Mat Kearney
Just Kids
Christian/Gospel, Pop, Rap/Hip-Hop

Mat Kearney’s fifth album offers a polished amalgamation of pop and rap as he gratefully ponders his past and the …

Rachel Platten
“Fight Song”
Pop, Rock

Rachel Platten is indeed having, as Swift said, “a breakout moment” with her keyboard-driven “Fight Song.”

Greg Holden
“Hold on Tight”
Folk, Pop, Rock

British artist Greg Holden co-wrote Phillip Phillips’ hit “Home.” Now he’s making a name for himself with a hopeful song …

Imagine Dragons
Smoke + Mirrors
Alternative, Pop, Rock

Imagine Dragons’ sophomore effort bleeds with earnest, angst-ridden spiritual longing. A longing for what? Light.

Taylor Swift
“Style”
Pop

Mature and all grown up, that’s what they say about this song. But it isn’t really. It’s just styled to …

Fifth Harmony
Reflection
Pop, R&B, Rap/Hip-Hop

Simon Cowell’s latest X Factor creation takes the musical stage with sass and sensuality, sporting a sultry synthesis of pop, …

Shawn Mendes
“A Little Too Much”
Pop

Life can be overwhelming. But with the help of good friends, Canadian newcomer Shawn Mendes tells us, it will all …

Echosmith
“Bright”
Pop

Echosmith’s latest ode to love sounds a lot like the kind of songs Taylor Swift sang when she was a …

Sam Martin
“Song for My Unborn Son”
Pop

Singer-songwriter Sam Martin’s touching tribute to his unborn boy is one of the most beautiful testimonies to faithful fatherhood and …

Silentó
Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)
Pop, R&B, Rap/Hip-Hop

Silentó’s song “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” has ignited the viral dance sensation of 2015 via its oft-imitated video.

Rihanna
“FourFiveSeconds”
Country, Folk, Pop, Rock

What do you get when Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney make a song together? Well, it’ll take a tad …

Fall Out Boy
American Beauty/American Psycho
Alternative, Pop, Punk, Rock

Fall Out Boy albums are always interpretive exercises in sifting lyrical wheat from chaff or, say, beauty from psychosis.

Maroon 5
“Sugar”
Pop

The video for Adam Levine and Co.’s smash “Sugar” is so sweet and fun you might not realize at first …

Ellie Goulding
“Love Me Like You Do”
EDM/Electronica/Techno, Pop

Romance quickly gives way to an out-of-control surrender to pain and fear in Ellie Goulding’s contribution to the Fifty Shades …

Nicki Minaj
The Pinkprint
Pop, R&B, Rap/Hip-Hop

It’s as if The Pinkprint’s risky emotional authenticity just gets too scary for Nicki Minaj. So she retreats to “safer” …