If the new movies out today aren't enough entertainment freshness for you, then let me introduce you to some of today's new music releases. I've listened up already, so check out my suggestions for download-worthiness!
Hip-hop upstart: Young rapper B.o.B. has already had a single on the radio, and his first album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, is jockeying to get more of his tracks in heavy rotation. The aforementioned single "Nothin' on You" may be the best of the bunch; it's a classic pairing of smooth-voiced R&B singer Bruno Mars with the addition of B.o.B.'s rap. It's very T.I., which makes sense, as T.I.'s record label put out the album.
Weezer's Rivers Cuomo joins B.o.B. for rap-rock intersection "Magic," and though I'll be the first one to say that I dislike this crossing of genres, I kind of love this super upbeat track. One of the biggest surprises is B.o.B.'s experimentation — he includes a cover of Vampire Weekend's "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance." His version, "The Kids," features Janelle Monae, and though I may not be able to say it's better than the original, it's pretty entertaining to listen to.
Grunge throwback: Courtney Love is back to music and her old band, Hole. While Nobody's Daughter is certainly reminiscent of Love's glory days in the '90s as a grunge princess, the songs largely sound like they belong to that decade. The title track is the strongest of the album's offerings, but that's not saying much. "Skinny Little Bitch" and "Samantha" merely sound like Celebrity Skin B-sides. Sadly, one of the liabilities is Love's voice. Its scratchiness, once so perfectly suited to the band's edgy persona, now just sounds like a hoarse survivor of hard-living.
Hear about one more new release when you read more
