Lady Gaga: Born This Way

"In the mere four years that she's had a recording contract, Gaga, now 25, has become a global phenomenon. She was No. 11 on last year's Forbes list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women, coming in ahead of Oprah Winfrey. She's sold a total of 23 million albums and 63 million singles worldwide. Her net worth has been reported to be over $100 million. Her sophomore album, Born This Way, sold more than 1.1 million copies in its first week of release, last May" (Lisa Robinson, "In Lady Gaga's Wake," Vanity Fair, 1/12, pp. 54-60).
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Justin Bieber: Under the Mistletoe

"In a week crowded with new music releases, Justin Bieber’s new holiday album topped the Billboard chart with more than 200,000 sales. 'Under the Mistletoe,' Mr. Bieber’s second full-length album, sold 210,293 copies in the United States, according to his record label, Island Def Jam. It is the first holiday album by a male solo artist to open at No. 1 in the 55-year history of Billboard’s album chart, the magazine reported, although plenty of stars have ridden seasonal music to big sales heights. Josh Groban’s 'Noël,' for example, was the best-selling album of 2007, with 3.7 million copies" (Ben Sisario, "Justin Bieber's Holiday Album Is a Surprising No. 1," New York Times, 11/9/11).
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Casting Crowns: Come to the Well

"Four times a week, Mark Hall ministers to youth at a suburban Atlanta megachurch, working from an office where the walls are lined with vintage Marvel comic books and that also houses a stone-like desk decorated with symbols from 'The Avengers.' In Hall's eyes, he's a 'dork.' But when he steps away from his youth pastor endeavors and comic memorabilia collection, the 42-year-old stars as the lead singer and songwriter of Casting Crowns, a seven-member, Grammy-winning contemporary Christian rock band, one of the most popular in the genre. In mid-October, the group released their latest album, 'Come to the Well.' It debuted at No. 2 on Billboard's Top 200 charts, trailing only behind Adele, who has dominated the charts with her best-selling album '21.' The band's album also topped the Christian album chart for three weeks in a row" (Jonathan Landrum Jr., "Casting Crowns Continue to Top Christian Charts," Huffington Post, 11/30/11).
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Gerald Wilson Orchestra: Legacy

"Contemporary big band music had a resurgence this year. Ninety-three year old Gerald Wilson had an exquisite offering with his brilliant Legacy" (Ralph A. Miriello, "My Picks for the Best of Jazz 2011," Huffington Post, 12/19/11).
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Pixies: Doolittle

"The iconic foursome, who legends like Kurt Cobain and David Bowie credit as inspirations, recently stopped by Napa's Uptown Theater to play their breakout record, 1989's Doolittle, from start to finish. It was their second-to-last stop on the second leg of their 'Doolittle World Tour,' which began two years ago to commemorate the album's twentieth anniversary. ... Frontman Frank Black's signature high-pitched yowl sounds just like it did in the 80s -- maybe even clearer. The group seamlessly made its way through all the big hits, from the upbeat, poppy 'Here Comes Your Man' and the silly, jazzy 'La La Love You' (the only song ever penned by drummer David Lovering) to the biblical shout-ballad 'Hey' and 'Monkey Gone To Heaven,' an early nod to environmentalism" (Carly Schwartz, "Rock Is Most Definitely Not Dead (As Evidenced by the Pixies)," Huffington Post, 12/2/11).
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Thelonious Monk: Brilliant Corners

"[Monk's wife] Nellie called those lean days [1951-54] the 'un-years,' mired in a kind of internal exile, when, banned from playing clubs, Monk retreated into his own head, drifting along to his own tempo. 'There was no money,' Nellie said. 'No place to go. A complete blank.' Monk described it as like 'laying dead.' Then Monk got a call from Charles Delauney inviting him to France to play at the Third Paris Jazz Festival. ... Monk was ready for Paris, but the Parisians, who had embraced so many black jazz musicians, didn’t know what to make of Monk. ... After Monk returned to New York, his career began to pick up. He signed a deal with Riverside Records and quickly recorded two of his best albums: the startling Thelonious Monk Plays the Music of Duke Ellington and Brilliant Corners with Sonny Rollins blowing a fire-breathing sax. Both records sold relatively well and earned Monk some of his best reviews" (Jeffrey St. Clair, "Out Walked Monk," Counterpunch, 12/2-4/11).
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Various Artists: The Green Album

"In advance of the fall release of the new Muppets movie (simply titled 'The Muppets'), Disney is releasing an album of Muppets songs, covered by some big names in the rock world, according to Pitchfork. Among the participants on 'The Green Album': Weezer, My Morning Jacket, Evanescence's Amy Lee, OK Go, The Fray, Alkaline Trio and Andrew Bird. It's not the first Muppet-Weezer crossover. Kermit and Co. appeared in the pop rock band's 2002 video for 'Keep Fishin''" ("Album News," Sound Magazine, 9/11).
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