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Rhapsody Reviews: Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster

2009-11-16T23:19:19Z

(In addition to great premieres from your favorite artists, cool radio stations and exciting exclusives, Rhapsody also offers in-depth album reviews written by our team of nationally renowned music critics. Be sure to drop us a note in the comment field to let us know if you agree or disagree with our album assessments, and sign up today for your free Rhapsody trial. Also! This just in: our friends at VH1 are having a smashing contest to win a trip to NYC to see Gaga in concert! Won't you click on by.)

It's a deluxe album as only Gaga could do it: larger than life, over the top and, yes, even monstrous. The Fame Monster is stuffed to the gills with eight -- count 'em, eight -- new tracks. Most don't radically depart from her debut's uber-hipster dance-pop vibe, but they do reinforce Gaga's particular talents -- namely, making somewhat familiar musical ideas a wee bit edgy and a whole lot addictive. The vaguely tropical pop of "Alejandro," with its borderline-telenovela drama, for instance, is positively coated in "La Isla Bonita" and "Fernando" (down to the similar sound of its love object's name). It's so close, it's almost a cover -- and yet, something is slightly off. This is where Gaga lives, right smack in the midst of our comfort zone, where she sets up camp with the goal of screwing it up, just a little bit, just enough so that we feel not quite as certain of where we are. Then there's the Beyonce-featuring "Telephone." Now undoubtedly, this is a calculated collaboration from which both of these artists will benefit. And frankly, nothing about it is shockingly novel. But that's what's kind of interesting. Beyonce's cameo sounds every inch like a Beyonce track -- that's immersed in a track that's every inch Lady Gaga. Despite her relative youth as an artist, Gaga at once manages to pay tribute to those who have gone before her and yet make those influences her own.
]]> That said, things get really interesting when The Fame Monster goes off in different directions. The strongly sung "Speechless" is conceptually similar, taking up and reworking earlier influences and references. This time, however, she gestures toward her glam foremothers, the very queen bitches after whom she named herself (although the track is decidedly more Elton than Bowie). And then there's "Teeth," which finally dips musically into the stylistic pool Gaga's perpetually swimming in: cabaret campiness. What's more, this saucy strut of a song shows off Gaga's not-insignificant vocal prowess. Kermit outfits and full facial masks notwithstanding, the Lady can sing, folks.

Although it provides us with plenty of shiny new jewels be distracted by, The Fame Monster also serves another purpose. It supplies an opportunity to revisit the rest of Gaga's debut -- by which we mean the tracks beyond the ones you can sing in your sleep already. And there's much to admire, from the decadently wasted "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" to the sassy title track to "Brown Eyes," a slow jam as only Gaga can do it -- theatrical, glammily weird and slightly off. The album isn't perfect by any stretch, but at the very least, it demonstrates that Gaga knows what makes for the best pop: something comforting yet just a little challenging and, most of all, with a beat you can dance to.

Who -- or What -- Is Lady Gaga?

2009-11-14T00:03:12Z

(In addition to great premieres from your favorite artists, cool radio stations and exciting exclusives, Rhapsody also offers in-depth reviews, analysis and fun features written by our team of nationally renowned music writers. Be sure to drop us a note in the comment field to let us know if you agree or disagree, and sign up today for your free Rhapsody trial.)

She hit the charts running with brain-numbing dance track after brain-numbing dance track about getting messed up and dancing that are layered with (not-so) hidden messages about bisexuality and S&M. She makes weird, confusing, campily glam/glammily dark videos that live in that who-knew-it-existed land between telenovela and dirty hipster nightclub. She not only doesn't deny rumors that she may be intersexual (old-school translation: a hermaphrodite), she encourages them. And come on, people, she wears outfits made entirely out of stuffed Kermit the Frogs. More than a year after she released her wildly successful debut and as she drops a deluxe version of The Fame that's jam-packed with new tracks, we're left wondering just who -- or perhaps more accurately, what -- Lady Gaga is. In honor of Rhapsody's exclusive early premiere of The Fame Monster, we set out to try to address that question, to dissect the Lady Gaga phenomenon. What we discovered, however, is that -- and this should come as no surprise -- there is not one answer but many.

]]> Lady Gaga Is ... a Hipster Artiste
No need to deny it: the Lady Gaga (she's earned that definite article by now, don't you think?) is a hipster -- of the art-school-attending, dirty-club-frequenting, skinny-jeans-wearing (well, when she wears pants, that is), intentionally-obscure-art-making variety. Just look at her first single. "Just Dance" may not sound like music for the multibelted set, but goodness, that video is way too cool for you. Or us. Or anyone.
See also: Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O

Lady Gaga Is ... Glam
This one is perhaps Gaga's most obvious attribute -- or at least the one she references most explicitly. After all, she named herself after a song by ~~David Bowie~~ Queen and lists the "Queen Bitch," Mr. David Bowie as an influence. And while her music isn't so aesthetically glam as, say, that of Adam Lambert, her general tendency toward over-the-top spectacle is very much in keeping with the likes of T. Rex, Queen, Gary Glitter (minus, you know, the child pornography), et al.

Lady Gaga Is ... Disco
Remember those mind-numbing dance beats? They sound familiar at all? They should: picking up where indier artists like Scissor Sisters and Mika left off, Ms. Gaga has almost single-handedly revived disco fever on the charts, along with its attendant infectious decadence, gay-friendly vibe and single-minded pursuit of a good time and a dance groove, thanks to neu-disco cuts like "Lovegame." And everyone from Pussycat Dolls to Gossip to Shakira has been hit upside the head with her "disco shtick."

Lady Gaga Is ... (Studiously) Derivative
All these very apparent influences, not to mention the undeniable similarities to fellow blonde provocateurs like Christina Aguilera and Debbie Harry, have led many critics and cynics to dismiss Gaga as a derivative Madonna-come-lately who is simply refashioning others' more "original" styles. They're not wrong, but they do miss the point. Gaga makes no bones about her very explicit references: she is an amalgam, a pop-culture collage cobbled together from bits and pieces of both overlapping and disparate decades and divas. What's "original" about her is the way she lines all these influences up in new and unique ways, giving us new and unique ways to look at them (see: the high-heeled, all-white-rubber, all-girl homage to the "Thriller" dance in her video for her latest single, "Bad Romance"). In the process, she throws into question the very notion of "originality" -- and makes us wonder if it ever existed in the first place.

Lady Gaga Is ... A Drag Queen
In fact, Gaga's penchant for the originality-challenging amalgamation of genres and styles is steeped in another long and storied tradition: drag. The good Lady is intimately familiar with the drag queen's makeup bag of tricks. If "Paparazzi," with its emphasis on "bad" as "good," artifice as art and style that trumps sincerity (not to mention the over-the-top ridiculousness of that hyper-dramatic, super-decked-out, leg-brace dance break), isn't a camp masterpiece, then Oscar Wilde would surely eat his cravat, darling. But Gaga does more than visit the camp grounds. In many senses, she herself is a female drag queen, executing choreography perhaps best described as "Vogue"-esque, lording it over her "love interests"/circuit boys in videos like "LoveGame" and just generally performing an exaggerated and oh honey, so fabulous femininity (see, for instance, her various and sundry B-52s-like wigs in "Eh Eh Nothing Else I Can Say"). Though they may look a bit alike, Gaga ain't no "Dirrrty"-era Xtina. Her style is sexual but it's undoubtedly a very, very queer sexuality.
See also: The Scissor Sisters' self-proclaimed female drag queen, Ana Matronic

Lady Gaga Is ... A Burlesque Queen
Also among Gaga's foremothers is the drag queen's sister in arms (and legs): the burlesque artiste. The Lady herself worked as a stripper and burlesque artist in New York clubs before hitting it big, and her penchant for corsets, bustiers and general pantslessness reflects that personal history. She also picked up some burlesque aesthetics along the way. Gaga teases with the best of the tassel-twirlers, simulating and suggesting sex in the most over-the-top (or on-the-bottom) ways without ever actually giving it up in videos like "Poker Face" (a song that itself calls into question what you think you know about her sexual desires). Moreover, while she is undeniably hot, hers is an unconventional sexiness, a beauty that's very different from, say, Beyonce's Barbie-doll perfection or Britney's easy-on-the-eyes easiness. Finally, like the best of the burlesquers, Ms. Ga's presentation of eroticism is often intentionally hilarious.

Lady Gaga Is ... (Spectacularly) Grotesque
Another of Gaga's burlesque aesthetics is what burlesque historian Robert Allen once called the genre's "horrible prettiness." She exaggerates eroticism and attractiveness, taking them to their extremes in the dingy, decadent sexiness of "Just Dance." She layers conventional notions of beauty with monstrosity in "Bad Romance," a video in which she looks perhaps her most stereotypically pretty but sings in a guttural, almost inhuman growl. She forces us to examine our own social taboos, pushing at the boundaries of normative desire by pairing conventionally feminine seductiveness with suggestions of her alleged/potential penis. Did we mention she wears Kermit the Frog evening gowns?

Lady Gaga Is ... A Pop Gender-Bender
We've offered many answers to the question of just who -- or what -- Lady Gaga is here, but perhaps they can all be summarized with one term: this provocative, undeniably compelling woman is a pop gender-bender. She appeals to our most populist sentiments, soothing us with familiar dance beats, reeling us in with carefully crafted hooks. But once she's got us right where she wants us, the Lady flips the script, upending convention and forcing us to question our most entrenched norms. And we love her for it.

Listen to Gaga in good company on our Pop's Greatest Gender-Benders Playlist.

single-phile: Gleeking Out

2009-10-21T04:48:58Z

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.

