Billboard singles reviews as presented by Reuters from New York
Artist: Taylor Swift
Single: Mine (Big Machine Records)
If the rest of Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated new album is as strong as its finely crafted lead single, then it’s a sure bet that her career juggernaut will continue. “Mine” possesses a vibrant energy that perfectly complements her impassioned vocals. As the artist matures personally and professionally, the song demonstrates that she’s successfully making the transition from a teen ingenue writing about high school crushes to a young woman exploring the complexities of adult relationships. Swift is a master at creating memorable lines, and one of the standouts here is, “You made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter.” By no means is “Mine” so heavy that she’ll lose any of her legion of young fans, yet there’s lyrical substance wrapped in the buoyant melody that shows Swift has the goods to go the distance and continue to broaden her audience.

Artist: Linkin Park
Single: The Catalyst (Machine Shop Recordings/Warner Bros. Records)
For the lead single to upcoming fourth album “A Thousand Suns,” Linkin Park offers a nearly six-minute anthem of aggression with two distinct parts. “The Catalyst” lets the band dip its toe into electronica in its first half, with rave-ready blips surrounding Chester Bennington’s dystopian cries. At the three-minute mark, however, the track morphs into a slow, emotional dirge, with Bennington singing, “Lift me up, let me go,” over a beat tailor-made for a stadium’s worth of slow claps. “The Catalyst” recalls Muse’s epic vocal chants as well as Green Day’s political commentary, but Linkin Park creates an original, if a bit awkward, transition from twisty techno to fist-pumping rock. The band’s interesting fusion of ideas — and the fact that “Catalyst” is its first No. 1 debut on Billboard’s Rock Songs chart — proves that Linkin Park still has a few tricks up its sleeve.

Artist: Usher Featuring Pitbull
Single: DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love (LaFace/Jive Label Group)
After just three weeks, Usher has landed another top 10 and potential No. 1 hit with “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love.” The R&B star’s recent chart-topper, “OMG,” reminded everyone that he’s no stranger to tempo, and here he looks to Max Martin and his frequent collaborator Shellback for some extra heat on the dance floor. Pitbull drops his usual party antics, lending an energizing verse and “Dale!” ad-libs. Though the lyrics are repetitive, they’re an accurate reflection of the song’s effect on the listener: “Hands up, and suddenly we all got our hands up/No control of my body.” Usher’s high register fits seamlessly with dance beats, and “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” should keep clubgoers moving for months to come.

Artist: Sugarland
Single: Stuck Like Glue (Mercury Nashville)
Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush of Sugarland are poised for a whopping pop crossover with “Stuck Like Glue,” which has already achieved the chart milestone of highest Billboard Hot 100 debut (No. 20) for a country duo or group. Co-written with Better Than Ezra’s Kevin Griffin and songwriter Shy Carter (Rob Thomas’ “Someday”), the song features Bush’s brother, Brandon, on accordion and creates a Southern comfort vibe with mass appeal. It also taps into the rising trend of reggae-pop — from Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” to Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister” and Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire” — that offers a refreshing alternative to the dance-pop hits dominating the airwaves. The song’s catchy lyrics should keep “pulling you right back in,” and you’ll probably tap along to its beat, too.


Billboard CD reviews as presented by Reuters from New York
Artist: Fantasia
Album: Back To Me (J Records)
Fantasia has had her share of public ups and downs in the past few years. The season-three “American Idol” winner has at times been forced to support her family (as depicted on VH1’s “Fantasia for Real”), admitted to going broke on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and was hospitalized this past week for a “medical overdose,” after reports concerning her affair with a married man. But she hasn’t let these situations slow her down on new album “Back to Me.” Over a midtempo production on the song “I’m Doin’ Me,” Fantasia reclaims her independence after walking away from an unstable relationship, while in “Who’s Been Lovin’ You” the singer boasts atop a piano-based beat about her ability to love a former boyfriend better than his new girl. With the accompaniment of synthesizers on the track “Falling in Love Tonight,” she touches on love at first sight, and she loses desire for a man on “The Thrill Is Gone” (featuring Cee-Lo). But while Fantasia delivers a soulful, laid-back album with tinges of gospel, her distinct voice is most enjoyable when she’s singing heartfelt ballads, as on first single “Bittersweet” and the motivational track “I’m Here (from the musical “The Color Purple”).

