Everyone else is doing it, so why can’t she? On the latest solo debut from a ’90s alt-rock singer, one-time Cranberry O’Riordan takes a pleasingly safe route, sticking to her playbook and ending up sounding, well, not much unlike she did with her old bunch. It’s hard to imagine anything else happening when you […]
Anderson’s honeyed drawl and wild-turkey wit have made him one of country’s most reliable album makers for nearly three decades, and backing from Warners and Big & Rich ensures that “Easy Money” will be his most visible release in 15 years. Oddly, the rather generic craft of “If Her Lovin’ Don’t Kill Me” and […]
Since hitting us with his tender 2001 single “Maybe I Deserve,” Tank (a former backup vocalist for Ginuwine and Aaliyah) has largely played the background, writing steamy tunes for Marques Houston (”Naked”), Jamie Foxx (”Unpredictable”) and Omarion (”O”), to name a few. The foreground has never been his forte. Though solid in some […]
Far from resting on their considerable laurels, the Isaacs have never sounded more spirited and engaging than on “Big Sky.” Sisters
Sonya Isaacs and Becky Isaacs Bowman sing like angels, and the taut musicianship displayed by brother Ben and the rest of the band showcase why this group has earned legions of fans in the […]
Australian rockers Powderfinger have been given legal clearance to proceed with a controversial song about Aboriginal deaths in custody after changing the lyrics.
Queensland Attorney-General Kerry Shine ruled that altered lyrics to the song “Black Tears” were no cause for legal concern. The case arose after lawyers for a former Queensland policeman, charged with the […]
Madonna is launching a new talent initiative in a bid to find the next cyberspace superstars. The pop superstar’s production company, Maverick, has teamed with Madison Road Entertainment to develop talent search Big Shot, which will launch in September.
The idea of the project is to encourage wannabe actors, magicians, singers and entertainers to post […]
Justin Timberlake has returned to his Southern roots by writing and producing a new song for country music star Reba McEntire.
The Tennessee native has dedicated the track, The Only Promise That Remains, to his country-fan grandfather.
Timberlake tells MTV, “I just wrote and produced a song for Reba McEntire for her new record. I’m from […]
Original break beat duo The Freestylers (Matt Cantor & Aston Harvey) have been visiting Australian shores for almost 10 years. This June they are returning for an intimate dj set at their favourite Melbourne haunt The Prince, where they have always rocked a full house with their trademark party sets. They will be supported […]
British singer Amy Winehouse will reportedly get up close and personal with hunky actor Daniel Craig in the next installment of the James Bond movie series.
Bond producer Barbara Broccoli has offered Winehouse a part in the Casino Royale sequel after falling in love with the Rehab star’s hit album Back to Black.
The second posthumous double album from the Smith archives, “New Moon” is more of a proper album (and a more satisfying listen) than the 2004 set “From a Basement on a Hill.” Rather than a collection of half-finished songs from the last few months of Smith’s life, “New Moon” does him justice by compiling […]
Consider Keren Ann’s second all-English album a slouched, sleepy cab ride through a wee-hours metropolis, with occasional bursts of noise to snap your half-closed eyelids back awake. “Keren Ann” finds the Paris-to-New York singer-songwriter (surname Zeidel) in even more command of the language, both as vocalist and lyricist, than she was on 2004’s well-received […]
With help from the ubiquitous Akon, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony are climbing the charts once again with “I Tried.” The cut introduces “Strength and Loyalty,” a relatively solid return that should bring some new fans into the flock. Throughout, it seems the group is trying to re-create its past success by repeating its previously successful musical […]
Throughout Sage Francis’ second album for Epitaph, the rapper casts his eye toward a somewhat abstract enemy. The ignorantly rich get their lashing on “Hoofprints in the Sand,” and corporate hip-hop is spat on in “Midgets and Giants.” Yet much of “Human the Death Dance” goes for something deeper — the sound of an […]
Like Kings of Convenience, the Clientele has perfected a strain of romantic, midtempo indie rock rooted in the acoustic guitar-dappled sound of Simon & Garfunkel. On the new “God Save the Clientele,” string arrangements by Louis Philippe add a timeless quality to standouts like “Here Comes the Phantom,” “Isn’t Life Strange” and the closing […]