]]> 1. Music taken out of context.
Boy oh boy, do we love to hear a song uprooted from its normal environs and plunked down in what seems like a completely incongruous genre or style. Hip-hop is at least partially built on this conceit: some of the best efforts in hip-hop sampling often are also some of the wackiest (see Jay-Z's Annie-biting "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)"). So when a group of earnest, clean-cut young show-choir singers cover Amy Winehouse's decadent, despondent "Rehab," it feels deliciously out of context.
See also: The Gourds, "Gin and Juice" (we have an extra-special place in our hearts for covers of hip-hop tracks by dorky white people or in geeky white genres)

2. Overstating the context.
Even as Glee yanks pop songs into new and funnily foreign realms, another huge part of its appeal is its overstatement of a song's lyrics. So when Rachel sings Rihanna's "'Take a Bow," she aims it at the heartbreaking Finn and does it with an overwrought expression -- and we eat it up. It's like a gazillion embarrassingly earnest teen movies all rolled into one hyperdramatic musical number. What's not to love?
See also: Hairspray, which builds a pitch-perfect recreation of '60s teen culture at least partially out of its pitch-perfect '60s musical style

3. You can't not look at it.
You know when you see someone completely wipe out in a public setting and you feel cringingly humiliated for them, but at the same time, you can't look away? Glee lives for those moments -- it creates them, exacerbates them and just keeps shoving them in our eager faces. There is nothing that's not embarrassing about these dorky kids doing a hypersexual performance of Salt-n-Pepa's "Push It" at a school assembly. Nothing. But just try to look away.
See also: Most of American Idol

4. Taking pop's big shots down a peg.
Call us heartless, cynical a-holes, but we sure do love to see our idols brought crashing back down to earth, no? In fact, sometimes it seems like the more we love them, the more we want to see the wind taken out of their sails. Glee understands this sick and twisted desire and is more than happy to deliver a blow to, say, Kanye's ego by having a dorky white Spanish teacher with a perm execute a spot-on cover of "Gold Digger."
See also: Weird Al's entire oeuvre; Eminem (though he could stand to take himself down a peg or two)

5. Camp -- and the importance of being earnest.
Truth be told, we could practically boil most of this list down to one word: camp. Glee is, in many, ways, built of pure, flamboyant, over-the-top tongue-in-cheekiness. But irony alone and all the time can start to feel cold and alienating. It's best served with a side of warmth and earnestness. It's this combination that makes Glee's "Don't Stop Believin'" so compelling: It pulls you in with its silly, even slightly mocking campiness, but it keeps you riveted with its heart.
See also: Rufus Wainwright (especially the video for "April Fool's"); Hedwig and the Angry Inch; Yma Sumac

6. Musicals, period.
Musical theater has been a part of pop music since, well, pop music existed. But we go through stages where show tunes and Broadway babies play a bigger role in the Top 40 than they do at other times. After Mamma Mia and, hello, High School Musical, we can say pretty safely that America is in the midst of a serious musical theater revival. At its most basic, Glee is musical theater pure and simple, but sometimes the show also makes its debt to show tunes explicit, like when Rachel sang "On My Own" from Les Miserables.
See also: Kristin Chenoweth; Camp Rock

7. Great karaoke material.
There's a recipe for the best karaoke song: you want something that's familiar (maybe even a guilty pleasure), meaningful to you and your audience, maybe a little dramatic -- and, of course, something with plenty of vocal acrobatics (whether you can pull them off or not). A huge part of Glee's appeal comes from the songs they pick to sing: passionate but comforting, compelling, culturally meaningful. Songs we all love (or could). Songs we love to sing along with.
Quintessential Gleek Moment: Mercedes' powerhouse cover of Jazmine Sullivan's "Bust Your Windows"; guest Kristin Chenoweth and teacher Will's karaoke duet of "Alone"
See also: Journey; Heart; Aretha

8. Sounds like a candy shop.
The best pop songs are often like little bits of candy: sweet. Perfectly assembled. Nice to look at. Delicious. If nothing else, Glee offers us a wide range of pretty, delectable bites (and bytes) -- tooth-aching confections that leave you wanting more.
Quintessential Gleek Moment: The girls' sunny mash-up of "Halo" and "Walking on Sunshine"
See also: Britney Spears. Rihanna. Robbie Williams. Madonna's Hard Candy

9. Covers, period.
America loves nothing if not a good cover song. Covers have long been an integral part of pop music, whether it's Elvis doing Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog," Whitney Houston doing Chaka Kahn's "I'm Every Woman" or Glee's "Acafellas" doing Color Me Badd's "I Wanna Sex You Up."
See also: Covers and Curious Similarities playlist

10. America hearts underdogs.
Indeed we do, and Glee is chock full of them: the quirky-crazy, OCD guidance counselor; fierce, lonely Rachel; the entire motley crew of misfits that is the Glee club. And then there are the musical underdogs: the show almost singlehandedly revived Journey's career this summer (or at least did a better job of it than the band itself has). We want to see them overcome their obstacles, rise up from the ashes and, most of all, win -- especially if they sound good doing it.
Quintessential Gleek Moment: "Somebody to Love"

Listen to all these Glee tracks and more on our Gleek Out playlist!

SoundTreks: R.I.P. Mercedes Sosa, the "Voice of Argentina"

2009-10-07T21:42:45Z

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

But They're Really Big in Europe...

2009-10-01T21:15:44Z

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.]]>
The Kylie Minogue Problem
Quintessential Case: Well, Kylie Minogue, but this is pretty much where La Roux lives
Try Listening Like a European: Minogue's "Slow," La Roux's "Quicksand"
An icy-hot singer who purrs beguiling hooks over a dance beat that soothes you into submission/shaking it? In theory, there is no reason why this should not be a recipe for serious success in the U.S. After all, Madonna and Britney have made careers out of it. Maybe Minogue is too clubby, maybe La Roux's beat is too cold and numbing, maybe Robyn is too hip. Whatever the reason, we seem to prefer our dance divas to be domestic (though nearly all these ladies generally find friendlier crowds in gay clubs).
See also: Robyn, Little Boots, Aqua, September

Spice Girls Saturation Level Reached
Quintessential Case: Girls Aloud
Put On Your Euro Ears: "Something Kinda Ooooh"
Americans knows a thing or two about girl groups, and we loved us some Spice Girls. We bought the baby-doll hair clips, we dutifully learned every word to "Wannabe," we watched Spice World. OK, maybe not that. But you get the point. Once we lost our taste for Spice, however, it's like we said, "OK, that's it. No more British girl groups for us," slamming the door in the faces of myriad all-female megastar acts from across the pond that followed.
See also: All Saints, Sugababes, Atomic Kitten, Liberty X (OK, not technically a girl group)

The Boy Band Bermuda Triangle
Quintessential Case: Take That
Put On Your European Listening Ears: "Whatever You Do to Me"
What goes better with girl groups than boy bands? Nothing -- unless they're British. Maybe we're biased, but when you've got boy bands like Boyz II Men and 'NSync at home, the rather anemic, choreography-challenged Brit versions really pale in comparison. Though we maintain that America is missing out on Robbie Williams. Sometimes, anyway.
See also: Boyzone, Ronan Keating, Westlife, maybe even Il Divo

Definite Article Bands, Circa 2002
Quintessential Case: The Libertines
Listen Like It's 2002: "Don't Look Back Into the Sun"
Remember back around the millennium when every other new band seemed to be a garage rock outfit called The [insert plural noun here] (e.g., the Strokes, the White Stripes, the Killers)? Well, Europe (and the U.K. in particular) really took that idea and ran with it long after Drew Barrymore dumped Fab Moretti for the "I'm a Mac" guy. Some of the bands they've kept in business are ours (see: the Von Bondies), but they've got their own garage rock assembly line going, too. Some of it's made some inroads in indie circles, but in large part, we just can't be bothered with Pete Doherty's shenanigans. We're busy with Kanye's.
See also: The Vines, the Datsuns, the Mooney Suzuki, the Hives, the Raveonettes, the Kills

The Hoff Phenomenon
Quintessential Case: See above
Put On Your European Listening Ears: "Do the Limbo Dance (Remix 2006)"
America has something of an inferiority complex when it comes to Europe, which all too often just seems so much chicer, cooler, more in-the-know than we. But sometimes, the continent's tastes just defy all logic (or at least any kind of logic Americans can fathom), leaving us scratching our heads at those upon whom it chooses to bestow celebrity and (dare we say it) respect. Enter David Hasselhoff, talent show judge, friend to talking cars everywhere, lifeguard extraordinaire and HUGE in Germany.
See also: Jerry Lewis

Glam
Quintessential Case(s): T. Rex, Suzi Quatro
Listen Like a European: Quatro's "The Wild One," T. Rex's "20th Century Boy"
Sometimes entire genres just don't take stateside. Something about the combination of extravagant makeup, flamboyant attitudes and hard rock didn't gel with American audiences -- that is, until we renamed it hair metal in the '80s. Always a bit more experimental with the juxtaposition of gender transgression and rock (see also The '70s Are Over, below), Europe embraced fabulous super-freaks like T. Rex and America's own Suzi Quatro (who gender-bent for the other team) that never got beyond one-hit wonder in the U.S.
See also: Slade, Gary Glitter, even Bowie, really

Weird Prog Rock/Scandinavian Death Metal That Would Be Niche Stuff Here But Is, Like, a HUGE Deal in Europe
Quintessential Case(s): Marillion, Mayhem
Put On Your Euro Ears: "Kayleigh"
Hi, Europe? Let us get this straight. So, what you're saying is, this stuff is almost, like, pop music there, right? Like, they win Eurovision contests and stuff? And you play them on the regular radio, not like only in the basement of some angsty suburban kid in a black T-shirt? And you ... don't make jokes about it? Ye-eaah, we don't get it.
See also: Marduk, Fish

Americans Don't Understand Hip-Hop with a British Accent
Quintessential Case: Grime/Dubstep
Listen Like a Geezer: Dizzee Rascal's "Fix Up, Look Sharp"
Maybe it's a proprietary thing -- after all, hip-hop was invented by Americans. Maybe it's the product of our limited world view. Maybe we just don't get the slang ("fit"? "cheeky"? And guys, it's wit, not wiv. Oy!). Or maybe it's just that that accent throws the whole freaking meter off. Whatever the reason, hip-hop with a British accent just does not translate into American, even if Jay-Z is promoting it.
See also: The Streets, Lady Sovereign, Wiley

Arctic Monkeys
Quintessential Case: Oasis
Listen Like a Brit: Arctic Monkeys' "My Propeller"
Look, United Kingdom. Stop trying to make Arctic Monkeys happen for us, OK? Like we told you about Oasis, we Just. Don't. Care.
See also: Klaxons, Blur, Pulp

The '70s Are Over (aka Campy Figures of Ambiguous Sexuality for Whom Freddie Mercury and Elton John are Major Influences Jes' Don't Sit Right with Red-Blooded 'Mericans)
Quintessential Case: Mika
Listen Like They Do in Italy: "We Are Golden"
Look, we're not bigots or anything, OK? We accepted Elton (after he watered down his camp and added a big side of Clay-mate-friendly cheese) and ABBA (after we turned them into a sanitized, Disney-style High School Musical). Mika may be a pop star of Britney-esque proportions even in somewhat conservative Italy, and Beth Ditto of Gossip may be a Kate-Moss-befriending megastar in the U.K. But here in the good ol' US of A, we like our men to be men, our women to be women, and our pop idols to be on the straight and narrow. You know, like Adam Lambert. And Prince. And Justin Timberlake.
See also: Scissor Sisters, Sliimy, Pop Levi, Boney M, Robbie Williams
Exceptions: Elton John, ABBA, George Michael

European Finishing School
Quintessential Case: Kings of Leon
Put on Your European Listening Ears: You know "Use Somebody," but check out "The Bucket"
Sometimes, even artists who are as American as they come just can't hit the ground running here. Take Kings of Leon, a bunch of Southern-bred, classic rock-playing sons of a preacher man. Maybe they were just a bit too on the nose? At any rate, we shipped 'em off to Europe, where they hit it big before returning to a, uh, Kings' welcome stateside.
See also: Jerry Lee Lewis, Josephine Baker, possibly Gossip (if they play their cards right)

single-phile: Mariah's High Notes -- and Low Notes. A Scientific-y Study

2009-09-29T02:45:34Z

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.

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HYPOTHESIS
Mariah Carey's soaring vocal high notes are in some way related to her personal and professional low notes.

