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( Late night calm before next day's poll storm? )

( Tritt, Rimes, Veronicas, Ashley T., Rihanna )

Rihanna's got a track where, just like on a couple of the Tisdale's, she's saying there's a difference between the entertainer and the person. But she pulls it off, telling us that sometimes she sucks as a human being, and making it sound like she really does think she sometimes sucks. She's three years younger than Tisdale and three years younger than the Veronicas, and she sounds about five years older, and five years deeper.

"Breaking Dishes" is the best-known of the roughneck numbers, but the one that's been grabbing me is "Lemme Get That," a deliberately stumbling shuffle, thick Caribbean harmonies, the accompaniment pushing up with ugly half steps, while some of Rihanna's phrasing is this half-detached, half-emphatic rhythmic style that could come right out of "Maybelline" or "Too Much Monkey Business." But it's not signifying rock 'n' roll at all. I'm not sure what genre this song is signifying, actually. I like that.

( Another Ashley )

Tisdale haunts entire balloting process

Eliminating the Tisdale from my album ballot didn't get her out of my head, since (for example) I'd be listening to M.I.A.'s Kala and saying "Yes, this is nice, but Ashley Tisdale has three tracks on her album that are better than any track on your album." So Ashley Tisdale haunts the balloting process.

With fifty minutes to go before lists and comments are due at Idolator, this is where I am with my album list:

( Noes, Yesses, and Maybes )