MAGIC MIKE

Ever since word first leaked out that Steven Soderbergh was directing a film based on the pre-Hollywood stripping life of heartthrob Channing Tatum, the anticipation has been building for Magic Mike.  And now, after months of anticipation, the actual film sort of feels like the morning after a one night stand where you realize, the person you thought was so hot the night before, isn't all that hot and is even less interesting when you actually try to have a conversation with them.

In the beginning we meet Mike (Tatum), construction worker and auto detailer by day and exotic dancer by night, waking up from a threesome with two sexy ladies, one of which's name he can't remember.  The other is Joanna (Olivia Munn), a sexy, bi-sexual, psych student we later find out is studying nightlife workers like Mike for school.  Had these two really connected something interesting could have been explored with their relationship and the chemistry with the two actors could have been explored more, but alas the script feels like it's doing all it can to avoid being intriguing or fresh in the least.  Instead a nineteen year-old slacker named Adam (Alex Pettyfer) shows up at Mike's construction site with no experience and a busted hooptie and Mike, being the stripper with the heart of gold that he is, gives him a ride home where he meets Alex's older sister Brooke (Cody Horn), who is only slightly more lifelike an actress than Kristen Stewart.  Of course, Brooke has a boring boyfriend who she and Adam have dinner with that night and when Adam can't take it anymore he heads out of the restaurant where he runs into Mike at a nearby club.  Mike encourages him to talk to a girl celebrating her 21st birthday and before he knows it he's giving her a lap dance at Xquisite, the nightclub where Mike dances.

Soon after, Dallas (Matthew McConaughey), the owner, decides to take him on as a dancer and make him a part of the gang.  The other guys include Ken (Matt Bomer) nicknamed for his made-by-Mattel good looks, Tito (Adam Rodriguez), the latin lothario, Tarzan (Kevin Nash), the wild man and Big Dick Richie (Joe Mangianello), named for obvious reasons.  It would have been nice to find out if the guys were as colorful as their nicknames, but they don't do much other than a few awkwardly choreographed group dances and brief solos throughout the film that are too cheesy to be sexy.  The cheesiness wouldn't have been so bad if the film was a straight forward comedy like The Full Monty, but about half way through it tries to become Boogie Nights-lite and completely loses its way.

Adam gets into drugs, Mike gets rejected for a business loan and everyone else seems to be waiting around for something to do.  There were several scenes that felt like they were improvised, but not in an inventive Knocked Up kind of way, but more of an experimental way that would have worked better with comedians or skilled improvisors.  The romance with Mike and Brooke falls totally flat since the charm is only coming from his end.  Adam's downfall is pretty much ignored by the end of the film.  There are no consequences for his actions and taking care of him just serves as a device to bring Mike and Brooke together.  Worst of all, the sexy stripping that everyone has been waiting for is pretty anti-climactic.  Tatum is clearly the best (read: only) dancer in the bunch, but he mostly pop-locks as if his character from the Step Up movies has turned to stripping.  It's cool to watch, but not necessarily sexy.  The only one of the men with any real sex appeal ends up being Matthew McConaughey who, as the elder statesman, is the host of the show and only really gets one actual strip tease towards the end, but he earns it, and as far as those scenes go it's a highlight.

Overall, the "magic" in Magic Mike is utterly lacking, but if you just want to see some pretty actors in thongs, rent it and get someone to wake you up during the "good" parts because they are few and far between.

FIONA APPLE: THE IDLER WHEEL....

Remember back in 2005 when Extraordinary Machine came out reminding us of why we initially fell in love with Fiona Apple and confirming that she was well worth the wait?  Well now here we are in 2012, and after another lengthy hiatus the indie/pop goddess has graced us with a fourth album and once again our patience has been duly rewarded.  Where Extraordinary Machine found her at the sunniest we've ever seen her with songs like the title track and "Better Version of Me," on this latest offering she's more of the angsty, sullen girl we met on Tidal back in 1996.  In "Valentine" she sings about cutting herself (hopefully only figuratively) and wonders how she can ask someone to love her when all she does is beg to be left alone ("Left Alone").

