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single-phile: the latest singles, dissected and discussed

You might not think an hour-long musical comedy series featuring flimsy (and, really, one-dimensional) plots about a misfit high school glee club would be so ... addictive. But all it took was one listen to Glee's dramatically over-the-top, heavily harmonized, show-choir-iffic cover of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," and we were hooked. And we're not alone: the show itself is doing fairly well (though it's not quite a smash hit yet), but what's even more fascinating is that the songs featured in each episode, which Fox has been releasing as singles, are actually becoming hits in and of themselves. Almost every one has made it into the Top 100, and "Don't Stop Believin'," "Somebody to Love," "Halo/Walking on Sunshine" and "It's My Life/Confessions, Pt II" have cracked the Top 40. These are pop songs masquerading as show tunes. They are show choir covers, people. It's kinda ... weird, no? We decided to devote this week's single-phile to figuring out what it is about the Glee singles that makes us so, well, gleeful. Here are our top 10 reasons why we think everyone is Gleeking out, complete with quintessential representatives from the show and other examples.

SoundTreks: A regular feature on the music the other 97 percent of the globe is listening to.

A lot of debate has occurred over the course of music history about whether music itself can really effect political change. In real life, the connection between music and change often seems tenuous at best -- the dream of an aging hippie or an over-eager musicologist -- in the face of more direct or even violent means of revolution. But then, every so often, you hear a voice like Mercedes Sosa's, and all that skepticism washes away. Sosa's songs weren't always political, nor were her performances always even necessarily connected to revolutionary movements (despite the Argentinean government's opinions to the contrary). And she herself said, "Artists are not political leaders. The only power they have is to draw people into the theater." But the weapon the woman had at her disposal, which she often called the "voice of the voiceless," was precisely that: her powerful, compelling voice, a voice rich enough to convey her convictions, a voice capable of inspiring people and giving them strength.

Born in 1935 to a poor family in San Miguel de Tucuman (in Argentina's sugarcane country), Sosa won her first singing competition at age 15 and went on to help pioneer the musical-political nueva cancion movement that swept Latin America in the 1960s. The movement shed light on the concerns of the working people and the disenfranchised in the face of oppressive dictatorships. Though she was not known as a songwriter, Sosa put her own distinctive stamp on many of her peers' tunes, imbuing their tales of struggle and protest with her versatile style (which drew from not only Argentinean folk traditions, but also a wide range Latin genres), her bombo drum and, especially, her evocative contralto voice. In the 1970s, the ruling military junta took notice of her influence (as well as her connections to leftist groups), and the government's harassment forced her into exile. She lived for several years in France and Spain, brokenhearted and working as a musician and a teacher. When she returned to Argentina in 1982, she discovered that she had become a folk hero for her oppressed countrymen. She retained that esteemed position for the rest of her career.


A few of the thousands of mourners who came out to pay their respects in Buenos Aires

Over the course of her career, Sosa released 70 albums (several of which won Grammy and Latin Grammy awards), performed in venues like Carnegie Hall and the Coliseum, collaborated with artists ranging from Caetano Veloso to Pavarotti to Joan Baez, and served as a UNESCO goodwill ambassador. When she passed away on October 4 due to liver, kidney and heart problems, we lost one of Latin America's most beloved singers and a compassionate musical visionary. But the mark that powerful voice left on the world is indelible and prolific.

Take a listen to a few of the late, great Mercedes Sosa's most powerful moments below. Or Rhapsody users can listen to a full selection of her best work on this tribute playlist, a mere tip of this artist's considerable iceberg of work:

Playlist: R.I.P. Mercedes Sosa, 1935-2009

The last couple weeks saw the release of two new albums that will be a HUGE deal in Europe -- and will probably hardly make a ripple in the United States. The Boy Who Knew Too Much and La Roux are the efforts of, respectively, a major European pop star (Mika) and a seriously buzzed-about British dance-pop outfit (La Roux) who, in the U.S., are simply indie acts with something of a cult following. So what makes a band "big" in Europe, but not here? We set out to examine the subtle nuances that sometimes distinguish the delicate continental palate from our more, well, palatable American tastes. What we came up with was not one answer, but a series of reasons/differences/aesthetic problems.

single-phile: the latest singles, dissected and discussed

Mariah Carey is famous for (at least) two things: Her exquisite vocal high notes -- and her rather disastrous personal low notes. (Now, if that statement doesn't perfectly sum up the often sad complexities of pop stardom, we don't know what does!) Anyway, as we were gearing up for la diva ultima's 12th album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (which does feature a goodly number of those skyscrapers), we started wondering how (or if) these two markers of Mariah-dom correlated with each other. And so for this week's single-phile, we conducted this highly scientific study, comparing the most heavens-scraping single from each of her albums with what was going on in Mariah's personal or professional life at the time to see if her high notes suggest reaching for the top or hitting bottom.

