The title Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones is slightly misleading, suggesting that Madonna topped the pop charts 50 times. The 50 Number Ones in the title of Finally Enough Love refer to the hits Madonna placed at the top of Billboard's dance charts, a chart she called home even longer than the pop charts themselves. The last time Madonna placed in the Billboard Top Ten was in 2012, when "Give Me All Your Luvin" peaked at ten, but she remained a dominant presence on the Dance charts into the 2020s, when "I Don't Search I Find" -- a single that lends this compilation its title phrase -- reached number one in 2020. Truth be told, Madonna had more than 50 dance chart-toppers -- "Causing a Commotion" is notable among the absences -- but it's difficult to find fault with a compilation this generous, particularly when it offers such revelations as well. Positioning Madonna as a dance artist helps emphasize her innovations while suggesting she remained a vital part of dance culture for decades. Viewing her through this prism naturally downplays her pop sensibilities and gift for sultry ballads, yet it still comes as a shock that the '80s hits are wrapped up in nine songs, while the '90s are concluded at the collection's 22nd track with "Beautiful Stranger." This means well over half of the collection is devoted to the 21st century, a period when Madonna was a superstar yet only occasionally in center stage. Effectively, this is the photo negative of Celebration, the 2009 album that contains all the pop radio staples: where that largely played for comfort, this is percolating and alive, with even the biggest hits being offered in alternate single or video edits or different mixes. The result is a compilation that pushes Madonna's artistry to the forefront, as it shows a musician who continually engages with fashions, trends, and innovations. Certainly, this doesn't tell the entirety of Madonna's story, but it's a crucial chapter to document and, fortunately, it's done so quite thoroughly here.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

The Who need no excuse to release a new compilation -- since 1994, a new collection has appeared roughly at the rate of one every three years -- but the band's 50th anniversary does provide the opportunity for a splashy new compilation, the first since 2009's Greatest Hits. Snappily titled The Who Hits 50!, by virtue of spanning two full CDs the set does cast a wider net than either Greatest Hits or 2004's Then & Now, beginning with the stiff R&B of the High Numbers' "Zoot Suit" and concluding with the brand-new "Be Lucky," a delirious revival of Pete Townshend's purple, overwritten '80s midlife crisis. In between those two songs come 40 tracks, including some genuine surprises -- the bonkers mod anthem "Dogs" and its Beach Boys-aping flip "Call Me Lightning," the band's cover of the Stones' "The Last Time," the first appearance of "Relay" in a comp in ages, John Entwistle's paranoid "Trick of the Light" -- but for the most part, this serves up the same songs that have popped up again and again on Who compilations over the years. This may be predictable but as a collection of basics, either for fair-weather fans or newcomers, it does its job well and it has nice artwork to boot.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Available exclusively on Qobuz Time waits for no one…right? While times and tastes change, every so often a group fine tunes a durable mix of musical firepower and showbiz glitz and manages to defy the years. This first call, horn section-turned-band, has solved the aging issue with a practical formula: get in a groove, write punchy horn charts, consistently whip up a high-energy funk revue where the jams blend together and viola, you have a band that is now celebrating the almost unheard-of milestone of a half century together! Tower of Power has a tradition of marking every passing decade with a live album and for their 50th anniversary in 2018 they brought the house—17 musicians and a full string section—to the Fox Theater in their original stomping ground of Oakland, CA, and filmed and recorded over 20 tracks in front of a partisan crowd that sounds appropriately stoked. Though more than 60 musicians have passed through this band over the years, the first key to the band's longevity is the continued presence in their signature two trumpet-three saxophone attack of the group's two founding saxophone players, tenorman Emilio Castillo and baritone sax player Stephen "Doc" Kupka. Another essential element to the relentless tempos is the return of original drummer David Garibaldi, who deserves an ironman award for setting a lethal pace throughout. A special treat is that the other half of the band's classic original rhythm section, bassist Francis "Rocco" Prestia, appears on four tracks—his final live recordings with the band before his death in September 2020. Of the guests, it's good to hear SNL band director Lenny Pickett back in the fold and B-3 organist Chester Thompson adds several animated solos. While many of these hard funk horn jams are mixed together without a break, this long set contains many outstanding instrumental highlights. ToP, who have appeared as a backup band on records by artists as diverse as Little Feat, The Meters, John Lee Hooker and Elton John, slide comfortably into supercharged versions of their early hits like 1973's "What is Hip" and near the end, 1972's "You're Still a Young Man." A new tune "Stop" from 2018, vividly keeps the band's sound vital. Working hard to be an asset in a horn band, guitarist Jerry Cortez, makes his presence felt in a solo in "Can't You See (You Doin' Me Wrong)" And the band's best sweet soul number, "You're So Wonderful, So Marvelous," reappears here in a new, near-definitive version. At times, strong-voiced lead singer Marcus Scott's vocal enthusiasm verges on being obnoxious—not every tune needs multiple screams or a "Make some noise!" shout between verses. And while it may be time to retire the band's well-worn JB medley, "Diggin' on James Brown," the smooth professionalism here is terrific and it's impressive that the band manages to keep up a full-bore, whirlwind energy level throughout these 22 tracks. While viewing the accompanying video would undoubtedly add to the enjoyment, this is one fiery soul set: proof the horn-driven funk has a thousand variations and so perhaps…an eternal life. © Robert Baird/Qobuz

