Kelly Clarkson performs at the iHeartRadio festival in Las Vegas last month

Credit: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

Kelly Clarkson is taking no prisoners on her new album, “Stronger.”  Today, a new song, “You Love Me,” hit the internet. This time, someone has broken her heart with his two-faced ways. Hard to tell if it’s a romantic disappointment ora relationship of some other kind, but, regardless, it’s gone horribly awry.

Despite the upbeat, 80’s new wave bouncy underpinnings (with a little touch of John Waite’s “Missing You” thrown in), all is not well in K-Town.  Someone is pulling the old “I’m not good enough for you” scam on Clarkson, which the first "American Idol" is not not falling for, not for a minute. As my mama always used to say," if someone tells you they aren’t good enough for you, they're right."

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Credit: AP Photo/Jason DeCrow

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the debut release from that little ol’ band from Texas, ZZ Top.  To commemorate the occasion, a number of bands— some clearly influenced by the trio, others not— have come together for “ZZ Top: A Tribute From Friends,” which is out tomorrow (Oct. 18).

As is almost uniformly the case with these endeavors, the results are mixed. The one rule is that if you’re going to If you’re going to salute ZZ Top, you better bring your A Game when it comes to guitar playing. For the most part, that’s where the album excels...in some cases to the exclusion of everything else.

For example, Jamey Johnson’s “La Grange,” which is the perfect marriage on paper, is one of the more anemic cuts vocally, after starting strong It should be all laid-back growl and swamp boogie-messiness, and instead it’s all a little too polite. There’s a word I never thought I’d use in connection with Johnson. There is, however, a great guitar riff that segues into a meaty organ solo in the middle that goes into some wicked harmonica work, so what it lacks in Johnson’s vocal delivery, it makes up for (and how)  in the musicianship on the track.  I wish it were an instrumental, and I say that as a Johnson fan. Of course, it should sound great: Johnson brought in a ringer:  ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons is on the guitar shootout that also includes Wayd Battle and “Cowboy” Eddie Long on slide. Absolute killer.

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Justin Bieber

 

Credit: Marco Ugarte/AP

Has there ever been a line that captured Justin Bieber’s  “I’m not a boy, not yet a man” vibe more than “I should be playing in the winter snow, but I’m going to be under the mistletoe?”

That’s his dilemma in “Mistletoe,” the lead-off single from his forthcoming holiday album, “Under the Mistletoe,” which comes out Nov. 1.  Bieber debuted the live version of the reggae-tinged tune in Rio two weeks ago and we get the video tomorrow at 7:54 p.m. EDT on MTV, followed by an interview (SCREAM!!!)  But just in case you’re not all Biebered out already, here’s the full studio version of “Mistletoe,” which premiered on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show today. We like the punch and energy of the live version better.

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 The cover of Tom Waits' "Bad as Me"

 

You can hear the new Tom Waits’ album, “Bad As Me,” for a week before its Oct. 24 release. It’ll only cost you a little information. And no, as the video suggests below, you don’t have to crawl into a rusted old car to hear it.

It seems weird to use the words Tom Waits and data mining in the same sentence, but if you go to official “Bad As Me” website and put in your name and email address, you will be sent a code allowing you access to a listening party. (Thanks to Pitchfork for the tip). You will also get five codes to share with your friends. It apparently takes a little time though. We applied for our code almost an hour ago and are still waiting behind the virtual velvet rope for admission.

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Beyonce

 

An obviously pre-pregnant (or pre-showing) Beyonce is in an amorous mood both night and day in the new video for “Love On Top.”  The simple clip takes place in a dance studio over the course of a day. In the morning, Bey is working on her dance moves with her back-up singers and dancers as she lip syncs (often badly) the delicious, retro soul pop tune.

Just as you’re starting to wonder if the whole video is going to be this one scene, we flash ahead to several hours, darkness has fallen and she and her dancers are dressed in very smart, shiny gold suits from the ‘60s, then they go back even further, as the evening progresses to ‘50s-style doo wop  suits and then toward the end, the men are in tails and top hats, straight out of a Fred Astaire movie. Beyonce, however, in a top and panties that you would never have caught Ginger Rogers in.

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There’s a cute little ending that brings it all back around. It’s a fun video that matches an equally fun light song. And, as always, Beyonce looks gorgeous.

What do you think about the “Love On Top” video?

Scotty McCreery

 

Credit: Mark Humphrey/AP

1) Scotty McCreery: “American Idol’s” season 10 winner sets a passel of records as his debut, “Clear As Day,” bows at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 making him the youngest male to land his first album in the top spot. Take that, Justin Bieber.

2) Adele: She leads all nominees for the American Music Awards, stays at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Someone Like You,” but, more importantly, within the next two weeks, “21” will surpass the 4 million mark in U.S. sales. It will be the first album to move past that mark since Eminem’s “Recovery,” taking less than half the time to do so.

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