Pure-Bred

Ke$ha "Animal" (8/10)

When the best pop albums of the 2000s are decided, it's unfortunate that Ms. Kesha Serbet's will be five days shy of being eligible. Lady who? Britney what? Ke$ha has created the near-perfect pop album with Animal, something that Brit and Gaga have yet to do.

And it's not as if these and other pop divas haven't put out some great work. It's just that for every "Poker Face" on The Fame there was a "Money Honey" that fell short of the mark. For every "If You Seek Amy" on Circus there was a "My Baby."With the exception of one track, there is none of that to be found on Animal. 13 out of 14 songs are engrossing, interesting, sometimes even insightful tunes that both pack an emotional whallop and have fun. That's a hard balance to find.

It all begins with one of the strongest tracks "Your Love is My Drug." It chugs along with this light, breezy energy that has been quite absent from electro-pop music lately. The best moment comes at the end of the song when she's quietly repeating the refrain, proving that her voice can survive without synthesizers.

Then her first single, Tik Tok comes around. I won't go into detail, as pretty much everyone in America has heard it. Safe to say it is another extremely powerful song. The third number, Take It Off, is probably the biggest throwaway of the album. After two exceptional performances, this seems like a pale imitation. Kiss and Tell, track 4, is not that way at all. It surpasses even the opening double punch and makes itself known as the best fast tune on the CD.

What's great about Ke$ha is her diligence to pure fun. Even on slower songs, like Stephen, Hungover, and Blind, she creates an atmosphere and a presence. Some are dark-tinged, but all are wonderful. Also of special mention is Backstabber, which is an even stronger version than the ridiculously catchy demo she released two years ago.

It would be foolish not to discuss the last track on the record, as it is one of the most interesting I've ever heard. The way the song progresses, you feel like you're gliding softly over the African plains, then suddenly you're in a passionate embrace. The shift in imagery is astounding, in no small part because it happens in a split second. Ke$ha has created a gem with her debut, a sparkling, vibrant world where "show me where your dick's at" is an acceptable phrase. A world where party's don't end until dawn. It might not be a perfect world, but it's hers. And isn't that what music is about?

Have you Met... Priscilla Ahn?

The "Have You Met..." column will focus on artist's who have debuted in the last few years that you might have missed. These will, for the most part, be singer/songwriters who should have had commercial success, but for one reason or another, were lost in the shuffle.

Priscilla Ahn "A Good Day" (8/10)

In 2007, a Korean-American folk artist rocked the indie music scene with an EP that positioned her to be the next Regina Spektor or Ingrid Michaelson. Unfortunately for Ms. Ahn, that 5 song wonder was forgotten in the year and a half between it and her full-length debut, proving that even music nuts have short memories. Despite being the iTunes Editor's Pick of the month, "A Good Day" never really got off the ground, failing to break into the Billboard top 200.

However, this was not due to lack of quality. On the contrary, Priscilla's album may be the most vibrant and slick (in a good way) CD from a folkie in a long time. In the album's opener, "Dream," she blends pop and lo-fi together in such a way that it is universally appealing without being vapid or idiotic.

The rest of the album is just as good. "Wallflower" is a cute song about two shy kids meeting at the same party, while the record's best song, "Red Cape," is pretty much about nothing, but her lyricism and sparkling wit makes it a runaway hit creatively nonetheless.

On the softer side of things, "Lullaby" could be a long-lost children's bed time song with it's strong melody and Ahn's beautiful falsetto. Clocking in at almost 5 minutes (unusual for a folk song) you still want to hear more and more. "A Good Day (Morning Song)" is the perfect album closer, bringing to mind waking up to a beautiful sunrise. From the emotion of her words to the powerful quietness in her voice, Priscilla Ahn proves that she does not deserve to be just another Hotel Cafe singer. She deserves to be a star.

Winning the War

John Mayer "Battle Studies" (7.5/10)

The best and worst thing about John Mayer is that he never stays in the same place for long. He rapidly climbed the maturity tree of music, producing a jazz-rock record (Continuum) a scant five years after his folk-pop debut (Room for Squares.) Although I might be the only person who feels this way, I liked the old Mayer better than his pompous "Waiting on the World to Change" new persona. The silly kid who once talked about bodies being wonderlands and his stupid mouth was gone, replaced by a man who wanted to be the singer/songwriter equivalent to Herbie Hancock.

So I might be the only person who was ecstatic to hear him return to his roots on his fourth album "Battle Studies." The CD begins with one of the best songs of his career "Hearbreak Warfare." It's somewhat emotionless, somewhat tuneless, but the lyrics and production come across in such a profound way that emotion is rendered irrelevant. This is more than the standard "Love is a Battlefield" type of song (and album). It really puts you in the midst of combat to provoke hard-hitting images.

After the knock-out first track, the album kind of takes a break from having quality material to deliver the throughly filler-like song "All We Ever Do is Say Goodbye" and the waste of a "duet" with Taylor Swift "Half of My Heart" (in which she sings one line of lyric). Both of these stink of missed opportunity, weakening "Battle Studies" when it should have gone guns a-blazin'.

Thankfully, that's about as bad as it gets on this record. Mayer follows up those two disappointments with my favorite song of his ever, "Who Says." Yes, it may be about having casual sex and smoking weed, but who cares? It's a perfect forum for John's quirky humor, and it works on almost every level.

From there, Mayer blends his jazz sound with his earlier work seamlessly, creating cool little tunes that reverberate in the mind. It should be of special mention that he incorporates the war/battle metaphor into every other one of the tracks, making it seem more conceptual than it actually is. Standouts include "Assassin" (which is just about as epic as one of his songs gets) and the finale "Friends, Lovers, or Nothing," which really feels like it ties the CD as a whole into a nice, if slightly frayed, bow. This album comes recommended to anyone who liked any of Mayer's first three offerings, and to anyone who just likes to be told love is hard.

Wainwright Kin and Wonder Twins

Lucy Wainwright Roche "8 Songs" (7/10)

Throughout the years, the Wainwrights have had much success in the indie music business. Louden was a world-renowned songwriter in the 80s, and his children Rufus and Martha followed suit, making some of the most interesting and unique albums of the last decade. Even though the newest member of the family, Lucy, might only be a half-sibling to the twosome, she continues the tradition of great Wainwright CDs.

More often than not on the self-explanatory "8 Songs," Lucy uses her voice like a cannon, emphasizing every note as if it is the last she'll ever sing. While initially pleasant, this can wear upon the listener after several spins. It doesn't help that it's clear as a bell when she uses it in this manner, as it feels more like an attack upon the ear than a sweet lullaby. There are exceptions to this rule, as she demonstrates on "The Next Best Western," where at times she barely sings over a whisper.

As for the songwriting, it is simply exquisite. In typical folkie tradition, she uses little (or no, in the beautiful case of B. Allen) instrumentation and lets the words speak for themselves. Several covers are present here, from a traditional English ballad (Wild Mountain Thyme) to Fleetwood Mac (Everywhere). These do not differ in quality from her original compositions, which gives the CD a feeling of coherency and clarity.

It would be wise to give this little EP a listen if you like any type of traditional stripped-down music. While she can be a bit bombastic (as much as a folk artist can be), it really is a wonderful set of songs that will brighten your day.

Tegan and Sara "Sainthood" (9/10)

In the last 10 years, the Canadian group Tegan and Sara have flown under the radar in the realm of pop music. It's not for lack of a hook: lesbian twins? Hollywood eats that crap UP. But they reached beyond what could be a serious gimmick (see: Jason and deMarco) to bring us some of the best indie-pop of the new century. Their last album, "The Con" was very dark and J-pop influenced, making for unique quasi-hits like "Back in Your Head." They had hit a plateau of brilliance and no one thought they could match it.

Thankfully, the girls agreed. Which is why they took a step back on their fifth studio release and decided to make fun, frolicy, under 3-minute pop ditties. While there is some dose of art consciousness on "Sainthood," they never move away from the hooks and finger-snapping lyrics that they have made their primary goal. For instance, "Alligator," with it's xylophone and electronic production, is a lesson in a great, light, catchy tune. This is a standout on the record, but it doesn't end there. The opening track, "Arrow," and the first single "Hell" follow the same doodley blueprint.

Like I said before, the CD is not without a measure of sophistication. "The Cure" and "Wrists" in particular showcase the duo's aptitude for taking lyrical risks and succeeding every time. The album lags just for a short spell at the end, but that barely matters when the material is as fresh and interesting as this.

