Black Eyed Peas - E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) CD

E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) buy CD music Adele's 2009 debut album, 19, was a Grammy-winning smash hit that revealed the British singer/songwriter's knack for bittersweet soul and folk-infused love songs that brought to mind an infectious mix of Dusty Springfield and Terry Callier. The album earned her a ton of fans, and interest was high for the inevitable follow-up. In many ways, her sophomore album, the similarly age-appropriate-titled 21, is a continuation of the sounds and themes Adele was working with on 19. She is still the bluesy pop diva with a singer/songwriter's soul and seemingly bottomless capacity for heartbreak. The best thing the album does is to showcase Adele's titanic vocal ability, which -- more than a few times on 21 -- is simply spine-tingling. Last time around we got the gauzy, Callier-esque folk-soul ballad "Daydreamer" to slowly draw us into the album; here, Adele immediately injects us with the propulsive gospel fever-blues anthem "Rolling in the Deep." While the track certainly owes a heavy debt to the punk-blues of Beth Ditto and the Gossip, it is also ridiculously sexy and one of the best singles of any decade. Elsewhere, we get tracks like the blues-inflected Ryan Tedder co-write "Rumour Has It" and the old-school-style soul cut "He Won't Go," which are terrifically catchy, booty-shaking numbers and exactly the kind of songs you want and expect from Adele. Similarly enthralling is the centerpiece of the album, the mega-ballad showstopper "Take It All." Co-written by her "Chasing Pavements" partner Francis White, the song begins with Adele proclaiming "Didn't I give it all?" Delivered starkly at first with Adele set against simple piano accompaniment and later backed by a gospel choir, it's an instant-classic sort of song in the tradition of "The Rose," "And I Am Telling You I Am Not Going," and "All by Myself" that could stand over the years as a career landmark for the singer and a cathartic moment for fans who identify with their idol's Pyrrhic lovelorn persona. Ultimately, Adele does give us her all on 21, and for now that is enough. ~ Matt Collar Editor: Dana Nielsen. Photographer: Lauren Dukoff. Personnel: Adele (vocals). Recording information: AirStudios, London, England; Angel Studios, London, England; Eastcote Studios, London, England; Harmony Studios, West Hollywood, CA; metropolis Studios, London, England; Myaudiotonic Studios, London, England; Patriot Studios, Denver, CO; Serenity Sound, Hollywood, CA; Shangri La Studios, Malibu, CA; Sphere Studios, London, England; Wendyhouse Productions, London, England.

E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) album for sale With their raw, organic sound, Tennessee's Kings of Leon emerged in 2003 as Southern rock for the indie-garage set, sort of a Strokes for the South. While there were hints of a new direction on their third album, BECAUSE OF THE TIMES, its follow-up, ONLY BY THE NIGHT, follows through with a near-reinvention of the Kings' sound. ONLY BY THE NIGHT could be mistaken for avant-indie cult heroes the Liars on a Southern vacation, as post-punk angularity, distorto-funk bass lines, and clattering percussion are processed through what sounds like the world's biggest fuzzbox. While there are old-glory moments of garagey abandon, most of these tracks sound like someone sat and carefully considered the best way to frame them. And that's the difference between making a good album and making a great one. Audio Mixer: Jacquire King . Recording information: Blackbird Studio, Nashville, TN. Kings of Leon: Caleb Followill (vocals, guitar); Matthew Followill (guitar, background vocals); Jared Followill (bass instrument, background vocals); Nathan Followill (drums, background vocals). Personnel: Jacquire King , Angelo Petraglia (keyboards).

