Dear Agony is the fourth studio album by American rock band Breaking Benjamin. It was released on September 29, 2009. A Best Buy edition and a Japanese version of the album were also released, both of which feature bonus content.
Rated R is the fourth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, released November 20, 2009, on Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions for the album took place during March to November 2009 at several recording studios, and production was handled primarily by Chase & Status, StarGate, The-Dream, Ne-Yo, and Brian Kennedy. Conceived after Rihanna's assault by her then-boyfriend, singer Chris Brown, Rated R features a prominently foreboding and angry tone, in terms of musical and lyrical direction, and incorporates elements of hip hop,rock, and dubstep.
The album debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 181,000 copies in its first week in the United States. It became her third consecutive platinum album in the US and produced five singles that achieved chart success, including Billboardhit "Hard", Dance/Club hit "Rockstar 101", and international hits "Russian Roulette", "Rude Boy", and "Te Amo". Upon its release, Rated R received positive reviews from most music critics. According to Rihanna's record label, the album has sold nearly three million copies worldwide.
MTV Unplugged is the first live album by American singer-song writer Katy Perry, and was released by Capitol in the United States on November 17, 2009. The CD/DVD comprises stripped-down songs performed by Perry for MTV on July 22, 2009 in New York City as part of the MTV Unplugged series. The album features rearranged takes on hit songs like "I Kissed a Girl", "Waking Up in Vegas", and "Thinking of You" as well as two brand-new songs, Perry's version of Fountains of Wayne's "Hackensack" and a previously-leaked original song called "Brick by Brick" originally written for Ashley Tisdale. The DVD also features exclusive interview footage. In Brazil, unlike the US, it was released in DVD/CD format instead of CD/DVD format.
The second disc is a collection of rarities, including B-sides, soundtrack cuts, alternate versions, three previously unreleased songs, and a cover of Prince's "Let's Go Crazy". The album takes its title from a song that was originally released as the B-side to "Megalomaniac" and as a bonus track on international releases of A Crow Left of the Murder...; it is also included on Disc 2 of this album. The album art was drawn by vocalist Brandon Boyd.
Slice is the fifth studio album by Five for Fighting, the stage name of American singer-songwriter John Ondrasik, released on October 13, 2009. In May 2009, Ondrasik posted on his MySpace blog that the name of his forthcoming record will be taken from fan suggestions, and will be subsequently voted on to determine the winning album title.
The first single from the new album, called "Chances", was released on July 21, 2009, as a digital download. It also debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #83 and at #12 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart on the week ending October 31, 2009. "Chances" can also be heard in the end credits of the 2009 film The Blind Side. It can also be heard in the first promotional commercial video of Idol Season 10.
The Resistance is the fifth studio album by English alternative rock band Muse, released in Europe on 14 September 2009, and in North America on 15 September 2009. As their latest album, the main theme of the songs is about political corruption, alien invasion, New World Order conspiracies and more conventional love songs.
The E.N.D. (abbreviation of The Energy Never Dies) is the fifth studio album by American hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas. The album was first released in Japan on June 3, 2009 and then worldwide six days later. Critics described the album as containing more anthemic and inspirational songs in the group's bid to appeal to a new generation of music listeners.
Three promotional singles, "Imma Be", "Alive", and "Meet Me Halfway", were released through the iTunes Store in the three weeks running up to the album's release. The album gave the group their first, second, and third US number one hits with "Boom Boom Pow", "I Gotta Feeling", and "Imma Be" which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 12, 14, and 2 weeks respectively. "Boom Boom Pow" and "I Gotta Feeling" led the Hot 100 back to back, putting the band at number 1 on the chart for a record breaking 26 consecutive weeks (half a year). The third single, "Meet Me Halfway", along with the first two, topped several charts around the world including the United Kingdom and Australia.