Madonna's Candy Not So Sweet

And, by the way, it's pronounced 'Kesh-a'—not 'Kee-sha'

(NEWSER) - Who the heck is Ke$ha? She’s the decade’s first No. 1 artist on Billboard’s Hot 100, and just had the biggest-selling week of all time, for a female, on iTunes. There's a good chance you've heard the catchy if not lyrically impressive song "TiK ToK", but in case she's not on your radar yet, David Cho has done all the research for you: In a sentence, Ke$ha is “this generation’s pre-Federline Britney Spears,” he writes on The Awl . More»

Up-and-coming band 'getting a ton of blog love' for 'heartbreaking' debut

(NEWSER) - The 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 nerd genius in pop history,” singing “simple songs about heartbreak” as though he’s “been listening to oldies radio in his sleep his whole life.” More»

'The Voice' is still there, with help from industry giants

(NEWSER) - It’s been seven years since Whitney Houston’s last album, and many younger listeners probably know her better for her recently-troubled life than for her series of huge hits. But her new album, I Look to You, marks a triumphant return, writes Jim DeRogatis in the Chicago Sun-Times. “Houston’s singing is still incredibly powerful—a sublime mix of gospel purity, pop prissiness, and bedroom purr.” More»

Will be singer's fifth No. 1

(AP) - Britney Spears' latest CD, Circus, has landed her back at a familiar position—No. 1. The singer's comeback CD—make that her second comeback CD—will top the album charts next week, according to her label, Jive. Though Nielsen SoundScan does not release its official figures until today, estimates have the record selling as many as 500,000 copies in its first week of release. More»

Lennon, Marley, Berry rock on

(NEWSER) - "Towering natural abilities" and "exceptional creative powers" infuse the most memorable music of generations, forged by Blender's top 50 pop-music geniuses. The top 10:

1. Bob Dylan: Each of his brave self-reinventions is "an authentic American original."
2. John Lennon: "His drive pushed the Beatles from a covers band to the world’s best-loved and most influential pop act."
3. Chuck Berry: His guitar riffs are still the "bedrock" of rock and roll five decades on.
4. Bob Marley: "No one did more to define and popularize a musical genre."
5. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards: Duo created "decade of classics."