The major difference is that this album could have just as easily been titled Tribal (It would have been less of a mouthful than the 23 word moniker it ended up with).  From the guttural wails on the opener "Every Single Night," to the rumbling drums and overlapping vocals on the closer "Hot Knife" every track feels raw and primal.  "Periphery" contains what sounds like marching feet on gravel, and on "Werewolf" she seems to be yelling at her lover over a pack of screaming children.  Thematically this is nothing new for her.  Her famously poetic lyrics lay her emotions so bare that she might as well be singing stark naked.  On past albums though, this emotional nakedness was often accompanied by lush strings, plaintive horns and Apple's own sturdy piano, making her the alterna-jazz chanteuse that provided the soundtrack to all of your break-ups.  This time however, the instrumentation is so stripped down and simple it borders on experimental but, in the end, the arrangements work by punctuating the visceral lyrics.  As she sings in "Every Single Night" she just 'wants to feel everything' and apparently she wants us to do the same.

ROCK OF AGES

The year is 1987 and the smell of Aqua Net is in the air, which is fitting since hair bands rule the airwaves.  Also, since this is a campy musical people break into song on the bus.  This is where we meet our protagonist Sherrie (Julianne Hough) on her way to Hollywood, rock albums in tow, leaving behind her grandmother in Oklahoma.  Young, blonde and beautiful she sets out to become a rockstar, but if you've ever seen ANY movie before you know where this is going and there will be few surprises in Rock of Ages for you.  That's okay, because it's not supposed to be anything more than a fun, singing and dancing ride down memory lane and on that level it totally delivers.  If, like me, some of the songs are before your time, you will still have fun.  If Journey, Poison and Bon Jovi were your high school soundtrack, then you'll enjoy it even more.  The Gleeks, however, will absolutely love it!  There's puppy love, mash-ups and the requisite Journey songs to boot.  If most of the scenes weren't at a concert venue, I would've been looking for a band to appear out of thin air when the singing started.

Hough (Dancing with the Stars) who is known more for her dancing than her singing will probably continue to be after this movie.  She has chops, but she's not the showstopper she would need to be to make this her star-making role.  However, the camera loves her and she has the angelic face of the country girl in the big city that make her a perfect fit.  As Drew, the boy she falls in love with, Diego Boneta is even blander, but not too much to bring the movie down with him, and his boy band excursion is one of the film's highlights.

In the end though, it's the veteran stars that keep this ball bouncing even when no one's singing.  Catherine Zeta-Jones is a hoot as a political wife rallying against the sex, drugs and rock and roll on the Sunset strip.  The camp factor is probably at its height when she's joined by a group of ladies to cover Pat Benetar in a church.  Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand are both hysterical as guys that run The Bourbon, a hip spot on the strip, where most of the action takes place.  Baldwin is a joy to watch in anything these days and Brand is essentially playing an 80's version of himself (which isn't all that different as it happens), but that's not really a complaint.

The real draw, especially in terms of curiosity is, of course, Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx.  He doesn't disappoint either.  He manages to ooze sex yet still be hilarious and does surprisingly well with the vocals.  He may not be able to wail like Bon Jovi, but he does a more than satisfying job.   He's so good he never gets upstaged by his monkey sidekick and his scenes with Malin Ackermann as a Rolling Stone reporter profiling him are some of the sexiest in the film.  Ackermann, in her tight miniskirt and sky-high Reagan-era perm, is exactly the kind of "reporter" you would expect to see in a White Snake video, complete with "brainy" glasses that are begging to be ripped off at just the right moment when she's writhing on top of a Mustang.  Mary J. Blige is in full diva mode as the matron of a strip club where Sherrie ends up working at one point.  Her primary reason for being in the movie is to look fabulous, (her wigs seem to change every time the camera cuts to her) and do some soulful wailing on the big group numbers.  Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way.

FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF by Marques Wayne

The seven actresses that bring to life the stories of the “Colored Girls” are the where the real magic lies in this powerful and touching piece by Ntozake Shange.  They aren’t able to rely on sophisticated set design, costumes and wigs because there are none. The stage is small and sparsely decorated with five, lightly painted, pillars and a small fence behind which a multi-instrumentalist (Derf Reklaw) provides musical accompaniment.  For much of the show, each actress is dressed simply in black with a bright scarf at her waist in the color that she represents; red, purple, yellow, orange, blue, green and brown. 

Between them they portray an array of characters, some funny, others intense, that represent the broad spectrum of experiences women of color face in America.  The play was written in the 1970’s but the images and themes are timeless.  In the 2010 film version, For Colored Girls, adapted and directed by Tyler Perry, each character had a singular storyline throughout and they were connected by either their work or the apartment building that many of them lived in.  Here, however, each story has its own set of emotional and social complications and the glue that binds them together is each woman’s search for her own peace, love and humanity. 

