The 40 Best Deep Cuts of 2003: Staff Picks

This week, Billboard is publishing a sequence of lists and articles celebrating the music of 20 years in the past. Our 2003 Week continues right here with a dive into our picks for one of the best songs from that 12 months that by no means made it to single launch — however stay on as important cuts from the albums we most regularly return to.

There was no scarcity of blockbuster albums to go round in 2003. File-sharing had began to chop into bodily gross sales, however the CD nonetheless reigned supreme within the market, and loads of big-ticket releases put up large numbers. A few of these had been with debut units, like 50 Cent lastly making his long-awaited LP arrival after years of mixtape hype or Beyoncé confirming her solo celebrity standing exterior of Future’s Little one. Others had been follow-ups to early-decade smashes, with Linkin Park and Alicia Keys proving they had been no one-album wonders with their equally profitable sophomore units. And some had been profession culminations, as OutKast and Jay-Z launched maybe their most-anticipated albums but — with business hiatuses for each quickly to comply with.

However it wasn’t simply the massive albums making a significant influence in 2003. Web word-of-mouth, spurred on by peer-to-peer networks, webboards and overview publications like Pitchfork and Stylus Journal, turned imagination-capturing releases by the Postal Service and Damaged Social Scene into Little Albums That May. Veteran alt-rock favorites Liz Phair and Fountains of Wayne glossed up their sounds somewhat and had been rewarded with the largest crossover successes of their careers. And cult-favorite LPs by artists like Songs: Ohia and Dizzee Rascal had been doubtless by no means destined for the U.S. mainstream, however earned devoted followings that also persist 20 years later.

Whereas a variety of these albums spun off large singles that proceed to outline them within the public consciousness, all of them additionally had even larger treasures buried under their surfaces. A few of these are nonetheless celebrated at present, and a few of them — nicely, you kinda simply needed to be there. Listed below are our 40 favourite songs from albums launched within the U.S. in 2003 that by no means grew to become official singles.

Lil Kim feat. Twista, “Thug Luv” (La Bella Mafia)

Lil Kim’s third LP La Bella Mafia helped usher in a brand new period of independence and female energy for the long-lasting rapper. In “Thug Luv,” she and featured spitter Twista commerce rapid-fire bars speaking and proudly owning their s–t. (“Do it like a hustla, gotta preserve it gangsta/ Can’t nobody collide with us,” rings the refrain.) Whereas Twista’s explosive supply over the scorching Scott Storch beat is unsurprising, the Queen Bee’s daring, brash bars show her sting within the sales space was simply as deadly as ever. — J’NA JEFFERSON
Bubba Sparxxx, “Comin’ Spherical” (Deliverance)

A standout on the country-rap crown jewel Deliverance, “Comin’ Spherical” is firmly planted in Bubba Sparxxx’s New South due to its twangy pattern of bluegrass group Yonder Mountain String Band (“To See You Coming ’Around the Bend”) and its folky rhymes (“It makes the soul smile to see what I’ve achieved/ I received up out the woods with no map or a compass”). However past honoring his roots, the LaGrange, Ga., rapper additionally seems to be forward to his hip-hop-powered brighter future by means of Timbaland’s equal components fiddle-and-808s manufacturing. Like Bubba says within the track: “Hold followin’ the fiddle, it’ll by no means steer you fallacious.” – KATIE ATKINSON
T.I., “Doin’ My Job” (Lure Muzik)

Earlier than he grew to become the King of the South and one of many greatest rappers on this planet — and earlier than his private life began verging into really disturbing territory — T.I. was only a working man, punching in and punching out on road life whereas recording his breakthrough sophomore set Lure Muzik. Although “Doin’ My Job” is given a majesty by producer Ye’s hovering Bloodstone pattern, T.I.’s personal impartial expression at his skilled prospects by no means wavers: “We don’t prefer it not more than you that we stay like this,” he testifies, however asks on your understanding, if not your approval: “Below 25, staying alive is difficult work.” — ANDREW UNTERBERGER
Basement Jaxx, “If I Ever Get better” (Kish Kash)

