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Rhapsody Feature

T.I.

Hailing from Atlanta, T.I. hit the scene in 2001 with his debut album "I'm Serious."

Top 3 Albums In Rhapsody

Paper Trail- T.I.

For anyone wondering what good came out of T.I. catching a year on gun charges, Paper Trail is a good start. The Atlanta rapper has never lacked confidence, and he shines on opener "I'm Illy" over Chuck Diesel's ominous bells and operatic voices, but bearing his soul is where he's exceptional. Tip addresses his legal troubles on "Ready for Whatever," his beef with Shawty Lo on the scathing "What Up, What's Haapnin'" and the murder of his best friend, Philant Johnson, on the "Dead and Gone," featuring Justin Timberlake. This king isn't ready to give up his crown just yet.
Editor: Toshitaka Kondo

Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends- Coldplay

Coldplay have mastered their anthemic craft so precisely that with every peak of Chris Martin's falsetto you can hear the faintest cha-ching of dollar signs. So, for them to usher in Brian Eno to help dip their toes into new terrain is a move that deserves some props. Eno gives them room to build their grandiose crescendos, while adding in oblique bars of airy soundscapes ("Life in Technicolor"), Eastern strings ("Yes"), Renaissance strut ("Strawberry Swing") and even some Phil Collins swagger ("Violet Hill"). It's a good progression, but not as innovative as they might have been hoping for.
Editor: Stephanie Benson

Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded- Rihanna

For her third disc, "Lil Miss Sunshine" stakes a claim as the queen of R&B by turning to the '80s. On "Shut Up and Drive," she samples New Order's "Blue Monday," while lead single "Umbrella" -- with Rihanna's understated, nasal vocals wrapping around dramatic strings -- would fit nicely in a John Hughes flick. The spunky "Breakin' Dishes" is more fun than bitter, and "Rehab" overcomes its rather mawkish sentiments to be an effective break-up ballad. There's hardly a throwaway track, and Rihanna continues to evolve. This edition includes three unreleased tracks, including hit "Take a Bow." This version also contains exclusive live bonus tracks from Rihanna's appearance on FNMTV.
Editor: Sam Chennault

Top 10 Tracks In Rhapsody

Live Your Life [Featuring Rihanna]

Album: Paper Trail
Artist: T.I.

Viva La Vida

Album: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
Artist: Coldplay

Paper Planes

Album: Kala
Artist: M.I.A.

Disturbia

Album: Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded
Artist: Rihanna

So What (Main Version)

Album: So What
Artist: P!nk

Whatever You Like (Explicit Album Version)

Album: Whatever You Like
Artist: T.I.

I'm Yours

Album: We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
Artist: Jason Mraz

Love Story

Album: Love Story
Artist: Taylor Swift

Gotta Be Somebody

Album: Gotta Be Somebody
Artist: Nickelback

Hot N Cold

Album: One Of The Boys
Artist: Katy Perry

New Releases In Rhapsody

Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8- Bob Dylan

This eighth official bootleg offers insight into Dylan's compelling late-career comeback -- including material between Oh Mercy and Modern Times. For completists, the live and studio scraps from the Daniel Lanois-produced 1997 comeback, Time Out Of Mind -- including two stylistically disparate versions of "Mississippi" -- are compelling, even though the loose-shuffling alternate of "Tell Ol' Bill" (from North Country's soundtrack) stands best on its own. All told, the portrait of elder Dylan shows an artist every bit as magnificently capricious in the studio as he was as a youth.
Editor: Nate Cavalieri

Live At Shea Stadium- The Clash

This triumphant concert captures the Clash at their popular peak, right before their swift and sad decline. In the studio, the Clash did anything and everything ¢Â€Â“ in concert, they concentrated on being high energy rockers (here, returning drummer Terry Chimes' pounding timekeeping is less fluid than Topper Headon's jazzier, more subtle style). This stadium set doesn't disappoint, with Joe Strummer acting as the in-house ringmaster who introduces the band, its songs and even utters enigmatic "political" statements (some of which are aimed at older fan's of the Who -- the night's headlining band).
Editor: Nick Dedina

Appeal To Reason- Rise Against

This fifth full length -- and first with guitarist Zack Blair -- kicks off with all the energy, passion and intelligent lyrics that brought this melodic hardcore quartet to the forefront. And while it dips in places, the Bill Stevenson/Jason Livermore-produced effort proves there's nothing wrong with more of the same as it returns to feel-it-in-your-gut form on standouts "The Strength to Go On," "Savior" and "Whereabouts Unknown," while political folk anthem "Hero of War" showcases McIllrath's ability to tone down his voice when turning up his message.
Editor: Jen Guyre

Rhapsody Staff Picks

Beto Villares- Beto Villares

Beto Villares is massively talented: He has the sophisticated instincts of Joao Gilberto mixed with a love of Brazil's hidden musical corners, but the track order on the Brazilian edition didn't set that off. On the American edition, the Six Degrees label front-loaded Beto Villares with sumptuous songs featuring guests like Fernanda Takai (on the velvety "Incerteza") and Brazilian protege CeU ("Nacao Postal"). Mmm. When the more experimental tracks show up later in the set, you're receptive -- even delighted -- instead of put off.
Editor: Sarah Bardeen

To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story- Nina Simone

This is the single finest Nina Simone box set ever released, showing off work from all of her label associations (the short-lived Bethlehem included) as her voice takes in the history of American popular music -- folk, the blues, jazz, Broadway, country, R&B and the avant-garde. There are buckets of studio gems here, but the set rightfully concentrates on her concert recordings -- the place where Nina could always be Nina and where she had her greatest success. This one box will delight old fans and give neophytes 51 reasons to believe.
Editor: Nick Dedina

Leave It All Behind- Foreign Exchange

Phonte and Nicolay's Foreign Exchange is perfect make-out music for cool kids. Phonte's day job is as emcee for indie group Little Brother, but he has a nice voice, and, though lacking range, he manages to project a svelte warmness. For the most part, he's content to simply purr here. As an approach, it's limited, but it's also preferable to endless melisma calisthenics. Nicolay's production, meanwhile, is appropriately lilting. The lush key work on songs such as "If She Breaks Your Heart" point toward the lite-R&B of the mid-'80s, and the pattering "Sweeter than You" is light, dreamy and romantic.
Editor: Sam Chennault