The 50th GRAMMY Awards!
"Song of the Year"

Before He Cheats (Track from: Some Hearts)

Carrie Underwood

She sounds equally convincing on such sentimental fare as "Jesus, Take the Wheel" as on the soaring pop "Some Hearts," and even if she doesn't exactly sound tough on the strutting "Before He Cheats," she does growl with a fair amount of passion. Most of the songs clicks — the production is warm, the tunes inoffensive but ingratiating, it straddles the country and pop worlds with ease, and most importantly, it's every bit as likeable as Carrie was on American Idol.

Hey There Delilah (Track from: Every Second Counts)

Plain White T's

Hey There Delilah is an EP that really finds pop-rockers Plain White T's expanding upon their 2005 full-length, All That We Needed. Closing out that album was the acoustic balladry of "Hey There Delilah," and it's that song of longing that plainly serves as this release's anchor. The new version of the track starting things off is really the same as the original — save for the addition of a string arrangement — and the closing live take packs in an entire Dashboard Confessional gig's worth of audience involvement.

Like A Star (Track from: Corinne Bailey Rae)

Corinne Bailey Rae

It's risky to open an album with a lazy ballad, but the great "Like a Star" paints Rae as Billie Holiday's pop-influenced granddaughter. Mellowing Style Council or Brand New Heavies fans should dig "Trouble Sleeping," while "Butterfly" beautifully captures the full range of emotions that come with leaving the nest. The well-written and direct "Butterfly" suggests Rae could release a more accomplished full-length someday, but attention to "feel" often seems like the driving force in this album's creation.

Rehab (Track from: Back To Black)

Amy Winehouse

With producer Salaam Remi returning from Frank, plus the welcome addition of Mark Ronson (fresh off successes producing for Christina Aguilera and Robbie Williams), Back to Black has a similar sound to Frank but much more flair and spark to it. Winehouse was inspired by girl group soul of the '60s, and fortunately Ronson and Remi are two of the most facile and organic R&B producers active. As before, Winehouse writes all of the songs from her experiences, which involve the riotous and bittersweet vagaries of love.

Umbrella (Track from: Good Girl Gone Bad)

Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z
The album's lead song, "Umbrella," is her best to date, delivering mammoth if spacious drums, a towering backdrop during the chorus, and vocals that are somehow totally convincing without sounding all that impassioned — an ideal spot between trying too hard and boredom, like she might've been on her 20th take, which only adds to the song's charm. The album's 2nd half is varied and a little heavier on acoustic guitar use, but it's not lacking additional standouts.