Sidetracked

This week, Alex Cohen debuts his new column covering the week’s hottest tracks.

Flo Rida feat. T-Pain – “Low”

Like the state he reps, Flo Rida isn’t quite sure where he fits in geographically. Sometimes he’s a Southern rapper (see Rick Ross collabo “Birthday Cake”). Other times, as in “Low,” his smooth triplet rhymes evoke his tropical neighbors in the Caribbean. And over that song’s pseudo-futuristic club beat, Mr. Rida sounds as stylistically homeless as ever. The result: another forgettable T-Pain track about smacking booties. Grade: C

Yael Naim – “New Soul”

Apparently, Jack Johnson and Feist had a baby named Yael Naim, who inherited her mom’s voice and dad’s too-stupid-to-know-any-better “la la las.” Case in point is the refreshing and wispy “New Soul.” It’s no wonder Apple chose to feature the song in its carefree-and-cool ads for the super-thin MacBook Air. Plus, the slender French-Israeli crooner might be able to fit into a manila envelope, too. Grade: A-

Webbie feat. Lil’ Phat and Lil’ Boosie – “Independent”

Finally, rap music with a message. Louisiana rapper Webbie, along with a couple of his lil’ friends, try to bring positivity back to the genre with their ode to I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T women: “An independent chick, do you know what that mean? / She cook, she clean, never smell like onion rings.” Fortunately, the song’s catchy beat and spelling-bee chorus help distract from the lyrics. Grade: C+

Chris Cagle – “What Kinda Gone”

In “What Kinda Gone,” Chris Cagle wants to know if his wife is really gone for good. Her departure seems surprising at first – Cagle seems like such a nice guy. His most recent single is one of those catchy, inoffensive pop-country songs that gets stuck in your head for days. Then again, perhaps Cagle’s boo left to find a man with a little more edge. Maybe a Toby Keith type. Grade: B