Timbaland
Shock Value
Available Now
If Timbaland is said to be one of the greatest pop, R&B and rap producers, Shock Value will affirm this and add to his versatility. It's hard to pinpoint which tracks will be hit singles because of the genres incorporated; most songs on the album can be played on multiple radio stations and in dance clubs. There are two distinct sides to the album. The first half is more hip-hop, where, among others, Dr. Dre, Missy Elliot and 50 Cent perform. The beats on this half are hard and gritty, but the end of the album is more pop-ish. The Hives, Fall Out Boy, One Republic and even Elton John are featured. It's noteworthy that Timbaland is able to integrate the sounds and styles that each artist he works with is known for. This is most evident on "One and Only" with Fall Out Boy; the track has the band's signature staccato guitar beginning. Whether you're a fan of rap, hip-hop, rock or pop, Timbaland has made an album that can satisfy the most diverse musical palate.
If you like this music, you might also enjoy:
Street Love - Lloyd
B'Day - BeyoncÇ
FutureSex/LoveSounds - Justin Timberlake
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Stevie Nicks
Crystal Visions . The Very Best of Stevie Nicks
Available Now
At one time or another, everyone has heard a Stevie Nicks song. Whether you're familiar with the works of Fleetwood Mac, the numerous covers of her songs - yes, the beat to Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious" is sampled from Nicks - or the original recordings, Nicks has spanned generations of music. This album compiles 14 well-known hits and features two unreleased live recordings performed with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Nicks provides commentary about the featured songs in the liner notes. She gives the listener a history about how the songs were written and why, and she offers little-known trivia. For example, I'll bet you didn't know Prince played keyboards on "Stand Back," a hit song from her 1983 album The Wild Heart, or that "Talk to Me" took only two recordings before they had the master track. Crystal Visions may be a tad self-ingratiating, but what best of albums aren't? However, by listening to Nicks' songs from her days with Fleetwood Mac to her solo work, it is easy to tell how much she defined pop music.
If you like this music, you might also enjoy:
Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits - Elton John
Hundred Miles or More - Alison Krauss
The Calling - Mary Chapin
Carpenter
Lil' Flip
I Need Mine
Available Now
If Lil' Flip needs money, as his album title suggests, it's probably because no one will want to buy his record. The album cover, which features Flip showcasing a big-as-his-face medallion, gold teeth and a wad of $100 bills, is laughable enough that most musically minded people will skip over it.
A whopping 37 tracks on two discs make for one of the most unnecessary and overdone albums the genre has possibly ever seen. Flip's featured guest artists - Chamillionaire, Mya, Mike Jones, Nate Dogg and Three 6 Mafia - attempt to salvage what could have been his comeback album, but they provide only a brief glimpse of talent amidst a vast abyss of trite rap clichÇs. Or, for those of you who have seen the movie "Titanic," think of them as the string quartet that kept playing even though the ship was sinking. However, if you like hearing the same song 37 times over, with only slightly nuanced rhyme schemes, by all means go ahead and enjoy I Need Mine. Lil' Flip might have had success in the past, but I Need Mine only shows that such occurrences must have been flukes.
If you like this music, you might also enjoy:
Ridin High - 8Ball and MJG
Serve & Collect - Slim Thug
Get Money, Stay True - Paul Wall
