Singles: August 3, 2012

Pitbull feat. Shakira, ”Get It Started”
Dance music — especially the Cristal-spraying club-hop in which Pitbull traffics — is rarely subtle, and ”Get It Started” spends four minutes gunning for bulldozing climaxes. Not even Shakira’s parallel-universe vowels can withstand the onslaught. C —Kyle Anderson

Dave Matthews Band, ”Mercy”
Though it seems like just another sleepy plea for campfire togetherness on the surface, DMB swirl in so much mournful sax honey that ”Mercy” becomes something surprisingly resonant and sweet. B+ —Kyle Anderson

Jason Aldean, ”Take a Little Ride”
All Aldean wants is some Shiner Bock, a couple cornfields, and a hottie in Daisy Dukes to ”Take a Little Ride” in his Chevy. The country giant knows his audience — and this riff-heavy barn rocker, the first single from his upcoming album of the same name, will keep them very happy. B —Grady Smith

The XX, ”Angels”
Following their spookily spare breakout debut — a.k.a. The Official Indie Bedroom Sound-track of 2009 — the U.K. dream-pop trio return with a whispery, gorgeously minimal ghost of a song, anchored (just barely) by Romy Madley-Croft’s airy vocals. A- —Ray Rahman