Sting seemed to tire of pop songs sometime early in the 21st century, wandering away from the format after 2003's well-mannered Sacred Love. Over the next 13 years, he entertained his esoteric interests -- he collaborated on a classical album, he rearranged his old tunes for an orchestra, he reunited the Police, he wrote a musical -- before he returned to pop/rock with 2016's 57th & 9th. The fact that he named this comeback album after the intersection he crossed on his way to the studio speaks to the workmanlike aspect of 57th & 9th: there is no grand concept, no unifying aesthetic -- it's merely a collection of pop songs. This is hardly a bad thing. Sting has often undervalued his skills as a craftsman, so hearing him deliver ten sharply crafted songs is appealing. Playing with a studio band featuring drummer Josh Freese and guitarist Lyle Workman, Sting manages to work up a head of steam on occasion -- "I Can't Stop Thinking About You" opens the album with an insistent pulse, "Petrol Head" evokes memories of "Synchronicity II" -- but he spends as much time delivering tunes with a delicate touch. Much of the last half of the record is devoted to introspection, but unlike the fussy Sacred Love, the ballads here benefit from a brighter, open production and a singer/songwriter who feels invested in sculpting his melodies with the same care that he gives his lyrics. Sting sifts through familiar territory with songs of protest sitting alongside songs of yearning and love, and it all adds up to record that's simultaneously unassuming and revealing: through its modest nature, 57th & 9th stands as a testament to Sting's inherent gifts as a songwriter and record-maker. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Fully Completely is where Kingston, Ontario's Tragically Hip finally come to the apex of their talent. Lead singer Gord Downie sounds crisp and full of life, and the songs he verbally dramatizes are rich in lyrical sharpness and instrumental color. With more than half of this album's songs being released to Canadian radio, it established the Hip as a mainstream contender and rescued them from their bar band persona. Songs like "Courage" and "At the Hundredth Meridian" glimmer with Downie's poetic finesse while basking in the dimmed glow of background guitar. "Fifty-Mission Cap" is centered around their interest of hockey nostalgia, and "Locked in the Trunk of a Car" simmers with an R.E.M.-type brusqueness that hovers in mystery. The astuteness of "Wheat Kings" comes off as one of their best slow songs, once again elevated from Gord Downie's peculiar unequivocalness. Letting Downie glide into each song with his complex philosophical idioms was a step in the right direction, a feat that was almost mastered on 1991's Road Apples, but fell just inches short. The Tragically Hip prove on Fully Completely that their level of maturity and musical craftsmanship have finally come to fruition.© Mike DeGagne /TiVo

