Billboard single reviews: Gnarls, Nelly

SINGLE: GONE DADDY GONE

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Duo Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo Green, collectively known as Gnarls Barkley, cooked up a Grammy Award contender for song of the year with "Crazy," a psychedelic soul celebration so universal that it has been covered by an unlikely combination of acts, from

Nelly Furtado and

Billy Idol to the Roots, Butch Walker and

Bryan Adams. U.S. follow-up "Gone Daddy Gone" potentially puts the act in the same tentative position as other new artists -- James Blunt, Daniel Powter,

Anna Nalick -- whose massive breakthrough success hit a wall the second time out. While this perky track has countless charms as an addictive dance-pop singalong, it doesn't possess the elegant imprint of a modern classic as "Crazy" did. With expectations unavoidably high, that may present a formidable uphill battle for the group. Remixes will likely fuel a stampede for dancefloors, and "Gone" sounds like it is primed for use in a future ad (or TV) campaign, but top 40 may be the final frontier for Gnarls Barkley's sophomore stride.

ARTIST: NELLY FURTADO

SINGLE: MANEATER

Overseas, Nelly Furtado's "Maneater" was the lead single from her full-length "Loose" -- and it quickly leapt to No. 1 -- as "Promiscuous" worked its way to the same fate stateside. For all of the latter song's success, "Maneater" is actually a more innovative composition, with its tribal hip-hop instrumentation and a deadpan chorus that simmers at slow boil. Despite its tough, libidinous veneer, this is as much a pogo-stick party anthem with an '80s new wave sensibility exuding from its core. Furtado has delivered a rare coup: She's feeding into radio's obsession with hip-pop, but also serving up something original, clever and refreshingly melodic.

ARTIST: THE FRAY

SINGLE: HOW TO SAVE A LIFE

The Fray's top five breakthrough "Over My Head (Cable Car)" seems like coasting compared with the 100 mph momentum of follow-up "How to Save a Life," the title track from th e Denver quartet's debut disc. Featured in HBO imaging and "Grey's Anatomy" (a record label's best friend of late), the song is booming with superlatives: No. 1 track on iTunes; top 10 VH1; concurrent top 10 at adult top 40, with "Life"; and more critical buzz than a swarm of bees. It's all about the music here, thanks to singer/pianist Isaac Slade's and guitarist/singer Joe King's appreciably sensitive, pathos-oozing, piano-driven modus operandi.

ARTIST: CARTEL

SINGLE: HONESTLY

There must be something in the water in Conyers, Ga. The southern town is the birthplace of actresses

Holly Hunter and

Dakota Fanning, and now has sprung MTV/MTV2 lovechild Cartel into the big leagues. But this quintet has worked its collective heinie off to play ball, with promotional initiatives from Yahoo, AOL, Clear Channel Online and MySpace, along with persistent touring, including a coveted slot on Warped. Sniffing a phenom, Epic acquired debut "Chroma" from indie Militia Group and now first single "Honestly" -- three years after the band formed -- is growing like a fertilized weed. The pop-punk anthem, about the insecurity that hovers in the time between an argument and making up, clips along with a thunderstorm of bass and percussion, jangly guitars and the propane-charged vocals of lead vocalist/lyricist Will Pugh. Repeated listening reveals a song that rises above other vapid youth-driven emo anthems.

ARTIST: RAY SCOTT

SINGLE: I DIDN'T COME HERE TO TALK

In a crowd of new country hopefuls, Ray Scott stands out with a rich, smoky baritone that commands immediate attention. He puts that glorious voice to good use on this sultry ballad about a man who isn't interested in wasting time on sweet talk. In lines such as, "I'd rather tell you that I love you without a word from my mouth," Scott leaves no doubt about what is on his mind. Penned with co-producer Phillip Moore, this North Carolina native delivers a well-crafted song reminiscent of those sexy ballads that made women swoon during Conway Twitty's heyday.

ARTIST: THE GAME

SINGLE: LET'S RIDE (STRIP CLUB)

If the Game is trying to prove he can still dominate rap without Dr. Dre's hard beats or 50 Cent's sing-songy hooks, then he should not have released a single like "Let's Ride," which emulates both. This cut from his upcoming sophomore effort "The Doctor's Advocate" was originally touted as a collaborative effort with Dr. Dre, but 50 Cent and the Game heatedly severed ties after the latter's superb 2005 debut "The Documentary." Here, the all-too-pervasive Scott Storch crafts firm chords and coiling violins that vastly resemble Dre's signature sound while Game, in his usual anger-tinged delivery, reasserts his supremacy. "Let's Ride" is a decent club cut, but not as infectious as previous singles "How We Do" or "Hate It or Love It" (both featuring 50), nor does it detach Game from his earlier mentors. Fortunately, his reggae-infused street single "One Blood" does that.

ARTIST: 'WEIRD AL' YANKOVIC

SINGLE: WHITE & NERDY

Twenty-three years and 12 albums have not dimmed "Weird Al" Yankovic's acumen for spot-on pop culture parody. Latest album "Straight Outta Lynwood" (the Cali town where he was raised) deliciously delivers the deadpan satire that has long made him more a social commentator than novelty act. First single "White & Nerdy," a reinterpretation of Chamillionaire's No. 1 "Ridin' (Dirty)," includes a breakneck 87-line lyric, in which Al confesses, "I'm nerdy in the extreme and whiter than sour cream/I was in A/V club and glee club and even the chess team/Only question I ever thought was hard/Was, do I like Kirk or do I like Picard?" Radio could have a blast, offering a familiar track by an artist ready for exploration by a whole new generation. Regardless, the masses are already sold: "White & Nerdy" has catapulted to No. 11 at the iTunes Music Store.

Reuters/Billboard