Timbaland

ROCK Chris Cornell Scream Interscope Records ESSENTIAL "Take Me Alive" In theory, this seems like an intriguing experiment: Chris Cornell (above), the golden throat of grunge, teaming up with Timbaland, the maestro producer of au courant dance pop. In execution, it is an intriguing muddle. The credit - or blame, depending on the song - lies mostly with Timbaland, who simply plops the former Soundgarden frontman's voice into the sea of burping synths, celestial choirs, and fuzz that are the producer's undeniably funky signature.

Latin Nelly Furtado Mi Plan Universal Latino ESSENTIAL “Sueños’’ Beginning with her 2000 debut, Nelly Furtado has seemed like a restless spirit. On “Mi Plan,’’ her new record, the star leaves Timbaland behind to count his money and creates an all-Spanish-language disc. It sounds like commercial suicide, but it’s actually a savvy move as the Portuguese-Canadian artist is clearly going to find a new audience. Aesthetically, this works as Furtado bridges pop sensibilities with Latin music.

After dedicating her previous album, 2004's "Medulla," to the glories of the unadorned human voice, Bjork has turned her new one, "Volta," over to the wonders of percussion, with similarly mixed results. The Icelandic chanteuse has found a new playmate in Hall of Fame beatmaster Timbaland, whose work with artists such as Missy Elliott and Justin Timberlake shows a shared interest in unpredictable sonic textures. Timbaland twiddles knobs on some of the most successful tracks on "Volta," which comes out today: album opener "Earth Intruders," which mingles video-game noises and an industrial beat with...

If you could take all the hype around “The Blueprint 3’’ - Jay-Z’s predetermined classic that is supposed to either end or stoke the civil war between the young rappers stretching (or soiling) the idea of hip-hop and the purists who want to re-establish what hip-hop should sound like - and distill it into four minutes, you’d get “A Star Is Born.’’ This is what the album’s really about. On its face, the song is a roll call over an innocuous Kanye West beat: Ma$e.

Justin Timberlake has been crowing for some time about his plans to bring sexy back. After hearing his burgeoning soul-pop chops on 2002's multiplatinum "Justified" and witnessing a smoking show at Avalon last month, we believed that the fleet-footed and falsettoed former 'N Sync heartthrob could make it happen. The news that he was trying to do it with songwriter-producer Timbaland was even more encouraging. Unfortunately, the hot-blooded promise of that performance gets slightly lost in the translation on the pair's fundamentally strong but sometimes chilly and mechanized work on...

Reprinted from late editions of yesterday's Globe. While the rest of the world was wondering how Justin Timberlake would ever choose between Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Biel, Timberlake was making every effort to persuade 18,135 fans in Boston that he deserved the tabloid attention. Grand spectacle was the goal and classy was the guiding principle Tuesday night: Timberlake wore a three-piece suit, and his male singers dressed in similar Cotton Club attire. The female vocalists were draped in cocktail dresses and a small army of dancers -- they came, brilliantly, in all...

While the rest of the world was wondering how Justin Timberlake would ever choose between Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Biel, Timberlake was making every effort to persuade 18,135 fans in Boston that he deserved the tabloid attention. Grand spectacle was the goal and classy was the guiding principle last night: Timberlake wore a three-piece suit, and his male singers dressed in similar Cotton Club attire. The female vocalists were draped in cocktail dresses and a small army of dancers -- they came, brilliantly, in all sizes and shapes -- were tasteful to a...

Latin Nelly Furtado Mi Plan Universal Latino ESSENTIAL “Sueños’’ Beginning with her 2000 debut, Nelly Furtado has seemed like a restless spirit. On “Mi Plan,’’ her new record, the star leaves Timbaland behind to count his money and creates an all-Spanish-language disc. It sounds like commercial suicide, but it’s actually a savvy move as the Portuguese-Canadian artist is clearly going to find a new audience. Aesthetically, this works as Furtado bridges pop sensibilities with Latin music.

If you could take all the hype around “The Blueprint 3’’ - Jay-Z’s predetermined classic that is supposed to either end or stoke the civil war between the young rappers stretching (or soiling) the idea of hip-hop and the purists who want to re-establish what hip-hop should sound like - and distill it into four minutes, you’d get “A Star Is Born.’’ This is what the album’s really about. On its face, the song is a roll call over an innocuous Kanye West beat: Ma$e.

