If the enduring popularity and annual chart run of Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" proves anything, it's that writing a modern-day Christmas carol isn't easy. And while there are a couple of notable gems (Mimi's "Oh Santa," Kelly Clarkson's "Underneath The Tree" and Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton's "You Make It Feel Like Christmas" all spring to mind), most fall flat. Happily, that fate...

Rita Ora's Phoenix (out November 23) is shaping up to be one of the best pop albums of the year. There, I said it. While nothing has captured my attention to the same extent as 2017's revelatory "Anywhere," every song has been good. And "Velvet Rope" is no exception. Not a Janet Jackson cover, the Brit's latest bop shows off her (underrated) vocals over rich, soulful production courtesy of RØMANS...

EDIT: The Glitter soundtrack has now climbed all the way to number two!Beyoncé losing the Album Of The Year Grammy to Beck. Britney Spears' Blackout album peaking at number two behind The Eagles. The bile that was spewed upon Mariah Carey's misunderstood Glitter. Yes, I'm talking about the biggest pop music injustices of the 21st century. Happily, one of them has been rectified — at least, partially....

My love for Laura Imbruglia goes back to the arrival of It Makes A Crunchy Noise in 2003. In addition to including a song called "A Flop In The Sack," the EP showcased the Aussie singer/songwriter's mastery of oddball harmonies and knack for writing head-scratching lyrics. (There are songs about gay vegetarians and cicadas). Over the next decade, she released three excellent albums and then abruptly...

Bohemian Rhapsody, 21st Century Fox's long-percolating Queen biopic, finally hit theaters on Friday (November 2) and proved to be a runaway success — bringing in $51 million at the North American box office in its first three days. To put things into perspective, that's $6 million more than A Star Is Born earned in the same time period. That result stunned some commentators give the film's infamous...

And she's back! Dido, the easy listening queen who brought us "Thank You" and "White Flag," is releasing a new album called Still On My Mind. The Brit's much-anticipated 5th LP drops on March 8, 2019 and was produced by long-time collaborator (and brother) Rollo. "It was simple, I only wanted to make another album if it was with him," she reveals. "It was made in such an easy way, all the vocals recorded...

A lot has changed since MØ (real name Karen Ørsted) dropped her debut LP, No Mythologies To Follow, in 2014. For starters, she landed arguably the biggest hit of 2015 as the voice of Major Lazer & DJ Snake's "Lean On" and then repeated the feat a year later with "Cold Water." The Danish pop star has also managed to drop a long, staggeringly-good list of singles including "Final Song," "Kamikaze,"...

Every so often, a song comes along that completely transcends genre and introduces an artist to a whole new audience. Lauren Daigle's "You Say" falls into that category. The powerful ballad, which conveys a timely message of hope, has been a mainstay in the iTunes top 10 for months and ranks as one of the few inspirational anthems to crack the Billboard Hot 100. Amazingly, "You Say" is only at the...

Rise up, Fighters! Christina Aguilera's highly-anticipated Liberation arrives today (June 15). With a discography jam-packed with hits, the 37-year-old's early releases rank as some of the most iconic of the last 20 years. However, her two most albums haven't resonated to the same extent. 2010's electro-kissed Bionic was ahead of its time but wildly uneven, while Lotus offered some fun pop anthems...

Iggy Azalea's comeback is in full swing. The rapper, who many wrote off after the atomic fallout that followed the success of The New Classic, recently returned to the Billboard Hot 100 with "Kream" and just dropped one of the better EPs of 2018. Not only that, but the Aussie hitmaker's new sound — a return to the aggressive, defiantly sexual anti-pop of her mixtapes, has struck a chord well outside...

Tori Kelly's Unbreakable Smile is that rare kind of debut album that stands out as an impressive achievement in its own right, but also hints at something greater. It had radio hits, quieter moments and soulful grooves, but there was always the sneaking suspicion that the 25-year-old's voice could soar even higher, that she could open her heart even wider. That promise finally comes to fruition on...

Five years have passed since the arrival of Cher's underrated Closer To The Truth, but her hold on pop culture is stronger than ever thanks to the most iconic Twitter account of all time and a scene-stealing role in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. The latter inspired the seemingly immortal diva to get back in the studio and record an album of ABBA covers. At first, I feared Dancing Queen might be more...