FINDINGS/CASE STUDIES
Single: "Someday"
Year: 1990
Album: Mariah Carey
Musical High Notes Indicator (on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being either her highest note or an insane number of high notes): 7. She only really hits one super-high note, running up to the top of the musical Empire State Building just as the song ends. But oy, what a run!
Personal/Professional Life (on a similar scale of 1 to 10): 9. This is the beginning. Mariah hits the ground running with her chart-topping debut and a fistful of No. 1s. She also becomes involved romantically with label head Tommy Mottola, which, we're guessing, at the time was a good thing.

Single: "Emotions"
Year: 1991
Album: Emotions
Musical High Notes Indicator: 10. This is it, people. The piece de resistance. The song that introduced us to Mariah's incredible capabilities (not to mention the legend of her five-octave range, which is more like four and a half, but still).
Personal/Professional Life: 10. Highly respected superstardom? Check. (Almost) overcome stage fright? Check. Impending marriage to a high-powered record exec? Check. Life's looking pretty for Ms. Mariah at this point.

Single: "Dreamlover"
Year: 1993
Album: Music Box
Musical High Notes Indicator: 9. This is the track on which we get intimately acquainted with Mariah's impressive and rare whistle range, which introduces her poppiest (read: not-so-Whitney-esque) single yet. Even better, we get introduced to her pretty, real head voice.
Personal/Professional Life: This is a tricky one to compute. On one hand, Mariah was by now Mariah. On the other hand, she'd just married Mottola, whom she would later describe as extremely controlling. For the most part, though, we're guessing things were looking up, up, up.

Single: "Fantasy"
Year: 1995
Album: Daydream
Musical High Note Indicator: 7. A good deal of sirening and a nice, high general belting range, although it's starting to lose its novelty at this point.
Personal/Professional Life: By now, the diva's getting crazy good reviews and setting chart records ("Fantasy," for instance, was the second single ever to debut at No. 1 -- and the first by a female artist). The Tom Tom Club-sampling, hip-hop-dipping "Fantasy" itself is also one of Mariah's greatest tunes. But things with Mottola, whom she'd divorce two years later, aren't so good.

Single: "Butterfly"
Year: 1997
Album: Butterfly
Musical High Note Indicator: 5. Mariah's most hip-hop-steeped album to date is also the album on which she stops singing so much as just kind of breathing into the microphone. That said, her voice is still a powerful instrument: even in its new wispy incarnation, it still does some pretty interesting high-wire tricks. And there are bits of the ever-present whistling.
Personal/Professional Life: 2-9. OK, yes, that's a ridiculously wide range. But she separates from Mottola this year, so ... is breaking up always hard to do, or is it a positive thing when it's a break into independence from an unhappy marriage?

Single: "Heartbreaker"
Year: 2000
Album: Rainbow
Musical High Note Indicator: 6. Not much skyscraping happening here, but Mariah's sounding less ... gossamer-voiced and fragile than before. Some nice, high belting.
Personal/Professional Life: 6. Rainbow is her best-selling album to date, but it's also the product of a good deal of struggle with her label, particularly after her divorce.

Single: "Bringin' on the Heartache"
Year: 2002
Album: Charmbracelet
Musical High Note Indicator: 3. With the exception of some really nice, strong sirening at the end, this track -- hell, this whole album -- is woefully lacking in Mariah's trademark heavenly ranges.
Personal/Professional Life: 3. The stuff of Mariah drama legend: Glitter. Popsicles. Crazy town. This is not Mariah's happy place, and Charmbracelet was definitely not her good luck charm.

Single: "We Belong Together"
Year: 2005
Album: The Emancipation of Mimi
Musical High Note Indicator: 7. The newly christened Mimi has emancipated her high, strong belt, if not the whistle tones of yore. And it sounds good.
Personal/Professional Life: 8. Well, let's see. She's emancipated herself. So that's probably pretty good.

Single: "I Stay in Love"
Year: 2008
Album: E=MC2
Musical High Note Indicator: 8. She stays out of the dogs-only ranges but lays plenty of soaring belts on her human fans. They don't call her Mimi for nothing (that one's for the La Boheme fans in the house).
Personal/Professional Life: 9. In a somewhat shocking, slightly weird move, Mariah marries Nick Cannon. Wedded bliss looks good on her.

Single: "I Want to Know What Love Is"
Year: 2009
Album: Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Musical High Note Indicator: 9. On an album full of mid-range, mid-tempo sleepers, this Foreigner cover almost -- almost -- sounds like the old, celestial-voiced angel of yore.
Personal/Professional Life: 8. Well, she's still married. And still mostly seems happy. Call us cynics, but maybe a little too happy? We'll just have to see how this goes.

RESULTS Forgive us for wimping out, but the results are inconclusive -- or at least, varied. The whistle range seems to accompany nearly all life events, even the Charmbracelet/Glitter/popsicle era. On the other hand, nice, strong, high-range belting does seem to be in direct correlation with Mimi's happiness, be it emancipatory or matrimonial. One thing we know for sure: Mariah's high notes tend to make us, well, high, so here's hoping she's able to keep doing whatever it is she does to stay afloat.

Q&A and a Celebrity Playlist: Nelly Furtado

2009-09-14T23:28:31Z

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!).
]]> right here as well as listen to, collect and share all of your favorite high quality audio with your free trial Rhapsody membership.

So I saw you on the VMAs last night. You looked great, and it was super-cool that you did part of your presentation in Spanish.
Aw, thanks. Yeah, that was really fun. It was nice to be able to speak Spanish, you know, when appropriate.

So let's talk about your new album. I think to some people this move maybe seems kind of wild -- to go from an album that was so successful in mainstream pop markets to something that is still kind of a niche market, even though the Latin pop world is huge.
Yeah! I'm a very global girl, you know? I've been raised with a real cultural immersion. I grew up in Canada, speaking Portuguese as a kid and then learning Spanish at age 14, and then really always incorporating those multicultural elements into my music from the beginning. And, you know, I've also always dabbled in the Latin languages on each record. It's a shift of the focus, you know? Not having my album be 20 percent Latin, but 100 percent. And it was fun! I'm so excited. It's like being a new artist again -- a real, true reinvention. And I like to be different, you know? I like to move forward and meet new people and broaden my musical prospects. That's how I learn, that's how I grow in my career and as an artist. I can't tell you how exciting it is to reach new people at this point in my career. Really a lot of fun.

How do you think this album will appeal to all the fans of Loose? Or were you aiming more toward different audiences?
Yeah, you know, it's funny with my fans. I've always had a really diverse fan base from day one. I've had ages 8 through 60 years old like different things I've done over the years, whether it's my own stuff or different collaborations with everyone from Missy Elliott to Michael Buble. So I kind of have the faceless fan, you know? [Laughs] But I think overall my fans are music-lovers. And this is definitely an album for music-lovers, so ...

Do you think the charts are ever going to get integrated? People have been talking for years about how Spanish-language pop is going to be a big presence on the Top 40. Do you see your album as a step in that direction?
Uh, I don't know. I think those things kind of come in waves, and it's just half coincidence and half timing. I mean, who knows? We'll see. The language is definitely huge, obviously. I mean, it's almost an official second language, just like French is in Canada, you know? Doesn't mean everyone speaks it, but [big laugh] most people do.

So you mentioned a few of this range of artists you've collaborated with, and I know you collaborated with a lot of great new artists on Mi Plan. You also put tracks by a lot of those artists on this playlist you put together for us, so I wanted to ask you to tell us a little bit about some of them.

Julieta Venegas: "Eres Para Tu"
and
La Mala Rodriguez: "La Ni�a"

So you have a great collaboration with these two on the new album called "Baja Otra Luz." What was it like working with them? Were you all in the studio together?
Oh, of course! All of my collaborations were homemade right in the studio together. It was such a fun night! Julieta flew in from Mexico, and La Mala flew in from Spain, and I flew into Miami. And we had a blast. Julieta wrote the song -- for me! And she sent it to me. And I loved it. Because it's so rhythmic. She's got a like pop-alternative style. She's very rhythmic. We both treat our music like our babies! Like they're precious. And we both take a lot of time making records. We have a lot of things in common. And then we also invited La Mala Rodriguez, who is an amazing Spanish rapper, who -- her voice, she just has her own unique flow and cadence. She's very special. And it's kinda funny because the song is about, you know, when you fall in love or maybe when you meet somebody new and you feel like your whole life's under another light. You know, you're shining in a different way. But having three women singing it together in the way we do, like in a quite fun way, gives you the sense that you're actually witnessing a conversation between three girls at a coffee shop -- gossiping, talking about love, like that. It's very girly! It's amazing! I love it.

Concha Buika: "Nina de Fuego"

She's amazing. I discovered her on the internet. I read her name and an article, and then I Googled her and went to her to her MySpace and fell in love with all her stuff. It's beautiful. Her voice is classic. She's so powerful. I think she's gonna be one of the legends, up there with, you know, like Aretha Franklin. I think she's that good. I saw her live in Miami, and she had the whole theatre in tears with the power of her voice, her delivery, her ability to bring the character of a song to life through subtleties, facial expressions, obviously her vocal range, delivery. It was masterful. And she sang this song that night.

Juan Luis Guerra: "Que Me Des Tu Carino"

I do listen to some bachata. More of Juan Luis, just because I've actually just been introduced to bachata in the last couple years. I've been to the Dominican Republic a few times, and we have friends there who also love bachata. And we try to listen to like the local radio stations when we're there. It's just such a part of the fabric of the culture there. It's something else. And I would say Juan Luis Guerra is a staple, you know? He's a living legend. He popularized bachata music. And working with him was a learning experience. He's so poised and subtle and, you know, humble. Really keeps the focus on his music and his family, which is what I try to do. So it gave me inspiration for the future.

Mariza: "Rosa Branca"

Oh, Mariza! She's beautiful! She's carrying the torch of fado around the world. Every country I go to, I always meet somebody who's familiar and in love with Mariza's music. And that's great for fado, which is Portugal's national, signature style and most popular style of music. Our national musical format. She's brought it to a whole new audience and a whole new generation. I have a lot of respect for her. Her voice is just incredibly powerful. And it was no surprise to me when I learned that her and Concha [Buika] are actually really good friends! [laughs] They actually have a duet together. These are some of those legends out there that not everyone gets to hear about everyday, but they're actually so great when you discover them, you know?

It's great that you have all these artists on your album. You're gonna be introducing a lot of new people to them.
Thank you!
So who's your dream collaboration?
You know, it's funny, I saw him last night at the MTVs and I screamed like a little girl! I so want to work with Eminem! I didn't meet him -- he was far away, but he probably heard me yelling. But I really would like to work with him! You know what I look for in a collaboration? I look for a learning experience. And I think I would learn so much from watching him work in the studio -- the way he crafts his lyrics and rhymes, and a lot of the brilliance that goes into it. I think he's very unique. And I'm a vocalist, and I have a lot to learn! So that would be fun.

Thanks so much, Nelly! It was great to talk to you.
You're so welcome! Thanks for the interview. Take care!

