Kelly Clarkson‘s "My Life Would Suck Without You" isn’t the only new single that dropped today, though it’s certainly the hottest. Here are three fresh cuts you might want to check out that just became available for purchase on iTunes.

LISA "LEFT EYE" LOPES featuring TLC & Missy Elliott
"LET’S JUST DO IT"
I groaned out loud when Lopes’ family announced plans to release an upcoming collection of the late rapper’s unreleased solo material called EYE-Legacy. But "Let’s Just Do It" is a seductive, synthy, and radio-friendly party jam that could easily find its way onto the pop charts.

MOS DEF
"QUIET DOG"
Musically, I haven’t connected with anything Mos has put out since "The Beggar" and "The Panties" from 2004′s The New Danger. The rapper’s latest is unlikely to appease "Ms. Fat Booty" fans, with its spare production, churchy hand claps, and lack of a catchy hook, but I’m still looking forward to the upcoming release of his fourth solo CD, The Ecstatic.

THE RZA featuring Ghostface Killah, Kool G Rap & Tash Mahogany
"WHAR"
Break out the Dutch Masters for this politically incorrect posse cut. "Whar" contains all of the elements–haunting strings, a looped soul sample, cinematic sound effects, imaginative lyrics ("I’m not vanilla, I’m Black Panther chinchilla")–that contributed to the success of Wu-Tang‘s early hits such as "C.R.E.A.M." and "Can It Be All So Simple."

What’s an R&B dandy struggling to dodge gay rumors to do? If you’re Ne-Yo, you vent your frustrations online. In a heated 427-word blog entry called "A Message from the Gentleman," which he posted today on his official website, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter who’s worked with everyone from Celine Dion to Rihanna blasts "the haters" for scrutinizing his sexuality. "One rule of being a gentleman is to keep your cool and composure at all cost, but right about now I gotta loosen up this tie and take off this expensive suit jacket and talk to the people for a minute," he writes. "I’m NOT gay… And to anyone that INSISTS on thinking that any of these things are true……F— YOU." His cheeky sign-off was even sassier: "Much love, and see you at the grammy’s. Check the suit…..it’s gonna be TROUBLE!!!" Oooh la la! Sounds fierce. Makes me wanna snap for the kids two times.

Years ago, I became enchanted with Jeni Fujita after seeing her perform at an underground soul music showcase in NYC. She stole the show by singing Japanese lyrics over a seductive reggae beat. Wyclef, Lauryn Hill, and the recently pardoned John Forte (welcome home, sir!) were also fans of her distinctive voice, and they all tapped her to sing background vocals on their albums. After touring as a backup singer for Pink in 2002, Jeni, who earned a Grammy nod for contributing vocals to Wyclef’s 1997 hit "Guantanamera," seemed poised for major label success. That never happened. (She inked a deal with Sony but was prematurely dropped from the label, along with Alicia Keys and 50 Cent, before putting out an album.) But after years of paying her dues, I was thrilled to hear from her yesterday when she emailed me to let me know that her independently released solo debut CD, This Little Light of Mine, is now available on Amazon.com. I just copped it and I strongly encourage you to do the same. It’s a pretty, romantic, and soothing collection of 11 ballads and grooves that evokes a mix of Jill Scott, Amel Larrieux, and Floetry. A couple of the songs are a little too spoken-wordy for my taste, but highlights such as "For John Forte," "Love Haze," and a reggae-inspired cover of "Summertime" are delightful treasures.

Everyone from the Jonas Brothers and New Kids on the Block to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss took their act on the road last year, but which artists charged the highest cost of admission? Here are the top 10 steepest concert tickets of 2008, according to average re-sale ticket price from Ticketmaster Entertainment:

1. Madonna: $378
2. Elton John: $306
3. The Eagles: $279
4. AC/DC: $263
5. Tina Turner: $263
6. Celine Dion: $240
7. Bruce Springsteen: $235
8. Coldplay: $217
9. Neil Diamond: $217
10. The Police: $216

Did you see any of these shows? (I didn’t, but I did catch Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige at Madison Square Garden, which was fantabulous.) Were they worth the money?

Originally, I set out to compile a list of nine artists to watch in 2009, but I could only think of five that I’m really excited about (or that I haven’t already plugged elsewhere on this blog). Herewith, the chosen few. Got any suggestions for me? Leave a comment and let me know who else I need to check out.

1. Kid Cudi
TheCleveland rapper is one of hip-hop’s hottest indie sensations. Hisunderground mixtapes have caught the attention of everyone from Travis Barker to Kanye West, who swiftly signed him to his GOOD Music imprint, which will release his debut CD later this year.

2. Melanie Fiona
After opening for Kanye West in the U.K. last fall, the soulful Canadian R&B singer-songwriter is poised to win over Jazmine Sullivan‘s audience with the March release of her debut CD, The Bridge.

3. Wale
A protégé of producer Mark Ronson,this buzzworthy D.C. rapper’s upcoming debut CD will reportedly featurebeats by an all-star team of hitmakers, including Kanye West, JustBlaze, 9th Wonder, and Justice.

4. Teyana Taylor
It’s fitting that this stylish teen rapper called her first single "Google Me" because that’s exactly what I did when she boasted about inking a deal with Pharrell‘s Star Trak label on a 2007 episode of MTV’s My Super Sweet 16. Two years later, I’m still Googling her for details about the release of her long-delayed debut CD, From a Planet Called Harlem.

5. Corneille
Though based in Canada, this popular French soul singer (think: Les Nubians meets Seal) was born in Germany and raised in Rwanda. Now he’s preparing to release his upcoming U.S. debut CD, which will also be his first English-language disc.

Here are the top 10 albums I’m looking forward to in 2009, listed in no particular order.

1. Jay-Z
The Blueprint 3
Hov’s 11th studio CD will also be his final album for Island Def Jam. (His next disc will be released by Live Nation.)

2. Kelly Clarkson
Title TBA
Rumor has it that her fourth disc will be a lot like her fantastic 2004 CD, Breakaway, and nothing like last year’s disastrous My December.

3. Eminem
Relapse
Though I’m not a huge fan of his work, it’ll be nice to hear from him again when his hotly anticipated comeback CD drops.

4. Maxwell
Black Summers’ Night
I recently ran into Max at a holiday party and he swore to me that his long-awaited fourth CD will drop this spring or summer.

5. Lily Allen
It’s Not Me, It’s You
The album’s not due out until Feb. 9, but the first single, "The Fear," is already getting heavy rotation on my iPod.

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