"Woman's World" Cher

There are those pop culture legends who quit while they're ahead, in order to leave an impressive legacy untarnished. And then there's Cher, who has made so many comebacks over the course of her five-decade career than I'm beginning to suspect she'll join the cockroaches in outlasting us all. The now 66-year-old music icon appeared headed toward retirement in 2002 when she embarked on a three-year farewell tour, but it was a short-lived break from the spotlight. By 2008, she was headlining a concert residency in Las Vegas, then starring opposite Christina Aguilera in the 2010 musical Burlesque. Now, out of nowhere, Cher has debuted a new single: "Woman's World," her first release in almost a decade. Continuing the late-career transformation into club diva, it's a thumping Eurodance track produced by Paul Oakenfold. Unfortunately, this is no "Believe." Just about everything—from the I-am-woman-hear-me-roar lyrics to the heavy synth beat—falls flat from familiarity. Only Cher's powerful voice, still as deep and distinctive as ever, stands out. It should be fun to see her on stage again, camping it up to "World," but here's hoping the rest of her forthcoming 2013 album is a notch better. C+

Throwback Thursday: "Big Girls Don't Cry" The Four Seasons

The massive Broadway success of jukebox musical Jersey Boys has given a second life to the legacy of the Four Seasons, Frankie Valli's pop vocal quartet, which ran up a string of hit singles in the 1960s. Among their five #1's was "Big Girls Don't Cry," a doo-wop riff on a line from the 1956 film noir Slightly Scarlet. The short song revolves around the events of a break-up, told in chaste and slightly nonsensical detail, but it's really all about the famous titular refrain. Five decades later, the burst of falsetto harmonies that anchors "Big Girls" remains just as splendid and satisfying as ever. B

50 years ago this week, "Big Girls Don't Cry" was the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Looking Hot" No Doubt

The recent controversy surrounding No Doubt's ill-advised cowboys-and-Indians video for their latest single, "Looking Hot"—which was quickly pulled after complaints from the Native American community—is the most buzz that the band's foundering comeback has had in several months. It's too bad, because the music has been solid, including the aforementioned "Hot," an infectious blast of preening dance-rock. Over a driving drum beat, Gwen Stefani wonders, "Do you think this hits the spot?" and for fans of the Orange County quartet, it's a definite yes, particularly when the ska breakdown kicks in like it's 1995 again. B

"I Knew You Were Trouble." Taylor Swift

You know dubstep has hit critical mass when even Taylor Swift is getting in on the action. The syncopated, bass-heavy EDM subgenre has been creeping into pop music for several years, but since Britney Spears' underrated "Hold It Against Me" kicked the trend into overdrive early last year, the number of wobbly breakdowns in mainstream music has exploded. They're smoothly and effectively put to use on Swift's latest pop single, "I Knew You Were Trouble.," which she debuted at last night's American Music Awards with a glitzy, production-laden performance. The wubbed-out chorus lends a bit of drama and edge to this otherwise perky lament of romantic abandonment, produced by Max Martin and Shellback. Much like the title's extraneous punctuation, the bass drops present a bold statement—of musical climax, artistic confidence, and potential new direction in the country princess' career. B+

"Scream & Shout" will.i.am ft. Britney Spears

I make no secret my general disaffinity for will.i.am, whose bloated sense of his own genius has already produced two of the year's worst songs. So imagine my surprise that "Scream & Shout," the umpteenth single from his eternally delayed album #willpower, is actually, ahem, pretty good. This sleek house track sounds like a surefire club smash, with a throbbing synth beat that is pure electro ear candy. Even better, will.i.am and his superfluous rhymes mostly take a back seat, allowing guest Britney Spears to shine in moments both absurd (an extended riff with British accent) and rapturous (a harmonious oh eh oh refrain). Plus, any reference to "Gimme More" is all right in my book. B+

Throwback Thursday: "How Do You Talk to an Angel" The Heights

Musical drama The Heights was a total flop for Fox back in 1992, but its fictional band accomplished something the Glee kids never have: a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. (Two weeks later, the show was cancelled.) Unfortunately, said hit—the show's theme song, "How Do You Talk to an Angel"—has not aged gracefully in the intervening two decades. It's chock-full of the era's cheesiest soft-rock impulses: husky yet tender vocals, courtesy of Jamie Walters; ridiculously oversold conceptions of romance ("It's like trying to catch a falling star"); and, of course, sexy saxophone flourishes. That's not to say "Angel" is entirely without appeal these days (seriously, who doesn't love some sexy sax?), but it rests more on nostalgia and campy appreciation than a sense of artistic accomplishment. B-

20 years ago this week, "How Do You Talk to an Angel" was the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Thrift Shop" Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz

Wit is an essential ingredient of hip-hop music; every great emcee should be able to eviscerate their rival with a series of stinging, yet clever, barbs. But comedy rap? That's a whole other game. Sustaining the laughs of a particularly potent punchline across an entire song is a serious challenge—not to mention the difficulty of coming up with fresh concepts, if the steadily diminishing returns of Eminem are any indication. No wonder it remains largely the domain of Internet jokesters, and the few signed professionals are mostly Jewish nerds who would normally be laughed out of the Def Jam offices. (What up to the Lonely Island!)

All of which is to say, it's impressive what indie favorite Macklemore has done on "Thrift Shop," bringing together humor and hip-hop in such legitimate fashion. This ode to bargain hunting, now getting spins on alternative and even urban radio, is more Weird Al than Jay-Z, but there's no wink-and-a-nudge to the audience. Even when the jokes land, it feels, first and foremost, like a song, rather than an SNL sketch set to music. Credit as well, then, to producer Ryan Lewis and the two great hooks he helped craft: a wildly danceable staccato saxophone beat and the super catchy chorus ("Only got twenty dollars in my pocket"). Fucking awesome, indeed. B+