singled out

The Black Eyed Peas “I GottA Feelin’" Interscope

Offering us a full 180 from the ubiquitous "Boom Boom Pow," Will.I.Am and crew prove they know their way around an anthemic rock song, with a club-minded sheen and some angelic strings and synths. Taking some cues from U2 or even Kings of Leon, this has summertime, feel-good hit written all over it. Mazel tov, indeed. —Paul V.

Little Boots - Illumination - Elektra

I’m looking into my crystal ball, and I’m making this prediction: By this time next year, Little Boots will be your favorite new dance pop superstar. This London-based dolly has been teasing us with fabulous singles for almost two years now, seemingly appearing out of nowhere with the mind-blowing "Stuck On Repeat," (envision Giorgio Moroder in a popper-spilled love tryst with Goldfrapp and Kylie Minogue), which was produced by Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard. Since that time, Miss Boots (aka Victoria Hesketh) got busy here in L.A. with Lily Allen’s über-producer Greg Kurstin to fine-tune her rising pop chops, resulting in this delicious five-track EP. With her breathy but urgent vocals (and disco-dust synthesizer in hand) Little Boots knows where smart, beat-throbbing electropop is headed. Things get rolling with the playful party anthem "New In Town" (where you don’t need a lot of money to "show you a good time"), the edit of "Stuck On Repeat"—and speaking of Giorgio Moroder, check her stunning cover of Freddie Mercury’s "Love Kills," which he produced in 1984. Also here, new tracks like the percolating "Magical" (vocally inspired by "Ring My Bell") and the instantly infectious "Not Now." Danni Minogue might be Kylie’s actual little sister, but Little Boots now rules in that family tree. Sadly, we have to wait until early next year for her full album, so for now, your boots should be walking over to iTunes to take Little Boots into your digital heart. —P.V.

Vincent Minor - Born in the Wrong Era - Social Science Recordings

Winner of the “Truth in Titling” award, this playful and brainy singer-songwriter is self-aware enough to know that his slightly surreal, theatrical story-songs belong to a cult-ish, '70s-styled mode of singer-songwriter — the late Jobriath, Hunky Dory-era Bowie, the Elton John of Honky Chateau, perhaps some James Taylor introspection. Minor's five-song EP features a cabaret-style opening called — appropriately — “Fanfare;” the gorgeously twisted ballad “A Plane Grave” that may or may not be about an actual plane crash; a shuffling, pessimistic ditty called “Friday the Thirteenth” that should be Debbie Downer's personal anthem; “Late Night Show,” a pounding piece of whimsy; and a minor key title track that's short on Minor's offbeat humor yet long on empathy. What starts as a piano-based throwback gains heft and color, with touches of Arcade Fire in its homey instrumentation, Ben Folds in its anarchic spirit, and Rufus Wainwright in its inflections and sophisticated melodies. I wish it were longer—you're just getting into Minor's skewed worldview when the CD ends—yet it's a succinct introduction to a talent that could go on to write twisted musicals, concept albums—whatever the hell he ultimately decides. —Dan Loughry

Teena Marie - Congo Square - Stax Records

This multi-ethnic R&B thrush has been around for three decades — first under the tutelage of the late Rick James, with whom she shared a long and tempestuous friendship, then as a pioneering hip-hop presence as one of the first established artists to introduce rap into her music. On her thirteenth release, Congo Square, Marie (née Mary Christine Brockert) careens from adult contemporary hip-hop (the sexually needy “The Pressure”) to a civic-leader homage (“Ms. Coretta”) to a protest (“Soldier Boy”). I remember the '80s Marie as a funkier, earthier proposition, and find her stabs at social relevance soft and/or inept. But when the woman heads into a quiet storm—which is at least 75% of this record—you best believe that it won't just be the lights that are going down. The first nine songs—from that sexually receptive opener “The Pressure” through the slithery sensuality of “What's U Got 4 Me”—are a one-way ticket to a mutually reciprocal heaven (Howard Hewitt lights some sparks of his own on the duet “Lover's Lane”). Marie's not as kinky or brazen as prime Prince, but she'll set a mood that could help any simple fool to score. —D.L.