True to his name, Pitbull is a bit of a horndog. On Planet Pit, Mr. 305 touts his masculine prowess to the ladies over dance beats from Afrojack ("Give Me Everything"), David Guetta ("Something for the DJs") and other pop-house producers. Sometimes his formula succeeds, like on shamelessly bouncy hit "Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor)." But he fails, too, with cheesy songs like "Shake Senora," a lame remix of Harry Belafonte's calypso classic "Jump in the Line (Shake Senora)." Ne-Yo, T-Pain, Jamie Foxx, Kelly Rowland, Akon and others help Pitbull work it out.
Gushing weepy-eyed nostalgia like a 1920s Texas oil geyser, Everything's Fine is a soundtrack for lip-pierced mall punks wandering suburban 'hoods while reveling in first kisses and experiencing goose bumps in exotic lands. It's all very catchy, anthemic and big-sounding. The one track that really, truly stands out is "When We Were Young," which possesses this universal pop presence. You can imagine everybody from Lady Gaga to Eric Church covering the thing. One warning: You just might feel first-love fatigue by album's end, as singer Brian Dales is totally obsessed with the subject.
We didn't think it was possible for the woman who broke out with "Bubbly" to get any sunnier or more positive. But Colbie Caillat appears to have written her third album from within the throes of sweet, sweet love: She's cooing chipper, castanet-punctuated tracks about saying "I Do." She's writing songs with boyfriend Justin Young. And that warm, surfer girl mezzo swoons and purrs its way through affirmation after sun-kissed affirmation -- sometimes, like on "Think Good Thoughts," verging literally on that term. She also brings Common, of all people, along for the ride on "Favorite Song."
If you only heard the first three tracks of Vanessa Carlton's fourth album, you'd be forgiven for worrying that the girl has just never quite found a way to evolve beyond the plinkety-plankety-angsty coffee-shop pop of her big hit, "A Thousand Miles." Then "Fairweather Friend," awash in driving currents of piano and waves of strings, makes your ears perk up. And then, "Hear the Bells," with its gauzy minimalism and echoing vocals, begins a series of hazy, vintage-hued tracks that sound like what an Anthropologie ad looks like. Vanessa skips through them all like a honey-voiced love child.
Minneapolis singer-songwriter Nikki Jean spent years singing backup for Lupe Fiasco, King Britt and others before commanding the spotlight on Pennies in a Jar. Weaving through girl-group harmonies ("My Love") and Philly soul ("How to Unring a Bell") with audible delight, she's clearly having a ball, and her playfulness is infectious. This charming debut includes contributions from Bob Dylan (who co-wrote "Steel and Feathers"), Burt Bacharach (who co-wrote "Pennies in a Jar") and Lupe and Black Thought, who add raps to "Million Star Motel."
The young Disney starlet shows off her considerable diva cred with a sophomore album (keep in mind she's barely past sophomore year) that's packed to the brim with solid (and often sultry) dance pop. A Year without Rain picks up where the smash hit "Naturally" left off: compelling club beats, sweet themes dusted with a bit of sass and dulcet (if light) vocals that display some dexterity (see: "Rock God," the album's most Disney-ish song, but a track that finds Gomez alternating between throaty belting and feathery head voice). Only the dear-diary ballads tucked in here and there betray her age.
Producing some of her most successful singles yet, Here I Am finds Kelly Rowland settling into styles that work for her, like dance cuts that suit her wispy, malleable voice. More than anything, she's flexing a more brazen sexuality than she's exhibited before on tracks that saunter through the club (or slink through the bedroom). It's a strong eroticism, though, that builds on the diva stance she took up last time around: She may be cooing the most blatant come-on this side of "Love to Love You Baby," but she's doing it while giving instructions for providing her with, um, aural pleasure.
Less than a year after A Year Without Rain, Selena Gomez picks up where that album left off: on the dance floor. Only this time, she's staying out late (and possibly at a 21-and-over club). Sun is a sleek, chic and, yes, sexy affair that starts off planting four firmly on the floor and doesn't let up through sassy kiss-offs, catwalk struts and Gomez's first Spanish track. It's all perfectly crafted. Maybe a little too perfect, painted as it is in shades of La Roux, Ke$ha, even Blondie! At least Gomez's touchstones are good ones. And her sweet purr is stronger than ever.
A Family Business is a soundtrack to the Norwood clan's VH1 show. Headliners Brandy and Ray J recount trials and triumph on the title track; Brandy sings melodramatically about her detractors ("I Don't Care"); and big poppa Willie Sr. devotes a love song to mama bear Sonja on the aptly titled "Sonja, Sonya, Sonia." Even Brandy's daughter Sy'rai gets in the act by swiping Barney the Dinosaur's "I Love You" theme for "My Family." Despite a lapse from freaky ol' Ray J ("Turnin' Me On"), A Family Business is squeaky-clean treacle for celebreality junkies.