Rewind Sunday: Dashboard Confessional

Dashboard Confessional "The Swiss Army Romance" (Then: 7/10 Now: 9.5/10) Released: 2000

When Chris Carrabba hit the scene in the late 90s, he was just a symptom of a growing revolution in the country: whiney teenagers. Not that that's a bad thing, as the whiney among us have produced some of the best teen movies/television/music in the last 20 years. Many say that Carrabba eventually towed the line of believability with his teen angst, and I would have to agree. But for this release, The Swiss Army Romance, he was at least still in his twenties, producing some believable and quite soulful music.

It starts off with the best song Carrabba has ever written, "Screaming Infidelities." It is jarring in a good way, building up emotion each time he utters a previously sung line. Back then this was a pretty common occurrence, what with bands like Simple Plan and Blink 182 dominating the charts. But in this day and age, when music has become about production and electronics, it is exceedingly refreshing to go back to a time when it was just a boy and his guitar.

From there the album becomes a hit or miss affair, mostly being the former. "Living in Your Letters," the title track, and "Again I Go Unnoticed" all live up to the expectations of "Screaming," while "Turpentine Chaser" and "Age Six Racer" fall a little flat. Around the center of the CD, a song comes along that really shows what Chris is capable of. "A Plain Morning" is surprisingly angst-free, sounding a bit like a Bob Dylan or Carole King cover song. The lilting female back up vocals combine with Carrabba's to weave a wonderful duet of sorts that takes the listener to fields where the sun is just about to rise. It is a beautiful tribute to the height of Dashboard's popularity.

This is simply a great collection of songs. There are some that can feel repetitive when compared to others, but that is to be expected from a mostly acoustic band. So take another look and remember the days when music was simpler.

Download this: Screaming Infidelities, A Plain Morning, Living in Your Letters

Rewind Sunday: Damien Rice

Damien Rice "O" (Then: 10/10 Now: 10/10)

It's hard to pin down what to say about Damien Rice's incredible concept piece, O. From the name (which I thought was "Zero" instead of the letter for a few months) to the lilting vocals and the extraordinary songwriting, Rice hit it out of the park with this 2003 release.

The first time I heard the opening song ("Delicate") I thought, "Well, it's great, but there's no way he can match it." So many songwriters put their heart and soul into one number, then just use the other 9-12 as filler so they can make an album. A big offender in this area has to be Lily Allen on her first CD. "Smile" was a great song with fun lyrics and a catchy beat, but the rest just kind of paled in comparison.

But there is no coasting to be found on O. To the contrary, Rice creates a perfect bell curve of emotion. The beginning starts off great, the middle becomes unbelievable, then the end kind of shifts back down to great again. Songs like "Older Chests" and "Amie" are the most intimate pieces, the latter sounding like U2 in their prime. The haunting finale is also worth a mention, putting in not one, but two bonus tracks after the last song has faded away.

Of course it wouldn't be right not to give substantial credit to Rice's vocal partner, Lisa Hannigan, who guest sings on more than half the songs. Usually it's just backup, but occasionally she does a full-on duet with Damien. She even solos on the very last song, an a cappella re-tooling of Silent Night. This has to be one of the most ludicrously gorgeous covers in the history of music.

The best part: the entire thing is utterly timeless. It could be from the early nineties, it could be alongside Carol King in the record shop. That's the thing about Damien Rice: he proves that awesome songs transcend age. By putting so little production on them, he avoids the "in the moment" pitfall ninety percent of artists fall into.

O is simply one of the best full albums I have ever heard. Every song is like a gift from Rice himself, wrapped in strings and flutes and sensitivity, making it a definite buy for music lovers everywhere.

American Idol: Top Ten Performances of All Time

So I recently watched some musical performances on YouTube sung during the eight season course of American Idol and I wanted to write about it. I thought, "What better way than to blog it?!" So here we go, the ten best Idol performances I have seen (barring the first and second seasons, as I have not had the pleasure of viewing them.)

10. Blake Lewis "You Give Love a Bad Name"- Blake was a trailblazer for American Idol for many reasons. A beat-boxer who sang incredibly well, he infused the sixth season of my beloved show with a uniqueness that was MIA that year. In an four month story-arc filled with Lakisha, Melinda, and Jordin belting out the same old perfect melodies, Blake (and his adorable outfits) lit up the stage with his personality. You Give Love a Bad Name was arguably his most risky performance, and it propelled him into the top 2. With it's four straight measures of boxing, it's decidedly un-Bon Jovi melody, and his rampant charisma, he worked it out and gave us the most exciting song of season 6.

