Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” was only the tip of the iceberg. As this compilation shows, Rodgers' had a hand in hits for over three decades. From Chic’s “Le Freak” and Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family” to ’80s blockbusters like David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” and Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” the man’s had the Midas touch.
McLachlan’s enjoyed many milestones, winning three Grammys, eight Junos and selling over 40 million albums. She created Lilith Fair, an outreach program for inner-city kids and is mother to two daughters, Taja and India. Now Sarah, 46, is ready for a change. Her eighth album, she says, “is about moving through the second half of my life in a more mindful and meaningful way.” Many of its songs are inspired by her father’s death three years ago. “I had to find my footing again without the anchor of his unconditional love,” she explains. On “Song for My Father,” McLachlan pays touching tribute to him. “You were the place I could always rest my head when my world came undone,” she sings over gui...
Now 68, Dolly keeps on rolling. Her 42nd album is a patchwork quilt of styles, from the opening bluegrass title track, a rollicking train song, to the closing “Try,” an inspirational power-pop ballad. In between, she covers Bob Dylan and even Bon Jovi and displays her characteristic down-home honesty on the stirring backwoods country of “Home.”
It was the biggest blockbuster in a career that has produced many. Recorded in 1973 at “the height of our powers,” as Elton puts it today, in his favorite honky chateau when he was just 26, the album topped worldwide charts and sold over 15 million copies. Now remastered and available in deluxe two-disc and super deluxe five-disc sets, it showcases Elton’s wide musical range and features a “revisited” collection of covers by contemporary artists and his own live performance that year at London’s Hammersmith Odeon. Hearing the Rocket Man’s original versions of classics alongside interpretations by young stars like Hunter Hayes and Emeli Sandé reveals the depth of those great songs. Ed Sheeran...
After the King of Pop died in 2009, his record company rushed to cash in on his legacy. Now, in the hands of top producers like Timbaland, Michael’s talent gets the respectful treatment it deserves. Xscape features unreleased songs recorded between 1983 and 1999 and provides them in original demo form and newly produced versions. Highlights include the soulful “Loving You” and the joyous “Love Never Felt So Good,” which also comes as a giddy posthumous duet between Michael and Justin Timberlake. Outtakes never sounded so good.
He sang on two of last year’s biggest records: Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.” Now the seven-time Grammy winner is molten hot and ready for global domination with his second solo album. Packed full of pop hooks and endlessly funky, the 10 tracks find Pharrell teaming up with Justin Timberlake on the falsetto-drenched conga line of “Brand New” and Alicia Keys on the dreamy, ska-flavored “I Know Who You Are.” Also included is “Come Get it Bae,” a revved-up pairing with Miley Cyrus about popping wheelies on motorcycles. But this isn’t just a collection of superstar duets. The man with the Vivienne Westwood-designed Buffalo hat gets giddy on “Happy,” his Oscar-nominat...
One way or another, Blondie was bound to succeed. Fronted by Marilyn Monroe-lookalike Debbie Harry, the band topped the charts throughout the late 1970s and early ’80s with hits like “Heart of Glass” and “The Tide is High.” Harry, a onetime beautician and Playboy bunny, changed a generation’s sense of style with her unique approach to fashion—from thrift-store finds and Day-Glo outfits to biker leathers with leggings and cat suits with metallic make-up. Now 69, Harry keeps moving Blondie forward. The new wave sensations’ 10th album features plenty of cutting-edge dancefloor tracks, including “Sugar on the Side,” a sweet reggae number with Colombian stars Systema Solar, and a cover of Frankie...
Petra, Tanya and Rachel, the daughters of jazz great Charlie Haden, conjure up the ghosts of the past on this vocally rich, Ry Cooder-produced album. Singing old-timey songs like the Carter Family’s “Single Girl, Married Girl” in stirring close harmony, the sisters bring Grand Ole Opry tradition refreshingly up to date.
After splitting from her longtime manager and signing with Jay Z’s Roc Nation, Australia’s pop princess was ready for change. Her 12th album is that fresh start, from Pharrell Williams’ electro-r&b hybrid “I Was Gonna Cancel” to Sia Furler’s booty-shaker “Sexercise.” Like infectious disco therapy, Kylie assures that things are “going to be fine.”
With the title of his second bilingual album, the Spanish pop star doesn’t mince words. “I wanted to be straightforward,” admits Enrique, the 38-year-old son of superstar Julio Iglesias. “Sex and love are the themes that everybody relates to. When you hear music—ninety percent of the time—it derives from those two feelings.” Wasting no time, Enrique shows his one-track mind on the hyperactive “I’m a Freak,” with rapper Pitbull providing salacious asides, before expressing a sweeter side on the reggae-flavored “There Goes My Baby,” featuring Flo Rida, and “Beautiful,” his breathy duet with Aussie pop princess Kylie Minogue. Enrique, whose relationship with tennis star Anna Kournikova ended la...
