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1959: The Apex of Jazz
 1959: The Apex of Jazz 
OPINION
Jul 20, 2009 12:36 PM CDT

1959: The Apex of Jazz

(Newser) - 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of jazz’s best year jazz ever, Martin Johnson writes for the Root. 1959 saw canonical discs from genre royalty: “Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, John Coltrane’s Giant Steps, Ornette Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz to Come, Dave Brubeck’s Time Out...

2009's Best Music So Far
 2009's Best Music So Far 
OPINION
Jul 15, 2009 4:00 PM CDT

2009's Best Music So Far

Yes, Kelly Clarkson made the top five

(Newser) - Now that 2009 is more than halfway over, James Montgomery runs down the best albums of the year—so far—on MTV:
  • Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavilion: The No. 1 pick is “the only thing I can remember that has actually lived up to the hype, if not exceeded
...

Kindles, iPods Spell Tragic End to Snobbery

How can we show off taste when it's onscreen?

(Newser) - On the subway or in a cafe, taking a peek at what others are reading has long provided a convenient way to judge them on the spot: a mindless crime-novel fan? A Joyce-toting member of the intellectual elite? But with the Kindle, we’re left guessing, observes James Wolcott in ...

Will.i.am Reveals Jacko's Last Album: Dance Music

Singer kept demos extremely private

(Newser) - Michael Jackson plotted his comeback album with Will.i.am, and the Black Eyed Peas frontman now tells the Mirror it was going to be “something Michael has never done before—a dance music album.” The King of Pop kept the demos “under lock and key,”...

Drake Album 'Compulsively Listenable'
 Drake Album 
 'Compulsively 
 Listenable' 
MUSIC REVIEW
Jun 29, 2009 5:20 PM CDT

Drake Album 'Compulsively Listenable'

Lyrics, though awkward, manage not to be petulant

(Newser) - Somehow, rapper Drake recorded an album concerned mostly with “the stresses and travails of fame, even if he recorded the damn thing when he wasn’t famous in any meaningful way”—and then became famous thanks to said album, writes Tom Breihan for Pitchfork. Though he’s “...

Forget Thriller: Off the Wall Was His Best

(Newser) - It’s no exaggeration to say that Michael Jackson “made a more profound impact in the arenas of soul, R&B and dance-pop than any other singer or songwriter in history,” writes Jim DeRogatis in the Chicago Sun-Times. But while many fans reach for Thriller, “widely considered...

Jonas Brothers Test Waters of Grown-Up Music
Jonas Brothers Test Waters of Grown-Up Music 
GLOSSIES
Jun 24, 2009 9:04 PM CDT

Jonas Brothers Test Waters of Grown-Up Music

(Newser) - The Jonas Brothers are cautiously courting a more mature audience with their new album, but they don’t want to leave their teeny-bopper past totally behind. “We are working to make that trade without having to give anything up,” Kevin Jonas tells Rolling Stone, but the pop sensations...

Gorbachev Ballads Album Fetches $160K at Auction

(Newser) - A CD of Mikhail Gorbachev singing traditional Russian ballads has sold for $164,940 at a charity auction in London, the Guardian reports. The sole copy is now in the hands of an “anonymous British philanthropist.” The benefit was held to raise money for a foundation, named after...

Hip-Hop? Heck, No! Black Singer Embraces Country

Only two CMA Hall of Famers are black, but she's not dissuaded

(Newser) - Liz Toussaint is a rising country music star, but her journey was a bit unorthodox: The black singer grew up in Chicago with a hip-hop DJ for a brother and an R&B pianist for an uncle. “You're supposed to be a hip-hop queen,” her brother once told...

Idol Runner-Up Comes Out
 Idol Runner-Up Comes Out 
Jun 9, 2009 9:50 AM CDT

Idol Runner-Up Comes Out

Signs record deal, too

(Newser) - American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert finally came out to Rolling Stone, Us reports. “I don't think it should be a surprise for anyone to hear that I'm gay,” says Lambert in the June issue, out tomorrow. “I'm proud of my sexuality. I embrace it. It's just another...

