A number of female artists chance it for a comeback on the charts this week. Prolific soul singer/songwriter Erykah Badu returns with her first album in five years, New Amerykah. -Watch a very cool music video for album single, "Honey," on Youtube -Read an interview with Badu at MSNBC -Badu will be featured in a new Tom Ford Fragrance ad campaign -Read an album review at EW.com -Buy New Amerykah Ethereal electronic star Goldfrapp is......

Artists from both coasts duke it out on the charts this week. We’ve been fans of the Helio Sequence's ambient sound for some time now, and today the band releases their fourth album, Keep Your Eyes Ahead. -Download some songs at CNET -Aversion interviewed Helio singer Brandon Summers -Read an album review at Billboard.com -Buy Keep Your Eyes Ahead So if you visit the Mars Volta’s website, you can read a very elaborate story about......

A little bit of old school, a little bit of new school on the charts this week. According to Magnetic Fields' mastermind Stephin Merritt, the group's latest album, Distortion, was inspired by The Jesus and Mary Chain. We think the Scottish post-punk thing is a good look for Merritt and Co. -Read an interview with Stephin Merritt at Pop Matters -Stream the entire album on AOL -Magnetic Fields are featured in the latest All Songs......

It’s like Divas Las Vegas 2007 this week, but in a good way! Celine Dion, Alicia Keys, and the Queen of Soul all have new albums debuting on the charts. It took us a little longer than usual to warm up to Alicia Keys’ new single, “No One” from her latest album, As I Am. But now that we’ve heard it endlessly on the radio and on TV, and it’s formed its own repeat loop......

When Chris Isaak released his album Heart Shaped World in 1989, the album that features "Wicked Game," it barely made a dent on the charts. A year later, film director David Lynch featured the song in his movie Wild at Heart. That's when Isaak's luck changed. The video is now a classic -- arguably, one of the sexiest videos ever made. It doesn't hurt that they casted model Helena Christensen to teasingly play with......

Many songs from the 80’s don’t stand the test of time; Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” is an exception. It’s been 20 years since it hit #2 on the charts and the song sounds about as fresh now as it did then. Even the video has aged well, compared to others from the same time period. A lot of that has to do with lead house member Neil Finn’s songwriting and musicianship. Ever......

After a jam-packed holiday week of live music, things are slowing down a bit this week on the concert scene. Never fear, Houstonist has some suggestions to fit whatever mood you’re in: Today Many say Jason Mraz is much better live than on CD. You can decide for yourself as the pop singer/songwriter showcases material from his latest CD Mr. A-Z (get it?) tonight. His opening acts are worthwhile, too: James Blunt (huge in the......