In 2009, on the heels of his felony conviction in the beating of his then-girlfriend Rihanna, Chris Brown released Grafitti, a plodding album that included shrilly defensive responses to his infamy. This time, Brown takes a smarter approach: He's concentrated on making great songs. F.A.M.E. boasts blockbuster hits ("Deuces," "No Bullshit," "Yeah 3X," "Look at Me Now") and shows Brown has a good nose for production: On "Look at Me Now," he rocks with Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne over a sci-fi Orientalist beat from Diplo and Afrojack. F.A.M.E. is a pop 'n' b album with something for everyone: bedroom ballads, dance-floor thumpers and even "Next 2 You," a puppy-love declaration with guest vocals by Justin Bieber.

Listen to "Look At Me Now":

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“Ambling Alp”

The "Ambling Alp" was the nickname of the six-and-a-half-foot-tall Primo Carnera. Though the song is named after the Italian-born 1930s heavyweight champion, Yeasayer are actually paying tribute to boxing legend Joe Louis with this first-person psychedelic dance-rock tune. “I was always interested in writing a song that had boxing mythology in it,” Yeasayer’s Chris Keating said. “It’s pretty fascinating: There were so many amazing characters, and it was so closely entwined with 20th century history.” Yeaseyer also invokes German champ Max Schmeling and hints at the historical significance placed on the historic bouts between the Nazi-era boxer and the African-American Louis.