It’s (another) time of lively restlessness in Chicago hip-hop. Well-connected names like Lupe Fiasco and Rhymefest are making publicized noise in the papers, while in the underground, local all-stars like Diverse, Qualo and All Natural work to bring their own simmers to boils. Add to that list the gifted Psalm One, a sharp-tongued chemist-turned-MC […]
After the release of 2004’s excellent “The Oncoming Storm,” New England’s Unearth became a band to watch in the increasingly generic metalcore genre. Co-produced by Terry Date (Pantera, Deftones), “III” is its best-sounding album yet. Tracks like “Giles,” “Unstoppable” and “Sanctity of Brothers” deliver on the promise of the highly anticipated album, crammed with […]
Purists are going to have a field day with the first disc of this two-disc re-creation of one of rock history’s most tragic albums (which became a hit the year after singer Bradley Nowell’s fatal heroin overdose). Disc one of this new “Sublime” scrambles the original track listing, inserting Nowell’s so-so acoustic version of Bob […]
Two years after Sixpence None the Richer split, singer Leigh Nash is pursuing a solo career, though she can’t quite escape the band’s hit “Kiss Me.”
The song has become a staple during time-outs at sporting events, with stadium cameras focusing on fans who are expected to smooch.
“I heard about that,” Nash told The Associated Press. […]
Pixie-ish former Sixpence None the Richer singer Leigh Nash steps out on her own with the album you hoped she would make: sweet, buoyant, optimistic and packed with one melodic masterpiece after another. Nash was in a bright space during the sessions for “Blue on Blue”: an amicable split with her band of 13 […]
On the heels of Cham’s 2004 hit, “Vitamin S,” Atlantic traveled to Jamaica to sign the artist. And though Cham’s first album for the label does include oldies like “Vitamin S,” it also offers new tracks like “Boom Boom” featuring crossover songstress Rihanna and “Rudeboy Pledge.” Cham is, as ever, all about the ladies, […]
After dabbling in pop with touches of rock, Aguilar returns to what he does best: romantic ranchera music. “Enamorado” (In Love) is not titled for a track but after the mood of the album, made up of original tracks as well as covers of ranchera and pop standards from the likes of Manuel Alejandro and […]
Harri Stojka is a Roma Gypsy born in Vienna and raised with a guitar in his hands. His “Tribute to Gypsy Guitar” immediately brings to mind Django Reinhardt and his Quintet of the Hot Club of France. Stojka and his quartet, with guest violinist Eva Berky, do cover several tunes associated with Reinhardt, including […]
The third single from Rihanna’s sophomore set, “A Girl Like Me,” packs a much better radio punch than her preceding solemn ballad, “Unfaithful.”
In “We Ride,” the Barbados-born singer again strays from her customary reggae-flavored jams (”Pon De Replay,” “S.O.S.”) with a sheer pop cut that is good enough to drive up album sales. On the […]
Grammy Award winner Evanescence returns, with all eyes watching to see if the rock-cum-pop act can break the best-new-artist curse and make good the second time around. Dominatrix lead Amy Lee serves up a wonderfully compelling title, “Call Me When You’re Sober,” an anthemic grinder that musically tills familiar ground, though clocking in at 3:34, […]
Nick Lachey finally achieved the solo stardom he has toiled long and hard for with “What’s Left of Me,” the lost-love ballad that entrenched him in the top 10 in sales and airplay. Amid much mainstream press that has cast him as a whimpering puss, healing ballad “I Can’t Hate You Anymore” is a slight […]
Ludacris is a master of comedic misogyny, and “Money Maker,” from the upcoming “Release Therapy,” finds the Atlanta rapper up to his usual skirt-chasing antics. But even with his bravado on full display, the song lacks the wit that makes his normally derogatory lyrics easier to digest. Alternating between his normal flow and his “jumbo” […]
Feeding voraciously on ’80s pop metal, Oklahoma newcomer Hinder dishes up a mix of giant hooks, buzz-saw guitars and high-testosterone vocals. Like any good power ballad, “Lips of an Angel” begins with acoustic guitars and crescendos into a soaring widescreen chorus, a tight script that once turned bands like Poison and Warrant into household names. […]
What year is this? In another era, “Say Goodbye” would have been worthy of a pop spotlight. New Kids’ Jordan Knight and Debbie Gibson singing together … heaven, right? All these years later, this throwback is a novelty, but for those who thrived on the pop revolution of 20 years ago, the adult contemporary release […]