The performers selected for each of the colors represented were chosen well.  Standouts were Mystie Galloway, Nia Witts and Yvette Saunders.  Galloway, the lady in yellow, brought a lively, focused charm to her monologues, most clearly evidenced in the first, where she brings to life a coquettish young virgin ready to take the plunge into womanhood.  Witts, the lady in brown, exercised her range throughout the production and really shined in a monologue about a preteen in love with the ghost of a long-dead Haitian revolutionary.  Yvette Saunders, the lady in blue, was also wonderful in multiple roles and glided with a grace and ease that made the stage seem to dance with her.  These actresses brought nuance and depth to their multiple roles, but also were supported solidly by the other four performers, and every one of them shined in their final monologues where the intensity was heightened to a fever pitch. 

The director (J.C. Gafford) and choreographer (Fernando Christopher) are to be commended for staging such a powerful piece on the limited budget of a small playhouse, and my one note would be that as much as dance is referenced in the verse, I expected to see even more and I think that more music could have been used in some of the transitions to make them smoother and accentuate the mood.  All in all, with seven bright stars at the center, it’s hard not to be moved by the message of the playwright’s honest and universal piece.  This production proves that in the right hands, the material can speak for itself.

 The show will be playing until March 17, 2012.  Tickets are available on their website ($20) : http://lyrictheatrela.com/

THE 54TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

For better or for worse, the Grammys are the Oscars of the music industry.  They are the height of prestige, but also stretch your patience and endurance with one overblown presentation after another culminating in a waste of three to four hours of your life that you might’ve condensed to about 20 minutes via youtube and reading the news online the following day punctuating the highlights.  I will do my best to save everyone the pain of reliving one of the most interminable shows in recent memory, by focusing on the modicum of stand-out moments. 

            Someone at CBS had the bright idea to hire one of its stars to host the event, and since Morley Safer must’ve had a hip replacement surgery scheduled, they got LL Cool J.  I love LL, he has an appealing presence and the camera loves him, but I don’t think the show needed a host per se, and if they were going to have one, why not a comedian (Kevin Hart, since he wasn’t the host of VMAs, but really was) who could wake the crowd back up after the Glen Campbell tribute?  Where are the funny segments Ellen did when she hosted in the 90’s?  (To this day, I can’t sing ‘Waterfalls’ by TLC without saying, “…and booty slap, and booty slap.”)  It was nice that they acknowledged the untimely death of Whitney Houston right away since surely the audiences, both at the Staples Center and at home, were still reeling from the news and Bruno Mars’s lively opening performance was uplifting and set a nice tone for what could have been an exciting night.  Unfortunately, the rest of the performances fell far below the bar he set. 

            Alicia Keys (Does she have to come every year?) and Bonnie Raitt did a simple, but lovely, rendition of ‘Sunday Kind of Love’ for the Etta James tribute and it felt appropriate and respectful.  In retrospect though, I think they might’ve done a bit more.  I’m not a huge fan of James, but she has inspired countless singers and it would’ve been nice to have Christina Aguilera come out and try to redeem her fluid-leaking performance at James’s funeral.  Then again, I have heard ‘At Last’ abused by more karaoke singers than I care to remember, so not hearing it last night was a welcome change. 

            Chris Brown, who at one time was one of the most exciting performers in pop music, and a winner for Best R&B album, is starting to bore me personally.  It feels like he keeps giving the same performance over and over again.  He’s a great dancer, but he doesn’t have Michael Jackson’s artistry, Usher’s style, or even Bobby Brown’s raunchy sexual energy.  All of these artists are clearly influences, but he’s just presenting a diluted version of what they do on stage.  Five-time winners, The Foo Fighters gave a rousing outdoor performance of their hit “Walk” in front of The Staples Center and it was classic Foos, which was nice, but didn’t they do the same thing last year? When they came back later in the show with Dead Mau5 and did a mash-up remix of “Rope” I thought it went a lot better, and after Dave Grohl’s mini-diatribe about “real music” versus computers it was nice to see them embrace dance music and show that they’re not so elitist. 