Check out the rest of Nelly's playlist of picks and plans here, and see what she has to say about each track below:
Fritz Helder and the Phantoms: "Sex Robot"
Another one of of my faves from the album "greatest hits".
Feist: "1,2,3,4"
A good song for driving
Maxwell: "Pretty Wings"
Maxwell is a true artist that consistently delivers quality music, and classic songs.
Josh Groban: "February Song"
Josh has a very elegant yet strong style to his singing. This song has mystery and drama. I love it.
K'Naan: "Abc's"
K'naan is back with album # 2 and it's full of life.
Alejandro Sanz and Shakira: "Te Lo Agradezco Pero No"
These two sound great together. This song is so effortlessly amazing, and the harmonies are infectious.
Shakira: "No"
This song's lyrics break my heart in two.
Jennifer Lopez: "Toma De Mi"
I co-wrote this song with Julio Reyes. Jennifer recorded this for the El Cantante soundtrack. She sounds beautiful.

OMG, BFD, S.O.S. -- We're Live-Bloggin' the VMAs!!

2009-09-13T23:18:39Z

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

]]> Circa 8:06 P.M. ...

Rachel: Lady Gaga and Kermit the Frog just arrived. I...don't know what that means. And how we have shakira talking about hanging out in a cage for the "she wolf" video. It's funny to hear shakira talking about how lady gaga is so great since her "she wolf" is totally influenced by lady gaga. So the big rumor that's going around about this -- and I have to say this is pretty exciting for MTV -- is that Lady Gaga might reveal her alleged penis (since she is allegedly intersex/hermaphrodite) in her performance. it's also most certainly not true.

Circa 8:20 P.M. ...

Rachel: Twitter mention! Drink!
Mike: Twitter!
Rachel: 521 tweets in 30 seconds for gaga! does that mean..30 drinks? or 521?
Mike:
Rachel: BUZZ ALDRIN?! WTF! Buzz Aldrin just said "death cab for cutie" and it was so cute!
Mike: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOo6aHSY8hU
Rachel: "Buzz is the original moon man". Ohhhh. Now I get it. Matt and Kim win for breathrough video!

8:21 P.M. ...

Mike: We may be seeing history tonight. Cinderella's here
Rachel: Nah, that's just Taylor Swift in a post-pumpkin coach. She looks pretty. Nice dress -- it's very goddessy in a sparkly, one-shouldered kind of way.
Mike: Justin Beaver? Did I hear this name?
Rachel: Justin Bieber, not Beaver. Oh snap -- he's doing a fan shout-out and totally just screwed up her name.
Mike: OK, P. Diddy is onstage with Justin Beaver. Diddy's sunglasses cost more than my entire wardrobe.
Rachel: Tweet! Drink!

Circa 8:50 P.M. ...

Mike: OK, so we still got the preshow going. Febe Dobson is talking about her VMA outfit
Rachel: Fefe. Haha
Mike: Hahahaha
Rachel: OMG! Pink and Shakira were wearing the same dress!
Mike: So Fifi Dobson is dressed in plaid because she's Canadian apparently
Rachel: Yes, it's mandatory there. Also "tweet"! Drink!
Mike: Running out of Woolite here.
Rachel: Yum! Woolite!
Mike: Jennifer Lopez is on the red carpet. She looks great in a -- wait that dress has a weird bottom.
Rachel: Right now they're announcing the VMA for Best Video that Should Have One -- new "fake" category. Beastie Boys won!

9:03 P.M. ...

Rachel: The show's starting!
Mike: OK folks the VMAs have started.
Rachel: Madonna is opening, announcing Michael Jackson tribute and doing it with all their similarities -- both from Midwest, both have 8 siblings, etc. Wow, this is kind of daring -- all about his lost childhood and subsequent obsession with it. "Michael Jackson was a hero … Girls fell in love with him, boys fell in love with him. He seemed other-worldly, but he was a human being." Now she's talking about a dinner Madonna & Michael had together to get to know each other. She tried to get him to say bad words and drink wine!
Mike: She's showing him to be a human being
Rachel: This is actually quite lovely, even if Madonna is not really the most reliable narrator. She's really hitting the nail on the head -- she's managed to survive as a celebrity because she was allowed to have a childhood and be who she wanted. She feels like she -- and all of us -- abandoned him.
Mike: No one has said this stuff yet.
Rachel: Totally -- at least not anyone famous. "There's a whole lot of crotch-grabbing and moon-walking going on in my house right now." says Madonna! The crowd loves it.
Mike: Madonna's given a real nice eulogy.
Rachel: Yeah, I'm not sure they always got along, but it was really nice. The tribute is starting
Mike: And now they are showing MTV's "Thriller" premier, with the vintage MTV logo and VJ Mark Goodman (I remember that dude).
Rachel: And dancers on stage are reenacting it in various Michael outfits. Kinda cool. Now it's "Bad" -- same idea
Mike: So far a tribute Michael would like.
Rachel: Video in back, dancers in front. It's like a million MJs on the screen/stage. Eerie and cool. Now they're doing "Smooth Criminal." Now it's "scream"! I think? And maybe Janet will come out now?
Mike: You can kind of feel everybody waiting for Janet
Rachel: Yep, there's Janet! Just busted out.

Mike: She enters and is dancing hard.
Rachel: Lip-synching to Michael's vocals. Now she is dancing on stage in front of video of him dancing! They are doing the same moves. Whoa... I got chills
Mike: Yeah I admit I got 'em too.
Rachel: No Beat It? No Billie Jean?
Mike: Yeah too short.

9:15 P.M. ...

Mike: Now some hot girl is covering queen. "We Will Rock You."
Rachel: Yeah, Katy Perry is singing "We Will Rock You." Russell Brand is walking out.
Mike: That's Joe Perry playing guitar.
Rachel: Haha. Russell Brand just intro'd them as "Joe and Katy Perry"! As if they were married.
Mike: Oh Jesus that's his daughter?
Rachel: No, her name is fake -- she is the daughter of Christian ministers or something.
Mike: Oh phew.
Rachel: Hence the girl-kissing and banana-riding. Russell's announcing all the celebs in the crowd/scheduled to perform
Mike: When did slash stop wearing sunglasses and start talking with a British accent?
Rachel: Whoa pan to Lady Gaga who kind of looks like that girl with the neckbrace from "16 Candles." Oh no! He just mentioned her hermaphrodite rumor!
Mike: Brand is planning to lay the rumors to rest.
Rachel: Says "Just because she's sexy and a rock star, people say she must be a man. That's sexist!" That's actually pretty spot-on.

9:22 P.M. ...

Mike: First award being presented now. Best Female Video. Who's your pick?
Rachel: I'm leaning towards Gaga. But I do love "Single Ladies."
Mike: I want Pink to win.
Rachel: WHAT?! Taylor Swift?!
Mike: Wow.
Rachel: Sorry, but that's kind of lame.
Mike: Upset! Taylor Swift takes it!
Rachel: Kanye is up and yelling at Taylor Swift! Whoa!
Mike: Wow first Kanye scene…
Rachel: "Taylor, I love you, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time!" What is happening?! Kanye, that kinda crosse s line. Please limit your crazy to your own nominations.
Mike: Kanye just grabbed the mic and yelled that. Taylor Swift got cut off and was led off stage. The poor kid.
Rachel: I know! I mean, he's right, but you can't get up and yell that onstage in front of her!
Mike: That guy's a dick.
Rachel: Yeah I often kind of appreciate his crazy candor -- like he doesn't even attempt that weird celebrity polish. He's a diva in the truest sense. But that was just mean-spirited.

9:33 P.M. ...

Mike: OK we're back. waiting for kanye to do more weird stuff. Russell brand trying to smooth over the situation. Best rock video next. Jack Black onstage with huge fake muscles and a woman I can't identify.
Rachel: That's Leighton Meister, she's a Gossip Girl.
Mike: Jack Black now praying to "Dear Dark Lord Satan." Nominees: Coldplay, Fall Out Boy, Green Day, Kings of Leon, Paramour. No rock bands there. Green Day wins
Rachel: Oh geez, here comes the old man rocking! Come on, Paramour rocks! And even you old rocker types love Green Day don't you?
Mike: I am old but no, I don't like green day.
Rachel: Billie Joe pulls a Justin Timberlake and asks MTV to play more videos in his acceptance speech. Oh, Mike! Here comes that Beaver kid again! Seriously, who is that kid?
Mike: I think HE's Joe Perry's kid.
Rachel: Now Taylor Swift has to perform -- like everyone who comes out is giving her a shout-out. Unfortunately, she's performing in a subway station. Which is kind of embarrassing. Taylor and a big group of extras in prom dresses are running up through the subway platform and into Radio City Music Hall to finish the performance there. OK, it's kind of cute.
Mike: It is I admit it.
Rachel: I think she's really singing too. Also bold with all that running.
Mike: She is definitely really singing.
Rachel: She's going to be the belle of the ball with all this.
Mike: Taylor Swift keeps her mouth shut and performs live. A professional all the way.

9:47 P.M. ...

Rachel: Oh we're back. 3Oh!3 is performing. Pete Wentz is presenting. Dang, he is so short!
Mike: Now some children are presenting an award.
Rachel: No, that's just Pete Wentz. He's like my age. Lady Gaga is a-coming! She's
opening with a dramatic, like, interpretive dance slow version of "Poker Face." Holy Madonna does Vogue at the VMAs. Everything's white and like cyborg-Victorian-Mount Olympus on Mars. Or something...
Mike: Do you think the Madonna thing is an homage?
Rachel: She just did a big crotch-centering move -- no penis yet. Yes, I do think the Madonna thing is an homage. I think she's actually quite smart and postmodern.
Mike: It's kinda hard not to concentrate on her crotch.
Rachel: Totally. She just played piano with one leg up on the keys.
Mike: I just hope we don't have a Discovery Channel moment here.
Rachel: And now she is bleeding for some reason. I guess it's a reenactment of the video.
Mike: Lady GaGa appears covered in blood "Carrie"-style. When did MTV get weird again? This is kinda cool.
Rachel: Not MTV, just Gaga, I think
Mike: Well the whole scene is all one thing to me kind of. Like, MTV is letting this happen. It's a bit cynical of me but either way GaGa is pretty far out for a pop star.
Rachel: People are always saying she's derivative and critics kind of scoff at her. But if she's derivative of anyone, it's Madonna -- and she's doing Madonna better than Madonna these days. I also think she has her own edgier, artsy thing. I think people think she is a Madonna clone, but I think she's kind of edgier than Madonna. Or more in touch with like a queer/drag/avant-garde arts sensibility.
Mike: Definitely has taken Madonna into subversive territory Madonna never reached.
Rachel: Yes. Much better way to say it
Mike: But without Madonna there's no GaGa.
Rachel: True, but Madonna's whole thing was built out of recreating other images in her own image, so ... it makes sense no?
Mike: Yeah it's a cool like symmetry or something.

10:00 P.M. ...

Rachel: So we're back and seeing this weird Eminem and Tracy Morgan video thing that has something to do with the Best New Artist, but it's not very interesting.
Mike: Sorry I heard the words Megan Fox and got dizzy.
Rachel: And now Russell is talking about roofie-ing Megan Fox. That sucks. Not funny.
Mike: Yikes.
Rachel: Nelly Furtado and Kristen Cavalieri presenting together -- what is that connection? Best Pop Video now. Got a pick, Mike?
Mike: I like the Cobra Starship band a lot.
Rachel: Nelly is announcing it in Spanish!
Mike: But am happy to see Britney win. I miss her.
Rachel: Me too! That is nice! Good redemptive moment for her. (In case that wasn't clear, Britney's "Womanizer" won Best Pop Video). I guess she didn't show up to the awards, though? That's kind of lame. Britney is kind of is synonymous with the VMAs.
Rachel: Green Day performing. I gotta say...I love Green Day but somewhere in every song is just a little bit of Dookie every time.

