Songs for the weekend
An aside to start. The New Yorker's music critic wrote about Nellie McKay a while back. He likes her more than I do. I think references to MLA style have no place in art.
Anyway. The songs I'll be hoping to hear this weekend are three: Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone, in original rock or dance remix versions, because every sellout deserves a opportunities for brief redemption; Amerie's 1 Thing (full audio), because go-go deserves a goodtime jangle and a woman's voice, Georgetown-graduated to boot; and Signs from Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake and Charlie Wilson, because it's Snoop … but sparkly.
I'll also be listening for the first single from Stevie Wonder's long, long-delayed new album. The album is A Time 2 Love, the single is So What the Fuss. The Tom Joyner Show is going nuts for the funkiness this week, but right now I don't think the funk quotient redeems the shame hammer hanging over the whole thing. "Shame" in the verses, "shame" in the chorus. Listen for yourself on this Stevie fan site. I need to hear it some more and figure out if I'm missing something.
