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Miley Cyrus, 'Bangerz': Track-By-Track Review
October 01, 2013 12:44 PM EDT 226 406 2 0 Set aside, at least for a moment, the knowingly outrageous outfits, the frequent tongue unfurling and anything involving the word "twerk." On a purely artistic level, Miley Cyrus is currently living out the dream of any singer-songwr ...
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Lorde, 'Pure Heroine': Track-By-Track Review
September 25, 2013 4:15 PM EDT 166 115 6 0 LORDE "Pure Heroine" Lava/Republic Producer: Joel Little Release Date: Sept. 30 Ten months after floating out her debut EP online for free in her native New Zealand, Ella Yelich-O'Connor, the teenage singer-songwriter known as L ...
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Drake, 'Nothing Was The Same': Track-By-Track Review
September 24, 2013 2:13 PM EDT 125 87 8 0 "I get to wake up every day and be myself." This is a thing Drake said during his CRWN interview on Sunday (September 22). Drake is confident. Three studio albums in, he has embraced and capitalized on what's made him a likable r ...
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Kings of Leon Talk 'Mechanical Bull' Track-By-Track
September 23, 2013 4:14 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 Kings Of Leon have put together a striking album in "Mechanical Bull," one that melds the most appealing aspects from a decade of evolution. The powerful, diverse record, which drops Sept. 24, showcases the elements KOL do best: turn-on- ...
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Icona Pop, 'This Is... Icona Pop': Track-By-Track Review
September 18, 2013 2:34 PM EDT 25 44 0 0 One year ago today, a female pop artist released an extremely satisfying album that was somewhat overlooked due to the monumental impact of its first single. This full-length featured a handful of deliriously enjoyable songs that should have bee ...
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Sheryl Crow, 'Feels Like Home': Track-By-Track Review
September 09, 2013 10:05 AM EDT 7 5 0 0 SHERYL CROW "Feels Like Home" Producers: Sheryl Crow, Justin Niebank Warner Brothers Release Date: Sept. 10 After over two decades of making records, Sheryl Crow enters into a new phase of her recording career with the Warner release of ...
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The Weeknd, 'Kiss Land': Track-by-Track Review
September 06, 2013 3:14 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 For a moment, the Weeknd almost lost us. It wasn't because of poor quality music — 2011's trio of mixtapes ("House of Balloons," "Thursday," "Echoes of Silence") that introduced the mysterious singer were, i ...
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Ariana Grande, 'Yours Truly': Track-By-Track Review
September 04, 2013 5:56 PM EDT 77 1.436 k 4 0 ARIANA GRANDE "Yours Truly" Producers: various Republic Records Release Date: Sept. 3 Ariana Grande was never in danger of being a one-hit wonder. Anyone who heard "The Way," her Top 10 debut single featuring Mac Miller, ...
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Earl Sweatshirt, 'Doris': Track-By-Track Review
August 20, 2013 1:50 PM EDT 1 0 0 0 Odd Future's empire thrives off lifestyle. (The crew carries their apparel while on tour while hard copies of their music stand as a checkout line item in their stores.) Not beholden to radio (with notable yet light chart success), Odd Futur ...
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N.W.A, 'Straight Outta Compton' at 25: Classic Track-By-Track Review
August 08, 2013 12:43 PM EDT 192 43 2 0 N.W.A formed out of the ashes of the Los Angeles electro group World Class Wrecking Cru, which counted Dr. Dre and DJ Yella among its membership. In 1987, Dre found himself in jail pleading for help from group manager Alonzo Williams, who refus ...
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The Civil Wars Track-By-Track Review: Joy Williams Breaks Down New Album
August 05, 2013 12:25 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 After winning two Grammys for their self-released debut "Barton Hollow," the Civil Wars recorded a follow-up… and, while on tour in Europe, went their separate ways. Singer-songwriters Joy Williams and John Paul White brought in more ins ...
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Robin Thicke, 'Blurred Lines': Track-By-Track Review
July 30, 2013 11:20 AM EDT 186 128 0 0 Long a staple in the R&B world, Robin Thicke entered 2013 as an artist on the outer reaches of the pop landscape. While he wasn't entirely unknown to pop fans, considering he's had four singles crack the Hot 100, all to often he ...
