Dizzee Rascal
Tongue n’ Cheek
Just imagine, for a minute, if M.I.A. had a baby with Kanye West and the godmother was Lily Allen.
The resulting child would probably sound something like Dylan Kwabena Mills, born in Bow, England, now living under the stage name Dizzee Rascal.
Rascal is insanely talented and “Tongue N’ Cheek,” his fourth album, is relentless for its entire 41 minute runtime. Weird samples (M.I.A.) mixed with witty raps about life (Kanye West) in the ghetto (of England) alongside songs about hot, sneaky females are set to a breakneck speed—all intelligently (surprise).
The opening song and one of three number one UK singles already spawned, “Bonkers” sets the tone for the whole album: it’s danceable, lighthearted and freeing. Rascal doesn’t dabble in Auto-tuning his voice; instead, he tried varying effects with varying samples for different results, all extremely pleasing to the ear.
Simply put, Rascal makes you want to dance… a lot.
“Freaky Freaky” is a blatantly sexual song about Rascal’s nightly exploits, all to spit in the face of various ex-girlfriends. “Dirtee Cash” has a simple message over an electric beat: “Everybody wants to be famous/Nobody wants to be nameless, aimless/People act shameless.”
Luckily for Dizzee Rascal, he never seems to run into the problem of being nameless. This album especially should do more than solidify his status as bona fide rapper in England.
His next task? Importing to the United States’ Top Ten.
At this fast pace, with that in mind, Rascal can joyfully proclaim: “Some people think I’m bonkers/But I just think I’m free." -Katy Coduto

Paramore
Brand New Eyes
Brand new eyes,” the third album into Paramore’s discography, shows a matured side of the band that began and became popular for their Pop hits such as “Misery Business” and “Crushcrushcrush.” Lead vocalist Hayley Williams proves she is not a little emo-pop princess anymore through deeper and more meaningful verses. Being referred to as this generation’s Gwen Stefani comes with a burden but her strong vocals do not disappoint.
With current hits such as the “Twilight” friendly “Decode” and “Ignorance,” the entire album is nothing like previous efforts put out by the band but it’s more of a positive direction.
“Brick by Boring Brick” takes more of a fairy-tale story and throws deep, literal verses to accommodate what could have been another pop punk hit in their library and little teen girls’ iPods but instead one to be remembered for its emotion and overall quality.
The whole album never lets up and although the instrumentals sound utterly similar at some points, it is overall their best release to date. Keep fresh eyes open for this band, for they are sure to stick around. -Mike Richards

Selena Gomez
Kiss and Tell
Disney has produced yet another pop princess and this time, she’s a wizard. Unfortunately, Selena Gomez’s new album “Kiss and Tell” isn’t as magical as it could be.
Gomez gives credit to her band “The Scene” on the cover but the real instrument feel is lost in the fast-tempo dance beat of a majority of the 13 tracks. She sings out of her range sometimes but the songs are decent for a 17 year old and the effort is appreciated.
The opening song “Kiss and Tell” has a slightly rocker feel and resembles the sound of the duo The Veronicas but the lyrics are not nearly as deep.
The softer side of the album is revealed in the song “The Way I Loved You.” It’s Gomez’s sweet romantic song but falls a little flat with the cliché lyrics. While the song “As A Blonde” may satisfy a little girl since it talks about eating ice cream and cake with icing but it isn’t enjoyable for anyone looking for meaningful music.
One of the best tracks is “Naturally,” which has a great beat and is the perfect soundtrack for almost anything. Another winner is “More.” Gomez’s voice sounds more mature than in the other songs and leaves listeners wanting “more, more, more” songs like this. -Kelsea Daniluk

Toby Keith
American Ride
If you’ve been listening to Toby Keith since his first album “Toby Keith” then you won’t want to miss out on “American Ride.”
After 13 albums and two greatest hits album this country star is still going at it. Ever since “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue,” Toby Keith has been known as an All-American, patriotic guy. Let’s just say “American Ride” is another album to his patriarchy.
Keith’s single “American Ride” hit charts fast by landing second on Country Countdown USA and tenth spot on Great American Country (GAC). His songs mostly describe a normal life with struggles and problems, but the main point of the songs is that life goes on and good always comes out of bad. On this album, Keith wrote all of the songs, besides “American Ride.”
Two songs that stick out on this album are “American Ride” and “Every Dog has its Days.” They describe how the world works. For all of you country fans or whoever likes Toby Keith, this album is one to listen to.
There are no signs showing that Keith is getting off of his “American Ride” or slowing down soon. He starts a tour on Nov. 5 starting in Connecticut and ending in Bergen, Norway. -Liz Duff