Season 11

Following the success of Blueprint, Jay-Z took a break from the studio productions of Timbaland and Just Blaze and stepped into acoustic surroundings for a taped edition of MTV's long-running Unplugged series. With the talents of the Roots as his backing band, Jay-Z fails to miss a step and feels just as comfortable in the unplugged arena as he does with drum machines and a mixing desk in front of him. The skills of Roots drummer Ahmir Thompson emulate even the slightest nuance from the originally programmed electronic beats, and Jay-Z fails to take this for granted, gently shifting from one song to the next in medley form with ease. With a strong track listing spanning his entire career of chart-topping hits, this album is the perfect introduction to Jay-Z's prolific catalog and a fun listen for the most dedicated of fans. ~ Rob Theakston

With their last album, RIOT!, selling more than two million copies, it's hard to believe there is still ground to cover for the little band that could from Franklin, Tennessee. But a Grammy nomination and multiple sold-out world tours under their belt show that Paramore are running in the footsteps of their heroes like Jimmy Eat World and No Doubt. Add to that the honor of contributing two songs to the double-platinum selling Twilight soundtrack and you wouldn't be wrong to think there is little left for them to accomplish. Of course, that would be underestimating Paramore, which is not something we'd advise. Paramore shot their 'MTV Unplugged’ performance in late summer 2009 in New York City. Vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarists Josh Farro and Taylor York, drummer Zac Farro and bassist Jeremy Davis took to the stage armed with only acoustic guitars and a handful of songs designed to shock your heart into life. Although only a very lucky few were there to watch them tear through hits "That's What You Get," "Misery Business" and "Decode," as well as "Ignorance" and "Brick By Boring Brick" off of their latest album, Brand New Eyes, MTV.com has the entire performance here for everyone else to see. It is in the live setting where Paramore shine and their Unplugged performance proves that yet again.