My current musical favorites are coming from very different places. On one extreme, there’s Sugarland’s new album Love on the Inside, and on the other, there’s the song “Dangerous” by Kardinal Offishall featuring Akon. It’s the kind of sonic whiplash I love.

(Taste both… after the jump)

(1) Kardinal Offishall. “Dangerous” is one of the hottest hip-hop songs I have heard this year. That’s unexpected, because on paper in seems really generic. Doesn’t every track feature a popular singer laying down a hook while an unknown rapper waxes lyrical about hot ladies? That’s pretty much the Flo Rida formula, and I really hate  ”Low.”

But there’s something irresistible here. K.O. has a great, expressive flow, and the beat is interesting, especially when the keyboards crescendo under the chorus. All in all, if I must dance to a song about booty, I’m happy to choose this one. (Bonus points: Kardinal Offishall is from Canada. Take that, Snow!) 

(2) Sugarland Y’all know I love Sugarland, and though I’ve only had it for a day, their new album Love on the Inside is already treating me right. First impressions tell me their sound has deepened without getting self-indulgent. Their instrumentation is more lush, but they’re still not afraid of a great hook.

A good example is the song “Joey” (see below), which is like the sound of your heart breaking on a mountaintop. You know… because it’s more dramatic and devastating up there.

In “Joey” you can also hear this new quality in Jennifer Nettles’ voice–a lower, richer sound that she draws out over extended notes. It’s beautiful.

But Nettles doesn’t overuse that technique. On songs like “Steve Earle” and “The Last Country Song” she opts for a traditionally nasal country sound. It keeps the album varied, as does the increased vocal presence of her bandmate, Kristian Bush.

As with every Sugarland album, there’s one song I’ll be skipping (“What I’d Give” is six minutes of aimlessness) but mostly, I’m right back in country love. 

Here’s “Joey”: