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Who's on Top .. and Who Should Be

Ne-Yo's "Year of the Gentleman" debuts at #2 on the Billboard charts but one critic thinks rapper Izza Kizza should be blowing up instead. In the second installment of this monthly series, Slate critic Jody Rosen helps us crack open the Billboard charts to see what the biggest selling albums have to say about the state of pop music today. And, he weighs in with his picks for who should be the best selling artists in America.

Soundcheck blog: John Schaefer on today's "Who's on Top"

Billboard Top 200 album chart

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CD Picks of the Week

Skuli Sverrison, "Seria" (12 Tónar)

For a country with such a small population, Iceland seems to have more musicians than it knows what to do with. So some of them have to leave the musical hotbed of Reykjavik backwaters like London or New York. Bassist Skuli Sverrison is one of them. He’s been here in NY for some years now, and has worked with everyone from Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto to indie rockers Blonde Redhead to Laurie Anderson, with whom he tours (as her music director). Now, Skuli has a moody new disc called Seria, with songs that are atmospheric, rhythmic, and somehow have a slight Icelandic chill. --picked by John Schaefer.

"Seria" is available for purchase from 12 Tónar records.

Cameron Carpenter, organ, "Revolutionary" (Telarc)

Think organ and you’ll probably envision an elderly woman lurking about a church loft. You obviously haven’t encountered the 27-year-old Juilliard-trained organist Cameron Carpenter. One critic described him as “the bastard child of Wendy Carlos and David Bowie.” That’s thanks to his taste for wearing glam-rock make-up and performing in all-white, neon-glittery outfits that he designs himself. But Cameron Carpenter isn’t a gimmick. His debut album, called “Revolutionary,” features 11 high-octane pieces recorded at Trinity Church at Wall Street – including Chopin, Bach and Liszt. --picked by Brian Wise

"Revolutionary" is available for purchase from Amazon.com

Various Artists, "Calypsoul 70: Carribean Soul and Calypso Crossover 1969-1979" (Strut)

Our next CD pick of the week is the compilation "Calypsoul 70," a time-machine tour of the Caribbean Islands at the dawn of a great soul decade. The collection of 20 booty-shaking tracks finds calypso, Latin, reggae and a myriad of other styles living comfortably together -- even when it veers off into disco occasionally. Check out the opening track, The Revolution of St. Vincent's "The Little You Say," and political songs like Biosis Now's "Independent Bahamas." --picked by Joel Meyer

"Calypsoul 70" is available for purchase from Amazon.com

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