Glee , an unapologetic send-up of Dawson's Creek if they burst into song, is a conondrum. It is frustrating in its conventions. It has catchy music and good-looking cast, but suffers from an overpacked ensemble, thin storylines, and ignorance of reality. But they sure do sound and look good.

Polished within an inch of its life, the music actually spans a wide assortment: the obvious Broadway, the Top 40 hits of now and last year, the classic oldies, and the less-than classic oldies that no one in high school has ever heard of: the Glee kids are excited to hear one of their own sing Neil Diamond. Seriously. And in anoth...
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One of my favorite things is remixes of Broadway and stage musicals. With the advent of celebrity after celebrity filling the vocals of the characters in the film versions of said musicals, it's become more and more likely that said remixes will find their way to release. Indeed, mix after mix of Dreamgirls appeared in various formats due to the popularity of Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson and Rent contained both mix awesome and tragic, but none were made public for Sweeney Todd or Chicago. Wi...
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Anyone who had somehow managed to hear GaGa's new material before it was properly released (and really, we can't see how... it's not like she's one of the most sought out musicians for leaked music right now...), you may have heard some GaGa proclaim herself as a "free bit" in "Dance in the Dark." And you probably said to yourself, WTF is a free bit?

This was especially jarring considering the Free Bitch said she was as much (without editing) during "Bad Romance" in its respective single and video formats. Furthermore, there seemed to be an effect blocking the word "f...
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After months and months of GaGa hits from her album The Fame, we may all be either ready for the Lady to take some time off or hit with a deluge of even more. For those who got into the inevitably defined-as-quirky singer-songwriter in 2007, recent smashes like "Paparazzi" and "LoveGame" seem like old hat, so I for one am enraptured to hear we're going to hear that much more from her.

GaGa is releasing her Fame album again with new material, and anyone who's tried to keep track of which version of the CD they have (does yours have "Again Again" or "Starstruck"? "Disco He...
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Rah rah ah-ah-ah
Roma ro ma-ma
Ga ga ooh la la

Expect to hear that incantation a bunch this fall. Lady GaGa's new combination of Madonna music ingenuity and Bjork's critic dividing fashion is here. It must be said that GaGa has gone out of her way to express herself as a multi-dimensional creature: it's never JUST about the money, JUST about the stardom, or JUST about the sex--it's all about all of it at once for true euphoria. And it's all fashion.

As memorable as Madonna's proclamation that she is a Material Girl or Gwen Stefani that she is not a Hollaback Girl, GaGa has sh...
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I'm one of those pre-"Butterfly" Mariah fans. I totally dug "Daydream" and while I found the albums before it looooaded with filler (seriously, think of the album "Music Box" and tell me a song that was not "Dreamleaver," "Hero," or "Anytime You Need a Friend"), I still want to love her.

When Mariah re-invented herself as more R&B based rather than her pop leanings, she lost me. "Honey" just hasn't stayed sweet for me. I didn't love "Loverboy." I was dry for "Through the Rain." And I really didn't care who Mimi was or about...
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And we're all a little surprised:

Disc 1 - Hung Up / Music / Vogue / 4 Minutes / Holiday / Everybody / Like A Virgin / Into The Groove / Like A Prayer / Ray Of Light / Sorry / Express Yourself / Open Your Heart / Borderline / Secret / Erotica / Justify My Love / Revolver

Disc 2 - Dress You Up / Material Girl / La Isla Bonita / Papa Don't Preach / Lucky Star / Burning Up / Crazy For You / Who's That Girl / Frozen / Miles Away / Take A Bow / Live To Tell / Beautiful Stranger / Hollywood / Die Another Day / Don’t Tell Me / Cherish / Celebration

So there you have it.

Most exciting news is the DVD release that's coming out of this: VIEW FULL ENTRY

Devilishly sexy (and sexily devilish) Alan Cumming has been around so long in theatre circles (Threepenny Opera, Cabaret), cult film communities (Reefer Madness, Eyes Wide Shut), and even mainstream heterofests (X-Men 2, GoldenEye) that it seems nearly impossible that he hasn't been preserved on his own solo music disc. While he appears on the Reefer and Cabaret recordings and the odd tribute/compilation collection, he had yet to go the full Idina, or the complete LuPone. Until now.

