Britney Spears Circus Release: 2008-12-02
With its title, Circus nods knowingly at the madhouse that is Britney Spears' life, acknowledging that things got a little rough after the release of 2007's Blackout. It's no secret that Blackout's launch didn't go as planned: the furor surrounding her stumbling VMA lip-sync of "Gimme More" was eclipsed by her institutionalization -- a drama played out live on TV, as so much of her life ......more »
Akon Freedom Release: 2008-12-02
Akon spun off two number one pop hits and one number two from Konvicted, so he couldn't be blamed for working the same tricks on his third album, yet Freedom is a major change of pace — the kind of drastic switch-up that normally happens after reaching a creative and commercial dead-end. Hip-hop and R&B are all but scrapped entirely. The set instead is rooted in the gleaming synthesizers and s......more »
Trace Adkins X (ten) Release: 2008-11-24
If you didn't know better, the blasting guitar riff on "Sweet," the opening track on Trace Adkins'X (Ten), might be mistaken for one off a .38 Special track from the late '70s. The track has the single potential of one of Adkins' many hits. The song has an infectious hook in its refrain — and yes, it rocks. But by the time the set's second number, "Happy to Be Here," commences ......more »
Beyonce I Am Sasha Fierce Release: 2008-11-18
I AM. SASHA FIERCE represents another change of pace for Beyoncé. Unlike the relatively streamlined, retro-soul inflected B'DAY, I AM... is a sprawling two-disc set designed to reflect two conflicting sides of Beyoncé's musical personality. ... Full DescriptionThe first disc sports reflective, sometimes moody ballads, while the second, attributed to Beyoncé's brash alter ego, Sasha Fierce, is l......more »
Enya And Winter Came... Release: 2008-11-11
In 2006 Enya released her most subtle and song-oriented album to date. Amarantine may have paled in comparison to Watermark or Shepherd Moons, but its under-produced (in Enya-world) balladry was a small leap forward for the reclusive Irish superstar. 2008's And Winter Came follows in the same footsteps as Amarantine, but it hints at the grandeur of earlier recordings, specifically 1994's Christmas......more »
Taylor Swift Fearless Release: 2008-11-11
Taylor Swift abandons any pretense that she's a teen on her second album, Fearless — which isn't to say that she suddenly tarts herself up, running away from her youth in a manner that's all too familiar to many teen stars. Swift's maturation is deliberate and careful, styled after the crossover country-pop of Shania Twain and Faith Hill before they turned into divas. Despite the success of her se......more »
David Archuleta David Archuleta Release: 2008-11-11
American Idol seventh season runner-up David Archuleta was the same age as Jordin Sparks, the season six winner, but he always seemed much, much older — a creature from a different era, a time where Up with People peacefully merged with the sound and sensibility of the pre-Nirvana '90s. Modernity seemed foreign to Archuleta, a hang-up that would be an Achilles heel on any music show outside of Ame......more »
Christina Aguilera Keeps Gettin Better: A Decade Release: 2008-11-11
When Christina Aguilera began her decade of hits back in 1999 she was instantly overshadowed by her fellow New Mickey Mouse Club alumni Britney Spears, who was first out of the gate with Baby One More Time and wound up out-selling Christina and every other teen pop act this side of *NSync in the first years of the new millennium. As the 2000s rolled on, Aguilera slowly, surely began to eclipse Spe......more »
Brandy Human Release: 2008-11-11
Human's release marked the longest wait between Brandy albums, if only by a few months, and it's easy to understand why. After Afrodisiac's June 2004 release, Brandy dropped her manager, left Atlantic, broke off an engagement, was a judge on America's Got Talent, got into a car accident that caused the death of a driver, and signed with Epic (possibly in that order). Issued a few months prior to f......more »
Hinder Take It To The Limit Release: 2008-11-04
Like their former tourmates and eternal soulmates Buckcherry, Hinder work real hard to have a real good time, working so hard that the only thing that can be heard is their effort, how they turn parties into grimy menial labor. This is especially true on Take It to the Limit, a self-satisfied sequel to their 2005 debut Extreme Behavior where they take their surprise success as vindication for bad ......more »
