The graduate, few underclassmen shine in ’07

A good year for music addicts

Top 5 Albums of 2007

Kanye West: “Graduation”
Released 9/11/07
Label: Roc-A-Fella Records

This album effectively demonstrates that the rapper’s famous cockiness is well-founded. Creativity and hard work seem to be second nature to the rapper who takes his style to the future on almost every track of this top album of 2007.

“Graduation” is proof that a rap or hip-hop album does not need to rely on the tired clichés about money and cars, but that a true message can be well received by the masses.

Radiohead: “In Rainbows”
Released 12/26/07
Label: ATO Records/ RED

“Nude,” “House of Cards,” the high energy “15 Steps,” “Jigsaw Falling Into Place” and “Bodysnachers” are among the highlights of this highly anticipated and very welcomed album.

Amy Winehouse: “Back to Black”
Released in March 13th, 2007
Label: Universal Republic

“Back in Black” is a testament that Winehouse has as much soul and richness in her pen as she has in her voice, and her obvious attachment to Mowtown and the 60s make a strong impression.

MIA: “Kala”
Released on August 21, 2007
Label: Interscope Records

Rich and varied with hardcore electronica and techno, this album was clearly produced to sound unlike anything else on the market.

Feist: “The Reminder”
Released May 1st, 2007
Label: Polydor France

Feist’s soft voice and versatility are particularly noticeable in tracks such as “My Moon My Man,” which has a hint of 80s melodic influence.

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The 5 Most Anticipated Albums of 2008

Mariah Carey: TBA

If 2005 saw the “Emancipation of Mimi,” 2008 might mark the year that Mimi’s weave gets busted in the club.

Indeed, Rolling Stone magazine predicts that Mariah’s forthcoming album will have more of the “glossy, club-ready sound” she explored on her last CD.

Longtime Carey producer Jermaine Dupri is also joining the team as Mariah’s executive producer, and the results should be hot enough to make the album not just the most anticipated, but also the best of 2008.

Nas: “N*gger”

Though Reverend Jesse Jackson said that the album title is “morally offensive,” Nas believes it is his music that will stir controversy. “The songs are crazier than the title,” he told MTV News.

Madonna: TBA

For 2008, the Queen of Pop knows modern disco isn’t going to cut it, which is why she has teamed up with hip-hop elites Pharrell and Timbaland for a new sound.

Jack Johnson: “Sleep Through the Static”

On Jack Johnson’s fifth – yet second mainstream – studio album, the singer-songwriter is giving his acoustic guitar a rest as he embraces a more electric sound.

John Legend: TBA

Five-time Grammy award winner John Legend is as known for his piano skills as Alicia Keys, but the young music veteran will release a more diverse sound this summer.

Carla Kerstens may be contacted at c.kerstens@umiami.edu.
Nick Maslow may be contacted at nick@miami.edu.