I Bought a Blue Car Today is a studio...
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If you've been hankering to put a Tori Amos winter-themed album next to your Aimee Mann, Jewel, and Sarah McLachlan X-Mas CDs, you are in luck. Amos has confirmed that her next album is a solstice-centric collection. We're told to expect "strings, brass, tubular bells and harpsichord." Works for me, and thank your respective gods that she's not doing yet another damn version of "Silent Night." Although we may get another of Joni's "River." But Tori does that one proud live.

If we're placing bets, I suspect a ...
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"The final track listing for Celebration is not out there yet and "won't be available until much closer to the release," I have confirmed from a source so powerful she could drop any Madonna fan should she so choose."
-- Matthew Rettenmund, Boy Culture

So you fans of "Live to Tell" and "Who's That Girl" hold on--we're still not confirmed.

As for the source, I'm gonna go with Liz Rosenberg as my guess. ...
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Matthew Rettenmund and DrownedMadonna posted word about the tracklisting for Madonna's 3rd best-of (and 5th compilation total) that's due in September.

There are no surprises as to what made it on--in fact, it's one of the most legitimate lists ever in terms of "does this count as a hit?" status. What's something of a surprise is that a solid chunk of Madonna's best material is ignored. True fact: The Immaculate Collection and GHv2 already exist to cover much of the material that is again being released for this 2-CD set. But ...
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Beyonce, who is the current reigning queen of remixes since Rihanna's between albums, has just released a 7-track 50-minute opus dedicated to the Beat. Remix fans will be glad that the mixes appear in their extended club form, nearly all of the towering at six minutes and above.

Some of mixes have already made their rounds; the DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio club remix of "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" has been played just under the number of times the original has. It keeps the original sound of the track, already infectious, and simply adds on a new rollercoaster beat.

"Diva," whic...
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American Idol '07 winner Jordin Sparks premiered her new single "Battlefield" (presumably for a new album, or perhaps an expanded version of her debut) on Idol this past Wednesday with a sexy figure, lots of fog, and an LED screen that displayed a raging storm. Indeed, the song is thunderous, the closest to rock that Sparks has veered so far.

It's a decent single, although completely (and willingly) aping on "Love is a Battlefield" from a more believable rocker Pat Benatar. But the switch-up is good, even it is essentially one verse and eighteen choruses. It should a...
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Finalists:
- Danny Gokey - "Dance Little Sister" (Terence Trent D'Arby) (Paula Abdul's choice) / "You Are So Beautiful" (Joe Cocker)
- Kris Allen - "Apologize" (OneRepublic) (Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi's choice) / "Heartless" (Kanye West)
- Adam Lambert - "One" (U2) (Simon Cowell's choice) / "Cryin'" (Aerosmith)

The Theme
Songs chosen by the contestant (non-theme) and chosen by the judges (non-theme).

Voted Off:
Gokey finally packed it in, and with probably his best performance since "Hero" in Hollywood Week. "Dance Little Sister" had the c...
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Tori Amos has had nearly as many musical facelifts as Madonna, incorporating simple piano and guitar in her earlier work, strong strings and harpsichord along the way, and electronic beats in the last decade. Those who have followed her usually agree that you'll appreciate one version over the other and will therefore repeat the refrain, "I wish she'd go back to doing music like ____."

Tori Amos has basically laughed off those requests; she was never a very commercial musician, and her days of being a singles artist passed with the 1990's. Her music has gotte...
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Lily Allen has always wisely had a wide assortment of remixes readily available in addition to her quirky covers ("Womanizer," "Mr. Blue Sky") that are often irrepressible and catchy. Her latest album, It's Not Me, it's You has already featured a few songs getting press: the first single "The Fear" that travels a confessional hallway and "Fuck You," which handles homophobia with aplomb and sense of humor.