   Speaking of dance music and Chris Brown, who also came back out to (pointlessly) duet with David Guetta during the dance music segment (Seriously, was Usher somewhere comforting Ray J. about Whitney?), his ex (and possibly current) lady-friend and Album of the Year nominee (Really, Grammys?), Rihanna came out to perform her annoying hit ‘We Found Love’ followed by Coldplay who did a pitchy rendition of their hit “Paradise”.   The performance was billed as a duet, but I saw Rihanna, then subsequently tuned out, then came back and there was Coldplay.  The duet component was lost on me, but it’s just as well. 

            Another annoying thing that the Grammys does is have the same artist come out for repeated performances.  I get that this show is unique in that it’s basically wall to wall music with a few awards mixed in, but there have to be other artists that are available and could use the boost by performing at the Grammys.  Why not have all of the Best New Artist nominees perform? Why not let a Producer of the Year nominee do a medley with artists they collaborated with? Why not leave Paul McCartney in England where he belongs?! (Seriously, did he need to come back so many times? Why academy, why?)  Also, Glen Campbell is a respected artist, and I get that he inspired many country performers like The Voice coach Blake Shelton (also a nominee, who came out to perform with him), but I could’ve lived without that tribute as well. 

The one old-fogey performance that did go over well however, was the Beach Boys reunion.  The original members, who all looked like wax figures of their former selves, were joined by Foster the People and Maroon 5, both multiple nominees.  For all of their geriatric stiffness though, the Beach Boys’ harmonies still sounded fresh as a summer day in the sand (unless they were lip-synching).  Maroon 5 did a solid take on 'Surfer Girl' and Foster the People did a good job with 'Wouldn’t It Be Nice,' but I couldn’t help thinking, what would’ve been nice (See what I did there?) was Foster the People singing one of their hit songs like 'Helena Beat' or the ubiquitous 'Pumped Up Kicks.'

And speaking of ubiquity, the belle of the ball was clearly Adele, who inevitably walked away with everything including Album, Record and Song of the year.  The singer’s return to the stage after taking a couple of months off to have throat surgery was a bit overblown and added extra hype to her performance which ended up rendering it underwhelming.  She sounded confident, albeit a bit twangy, but she has never been particularly exciting on stage, and I was looking for her to do something different with such a high profile performance, but alas, she did a really safe rendition of ‘Rolling in the Deep’ and I pretty much forgot it before it was over. 

One of the last performances of the night, and one of the few I was looking forward to, was Nicki Minaj and I’m not sure if 'disappointing' is quite the word to describe it.  Actually, I’m not sure what words would describe it.  Apparently, she walked in with a pope or something and she wore a huge red bag of an outfit that looked like something that would be hanging outside of a Chinese dress shop, or more appropriately a church, with a light bulb or a candle in it.  She was foreshadowing her on-stage “exorcism” that came later during her performance.  I’m all for crazy, over-the-top, performance art madness when there’s something substantially interesting at the core, but this didn’t qualify, or I missed it.  She was debuting a new song from her upcoming album Roman’s Revenge, which is always risky, and the performance, which managed to include a show tune and a Christmas carol no less, came off as all shock and no substance that I think Lady Gaga might’ve found “reductive.” 

Speaking of Gaga, where was her performance? The multi-nominated Born This Way singer was sorely missed in the sea of mediocrity.  I understand that Beyonce was at home lactating and Jay-Z was by her side, but what was Kanye doing? He couldn’t come in and interrupt Taylor Swift’s performance to suggest a better dress?  Or couldn’t he have assisted Katy Perry with their song ‘E.T.’ and flown across the stage on a bicycle. Actually, he probably did that, I wasn’t watching so I wouldn’t know. 

The only reason I hung in so long was to see Nicki (nice waste of time that was), and to see the Whitney Houston tribute.  I understand they had precious little time to prepare something and I thought Jennifer Hudson did a nice job, with an understated rendition of ‘I Will Always Love You’ at the end of the In Memoriam segment.  I have to commend her for holding it together during the performance. I was able to do the same when she sang, but the clip of Whitney herself doing it in the beginning left me weeping.  

Overall, it was a horribly boring show.  Let’s hope with all of the albums coming out from 90’s stalwarts like No Doubt, Bush, Fiona Apple and Garbage, not to mention the Jack White solo album and albums released too late in 2011 to be considered (Mary J. Blige, Robin Thicke, Miranda Lambert), that next year will have something more exciting in store. 