9. Melinda Doolittle "My Funny Valentine"- I was going to give Constantine Maroulis the MVP on this song, but I recently watched both performances back to back, and Mindy Doo is clearly the belle of the ball when it comes to humorous lovers. The woman broke it DOWN and sang with such a gusto and bravado, something we never really saw again. The infusions of "who, MEEE? I'm a good singer?!" were gone for the night, and the girl made mince meat out of the Rodgers and Hart number.

8. Carrie Underwood "Alone"- While I did not want Carrie to win (Vonzell Soloman's quirky goodness was far more my taste), I cannot fault her for her song choice in Heart's "Alone." Since she conquered the stage with that vocal, contestants have been trying unsuccessfully to match it. You know if Carly Smithson's version sounds bad by comparison, you have an incredible notch in the Idol wall of fame.

7. David Cook "Billie Jean"- Simultaneously enraging and engaging the American public, the proclaimed "rocker" of the seventh season kicked ass with this re-done version of a Michael Jackson classic. Some (drama queeny) people got upset that he used a cover song to base his off of, but he none the less rocked it out with style. Chris Cornell himself could not do a better job making this song into a sexy power ballad. Covering the cover is hard enough, but to outshine both versions is a real feat.

6. Jason Castro "Hallelujah"- Some dub the seventh season of American Idol as "Artist Idol" because musicians were allowed to play instruments for the first time. This was none more true than with Jason Castro, who was as Anti-Idol as you can get. With his pretty but flimsy voice, he charmed the hearts of America and placed fourth. This was due in large part to his amazing semi-final take on Hallelujah. With tears in his eyes and a crack in his vocal, he got a "brilliant" rating from Mr. Cowell and a safe passage to the top 12. Hallelujah indeed.

5. Allison Iraheta "Someone to Watch Over Me"- This was the most moving performance from the teenager I have ever seen on the show. I teared up when her voice broke on the line "Although he's not the man some/girls think of as handsome." The designated rocker chick gave the old-timey number a youthful energy and passion. She simply OWNED Rat Pack week, and even more so for suffering through that shitty critique from Simon that she was "robotic in parts." Screw you, Mr. Cowell. Without you, she would have sailed through to the top three. Then we wouldn't have had Danny Gokey (aka, "ghoulish widower") singing "Dream On" as if it was a White Stripes song. Ugh. (Yes, I am still bitter.)

4. Katharine Mcphee "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"- Kat was not my favorite during Idol's consistent yet tedious fifth season, but her Simon-picked song choice of "Rainbow" turned out to be her best on the show. Even though Jason Castro covered a better version of the classic in season 7, there is no way anyone will be able to match the raw power that Mcphee inspired. I remember downloading the song as soon as it came out and listening to it over thirty times in one night. Down with Hicks! Long live Mcpheever!

3. Carly Smithson "Here You Come Again"- Not many people will remember this smoldering ballad from Ms. Ireland 2008, but it is more than worth a mention. She took Dolly Parton's mid-tempo song and changed it up to be slow and delicate, producing an immaculate performance that, in my opinion, exceeded anything else for that season. Her voice soared over the verses, and built up into that final, incredible glory note at the end. America got it wrong sending this one home so early.

2. Adam Lambert "Mad World"- The One Who Occasionally Sounds Like a Wounded Cat came out on the dreary "Year You Were Born" week and ran DVR schedules over the time limit all across the country. He got a standing ovation by Simon (rare), a proclamation of him "definitely being in the finals" (less rare), and a walloping 42% of the vote (according to Idol experts) on a night with 8 people singing. He finally showed his true colors (the primary one obviously being blue) and didn't seem as if he was acting. This, unfortunately, was not true of the vampire-y encore in the finale, which might be part of the reason he only achieved runner up status. But, icy lighting and all, Adam really blew this song out of the water (okay, enough blue puns) and, in doing so, pretty much ordered America to advance him straight to the finals. Don't pass Go. Don't collect 200 bizarre critiques.

1. Fantasia Barrino "Summertime"- This undoubtably marks the longest I have cried over an Idol vocal (and I was fourteen, folks!) Fantasia took her soul and threw it on the stage, making contenders like LaToya London and Diana Degarmo (not to mention the awful Jasmine Trias) quake in their boots. It was perfection. It was immaculate. It had the Dawg standing up on his paws and shouting about it being the best 90 seconds the show had ever seen. In that moment, ladies and gentlemen, a star was born.