--breaking records and outselling the competition all over the world--you wouldn't know it by reading Billboard. Due to rules about only current releases appearing on the main charts, you'll find no MJ on the Hot 100 or Billboard 200 (the albums chart). Billboard, has, however, reported that three Michael Jackson albums actually outsold this week's Billboard 200 chart-topper: Number Ones, The Essential Michael Jackson, and Thriller all outsold Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. (Billboard's comprehensive chart, which I never knew existed until this week, shows this).

On the singles side, there is no "comprehensive" list, so while "Rock With You" topped the recurrent airplay chart, and "Billie Jean" the recurrent singles chart (sales and airplay), there's no way to tell how they would perform if allowed on the Hot 100. Nevertheless, there are still signs of Michael Jackson to be found in the Hot 100. Curious? Read on...

1. I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas
2. Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas trade places this week, ending the 12-week run at #1 for "Boom Boom Pow" and giving the group their second #1 hit with "I Gotta Feeling." In a week dominated by Michael Jackson, the Black Eyed Peas was the only major competition, both for singles and albums sales. According to the digital tracks charts, even "Thriller" didn't manage to outsell "I Gotta Feeling."

4. Knock You Down - Keri Hilson Featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo

Keri Hilson's "Knock You Down" holds at #4 this week. Not very interesting in itself; however, what is interesting is that this song mentions...Michael Jackson! Listen to Kanye's rap for the line "it's bad, real bad Michael Jackson"--a nod to Jackson's 1987 #1 hit, "Bad." Ne-Yo's image and sound is also clearly Michael Jackson-influenced, so this song scores twice on the MJ nostalgia meter.

9. New Divide - Linkin Park

Earning the sales gainer and rocketing up 21 spots in Linkin Park's Transformers II song, "New Divide." The single debuted at #6 a few weeks, falling for a couple weeks, but climbing back up the last 2 weeks.

10. Waking Up in Vegas - Katy Perry

Back into the top 10 for "Waking Up in Vegas," which spent the last 4 weeks just outside the top 10.

14. Halo - Beyonce

This is stretching things a bit (rather a lot actually), but "Halo" has a tenuous connection to Michael Jackson. Beyonce is basically this generation's Diana Ross. Ms. Knowles, like Ms. Ross, got her start in a popular girlgroup before making it big as a solo act with hits on the pop and dance charts plus appearances in movie musicals. Beyonce once duetted with Justin Timberlake--another pop star whose style and act is heavily MJ-influenced. Michael Jackson and Diana ross were good friends and appeared together in The Wiz. There you go. Like they said on Battlestar Galactica--"All this has happened before, and all this will happen again."

24. D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune) - Jay-Z

Rapper/producer Jay-Z is the Hot 100's top debut this week with a song presumably about what's wrong with rap music today (starting with Auto Tune, which really is getting quite old at this point). I haven't heard this, but will check it out.

32. Her Diamonds - Rob Thomas

Rob Thomas enters top 40 at #32 with "Her Diamonds," his third hit single as a soloist. The Matchbox Twenty frontman hit #1 in 1999 as featured vocalist on Santana's massive hit "Smooth," and then hit the top 10 on his own in 2005 with "Lonely No More."

Best albums of the year so far

2009-07-01T08:33:00.000-04:00

The year is half over now, amazingly. There have been a few good albums released so far this year, although nothing I'd rate as a 5-star classic. Here's the best of what I've reviewed....

Pop
1. Little Boots - Hands
2. Pet Shop Boys - Yes
3. Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
4. Agnes - Dance Love Pop
5. Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted

Rock/Indie
1. U2 - No Line on the Horizon
2. Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
3. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
4. Doves - Kingdom of Rust
5. Passion Pit - Manners

July New Releases

2009-06-30T06:16:00.000-04:00

June was a pretty good month, with new releases from Little Boots, La Roux, Moby and others. Sadly, July's not quite as interesting, but here's a few to look out for.

Key Releases

Jordin Sparks - Battlefield (July 20/21)
The American Idolette releases her sophomore set. "Battlefield" is climbing top 40 radio charts, although not burning them up the way her last major hit "No Air" did. Still, with many of the current big name collaborators on board (Max Martin, Stargate, Ryan Tedder, etc.) this is sure to be at least a well produced affair, if not a major hit.

Florence and the Machine - Lungs (July 6)
Florence and the Machine, along with Little Boots and La Roux, is another female pop act that's gotten a lot of buzz this year who's releasing her debut this summer. Frankly, of those three, I'm least interested in this, but willing to check it out. "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" is already out.