BEST FILMS AND PERFORMANCES OF 2011

To say that I was underwhelmed by most of what I saw this past year is, well, an understatement.  Normally, I only do five albums and 10 films, for 2011, the reverse seems to be true.  There were only five films that I saw that genuinely moved me and made me excited about movies.  Not surprisingly, two of them are movies about movies and were bestowed with the most nominations from the Academy.  There are five other films that were thoroughly entertaining commercial films that would round out my top ten if I was making one, but they didn't necessarily pack the punch needed to be considered the best of the year (two of them are the 4th installments in their respective franchises).  Additionally, there weren't a lot of inspiring performances this year, but a few standouts make the future look promising. 


TOP FILMS


1. The Artist_ This silent treasure had me right from the start. The story is simple, yet moving and it's well acted by, Oscar nominees, the luminous Berenice Bejo and the dashing Jean DuJardin.  Michel Hazanavicius's clever direction makes it feel at once familiar and fresh.  An instant classic!

2. The Descendants_ For years critics have raved about Alexander Payne, and while I've never saw a film of his that I didn't like, I've never been moved like I was by The Descendants.  George Clooney, in a career best performance, is a man struggling to connect with his two daughters and to forgive his unfaithful comatose wife.  For a film that goes back and forth from hysterical to heartbreaking on a dime, the tone is always pitch perfect. 

3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo_ Not having read the best-selling novels, or having seen the Swedish film adaptations, I didn't know quite what to expect from this mysterious Girl, but the intricate plot and the vivid performances sucked me in so completely that I was genuinely surprised to learn the film was nearly 2 1/2 hours long.  The graphic sex and violence were handled expertly by director David Fincher (currently having a golden moment) and the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross was a seamless match. 

4. Pariah_ Director Dee Rees' astonishing debut film about, Alike [Uh-lee-kay], a young lesbian woman finding herself and experiencing love for the first time is, in a word, inspiring.  It was clear a unique cinematic voice was being experienced from the opening sequence.   With authentic performances from Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker and Kim Wayans, playing against type, as Alike's disapproving mother, it also offered the richest roles for black women this year (sorry, The Help).

5. Hugo_ As far as I'm concerned Marty has officially got his groove back!  Then again, maybe he never really lost it.  All I know is that he transformed The Departed from a standard commercial cop thriller into a Best Picture winning masterpiece and now he's taken a children's book and made a film that not only speaks to the curious child in us, but is also a moving history lesson for adult film buffs. And in 3D no less!

HONORABLE MENTIONS


The Muppets / Horrible Bosses / Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol / Beginners/ Scream 4

PERFORMANCES


Shailene Woodley_ The Descendants : This natural beauty and promising young actress more than held her own with Oscar nominee Clooney as the willful and outspoken daughter he can't control. 

Dame Maggie Smith _ Downton Abbey (PBS): As the Dowager Countess of Grantham she delivers all the best lines in  a way that only a grand dame who has seen and done it all can. 

Jessica Lange_ American Horror Story (FX):  As the deliciously evil,  nosy neighbor Constance, Lange found her most satisfying role in years.  It's a pity the next season will be a completely new cast and story.   Lange's poisonous threats, delivered in a saccharine southern drawl, will be missed. 

The Cast of Happy Endings (ABC): Many have tried and all have failed at becoming the next Friends, but this wacky, hilarious bunch don't try to replicate Ross, Rachel, Monica and co., but sort of pay homage to them in their own absurdist way without feeling derivative and stale.   

TOP TEN ALBUMS OF 2011

2011  wasn't necessarily a great year for music, and this is usually the hardest list for me to compile every year anyway.  I always have too much to choose from and trying to rank things is hard, or I'm not sure what came out when and have to do a lot of Googling to make sure I get it right.  


This time I had a hard time even thinking of 10 albums that I enjoyed all the way through.  I usually just do a top five, but there were about seven that were contenders so I decided to make it a nice round ten and include some that I didn't necessarily love, or have a chance to fall in love with yet, but still admired enough to recommend.  So, here it is (more or less in order) my  Top 10 Albums of 2011 and Top 20 Singles.  The singles were SUPER hard since I hate most music on the radio and most of what I listen to came out before the year 2000 so there is a lot of repetition.  Enjoy, comment, and PLEASE if you have suggestions of some other good music, give them!!