Boyle Will Still Earn Millions
 Boyle Will Still Earn Millions 
Jun 1, 2009 10:39 AM CDT

Boyle Will Still Earn Millions

Despite losing reality competition, a record deal is expected

(Newser) - Susan Boyle may be in the nuthouse, but she won't likely end up in the poorhouse. Simon Cowell knows a goldmine when he sees one, and will still sign the Britain’s Got Talent second-place finisher to his label, sources tell the Mirror. “Simon knows Susan has a massive...

What Charges? Brown Focused On 'Masterpiece'

(Newser) - A Chris Brown collaborator says the disgraced singer is focused on music despite facing felony assault charges, People reports. “He's predicting this will be his biggest album,” said songwriter Robert Allen of Brown’s upcoming effort, Graffiti. “He wants this to be his masterpiece.”

Costello Goes a Little Country
 Costello Goes a Little Country  
album review
May 29, 2009 2:36 PM CDT

Costello Goes a Little Country

(Newser) - Elvis Costello's new Secret, Profane & Sugarcane CD has a spare, country feel to it—T. Bone Burnett returns as producer—and critics generally think it hits the mark.
  • Glen Boyd, Blog Critics: A little too much "filler" among the bright spots, but those bright spots are terrific.
...

Yorn Sees Bardot in Scarlett

Singer records new album with Johansson

(Newser) - Scarlett Johansson is the new Brigitte Bardot, says Pete Yorn, who enlisted the actress to join him on an upcoming album. A dream moved him to echo the 1960s collaborations of Serge Gainsbourg and Bardot, the singer-songwriter tells Rolling Stone. “So who is Brigitte Bardot?” Yorn says he asked...

Producer Kanye: New Jay-Z Album 'Anti-Auto-Tune'

(Newser) - Kanye West says Jay-Z’s new album, Blueprint 3, will not feature the Auto-Tune effects West himself has relied on in the past, MTV reports. “We actually removed all the songs with Auto-Tune off of his album to make the point that this is an anti-Auto-Tune album,” said...

Ciara Lost on Fantasy Ride
 Ciara Lost on Fantasy Ride 
MUSIC REVIEW
May 21, 2009 1:33 PM CDT

Ciara Lost on Fantasy Ride

(Newser) - Ciara's tiny voice can't survive in the spaces her producers leave on her new album, Fantasy Ride, but the disc does provide a few fascinating diversions. Some critical opinions:
  • "That's what you get with Fantasy Ride," Tom Breihan writes on Pitchfork. "A few brilliant left turns that
...

Coldplay Will Give Concertgoers Free CDs

Live album distributed at all remaining 2009 dates

(Newser) - Coldplay will give away a free copy of its new live CD to every audience member at shows this year, BBC reports. Starting on May 15 in Florida, the band will give fans the nine-track LeftRightLeftRightLeft as a "recession-busting mark of gratitude." The album, which includes live versions...

Lotusflow3r Not Quite Full Bloom for Prince
 Lotusflow3r Not Quite  
 Full Bloom for Prince 
NEW RELEASE
Mar 31, 2009 3:47 PM CDT

Lotusflow3r Not Quite Full Bloom for Prince

(Newser) - Prince’s new album, Lotusflow3r, is actually three separate discs: two by the Purple One and one by his protégé, Bria Valente, all for sale exclusively at Target for $11.98. And depending on who you ask, that’s a good deal—or not.
  • Jody Rosen is thrilled by
...

Who Gave Guy a Shiner?
 Who Gave Guy a Shiner? 
GOSSIP ROUNDUP
Mar 23, 2009 12:02 PM CDT

Who Gave Guy a Shiner?

Plus, credit crunch hits Cleese's divorce, and more

(Newser) - Uh-oh. Guy Ritchie showed up with a black eye after a night out in London, the Sun reports. No word on where the mystery shiner came from… could this have anything to do with his less-than-flattering nickname for tough ex-wife Madonna? More gossip:
  • The recession has hit celebrity divorces. John
...

U2's Latest Good, Not Great
 U2's Latest Good, Not Great 
album REVIEW
Feb 27, 2009 4:02 PM CST

U2's Latest Good, Not Great

'No Line on the Horizon' features some experimentation, some classic U2

(Newser) - At its best, U2’s latest album has the band both pushing forward with a dense, atmospheric sound courtesy of producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois—but in other moments, Bono and company are content to lazily rehash their stadium-pop formula, critics say.
  • “The album lacks a unified feel,
...

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