The Dead Weather - Horehound (July 13/14)
Jack White (The White Stripes, The Raconteurs) releases yet another band, this time a superband with members from The Kills, Queens of the Stone Age, and The Raconteurs--making this one of the rare supergroups formed with a member from the founding member's other side-project bands, oh Jack). Rarely has Mr. White disappointed, so my expectations for this dark, bluesy work are high.

VV Brown - Traveling Like the Light (July 20)
I'm hopeful that the release of her debut album will give VV Brown some deserved attention. "Crying Blood" and "Shark in the Water" are both great singles. Yes, she's doing the retro soul/pop thing, but she sounds great, so this could be a fun summer release.

Other releases

Cascada - Evacuate the Dancefloor (July 6) - I recently learned that you can "evacuate" a building, but you should never say that "people were evacuated," as that means to give them enemas. Anyway, this dance pop dame has a new album out.

Daughtry - Leave This Town (July 13/14) - The American Idol alum releases his second album, with current hit "No Surprises."

Dan Black - ((UN)) (July 13) - This was supposed to come out already, but got pushed back.

Demi Lovato - Here We Go Again (July 21) - Do we? Again?

Frankmusic - Complete Me (July 27)

Reverend And The Makers - A French Kiss In The Chaos (July 27) - Rememeber "Heavyweight Champion of the World?" Well, I liked it. Here they come with album number two.

Tinchy Stryder - Catch 22 (July 27) - With "Number 1" having been a recent UK #1, Tinchy Stryder's new album should receive a fair share of attention. Next single, "Never Leave You," features Amelle Berrabah from the Sugababes

Michael Jackson Albums

2009-06-28T18:54:00.014-04:00

Lots of people are snatching up Michael Jackson's back catalog. For some, it's a first time exposure, for others (like me), it's filling in gaps. Here's a quick look at the singer's 10 albums (note that I don't own the first four albums, so they are not reviewed, just featured).

Got to Be There (1972)
Jackson's first of his four Motown-era solo albums was perhaps his most successful, giving him several top 10 hits in both the US and the UK. The album isn't particularly innovative--it has several remakes, including of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend," which was only a year old at the time--but it does have some charm. Best: Got to Be There

Ben (1972)
This second album, released the same year, appears to be more of the same--sweet Motown songs, including several remakes ("My Girl," for example). This album is most notable for its one and only single, title track "Ben," which was Jackson's first solo #1 hit. It's probably the most beautiful song you'll ever hear about a rat. Best: Ben

Music & Me (1973)
Jackson's third album had no hits of note, so there's not much I can say about it. What I've heard sounds really slow. The album peaked at #92 in the US.

Forever, Michael (1975)
Michael's fourth album was also not a major hit; however, unlike Music & Me, it did give him a top 40 hit in "Just a Little Bit of You." More notably, another track, the quite lovely "One Day in Your Life," would wind up Jackson's first UK #1 hit 6 years later. His voice very clearly changed with this album. Best: One Day in Your Life

Off the Wall (1979) (4.5/5)
This is where the magic of Jackson's solo career really got going. Leaving Motown for Epic Records, as well as the production skills of Quincy Jones, gave Jackson an enduring set of fresh, energetic disco, funk, R&B and pop, that many consider second only to Thriller. Although the last few tracks are a little weak, there's little not to like about this fun album. Best: Rock with You, She's Out of My Life, Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Get on the Floor, Off the Wall

Thriller (1982) (5/5)
What's there to say about Thriller that hasn't already been said? It's probably the most important pop album ever recorded, effortlessly weaving elements of R&B, rock, and dance music together into a perfect pop package. I love how all the upbeat songs have such distinctive synth basslines ("Billie Jean's" bassline has to be the most iconic bassline ever). It was the first album to score 7 top 10 hits. It's the best-selling album of all time. It still holds up and always will. Best: Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller, Wanna Be Startin' Something, The Girl Is Mine, P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing), Human Nature, Baby Be Mine, The Lady of My Life

Bad (1987) (5/5)
Bad was my first Michael Jackson album, and I loved it to death back in 1987. It holds the record for the most #1 hits from album--five--and manages to pack quite a few other gems as well. The dance pop shines from meticulous production (love that bassline on "The Way You Make Me Feel"), but the ballads are really quite good too, both the do-gooder "Man in the Mirror" and the love duet "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." Best: Man in the Mirror, Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, I Just Can't Stop Loving You, Liberian Girl, Smooth Criminal