21_ Adele (An artistic leap forward from her promising debut.  Producer Rick Rubin helped her find her voice in more ways than one.  She dug deeper with her songwriting and pushed herself vocally and the results are remarkable.  Easily the album of the year.  Key Tracks: Someone Like You/Turning Tables/Set Fire to the Rain)

Betty Wright: The Movie _ Betty Wright & The Roots (A welcome return from the R&B legend!  The Roots are the perfect match for the diva to pay tribute to the past and bring real soul music to the new generation.  A class act.  Key Tracks: Surrender/In The Middle of the Game/You and Me, Leroy)

Torches _ Foster The People (A sublime debut from the funky California Alt-Rockers.  The songs are so catchy you can easily miss how sobering the topics are.  Teen mass murder anyone? Key Tracks: 'Helena Beat'/ 'Life on the Nickel'/ 'Call It What You Want')

Born This Way_ Lady Gaga (Gaga lets out her inner rock Grrrl and continues to intrigue.  Say what you will about the Madonna sound-alike title track and even the not quite right, but danceable follow up 'Judas', but you can't deny the pop-rock euphoria of 'You and I' and 'Edge of Glory'.  Some of the best cuts on here so far haven't been released as singles and there are a plenty.  Key Tracks: Schiebe/Americano/Marry the Night)

Katla_ Ida Maria (Before the election got too ridiculous for me and I stopped listening to NPR non-stop I was introduced to Ida Maria being interviewed when her album was being released.  The sassy, fun personality she displayed in the interview is evident on Katla which bubbles with wit and manages to be sexy and catchy without feeling false.  Key Tracks: Cherry Red/ I Eat Boys Like You For Breakfast/ Bad Karma)

Hot Sauce Committee Part Two_ The Beastie Boys (This is classic Beasties and just the way I like them.  Rapping about random stuff to hard hip-hop beats and just being cool ass white boys.  It doesn't hurt having Nas and Santigold dropping by either.  Key Track: Don't Play No Game That I Can Win/Make Some Noise)

Angles_ The Strokes (A return to form from my favorite scraggly New Yorkers.  After their last album that started with a bang and then whimped out, I was glad to have my Strokes back. Key Tracks: Call Me Back/Under the Cover of Darkness/Gratisfaction)

El Camino_ The Black Keys (This album kinda just came out and I'm still learning it and falling in love with it, but it's The Black Keys so I'm sure I won't regret including it on this list. Key Tracks: Money Maker /Run Right Back/Lonely Boy)

Watch The Throne_ Jay-Z & Kanye West (This was one of the most anticipated albums of the year and, though it's not perfect, Jay and Kanye are at their lyrical best.  I don't always enjoy Kanye and it says something that I can get through this whole album without cringing, excessive use of the "N" word notwithstanding.  Key Tracks: Otis/Lift Off/No Church in the Wild)

Camp_ Childish Gambino (For someone who could be described as a cross between Drake and Kanye, two rappers I don't always enjoy, I manage to like this fresh debut from Childish Gambino.   The renaissance artist A.K.A. Donald Glover, a writer and also one of the stars of NBC's Community, keeps it real in a different way than most rappers; he raps about how not being a street hustler made him a hip-hop outsider.  Hopefully on his next album he'll drop the chip on his shoulder that's keeping his freak flag from flying as high as it could.  Key Tracks: All The Shine/Hold You Down)

HONORABLE MENTIONS

          

Lioness: Hidden Treasures_ Amy Winehouse (Amy, Amy, Amy, gone too soon and this album is a reminder of what might've been with it's mis-mash of demos, early recordings and unreleased tracks, it's not really a new album so I didn't include it, but it is one of my favorites from this year.)

Love After War _ Robin Thicke (I was actually listening to this while I was writing this blog and enjoyed it all the way through, but it missed the deadline to be on the list.)

Top Singles  (In no particular order)

1. Rolling in the Deep_ Adele

2. Run the World_ Beyonce

3. Otis_ Jay-Z & Kanye West

4. Barbara Streisand _ Duck Sauce

5. Pumped Up Kicks_ Foster The People

6. The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie_ Red Hot Chilipeppers

7. Superbass_ Nicki Minaj

8. Shake It Out_ Florence + The Machine

9. Paradise_ Coldplay

10. Promises_ Incubus

11. Helena Beat_ Foster the People

12. Someone Like You_ Adele

13. Six Foot, Seven Foot_ Lil' Wayne

14. You and I_ Lady Gaga

15. Make Some Noise_ The Beastie Boys

16. Lonely Boy_ The Black Keys

17. Under the Cover of Darkness_ The Strokes

18. Surrender_ Betty Wright & The Roots

19. Two Against One_ Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi feat. Jack White

20. 25/8_ Mary J. Blige