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One aspect of summer that never fails to surprise is that the year is now nearly half over: we are closer to 2011's year-end critics-poll season than we are to 2010's. You've started drafting your own Top 10 list already, right? No? You haven't? Don't panic: here, Rhapsody's genre editors each pick their five favorite records of the year so far. How many will survive until November? Which ones will be replaced by Lil Wayne, by Beyoncé, by the soundtrack to Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark? Time will tell, but for now, here are our picks for the year's best, half a year early.

In the pop world, there are two kinds of female singers. You've got your belters, big voices capable of melismatic acrobatics that are in the business not so much of singing as of making bold, brassy vocal statements, honey. And then you've got your baby voices, ladies who can break your heart and turn you on with just one small, subtle coo. OK, so there are way more types of pop singers, but lately, it seems like the charts have been overrun with vocalists who adopt one or the other of those two singing strategies. So we decided to break them down — then pit them against each other in an Epic! Singer! Showdown!

This week, we've got the pop belters. We trace the history of these heavyweights back through old-school soul and early rock 'n' roll. In the process, we touch on genres that have been friendly to ladies with big voices (for instance, country and R&B), as well as those who haven't quite known what to do with them (we're looking at you, dance pop). Despite their ability, finding the right sound and, especially, the right audience for belters in certain eras can be a daunting task. This playlist showcases some of pop's most impressive voices, some beloved and familiar, some not.

Playlist: Showdown of the Singers, Part One: The Belters

You gave us your questions. We put them in a box. Watch Adele wax philosophic on baking, boyfriends and heartbreak. Also, be sure to listen to her new record 21 on Rhapsody.

Watch The Box vs. My Chemical Romance		Watch The Box vs. Taylor Swift		Watch The Box vs. Lady Gaga		Watch The Box vs. Sara Bareilles

Much of soul history has been dominated by powerhouse African American singers — rightly so. Soul is often couched in the pain and joy, trials and tribulations of African American experiences. Every so often, however, along comes a white girl who has the blues — or manages to sing like she does, belting her way through one soul style or another with a big voice and bigger heart. Adele's recently dropped sophomore album is a perfect example: with richly nuanced vocals and a stylistic maturity that belies her youth, 21 is soul, through and through. Take a listen to the sweetly crooned pleasures and pathos of Adele and other soulful white girls like Nikka Costa, Dusty Springfield, Teena Marie, Amy Winehouse and more.

Listen to the full playlist here: Soulful White Girls

On the Record is a video series where rock stars gush about their favorite records -- in exactly 45 seconds. Click above to watch Adele talk about her favorite album. Rhapsody subscribers can listen to 19 and millions of other albums whenever and however they want. Click here to sign up for a free Rhapsody trial subscription and see what we're all about.

ARTIST: Adele RECORD: Lauryn Hill

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Watch Janelle Monae On the Record		Watch Sara Bareilles On the Record		Watch Natasha On The Record		Watch The Script On the Record

Brit neo-soul singer Adele blindsided everyone, including herself, when she picked up four Grammy nominations in 2008 in such illustrious categories as Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best New Artist. We caught up with the singer after a sound check in St. Paul, Minn., to chat about some of her favorite music, Sarah Palin and life on the road. [Hate the written word with a tireless vengeance? Hear the audio of this interview here.]

Rhapsody: You recently were on Saturday Night Live with Sarah Palin; did you get to meet her?
Adele: I didn't want to really. I felt like a traitor. I had a big Obama badge on my shirt and she kinda came up to my boob and saw the photo and I felt really bad. She was really nice afterward. She came up and said hello. Her daughters bought her my album a couple months before. She seemed really nice, but I'm an Obama fan to the day I die.

Rhapsody: You've toured as a supporting act with a number of great artists, but this time around you're headlining. Tell me about choosing someone to play with you?
Adele: I picked a British singer named James Morrison, who I love. I love his voice so much. He's supporting me on all the dates. He didn't do the first three because he just had a baby who is like 14 weeks old, so he joined us yesterday in Chicago. I think his voice is absolutely amazing.