Welcome to Buzzworthy's "The Week In Pop," where we round up new album releases, talk show musical guests, and TV performances by your favorite pop stars and more (so you don't have to).
Holy album release week, everyone! The Kanye West/G.O.O.D. Music Cruel Summer compilation debuts just before summer ends, and Pink drops her sixth album. See her Tuesday on "Today" and "Late Show With David Letterman"; Pink also hits "The Daily Show" on Wednesday. The Killers deliver their fourth record, and they'll perform on "Late Show With David Letterman" Wednesday. Meanwhile, Carly Rae Jepsen and Kreayshawn both make their full-length album debuts, and Nelly Furtado, Sean Paul, and Go Radio also release new material. This week also commemorates the late Michael Jackson's 1987 album, Bad, with a 25th anniversary re-release; on Tuesday Bad's anniversary is honored on "BET Presents: BAD 25" with a short films tribute. Also, today at 2 p.m. E.T., watch "MTV Unplugged: Rita Ora" on MTV.com!
NEW ALBUM RELEASES
+ Kanye West/G.O.O.D. Music, Cruel Summer: After more than a few delays, the highly-anticipated Cruel Summer drops, just before autumn officially sets in. Jam-packed with collabos (R. Kelly, Jay-Z, Big Sean, Pusha T, 2 Chainz, DJ Khaled, Ghostface Killah, Common, John Legend, and more), strong lead singles "Mercy," "New God Flow," "Cold" and "Clique" preceded the set. There was also that bit of controversy around Kanye's "I Don't Like" Chief Keef track remix.
+ Pink, The Truth About Love: We were already loving her "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" video, where she gives a final kiss-off to to a cheater, as well as her stunning performance at the 2012 MTV VMAs. Now, there's more to love with the ballad "Try," the saucy "Slut Like You," and the Eminem collabo "Here Comes The Weekend." So, in summary: the truth about love is don't take crap, dust yourself off after heartbreak and heal, go for what you want, and make sure to enjoy yourself along the way. Cosign.
+ The Killers, Battle Born: Back with their first album in four years, new song "Runaways" sounds like Brandon Flowers channeling Bruce Springsteen with some Tom Petty inflections at the same time, which is to say it's very cool. Also check out their live performance of "Rising Tide," which they played at their tour opener in Asheville, NC. Other album notables include the rousing "Flesh And Bone" and the building ballad, "Miss Atomic Bomb."
Check out more new album releases and upcoming TV appearances and performances after the jump.
+ Carly Rae Jepsen, Kiss: As the creator of "Call Me, Maybe" -- one of the most, if not the most, viral hits of the year (or ever) -- Carly seems poised to be a chart favorite. Aside from that ridic catchy song being a cover fave among stars from Katy Perry's lip-synch video, Kelly Clarkson's live cover, and every day folks alike, her biggest champion/boss Justin Bieber duets with her on "Beautiful." She also collaborated with Owl City for the sunny "Good Time."
+ Michael Jackson, Bad 25: The 2-CD set commemorates the late King Of Pop's 25th anniversary of his landmark album, Bad. The first CD comprises the original remastered album with hits like "Man In The Mirror," "Bad," and "Smooth Criminal." The second set houses previously unreleased material, including early Bad demos. A special box set features an additional disc with the audio version of Michael's entire July 16, 1988 concert at London's Wembley Stadium.
+ Nelly Furtado, The Spirit Indestructible: The follow-up to her Spanish language record, Mi Plan, this marks Nelly's return to the pop style she honed on 2006's Loose. With a hip-hop beat, she celebrates "Big Hoops (Bigger the Better)" (and the kind you wear as earrings, not basketball). Her "Spirit Indestructible" video makes a case for confidence, and drum circles. Guests include Nas ("Something") and the Deluxe edition houses four more songs, including a "Thoughts" Tiësto remix.