Even by Basement Jaxx requirements, third LP Kish Kash was a busy, crowded, overstuffed album, so the uncommon second the place it takes a second to breathe hits as laborious as any of the plain bangers. “If I Ever Get better” additionally has its personal vitality and pressure, nevertheless it additionally has a relaxed lushness to its heat synths and strings that makes it notably satisfying, as its looped vocal simply burrows deeper and deeper: “I left all of it behind me/ And I’m aching child to be by means of with you.” — A.U.
Massive Tymers feat. Lil Wayne, Ludacris & Jazze Pha, “Down South” (Massive Cash Heavyweight)

Birdman and Mannie Contemporary solely ever had a couple of large nationwide hits of their eight years collectively as Massive Tymers, however their albums regularly ran deep with non-singles that seemed like potential smashes. On 2003’s Massive Cash Heavyweight, a type of inexplicably buried highlights was “Down South,” an ode to life under the Mason-Dixon that includes a pair of ’00s southern rap titans in Ludacris and Lil Wayne — although the true star of the present is the Mannie Contemporary beat, a soulful piano-and-drums mix that would make a jam about Wilmington, Delaware sound immediately iconic. — A.U.
Cat Energy, “Half of You” (You Are Free)

On Chan Marshall’s spare, lonely and unsettling masterpiece You Are Free, a quiet, candy track like “Half of You” seems like a small sip of spring air after a claustrophobic winter. With out the self-protecting irony that outlined a lot indie rock of the period, Cat Energy tentatively opens herself as much as romance — earlier than the document segues again into the darker corners of a tragic however resolute soul. — JOE LYNCH
AFI, “This Celluloid Dream” (Sing the Sorrow)

You’ll be able to get pleasure from “This Celluloid Dream,” one of the stirring moments on AFI’s alt-emo opus Sing the Sorrow, as a frank meditation on the inevitability of loss of life and the pure passage of time — Davey Havok compares us all to snow that can in the future soften, and leaves that can after all fall and die — or you may merely holler together with the various cathartic call-and-response exchanges (the “All! Gray!” within the bridge nonetheless packs a wallop). No fallacious solutions right here, simply candy, candy raging in opposition to the dying of the sunshine. — JASON LIPSHUTZ
Mya, “Issues Come and Go” (Moodring)

With an album title like Moodring, one would anticipate Mya to tug out all of the thematic and musical stops. So she dug into her worldwide bag for “Issues Come and Go,” an Island-flavored jam with help from the (then) newly-crowned prince of the dancehall scene, Sean Paul, who offers an ideal function. Each artists match the laid-back vitality of the tune, however Mya’s gorgeous vocal layering befits the occasions — and would work at present as nicely. — J.J.
My Morning Jacket, “Golden” (It Nonetheless Strikes)

Whereas The Jacket’s ever-mighty It Nonetheless Strikes is a largely face-melting affair, “Golden” is the album’s deep breath second. However that doesn’t imply it’s a nap: The etheric foot-stomper finds Jim James and firm going largely acoustic and absolutely twangy, leaning into their Kentucky roots. The track evokes The Allman Brothers at that group’s gentlest, and embodies each the lyric’s “golden shore” of heaven and the sound of sunshine itself. — KATIE BAIN
The Black Eyed Peas, “The Boogie That Be” (Elephunk)

Elephunk is the album that thrust Black Eyed Peas onto the Billboard Scorching 100, due to the addition of the MTV-ready Fergie on vocals and a high-profile single with Justin Timberlake. However “The Boogie That Be” is the track that almost all intently resembles what BEP had already been doing for practically a decade, with its enjoyable old-school beat and lyrics that decision again to classics by A Tribe Referred to as Quest and Audio Two. You’ll be able to take the Peas out of the underground, however you may’t take the underground out of the Peas. – Okay.A.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Tick” (Fever to Inform)

You’ll be able to really feel the phrase Fever to Inform, the title of Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ 2003 debut album, in each crack and sinew of “Tick”: Karen O spends somewhat beneath two minutes together with her voice in spastic movement — jittering by means of each lyric like there’s an ache in her abdomen that gained’t cease till she spills her guts — whereas the guitar chimes and quivers beneath her. Fever to Inform is greatest identified for housing the band’s stately breakthrough hit “Maps,” however YYYs had been simply as magnetic when songs like “Tick” caught them in house-on-fire mode. — J. Lipshutz
Model New, “Okay I Imagine You, However My Tommy Gun Do not” (Deja Entendu)