10:16 P.M. ...

Rachel: We're back with Pitbull performing "Calle Ocho." And now the Twilight stars are coming out to present. OMG Kristen Stewart has her cute Joan Jett hair going on! They are presenting the premiere of the extended trailer of New Moon. Oooh.
Mike: Apparently vampires are way better at s-e-x than just regular people. Is this an ad in between the ads?
Rachel: Why yes I believe it is, Mike! But it's being presented as a feature! I'm buying! Wampires are pretty!
Mike: I hope there's a long Mountain Dew commercial next.

10:20 P.M. ...

Rachel: Chace Crawford and Ne-Yo are presenting. Odd combo that is quite hot. They're announcing Beyonce performing!!!
Mike: In other news Pedro Martinez has gone 7 scoreless innings with 6 Ks.
Rachel: Good. God. Beyonce should just do everything. I would watch fly-fishing if it was beyonce doing it.
Mike: Beyonce has really weird pantyhose on.
Rachel: Yes! You're right! She's doing a weird slow version of "Single Ladies" and she IS wearing a bodysuit. Here comes the faster tempo and the Fosse!
Mike: Beyonce is so hot she makes my teeth hurt.
Rachel: I want to get glasses that just project an image of her thighs in front of me all the time. That's probably not appropriate huh? I think this is the best live performance so far. You?
Mike: It is but I'm surprised they've gone so long without a Twitter mention or Sprite ad.

10:29 P.M. ...

Mike: Did you see the booze PSA?
Rachel: Yes. "If you're not in control, who is?"
Mike: That's what I call "Tuesday night."
Rachel: Haha. OK we're back! Jamie-Lynn Siegler and Diddy presenting. Whoa that is QUITE a hot pink dress, Jamie-Lynn
Mike: Is that Puff Diddy or J Puffy? I forget.
Rachel: They just mentioned Kanye and his name got booed! People are now cheering "Taylor! Taylor! Taylor!"
Mike: I believe Kanye kinda stepped in it this time.
Rachel: Yeah. The award is for Best Male Video, by the way.
Mike: It may be a male category but I am voting for Rihanna.
Rachel: And you won! Or, rather, TI won. He can't be there because he's in jail, right? Diddy's accepting on his behalf.
Mike: Oh wow that's right. Too many British people with microphones here. I am getting a headache.
Rachel: I think I fell asleep.

10:38 P.M. ...

Rachel: Is Muse cool again? This seems weird to me
Mike: They were never cool.
Rachel: Yeah, I guess not. I like their drama but...this is kinda boring. Sorry muse!
Mike: They're basically Depeche Mode with guitars. Like all U.K. bands.
Rachel: Zing! Hit the British where it hurts -- in their Depeche Mode complex!
Mike: Nice shot coach, right in the Depeche Modes.
Rachel: Ok, here's that weird Eminem/Tracy Morgan video again. I have to admit, I haven't watched a single one.
Mike: BRB. I gotta text my vote for Kid Rock.

10:48 P.M. ...

Rachel: OK so here we have Jenny from the Block presenting Best Hip-Hop Video.
Mike: It's appropriate because didn't she invent hip hop? Eminem, Jay-Z, Asher Rother and Kanye -- I gotta hope he gets the mic again. Damn the white dude…
Rachel: Eminem wins! Kanye will be onstage shortly, I'm sure. No, no, the white dude is Asher Roth. Eminem is...Eminem
Mike: I like Eminem because he always keeps it real. It's important to me that things are kept real on a daily basis.
Rachel: DJ AM shout-out! Kid Cudi gave the first DJ AM shout-out. I can't believe it's only the first one!
Mike: So Beyonce is the only performer from the entire night that's been allowed to play a whole song.
Rachel: Oh yeah! You're totally right! Everyone else did a medley or had one of those shorty performances
Mike: They cut Kid Cudi off in mid, uh, rap.

10:57 P.M. ...

Rachel: OK, here we go -- Best New Artist! Here come Eminem and Tracy Morgan. They're presenting. And yet...I still have no idea what their video series was about. Lady Gaga should win this and Beyonce should win Best Video. Or Kanye WILL have something to say about it.
Mike: That's because Tracy Morgan is actually from another planet.
Rachel: Totally from another planet. Speaking of which...Lady Gaga won Best New Artist! And she's wearing her FULL-BODY (INCLUDING FACE) red lace dress! I ... think I love her.
Mike: Yeah she is cool.
Rachel: She just dedicated her award to "God and the gays!"
Mike: Great shout out there.
Rachel: And she did it in Madonna's fake British accent See? That's why I love her.
Mike: Is that Whitney Houston or Rosie Grier?
Rachel: I don't know who that is! (Not Whitney Houston). PINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is blindfolded. And getting hoisted up in a harness. And THIS is why I love Pink. Whoa! Pink is doing some serious trapeze artistry. But...uh...probably not really singing. Or maybe she is! Holy crap!
Mike: http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2009/06/05/gal_actletes_grier.jpg
Mike: Rosie Grier
Rachel: Good Job! You didn't get so sidetracked you missed Pink's performance did you? Because...I think it might be beating Beyonce.
Mike: Yeah Pink is definitely for real. Wait is she on a trapeze?
Rachel: YES!
Mike: Is she magic?
Rachel: And hanging upside down! YES! Lady Gaga, you have been SCHOOLED! Also, extra bonus points for the Lil Kim asymmetrically covered chest outfit.
Mike: That was definitely the best song performed while on a trapeze I've ever seen at the VMAs
Rachel: TOTALLY.

11:13 P.M. ...

Rachel: Video of the Year! BEYONCE!!! Yay! We called it, Mike!
Mike: Haha
Rachel: Beyonce's heels are insanely high. OMG she just asked Taylor to come out and share the stage with her for the award! That is VERY classy -- total Beyonce move.
Mike: Very classy move.

Rachel: She's a pro. Aw, Taylor's really giving her speech and she sounds so shaky and nervous. Cute! She thanked her little brother's high school for letting them shoot the video there. Aws!
Mike: Thank god a Twitter mention.
Rachel: Beyonce didn't even do her speech! Wow, she's cool. Yeah, Mike, we have not had a chance to get nearly as drunk as we should be. Disappointing, MTV.
Mike: Yeah this has been way more eventful than I expected. So one more movie trailer and it's over?
Rachel: Yes, plus Jay-Z, who is dramatically taking the stage to perform with Beyonce
Mike: Jay-Z is entering like Mike Tyson. Except for the pianos. This is where [Rhapsody Jazz Editor] Nick Dedina starts yelling "pull up your pants!" at his TV.
Rachel: This is not as exciting as Pink on a trapeze, but it is kind of cool.
Mike: They need to set the stage on fire or something.
Rachel: YES! That is exactly what is missing. That or a giant snake draped around one of their necks.
Mike: We should have made our drinking game be Lady GaGa wardrobe changes.
Rachel: YES! That would have been much more effective! OK and we're closing with an exclusive look at the Michael Jackson documentary.
Mike: Everybody in the room I'm in has their eyes glued to the TV right now.
Rachel: Totally. That didn't really reveal much about/of the film, but it was still pretty cool.
Mike: Looks like there is much dancing.
Rachel: And it's over!
Mike: The British dude makes one more arrogant comment and we're out.
Rachel: Thanks, Mike! I'm not drunk, but it was still fun!
Mike: Thank YOU. This was a blast, no lie.
Rachel: I think this was one of the better VMAs in years. Nothing like Britney with the snake around her neck or Madonna doing "Like a Virgin," but still -- Kanye gets crazy 10 minutes in? Pink swings from the rafters? An army of "Single Ladies"?! Pretty rad. MTV, more of the same, please. Less of The Hills.
Mike: Yeah best VMAs I've ever watched.

single-phile: 2009 VMAs Part I, the Best Pop Video Contenders

2009-09-08T19:30:00Z

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.

]]> Beyonce: "Single Ladies"

Beyonc� - New Music - More Music Videos

Voted: Most Likely to Succeed
Impact on Class of 2009 Pop: Impact just one sector of popular culture? HA! Beyonce scoffs at the small scale of your question. She laughs (diabolically, of course) at your underestimation of her reach. Mwa ha ha! "Single Ladies" spawned a parody video virus, the likes of which hasn't been seen since the dawn of YouTube; it merged hip-pop with the aesthetics of a Broadway musical in ways Joey Fatone can only dream of; it introduced a new generation to the genius of Bob Fosse; and it perhaps single-handedly revived the bodysuit as fashion. As for its musical impact, well, we have yet to see many other pop stars try to pull off anything quite like it (and that includes the bodysuit), but it's that kind of outside-the-box thinking that makes Beyonce most likely to succeed.
Future Plans (aka What This Means for THE FUTURE OF MUSIC): Forget neo-soul and even neo-disco. We foresee a neo-showtunes/neo-kitsch revival in the very near future!
Upper-Classmen Inspirations: Janet Jackson, Rhythm Nation 1814; Michael Jackson (see his Single Greatest Moments); Mya
Freshman Follower: Ciara; Pussycat Dolls
Further Listening: Summer Jams, Past and Present (Sure, summer's on its last legs, but you can relive it on the dance floor with this, uh, hot playlist!)

