Alicia Keys
“NO ONE”
aliciakeys.com
Keys’ new album, “As I Am,” doesn’t come out until Nov. 13, but this passionate, piano-pounded first single makes you think the native New Yorker’s third studio effort could be lethally good. The classically trained 26-year-old borrows from Bob Marley and Brahms, weaving classical and Kingston threads into this sweaty, pleading hit. The lyrics are straightforward, but she delivers them with a ferocious heat.
Jay-Z
“BLUE MAGIC”
rocafella.com
The thrill of Jay-Z’s new single doesn’t come from his return to raps about the drug trade. It comes from the swagger of a master returning to familiar material. “Blue Magic,” with Pharrell building a spare, icy beat and singing a reworked hook from En Vogue’s “Hold On,” is bold and beautiful.
John Mellencamp
“JENA”
johnmellencamp.com or relative-way.com/jenastream
The heartland rocker, who has not been shy about lacing his music with politics and social commentary, posted the “Jena” video on Tuesday. The lyrics, which include the chorus “Oh oh oh Jena … take your nooses down,” are a barbed reference to the ongoing controversy in Jena, La., where six black youths were charged as adults in the alleged assault last year on a fellow student who is white.