The singer has yet to discover a sound or sensibility that truly distinguishes her.
There are plenty of “real” songs on the album, and the more simplistic sing-alongs sound boorish and annoying in their company.
4X4=12 is the same tired genre vehicle audiences have been hearing since the mid ’90s.
All I Want Is You blends slick, radio-friendly R&B with Prince-aping theatrics.
The Beginning is craven and depressing.
The DeAndre Way is another reminder of the infinite possibilities for self-aggrandizement.
Even without the affected singing, these ballads would still be unpalatably over-sweetened.
Only One Flo seems insistent on reminding us how dispensable Flo Rida actually is.
The standout track from Nicki Minaj’s debut, Pink Friday, is a duel for the ages.
The pressure to follow-up on even a mildly well-received debut can be paralyzing (here’s looking at you, Lauryn).
If Ne-Yo continues in this vein, he may accrue enough psychological chinks in the armor to truly follow in MJ’s paranoid footsteps.
Robyn’s Body Talk is one of the year’s finest, most progressive pop albums, but it’s also something of a minor letdown as a standalone project.
Excepting the Diane Warren-penned ballad obligatorily tossed to Cher, the Burlesque soundtrack is knowingly antiquated.
The album is a whirling dervish less concerned with differing permutations of sexiness than getting violently up in your face.
The effort to canonize My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as one of hip-hop’s all-time high points is already underway.
Throughout A Christmas Cornucopia, Lennox’s commitment to her material is palpable.
The singer’s pop bona fides on infectious display throughout the EP.
Adam Mills (a.k.a. A Skillz) is taking over the U.K. one house party at a time.
Well, now we know why 40 of the first 50 words in “Breaking News” are simply “Michael Jackson” over and over again.
Progress is by far the smartest record that Barlow and company have put their name to.
The spunky Would It Kill You? is a shocking metamorphosis for California rockers Hellogoodbye.