Two years after the group’s debut studio album, Model New’s follow-up Deja Entendu grew to become its first to chart on the Billboard 200, throughout the golden age of 2000s emo. Enunciating slowly and with objective, frontman Jesse Lacey comes off arrogantly cool and strikingly self-aware all through this virtually six-minute-long standout observe, whereas oozing condescension (“These are the phrases you would like you wrote down/ That is the best way you would like your voice sounds/ Good-looking and sensible.”) Fan lore theorizes “Okay I Imagine you…” is one other dig at Taking Again Sunday within the back-and-forth of the frenemy saga, this time aimed instantly at entrance man Adam Lazzara and his stutter (“We’re so c-c-c-c-c-controversial.”) The drama surrounding Model New turned darker after the discharge of their Science Fiction comeback album in 2017, when Lacey was accused of sexual misconduct — which he apologized for whereas revealing a intercourse habit in a be aware to followers, placing the band on semi-permanent hiatus. — BECKY KAMINSKY
Brad Paisley, “Anyone Is aware of You Now” (Mud on the Tires)

No twenty first century nation hitmaker does love songs with higher element than Brad Paisley. “Anyone Is aware of You Now,” from his multi-platinum Mud on the Tires, assures his beloved that — for higher or worse — he is aware of her in addition to she’s ever wished to be identified, even when that simply means he can predict that “proper now your hair’s up in a clip/ Your socks don’t fairly match and also you’re bitin’ your lip.” It’s not as mawkish or sentimental as radio nation normally will get, nevertheless it’s an amazing thinking-couple’s marriage ceremony track. — A.U.
The Wrens, “This Boy Is Exhausted” (The Meadowlands)

The most effective track on The Wrens’ towering 2003 album The Meadowlands is ostensibly about document labels making bands leap by means of hoops in an effort to mine hit singles that had been by no means even there, however actually, “This Boy Is Exhausted” might be an ode to any form of emotional toll taken throughout a hair-pulling inventive endeavor. “I can’t write, what I do know/ It’s not value writing,” Charles Bissell croaks, his vitality zapped till some harmonies carry him again up once more — the irony being that “Exhausted” is extra thrilling than most early-’00s indie-rock anthems the Wrens had been competing with on the time. — J. Lipshutz
Liz Phair, “H.W.C.” (Liz Phair)

If it’s important to even ask what it stands for, chances are high you missed out totally on probably the most disagreeable important discourse of 2003 — about Liz Phair’s self-titled album, and whether or not it’s acceptable for an indie-rock mother to sing catchy, well-produced and sporadically graphic pop songs about f–king. (Spoiler from 2023: After all it’s.) Past its headline-grabbing title and refrain, “H.W.C.” is without doubt one of the 12 months’s most pleasant pop-rock songs, a breezy ode to the restorative powers of nice intercourse the place even the non-explicit lyrics are a lot memorable: “I’m wanting good and feeling good/ Child, you’re one of the best journal recommendation.” — A.U.
Kelis, “Shield My Coronary heart” (Tasty)

It’s unhappy to know that if Kelis needed to redo this one at present, she’d in all probability make it about defending her checking account — she’s accused The Neptunes of signing her to a predatory business contract again when she was a younger artist, casting an unlucky pall over the work they did collectively. However that work nonetheless sparkles 20 years later: Among the many period’s R&B stars, maybe solely Kelis has each the authority and the pliability to corral the tight funk of Pharrell and Chad Hugo’s beat whereas nonetheless retaining the sensation free, as she evaluates P’s come-ons and decides that — not less than on this means — she’s gonna preserve him at coronary heart’s size. — A.U.
Sufjan Stevens, “For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti” (Michigan)

Sufjan Stevens pays musical tribute to his upbringing in Michigan on this album, however no extra biblically than on this allegorical elegy. Some lyrics make it sound prefer it’s written from the attitude of Jesus (“Even when I come again, even when I die/ Is there some thought to interchange my life?”), whereas Stevens has mentioned the inspiration got here from enjoying highschool sports activities in Paradise, Mich., and “there was all these single moms and ladies and grandmothers however there weren’t any males, and so I had form of devised a narrative in my thoughts that they’d all died within the warfare and that they had been all widows.” Regardless of the backstory, Stevens crafted a completely attractive, haunting track about dealing with mortality and answering life’s large questions, set to a plucking banjo and funereal trumpet. – Okay.A.
Lucinda Williams, “Minneapolis” (World With out Tears)