That has often been Allen's strength--her sense of timing and lyrical bite. Indeed, her previous singles--among them, "Alfie," "Smile," "LDN"--may have all been entirely danceable but they ...
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Finalists:
- Adam Lambert - "Whole Lotta Love" (Led Zeppelin) / "Slow Ride" (Foghat)
- Allison Iraheta - "Cry Baby" (Janis Joplin) / "Slow Ride" (Foghat)
- Kris Allen - "Come Together" (The Beatles/ arrangement: Aerosmith) / "Renegade" (Styx)
- Danny Gokey - "Dream On" (Aerosmith) / "Renegade" (Styx)

The Theme
Rock Music, which was appropriate for 1/2 the finalists and a chore for the other 1/2. Naturally those who fit the glove more perfectly were given high (or highish) praise. Those not, were given unceremonious flack or excuses. Their mentor was Slash, wh...
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Finalists:
- Kris Allen - "The Way You Look Tonight"
- Allison Iraheta - "Someone to Watch Over Me "
- Matt Giraud - "My Funny Valentine"
- Danny Gokey - "Come Rain or Come Shine"
- Adam Lambert - "Feeling Good" (arrangement: Muse)

The Theme
"Rat Pack," at least in theory. Mostly jazz standards came out to play, and nearly all of them fairly dismal. Their mentor was... Jamie Foxx. Okay, seriously, was everyone else on the planet busy?

Voted Off:
Matt Giraud who moped through "My Funny Valentine" has the distinction of being the only finali...
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Finalists:
- Lil Rounds - "I'm Every Woman" (Chaka Khan/Whitney Houston)
- Kris Allen - "She Works Hard for the Money" (Donna Summer)
- Danny Gokey - "September" (Earth, Wind & Fire)
- Allison Iraheta - "Hot Stuff (Donna Summer)
- Adam Lambert - "If I Can't Have You" (Yvonne Elliman)
- Matt Giraud - "Stayin' Alive" (Bee Gees)
- Anoop Desai - "Dim All the Lights" (Donna Summer)

The Theme
Disco! Disco! Disco! You know, the genre none of these artists are ever expected to actually promote their music in. Even the remix treatments they'll get won'...
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Finalists:
- Allison Iraheta - "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (Aerosmith) from Armageddon
- Anoop Desai - "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (Bryan Adams) from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
- Adam Lambert - "Born to Be Wild" (Steppenwolf) from Easy Rider
- Matt Giraud - "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" (Bryan Adams) from Don Juan DeMarco
- Danny Gokey - "Endless Love" (Lionel Richie and Diana Ross) from Endless Love
- Kris Allen - "Falling Slowly" (Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová) from Once
- Lil Rounds - "The Rose" (Be...
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Finalists:
- Danny Gokey - "Stand by Me" (Mickey Gilley, 1980)
- Kris Allen - "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" (Don Henley, 1985)
- Lil Rounds - "What's Love Got to Do With It" (Tina Turner, 1984)
- Anoop Desai - "True Colors" (Cyndi Lauper, 1986)
- Scott MacIntyre - "The Search Is Over" (Survivor, 1985)
- Allison Iraheta - "I Can't Make You Love Me" (Bonnie Raitt, 1991)
- Matt Giraud - "Part-Time Lover" (Stevie Wonder, 1985)
- Adam Lambert - "Mad World" (Tears for Fears, 1982)

The Theme
Songs from the Year the contestant was born. And they picked som...
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Finalists:
- Anoop Desai - "Caught Up" (Usher)
- Megan Joy - "Turn Your Lights Down Low" (Bob Marley)
- Danny Gokey - "What Hurts the Most" (Rascal Flatts)
- Allison Iraheta - "Don't Speak" (No Doubt)
- Scott MacIntyre - "Just the Way You Are" (Billy Joel)
- Matt Giraud - "You Found Me" (The Fray)
- Lil Rounds - "I Surrender" (Celine Dion)
- Adam Lambert - "Play That Funky Music" (Wild Cherry)
- Kris Allen - "Ain't No Sunshine" (Bill Withers)

