NBC11.com
Thursday, August 28, 2008, 12:06 am
Meet Bay Area Athletes
with Olympic Dreams
Search 
Search IBS  Search the Web
Get RSS E-Mail Alerts Contact Us Advertise With Us

Rhapsody Feature

Coldplay
This British quartet's casual dream pop melodies and poetic lyrics have brought it international stardom.

Top 3 Albums In Rhapsody

Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Coldplay have mastered their anthemic craft so precisely that with every peak of Chris Martin's falsetto you can hear the faintest cha-ching of dollar signs. So, for them to usher in Brian Eno to help dip their toes into new terrain is a move that deserves some props. Eno gives them room to build their grandiose crescendos, while adding in oblique bars of airy soundscapes ("Life in Technicolor"), Eastern strings ("Yes"), Renaissance strut ("Strawberry Swing") and even some Phil Collins swagger ("Violet Hill"). It's a good progression, but not as innovative as they might have been hoping for.
Editor: Stephanie Benson
Narrow Stairs
Death Cab take a great leap forward with Narrow Stairs, combining their trademark melodic indie pop with the kind of loose, free-wheeling band jams that Wilco are famous for. And while the sound and feel here is brawnier, the band hasn't gotten any less brainy, or dialed down the plaintiveness it's known for: as evidenced by the bonus acoustic tracks featured on this exclusive expanded edition -- including "Brothers on a Hotel Bed" from Plans and the chestnut "Photobooth" from 2000's Forbidden Love EP -- Ben Gibbard's heartfelt croon and intellectual prose is in fine form.
Editor: Nick Dedina
Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded
For her third disc, "Lil Miss Sunshine" stakes a claim as the queen of R&B by turning to the '80s. On "Shut Up and Drive," she samples New Order's "Blue Monday," while lead single "Umbrella" -- with Rihanna's understated, nasal vocals wrapping around dramatic strings -- would fit nicely in a John Hughes flick. The spunky "Breakin' Dishes" is more fun than bitter, and "Rehab" overcomes its rather mawkish sentiments to be an effective break-up ballad. There's hardly a throwaway track, and Rihanna continues to evolve. This edition includes three unreleased tracks, including hit "Take a Bow."
Editor: Sam Chennault

Top 10 Tracks In Rhapsody

Album: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Artist: Coldplay

Album: Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded
Artist: Rihanna

Album: Kala
Artist: M.I.A.

Album: Whatever You Like
Artist: T.I.

Album: We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
Artist: Jason Mraz

Album: Metro Station
Artist: Metro Station

Album: Forever
Artist: Chris Brown

Album: I Kissed A Girl
Artist: Katy Perry

Album: Burnin' Up
Artist: Jonas Brothers

Album: Fight With Tools
Artist: Flobots

New Releases In Rhapsody

All Hope Is Gone
Arriving on the heels of a two-year hiatus, Slipknot's All Hope is Gone proves worth the wait with a barrage of near-perfect metal musicianship spanning 12 tracks. Subtly channeling the angst of Iowa ("Gematria [The Killing Name]"), the masked band shows its ability to go from solid hard rock ("Dead Memories") to technical heaviosity ("Butcher's Hook"). Both newcomers and long-time supporters should find something to dig into here, though the sraight-up ballad "Snuff" could be a longshot.
Editor: Jen Guyre
Lax
After the success of Doctor's Advocate, L.A.X., the Game's third and supposedly final album, serves as his victory lap. The L.A. native shines when cooking up hard drive-by music, lacing the Travis Barker-produced "Dope Boys" with cocky belligerence and cranky indifference ("I'm sick of bl*wj*bs, b*tch, leave me alone"). "My Life" is more serious, as he and Lil' Wayne hauntingly contemplate why God has spared them while taking so many friends. And while "Gentleman's Affair" and "Touchdown" fall flat, L.A.X. is a solid final chapter to the Game's gangsta saga.
Editor: Toshitaka Kondo
U Want Me 2
"U Want Me 2" is signature Sarah: piano-driven melancholia. One of two new singles and her first original work since 2003's Afterglow.
Editor:

Rhapsody Staff Picks

Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul
Otis Blue finds the venerable soul man coming into his own, delivering his trademark raspy, passionate vocals over stellar Stax/Volt musicianship. Cover songs are the order of the day here, as Redding gives his personal touch to classics by Sam Cooke, the Rolling Stones and the Temptations. Exceptional tunes from a true master.
Editor: Brolin Winning
The Alternative To Love
Benson returns with a passel of songs that pay tribute to his unrequited love of power pop. Tying huge licks to intricate song construction, he builds tunes that are sumptuously rich and gorgeously hummable. "Spit It Out" could be the best radio song you won't hear on the radio in 2005.
Editor: Jon Maples
Rio Revisited
This Tom Jobim concert from the 1980s features Gal Costa and many other special guests. While there is a nostalgic glow to the set it is also one of the Brazilian mainstay's very best albums. That's because it finds the balance between laidback and energetic and the stripped down arrangements top some of the orchestral backings that are found on Jobim studio recordings. You have to hear the yacht romance "Two Kites," which gets definitive treatment here.
Editor: Nick Dedina

Sponsored Links


Portions 2008 Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Advertising Information | Contact Us