Artist: Rick Ross
Album: Reflon Don (Maybach Music/Slip-N-Slide/Def Jam)
Despite living in a gangster’s paradise — “I think I’m Big Meech/Larry Hoover,” he raps on the track “B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast),” referencing incarcerated gang leaders — Rick Ross has always been a respected lyricist. His fourth studio album, “Teflon Don,” further establishes the Miami rapper as one of the genre’s most creative forces. Over a Lex Luger-produced beat on “MC Hammer,” Ross reawakens the memory of the once-successful artist while boasting about the good life. “Aston Martin Music” (featuring Drake, one of the many well-chosen guests on the set) is a sensuous number reminiscent of the R&B flavor of his 2009 set, “Deeper Than Rap.” Then there’s the striking “Tears of Joy” — “Looking in the mirror but I don’t see much/Still running the streets so I don’t sleep much,” Ross raps unhurriedly, encouraging listeners to mull his every word. “Teflon Don” is one of this summer’s blockbusters.

Artist: Asleep At The Wheel And Leon Rausch
Album: It’s A Good Day (Bismeaux Records)
Whether you’re a die-hard or casual fan of Asleep at the Wheel, one thing is certain: Everything this act has ever released is simply spectacular. And the veteran Western swing band’s latest album, “It’s a Good Day,” is no different. The set casts its spotlight on longtime Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys lead singer Leon Rausch, an icon of the genre. The 82-year-old’s voice remains supple and sure-footed as he works out with the troupe on such jazz and swing standards as “Cotton Patch Blues,” “Osage Stomp” and “Basin Street Blues.” The diamond here is Willie Nelson’s collaboration on “Truck Driver’s Blues,” considered country music’s first anthem for truckers (written by Ted Daffan and recorded by Cliff Bruner in 1939). The band’s familiar swing/boogie “Get Your Kicks (On Route 66)” takes on new life with Rausch and Asleep at the Wheel vocalist Elizabeth McQueen. As they say on the rural route, there ain’t a dud in the bunch.

Artist: Best Coast
Album: Crazy For You (Mexican Summer)
“I want you.” “I miss you.” “I wanna be with you all the time.” “Wish he was my boyfriend.” The ideas on Best Coast’s debut album, “Crazy for You,” don’t get much more complicated than these. Unpoetic simplicity, carried on salty sea air, accounts for much of the band’s immediate appeal. The set sounds like it was recorded by an early-’60s girl group in a riot grrrl’s bedroom — songs of summer crushes and gloomy breakups, and harmonized “ooh’s” and “ah’s” over the Ronettes’ rhythm and grungy minor chords. Bethany Cosentino’s weed-soaked croon aches with teen preoccupation and short attention span, repeating lines like “When I’m with you, I have fun” and “I hate sleeping alone” until another tanned boy catches her eye. The musical and rhythmic uniformity among these 13 tracks might lose ears beyond the album’s brisk 29 minutes, but it reflects a summer ambivalence to which most anyone can relate.

Artist: Brandon Boyd
Album: The Wild Trapeze (Epic Records)
Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd is known for his alluring vocal additions that shepherd the rock band. On his debut solo set, “The Wild Trapeze,” his voice continues to lead the music. Most of these 10 tracks could easily fit into Incubus’ catalog, but Boyd demonstrates his musical mastery beyond singing by also playing some of the acoustic instruments on the set. The scratchy, distorted guitar on “Here Comes Everyone” is a nice contrast to Boyd’s smooth vocal delivery, and the single “Runaway Train” employs intricate harmonies. On every track, Boyd’s poetic lyrics are woven through the instrumental distortion by his confident, wide-ranging vocals. The slimmed-down acoustic number “Courage and Control” showcases the singer’s ability to deliver a graceful ballad, and “All Ears Avow!” turns the tables with a beat-heavy clapping style that presents Boyd’s voice in full wail. “The Wild Trapeze” expresses Boyd’s ingenuity outside Incubus, but it’s sure to keep fans buzzing for the band’s in-the-works studio album.