Britney Spears: "Womanizer"

Britney Spears - New Music - More Music Videos

Voted: Best Hair
Impact on Class of 2009 Pop: OK, it isn't so much that Britney has the best hair in this video as that she has hair at all -- and seems generally, you know, pretty stable. Though the luster of her return to grace has faded a bit now (not to mention that she still doesn't seem totally back to normal -- whatever that may have been for someone whose life has been as nuts as this former Mouseketeer's), Britney's second and more successful "comeback" was one of the biggest pop music stories of the year.
Future Plans (aka What This Means for THE FUTURE OF MUSIC): Not to be cynical or anything, but we figure Britney's glory days probably came and went back when she strutted down that hallway of lockers in "... Baby One More Time." Which is just fine, really. She's already left her indelible print on the annals of pop music, so here's hoping Britney manages to ease -- nicely and calmly -- into middle age.
Upper-Classmen Inspirations: Mariah Carey, The Emancipation of Mimi; Elvis Presley, Memories: The '68 Comeback Special
Freshmen Followers: Whitney Houston, who, of course, isn't her follower, but whose own comeback comes hot on the heels of Brit-Brit's.
Further Reading/Listening: We Will Always Love You? Pop's Greatest Comebacks

Cobra Starship (f. Leighton Meister): "Good Girls Go Bad"

Cobra Starship - New Music - More Music Videos

Voted: Most Popular
Impact on Class of 2009 Pop: A scene-esque, quasi-ironic, LMFAO-friendly take on hip-hop and pop-punk that features the queen of Gossip Girl? Uh, yeah, these boys (and their "Good Girls") pretty much encompass pop culture in 2009.
Upper-Classmen Inspirations: No Doubt, "Hey Baby" (Best Pop Video winner 2002); Run-D.M.C. f. Aerosmith, "Walk This Way"; Fall Out Boy; Panic at the Disco
Freshmen Followers: Brokencyde; Millionaires
Further Reading/Listening: The Sound of Scene playlist; LOL @ LMFAO

Lady Gaga: "Poker Face"

Lady Gaga - New Music - More Music Videos

Voted: Shyest
Impact on Class of 2009 Pop: "Shyest." Haha. Get it? It's irony! Actually, the potty-mouthed, perpetually pantsless pint-sized diva could probably be voted Class Clown, as well. What's more, Lady Gaga has already made an irrevocable mark on pop music, spawning a full-fledged disco revival and a much-needed resurgence of diva-tude on the charts.
Upper-Classmen Inspirations: We're gonna go out on a limb and guess Madonna. Uh, yeah. And also Chaka Khan, Donna Summer and, especially, Ms. Sylvester.
Freshmen Follwers: Lady Gaga's got everyone on her glam-dance bandwagon, from newcomers like Kristinia DeBarge and Adam Lambert to established divas like Shakira
Further Viewing/Listening: Dominatrix Divas; single-phile: Take a Ride on the Disco Shtick

Wisin & Yandel: "Abusadora"

Wisin & Yandel - New Music - More Music Videos

Voted: Class Revolutionary
Impact on Class of 2009 Pop: All right, so the video for "Abusadorsa" isn't all that revolutionary in and of itself (in fact, it's fairly conventional -- in a super-hot kind of way), but the fact that a Spanish-language tune by a reggaeton duo (albeit a megastar duo with lots of friends in American hip-hop) has been nominated for a VMA -- and Best Pop Video at that -- is a sign that the definition of pop is (finally) expanding in new and exciting ways.
Upper-Classmen Inspirations: Ricky Martin, whose "Livin' La Vida Loca" won Best Pop Video in 1999; Shakira
Freshman Follower: Nelly Furtado, who's certainly no frosh pop star, but whose first Spanish-language album drops September 15.
Further Listening/Reading: Wisin & Yandel, the Hitmakers playlist; single-phile: The End of the Crossover?

We Will Always Love You? Pop's Greatest Comebacks, in Honor of Whitney

2009-08-27T14:27:24Z

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.
]]>
Whitney Houston
Rise: This heir to an impressive musical legacy became one of the biggest recording artists of pop music history -- and one of its biggest voices, inspiring a generation of followers (and American Idol contestants).
Fall: First, her increasingly crazy marriage to Bobby Brown made it seem like she was smoking crack -- and then it turned out she actually was (or so rumor had it). At any rate, Whitney was a mess for most of the early 2000s.
Resurrection: Dropped Bobby, added Clive and by 2009, seemed poised to reclaim the world.

Verdict: The jury's still out, but fierce new single "Million Dollar Bill" provides some pretty compelling evidence that Whitney may once again be pop's Queen (of the Night).
Further Listening: "Million Dollar Bill"

Elvis Presley
Rise: Uh, well, he's the King, baby.
Fall: By the '60s, however, the King of Rock & Roll was looking more like the Baron of Really Bad movies. Musically speaking, he was churning out forgettable soundtrack tunes, getting overshadowing by the Beatles and not performing live.
Resurrection: Forget what LL Cool J said: Elvis's return to stage performance was a TV special dubbed the '68 Comeback Special. The critically acclaimed Elvis in Memphis and a renewed reign over the charts followed.

Verdict: Uh, well, he's the King, baby.
Further Listening: Memories: The 68 Comeback Special

Eminem
Rise: Slim Shady's been one of the most iconoclastic, controversial and, yes, successful emcees in the game practically since his first album dropped -- and that's just the way he likes it.
Fall: In 2005, Em just kind of dropped out of sight for a while, resulting in a four-year hiatus that was eventually attributed to problems with drugs and depression.
Resurrection: Well, he called it a Relapse, but whatever name you give it, Mr. Mathers got both clean and officially re-addicted to hip-hop in 2009.

Verdict: Though some of Relapse's slightly dated references and beefs sound more like he's been in a coma the past few years, we can't imagine the game without its scrappiest player.
Further Listening/Reading: In Treatment, our guide to Eminem

Mariah Carey
Rise: The most successful artist of the '90s gave her adult contemporary-leaning R&B an equally successful hip-hop makeover in time for decade number two. Fall: There was this little surprise visit to MTV's TRL involving popsicles and pantslessness, followed by bouts of the ever-ambiguous "exhaustion."
Resurrection: Mariah came back with an alternate, even fiercer persona in tow: Mimi, emancipated circa 2005.

Verdict: We're still not sure Mimi's entirely not crazy, but a little bit of kooky suits her, as does married life with Nick Cannon, giving Eminem a taste of his own medicine and, oh yeah, being the best-selling female artist in the U.S.
Further Listening: Mariah Carey's Hit Picks

Britney Spears
Rise: From Mouseketeer to teen queen to total and complete pop domination.
Fall: Take your pick. Did it begin with her marriage to K-Fed? The head-shaving incident? Her lackluster (but rather aptly titled) first "comeback" Blackout? Wherever they came from, Britney undeniably had some demons to work through.
Resurrection: We don't want to jinx it, but things are looking pretty good, post-Circus.

Verdict: Britney's not 100% back to her "...Baby One More Time" self -- but maybe that's a good thing.
Further Viewing: Music's Most Riveting Romances gallery, featuring Brit and her ex

Tina Turner
Rise: The diva formerly known as Anna Mae Bullock went from Nutbush, Tennessee, to Ike Turner's backup singer to the dynamic lead vocalist of the critically acclaimed Ike and Tina Turner Revue, whose many claims to fame include Turner's powerhouse cover of "Proud Mary."
Fall: Tina's "fall" was more Ike's fall -- and Tina's subsequent flee from her abusive, drug addict ex and manager in the early '70s. Despite her courage and all-around fierceness, Tina then struggled for several years to get her solo career to take with audiences and labels.
Resurrection: That career came roaring back to life in 1984 with the massive hit "What's Love Got the Do with It," which reaffirmed Tina's position among the great luminaries and legacies of pop and soul.

Verdict: Simply the best, honey. Whitney, take notes.
Further Listening/Reading: Breaking Down a Breakup, One Album at a Time, featuring Tina's classic comeback (from anything!) album Private Dancer

Chris Brown
Rise: He got off to a roaring start at the tender age of 16 and was earning himself comparisons to idols Michael Jackson and Usher shortly thereafter. Fall: He beat up his girlfriend -- his beloved pop star girlfriend. It just doesn't get much worse or more unforgivable.

Resurrection: Just a few months later, however, Brown enjoyed the only kind of comeback that could have worked for him: one he had nothing to do with. The viral YouTube video of a Minnesota couple and their wedding party's entrance into the church dancing to Brown's "Forever" gave him more positive media attention (and even some chart time) than he ever could have garnered for himself.

Verdict: He may have been convicted in court, but Brown's still on trial in the court of public opinion. He apologized, but was it too little, too late?
Further Listening: Pop Hits radio channel

Michael Jackson
Rise: Dominated the charts, MTV, our hearts for the 1980s and much of the '90s. Put out at least two, possibly three (depending on your position on Bad) of the top albums of all time. Crowned King of Pop. OK, so he crowned himself, but it was a deserved title.
Fall: More of an excruciating series of falls -- or a gradual descent into a very public personal hell, each circle of which was marked by increasingly horrible events: fires, extreme plastic surgery, child abuse allegations, weird marriages, dangling babies, drug abuse, debt, etc.
Resurrection: Easily the most tragic comeback on this list, MJ's came only with his death.

Verdict: Seriously split. A spectacular comeback indeed, but at far too hefty a price.
Further Viewing/Listening: In Memoriam: Michael Jackson, our tribute to the King

Johnny Cash
Rise: "Folsom Prison Blues?" "I Walk the Line?" "Ballad of a Teenage Queen?" Cash was country -- and quite a bit of rock 'n' roll -- in the '50s and '60s.
Fall: Already a veteran of one comeback (facilitated by June Carter in the late '60s, who helped him overcome addiction and general depravity), Cash's star flagged from the '70s through the '90s, when he also began experiencing health problems.
Resurrection: Leave it to the Man in Black to do comeback with plenty of panache and drama, practically rising from his deathbed to put an entirely new generation under his spell with a series of Rick Rubin-helmed new recordings, including his exquisitely wounded cover of Nine Inch Nail's "Hurt."

Verdict: He didn't have many years left to enjoy his comeback, but Cash went out with an incredible bang -- and left an incredible legacy.
Further Listening: The Man Comes Around

R. Kelly Rise: A series of popular booty jams and one almost shockingly G-rated hit (1996's "I Believe I Can Fly") made Kels the crossover king of '90s R&B.
Fall: In case you hadn't heard, R. Kelly spent most of the 2000s being accused of, waiting to be tried for and eventually being acquitted of sex with a minor and child pornography (not to mention being outted as a golden shower fan and feuding with Jay-Z) .
Resurrection: You'd think scandals like that would hurt a guy's career right? Come on -- the dude even compared himself (sympathetically!) to Osama Bin Laden! Not Kels's. Instead, he got more sex-drenched hits, a few successful albums and one super-soapy, multi-part R&B-opera.

Verdict: We're not sure he deserves to, but we do, grudgingly, believe Kelly can fly.
Further Listening: Falling in Love with Soul playlist

single-phile: Jay-Z Runs These Charts

2009-08-26T04:36:11Z

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.

]]> "Can't Knock the Hustle" (f. Mary J. Blige) from Reasonable Doubt (1996)
From the critically acclaimed debut album on which the then-young pup declared his takeover of New York's hip-hop kingdom (and really, the entire freaking hip-hop nation), "Can't Knock the Hustle" also established Jay-Z's claim to pop stardom. It didn't get far on the charts, but the easy, mid-tempo groove and poetic sass like "I got extensive hos with expensive clothes/ And I sip fine wine and spit vintage flows" draw you in even more than the Mary J. hook.

"Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" from Vol. 2 ... Hard Knock Life (1998)
His first big hit (it peaked at No. 15 on the pop charts), "Hard Knock Life" in many ways epitomizes/anticipates Jay-Z as pop star: on one hand, it's a classic hip-hop coming-of-age story that finds Jay drawing comparisons between life on the streets (aka "the school of hard knocks") and his ability to come hard as an emcee (and doing it way more eloquently than many of his like-minded followers). On the other hand, dude, it samples Annie! Who else but Shawn Carter could pull that off?

"Heartbreaker" from Mariah Carey's Rainbow (1999)
This little nugget of candy-coated pop confection did double duty in a way that, once again, speaks to Jay-Z's double-edged super-power: it was his first guest shot on a bona fide pop star's single -- and arguably his poppiest (and let's face it, most adorable) rhyme to date. At the same time, his presence also legitimized Mariah's hip-hop diva aspirations in a way Diddy never could have.

"Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" from The Blue Print (2001)
In which we get thoroughly acquainted not only with Jay's self-appointed deified nickname, but also with one Mr. Kanye West and his penchant for deliciously theatrical beats. You can thank him for the fantastic Jackson 5 sample that is responsible for half of this track's pop-tastic infectiousness. As for the other half, you can of course thank Hova himself, whose buoyant rhymes make tough-talking braggadocio sound like, well, a Jackson 5 song.

"03 Bonnie and Clyde" (f. Beyonce) from The Blueprint 2 (2002) and "Crazy in Love" from Beyonce's Dangerously in Love (2003)
They still may not admit to their relationship, but with this one-two punch, hip-hop's super-couple introduced itself to the world. And come on, do we really need more confirmation than first Jay's and then B's rather passionate, totally aw-inducing declaration of their (non-)love?

"Dirt off Your Shoulder" from The Black Album (2003)
Compared to the rest of the selections here, this track is not particularly poppy. There's no pop diva to sing the hook, the beat is relentless and the lyrics are densely poetic, packed with references that whiz by faster than you can process them. And yet something pushed it to No. 5. We're gonna guess that "something" is equal parts Jay's attitude and, well, our by-then conditioned response to producer Timbaland's trademark trot. That, and the closest Jigga has ever come to instigating a dance craze (see: the shoulder-brush seen round the world, Obama's potential reference to the video on the 2008 campaign trail).

"Umbrella" from Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded (2007)
When "Umbrella" came out, it had been quite a few years since Jay-Z had lent his talents to any pop singer but Beyonce. And really, his cameo is small and (dare we say it) almost overshadowed by Rihanna's distinctive bleat (and our impending fascination with it). But Jay's appearance helped put RiRi on the path to superstardom -- and reattached him to the cutting edge of pop after his retirement and 2006's rather complacent, lackluster Kingdom Come.

"Run This Town," featuring Rihanna and Kanye West (2009)
This tune in many ways epitomizes Jay-Z as pop star: it features two of the biggest names in the game, both of which he helped introduce to the game (and boy is it nice to see Rihanna coming back in the company of these two big-brother types). It has almost cinematically dramatic beats courtesy of Kanye. And the lyrics address the undeniable influence these three artists have over the music industry. In other words, it's a song about being a pop star that also happens to be a self-fulfilling prophecy: "Run This Town" is Jay's biggest-ever hit (not including his cameo appearances), sitting pretty at #3 so far.

Honorable Mentions
"Can I Get A ..." (f. Amil and Ja Rule) from Vol. 2 ... Hard Knock Life (1998)
Jigga's biggest hit before "Hard Knock Life," this track is both a classic and a total late '90s relic (Amil anyone?).

"Big Pimpin'" (f. UGK) from Vol. 3: Life and Times of S. Carter (1999)
One of Jay's most commercial (and most memorable) songs, this Timbaland-produced track only made it to No. 18 on the pop charts.

Q&A: Demi Lovato

2009-08-22T15:14:38Z

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. ]]> The new album is great! Tell me a little about what you're going for with it.
Well, thank you. I just wanted to make an album I think the parents would enjoy listening to while their kids are playing it.

You were inspired by John Mayer and worked with him some on this album. What was that like?
It was really cool. I was definitely star-struck at first. But he's such a regular, normal, down-to-earth dude that, like, when we started writing, you know, I just kind of forgot who he was and just really appreciated his music the whole time. At first, I was intimidated. I didn't want to say the wrong thing or give him the wrong chord to play or something while we were writing. But he made it really comfortable, and he's really, really nice.

That's great! How was it different from working with the Jonas Brothers, whom you worked with on your first album?
To be honest, it wasn't very different working with John Mayer and Nick Jonas! Nick is almost as intelligent, maybe not as the same level that John Mayer is, but like a very, very intelligent dude when it comes to music and stuff. So I think obviously I know Nick a little more than I do John Mayer, so I was more comfortable. And I worked with the rest of the brothers, too, on the last one, and it was fun. It was a lot of fun. They are just really cool dudes. And instead of writing in a studio, we were sometimes writing on a tour bus at like three in the morning.

Anything off-limits for you? Any kind of music you just can't stand or wouldn't want to explore?
Um, no! Not really. I mean, I don't think I'll ever stop rapping [laughs].

Who is your dream collaboration?
Um, Kelly Clarkson, definitely.

So are you going to shoot for doing something with her in the future?
Yeah, hopefully. That'd be so cool!

Who was your biggest musical inspiration growing up?
Kelly Clarkson! [laughs] Yeah!

Have you always been involved in music your whole life?
Pretty much. Ever since I can remember, I was singing in my bathroom and, you know, around the house. Like, we had a keyboard in the house, but I didn't know how to play so I'd try to learn by ear and stuff. I was just always very musically driven.

Is your family musical?
Yeah. My mom is a singer. She sings -- she used to sing while I was growing up a lot, around the house and stuff.

You have a successful acting career, too. Is acting or music more your passion?
I think I'm a singer that acts. Definitely. I think singing is my main thing.

Camp Rock was kind of your big introduction to the world. Are you looking forward to coming back to that?
Definitely. I think it'll be a lot of fun.

Do you think it's going to be different now? It hasn't been very long, but you're in a totally different place in your career now. Will it be different coming into it now as somebody people recognize on the street?
No, I don't think it'll be that different. I mean, obviously, it'll be different in some parts. But I think for the most part, the only difference is, you know, Camp Rock was my first movie and now I've kind of, you know, I did another movie and I've been working on a set of a TV show for the past however long, so I'll be more used to working than I was back then.

Do you guys have a lot of fun on that set? Is there time to hang out and have fun and do crazy stuff with all these young casts on these movies and shows?
Yeah, totally. I mean, for the most part, we're just a bunch of teenagers and we're getting to live our dreams, so, like, you know, we always have a lot of fun together, every set that I'm on.

So is it still weird to have people recognize you? Or are you kind of getting used to it in the last couple years since you've kind of become a big star?
Um, I don't know. I think it's really cool -- I'm really thankful for everything. It never really changed my life or me or anything like that. I don't know ... I just think it's really cool.

What's the best and worst part of getting to this stage? Is there a worst part?
Yeah, I mean, I wish I had more time at home and more time off or whatever. But you gotta work hard to get to where you want to be. And I think the best part is when it all pays off. You get to, you know, like meet a fan or you get to work with who you've always idolized.

What do you like to do when you're not making music or acting -- in your down time?
I lay in hotel beds and watch movies all day!

It seems like a lot of kid stars -- and especially Disney stars -- reach a point where they have to try to distance themselves from that background, and it seems kind of hard to do. Is that something you're thinking about at all yet?
I think that it's a work in progress. You know, you don't just up and say one day, oh, I don't want to be a child star anymore, or I don't want to be a teen star anymore -- I want to be respected as an adult. You can't do that overnight. I think it's definitely something you either know that you're gonna want to do someday so you start working at it at an early age, or you just don't do it. And for me, I think, because I do want to have a long-lasting career, I'd want my fans to grow with me. So the projects that I take on and the roles that I take, I definitely ask myself, well, are they appropriate for younger audiences, and is it something that is a little more mature but not too much to scare my fans away.

single-phile: Singles Showdown, Madonna vs. Whitney

2009-08-06T02:42:05Z

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!

]]> Round One: First No. 1
Whitney: "Saving All My Love for You" vs. Madonna: "Like a Virgin"
This first round was a really close one. "Saving All My Love for You" is such a perfect first big hit -- an exhibition of the talented young Houston's emotional and vocal range. But when we're talking iconic, career-tone-setting, encapsulating-an-artist-in-approximately-three-and-a-half-minutes first No. 1s? Nothing beats "Like a Virgin."
Winner: Madonna

Round Two: The Single that Made Her an MTV Staple -- and Changed the Course of the Network/Industry
Madonna: "Material Girl" vs. Whitney: "How Will I Know"
Both of these singles have played integral roles not only in the development of MTV but in shaping pop music as we know it: The glammy, tongue-in-cheek "Material Girl" cemented the hold synth-happy, girl-driven dance-pop would have over pop music for at least the next several years (not to mention demonstrated just how non-fluffy pop fluff could be) -- and showed us how good videos could look. But the equally delicious dance-pop of "How Will I Know" made Whitney one of the first African American female artists to play in heavy rotation on MTV, helping to break down the network's color barrier and the racial division between "black" R&B and "white" pop.
Winner: Whitney

Round Three: Dance-Pop Song about Dancing (as a Meta-Metaphor for Love/Sex)
Whitney: "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" vs. Madonna: "Into the Groove"
People in the '80s really liked to dance, huh? Also high on their "like" lists: synth-pop with a slightly Latin beat. And really, you can dance with somebody to either of these, but Whitney's dulcet, always-flawless vocals help her pull ahead of the rather flat-voiced Madge, who's always been more of a dancer-singer than a singer-dancer. Plus, "I Wanna Dance" is just sexier.
Winner: Whitney

Round Four: The Early Single We Always Forget About But That, in Retrospect, Kind of Defines Her
Madonna: "Everybody" vs. Whitney: "You Give Good Love"
Though they've never quite been the go-to tracks later singles by these prolific divas have become, "Everybody" and "You Give Good Love" represent stylistically disparate but similarly delectable pop fare that also happened to encompass a lot of what we'd come to expect from their singers. "Everybody" finds Madge uncomfortably forcing that small voice, as always, but also delightfully experimenting with the paradigm of pop, pushing it over the borders of dance music and even early hip-hop production. "You Give Good Love," on the other hand, teeters precariously on the fine line between sexy pillow jam and super cheeseball smooth lovin', but wow, does the young Ms. Houston have some incredible chops.
Winner: Tie

Round Five: Song You Can Hear Her Legacy In
Whitney: "I Will Always Love You" vs. Madonna: "Like a Prayer"
At once rivetingly controversial and infectiously danceable, "Like a Prayer" perfected the formula for the heady brew of sex, sugar-pop and subversion so many would-be material girls have attempted to steep their careers in since. But while Madonna's impact on pop is visible in acts ranging from Lady Gaga to Gwen Stefani to the Pussycat Dolls, the dramatic, dexterous, melisma-laden singing of "I Will Always Love You" (and, well, basically every Whitney Houston song) has echoed across the charts (not to mention the American Idol stage) for years. Hers is the voice that launched a thousand Mariahs, Christinas, Beyonces, Jordins -- the standard for which basically any girl who can sing still reaches.
Winner: Whitney

Round Six: Midcareer Track Designed to Let You Know She Was Still Relevant
Madonna: "Ray of Light" vs. Whitney: "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)"
This may be a controversial one, kids. "Ray of Light" represents a real musical departure for Madonna (or, at least, a return to her dance roots) and a marked effort to distance herself from the Sex mess (and, uh, her own acting career). "Exhale," on the other hand, came out when Whitney was still very much in her prime. That said, she had been at it 10 years -- a good time to remind people she was no '80s relic. And the song nods to the more neo-soulful directions R&B was taking at the time. (The later "It's Not Right But It's Okay" might make more sense here, chronologically speaking, but it's still so Whitney, you know?) Still, we've got to give it to Madge, simply because "Ray of Light" is such a damn fine song.
Winner: Madonna

