Michael Jackson: A Selective Look At His Discography

Last week, we lost one of the biggest icons the music world has ever seen. Michael Jackson's discography is one of the most universally loved and trying to choose one simple favorite song can be difficult and is not easily debatable. I've always felt that the mark of a great artist is when they can have their lesser-known works stand up in quality to some of their biggest hits. Jackson was no different. For every "Beat It" or "Thriller," there is an amazing album track or single that didn't quite storm the charts as expected with most MJ songs. Or even some songs that we've simply forgotten due to the multitude of massive hits he's had. This is a selection of some of my personal favorite Michael Jackson songs and moments.

My Personal Kelis Retrospective

Jive just released a Kelis career retrospective, titled The Hits, this past Tuesday. They did an okay job, but I think there are some key songs missing. For starters, I'd get rid of "Got Your Money". It's an important track in Kelis' career since it was her first major appearance, but she's only on the hook. I guess it makes sense if you're trying to move units, but it probably won't make any new fans. Here is what my tracklist would look like.

1. Caught Out There
2. Young Fresh N' New
3. Trick Me
4. Good Stuff
5. Get Along With You
6. Suspended
7. Millionaire
8. Help Me (w/ Timo Maas)
9. Bossy
10. Blindfold Me
11. Milkshake
12. Rolling Through The Hood
13. Daddy
14. Perfect Day
15. I Don't Think So
16. Flash Back
17. Lil' Star
18. In The Morning

Wow. After compiling that, there's still some stuff I'd like to see on there. Kelis is awesome. Even if this thing is probably over 80 minutes.

Ten On Tuesdays: Ten Best Mary J. Blige singles

In honor of knocking off Josh Groban and claiming the top spot on this week's Top 200 chart, I've decided to make this edition of Ten on Tuesdays all about Mary J. Blige and what I feel are her ten best singles. So why Mary J. Blige? Well, why not? She is one of the most consistent artists that this generation has ever seen. She and Diddy revolutionized the R&B genre in 1992 with the gritty hip hop inflected What's The 411?,and she's still managed to stay relevant since then. Her career is the standard that most R&B stars, male and female, are held up to today. Plus, she's released a lot of good stuff.



10. "Be Without You" (2005)
Album: The Breakthrough
Peak chart positions: Hot 100 (3), R&B (1)



One of Mary's biggest hits to date finds her showcasing her vulnerability as well as anyone in the business. Blige's content rarely varies, so it is a testament to her beat selection and her skills as a song interpreter that she still sounds fresh after a decade-plus of recording. "Be Without You" also boasts one of the best choruses of her career. Most of her hits have been groove-oriented, but you can tell that special attention was paid to that part.