It may just be my imagination, but it seems like women are dominating the music scene like never before!

How so?

1) We're already seeing a battle for the top of the charts by Madonna, Mariah Carey and Leona Lewis.

2) The biggest headline-grabber of the past year has been wayward UK chanteuse Amy Winehouse.

3) A non-stop flow of female "next big things" has brought us Winehouse, KT Tunstall, Corinne Baily Rae, Kate Nash and--coming soon--Katy Perry, Adele, and now--drum roll please--this week's latest entry, Duffy!

So the question arises: Is there some sort of sea change afoot in the industry, or has it all just been a peculiar coincidence?

Remarkably, neither.

I'm just noticing them more!

It's my issue, let me deal with it!

Duffy: Rockferry (Mercury ) She's all over the top of the charts in the UK, bless her--and she's perky, cute, fresh, wholesome, and a synthesized combination of 75 percent Dusty Springfield and 25 percent Amy Winehouse!  She's got help from illustrious Brits such as Bernard Butler and David McAlmont, and she sounds just the right side of retro so that she's cool and familiar at the same time! Her first name is Aimée, but she chooses not to use it!  She's everything that's right about the world--and if she duplicates her international success here in the States, I won't mind in the slightest! That said, Duffy is such a silly name!

Foxy Brown:Brooklyn's Don Diva (Koch) Speaking of artists whose names sound less than God-given, Foxy Brown is back, following a well-publicized run-in with the law! With her are a host of big names, such as producers Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, and Kanye West and guests Ne-Yo and Sizzla, all of whom could have worked together to fashion a masterpiece of reality-inspired music programming--a hardcore presentation of life "on the inside" and the effect it has on a young woman who perhaps might have taken a few wrong turns along the way! Sadly, however, the album cover appears to indicate that Ms. Brown was merely a passenger and not the driver of her figurative vehicle! She certainly looks snazzy, though!

Death Cab For Cutie: Narrow Stairs (Atlantic) It does strike me as odd on occasion that a band I consider quite talented suddenly starts selling a significant amount of albums while other bands that perhaps are, shall we say, equally talented do not! But why quibble? This band continues to get better with time, they have amassed a loyal following, they gleefully take aesthetic chances, and in their heart of hearts, they knew that by taking their name they'd eventually be guaranteed placement under a photo of the new Foxy Brown album cover! How smart are they?

Jason Mraz: We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (Atlantic) Rumors that the affable young Mr. Mraz has fashioned an old-school rock opera based entirely around the career of the Pussycat Dolls are rampant, though perhaps a tad premature...for the moment! This is the album, of course, that will dictate whether the groundswell that brought him to fame a few years back will continue to get larger--and with help from newer next big things Colbie Caillat and James Morrison, you never know--or instead shrink to merely a slight ripple, offering him a lifetime of "pleasant gigs" among an audience fixed in size! I for one am rooting for him, largely because he saw fit to point out that he was "fond of hats" on his new album cover. Often that is reason enough!

Ryan Cabrera: The Moon Under Water (Frolic Room/Papa Joe) If I had any prior notion about Ryan Cabrera, to be candid, given a drink or two I might have described him once as "Goo Goo Doll Junior"--but that would be about it. I knew that young teen girls liked him, and wished him well. Now, however, it has repeatedly come to my attention that he is cultivating a "new image" that makes him look less like a dashing young teen idol and more like a tattooed dangerboy! That makes his music immensely better! Plus, like Jason Mraz, he too likes hats! I wish it was this easy to like all artists!

Dokken: Lightning Strikes Again (Atco/Rhino) They say that lightning never strikes twice in the same place--but, you'll note, there are no qualifiers regarding whether it can simply strike again or not! And that's relevant here when discussing Dokken--who've been around the block a few times and once again are gonna rock, how 'bout you? This is a fine hard rock album, the logo looks as spectacular as we all remember, and ironically, here in LA, the janitors are striking again as well! Here's hoping everyone cleans up and no one starts "dockin'" their pay!

T-Bone Burnett: Tooth Of Crime (Second Dance) (Nonesuch) Habitually T-Bone Burnett has made nothing but wonderful records from the very beginning of his recording career, and this--continuing his association with playwright and friend Sam Shepard--is likewise top-notch. Featuring vocals from Burnett's wife Sam Phillips, some great guitarwork from Marc Ribot, classic drumming by Jim Keltner, and larger than normal industry buzz following his work with Robert Plant & Allison Krauss, Tooth Of Crime could not be better situated at the moment to garner the acclaim it deserves!  In fact, it's sitting on the living room couch!

Iron Maiden: Somewhere Back In Time--The Best Of: 1980-1989 (Universal) Must admit I was not always the biggest fan of Iron Maiden, but in the course of years have come to see their every note, every power chord, and every high-pitched yelp of singer Bruce Dickinson taking on genre-defining relevance that grows in stature every moment. Plus, I like that big Eddie thing!  All told, my idea of a good time now includes driving around town listening to "The Number Of The Beast" and "Powerslave" and trying to fit in! I think it's working! What a great collection!

Filter: Anthems For The Damned (Pulse) Far be it from me to wish anything but good luck to a group I once respected, but I hope that Filter don't get too spooked by how the music industry has changed since their last album came out in 2002! I just went to Amazon to get some info on this hot new album and found myself distracted by the helpful query: "Looking for 'filter' products?" In fact, I am--and come to think of it, if I lay down $11.87 for a Brita Slim Pitcher and $14.95 for a Keurig My K-Cup Reusable Coffee Filter, I won't have enough money left to buy Anthems For The Damned! And last time I checked, it was impossible to download a Pur 2 Stage Water Pitcher Replacement Filter for free on the Internet! Oops!

Lil Scrappy: Prince Of The South (Real Talk/Koch) With an array of sophisticated tracks such as "You Trippin," "Smoke, Ride & Get Paid" and the memorable "Throwin Up Dat," there's no denying that Prince Of The South may be the best third album that Atlanta's own Lil Scrappy has ever made! I just hope that Hot Stuff and Baby Huey don't tell Little Audrey where he's hiding!