What little difference six months makes. Blueprint 2.1 is a one-disc, slimmed-down version of last November's clunky two-disc set The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse. The new album does little to redeem its predecessor; it merely replicates its unevenness. Held over are the stunning "Meet the Parents" and the numbing "Excuse Me Miss." Left on the cutting-room floor are the comedic "2 Many Hoes" and the utterly banal "I Did It My Way." The two new songs make this a little more than a total waste: "The longest one standing," he brags on the excellent track "The Bounce," "Kidnapped rap/Seven years/No ransom." But at the end of the day, update 2.1 is a show of hubris that asks fans to pay another $14.99 for two new tracks. Jay-Z make a spotty record? He did the impossible, then did it twice.

“Tonight's the Night”

The lead cut and title track from this girl group's debut album, "Tonight's the Night" was written by 19-year-old bandmember Shirley Owens, who sings lead, and producer Luther Dixon. The band from Passaic, New Jersey met in high school, first calling themselves the Pequellos. The song's frank thoughts about sexual and emotional surrender was racy for the time, but that didn't stop the Chiffons from cutting a similar version immediately after the original came out. "We were the first female group to write some of our own material," band member Beverly Lee recalls. "We did have some say-so in our writing."