She's been "Like a Bird," Folklore-ic and a "Promiscuous" girl to Timbaland's promiscuous beats. Yes, Nelly Furtado sure likes to keep us guessing. With album No. 4, she's upped the experimental ante, expanding her already-significant advances into the Latin world with the entirely Spanish-language Mi Plan, out today. The divine Ms. F is almost as famous for her diverse collaborations and influences as she is for her own musical promiscuity -- or, perhaps more accurately, the two are overlapping for this gregarious artist/music-lover. In other words, she has great taste. So we're super-excited that she put together a fabulous playlist of her current favorite songs, many of them by artists she duets with on Mi Plan. While in New York doing press for the release of the album, she sat down with Rhapsody to discuss what it was like to work with everyone from Latin alt-rocker Julieta Venegas to bachata king Juan Luis Guerra, as well as Mi Plan and her future plans (hint: you'll never guess who she wants to work with next!).

Greetings weary Internet travelers! If you're reading this it means you've stumbled across Rhapsody's very special live-blogging of the 2009 VMAs. Yes, you read that right, live blogging, as in we watch the celebrity circus so you don't have to! So sit back, relax, put on some music -- ahem -- talk to your loved ones, and enjoy our blow-by-blow coverage this year's hullabaloo. Please to be meeting your correspondents:

Rachel Devitt: As Rhapsody's official Pop Editor, Ms. Devitt is up on the latest gossip, fashion, flubs and faux pauxs of the celebrity elite and not so elite.

Mike McGuirk: As Rhapsody's heavy rock, blues, comedy, new age and Thai-strip-club-music editor, Mr. McGuirk knows close to nothing about the MTV harem. This is gonna be great! On your marks, get set, blog!

Sometime around 8:00 P.M. Eastern...

Rachel: Hey Mike. Are you there?
Mike: hello Rachel, I'm here.
Rachel: How are you?
Mike: Ready to rock.
Rachel: Ha
Mike: I am. Just gotta get my nephew to turn off ESPN.
Rachel: Well, I am quite possibly the only person in Chicago watching this. Everyone else in town is watching the bears game.
Mike: What is this dance thing?
Rachel: America's Best Dance Crew. Anything with Mario Lopez has got to be good. I mean AC Slater. OK, I guess here we go for real.
Mike: I really can't wait to see how many awards eyehategod wins.
Rachel: And here's Green Day. Green Day just got asked what they're wearing. Haha.
Rachel: Oh such a dumb Michael Phelps pot joke. Hi, 5 months ago! Now we're going to some person named Justine. Who just said "tweet it up!" Oh no.
Mike: I wanna play a game where we do a shot every time they mention Twitter
Rachel: Too much twitter makes the baby go blind

The air is starting to turn crisp and cool, every store has backpacks and notebooks (and, uh, laptops. Oh, these kids!) on display and suddenly cardigan sweaters and plaid skirts are looking much more fashionable than your breezy summer dresses. Yep, it's that time of year again -- time for the VMAs! In honor of that time-honored coming-of-age ritual, this week's single-phile takes a look at this year's class of Best Pop Video nominees, analyzing their class rank and role, future plans, the upper-classmen who inspired them and the under-classmen most likely to take up their mantle after graduation. To listen to the all the nominees, check out Sam Chennault's 2009 VMAs playlist.

After years of erratic, career-destroying behavior (including Bobby Brown-marrying and alleged crack-smoking), Whitney Houston seems finally poised for a much-needed comeback with the release of her new album I Look to You, which drops next Tuesday. But resurrecting one's career from the ashes of one's craziness can be a tricky business. So while we wait with our fingers crossed for Whitney, we thought we'd see how she measured up to some of pop music's other great comebacks.

Check out our picks, and be sure to click through to the "further listening" tab, where we link to high-quality audio of all the great artist mentioned here. And be sure to sign up for your free Rhapsody trial membership so that you can listen to all these artists as much as you want (no restrictions, and it's all perfectly legal) as well as collect and share playlist, listen to non-stop radio and get recommendations based on your listening history.

single-phile: The latest singles, dissected and discussed

A savvy businessman, an industry player with an ear for up-and-coming talent, and, of course, one of the most quick-witted, silver-tongued emcees in the game, Jay-Z is many things -- and most of them are synonymous with hip-hop credibility (no matter how many times he "retires"). But Beyonce's (alleged) hubby is also one of the music industry's best and brightest pop stars, a label that has not so often been synonymous with hip-hop credibility. Which brings us to another of Hova's claims to fame: perhaps more than any other contemporary emcee (with the exception of Kanye, who helped orchestrate many of Jay's hits), he has managed to strike an impressive balance between chart-topping pop viability and hip-hop respectability, to prove over and over again that the twain shall meet (and that they weren't really all that disparate to begin with). This is a man who knows his way around a hook -- and isn't afraid to use it to reel you into his flow. On this week's single-phile, we take a listen to some of Jay-Z's biggest pop songs, including several high-profile guest shots and his latest, "Run This Town," off his upcoming The Blueprint 3.