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Metallica's 'Kill 'Em All' at 30: Track-By-Track
July 25, 2013 3:35 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 Here's our track-by-track look back at Metallica's classic debut, which changed the face of metal 30 years ago this week. In the summer of 1983, metal was in a state of flux. The year prior, English titans Judas Priest had released " ...
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Selena Gomez, 'Stars Dance': Track-By-Track Review
July 23, 2013 6:56 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 Although she's been in the public eye for over a decade as a child actress-turned-pop star, Selena Gomez has always come across as somewhat hard to decipher compared to her fellow ex-Disney peers. Sure, she has a very public relationship with ...
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Sara Bareilles, 'The Blessed Unrest': Track-By-Track Review
July 16, 2013 1:43 PM EDT 127 69 2 0 When Sara Bareilles' 2010 album "Kaleidoscope Heart" debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, the achievement proved that the "Love Song" singer-songwriter was not a pop personality to underestimate. The California native ...
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Jay-Z, 'Magna Carta Holy Grail': Track-By-Track Review
July 04, 2013 1:50 PM EDT 627 427 206 0 Jay-Z's "Magna Carta Holy Grail," which became available thrugh the Samsung app (but also leaked elsewhere) late last night, is a lot to get through on a holiday... and not just if you have a Samsung phone. (Samsung users face ...
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Ciara, 'Ciara': Track-by-Track Review
July 02, 2013 9:00 AM EDT 60 194 2 0 Confidence is a fatal weapon; the fearlessness it conceives makes one invincible, even to one's worst enemy. Ciara is one who exudes confidence beyond her strut. The singer stepped on to the scene close to 10 years ago with the Petey Pablo ...
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Queensryche, 'Queensryche': Track-By-Track Review
June 24, 2013 11:10 AM EDT 0 0 0 0 First, Queensrÿche endured guitarist Chris DeGarmo's 1997 departure. Then came last year's firing of singer Geoff Tate, whose assertion that he holds 81% of the act's songwriting credits sparked rampant commentary about exactly what ...
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Beyonce, 'Dangerously In Love': Classic Track-By-Track Review
June 22, 2013 1:55 PM EDT 191 512 3 0 Fall crazy back in love with Queen B's first solo album on the 10th anniversary of its release. Ten years ago, Beyoncé decided to make a move that would ultimately help her become one the most accomplished artists in music. The singer, wh ...
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Kelly Rowland, 'Talk A Good Game': Track-By-Track Review
June 17, 2013 1:20 PM EDT 72 217 0 0 Kelly Rowland finally comes into her own on "Talk A Good Game," her most focused, consistent and honest album to date. Picking up where 2011’s "Here I Am" left off, the singer's new album has an additional layer of hone ...
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Kanye West, 'Yeezus': Track-by-Track review
June 14, 2013 7:50 PM EDT 272 282 0 0 Did you hear that rumble earlier? It was the sound of the Internet shaking as news tweeted across the world that Kanye West’s sixth solo album “Yeezus” sprang a leak, just four days before its official June 18 release. The anticipation for t ...
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J. Cole, 'Born Sinner': Track-By-Track Review
June 07, 2013 2:08 PM EDT 37 71 0 0 Perhaps inspired by his release-date rival, Kanye West, J. Cole has learned how to make an entrance. Last night (June 6), in a more intimate, high-tech version of the premiere of Yeezy's "New Slaves" — which was shown via projecto ...
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Disclosure, 'Settle': Track-By-Track Review
June 04, 2013 4:48 PM EDT 0 1 0 0 It's easy and short-sighted to compare Disclosure's debut album "Settle" to Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories," partly due to the proximity of their release dates, partly due to the highly lazy "European e ...
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Black Sabbath, '13': Track-By-Track Review
June 04, 2013 2:00 PM EDT 201 65 4 0 On April 10, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler surprised a small crowd at the Montalban Theater in Hollywood for a first listen of Black Sabbath's new album, "13." They were onstage for no more than a minute and beyond ...
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Queens of the Stone Age, '...Like Clockwork': Track-By-Track Review
May 29, 2013 12:30 PM EDT 142 59 2 0 Much has changed for Queens of the Stone Age during the six-year interim between "Era Vulgaris" and the new LP "...Like Clockwork." The band has been rebuilt yet again, with bassist Michael Shuman (Wires on Fire, Mini Mansio ...