+ Sean Paul, Tomahawk Technique: "Some people are calling it a departure from the dancehall and I'm not departing, I think I'm 'expandituring,'" he told RapFix Live of his latest effort. "It's definitely more pop-oriented, I'm singing a lot more." The album, which he says was named after its cutting edge quality of blending new styles with dancehall roots, finally gets its Stateside release. Songs include "Won't Stop (Turn Me Out)" with Chris Brown and "How Deep is Your Love" with Kelly Rowland.
+ Kreayshawn, Somethin' 'Bout Kreay: Explaining the eclectic style of her new album, she told MTV News, "My main goal was to have every song inspired by a different genre of music, so every song sounds incredibly different." To wit, there's the punkish, drum march rhythms of "Like It or Love It" with Kid Cudi, the hip-hop ode to drugs "Breakfast (Syrup)" with 2 Chainz, and the poppier-minded "Go Hard (La.La.La)."
+ Go Radio, Close The Distance: A little more than a year after releasing their debut, Lucky Street, the Floridian group follow-up with Close The Distance. The galloping "Collide" features sing-along "whoa-oh-whoa" harmonies. Meanwhile, the kiss-off track "Go To Hell" begins as an earnest piano ballad before opening into a catchy chorus, which makes telling someone off extra blissful.
TV APPEARANCES AND PERFORMANCES
Monday, Sept. 17 on MTV
"MTV Unplugged: Rita Ora" -- 2 p.m. E.T. on MTV.com
Monday, Sept. 17
"VH1's Big Morning Buzz" -- The Avett Brothers
"Late Show With David Letterman" -- Of Gentlemen and Cowards
"Tonight Show With Jay Leno" -- Rascal Flatts
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" -- Kreayshawn
"Chelsea Lately" -- fun.
"Conan" -- Demi Lovato
"Live With Kelly & Michael" -- Nelly Furtado
"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" -- Kellie Pickler
"The Voice" -- "Blind Auditions, Part 4." Featuring coaches Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton, and advisers Mary J. Blige, Billie Joe Armstrong, and Rob Thomas
Tuesday, Sept. 18
"Late Show With David Letterman" -- Pink
"Tonight Show With Jay Leno" --Justin Timberlake
"Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" -- Nelly Furtado
"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" -- Carly Rae Jepsen
"The Voice" -- "Blind Auditions, Part 5." Featuring coaches Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton, and advisers Mary J. Blige, Billie Joe Armstrong, and Rob Thomas.
"BET Presents: BAD 25" -- The short films of Michael Jackson, featuring interviews with Ne-Yo, Ashanti, A$AP Rocky, and more.
"Today" -- Pink
Wednesday, Sept. 19
"VH1's Big Morning Buzz" -- ZZ Ward
"Anderson Live" -- co-host Cyndi Lauper
"Late Show With David Letterman" -- The Killers
"Tonight Show With Jay Leno" -- Big & Rich
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" -- The Afghan Whigs
"Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" -- The Avett Brothers
"The Daily Show" -- Pink
"Conan" -- Delta Rae
"Live With Kelly & Michael" -- Neon Trees
"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" -- PSY
"The X Factor" -- "Auditions #3," featuring judges Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, L.A. Reid, and Simon Cowell
Thursday, Sept. 20
"VH1's Big Morning Buzz" -- Boys Like Girls
"Late Show With David Letterman" -- Band of Horses
"The X Factor" -- "Auditions #4," featuring judges Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, L.A. Reid, and Simon Cowell
Friday, Sept. 21
"VH1's Big Morning Buzz" -- Ed Sheeran, Ne-Yo
"Today" -- Ashanti
Saturday, Sept. 22
"Saturday Night Live" -- Mumford & Sons is the musical guest.
Sunday, Sept. 23
"64th Annual Emmy Awards" -- "The Voice" is nominated for "Best Competition Reality Show" and Ryan Seacrest is up for "Best Reality Show Host" for "American Idol.
Photo credit: @kanyewest