With 2016's Evolution, Dr. Lonnie Smith made a flamboyant comeback. The last time the doctor's name graced a Blue Note album was 45 years ago… It was on this famous label, as a sideman to Lou Donaldson (Alligator Bogaloo, Mr. Shing-A-Ling, Midnight Creeper), and then as a band leader (Think!, Turning Point, Move Your Hand, Drives and Live At Club Mozambique) that this master of the Hammond B-3 made a name for himself in the late 1960s, proving that Jimmy Smith wasn't the only one who knew how to tame an electric keyboard... Brilliant and groovy as ever despite the years that have passed, Doc has brought us a live album recorded at New York's Jazz Standard at a concert to mark the 75th anniversary. Smith himself describes the live version as essential: "It is so hard to get across what you're feeling in the moment when you're recording in the studio. Listening to my concerts, it’s like catching me playing in the moment. I like that idea." With guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg and drummer Johnathan Blake, the trio form a close-knit fraternity. "My musicians know what I'm trying to do, and they develop my thoughts. When I play, I am always in the moment. They know how to adapt and be there for me." From the famous Juju by Wayne Shorter to Paul Simon's 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (with Joe Dyson as a second drummer), the organist revisits an exceptionally eclectic repertoire while still retaining his own style. Time has hardly left a mark on Dr. Lonnie Smith's groove or his sense of swing; he is throwing off some real sparks here throughout this bubbling, visceral record. © CM/Qobuz

On her solo debut Whatever, the former vocalist for Til Tuesday cements her position as a center-stage artist and top-notch songwriter, and Aimee Mann's blend of wit, smarts, cynicism, and downright humability make for a wonderfully pleasing collection of catchy songs. Musically, the jangle-pop feel of Whatever harkens back to the Beatles and the Byrds but without forsaking its contemporary origin. Lyrically, it is often hard to know whether Mann is spilling her guts out over a love or a deal gone bad. In fact, it is often a combination. But the seamless ease with which she tells the tales, moving from her head to her heart and back again, exposes her mighty talent. Teaming with some of her former bandmates, including longtime collaborator Jon Brion, gives Mann a comfort and a sure footing from which to climb and stretch, which she does with certainty. "I Should've Known," "Could've Been Anyone," and "Say Anything" get the heads bobbing, while the more somber "4th of July" and "Stupid Thing" will beckon forth even the loneliest of hankies. And how many artists pay tribute to Charles Dickens? (Witness "Jacob Marley's Chain.") Talk about literate songwriters and you have to speak of Aimee Mann. The dismissive tone of the title belies the time that was put into this album, for even after its recording, it took Mann quite a long while to find a home. Initially released on Imago Records, Whatever was later reissued by Geffen Records.© Kelly McCartney /TiVo

With 2022's Fifty, Grammy-winning vocal quartet the Manhattan Transfer celebrate their 50th birthday in illustrious fashion, collaborating with Germany's WDR Funkhausorchester. Founded in the 1960s by the late Tim Hauser, the Manhattan Transfer helped repopularize '40s-style vocal harmony jazz, swing, and traditional pop, all while incorporating contemporary pop and dance elements. Here, original members Janis Siegel and Alan Paul, along with longtime member Cheryl Bentyne and Trist Curless (who joined after Hauser's passing in 2014), look back on the group's albums and revisit some of their favorite songs. Helping them achieve this time-traveling journey is producer and Take 6-member David Thomas as well as musical arrangers Jorge Callandrelli and Vince Mendoza and vocal arranger Amanda Taylor. While there's certainly a sense of warm familiarity about many of the songs included here, the group smartly eschews many of their obvious hits, like "Birdland" or "Tuxedo Junction," that became staples of their live shows. Instead, they favor equally memorable songs that represent the many genres and styles they've incorporated into their sound over the decades. There's a widescreen, Technicolor vibe to the album that feels like a classic Hollywood film where the main characters travel the globe to far-off exotic locales. Emblematic of this is the opening "Agua," a cinematic and moody MPB ballad by Djavan and Brock Walsh off 1987's Brasil that evokes the expansive harmonies of '60 groups like Free Design. Similarly, "Paradise Within" is a dreamy tropical number off 2018's The Junction that conjures the romantic big band vibe of the 1940's that remains so redolent of the Manhattan Transfer sound. Also bringing to mind the group's swinging, big band-inspired style is their lush rendition of the Artie Shaw standard "The Man I Love" -- a never-before-recorded arrangement. In classic decade-mashing fashion, they also they also dive into some of their more adventurous choices, including their surprising update of XTC's '80s classic "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul" from The Junction and the hip-hop-infused "What Goes Around, Comes Around" off 1991's The Offbeat of Avenues. They even revisit their campy reworking of Bernard Herrmann's Twilight Zone theme off 1979's Extensions. These are lush, orchestral productions that add even more textural colors to the quartet's already vibrant vocal harmonies.© Matt Collar /TiVo