over many styles is because the band members are such obvious fans of diverse music. Nowhere is this more apparent than on Monkey Business ’s high-profile guest list. After Justin Timberlake’s contribution to the massive "Where Is the Love" breakout hit from Elephunk , their inclusion of big names once again was a smart, respectful move on the part of the band as well as their guests. "My Style" is Timberlake’s BEP foray number two; while the song is funky pop fun, those looking to hear Justin in the forefront are likely to be disappointed, as his vocals are mixed evenly, no sweet soulful solos this time. Other guests of note are Jack Johnson, who cowrote the bling-bashing "Gone Going," Sting on "Union" (sonically inspired by the former Police-ma...  (less)

first single, 1977's "Fall Out." From that rarity to one of the most-remembered and most performed rock ballads of the `80s, 1983's "Every Breath You Take," The Police spans the group's six-year journey from sweaty clubs to sold-out stadiums - establishing them as one of the definitive and most popular rock groups in the world.  (less)

who looked to '80s icons such as Prince, Michael Jackson, and Talking Heads for inspiration. Recorded at home in Los Angeles with producers Mike Elizondo (Fiona Apple, Eminem), Mark "Spike" Stent (Bjork, Keane, Gwen Stefani), Mark Endert (Madonna, Fiona Apple), and Eric Valentine (Queens of the Stone Age, Nickel Creek), the album promises to be a louder take on the pop sounds of their first effort. "It's definitely aggressive, upbeat and pounding," says Levine. More Maroon 5 Songs About Jane Live Friday the 13th 1.22.03.Acoustic Maroon 5 Photos          (less)

about proving themselves; they are simply here to enjoy it. Making great British pop music - their way - is what they're about. Born of a desire to employ the DIY ethic from day one - Katie White and Jules De Martino escaped the industry trappings they once experienced in a previous band and went back to basics as a duo. They stripped back everything they thought they both knew about making music and the industry that revolved around every note. We Started Nothing is a debut album brimming with intuitive pop noise. It's pure garage-pop and once heard will in-bed itself into your subconscious for many days, weeks, months to come. Snappy choruses trade off against angular gutar work, whip smart drumming and a succession of loops that they create live with the use of delay pedals.  (less)

headlining gig at London's Hyde Park for a crowd of 85,000, the question looms larger than any in the Foo Fighters' career to date: What do they do for an encore?!? The answer comes in the form of "The Pretender," the first single from the band's sixth studio album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace , out on Roswell/RCA. Produced by Gil Norton, who last worked with the band on 1997's double-platinum The Colour and The Shape (recently reissued in deluxe 10th anniversary form), Dave Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, drummer Taylor Hawkins and guitarist Chris Shiflett have crafted a 12-track milestone that showcases and reconciles the band's every strength and sensibility in the most complex and confident Foo Fighters album to date. Foo Fighters Photo ...  (less)

effusive debut. Hardly surprising to find a new generation's reaction to a decade of shoe-gazing alternative rock angst to be a return to the guilty pleasures of unabashed, blues-based stadium rock--even if they seem unsure whether they're channeling the early Zep scream 'n' sludge frenzy of the single "Woman" or adopting The White Stripes' stripped-down ethos on "Apple Tree" and elsewhere. They bravely mix suspect '70s lyrical thematics ("White Unicorn," "Where Eagles Have Been," "Tales") with usual suspects like Sabbath ("Dimension"), stir in the neo-prog of "Colossal," "Witchcraft," and "Tales," (the latter complete with Tull-savvy flute break), then toast Soundgarden and Queens of the Stone Age on "Mind's Eye" and elsewhere. Their frightfully funk...  (less)

stage, where they effortlessly created the equivalent of musical utopia. In their first recorded collaboration as She & Him, Deschanel and Ward strike the same sincerity with his nostalgic production and her retro resonance. Cover songs such as "You Really Got a Hold on Me," previously performed by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, gain a newfound heartache and undeniable splendor. Bring on Volume 2. -- Amanda MacKinnon  (less)

cupcake-sweet residue stuck to his image after the success of "Your Body Is a Wonderland"--but something convinced Mayer it was time to take him game to the next level. With help from studio pros Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino, he succeeds on Try . If the muscled-up covers of Jimi Hendrix's "Wait Until Tomorrow" and Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman" don't scream "no more Mr. Nice Guy" loud enough, the brawn of blues-rock opener "Who Do You Think I Was" does for sure. Mixed in with the Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton-esque stuff are a few mellow numbers--"Daughters," most notably, returns from Heavier Things alongside "Something's Missing"--but even those songs seem hopped up on rock-God hormones. This newfound sizzle can't fix everything; that segment of the music-buyin...  (less)

and the "Jingle Bells" instrumental benefits from an injection of rockabilly twang (as does Paisley's revival of Buck Owens's "Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy"). Among the original material that distinguishes the collection, "Penguin, James Penguin" is like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" for the higher-tech generation, as Santa enlists a "secret-agent bird" to keep computerized tabs on who deserves what. "Born on Christmas Day" features a tape of a song Paisley wrote and initially recorded when he was 13, then segues into the artist today on the same tune. The album closes with a slam at political correctness on "Kung Pao Buckaroo Holiday," with the Kung Pao Buckaroos (a.k.a. George Jones, Bill Anderson, and "...  (less)

girlfriend.  (less)

to come to Paris to record this first album. The journey started in an out of time, out of norm atmosphere, whose lush grooves are offset by a thoroughly enjoyable live performance, with members of the Germany via Toronto Kitty-Yo crew such as Peaches, Gonzales, & Taylor Savvy. Features 11 tracks including the singles 'Mushroom' & 'One Evening'. Universal.  (less)