E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) CD music The times were crying out for a pop star like Lady GaGa -- a self-styled, self-made shooting star, one who mocked the tabloid digital age while still wanting to wallow in it -- and one who's smart enough to pull it all off, too. That self-awareness and satire were absent in the pop of the new millennium, where even the best of the lot operated only on one level, which may be why Lady GaGa turned into such a sensation in 2009: everybody was thirsty for music like this, music for and about their lives, both real and virtual. To a certain extent, the reaction to The Fame may have been a little too enthusiastic, with GaGa turning inescapable sometime in the summer of 2009, when she appeared on countless magazine covers while both Weezer and DAUGHTRY covered "Pokerface," the rush to attention suggesting that she was the second coming of Madonna, a comparison GaGa cheerfully courts and one that's accurate if perhaps overextended. Like the marvelous Madge, Lady GaGa ushers the underground into the mainstream -- chiefly, a dose of diluted Peaches delivered via a burbling cauldron of electro-disco -- by taming it just enough so it's given the form of pop yet remains titillating. Sure, GaGa sings of disco sticks, bluffin' with her muffin, and rough sex, but her provocation doesn't derive solely from her words: this is music that sounds thickly sexy with its stainless steel synths and dark disco rhythms. Where GaGa excels, and why she crossed over, is how she doesn't leave all this as a collection of hooks and rhythms, she shapes them into full-blown pop songs, taking the time to let the album breathe with chillout ballads and percolating new wave, like the title track that echoes Gwen Stefani in dance diva mode. But where Gwen simply celebrates celeb consumer culture, GaGa bites, her litany of runway models, pornographic girls, and body plastic delivered with an undercurrent of disdain, even as she loves all the glitz. This dichotomy propels much of The Fame, particularly on the clever "Paparazzi," where she casts herself as the photographic parasite chasing after her crush, but none of this meta text would work if the songs didn't click, functioning simultaneously as glorious pop trash and a wicked parody of it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Personnel: Lady Gaga (vocals, keyboards, synthesizer); Colby O'Donis (vocals); Flo Rida, Space Cowboy (rap vocals); Red One (various instruments, programming); Tom Kafafian (guitar); Calvin Gaines (bass guitar, programming); Victor Bailey (bass guitar); Joe Tomino (drums).

E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) songs Pink's insistently hooky, attitude-filled pop-rock has kept the singer a fixture on the radio and on singles charts since the early 2000s. The artist's fifth effort, FUNHOUSE, doesn't tamper with the formula: Pink's powerhouse vocals and in-your-face approach, backed by stadium-sized production, are in full effect on all 12 tracks. Even though the album deals primarily with aftermath of her divorce and includes serious moments of self-confrontation like "Sober," fans needn't worry that Pink has lost any of her chutzpah. If anything, there's an increased sense of confidence and newfound liberation on tracks like the chest-thumping "So What" and the mischievous, bouncing "Bad Influence." In softer moments, like the ballad "I Don't Believe You" and the soulful "One Wrong Foot," Pink channels her personal experience into expressions that carry no less strength or muscle. But FUNHOUSE is a pop album first and foremost, and its catchy choruses, rollicking beats, and memorable vocal performances won't disappoint. Recording information: 3:20 Studios, Los Feliz, CA; Decibel studios, Stockholm, Sweden; Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY; Henson Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; House Of Blues Studio, Los Angeles, CA; Malibuddha Studios, Malibu, CA; Maratone Studios, Stockholm, Sweden; Modern Dirt Laboratories, London, England; Sha Recording, Malibu, CA; The Chateau Marmont, West Hollywood, CA; The Document Room, Malibu, CA; The Magic Shop, New York, NY; Westside Pacific Music, Inc., Pacific Palisades, CA. Photographers: Andrew McPherson ; Deborah Anderson. Arrangers: Stevie Blacke; Eg White; Uli Janson; Henrik Janson. Personnel: P!nk (vocals, background vocals); Eg White (guitar, guitars, strings, Hammond b-3 organ, drums, percussion); Jimmy Harry (guitar, guitars, keyboards); Peter Parente (guitar, guitars); Billy Mann (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, background vocals); Shellback (guitar, acoustic guitar, omnichord, keyboards, bass guitar, drums, percussion, drum programming); Pete Wallace (guitar, piano, harmonium, bass guitar, programming); Max Martin (guitar, keyboards, bass guitar); Butch Walker (guitar, keyboards, percussion, programming, background vocals); Robin Mortensen Lynch (guitar, programming); Chris Galland (guitar); Stevie Blacke, Stockholm Session Strings, Uli Janson, Henrik Janson (strings); Guy Baker (trumpet); Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. (piano, keyboards); Roger Manning (keyboards); Niklas Olovson (bass guitar, programming); Tony Kanal (bass guitar); Josh Kane, Joey Waronker, John Yarling, Darren Dodd (drums); Daniel Chase (programming); DJ Willrock (turntables); Kinnda Hamid (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Al Clay; Mark "Spike" Stent; Serban Ghenea; Tom Lord-Alge; Billy Mann.