Artist: Sky Sailing
Album: An Airplane Carried Me To Bed (Universal Republic)
Adam Young, the mastermind behind synth-pop act Owl City’s 2009 breakthrough, “Ocean Eyes,” returns in stripped-down acoustic form on new musical project Sky Sailing. Instead of the lighthearted references to fireflies and manta rays heard on “Ocean Eyes,” Sky Sailing’s debut, “An Airplane Carried Me to Bed,” reveals Young’s more vulnerable side. The song “Brielle” touches on lost love, and the appropriately titled “I Live Alone” deals with loneliness. Many of these melancholy tunes are dominated by slow-strumming acoustic guitar, but the pace picks up on the catchy standout track “Tennis Elbow.” And on the folk-flavored cut “Steady as She Goes,” Young tackles the exhilaration of chasing a dream. Straying from the electronic-laced whimsical themes of Owl City, Young takes a more simple, honest approach to songwriting with Sky Sailing, resulting in a more grounded effort.

Artist: Hellyeah
Album: Stampede (Epic Records)
If you’ve ever wondered what sort of code of conduct the cowboy community lives by, the first track on this heavy-metal supergroup’s sophomore disc lays it out quite clearly: “What’s mine is mine/What’s yours is mine,” Hellyeah frontman Chad Gray growls. “It’s just a cowboy’s way.” Featuring members of Mudvayne, Pantera, Nothingface and Damageplan, Dallas-based Hellyeah doesn’t pussyfoot around on the hard-charging “Stampede,” which also informs the cowboy-curious that a love-’em-and-leave-’em approach is one that potential lovers should expect. (You have to appreciate the warning.) Even the album’s ballad, “Better Man,” offers strong medicine, with Gray detailing the various departments in which his father disappointed him and his family. By the end of “Stampede,” all that alpha-male attitude can begin to tire out a listener with less fortitude than anyone in Hellyeah. But there’s no doubting these guys’ burly bona fides.

Also:
NEW YORK: Just as the members of indie-pop band Ra Ra Riot were getting ready to hit the big time in 2007, tragedy struck, with the drowning death of the group’s drummer, John Pike.
But the band rebounded, releasing “The Rhumb Line’’ on Barsuk Records in 2008 and touring extensively. Now the members face another challenge — releasing a follow-up and sustaining their career.
The list of indie bands felled by the fabled sophomore slump is long and ever-growing. But Ra Ra Riot, whose album “The Orchard’’ is out Aug 24, again on Barsuk, seems well positioned to beat the odds.
“Instead of being just super hyped and buzzed about, the band has developed a dedicated fan base,’’ manager Josh Roth says. “They love touring and they love playing live, and I think they are in a great position to just keep growing.’’

Which isn’t to say the band isn’t concerned about its future. “I have a recurring nightmare that one day I’ll wake up and never be able to write another song,’’ frontman Wes Miles says. “But I try to steer clear of having too many quantifiable expectations, because spending all your time being worried about others’ expectations just makes things worse.’’
To roll out the new album, the band will release a 40-minute film made during the writing and recording sessions. “It’s half art piece and half documentary with interviews with the band,’’ Barsuk co-founder Josh Rosenfeld says. The film will be included with the deluxe version of the album.
The band will play a handful of dates in August before heading off on a full tour in the fall. Miles says that these tour stops allow him to build a rapport with fans, although he admits it isn’t always easy.
“There are nights when I’m tired and just want to leave,’’ he says. “But it is fun to talk to people who are excited about the music, and we try to stay for signings as much as possible. When I was studying in Japan I saw Numbers, who were my favorite band at the time, and talked to them after the show, and it’s something I’ll never forget.’’

With a dedicated base and support from Barsuk, Ra Ra Riot appears set to follow in the footsteps of label alums Death Cab for Cutie. Rosenfeld says he doesn’t want to make any grand predictions, noting that “the environment then versus now is like apples and oranges.’’
Miles says he’s happy to take a wait-and-see approach. “I’m OK with things growing incrementally,’’ he says. “I feel like every hour of work we put in is an hour well spent.’’