Justin Timberlake, FutureSex/LoveSounds, Jive
After a 4-year hiatus, Justin returned to the center stage of music, picking
up right where he left off. His debut single "SexyBack" hit number one on
the charts and his second hit, "My Love" is on its way up fast. Justin's tour is
set to kick off January 8th in San Diego and wrap up March 29th in New Jersey. If you can only afford to go to one concert this year, make it FutureSex/LoveSounds.
Lupe Fiasco, Food & Liquor, Atlantic
When all in the world of hip hop seems lost, a young star shines bright. While others are wasting time airing out their beef and making tasteless and lazy music, Lupe sneaks through the cracks with what hindsight will show to be a classic first album. You'll start to get to know him a bit as he unfurls some of his critical, yet thoughtful, perceptions of society. More please.
Nelly Furtado, Loose, Geffen
Even when Timbaland is surrounded by those less talented than he (which is very easy for him to do), he creates unbelievable music. When his prowess on the production boards are matched by an equally talented songstress - like Nelly Furtado - in the recording booth, pure musical magic results. They combined on Nelly's latest effort to give us a refreshing new sound that cross many musical genres and allows us to dig deeper into the mind of one of Canada's brightest.
Regina Spektor, Begin to Hope, Sire
If you love indie rock, but you’ve listened to your Death Cab, Bright Eyes, and Rilo Kiley albums far too many times than can be counted, Regina Spektor is the answer to your prayers. Begin to Hope contains an array of electro-piano masterpieces, strung together by Spektor’s melodic vocals. This Bronx-born girl is one to watch out for.
Christina Aguilera, Back to Basics, RCA
On Back to Basics, Christina Aguilera once again sets herself apart from Britney, Jessica, and Beyonce with her strong vocals. She sings a wide variety of music with the help of songwriters Linda Perry and DJ Premier (long time friend of Jay-Z) on this 2-disc set. Disc one provides a very blues and jazz influenced track list, whereas the second disc contains the club tracks we are used to hearing from Christina.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stadium Arcadium, Warner Bros
Anthony Kiedis and The Red Hot Chili Peppers released their 2-disc, 28 track, album, Stadium Arcadium, in 2006 after four years in the making. This album proved to be no disappointment to long time fans as well as proving to be successful in gaining new fans. The first single, "Dani California" is only the 1st of many singles we will see released from this album. Stadium Arcadium provides a truly unique sound of music- combining pop, rock, and metal into one. The Red Hot Chili Peppers is one band that has survived the test of time.
Robin Thicke, The Evolution of Robin Thicke, Interscope
The best ways to describe Robin Thicke as a musician are under-rated and
under-exposed. Thicke started as a songwriter and when he decided to put out an album, he strayed away from his pop roots and created an album from the heart. His first album, Cherry Blue Skies/A Beautiful World, only sold 59,000 copies in 2002. He is currently signed to Star Trak, and has had success with his sophomore album, The Evolution of Robin Thicke, much thanks to his single "Lost Without You".
Ghostface Killah, Fishscale & More Fish, Def Jam
Wu fans worldwide have loved his stream of consciousness flow for over ten years, but Tony Starks' has delivered some of his most creative work with two releases this year: "Fishscale", which dropped in March, and the quick follow up "More Fish". Accompanied by his ready and able crew - Theodore Unit - Ghost is cranking out beautiful Staten Island hip hop at an impressive pace. While most Def Jam artists are still struggling to find their place under recently-crowned exec Jay-Z, Ghost is pushing the pack with two of the best musical hip hop albums of '06.
Arctic Monkeys, Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not, Domino
This British quartet took the world by storm when they released Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not. Being compared to bands like The Strokes is quite the honor, but that’s not all for the youngsters. Their musical career quickly took off, and they received tons of publicity after performing on Saturday Night Live. With songs like “I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor,” and “Mardy Bum,” it’s hard not to love them.
Jay-Z, Kingdom Come, Roc-a-Fella
Retired? We all thought he was finished, when he left on a great note at
Madison Square Garden. However, his love for the game, much like the great Jordan, brought him back for one more go at the crown, which he willingly passed down. Unfortunately Jay-Z's prior success has conditioned the fans to expect nothing but the best, and anything less would seem like he lost it. In my opinion, his return didn't help his cemented reputation as a legend in my
mind. I would have liked to see a great artist stay out the game and let the
new cats contend for his spot. But as he says, "the Allure of the game keeps
calling my name"
