Miley Cyrus Breakout Release: 2008-07-22
Technically, Breakout is Miley Cyrus' second album, but her first was part of the two-disc set Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus, which attempted to capitalize on Cyrus' huge popularity as The Disney Channel's pop star in disguise and establish her as a real pop star under her own name. Though she scored a tween-pop hit with "See You Again," the songs Cyrus recorded as herself on Meet Mi......more »
Amos Lee Last Days At The Lodge Release: 2008-06-24
Amos Lee received some solid critical notice for his first two Blue Note records and made it through to create a third — an accomplishment in and of itself these days. As they were described, these albums walked some strange line between Neil Young, Bill Withers, and James Taylor. That's some heavy company to keep for a young man who used to be a schoolteacher. Last Days at the Lodge isn't a radic......more »
Camp Rock Camp Rock Release: 2008-06-17
Camp Rock, the Walt Disney Company's deliberately crafted follow-up to its successful television movie High School Musical (2006), the soundtrack for which sold four million albums after the film's premiere on the Disney Channel, is another musical tale about young teens made for pre-teens, this time with a theme that might best be described as Fame goes to summer camp. How one judges the resultin......more »
Katy Perry One Of The Boys Release: 2008-06-17
Listening to Katy Perry's litany of belched alphabets, fruity boyfriends, Vegas hangovers, and lesbian lip-locks on her debut, One of the Boys, it's easy to assume she'll do anything for attention, and a close read of her history proves that suspicion true. Prior to her transformation into a teen tart, Perry was a Christian singer operating under the name Katy Hudson — an appellation a little bit ......more »
Prima J Prima J Release: 2008-06-17
Prima J are a dance-pop duo consisting of cousins Jessica and Janelle Martinez. The group created a buzz in 2007 on the strength of their revved-up single, "Rock Star," which appeared in the film BRATZ, and Prima J's full-length self-titled debut delivers plenty of the same pulsing, contemporary R&B. But those seeking the high energy of "Rock Star" may also be surprised to ......more »
Alanis Morissette Flavors Of Entanglement Release: 2008-06-10
Four full years after 2004's SO-CALLED CHAOS, Canadian pop star Alanis Morissette finally returned with a new studio album, FLAVORS OF ENTANGLEMENT. While the former outing was informed by the ever-confessional performer's romance with Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds, this '08 offering deals with the dissolution of that relationship, particularly on the piano ballad "Not As We" and the wis......more »
Adele 19 Release: 2008-06-10
With just a couple of cursory listens to the few tracks that popped up all over the Internet through 2007, comparisons were made between Adele, the much-hyped brassy British songstress, and Amy Winehouse, the...much-hyped brassy British songstress. However, after a solid listen to 19, the first full sampling by the up-and-coming Adele, listeners are forced to throw all comparisons to the wind; Ade......more »
Jesse Mccartney Departure Release: 2008-05-20
The record is called Departure for a number of reasons,- says Jesse McCartney, whose multi-platinum 2004 debut album Beautiful Soul launched his career as an international singing star. "There have been departures in my career, in my personal life. I've learned a lot since doing my first couple of records. I think I've landed in the most comfortable place I've ever been musically as the style......more »
Jason Mraz We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things Release: 2008-05-13
The third studio album by singer-songwriter Jason Mraz was originally released as three online-only four-track EPs throughout the spring of 2008, hence the odd punctuation of the album's full title: WE SING. WE DANCE. WE STEAL THINGS. Although it was originally made available in a piecemeal fashion, the entire 12-track album was recorded as a whole, and it flows naturally from the smooth pop-rock ......more »
Clay Aiken On My Way Here Release: 2008-05-06
The third album by AMERICAN IDOL alumni Clay Aiken betters his sophomore effort, A THOUSAND DIFFERENT WAYS, by playing to Aiken's strengths as a singer and performer as well as hanging together nicely overall. Where its predecessor made it sound as if he was casting around for inspiration (not least on that album's overload of cover songs), ON MY WAY HERE boasts original material that plants Aiken......more »
