The Chicago-born vocalist Miki Howard burst on the scene in 1987 and showed a lot of promise with her hits “Come Share My Love,” and “Love Under New Management.” She even had the chops to play Billie Holiday in the movie Malcolm X. This radio-friendly release is Howard’s first record since her 2001 CD, […]
Few artists bring down the defenses of the electronic music skeptic quite like Hybrid (a.k.a. Mike Truman and Chris Healings). The South Wales duo’s juxtaposition of elegant strings and athletic breakbeats is a potent cocktail, as anyone who has experienced the triumphant swells of “Finished Symphony” or the beckoning strangeness of “Higher than a […]
Since 1957, Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music has served as a catalyst for folk’s progression and preservation, attracting students who would go on to greater glories (such as the Byrds’ Jim–later Roger–McGuinn) and providing an intimate performing space for a wide range of artists. On the verge of its 50th anniversary, the […]
Made up of former displaced persons from the killing fields of Sierra Leone, members of the Refugee All Stars (a.k.a. R.A.S.) were forced to flee for their lives during the 1990s, fanning out into nearby West African nations. Through continued hard times, bandmates Reuben M. Koroma, Francis (Franco) Langba, and Abdul Rahim (Arahim) Kamara […]
In the fall of 2006, A Chorus Line came back on Broadway 16 years after its original run closed, and it felt as if it had never left. The new production, put together by alums from the first one, is a carbon copy of Michael Bennett’s groundbreaking staging, and the cast recording follows suit. […]
If the gods of house music are smiling on Kaskade, they are likely also bickering over who among them was the first to discover him, such is the effect of his music. The San Francisco-based producer/DJ’s 2004 spellbinder Steppin’ Out introduced many to his trademark sound, one that plays lush, emotive vocals off spacey, […]
Nearly a quarter-century (and bassist John Entwistle) passed between what had been considered the Who’s career-capping album, It’s Hard, and this 19-song epic, which at its best has the band of two pining for the days of Who’s Next. Built from the triumph of the mini-opera Wire & Glass EP (included here in its […]
Britney Spears and Kevin Federline continue to be coy about the name of their new baby boy. But the BBC reported Thursday that the baby, born Sept. 12, does indeed have a name. And it is — drumroll, please — Jayden James Federline. His name was revealed this week after his birth certificate was […]
Rapper and actor Snoop Dogg, one of the biggest names on the West Coast hip-hop scene, has been arrested after airport police said they found a gun and marijuana in his car.
The 35-year-old rapper, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, was arrested on Thursday at the Burbank airport near Los Angeles by police who […]
By his own estimation, Meat Loaf has turned down offers to appear in five movies, six episodes of the new TV hit “Heroes” and a guest-starring stint on “CSI” this year.
If he wanted, the rock veteran could be working like, well, a bat out of hell. But come to think of it … he […]
The Dixie Chicks are again at the center of a controversy over the limits of opinionated talk. A film company said Friday that NBC wouldn’t accept an advertisement for “Shut Up & Sing,” a movie about the fuss created by Dixie Chick Natalie Maines’ comment that she was ashamed
President Bush was a fellow Texan. The […]
Jay-Z has no problem with people doubting whether his upcoming CD can live up to his past glories. “I love that position,” he says in an interview in XXL magazine’s forthcoming December issue. “I love that challenge. That’s the reason I’m making albums. That’s the reason why I love hip-hop. It’s a challenge every […]
A judge has dismissed a copyright infringement lawsuit accusing rapper 50 Cent of stealing the opening line for his 2003 hit “In Da Club” from a song by former 2 Live Crew frontman Luther Campbell.
U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck found Friday that the disputed phrase was a “common, unoriginal, and noncopyrightable element of the […]
Mariah Carey’s weekend concert was canceled Thursday because of poor ticket sales and what promoters said were the pop star’s “unreasonable demands.”
Carey was to perform Saturday at an outdoor space near Hong Kong’s Central financial district. Promoter Concerts Asia said it had only sold 4,000 tickets, despite a “substantial” advertising campaign.
“We have decided to cancel […]
