Nelly Furtado, Loose-The Concert, Geffen

While it was Nelly Furtado’s collaboration with Timbaland on her 2006 effort Loose that solidified her place on the pop map. Her singles are still heard across the country on a frequent basis, however it’s likely that the majority of listeners have never stopped to wonder how these songs would (more…) Read More

Classified, While You Were Sleeping, Half Life Records

White emcees have been fighting an uphill battle for quite some time, viewed by many as nothing more than a novelty act (see Vanilla Ice, or Organized Rhyme) no matter what their upbringing was. It wasn't until an unknown rapper brokeoutof Detroit thatwhiterappers/emceeswere truly taken seriously in the hip-hop community south (more…) Read More

Gary Louris, Vagabonds, Rykodisc

If the music industry devoted their time to promoting albums such as Gary Louris’ Vagabonds, instead of attempting to cram the latest celebutante single down our throats, it would find itself in a very different place. This is an album that has snuck out of left field and clubbed this (more…) Read More

My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges, Maple

Evil Urges? Not exactly, however the urge to reach for the stop button is pretty strong when this disc starts spinning. Thelatestrelease from this Louisville, Kentucky based is an unusually obtuse listen, at times bringing in elements of Radiohead’s <em>Kid A period (“Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt.1”), (more…) Read More

Coldplay, Viva La Vida, Parlophone

Viva La Vida is one of only two discs that have managed to wedge themselves into my stereo for weeks at a time (the otherbeingTha Carter III). This is not to say it was love at first listen, Violet Hill didn’t elicit a response until it found itself amongst the (more…) Read More

Young Jeezy, The Inspiration: Thug Motivation, Universal

Young Jeezy has dropped one of the most anticipated albums of 2006 with The Inspiration: Thug Motivation, another album depicting the urban hustler and the joys of slinging that rock.Notonce does the hip-hop prospect Young Jeezy apologize for his monikerof“Snowman” orhis street thug status. Thick imposing beats highlight Jeezy’s robust (more…) Read More