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Thirty Seconds To Mars, 'Love Lust Faith + Dreams': Track-By-Track Review
May 21, 2013 11:18 AM EDT 103 135 3 0 On Thirty Seconds To Mars' follow-up to their 2009 effort "This Is War," frontman Jared Leto takes the production reins alongside the group's longtime producer Steve Lillywhite and brings a marked sense of variety and exper ...
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The National, 'Trouble Will Find Me': Track-By-Track Review
May 16, 2013 10:55 AM EDT 75 50 2 0 The National embody what a lot of people love in rock bands. It has to do with the concept of paying dues -- a rite of passage we love to see bands earn -- and the National are the definition of it. The Ohio indie rockers have been fighting the ...
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Daft Punk, 'Random Access Memories': Track-By-Track Review
May 13, 2013 6:43 PM EDT 861 308 20 0 There's a point on "Doin' It Right," the penultimate track on Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories," where the album's utter lack of post-modern ambitions smacks the listener in the face. "Everybody ...
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George Strait, 'Love Is Everything': Track-by-Track Review
May 13, 2013 12:00 PM EDT 444 55 0 0 In a career that has seen five of his albums win the CMA Album of the Year trophy, a new release from George Strait is always a cause for celebration. But, in the case of "Love Is Everything," it truly is an album worth giving a liste ...
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Demi Lovato, 'Demi': Track-By-Track Review
May 09, 2013 3:10 PM EDT 179 646 15 0 At this point, Demi Lovato's story of success is well-known and does not need to be further dissected. In 2012, the 20-year-old scored her biggest hit to date with the sumptuously simple "Give Your Heart a Break," headlined a w ...
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Vampire Weekend, 'Modern Vampires of the City': Track-by-Track Review
May 08, 2013 11:15 AM EDT 40 61 3 0 Rewind to early 2007 --when Vampire Weekend first popped up on indie rock fans' radar at the end of that year, the idea of a band breaking via blog coverage was still a novel concept. Since then, championing the ever-fickle blogosphere has ...
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Lady Antebellum, 'Golden': Track-by-Track Review
May 06, 2013 1:35 PM EDT 131 131 2 0 Lady Antebellum rolls out their fourth studio album, "Golden." After striking a heavier tone on their last album, "Own The Night," the Capitol Nashville trio includes several more up tempo numbers on the new set. Led off by ...
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Kenny Chesney, 'Life On A Rock': Artist Track-by-Track Review
April 29, 2013 9:00 AM EDT 334 61 77 0 Kenny Chesney's new album "Life On A Rock" is surely the most personal work he's ever done, and time will likely prove it to be among his best-loved by fans. While it does have its stadium-ready party songs in the title cut ...
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Queensryche, 'Frequency Unknown': Album Review
April 23, 2013 5:00 PM EDT 23 24 0 0 QUEENSRŸCHE "Frequency Unknown" Producer: Jason Slater Deadline Music/Cleopatra Records Release Date: April 23 Since Queensrÿche fired Geoff Tate last June and the band’s internal conflicts came to light, the singer has publi ...
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Snoop Lion, 'Reincarnated': Track-By-Track Review
April 23, 2013 1:22 PM EDT 131 54 0 0 Snoop Lion, formerly known as Snoop Dogg, announced his embracement of the Rastafarian way of life following a visit to Jamaica in 2012. While there he took part in reasoning sessions with Rastafarian elders, among them The Wailers’ sole living ...
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Fall Out Boy, 'Save Rock and Roll': Track-By-Track Review
April 16, 2013 7:00 PM EDT 73 109 4 0 Here's a not-well-kept secret: back in their heyday, Fall Out Boy could stand toe-to-toe with any rock act, not just those corralled into their "pop-punk" sphere. In a very short amount of time, Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz, Andy Hu ...
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Kid Cudi, 'Indicud': Track-by-Track Review
April 16, 2013 1:17 PM EDT 77 59 4 0 Many were introduced to Kid Cudi as Kanye West’s dedicated hook man. Cudi assisted with writing and vocals on Kanye’s 2008 Auto-Tune detour, "808s & Heartbreak," before signing to his G.O.O.D. Music imprint and releasing "Man ...