Over a haunting vox organ and an acoustic guitar that sounds prefer it’s about to surrender on life, Lucinda Williams’ gravely, resolute supply is supplanted by a tremulous whimper as she fixates a former lover amidst the “bitter winter” of the Minnesota metropolis. Williams’ phrases are virtually frighteningly vivid (“Let my blood movement crimson and skinny… into the melting snow of Minneapolis”), however her candor in conjuring the gut-punch of loss and despair is finally as cathartic as it’s unflinching. — J. Lynch
Dizzee Rascal, “Model New Day” (Boy in da Nook)

For an album whose bleakness is mainly its signature (and an artist whose real-life story has develop into sadly brutal) “Model New Day” truly registers as one thing near life-affirming, regardless of verses about lifeless associates, deserted younger moms and uncaring authorities laid over an eerie, woozy beat. Nonetheless, Dizzee Rascal takes consolation in understanding his destiny nonetheless rests in his personal arms, and plans to reap the benefits of the alternatives forward of him — although he takes care to “put some [pay] away for an offkey day,” as he is aware of that even his brightest path ahead will undoubtedly have some shadowy surprises laying in wait. — A.U.
Radiohead, “A Punch Up at a Marriage ceremony” (Hail to the Thief)

Thom Yorke is irritated as hell on “A Punch Up at a Marriage ceremony” — sneering at a critic that received beneath his pores and skin, calling them “a bully in a China store,” amongst different blended metaphors — however that anger doesn’t rankle the looseness of this Hail to the Thief nod-along, which stays one of many extra underrated jams within the band’s catalog. Whereas different moments on the album are purposely halting, “Punch Up” glides: for practically 5 minutes, the band sinks right into a creeping bass groove with some smashed piano notes above it. Even when Yorke accentuates an insult, the instrumentation coasts alongside in lock-step, untethered to the damage. — J. Lipshutz
The Shins, “Kissing the Lipless” (Chutes Too Slim)

It received a promo launch in 2004, however how this by no means grew to become an official Chutes Too Slim single is really mystifying. The immediately recognizable opening handclaps and “woo!”; the primary verse, with its vivid description of friendship ruined by tried romance, a mini thesis in Shin-dom; the blast of a guitar riff, escalating into the plaintive but merciless refrain; the return to acoustic guitar for the sigh of a denouement? It’s a wonderfully constructed, good encapsulation of all issues Shins — and, as its weird music video confirmed, would make for excellent determine skating music, too. — REBECCA MILZOFF
P!nk, “Catch Me Whereas I am Sleeping” (Attempt This)

In November 2003, precisely 12 months after P!nk launched the 5-times platinum Missundaztood, she unveiled her third album, Attempt This, with Linda Perry writing and co-producing the towering spotlight “Catch Me Whereas I’m Sleeping.” Launched as a promotional single, P!nk describes her goals as a “lonely, lonely, lonely place “– however her R&B vocals make this track a candy, sluggish, sultry and soulful delight. — THOM DUFFY
Missy Elliott, “Let It Bump” (This Is Not a Take a look at!)

Missy and her ceaselessly inventive companion Timbaland tag-teamed to unleash one other next-level second on “Let It Bump,” a boombox-breaking, slept-on gem from This Is Not a Take a look at! This time round, each musicians rap on the observe, toasting to their successes collectively as certainly one of hip-hop’s most dynamic duos. MC Lyte and Massive Daddy Kane are given shoutouts within the track, showcasing Misdemeanor’s penchant for highlighting the nice rappers whose personal boundary-breaking careers allowed her to shine. — J.J.
The Postal Service, “Clark Gable” (Give Up)

As efficient any of the extra well-known singles from The Postal Service’s one and solely album, “Clark Gable” amalgamates blog-era indie rock, peppy digital manufacturing and Ben Gibbard’s world weary mind into an especially singable, borderline pop anthem in regards to the IRL elusiveness of “a love that will look and sound like a film.” As goal actuality is additional obfuscated by the digital facades we current to the world, the track’s most biting question — “I do know you’re smart past your years/ However do you ever get the worry/That your good verse is only a lie/You inform your self that will help you get by?” — hits even tougher now than it did 20 years in the past. — Okay.B.
Drive-By Truckers, “Ornament Day” (Ornament Day)

