Big albums of all shapes and sizes would be nice this week, but--perhaps predictably--all we're getting are shiny circular ones that are 120 millimeters in diameter!

Still, that doesn't make them any less good!

And while it's difficult to single out only 10 out of the countless hundred that deserve mention this week, let's arbitrarily focus on the ones that seem most promising! In other words, let's shine the spotlight on those classics likely to be handed down from generation to generation through the next millennium!

Also, they have to be within reach as I write this! Or at least have nice covers!

Jennifer Hudson: Jennifer Hudson (Arista) Here's an odd scenario! It's the debut album by an artist already enormously famous for her appearance on American Idol and her role as Effie White in the popular movie Dreamgirls! She's climbed every mountain, she's forded every stream, she's been produced by Clive Davis, and her single "Spotlight" has been written by Ne-Yo, a multi-talented

Wow! I think we all can agree the state of pop music has never been better--especially after last night's MTV Music Video Awards!

I usually don't watch those sort of things--generally, I'm out partying with society's upper crust--but due to a pesky fluke, I managed to catch a few glimpses and, happily, was reassured all was right with the world!

Most notably, the fact that Britney Spears was finally awarded all she's been artistically due over the years was especially heartwarming--like many, I too feel 2008 represents her peak year as an artist! Additionally, in the Best New Artist category, the strong showing of superstars Tokio Hotel over piddling newcomers Miley Cyrus, Jordin Sparks, Katy Perry, and Taylor Swift--I mean, who's even heard of them?--proved once and for all that true talent will always win out!

In all, anyone who thinks today's pop music scene isn't on the up-and-up is going to have to deal with me first! If I'm not around, leave a message and I'll call back!

Like many, I've always assumed that contemporary popular music peaked with the fantastic recordings of the New Kids On The Block made in the late '80s and early '90s. The popular combo was attractive, in a squeaky clean sort of way, yet also just daring enough to captivate its youngish teen audience with such albums titles as the unforgettable Hangin' Tough. Plus, they had nice hair!

So could it be any less than divine coincidence that the same week that we see a brand new, terrific New Kids compilation we're also greeted with A Little Bit Longer, the much-anticipated new album from this millennium's latest teen sensations, the Jonas Brothers?

I guess I wouldn't be alone in noting the parallels between both acts! Consider this: They're both male, human, English-speaking, preferred largely by a young female audience, fantastic entertainers, and equally enjoyable in their upbeat video romps! Similarly, were they both to be mysteriously teleported into deep space, they would--as

This is a fun time of year!

Why? Because big record companies typically hold off on their major album releases for a month or so--waiting for kids to arrive at school with fresh new dollars in hand--and the summer's "big" albums have already been out since early June or so!

So what comes out now?

1) Stuff that has a snowball's chance in hell of selling, 2) Stuff from labels so hip they couldn't care less about outdated sales traditions, or 3) Stuff that somebody at the company forgot they were supposed to release, and now look!

Any way you look at it, we win!

Hawthorne Heights: Fragile Future (Victory) After a celebrated struggle with their label that resulted in heated name-calling and other, worse legal stuff, after the actual death of a band member, and after a reconciliation with that same label, here's a new album with a revealing title--Fragile Future--and an even more revealing first single: "Rescue Me." And here's a writer desperately trying to stay awake