ARTIST: CHRISTINA AGUILERA, CHER
ALBUM: BURLESQUE: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK
NEW YORK (Billboard) - The soundtrack to "Burlesque," Christina Aguilera's first star vehicle, could be a continuation of her 2006 album "Back to Basics." And why not? It showcased her distinctive flair for the big band style. The soundtrack comes on the heels of Aguilera's 2010 set "Bionic," the singer's noble attempt at the current radio sound, which has fared less well sales-wise. On "Burlesque," Aguilera tackles jazzy Ella Fitzgerald and vampy Mae West covers, doused heavily with pop schmaltz. Her second collaboration with songwriter Sia Furler, the ballad "Bound to You," rings just as true as their first, on "Bionic." With her first new material in seven years, "Burlesque" co-star Cher belts out a defiant Diane Warren ballad ("You Haven't Seen the Last of Me") in her alto growl. And Marilyn Manson gets a songwriting credit on "The Beautiful People," a new dance number including his original's unmistakable drums and guitar riff. All together, it's a campy celebration of diva-dom and an over-the-top, triple-threat performance.
ARTIST: R KELLY
ALBUM: LOVE LETTER (RCA/JIVE)
"This album is dedicated to the girls who stood beside me," R. Kelly sings in the a cappella introduction to his latest studio album, "and even all the bootleggers that couldn't afford to buy me." A characteristic bon mot from the Pied Piper of R&B--and yet much of "Love Letter" seems designed to confound our expectations about a new Kelly album. In stark contrast with last year's wonderfully lewd "Untitled," "Love Letter" is a relatively chaste retro-soul set that Kelly says was influenced by the old-school work of Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye. "Can I bring the love songs back to the radio?" he asks during "Lost in Your Love." And his question says a lot about the openly nostalgic vibe of cuts like the winsome title track and lead single "When a Woman Loves," the latter recalling the Percy Sledge hit with which it almost shares a name. Given Kelly's absurdly effortless melodic flair, the result certainly satisfies. But "Love Letter" could use more of his effortless absurdity.
ARTIST: CURRENC$Y
ALBUM: PILOT TALK II (BluRoc/DD172/Def Jam)
Curren$y releases are relatively low-pressure affairs: with beats comprising cozy synthesizers, the New Orleans rapper's manner is generally good-natured as he rhymes about weed, women and living the good life. While latest release "Pilot Talk II," the addendum to Curren$y's debut earlier this year, is especially laid-back and doubles as a victory lap, his wordplay remains tenacious and avoids complacency. The first four tracks keep the stakes low, as Curren$y conjures stoned-out sequences like "At the drive-in/This is a scary movie I'm in/But I do it for my folk who genuinely want me to win." The second half of "Pilot Talk II" features a more head-knocking musical palette, with the minimal blips of "O.G. (The Jar)" and wonky electronica of "Real Estates" matching Curren$y's mic mastery. A minor release for Curren$y still bests most major hip-hop releases, and this "Pilot Talk" sequel relishes in the rapper's expanding set of skills.
ARTIST: ERIC BENET
ALBUM: LOST IN TIME (Reprise)
Paying homage to the past can be a tricky proposition. Do you risk losing your contemporary footing? Is there still a market for feel-good R&B? Eric Benét skillfully maneuvers the balancing act and delivers a strong set in the process with this spirited nod to the '70s soul/funk that has influenced his career. Recorded with live musicians, "Lost in Time" takes its tone from the lush hit ballad "Sometimes I Cry." Accented by a Benét falsetto reminiscent of such high-toned tenors as Smokey Robinson, the emotional song elicited an early shout-out from a then-jailed Lil Wayne, who called the track one of his favorite jams. Another album cornerstone is "Always a Reason," whose lilting melody recalls '70s group Blue Magic. On the breezy "Feel Good," Faith Evans reminds fans of the duo's memorable 1999 pairing on Toto's "Georgy Porgy." Another inspired partnership comes into play on the midtempo "Take It," heightened by the sexy banter between Benét and Chrisette Michele. Taking a 180-degree turn, Benét pairs his crooner-smooth vocals with the soulful grit of O'Jays legend Eddie Levert on "Paid." Here's to bringing back feel-good R&B.
ARTIST: HINDER
ALBUM: ALL AMERICAN NIGHTMARE (Universal)
Hinder drops its third album, "All American Nightmare," with a chip on its shoulder and a palpable sense of something to prove, given the sophomore sales slump the Oklahoma quintet suffered with 2008's "Take It to the Limit" (469,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan) in comparison with its 2005 triple-platinum debut, "Extreme Behavior." So the group comes out firing hard on "2 Sides of Me" and the title track, channeling four years of heavy touring into tales of wine (or, rather, good beer), women and song. Hinder spends the rest of the set delivering solidly written, meat-and-potatoes tunes made to slide comfortably, if a bit anonymously, into any rock radio playlist. "Put That Record On" slips some country-flavored lope into its verses, while "The Life," "What Ya Gonna Do" and the lush "Everybody's Wrong" provide some ballady respite to the slamming fury of "Waking Up the Devil" and "Strip Tease." Frontman Austin Winkler does have the temerity to ponder what happens "when the whiskey ain't workin' any more." But what Hinder learned on the road, at least according to "All American Nightmare," is how undependable girlfriends are and how badass this hard-partying band can be. That can be a dream or a "Nightmare," depending on the ear of the beholder.
ARTIST: JUSTIN BIEBER
ALBUM: MY WORLDS ACOUSTIC (Island/RBMG)
The intent of Justin Bieber's acoustic album is twofold, according to the star: It's a holiday-timed gift for fans who want to feel closer to their teen idol, but also a response to critics who have panned his sound as overproduced bubble-gum pop. On the former count, "My Worlds Acoustic" succeeds. It repackages the 16-year-old singer's most intimate songs from his two albums and offers new material in the form of "Pray," a treacly but well-meaning ballad that taps into Bieber's spiritual beliefs. Whether it succeeds on the second count is a trickier matter, though, mostly because "acoustic" is a somewhat misleading descriptive. The tracks "Baby" and "One Time" feature extraneous layers of congas and new age-style synths as prominently as they do guitar riffs, and the opportunity to switch up the arrangements of Bieber's songs along with their instrumentation is missed. The saving grace comes on "Favorite Girl," precisely because the track is a live recording from the truly acoustic portion of Bieber's concert. It's the one moment where you can hear all of the young artist's strengths falling in line--raw talent, maturing vocals and, of course, an all-too-valuable connection with his fans.
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