时隔五年之久，爱尔兰最为著名的女歌手之一Enya发行了最新的个人专辑《Amarantine》。Enya说专辑名代表的意思是“永恒”。尽管Enya已经成功发行了多张畅销专辑，全世界的歌迷听Enya也已似乎已经成为了一种习惯，但当这位独成一派的天籁美声再度发行新专辑的时候，依然吸引了全世界歌迷的目光。专辑《Amarantine》在发行后的第一周以17万8千张的销量排在本周Billboard 200 专辑榜的第八位。 在这张新专辑《Amarantine》中，Enya依然与词作者罗马·莱恩（Roma Ryan）制作人尼基·莱恩（Nicky Ryan）这两位发行1988年的经典专辑《Watermark》时的黄金搭档合作。虽然Enya发片速度稍慢，但这张用五年时间等来的专辑的确没有让人失望。富有古典韵味的厚重的合成器伴奏，标志性的飘渺嗓音，再加上诗意的歌词，这些都表明Enya对于“保持自我风格与创新”这个所有音乐人都需要面临的问题解决得很成功，在音乐上不断寻求创新的Enya并没有失去自我。对于Enya来说，优秀似乎已经成为了她的一种习惯。 在专辑同名歌曲《Amarantine》中，Enya非常有创意的将慢版的华尔兹节奏作为歌曲的主线。另外，《If I Could Be Where You Are》，《Long Long Journey》和《Amid the Falling Snow》等多首旋律优美的歌曲都让我们感觉仿佛置身仙境......对于Enya，也许过多的语言只会打破她所营造的这种优美意境。

精选大碟【Curtain Call-The Hits】网罗阿姆历年来13首畅销曲以及包括最新单曲"When I'm Gone"在内的3首全新创作曲，其中包括蝉联全美流行榜12周冠军，荣获奥斯卡最佳电影主题曲的"Lose Yourself";勇夺英、美冠、亚军，2002年荣获4座MTV音乐录影带大奖的搞笑作"Without Me";深度刻划歌迷疯狂崇拜偶像心理的英国冠军曲"Stan";对布兰妮、克莉丝汀等艺人大开炮，勇夺2000年2座MTV音乐录影带大奖作"The Real Slim Shady";MV中演出柯林顿总统偷情事件之作"My Name Is";描述个人走出成长伤痕，获英、美Top4的感人好歌"Cleanin' Out My Closet";惹毛麦可杰克森的英国冠军曲"Just Lose It"，还有分别精采取样Aerosmith招牌作"Dream On"、流行女歌手Martika成名曲"Toy Soldiers"的励志小品"Sing For The Moment"、痛陈嘻哈恩怨乱象的"Like Toy Soldiers"。

2005年底，90年代涌现出的最杰出的另类金属乐队之一科恩（Korn）发行了这张乐队的最新专辑《See You on the Other Side》。专辑在发行之后的第一周内的销量为22万张，排在本周的Billboard 200专辑榜的第三位，比去年发行的精选集《Greatest Hits Vol.1》的排名高了一位，是乐队连续第七张进入到美国专辑榜前十名当中的专辑。同时，《See You on the Other Side》还是Korn乐队改签Virgin公司以及乐队元老之一的吉他手Brian "Head" Welch离开之后，乐队以四人阵容发行的第一张专辑。乐队在准备本张专辑《See You on the Other Side》的时候，请来了与九寸丁乐队（Nine Inch Nails）长期合作的制作人Atticus Ross。而这“顺理成章”的结果就是导致本张《See You on the Other Side》的整体风格听起来开始偏向于工业金属，而不再仅仅是以前Korn那种典型的新金味道。另外，本张由Atticus Ross制作的专辑也是Korn乐队所有专辑中最轻的一张，主唱Jonathan Davis歇斯底里的呐喊在减少，乐队标志性的贝斯也不再突出，而只是音乐中增加了一些相对阴暗的氛围感。在演唱一些歌曲的唱腔上，Jonathan Davis也有所改变，甚至有的时候让人根本也联想不到Korn这个名字。 这张《See You on the Other Side》可以说是Korn乐队到目前为止最具试验性的一张专辑。可以看出，Korn在寻求变化与创新。乐队在音乐上不失精髓的创新是好的，但可以肯定的是，已经习惯了Korn以往风格的歌迷一时并不一定能够接受这张专辑。

As a pop music writer, it is exciting to watch an artist grow and develop with each successive album. Awake is Josh Groban's third studio collection, and he has evolved in a positive direction with each release. This time he holds on to the sound that has won him millions of fans while recording tracks that push further into the pop mainstream challenging him to develop as an interpretive vocalist. The result is a diverse, warm, inviting, and exciting set for listening. The Beauty of a Well-Trained Voice When singing a pop song, Josh Groban exhibits one of the most impressive, technically skilled voices in all of pop music. On an inspiring song like "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)," there is a majesty that sweeps the listener up in pure emotion. In quieter moments, such as the gentle waltz "So She Dances," Josh Groban's technical accuracy eliminates any concern over nailing the appropriate note. The unfortunate down side is that a powerful, technically skilled voice does not automatically translate to one that is effective at interpreting a song and conveying the emotions in the words and sound. Groban makes progress here, but it is an area ripe for future development. Diversity In the Music For his first two albums, Josh Groban relied primarily on David Foster for production. On Awake he branches out working with a variety of producers and songwriters. The result is a diverse collection of music that keeps the listener involved and curious throughout the entire program. In fact, the closing three tracks, two of which are collaborations with South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and one a borderline funk exploration with Herbie Hancock, close out Awake in stunning fashion pointing in possible directions

Trapt`s 'Someone in Control' has already hit chart gold with lead single 'Stand Up.' The song`s raw guitars and power chorus signal the grittier feel this effort possesses in comparison with the band`s debut. It also shows the progress Trapt has made in putting together musical arrangements. 'Someone' has plenty of radio rock to keep the band on the airwaves for months. 'Disconnected' and 'Influence' are in the same vein as 'Stand Up,' while 'My Own Design' is a powerful declaration of independence with a U2-style intro. 'Waiting' and 'Lost Realist' are strong pop contenders. On the latter, Trapt tones down the guitars, enhancing the majestic song with strings and lyrics that detail the conflict between emotional distance and allowing one`s self to be vulnerable in love.