Singer/songwriter Mat Kearney leaves his hip-hop rhymes behind and mainstreams it on “Nothing Left to Lose,” the soft-rocking title track from his major-label debut and second album. The introspective single chronicles his journey from his Eugene, Ore., hometown to Nashville, offering an acoustic-led, sensitive-guy ballad that is catchy and relaxed. “To a kid from Oregon […]
By the stats, Goo Goo Dolls are the most popular adult top 40 act in history, and as usual, John Reznik and company deliver a comfortable fit for the format, with a midtempo pop/rock romp big on hooks and hip enough to keep moms feeling youthful. For a while there, Reznik’s DIY accord on making […]
Was the nu metal era really so long ago? The pending arrival of greatest-hits sets from Staind and P.O.D. mark almost a decade since Korn’s “Follow the Leader” officially ushered in the polarizing trend when it debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200. Staind and Korn have long distanced themselves from that label, and […]
Siempre, Il Divo’s third swipe at the snobs who aim to relegate classical crossover to retirement community socials and suburban dentist offices, is as apt to snare listeners as either of its first two multimillion-selling discs: the singing is as rich and romantic, and the material as warm and enveloping. If there’s anything missing, […]
An album like this could cement Sarah McLachlan as a middle-of-the-road crooner ready for the Andy Williams Christmas Show, but there’s more beneath the surface of Wintersong than just Christmas chestnuts, over-roasting on an open fire. Longtime McLachlan producer Pierre Marchand blurs the borders with ambient sound effects, distorted guitars, and subtle echoes. He […]
It’s tempting to read these songs–many about hope in the face of potential heartbreak–as an adjunct to Keith Urban’s own tabloid-fodder life, which lately reads “ex-junkie country star marries Nicole Kidman, enters rehab.” But his three previous albums have similar dark undertones. That would also be an underestimation of Urban’s creative powers, which are […]
If the 9-year-old in your life hasn’t alerted you already, consider this your heads up: Not since Hilary Duff has Disney delivered the masses a tween sensation as hot as the double-life-leading Miss Hannah Montana. More important for speaker-blowing second- to seventh-graders and the parents forced to buy them CDs, though, no small-screen sensation […]
Green Day’s first two albums will be reissued for the first time by the punk trio’s Reprise Records label on December 19.
“1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours” (1991) and “Kerplunk!” (1992) were originally released on Lookout! Records. The Berkeley, Calif., indie label reissued them in 2004.
“Kerplunk!” does not include any bonus features, but “1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours” […]
Former Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell’s new band, the Satellite Party, will unveil its first single, “Kinky” around Valentine’s Day, he told Billboard.com.
The group’s Steve Lillywhite-produced debut album, “The Ultra Payloaded Satellite Party,” will arrive in March via Columbia.
Farrell said “Kinky,” which was written by electronica act Hybrid and features New Order’s Peter Hook on […]
Smooth jazz star Boney James’s first album for Concord is loaded with guest contributors: old guard pros including Philip Bailey, George Duke, George Benson, and Wah Wah Watson; and young stalwarts including Faith Evans, Ann Nesby, Dwele, Esthero, and Christian Scott. You don’t need to be told it’s a sleekly produced affair, replete with […]
The Idan Raichel Project is the brainchild of Israeli keyboardist, composer, producer, and arranger Idan Raichel, who invited over 70 different musicians from a wide variety of backgrounds to participate in the recordings. In particular, Raichel has long been fascinated by the music of Israel’s growing population of Ethiopian Jews, and many songs feature […]
O Come All Ye Faithful Celtic Woman fans to a Christmas Celebration! What a wonderful collection of songs for the holiday season. The girls have out done themselves in Angelic voices and perfect harmony to bring together all that will send your memories into overdrive. Who doesn’t remember a warm fireplace and the smell […]
U218 Singles is the first single-disc collection to span the band’s 26-year career, including 16 of their best-known songs from Boy (1980) through How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004). Also included are two brand-new tracks recorded with producer Rick Rubin at Abbey Road Studios in London: “The Saints Are Coming” (with Green Day) […]
I’ve been a fan of the Now Christmas collection since their first release a few years ago. Then the second one came along, and I didn’t think it could get any better. I was wrong! The third installment is just as good as the first and second, if not better. The only complaint I […]
