Industry Bummer

With CD's sales falling faster than the stock market the record industry is counting on some huge names to bring them home during the last half of 2007. And the stars are lined up to deliver, as we should see releases from Carrie Underwood, 50 Cent, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, and more during the fall. While these stars may not be able to offset the 15% drop in sales this year they may be able to soften the blow. Here are some lead singles from some newly released albums.

Carrie Underwood "So Small"

Carrie's new single from her sophomore set barely reached programmers hands before it was blasting over the airwaves. What else would you expect from this American Idol who became country's reigning queen in a span of just over a year. And the song is no disappointment. Her voice sounds even stronger and more mature than it did on her first release. As she takes you to new heights singing "Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand / What you've been out there searching for forever is in your hands" its clear that Carrie is here to stay.

Kanye West "Stronger"

Its a good thing for Kanye that his music backs up his mouth. Rap's number one egotist returns after taking a short break. This time sampling Daft Punk, Kanye delivers strong lyrics, clearly taking aim at his critics in saying "That that don't kill me can only make me stronger." But he also drops some pop culture gold in saying "You know how long I've been on ya / Since Prince was on Apollonia / Since OJ had Isotoners." 50 Cent has proclaimed that he will retire if Kanye's album outsells his album with the same ominous release date of September 11th. Team Kanye.

Backstreet Boys "Inconsolable"

With the departure of Kevin Richardson, America's oldest "boys" will try to make it a go as a foursome. Opening with Nick Carter's signature voice this mid-tempo ballad goes pretty much where you would expect it to in talking about missing someone when they are gone. Their experience as a group is evident in the fact that they sound at ease with each other and blend nicely. But while delivering a solid single and expanding on their more mature sound that they showed on their last album it will be interesting to see if there is still room to be found for them on pop radio.