When your peers have last names like Cyrus and Jonas, pulling ahead of the pack might seem frustrating, if not impossible. But Demi Lovato seems poised to do just that. The young star scored quite an introduction with last year's Camp Rock and hasn't slowed her roll yet, following that mega-hit with more movies, her own Disney show (Sonny with a Chance) and a Jonas-helmed debut album. For her second album, Lovato upped the ante, working with idol John Mayer to create a record that really shows off her wide range and mature pop-rock vocals -- but still appeals to her young fans. Serious, driven and with just a hint of bad girl (or at least passionate artist) about her, the star discusses future plans (hint: Camp Rock 2!!!), musical goals and, of course, a few of her famous friends. Check out an exclusive playlist at the end of the interview that features Lovato, the Jonas Brothers, Mayer and more, and click here to join Rhapsody and have unlimited access to high-quality versions of the newest tracks from all today’s top pop stars.

single-phile: The latest singles, dissected and discussed

What a week, pop fans! Not one, but two fierce, fabulous, formative pop divas have dropped new singles this week. So, naturally, we thought it best to pit them against each other. In this corner, we have Madonna, whose "Celebration" anticipates her upcoming Greatest Hits collection. And in this corner is none other than Ms. Whitney Houston, coming out of a decade or two of struggle and scandal with a new attitude and a brand new comeback single called "I Look to You." Although they aren't typically all that closely associated with each other, these two dueling divas have experienced some rather fascinating career parallels: They are close in age (Whitney's 45 and Madge is 50) and career contemporaries (both got their start in the early '80s) with an impressive number of hits under their respective belts (Whitney's had 11 No. 1 hits and Madonna's had 12). More than quantity, however, it's the quality of their singles -- and the analogous career trajectories they trace -- that makes this battle royale so compelling. And logical. Totally, totally logical. Off we go!

Madonna has built an entire career on reinventing herself so often, so ingeniously and so convincingly that we're never quite sure where the persona ends and the "real" Madonna begins -- and that's the point. Her Madgesty straddles and subverts the line between authenticity and artificiality, constantly compelling us to question our assumptions. A side effect of her self-induced stylistic schizophrenia, however, is that Madonna's titanic influence on pop music has been multifaceted. In other words, the Mother of Reinvention didn't just inspire a few followers; she spawned a new heir to match every persona. In honor of her new single "Celebration,” we present this field guide to the various and sundry Madonnas, complete with our pick for the Madonna follower who's most closely followed in each persona's footsteps.

From left: Pitbull, Shakira and Nelly Furtado

single-phile: The latest singles, dissected and discussed.

Industry insiders and music critics have been predicting for years that Spanish-language pop is poised for a massive crossover -- the kind of infiltration that would not only challenge the domination of English on the American charts, but also break down the division between mainstream (read: black and white) pop and Latin pop. And yet for many years, what happened instead was that the industry was paying attention to -- and working to grow -- a powerful but separate Latin pop market. That market has its own constellation of stars, many of whom (like Shakira or Ricky Martin) have crossed over into the mainstream -- but only by also switching languages. Until recently, the presence of Spanish on the pop charts basically consisted of "Livin' La Vida Loca."

brokenCYDE

Do you have an elaborately sculpted (and perhaps crayon-hued) hairdo, garb yourself in skinny jeans and neon colors and <3 txtspk? Chances are, you're a scene kid and you will totally <3 this playlist of hott scene bands. Conversely, if you've never heard of "scene," thought neon went out with Reagan and can't understand what's up with all these suburban kids making what sounds like snotty, screamo gangster rap, you are probably old (we feel your pain, friends!). Don't get all emo about it: just listen to this playlist (or raid your kid's MySpace page) and catch up! (You OG types can also check out Philip Sherburne's playlist of old-school raunch-rap acts who made him laugh his hiney off at LMFAO.) You can listen to a sampling of the tracks below, or listen to the entire playlist here.

SoundTreks: A regular feature on the music the other 97 percent of the globe is listening to.

Two very exciting new releases for world nerds (like yours truly) came out this week: the second album from Brazilian neo-bossa ingenue CeU and a fabulous new greatest-hits collection from the self-proclaimed (and rightfully so) Magic Couple, Mali's blind husband-and-wife duo Amadou & Mariam. These two albums might seem disparate, coming from far corners of the globe and encompassing vastly different styles. But I'm willing to put money on the theory that they share a fan base -- one that is enamored of elegant, evocative (and sometimes pensive) vocals, impeccably graceful songwriting and an aesthetic that intertwines respect for tradition with a penchant for organic innovation. Read reviews of both albums by our own Nick Dedina after the jump.

Just to make things interesting, however, we're also going to throw a few more items into this week's column in the form of three albums that really are pretty distinct: the Yoshida Brothers' new best-of album, the sophomore effort  of Mexican cumbia boy band Los Super Reyes, and the first stateside release of Balkan brass band rock star Goran Bregovic. Together, these five albums help to demonstrate the exciting, often exhilarating ground a "SoundTrek" through the world of world music can cover.