4 years earlier than his first solo album, Jason Isbell flexed his storytelling muscular tissues a member of the Drive-By Truckers, with this epic title observe from the band’s 2003 album. Atop a swampy guitar line, Isbell’s lyric unspools the story of a son’s wrestle with a feud between the Hill and Lawson households that started earlier than he was born. “I by no means knew the way it all received began,” the track’s narrator confesses, whereas including “I do know the caliber in Daddy’s chest/ I do know what Hollan Hill drives.” Isbell is aware of nice songwriting is all within the particulars. — T.D.
Fountains of Wayne, “Valley Winter Music” (Welcome Interstate Managers)

After an under-performing album and getting dropped by their label, Fountains of Wayne had loads using on third album Welcome Interstate Managers — and the outcome was a masterclass in pop songwriting with virtually no skips. Amongst its assortment of cleverly wordy melodic rockers are a pair downtempo gems, together with “Valley Winter Music,” which deserved higher than mere placement in an L.L. Bean business (and sure, it did get one). With its poetic one-liners (“the interstate is choking beneath salt and soiled sand/and it appears the solar is hiding from the moon”) and achingly fairly earworm of a refrain, it’s as shut as FOW will get to writing a people track, and it nonetheless sounds timeless. — R.M.
Linkin Park, “No person’s Listening” (Meteora)

Whereas Meteora largely featured Linkin Park honing and increasing upon the nu-metal palette they established on 2000 debut album Hybrid Principle, the placing “No person’s Listening” adopted extra intently within the extra hip-hop- and electronic-rooted footsteps of 2002 remix album Reanimation. With a quivering flute hook and slamming drums, the manufacturing offers a showcase for rapper Mike Shinoda’s venting on the verses (“I received a coronary heart filled with ache, head filled with stress/ Handful of anger held in my chest”), however late singer Chester Bennington exhibits up in time for the riveting refrain, buying and selling off with Shinoda: “Instructed you all the pieces loud and clear/ However no person’s listening.” — A.U.
Ludacris, “Hip Hop Quotables” (Rooster-n-Beer)

Ludacris calling a track “Hip Hop Quotables” in 2003 is somewhat like Van Halen calling a track “Cool Guitar Riffs” in 1978 — like, nicely, yeah, clearly. However even by Christopher Bridges’ sky-high requirements, “Quotables” bang-for-bar ratio is nuts; he’s so within the zone he doesn’t even waste time with a hook. I imply, throw a friggin’ dart: “I take a s–t on the equator, the scale of a crater/ And make authorities officers breathe tougher than Darth Vader,” “I’m as stiff as a board/ y’all extra shook than maracas,” “So by the point you determine why your document ain’t spinnin’/ I’m within the strip membership smokin’ with President Clinton.” It’s Luda’s “Eruption,” and it seems like he might preserve flowing ceaselessly. — A.U.
Songs: Ohia, “Farewell Transmission” (The Magnolia Electrical Co.)

In July 2002, inventive lightning struck Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio studio in Chicago. The seven-minute opener to Songs: Ohia’s The Magnolia Electrical Co. is the kind of existential, surrealist epic many artists spend careers attempting – and failing – to create. “Farewell Transmission,” alternatively, was recorded in a single take, by a forged of musicians largely unfamiliar to band chief Jason Molina, who as soon as described the session as “one of the heroic recording moments of all-time.” As triumphant chords chug and a slide guitar wails, Molina delivers weathered traces like “The actual fact about it’s my sort of life’s no higher off / If it’s received the map or if it’s misplaced” with resolute conviction. — ERIC RENNER BROWN
Beyoncé feat. Missy Elliott, “Indicators” (Dangerously in Love)

Given the present-day obsession with astrology, Missy Elliott was (as soon as once more) forward of her time by writing “Indicators” for frequent collaborator Beyoncé’s debut LP, Dangerously In Love. The snappy ballad runs down the emotional and bodily qualities of every zodiac signal, as the brand new solo siren muses over which man she’ll give her coronary heart to. Bey’s spectacular vocal gymnastics (which have develop into extra famend within the many years since) is on full show right here, whereas Missy’s pen and manufacturing prowess are so everlastingly addictive. — J.J.
OutKast, “Blissful Valentine’s Day” (Speakerboxxx/The Love Beneath)