The Theme
Popular iTunes Downloads. Seriously. What in the hell kind of theme is this? And why are none...
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Finalists:
- Matt Giraud - "Let's Get It On" (Marvin Gaye)
- Kris Allen - "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" (Marvin Gaye)
- Scott MacIntyre - "You Can't Hurry Love" (The Supremes)
- Megan Joy - "For Once in My Life" (Stevie Wonder)
- Anoop Desai - "Ooo Baby Baby" (The Miracles)
- Michael Sarver - "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (The Temptations)
- Lil Rounds - "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave" (Martha and the Vandellas)
- Adam Lambert - "The Tracks of My Tears" (The Miracles)
- Danny Gokey - "Get Ready" (The Temptations)
- Allison Iraheta - "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone...
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After 3 albums (wow, we're up to 4 already?), the original American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson found herself becoming increasingly more irrelevant in his age of "Poker Face" and "I Kissed a Girl." Having established herself as an Aguilera without the vocal runs, Pink without the 'tude, and Avril without the stupid, Clarkson bucked the system with My December. It was moody, cloudy, and generally pissed. It was her Jagged Little Pill. But it just didn't come through as Clarkson's range (pleasant but again not a diva's prowess) went from 0 to screaming in 3.5.
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Jackpot! The Best Bette is one of many Bette Midler best-of collections, but never before has one been so thorough. This one pleasantly covers her exquisite cabaret acts ("In the Mood"), her passionate rock anthems ("Beast of Burden"), and the adult contemporary singles that range between the harrowing ("The Rose") to the delictibly cheesy ("From a Distance").

It may not all literally be here, as Bette hasn't truly had a career stacked with hits and her previously compendiums have appreciated that fact rather than hide it, packing many an album-track ont...
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Britney Spears' shaved head notwithstanding, not much really happened with the bubblegum princess of note last year. Well, at least anything that was conceived in a recording studio. Blackout had a handful of standouts but largely suffered from one interminable bassline that traveled from one song to the next with Britney's monotone (and autotoned) voice that sounded very much like she had checked out indefiniately.

But that may all be behind her because she is a leading contender for catc...
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"When I Grow Up," the lead-off single to Doll Domination, the Pussycat Dolls' second effort, is everywhere. It has an irrepressible chorus, a mild scandal (evidently the line "I want to have groupies" sounds like "I want to have boobies." No, it really doesn't, but it's getting them press at least), and funktastic Darkchild beats. It all sounds like a good idea from the start, as it is also the first track of their album, but it's almost entirely too good. It is one of 16 ultra-gimmicky concept songs that read more like an uneven greatest-hits album of soundalike singles.
...
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Alanis Morissette has reemerged in Frou Frou skin. Utilizing Guy Sigsworth (who brought crunch to Bjork and beeps and whistles to Imogen Heap), Alanis' Flavors of Entanglement is true to form: the least catchy title ever and an excellent collection of songs.

First single "Underneath" will be ringing in my ears for a while, but it's got heavy competition between the opener "Citizen of the Planet," which seems to be a defiant verse/verse/chorus on our connectedness through the world and our heritages; "Straitjacket," wherin she blasts her lover...
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Cyndi Lauper's Bring Ya to the Brink is pretty fantastic but if you're one of those first-track-better-be-awesome-or-die folks, you may never know it. "High and Mighty" is a lame, lame opening bit, but the second track, "Into the Nightlife" is so full of sparkly energy, it will make you never think twice again about jumping immediately to track 2. High marks indeed for that one, even though it feels like a total crib on Madonna's "Get Together," it is so much better than even Madonna was able to make happen. In fact, "Echo" and "Lay Me Down" are right up there too...
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In 1994, Madonna released a very R&B-themed Bedtime Stories, which also featured some of her very first dabbles in electronica. From the leaked demo Shep Pettibone-penned "Love Won't Wait," or the eventually released b-side "Your Honesty," you'll hear that Madonna was going for an occasional old-school disco sound in addition to the friendly R&B and lite electronica. One track, "Don't Stop" is actually the only really hold-over from the sound, and it's a good change of pace on a really great album. It sounds like with Confessions Madonna finally got to make her dark disco album, and Hard Candy VIEW FULL ENTRY