Feb 01, 2010 01:15PM

Nneka - Concrete Jungle

Artist: Nneka Review: "What is life without knowing that death comes?" asks the Nigerian-German singer-songwriter Nneka Egbuna in "Mind vs. Heart." If you're going to wax philosophical on a pop record, you better be able to back it up with gravitas and some great music. Luckily, Nneka has plenty of both. She has a husky, supple voice and is equally adept at blasting out guitar anthems ("Focus") and sauntering through neosoul rave-ups. She's clearly listened to Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu, but the production on Concre... Rating: 3.5 Stars

Feb 01, 2010 01:05PM

Hot Chip - One Life Stand

Artist: Hot Chip Review: The best song on this U.K. electro-pop group's 2008 disc Made in the Dark was an ode to disco abandon called "Ready for the Floor." The best one here is a marriage proposal called "One Life Stand." Hot Chip's excellent fourth record shows how compatible those sentiments can be. Frontman Alexis Taylor, a new dad, hungers for commitment and ponders the big picture over sweeping songs that set searching Yaz-like synth melodies to elegiac house throb. The Chipsters lace their songs with references... Rating: 3.5 Stars

Feb 01, 2010 01:04PM

Sade - Soldier of Love

Artist: Sade Review: Sade has a lot in common with AC/DC. Both have spent long and glorious careers refining their signature sound, to the point where it's basically one song with different titles. They wait years between records, then deliver the same album they made last time — which means it's unimpeachably excellent. Neither gets caught doing anything stupid like trying a new hairstyle or making a Balearic dubstep record. They stick to their strengths. And they both sing about the tender emotions, from Sad... Rating: 3.5 Stars

Feb 02, 2010 12:51PM

Gil Scott-Heron - I?m New Here

Artist: Gil Scott-Heron Review: "Standing in the ruins of another black man's life," intones Gil Scott-Heron over muted electro beats on "Your Soul and Mine," his baritone ravaged but unmistakable. The lines must resonate for the veteran singer, activist and proto-rapper, who has spent the past decade in and out of prison on drug charges. This comeback abandons his signature soul jazz: There's a lone acoustic guitar on the title track, a Smog cover; noir strings and electronics à la Thom Yorke's The Eraser elsewhere. It's... Rating: 3 Stars

Feb 02, 2010 12:44PM

Yeasayer - Odd Blood

Artist: Yeasayer Review: Like their Brooklyn neighbors Dirty Projectors and Animal Collective, Yeasayer are pioneers of a scene that refuses to choose between a sense of experimental adventure and pure pop pleasure. It's a balance they're perfecting as they grow older: On their 2007 debut, they were freak-folkies with a knack for creating hot Eastern-flavored grooves (check out the hallucinatory video for "Wait for the Summer"). On their follow-up, they dive deeper into electronics and big Eighties beats (literally: The... Rating: 4 Stars

Feb 01, 2010 01:17PM

The Soft Pack - The Soft Pack

Artist: The Soft Pack Review: These San Diego garage rockers got some heat for originally calling themselves the Muslims, but such risky judgment does not extend to their taste in used noise. The Soft Pack are revivalists who keep it interesting by messing around in the margins. "More or Less" and "Flammable" connect Feelies trance-strum to leather-jacket Sixties stomp, "Mexico" revives Lee Hazlewood as a surf-rock nomad, "Parasites" extends a two-minute guitar blitz into five minutes of zoned-out sprawl (and it's all the... Rating: 3 Stars

Feb 03, 2010 09:43AM

Lady Antebellum tops charts with 'Need'

Tune Tracker: Country trio sold 481,000 units in its first week -- On the strength of its titular hit single, Lady Antebellum's new "Need You Now" swept in at No. 1 on the national album chart this week.

Jan 27, 2010 02:49PM

'Haiti' album tops chart

Tune Tracker: Collection is first digital-only release to hit No. 1 -- Becoming the first digital-only release to reach the apex of the U.S. album chart, the all-star set "Hope For Haiti Now" bows at No. 1 this week.

Jan 20, 2010 03:09PM

Vampire Weekend tops album chart

Tune Tracker: Independently released album sells 124,000 units -- Vampire Weekend's "Contra" showed its teeth on the U.S. album chart this week, debuting at No. 1.

Jan 13, 2010 12:11PM

Ke$ha tops Susan Boyle on U.S. charts

Tune Tracker: 'Animal' sells 152,000 copies to trump Boyle's 'Dream' -- Tyro singer Ke$ha snapped Susan Boyle's six-week run at No. 1 as her debut album "Animal" roared to the top of the U.S. album chart.

Dec 09, 2009 12:10AM

Susan Boyle still tops on music charts

Tune Tracker: 'Talent' sensation sells 1.2 million discs -- Scottish vocalist Susan Boyle holds her ground at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart this week, as her "I Dreamed a Dream" tops 1.2 million copies sold in just its second week.

Dec 08, 2009 07:36AM

Kings of Leon rules iTunes

Tune Tracker: 2009 chart toppers also include Cyrus, Lady Gaga -- The Kings of Leon are the kings of the iTunes album charts for 2009.

Dec 02, 2009 10:50AM

Susan Boyle tops U.S. album chart

Tune Tracker: 'Talent' singer's 'Dream' nabs top spot -- Scottish singer Susan Boyle is tops on the U.S. album chart this week, entering at No. 1 with the grandest debut of the year.