Turn on your radio. Hear that voice, a feathery tenor with a hint of soulful grit? It belongs to Bruno Mars, the 25-year-old Hawaiian newcomer featured on smash hits like B.o.B's "Nothin' on You" and Travie McCoy's "Billionaire." Doo-Wops & Hooligans proves that Mars is a natural — a lavishly gifted melodist (check the surging "Grenade") and an engaging singer. It's the year's finest pop debut: 10 near-perfect songs that move from power ballads to bedroom anthems to pop-reggae and deliver pleasure without pretension. Call it bubblegum that eats like a meal.

“Help Me”

Joni Mitchell wrote and recorded this song for her album Court and Spark, but she had to switch from her regular band to make the song sound exactly the way she wanted. "I had attempted to play my music with rock & roll players," she told Rolling Stone. "They’d laugh, 'Awww, isn't that cute? She's trying to teach us how to play.'" Mitchell switched to a jazz band, Tom Scott’s L.A. Express, and scored the biggest hit of her career in the process.