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Phoenix, 'Bankrupt!': Track-by-Track Review
April 15, 2013 4:12 PM EDT 61 69 1 0 For their April 2013 Billboard cover story , Phoenix were billed as Coachella's breakout kings. And that they have, though their path to success has proven just how slow and methodical a "breakout" can be. Prior to the release of ...
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James Blake, 'Overgrown': Track-By-Track Review
April 09, 2013 5:15 PM EDT 0 0 0 0 As a 22-year-old in early 2011, James Blake became a cult hero in indie and electronic circles thanks to his eponymous, virtuosic and genre-bending debut album. He was a producer at the bleeding edge of syncopated electronic music who also happene ...
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Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 'Mosquito': Track-By-Track Review
April 09, 2013 1:45 PM EDT 41 28 0 0 In last month's Billboard cover story , Yeah Yeah Yeahs front woman Karen O set the record straight -- no one was trying to write a hit on the band's new album. "You can want to do it and you can aim to do it," said the 34-ye ...
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Brad Paisley, 'Wheelhouse': Track-By-Track Review
April 09, 2013 11:45 AM EDT 0 0 0 0 Brad Paisley tackles numerous subjects on his eighth studio album "Wheelhouse." His most controversial album to date, Paisley produced the LP himself and it features hot-button topics ranging from racism, religion, and domestic abuse. La ...
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Paramore, 'Paramore': Track-By-Track Review
April 08, 2013 1:46 PM EDT 104 193 0 0 Nearly four years after the release of their last album and with two fewer members in their lineup, Paramore at last returns with their fourth album, the self-titled "Paramore" (out April 9 via Fueled by Ramen/Atlantic Records). As u ...
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The Band Perry, 'Pioneer': Track-by-Track Review
April 02, 2013 12:45 PM EDT 79 55 3 0 The Band Perry has had the date April 2 circled on their calendar for quite some time. Today marks the release of their long-awaited sophomore project, "Pioneer." Their self-titled Republic Nashville debut, released in October 2010, ha ...
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Tyler, the Creator, 'Wolf': Track-By-Track Review
March 29, 2013 10:48 AM EDT 115 62 2 0 When Tyler, the Creator first emerged as the mouthpiece of Odd Future, his growl was layered. Most people experienced his projects in the reverse order, starting with the audacious "Goblin" (2011), before realizing 2009's "B ...
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Depeche Mode, 'Delta Machine': Track-By-Track Review
March 26, 2013 5:55 PM EDT 142 83 0 0 Fans can count on Depeche Mode -- they've released a new album and embarked on a coinciding tour every four years since 1993. It's that time again, as the long-reigning synth-rock kings are back with a new LP, "Delta Machine,&quo ...
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Blake Shelton, 'Based On A True Story...' Track-by-Track Review
March 26, 2013 1:15 PM EDT 86 47 0 0 Country superstar/"Voice" coach Blake Shelton is all about getting personal on "Based On A True Story…," his seventh studio album to date. "Every song on the album, I've either been through those situations, or I&# ...
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The Strokes, 'Comedown Machine': Track-By-Track Review
March 25, 2013 1:20 PM EDT 37 66 0 0 When the Strokes released "Angles" in 2011, Julian Casablancas and his loyal subjects -- er, band mates -- were officially in comeback mode. The return-to-form LP did what it had to do -- prove the one-time saviors of rock 'n roll ...
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Lil Wayne, 'I Am Not A Human Being II': Track-By-Track Review
March 22, 2013 12:56 PM EDT 82 71 0 0 Lil Wayne's nearly two-decade tenure in rap has been punctuated with moments of audacity that not even the grimiest rappers dare touch. Wayne's led a double life in the game, where one moment he is yearning to penetrate pop territory a ...
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Pink Floyd, 'The Dark Side of the Moon' At 40: Classic Track-By-Track Review
March 16, 2013 1:14 PM EDT 969 173 24 0 A song-by-song journey through Pink Floyd's ambitious psychedelic masterpiece, which was released 40 years ago. "'The Dark Side of the Moon' was an expression of political, philosophical, humanitarian empathy that was desp ...
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Justin Timberlake, 'The 20/20 Experience': Track-By-Track Review
March 12, 2013 11:30 AM EDT 576 188 13 0 When "FutureSex/Lovesounds" was released in September 2006, Justin Timberlake was 25 years old, in a relationship with Cameron Diaz that was about to end, and for all intents and purposes, still a kid trying to prove himself and sus ...
