1. Jennifer Hudson feat. Ludacris, “Pocketbookâ€
Despite the corny image of Hudson swatting away Ludacris for getting too fresh, this new track from her upcoming solo release does a good job of transforming Hudson from a Dreamgirl into a modern R&B star. [Mixtape Maestro]
2. Mercury Rev, “People Are So Unpredictable (There’s No Bliss Like Home)â€
We were definitely surprised when Mercury Rev dropped a spacey instrumental album for free (Strange Attractor) to accompany their new full-length Snowflake Midnight. What we can predict is that as good as this single is, people probably aren’t going to pay for that record, either. [Are You Gene Hackman?]
3. Samba Mapangala, “Obamaâ€
Just in time to comfort swing voters’ fears about Obama’s perceived exoticism comes this reassuring soukous ditty from famous Zairean singer and bandleader Samba Mapangala. [Ntwiga]
4. Busta Rhymes, “Packin’ Them Thingsâ€
We don’t know why Busta thinks Kev Brown’s production sounds like Fat Albert, because it’s about the only thing keeping the erstwhile Flipmode leader from sounding like a cartoon on this track. [Jump the Turnstyle]
5. Little Boots, “Bring It On (Leon Jean-Marie cover)â€
With nary a cheerleader to be found, Little Boots still manages to get us worked up about newcomer Leon Jean-Marie on this cover of a track off his upcoming release. [Big Stereo]