New music

Chris Daughtry starts his first post-American Idol disc with a song whose title reviewers coast to coast will be grateful for: "It's Not Over." What an understatement. For the Idol-watching rock fan's money, nobody--not even Southern-fried heartthrob Bo Bice in season four--stormed the stage with more raw talent. That it translates so well to a solo disc (Daughtry was recorded with studio musicians; future discs will include a Daughtry-assembled band) proves all he needed was a little prodding, the kind the tube has gotten so good at. Here are a dozen songs that'll flick your rock & roll switch, whether you're a Creed fan, a club kid, or a mambo king: "Used To" and "Over You," a couple of early tracks, ought to arrive bundled with a road map they're so highway sing-along-ready, and "Feels Like Tonight" screws the lid on the premise that Daughtry can deliver a punchy pop-rock song without flinching. Elsewhere, the North Carolina family man lets his inner (and outer, actually) goatee- and eyeliner-type guy rip: his built-for-the-hard-stuff voice bites down appealingly on "Breakdown," a dark serenade to mental health, and also on "What I Want," an '80s-style fist-pumper featuring Slash. The loud mad dash of those songs leads to a midtempo wind-down ("All These Lives," "What About Now"), but as a mix, it works. Daughtry is a man of many moods--contemplative, explosive, insistent, humble. No matter which pokes through on a given song, he steadies it to a place as honest as it is accessible. Rare is the rocker who lays out so broad an on-ramp. --Tammy La Gorce

Review from Entertainment Weekly:

She may lack Amy Winehouse's saltiness and snarl, but the Welsh singer Duffy's sweeter vocals still crackle with soul. ''Mercy'' — a U.K. hit ready-made for U.S. radio — is a go-go number that's as sassy as a Mary Quant miniskirt. And when Duffy slows the tempo for ''Rockferry'' and ''Hanging On Too Long,'' her voice stretches to spectacular heights. The minor-chord-heavy tracks on Rockferry — each a kiss-off to a defective relationship — begin sedately and swell to a startling climax. Once the Dusty Springfield-flecked closer, ''Distant Dreamer,'' comes round, you'll be wishin' and hopin' for more.

The Twilight Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features 12 songs from the Twilight movie! The soundtrack includes two brand new songs from Paramore written specifically for the movie, plus previously-unreleased songs from Perry Farrell and Mutemath. As if that weren't enough, Twilight star Robert Pattinson (who plays Edward Cullen) has contributed an original song, "Never Think" -- his first-ever recording. The film's score was composed by Carter Burwell, and the soundtrack also includes his "Bella's Lullaby," a heartfelt song that Edward composes for Bella Swan in the film.