New Miley Cyrus worth hearing

Nine Inch Nails

"The Slip": Attaching Nine Inch Nails' eighth major industrial-rock album to something as corporate as a release date is not only misleading but insulting to true fans. Per NIN anti-"system" style, the band tossed the whole album on its Web site in May for free download and managed to avoid obvious Radiohead comparisons by not advertising the release at all. Thankfully, "The Slip" employs all of the same, well-calculated reckless abandon, not to mention the sincere electro-swagger that NIN has fostered via past albums, this time hunkering down among pointy beats and slinking to the end unscathed.

Miley Cyrus

"Breakout": For the love of pop culture, give a listen to Miley's second album (one of umpteen things she's got on her plate right now) and file it away in the reality-TV portion of your brain under "guilty pleasures." Disney's sweetheart gets pretty angsty on parts of this disc, making for several country-pop delights that you'll likely hear yourself humming hours after listening for the first time. Miley's a heck of a performer, and she has quite the stable of talented pop writers working for her in the back office.

Buddy Guy

"Skin Deep": In the first part of his 10th album's single, "Skin Deep," Chicago blues legend Buddy Guy's crystal clear pipes croon, "I've been around the block." It seems like such an understatement for such a celebrated artist who will be honored this weekend at Chicago's Millennium Park for his extensive musical contributions. But for Buddy Guy, recognition surely hasn't altered his drive to make effective, soulful blues that prides itself in not wasting a note. Not even celebrity guest appearances get in the way of Guy's shining talent on his latest original material.