THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Rihanna is one of those rare artists that still keeps up with the old model of recording albums at least one per year, never letting up. While her sound has maintained quality and she always has some fantastic hits on every CD, she's yet to make that one really well thought out album she's capable of. Songs like "Diamonds" (written by the amazing Sia) got us all really excited for her new direction, but once you really dug deeper, Unapologetic was no more adventurous than any of her other CDs and was just a step sideways, not up. If she took some time off, maybe she'd take more time to choose material that told a story, and would possibly have enough time to spend with CB to realize what a huge d-bag he actually is.

Coldplay, Mumford & Sons, and The Killers all started out as great, inventive alternatives to what rock radio was putting out. All three got major success and acclaim over one or two CDs. All three got so bloated and lost in their sound that they all now are verging on U2's pomposity. I'm thinking all three need a good near-death experience to bring them back to what made them great. Strip it down, boys, before you bloat beyond Bono.

Nicki Minaj. Do I really need to explain this one? She's gradually gone from edgy rapper to weird singing Barbie Doll. Rihanna as Amanda LePore if you will. And her stint on Idol is making it worse. This might be cause for a spring, summer, fall, and winter break.

And finally, someone who should probably take more than just a break is Alicia Keys. Keys, who recently put out only her fifth album in 12 years, Girl On Fire, has proven she's squandered her "promise." She's sweet, gorgeous, and can sing and play piano with perfection but that woman cannot put together a compelling album. With ever y release, critics laud her with the same above accolades, but consistently say her albums miss the mark. Is it possibletha Alicia is just an okay talent in need of more assistance than she's been allowed? She may need a break, or in this case, just break from her rut ... or her keys to the studio.

In the end, no one can keep running and churning out perfection. We all need time to charge our batteries, or in some cases (like with your cell phone), change plans altogether.

Hear Moose DJ at Downtown Bar, The Sofo Tap and Mary's Attic monthly.