There are a variety of left-field delights on OutKast’s double album Speakerboxxx/The Love Beneath, however solely certainly one of them imagines a world the place vacation mascots like “leprechauns and groundhogs” reign supreme over Cupid. Singing and rapping from the attitude of sidelined love god who’s able to let his arrows rip (“Could possibly be an organ donor the best way I quit my coronary heart”), André 3000 faucets a brittle funk riff that brings to thoughts Prince circa Lovesexy to spin a narrative about love’s difficult push and pull. — J. Lynch
Britney Spears, “Showdown” (Within the Zone)

As a key determine in early-’00s popular culture, Britney Spears’ profession courted its justifiable share of headline-making tabloid moments. However third studio album In The Zone allowed Spears the chance to inform her personal story for a change — one the place she was allowed to be experimental and sexually unashamed on all fronts. Third observe “Showdown” is about as official a foray into grown girl territory as she might have provided. Slinky, dancehall-inspired manufacturing from Swedish duo Bloodshy & Avant present the right backdrop for Brit Brit’s not-so-innocent night time. The track is one big double-entendre, discovering Spears singing softly by means of libidinous moans, nudging each her companion and the listener with simple choices (“I don’t actually wanna be a tease/ However would you undo my zipper please?” she asks within the second verse). Not solely was she in a position to assert her sexuality on wax, she gave her followers sudden sonic treats. — J.J.
Loss of life Cab for Cutie, “Transatlanticism” (Transatlanticism)

The title observe to Loss of life Cab for Cutie’s beloved Transatlanticism album begins off unassumingly sufficient, singer Ben Gibbard primarily singing about being misplaced at sea over sparse piano chords and a distant mechanical chug. However because the piano begins to intertwine with the track’s signature guitar riff, and Gibbard ultimately arrives on the repeated chorus, “I would like you a lot nearer,” “Transatlanticism” slowly gathers steam into one of many totemic anthems of all ’00s indie, a revelation that turns into a near-mantra, because the college-age forged of Six Ft Below found throughout one notably memorable journey. “So, come on!” Gibbard concludes, by which level you’ll have ditched your lighter and be waving an entire flamethrower within the air. — A.U.
The Diplomats, “I Actually Imply It” (Diplomatic Immunity)

From enjoying Ma$e’s operating mate within the late ‘90s to changing into the cornerstone of The Diplomats within the early 2000s, Cam’ron’s breakthrough moments got here courtesy of 2002’s Come Residence With Me and 2003’s Diplomatic Immunity. The latter consisted of indelible non-singles, which showcased not solely Cam’s maturation because the group’s undisputed chief however his aptitude as an MC. With Simply Blaze flipping Main Harris’ “I Acquired Over Love” for the album’s everlasting “I Actually Imply It,” Cam feasts on triumphant horns, whereas Jim Jones provides his greatest Paul Heyman impression throughout the track’s breaks. Even Cam’s Paid In Full co-star, Mekhi Phifer, isn’t secure — because the Harlem rapper serves him up on a platter on the closing verse (“You’ll get facet swiped, have a look at my life / First film ever, merked out Mekhi Phife”). — CARL LAMARRE
Kelly Clarkson, “Lovely Catastrophe”

Kelly Clarkson had proven how large she might go over the course of her successful American Idol run and first two large hits, ballad showstopper “A Second Like This” and powerhouse Minivan Rocker “Miss Impartial.” However to know that she might nail nuanced mid-tempo simply as nicely, we needed to watch for Grateful‘s “Lovely Catastrophe,” a pop-rock heartbreaker a couple of relationship that Clarkson is aware of she’d be in danger placing her coronary heart on the road for (“If I attempt to save him/ My entire world might collapse”), however which she simply can’t appear to withstand the attract of. “If I might maintain on/ By means of the tears and the laughter/ Would it not be stunning/ Or only a stunning catastrophe?” she asks over gorgeously sighing Matthew Wilder manufacturing — already understanding full nicely the reply, however nonetheless determined for a second opinion. — A.U.
Alicia Keys, “Heartburn” (The Diary of Alicia Keys)