Dangerous (1991)(4/5)
This is where Jackson's musical career started to decline, although when you start from such a high peak, this still looks like a massive success: Another major #1 hit ("Black or White"), 7 top 40 hits, etc. Jackson parted ways with Quincy Jones and enlisted Teddy Riley and Bill Bottrell to craft this album in the New Jack Swing vein, the R&B sound popular at the time. As such, Dangerous feels more rooted to its time than his prior two albums. The album's first half suffers from a peculiar sameness to the songs, although there are some good ones there (namely "Remember the Time"). The second half is thankfully more varied. Best: Remember the Time, Black or White, Will You Be There, Who Is It, In the Closet

History (1995) (4/5)
History is a messy album, but I actually rather liked most of it. It's edgier than Dangerous, although it has its treacly moments too. But when it's on point it works well, such as the upbeat duet with sister Janet on "Scream" or paranoia-fueled tracks like "They Don't Care About Us" and "Stranger in Moscow," which is a particularly nice ballad. Credit R. Kelly for producing the album's best moment, the ballad "You Are Not Alone." Best: You Are Not Alone, Stranger in Moscow, Scream, They Don't Care About Us, This Time Around, History

Invincible (2001) (2.5/5)
It's a shame that Michael Jackson's final album was a disappointment. The songs are largely uninteresting, and it doesn't help that the first three are sound like they were cut from the same tuneless beat-driven R&B cloth popular at the time. A couple of good songs come in the middle--the lead single "You Rock My World" and unusual ballad "Butterflies--before the album becomes schmaltzy with the usual songs about changing the world and children. Best: You Rock My World, Butterflies, Whatever Happens

UK Singles Chart, 7/4/2009

2009-06-28T13:04:00.001-04:00

1. Bulletproof - La Roux

This is how to launch a new act. Back in January, La Roux was much-tipped as one of the year's hottest breakouts. Back then preview single "Quicksand" was kicking around. Then in the spring came first official single, "In for the Kill," which became a massive #2 hit--currently the third best-selling single of the year. Now, with their debut album set for release tomorrow, duo La Roux land their first #1 hit with "Bulletproof." Meanwhile, "In for the Kill" remains hot, currently #16.

4. Paparazzi - Lady GaGa

Lady GaGa climbs another 4 spots to #4. Definitely a #1 contender within the next 2 weeks.

11. Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson
23. Thriller - Michael Jackson
25. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
28. Smooth Criminal - Michael Jackson
30. Beat It - Michael Jackson
38. Earth Song - Michael Jackson

The Thursday evening death of Michael Jackson set off quite the buying frenzy all over the world, as nostalgic fans snapped up the singer's albums and singles in a sales volume unseen for the artist in years. While in the US, such sales will not be reflected in next week's charts, due to rules about recurrent and catalog sales not charting. In the UK, however, since the relaxation of such rules, anything goes, so it's quite thrilling to see so many of Jackson's hits show up in the top 40. One of them, "Man in Mirror," reaches a new peak position at #11.

Jackson also did well on the albums chart this week. His hits collection Number Ones is this week's #1 album, knocking Kasabian from their perch.

12. Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) - Florence and the Machine

Florence and the Machine is the stagename for singer Florence Welch plus collaborators. She's one of this year's much-buzzed about new artists. "Rabbit Heart" is her first top 40 hit. I'm kind of lukewarm about this one, although I've been listening to it all week, and it has grown on me a bit (but not a lot).

13. Heartbreak Make Me a Dancer - Freemasons Featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor

I was hoping to see this in the top 10, but it falls a bit short. Still it's nice to hear Sophie's voice in the top 40.

21. Raindrops - Basement Jaxx

It's been 3 years since Basement Jaxx have had a top 40 hit. Best known for top 10 hits like "Red Alert" and "Where's Your Head At," "Raindrops" is the group's 17th top 40 hit.

29. Work - The Saturdays

The Saturdays are up 2 spots this week. "Work" gets its CD release tomorrow--will it become their fifth top 10 hit next weekend?

31. Never Forget You - The Noisettes

"Never Forget You" becomes the Noisettes' second top 40 hit, although quite a ways short of their last single, "Don't Upset the Rhythm," which hit #2.

Best of 2000s: Embrace - Out of Nothing (4.5/5)

2009-06-27T08:00:00.001-04:00

By the middle of this decade, the band that everyone wanted to be was Coldplay, so it's no surprise that bands like Keane and Snow Patrol suddenly found themselves popular, and even other bands that hadn't really sound like Coldplay churned out some mellow-ish piano+guitar albums during this time (see Athlete, Feeder, and Supegrass, for example). Embrace did them all one better though--they actually got Coldplay to write them a song! And it's a lovely one too--"Gravity" was one of my favorite songs of 2004, and so good that I picked up this album from a band I'd never heard of, whose careers resurged with this work ("Gravity" was their first top 10 hit in 6 years). Elsewhere, the band shows remarkable range, going for U2-esque stadium rock grandeur on opening "Ashes" to the intimacy of closing piano ballad "Out of Nothing." In between, the general mood is uplifting with sunrise-chasing songs like "Someday" and tender love songs like "A Glorious Day" and "Looking As You Are."