At the close of her show at the Agganis Arena on Tuesday night, Nelly Furtado thanked the audience for coming to her party. The Canadian spitfire proved to be a charming and gracious hostess. Even when the energy flagged or awkward moments arose, as happens at even the best soirees, Furtado had all the elements in place to keep things moving. She introduced the guest list of roughly 5,000 to new friends -- four limber dancers and a smart six-piece band. She entertained with a strong soundtrack that effortlessly hopscotched through half a dozen genres and three...

ROCK Chris Cornell Scream Interscope Records ESSENTIAL "Take Me Alive" In theory, this seems like an intriguing experiment: Chris Cornell (above), the golden throat of grunge, teaming up with Timbaland, the maestro producer of au courant dance pop. In execution, it is an intriguing muddle. The credit - or blame, depending on the song - lies mostly with Timbaland, who simply plops the former Soundgarden frontman's voice into the sea of burping synths, celestial choirs, and fuzz that are the producer's undeniably funky signature.

The miracle that is Britney Spears's career continues on its remarkable trajectory with the release next Tuesday of "Blackout. " Spears's ascension hasn't amounted to much musically over the course of five albums, but it's been positively iconic by tabloid standards: from Disney princess to teen-pop pinup to dance-floor provocateur to proud nympho to unfit mother. In recent years, thanks to a dearth of music and a wealth of personal travails, Spears has made the sordid transition from artist to celebrity.

At the close of her show at the Agganis Arena on Tuesday night, Nelly Furtado thanked the audience for coming to her party. The Canadian spitfire proved to be a charming and gracious hostess. Even when the energy flagged or awkward moments arose, as happens at even the best soirees, Furtado had all the elements in place to keep things moving. She introduced the guest list of roughly 5,000 to new friends -- four limber dancers and a smart six-piece band. She entertained with a strong soundtrack that effortlessly hopscotched through half a dozen genres and three...

After dedicating her previous album, 2004's "Medulla," to the glories of the unadorned human voice, Bjork has turned her new one, "Volta," over to the wonders of percussion, with similarly mixed results. The Icelandic chanteuse has found a new playmate in Hall of Fame beatmaster Timbaland, whose work with artists such as Missy Elliott and Justin Timberlake shows a shared interest in unpredictable sonic textures. Timbaland twiddles knobs on some of the most successful tracks on "Volta," which comes out today: album opener "Earth Intruders," which mingles video-game noises...

Reprinted from late editions of yesterday's Globe. While the rest of the world was wondering how Justin Timberlake would ever choose between Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Biel, Timberlake was making every effort to persuade 18,135 fans in Boston that he deserved the tabloid attention. Grand spectacle was the goal and classy was the guiding principle Tuesday night: Timberlake wore a three-piece suit, and his male singers dressed in similar Cotton Club attire. The female vocalists were draped in cocktail dresses and a small army of dancers -- they...

While the rest of the world was wondering how Justin Timberlake would ever choose between Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Biel, Timberlake was making every effort to persuade 18,135 fans in Boston that he deserved the tabloid attention. Grand spectacle was the goal and classy was the guiding principle last night: Timberlake wore a three-piece suit, and his male singers dressed in similar Cotton Club attire. The female vocalists were draped in cocktail dresses and a small army of dancers -- they came, brilliantly, in all sizes and shapes -- were tasteful to a...

The miracle that is Britney Spears's career continues on its remarkable trajectory with the release next Tuesday of "Blackout. " Spears's ascension hasn't amounted to much musically over the course of five albums, but it's been positively iconic by tabloid standards: from Disney princess to teen-pop pinup to dance-floor provocateur to proud nympho to unfit mother. In recent years, thanks to a dearth of music and a wealth of personal travails, Spears has made the sordid transition from artist to celebrity.

Like the King of Pop or the Queen of Soul, Donna Summer was bestowed a title fitting of musical royalty — the Queen of Disco. Yet unlike Michael Jackson or Aretha Franklin, it was a designation she wasn't comfortable embracing. "I grew up on rock 'n' roll," Summer once said when explaining her reluctance to claim the title. Indeed, as disco boomed then crashed in a single decade in the 1970s, Summer, the beautiful voice and face of the genre with pulsating hits like "I Feel Love," "Love to Love You Baby" and "Last Dance," would continue to make hits...

Justin Timberlake has been crowing for some time about his plans to bring sexy back. After hearing his burgeoning soul-pop chops on 2002's multiplatinum "Justified" and witnessing a smoking show at Avalon last month, we believed that the fleet-footed and falsettoed former 'N Sync heartthrob could make it happen. The news that he was trying to do it with songwriter-producer Timbaland was even more encouraging. Unfortunately, the hot-blooded promise of that performance gets slightly lost in the translation on the pair's fundamentally strong but sometimes chilly and mechanized work on...