Amy Winehouse has already gotten lots of attention for her wild ways; her best-known song is called "Rehab" for chrissakes. But it's so easy to love her smooth Motown-style music, which combines stunning Phil Spector-like production with Winehouse's hard-livin' vocals and cheeky lyrics. As I've said before, she's like the sultrier and more interesting British counterpart to Norah Read more

We all love things that others love to hate, whether it's a Counting Crows CD you can't get rid of or your "Degrassi Junior High" boxed set. Now I'm giving you a chance to explain yourselves in a new feature called Defend This. This week, I'm calling all you Pink Floyd lovers out there to defend the band's 1979 double-album The Wall. I, for one, have spent many hours arguing the merits of this Read more

I love free album downloads, and not just because they're free. I just like getting free samples of music I might not otherwise listen to. Case in point: Liberation, the new collaboration between Talib Kweli and Madlib. Right now, the duo is offering the album as a free download online; you get a Zip file and import the songs into your iTunes or other software. I'm really digging the mellow vibe, Read more

With his upcoming album, Nas is declaring that Hip Hop Is Dead, and considering the rather lackluster year that hip-hop has had, he may be right. But Nas's latest release is still one of the most anticipated albums as we finish off the year, so it's no surprise that Hip Hop Is Dead has been leaked on the Web. You can listen to the whole thing on MTV's web site, and if you like it, you can preoder Read more

Of Montreal may not be a household name, but the versatile band has been writing great psychedelic pop songs since 1997. Better yet, Of Montreal's music just gets catchier and more cohesive with each new release. Its upcoming album, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, follows in the frenzied footsteps of 2004's stellar Satanic Panic in the Attic, and although the album doesn't go on sale Read more