No stranger to pulling out each cease in her repertoire, Alicia Keys’ sophomore album The Diary of Alicia Keys supplied listeners with one other have a look at her versatility as a full-fledged musician. And with sonic inspirations that span far and huge, the top result’s unpredictable, however oh so welcome. Cue: “Heartburn,” the funky, Timbaland-produced tune that’s plucked straight from a ‘70s blaxploitation movie, full with a cool hi-hat and a delicate (however downright cunning) wah-wah guitar. All through the track, which by no means loses steam, Keys croons a couple of lover that retains the fireplace burning inside her. Her ardour and the intoxicating instrumentation immediate the listener to yearn for a love that “tastes so good [they] can’t resist.” Daaamn proper. — J.J.
50 Cent, “Many Males” (Get Wealthy or Die Tryin’)

Whereas 50 Cent’s early hit-making prowess (“Wanksta,” In Da Membership,” and “P.I.M.P”) solidified his stellar rookie marketing campaign, it was his introspective cuts on Get Wealthy or Die Tryin’ that positioned him in God Mode. His rumination on “Many Males” reminded listeners that he wasn’t all the time bulletproof, as he recalled the notorious 2001 capturing that pierced his physique and psychological. Regardless of the assaults on his life, 50’s valiant comeback and visceral hooks (“Lord, I don’t cry no extra/ Don’t look to the sky no extra”) left chills on even the hardest gangstas. — C.L.
Damaged Social Scene, “Anthems for a Seventeen 12 months-Previous Lady” (You Forgot It in Individuals)

There’s a magic all through Damaged Social Scene’s breakthrough album You Forgot It in Individuals that’s totally its personal, however even with all of the spectral moments discovered throughout the set, nothing actually prepares you for “Anthems for a Seventeen 12 months-Previous Lady.” The set’s jaw-dropping facet one nearer, it materializes from the windswept outro to jaunty instrumental “Pacific Theme” by way of some light banjo choosing and scattered drums — not sounding prefer it’s gonna flip into a lot till singer Emily Haines’ stargazing entrance: “Was once one of many rotten ones and I favored you for that.” Her elliptical lyrics and pitch-shifted vocals slowly rise in depth because the strings crescendo, as much as the track’s signature four-line chorus: “Park that automotive/ Drop that telephone/ Sleep on the ground/ Dream about me.” Like most nice rock anthems (particularly for youngsters) it means nothing and all the pieces — a worthy climax to a track aware sufficient of its intent to place it proper there within the title, but one that also seems like a very spontaneous miracle. — A.U.
Jay-Z, “Public Service Announcement (Interlude)” (The Black Album)

“Change Garments” was the flashy Neptunes-produced lead single, “Grime Off Your Shoulder” was the can’t-miss radio killer and catchphrase-coiner and “99 Issues” was the throwback end-of-year list-sweeper. However in the event you’re searching for the track that endures at present because the defining reduce from Jay-Z 1.0’s remaining album, look no additional than “Public Service Announcement,” the mid-album scorcher that’ll get performed at each Brooklyn Nets sport till the top of time. Jay navigates a top-shelf Simply Blaze beat of swirling organs and crashing drums like a 60-point scorer barely even registering the protection’s presence: “Contemporary out the frying pan into the fireplace/ I be the music biz’ No. 1 provider/ Flier than a chunk of paper bearing my title/ Acquired the most well liked chick within the sport carrying my chain.” There’s no hook; there’s even “Interlude” proper there within the parenthetical — however when Hov launched his first best hits compilation in 2010, guess what track was main off, allowed to reintroduce the person’s complete profession. — A.U.
The White Stripes, “Ball and Biscuit” (Elephant)

Earlier than “Ball and Biscuit,” The White Stripes had by no means put a track longer than four-and-a-half minutes on an album. However with the seven-plus-minute guitar pyrotechnics of this Elephant standout, Jack and Meg proved the depth of their signature simplicity might stay even once they deserted brevity. Whereas Jack’s solos on the track cemented him as a twenty first century guitar hero and get a lot of the glory at present, the observe’s quintessential Stripes-ness made it a traditional: Jack’s lyrics menace like a greaser exterior a ’50s drive-in (“Learn it within the newspaper – ask your girlfriends and see in the event that they know”) as Meg unrelentingly thumps on the drum package. The strain and launch, from Jack’s haywire shredding to the track’s simmering verses, elevate it past mere guitar showcase into one of many duo’s defining cuts. — E.R.B.