Read more music review stories on Newserhttp://www.newser.com/taggrid/24500/music-review.html2009 - Newseren-usNewser Feed GeneratorTue, 24 Nov 2009 5:39:00 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/74508/rihannas-rated-r-a-dark-treat.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagRihanna's been through a lot since she released her last album, and the excellent Rated R is all the better for it, writes Greg Kot. After the much-publicized Chris Brown incident, her music has become darker and more serious than the airy pop of "Umbrella" and "SOS." Most of the...http://www.newser.com/story/74508/rihannas-rated-r-a-dark-treat.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagFri, 20 Nov 2009 17:41:31 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/74323/wake-up-radiohead-kinda-sucks.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagWe all listen to them, grin plastered on our face, blocking out “that guilty nagging feeling that actually, in some ways, when you think about it… Radiohead kinda blow.” Everyone’s convinced Radiohead defines the cutting edge, but Chris Norris of Spin isn’t fooled. Go to one of their concerts, and...http://www.newser.com/story/74323/wake-up-radiohead-kinda-sucks.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagWed, 18 Nov 2009 13:45:00 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/74139/50-cent-fails-with-self-destruct.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tag50 Cent, once at the forefront of rap music, returns with Before I Self Destruct —but his fourth solo effort isn’t impressing the critics. “Though packed with tough beats, dense production and 50's most ferocious delivery in years, the gloats about shootings, drugs and bloody 'hoods feel about as fresh...http://www.newser.com/story/74139/50-cent-fails-with-self-destruct.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMon, 16 Nov 2009 12:14:50 CSThttp://www.newser.com/story/72576/bob-dylans-xmas-album-sort-of-insane.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagWith the announcement of Bob Dylan’s Christmas in the Heart, “smirkers got smirkier”— you try picturing Dylan singing the lyric, “How’d ya like to hang a stocking on a great big coconut tree?” without smirking—but in the end, the collection is interesting, if a bit silly; “a surreal and...http://www.newser.com/story/72576/bob-dylans-xmas-album-sort-of-insane.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMon, 26 Oct 2009 11:13:14 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/71475/flaming-lips-back-to-bizarre-with-embryonic.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThe Flaming Lips are no stranger to reinvention, having transformed “from garage-punk misfits into a splendorous, kaleidoscopic rock outfit,” then later “into a sophisticated, sincere symphonic-pop troupe bestowed with increasing commercial acclaim.” The release of Embryonic marks another sea change—and it’s the band's boldest effort since 1997's Zaireeka , writes...http://www.newser.com/story/71475/flaming-lips-back-to-bizarre-with-embryonic.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMon, 12 Oct 2009 13:14:00 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/71472/new-jackson-single-no-classic.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMichael Jackson’s posthumous single was released to much hype, but the critical response is lukewarm and fan reactions are mixed. A sampling: In a roundup of fan comments on Michael Jackson’s website, the Times reports that while some are pleased—“This single is great, even better than I thought it...http://www.newser.com/story/71472/new-jackson-single-no-classic.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMon, 12 Oct 2009 8:27:52 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/71060/paramores-latest-one-of-years-best.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagParamore’s third album will likely enter the charts at No. 1—and it deserves to. Not only is it “the group’s best record yet,” Brand New Eyes is “one of 2009’s most exhilarating releases,” writes Jonah Weiner for Slate. “That sense of exhilaration” is there because of “a reassuring, masterfully...http://www.newser.com/story/71060/paramores-latest-one-of-years-best.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagTue, 06 Oct 2009 22:42:29 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/70976/built-to-spill-back-in-top-form.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagBuilt to Spill went from producing “some of the most ambitious and resonant indie rock ever made” in the 1990s to “merely existing” in the 2000s. With its "unexpectedly terrific” new release There Is No Enemy , the band offers “an improbable late-career reawakening and heartening evidence that becoming dependable doesn't...http://www.newser.com/story/70976/built-to-spill-back-in-top-form.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagMon, 05 Oct 2009 17:52:26 CDThttp://www.newser.com/story/70319/girls-debut-dizzily-powerful.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagThe frontman of the pop duo Girls has a backstory that’s “epically sad and squalid and ultimately triumphant,” but you don’t need to know his history to recognize Girls' debut, Album , as “a dizzily powerful piece of work,” writes Tom Breihan for Pitchfork. Christopher Owens’ voice sounds like “every sad...http://www.newser.com/story/70319/girls-debut-dizzily-powerful.html?utm_source=syn&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tagFri, 25 Sep 2009 13:27:37 CDT