Round Seven: Late Career Track Designed to Let You Know She Could Keep Up with the Kids
Whitney: "Heartbreak Hotel," featuring Kelly Price and Faith Evans, vs. Madonna: "4 Minutes," featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland (Runner-Up: Her cameo on Britney's "Me Against the Music")
In this round, we find the divas following the age-old adage: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em -- or, rather, if you think they might be after your throne, challenge them to a collaboration that's secretly a duel. The thing about "Hearbreak Hotel" is that Whitney just disappears in it a bit. Now, that kind of democratic approach certainly makes for good teamwork, but while there might not be an "I" in team, there's definitely one in diva. Her Madgesty, on the other hand, rules her collaborations with an iron fist and runs "4 Minutes" like clockwork (which would make little Justin, what, a rat in her maze?).
Winner: Madonna

Round Eight: Single that Cemented Her Status as a Drag Icon
Madonna: "Vogue" vs. Whitney: "My Name Is Not Susan"
We're tempted to disqualify "Vogue" since it's really more an example of Madonna appropriating her gay fans' culture, rather than inspiring them with her sheer fierceness. At the same time, Madonna's hipness is impressive and the song's overall fabulousness is undeniable. Whitney, on the other hand, is so generally fabulous and just slightly off-balance (which is, of course, the drag queen's aesthetic cocktail of choice) that we were hard-pressed to limit her entry in this category to just one song (also in the running: "So Emotional," "All the Man That I Need" and, of course, "Queen of the Night" -- heck, even the "Star-Spangled Banner"). Given all those caveats (not to mention that we're afraid someone might get hurt in this round), we're just going to call this one a draw.
Winner: Tie

Round Nine: Self-Aggrandizing Cover
Whitney: "I'm Every Woman" vs. Madonna: "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina"
Another round riddle by technicalities. Ladies, please, can we at least try to play by the rules? No, you're right -- that wouldn't be any fun. So fine, "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" is technically a show tune, not a cover. And a teenage Whitney sang backup on Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman," so her '92 cover of the '78 hit is technically more a historically accurate tribute than an attempt to be the second coming of Chaka. Still, technicalities aside, this one goes to "I'm Every Woman," mostly because Madonna's Eva Peron stage was infinitely more annoying than the (rather sensible idea) of Whitney-as-the-new-Chaka.
Winner: Whitney

Round Ten: The New Single
Madonna: "Celebration" vs. Whitney: "I Look to You"
This is it, folks! The final round -- the single showdown you've all been waiting for! We're sorry to say, however, that it's kind of anticlimactic. After all, "Celebration" is a sleek, shiny, but not exactly thrillingly risky new club-pop carrot dangling from an upcoming Greatest Hits collection by an artist who, despite personal-life problems, is doing pretty freaking great. Meanwhile, "I Look to You" is a dramatic light at the end of a very dark tunnel for a once-great diva who is attempting to claw her way out -- and back to the top. Ok, actually, that does sound pretty exciting, if a little weighted to Whitney in terms of sheer anticipation. Thankfully, the diva delivers. "I Look to You" is not the spectacular, sky-reaching stuff of her heyday. It's rough and weary and hopeful -- everything we want from a comeback single.
Winner: Whitney

Overall Winner: Whitney
It's certainly no K.O., but Whitney does seem to have mustered the strength (or at least the attitude) to triumph over Madonna -- this time. We're rooting for Whitney: she certainly needs a victory right now. But Whitney, we also caution you to watch your back. We have a feeling Madonna won't let this go without a(nother) fight. (And, of course, if she does, we'll be watching, riveted!)

The Mother of Reinvention and Her Heirs

2009-07-28T11:17:34Z

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.

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Madonna Persona: Boy Toy (Origin: circa 1984. See: Like a Virgin)
In Her Footsteps: Britney Spears
Madonna made her first strong mark on our cultural memory as the provocative sugar-pop starlet who writhed around in her "Boy Toy" buckle to the tune of "Like a Virgin." Similarly, Brit-Brit introduced herself as an addictive blend of sugar, spice and shocking sexuality with "...Baby One More Time." Madonna's influence on Britney has always been explicit, to say the least. But while Madonna orchestrated her next move with an iron fist, Britney has never been quite able to extract herself from the grip of the "Boy Toy" image.

Madonna Persona: Material Girl (Origin: circa 1984. See: her entire career)
In Her Footsteps: Gwen Stefani
One of the constants in Madonna's career has been her status as a fashion icon, though the trends she's set have varied wildly, from the lace and crosses that launched a thousand mall boutiques to the glam Marilyn Monroe look, from her cross-cultural borrowings (see: her geisha and Hindu goddess phases) to that ubiquitous, semi-ironic cowboy hat. The only other artist who even comes close to turning pop stardom into so many varied fashion statements is Ms. Gwen, who not only copped Madge's Marilyn look but even went through her own Japanese and Hindu phases!

Madonna Persona: Dominatrix Diva (Origin: circa 1991. See: Blonde Ambition tour, Erotica, "Human Nature")
In Her Footsteps: Janet Jackson
Janet may seem like a slightly unlikely heir to Madonna's fierce, sex-subverts/sex-sells persona. After all, the sweet-voiced Ms. Jackson (if you're nasty) has never seemed quite as, well, dominant as Lady Madonna's dominatrixes. But when we're talking about toeing (and toying with) the line female artists are forced to walk between sexual independence and allegedly "selling oneself" (not to mention sheer tons of leather costumes), Janet's got this one all tied up.

Madonna Persona: Media Provocateur (Origin: circa birth. See: "Like a Virgin" performance at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, "Like a Prayer" video, the Sex book and documentary, the performance of "Live to Tell" on her 2006 Confessions tour. Basically, everything she does.)
In Her Footsteps: Tie: Christina Aguilera, Lily Allen
Even if you think her singing's about as good as her acting, Madonna has two undeniable talents: making headlines and pushing buttons. Whether she's crucifying herself, making out with Britney, masturbating onstage or burning crosses, she's got our full attention. Many pop stars since have similarly provoked the flesh-hungry media (some tragically and unintentionally). And while none have done it quite as well or as consistently as Madge, we think Christina Aguilera (for her excessively pierced Xtina stage) and Lily Allen (for her sweet-tart songs, barbed comments and celebrity brawling) best embody this Madonna.

Madonna Persona: Camp Queen (Origin: circa 1990. See: "Vogue," Evita, anytime she's wearing Gaultier)
In Her Foosteps: Lady Gaga
With a name like Madonna, you're pretty much destined to be flamboyantly theatrical and oh-honey-so-campy, right? Though she pretty much always had the flamboyant part nailed down, Ms. Ciconne really embraced her inner drag queen (and acknowledged/appropriated the culture of her legions of gay fans) with the extravagantly bewigged "Vogue." One of the most Madonna-esque artists to grace us with her presence since Britney's heyday, Lady Gaga's whole fabulous, over-the-top, regularly pants-less shtick could accurately be described as an impression of a drag queen impersonation of Madonna's take on camp.

Madonna Persona: Post-Disco Diva (Origin: circa 1980, then again circa 1998, then again circa 2005. See: Ray of Light, Confessions on a Dance Floor
In Her Footsteps: Kylie Minogue
The Post-Disco Diva is a recurring character for Madonna, which makes sense since it's the one she began her career with back in the early '80s when she was schlepping around various New York dance clubs, trying to catch a break. Once a decade or so, she heads back home to some permutation of groove-oriented club dance music, whether it's sleek pop-house or gay disco. When Madonna goes gallivanting in other directions, her contemporary Kylie Minogue keeps the dance floors (and the bridge between the club and pop worlds) warm for her.

Madonna Persona: Hip-Pop Eye Candy (Origin: circa 2008. See: Hard Candy)
In (/Anticipating?) Her Foosteps: Nelly Furtado
In 2008, the fifty-year-old icon surprised the world yet again with a makeover that extended from a body more toned and sculpted than most twenty-somethings' to her new, hip-hop-infused sound. Her collaborations with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake were firsts for Madge, who usually works with highly respected but behind-the-scenes, less big-name talent. Even more shocking, however, was that this time around, the Mother of Reinvention appeared to have been inspired by another hot mama: Two years earlier Nelly Furtado had enlisted Timba-lake to aid in her own transition from a boho alt-popper to a glam hip-hop diva.

single-phile: The End of the Crossover?

2009-07-24T07:14:42Z

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."

]]> Gradually, however, and with very little of the predicted fanfare, that situation has begun to transform. The most prominent recent harbinger of change has been Pitbull's "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)," which has been perched atop the charts for most of the summer. The song doesn't represent a complete idiomatic makeover for American pop, of course, but its effortlessly interwoven Spanglish and the Spanish hook simple enough for even the gringos to sing along with make some pretty significant inroads. (My personal primary indicator of the transformation symbolized by this song's popularity: I've even heard it blaring out truck windows in my tiny, country-and-classic-rock-loving, Midwestern hometown.) Interesting, also, that the English follow-up, "Hotel Room Service," hasn't skyrocketed to the same heights as "Calle Ocho."

In many ways, the road to "Calle Ocho" was paved by one artist in particular: Shakira, who went from being a massive Latin pop star to being a massive international pop star when she began recording in English. Far from abandoning her first language (not to mention her Spanish-speaking devotees), however, Shakira has taken to releasing material in both Spanish and English -- and sometimes intermingling them on the same album. She's continued the practice with her latest single (off her upcoming new album), which dropped last week in English as "She Wolf" and in Spanish as "Loba." In either language, this cool, minimalist track doesn't sound much like the Shakira we know and love. Gone are the throaty vocals and honest-hipped rhythms; in their place are sleek, understated coos (the coy little-wolf howl is especially entrancing) and a four-on-the-floor beat. In short, Shakira seems to have translated her sound into the aesthetic language popularized by Lady GaGa -- another case of the rise of the disco shtick I mentioned a few posts back.

Shakira's bilingual plan for world pop domination has proven so successful that English-speaking artists have begun to follow suit in the opposite direction. Beyonce, for instance, has put out a whole album of Spanish versions of her hits (Irreemplazable), and is continuing the practice with "Si Yo Fuera Un Chico," the Spanish version of "If I Were a Boy." The ever-increasing strength of the Latin market is never more readily apparent than in attempts like these by big-name artists to cater to it. Even more significant, however, is the implication that "crossover" is no longer unidirectional.

The artist currently poised to take one of the most interesting steps toward integrating the Latin and mainstream pop markets, however, is Nelly Furtado. On her last effort, the former alt-folk, hippie-hop bohemian reinvented herself as a red-hot, F.O.T. (that's Friend of Timba-lake, yo) hip-hop siren. The only natural next step is an all-Spanish album (no English version included), right? Ok, maybe not, but Furtado has always been something of a risk-taker (even her own MILF-y "mainstreaming" seemed more like an experiment than a cynical grab at commercial success). And she has considerable experience working in other languages -- each of her earlier albums contains tracks in Portuguese, which the second-generation immigrant speaks fluently. The fact that she chose to record Mi Plan in Spanish rather than Portuguese perhaps speaks once again to the strength of the Latin market. At any rate, the Latin alt-pop vibe (think Julieta Venegas, with whom she's allegedly going to duet on this album) on lead single "Manos Al Aire" suits Furtado's strong, nasal voice and intensity.