Ozomatli is known for stirring up a musical melting pot, and on its first studio album since 2004’s “Street Signs,” the ultimate live act is back in party mode. Funk jam “After Party,” cumbia “La Gallina” and feel-good merengue “La Temperatura” sound like the perfect tunes for crowding the living-room dancefloor. Even hip-hop track “Magnolia […]
Singer Gwen Stefani performs ‘The Sweet Escape’ during the 2007 Kids’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles March 31, 2007. [Reuters]
World-renowned saxophonist Kenny G impressed his fans in Beijing with a fabulous series of classics at the Beijing Exhibition Theater Saturday night, March 31, 2007. “Super Girl” Li Yuchun also performed live on stage to show her support of the star. [Photo: thebeijingnews.com]
Hilary Duff has done something seemingly daring considering the current music landscape — she’s made a dance-pop album. It’s practically something straight out of the United Kingdom for all of its poppy goodness. Duff’s “Dignity” synthesizes Kelly Clarkson’s brand of catchy rock and Britney Spears’ and Gwen Stefani’s most dancefloor-friendly moments. Sonically speaking, the […]
The first album of original material that McBride has solo produced (she also handled “Timeless,” her collection of country classics), “Waking Up Laughing” is another strong outing for one of country’s most consistent stars. “Anyway,” which marks McBride’s first turn as a songwriter, is already a top five country airplay single, and there’s plenty […]
The Loeffler brothers’ fourth Chevelle album runs into a bit of a creative rut, with a few too many songs that sound the same. “Saferwaters” and “Straight Jacket Fashion” are the best of the bunch, with the trio’s well-timed guitar attack at full force. And though the influence of Maynard James Keenan is still […]
This talented band makes its major-label debut with an amazing collection of songs that should expand its Christian fan base and earn a following among mainstream audiences as well. Jackson Waters creates modern rock that is deliciously accessible. “Center of Attention” is a moody ballad that is already enjoying exposure via TV drama “One […]
Guerra’s return to secular music, after the Christian-themed “Para Ti,” is a romantic romp through multiple subgenres of tropical music, including bachata, merengue and salsa. On danceability alone, Guerra takes no prisoners. But what makes this album worthwhile is his ability to make tropical music transcend at a time when the vast majority of […]
If you thought the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Stadium Arcadium” pushed the boundaries of the double-CD thing, behold Lil Flip’s “I Need Mine,” an intimidating 37-track collection designed, ostensibly, to plant Flip back in the pile of people making money off Houston’s roaring hip-hop scene. The thing is, with a little editing, “I Need […]
When one of the three new songs on this compilation begins “One fine day in hell . . . ” and refers to Satan as “the master,” it’s hard not to smile and realize this incarnation of Black Sabbath is exactly where we want it to be. With its 17 tracks, “The Dio Years” adds […]
Still pumped from last year’s sold-out “Have a Nice Day” tour, Bon Jovi readies a new studio album, “Lost Highway,” due in June. Lead single “(You Want To) Make a Memory” is a surprisingly sparse and intimate ballad about two long-ago lovers getting in touch again. Over a pulsing crescendo of acoustic guitars, piano and […]
Bigger than emo, Fall Out Boy has evolved into a voracious powerhouse feeding on a myriad of influences. You can hear snippets of R&B, soul, punk, arena-rock and teen-pop on “High on Infinity,” the Illinois quartet’s new album, which is packed with catchy, clever songs. One of two tracks produced by Babyface, “Thnks fr th […]
With throwback anthem “Lips of an Angel,” Hinder scored a momentus radio hit that soared hard on the heels of Nickelback and calls to mind pop-metal anthems of the neon ’80s. Another catchy power ballad, the acoustic-based “Better Than Me,” is smaller and less bombastic, but equally infectious. It opens softly with finger-picked guitars, relying […]
Five years after solo debut, “Simply Deep” sold 2 million records, Destiny’s Child alumna Kelly Rowland returns. The lead single, Polow Da Don’s drum-friendly “Like This,” unfortunately, buries her usually soulful voice and diva-esque harmonies behind a gimmick-ridden pop radio-friendly track, which, while set up to seduce top 40 and clubs (and particularly females who […]
