If you want to talk about one of the classiest pop songs of the ’90s, you wouldn’t have to look any further than Annie Lennox’s debut disc Diva, which yielded several top 10 hits around the globe, although she just hit the Top 40 in the US with two singles. In fact, Diva only reached #23 in America, which was a bit stunning to me, given how pervasive that disc was in my life when it came out. While songs like “Little Bird”, “Precious”, and “Walking on Broken Glass” are all great songs, it is “Why” that has to be considered a highlight of Annie’s career.
The first few notes instantly transport me to an isolated room, where a woman rehashes just what went wrong in her relationship, and what she may have done to brought it on. Amazingly, Annie’s first solo video perfectly captures the song, and adds an additional layer of weariness to the protagonist’s story. You’ll have to click through for the original, but the live version shows an additional layer of depth that only comes from a classic song having time to age and live.
Mr Hudson posted a video today of a Jay-Z show in London that he showed up at to sing “Young Forever”, 
The most striking thing to me, though, was at the end of the second round, where Hova kicks in to the intro of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. This happens at every concert…someone segues from their own song into a crowd-pleaser that gets the audience hyped, or maybe they play a bunch of party jams right before the show starts. For Jay, the fact that he can stage a huge sing-along for a song that was considered alternative in the 80s, it becomes a blessing and a curse. On the positive side, there is no question that Jay-Z can rock a crowd, no matter where they are. But does that ability hurt his street cred? Sadly, it does. There’s a double-standard playing here…so much of the rap body of work talks about escaping poverty and making it big. Yet Jay has to deal with the “sell out” tag, amid accusations that he isn’t street anymore. There’s no winning for winning, is there?
We talk about selling out, catering to certain audiences, working with the “right” producer, but at the end of it all, if the listener finds something that resonates, then the music has done its job. As much as I hate the God-and-nation forms of country music, it works for someone, and who am I to deprive them of that. So the same goes for rap music. If you can bridge the gap by speaking the musical language of the audience you are playing to, more power to you.
Popjustice posted 
So Kris, Adam, and Alison have all dropped their first singles, which meant that Danny Gokey’s first offering couldn’t be too far behind. Courtesy of 
Opening act Men (which confused me at first, based on the Gossip’s Music For Men) got things going on the right foot with their fun synth-pop that sounded like what you would expect if Depeche Mode had started up about 20 years later than they actually did. Le Tigre came to mind as a comparison, and it turns out that JD Samson of Le Tigre fronts the group. I would not have known him if I walked past him on the street, but their set was a blast, and I would go to their show if they came back to town. Signs, chainmail, house helmets and tight red pants are all visuals that will stick with me for quite a while.
Musically, I was blown away by how a foursome could sound so much bigger than their individual parts. Hannah Blilie’s driving beats, Nathan Howdeshell’s guitar riffs and Beth’s powerhouse vocals combine for an infectiously rocking experience, and Chris Sutton’s killer bassline propelled the band’s music throughout their set. Normally I will feel one or two lulls in a show, but the Gossip were not having it. From the opening bass of “Dimestore Diamond” to the encore performance of “What’s Love Got to Do With It”, the show was relentless, and I loved every minute of it. Highlights for me were “Heavy Cross” and “Pop Goes the World”, although there wasn’t a dog in the bunch. My biggest disappointment was not getting to hear “Standing in the Way of Control”. I figured that was a given, but the set did lean heavily on the current record, so it’s only a small blip on an otherwise amazing show.
Stumble It!
Pop Music Notes 