So many singles, so little time. Here are three songs to stream right away:
"Rocket Fuel" (Mass Appeal), the new collaboration between DJ Shadow and De La Soul, is delightfully old-school, from the scratching sounds to the Amityville natives' trading of rhymes one on top of the other. It builds like a hip-hop classic, with call-and-response lines, boasting and vintage samples with knowing references such as "What's a disc jockey?" De La Soul, celebrating the 30th anniversary of its landmark debut, "3 Feet High and Rising," this year, started out after this hip-hop style's heyday had passed, but their mastery could help reintroduce it.
Brittany Howard's solo single "Stay High" (ATO) is a gorgeous slice of throwback soul, breezier and sweeter than her work with Alabama Shakes. The lovely ache is still in her voice, but the way she applies it to these "everything is beautiful" sentiments makes it even more effective.
Bruce Springsteen is unusually straightforward on "I'll Stand by You" (Columbia), though knowing the ballad was originally written for "Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone" helps explain it. Now released as part of the "Blinded by the Light" soundtrack, the lush production sounds like a harbinger to the "Western Stars" album, without all the weighty lyrical concepts.