Best: Gravity, A Glorious Day, Ashes, Someday, Out of Nothing, Looking As You Are

Personal Chart, 6/27/2009

2009-06-26T17:30:00.001-04:00

TW LW Title - Artist
1 .... 2 .... Mama Do - Pixie Lott (1 week @ #1)
2 .... 1 .... Release Me - Agnes (1 wk @ #1)
3 .... 3 .... New in Town - Little Boots
4 ... 10 ... When Love Takes Over - David Guetta & Kelly Rowland
5 .... 7 .... Lovegame - Lady GaGa
6 .... 6 .... I Do Not Hook Up - Kelly Clarkson
7 .... 4 .... Red - Daniel Merriweather (2 wks @ #1)
8 .... 9 .... Please Don't Leave Me - Pink
9 ... 11 .... Waking Up in Vegas - Katy Perry
10 .. 15 ... Bulletproof - La Roux

Jackson's Death's Chart Impact

2009-06-26T16:55:00.003-04:00

Michael Jackson's death has had an unbelievable impact at iTunes. Currently, 9 of the top 10 albums and 6 of the top 10 singles are his. It's interesting what people are choosing too (I'll admit, I took the opportunity to round out my singles collection and finally purchase Off the Wall). Here are the current top 10 albums and singles.

iTunes top 10 albums, 6/26/09 4:50 PM EDT
1. Michael Jackson - The Essential Michael Jackson
2. Michael Jackson - Thriller
3. Michael Jackson - Number Ones
4. Michael Jackson - Off the Wall
5. Michael Jackson - Thriller (25th Anniversary)
6. Michael Jackson - Bad
7. Michael Jackson - The Ultimate Collection
8. Michael Jackson - Dangerous
9. Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D.
10. Michael Jackson - Greatest Hits (HIStory Volume 1)

iTunes top 10 singles

1. "I Gotta Feeling" - Black Eyed Peas
2. "Man in the Mirror" - Michael Jackson
3. "Thriller" - Michael Jackson
4. "The Way You Make Me Feel" - Michael Jackson
5. "Boom Boom Pow" - Black Eyed Peas
6. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" - Michael Jackson
7. "Smooth Criminal" - Michael Jackson
8. "Fire Burning" - Sean Kingston
9. "Best I Ever Had" - Drake
10. "Black or White" - Michael Jackson

In fact 39 of the top 100 singles are currently his (some appear multiple times, depending on what album it's been purchased from). Others:

11. "Billie Jean"
13. "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"
15. "Beat It"
17. "Rock With You"
20. "Bad"
26. "Remember the Time"
28. "Dirty Diana"
30. "You Are Not Alone"
32. "Human Nature"
35. "Beat It"
38. "Thriller"

Beat It, Billie Jean, P.Y.T., Smooth Criminal and Thriller all appear 3 times. Of course, none of these will appear on the Billboard charts, since they're all recurrent/catalog releases. Maybe they'll do something special.

Billboard Hot 100, 7/4/2009

2009-06-26T05:19:00.001-04:00

1. Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas

Independence Day it may be next weekend, but free from the Black Eyed Peas we are not, as the group extends its run at #1 to 12 weeks. As such, it ties Eminem's "Lose Yourself" and Usher's "Yeah!" as the second longest stay at #1 this decade, behind only the 14 weeks Mariah Carey had with "We Belong Together." Along with "Smooth," "Boom Boom Pow" and the aforementioned Eminem and Usher tracks are tied as the 10th longest stay at #1 ever.

2. I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas

I thought this might drop, but Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" holds at #2 for a second week, with a bullet no less.

3. Best I Ever Had - Drake
10. Every Girl - Young Money

Canadian R&B artist Drake makes a big splash in the top 10 this week, jumping up 24 spots with two separate songs, earning both gainer awards in the process. First up at #3 is his first top 40 hit, "Best I Ever Had," which is this week's airplay gainer, up 24 spots from #27. At #10 is "Every Girl" by Young Money, a rap supergroup formed by Lil' Wayne for his Young Money Entertainment label that also includes Drake. "Every Girl" is the sales gainer, up 24 spots from #37.

30. New Divide - Linkin Park
31. Battlefield - Jordin Sparks

Both of these songs return to the top 40 this week, their airplay having presumably caught up with their initial release sales.