The James Logan Courier

By Glenn Gamboa
Newsday (MCT)

LILY ALLEN "It's Not Me, It's You" Grade: B-minus
BOTTOM LINE Blander music blunts Lily's edge

Lily Allen was refreshing when she debuted in 2007 with "Alright, Still." Brash and brainy, she twisted numerous musical styles, from reggae to U.K. grime to breezy pop, to suit her sassy stories.

On her follow-up, "It's Not Me, It's You" (Capitol), Allen's sharp lyrical style is relatively intact, but the music that supports it is often so dull that it sucks the charm out of her delivery. Maybe it's because Allen wrote the whole album with Greg Kurstin of The Bird and the Bee instead of using a larger group of collaborators, but after a while "It's Not Me, It's You" runs out of steam.

By Robert Kahn
Newsday (MCT)

The weekend altercation between one-time lovebirds Rihanna and Chris Brown left her bloody and bruised, and was so brutal it required a doctor's intervention, according to new details that emerged Tuesday.

"Chris knocked her around," a source told People magazine. Witnesses in the hospital with Rihanna told other online sources the "Umbrella" singer "was clearly very upset. ... I could hear her screaming."

By Melissa Mota, Courier Staff Writer

The band Hoobastank, which scored big with their first single "Crawling in the Dark" way back in 2002, has come out of hibernation with the kick-butt CD, For(n)ever.

The CD definitely takes us back to the band's old rock roots. There are a mix of upbeat, straight forward songs like "My Turn" and "All About You."