E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) album for sale Eminem's RELAPSE, a double album released after five years of recorded silence, a record featuring Dr. Dre behind the boards for the first time since 2000, faced no shortage of the relentless pressure of expectations. A narrative of survival after facing down his demons in rehab unfurled with Eminem's usual twisted Swift-ian wit, RELAPSE should disappoint few fans (or critics for that matter) with its patented mix of hilariously spit venom and delirious self-loathing. Like Darren Aronofsky's adaptation of REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, 2009's RELAPSE finds the full horror element in drug addiction. Eminem's raps, for all their over-the-top humor, have always conjured up images fit for Fangoria, but as he comes out of rehab, seeking solace from his demons, Mr. Mathers amps up the gore on RELAPSE. Dre's beats lurk dark-thumping sinister while Em unleashes nightmare dreamscapes of murder, mayhem, and Britney-Spearsacide. One target who gets off surprisingly lightly this time around is his mother (a topic even Em admits in his introduction of which the world is probably sick); "My Mom" boasts softer, bouncier beats and a final line few hip-hop fans would ever expect to hear coming out of his mouth. Recording information: 54 Sound, Detroit, MI; Effigy Studios; KDS Music Studios, Orlando, FL; Record One Studios, Sherman Oaks, CA; Studio At The Palms, Las Vegas, NV. Photographers: Karin Catt; Julian Alexander. Personnel: Elizabeth Keener, Matthew St. Patrick (vocals); Jeff Bass, Mike Elizondo (guitar, keyboards); Sean Cruse (guitar); Trevor Lawrence (keyboards, scratches); Dawaun Parker, Luis Resto, Mark Batson (keyboards); Eric Danchick (sampler); Traci Nelson (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Dr. Dre; Eminem.

E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) CD music Don't mistake the presence of Jay-Z and Beyoncé on Alicia Keys' fourth album as evidence that the singer/songwriter is burrowing into modern R&B -- take it instead as evidence of the rarefied company Keys keeps, her status as a superstar so solidified that the only cameos possible are R&B/hip-hop elite. Superstars are often given leeway to do anything they want, and so it is on The Element of Freedom, where Keys dials back the outward expansion of As I Am and turns inward, creating a clean, small-scale collection of ballads and Prince-inspired pop. Always apparent on Alicia's albums, that Prince influence is underscored by how she's swapped the retro-soul instrumentation of her earliest music for electronics, but she's retained the warmth, the throwback sensibility and, especially, a sense of reserve, never getting too heated or gauche. This does mean the Prince elements feel more NPG than Revolution, but Keys trademark always has been an easy elegance. On The Element of Freedom, that elegance is so easy it borders on the sleepy, with Keys' understatement undercutting livelier numbers -- chief among them the bubbly Beyoncé duet "Put It in a Love Song" -- so they play as ballads. This isn't a complaint so much as a characteristic: her voice may crack on "Love Is My Disease," but Keys never gets gritty, she remains reserved, never letting her singing or arrangements obscure the melodies or the classy veneer of the entire proceedings. All this determined detachment keeps The Element of Freedom from packing a primal, passionate punch, but there is charm in Alicia's enveloping, quiet cool: she may never break a sweat, but she knows how to sustain a sultry, not necessarily sexy, mood, and she does so here quite fetchingly. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Recording information: Conway Studios, LA; Oven Studios, NY; Strawberrybee Studios, NY. Photographer: Yu Tsai .