Inspired by the crossover success of “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” a No. 1 hit on country radio, Bon Jovi gives its open-hearted stadium rock a Nashville makeover. “Lost Highway” is a collection of carefully country-flavored, classic-sounding tunes emphasizing acoustic guitars and personal storytelling — from the regretful “Whole Lot of Leaving” and […]
Having stepped out of the musical limelight to focus on her film career, Moore returns with a slight twang in her voice and her emotions laid bare. On “Wild Hope,” the former bubblegum star has traded in slick, catchy pop filler for more substantive, folk-driven material, all of which she co-wrote with Lori McKenna […]
Even though the vibraphone is the quintessential instrument of tonal cool, most often musicians play hot, sprinkling sparks with the flint of blazing bebop and hot-chili Latin. But thankfully vibes maestro Hutcherson takes a strikingly different approach on “For Sentimental Reasons,” remarkably his first album as a leader in eight years. While Hutch swings […]
There are tribute records and then there’s this heartfelt homage. “Everyone was related to her in heart or spirit or blood or faith,” John Carter Cash, the only son of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, says of the interesting mix of artists who participated. Rosanne Cash’s heartfelt take on her stepmother’s “Wings of […]
Soul music with substance. That’s the creative MO of singer-songwriter Donnie. His critically acclaimed 2002 Motown debut, “The Colored Section,” drew comparisons to consciousness-raising soul pioneers Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway. On this set, Donnie reveals there’s more to his artistry than just channeling old-school R&B. Still not one to mince words, he tackles […]
Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend” propelled the singer-songwriter to a lofty pedestal: The 22-year-old now has the most No. 1 top 40 hits this decade (five) and is the No. 2 artist in the 14-year history of Nielsen BDS, behind Mariah Carey’s six chart-toppers. “When You’re Gone,” the second single from No. 1 album “The Best Damn […]
“But my heart/It don’t beat the way it used to,” a feverish Brandon Flowers laments in “For Reasons Unknown,” the fourth single from the Killers’ inexhaustible sophomore set “Sam’s Town.” Indeed, things have changed since the Las Vegas boys dumped Bowie for Springsteen, creating a hook-filled blockbuster that fuses new-wavey melodramas with epic Americana. Destined […]
With her career thrust into first gear via FX cult hit “The Riches,” Academy Award-nominated actress Minnie Driver returns in timely fashion with second musical venture “Seastories,” a calming, thoughtful opus. “Beloved,” written by Driver with producer Marc “Doc” Dauer collaborating on melody (he also helmed her 2004 debut, “Everything I’ve Got in My Pocket”), […]
With the pressure of creating an album comparable to 2003’s poignant, sensory “O,” Damien Rice’s sophomore effort, “9,” delves into new themes and sounds without forgoing the haunting elements and ghost-like resonance that defined the Dubliner’s acoustic-folk roots. Launch single “9 Crimes” pairs lazy piano arpeggios and lingering cello. The simplicity of Rice’s arrangements […]
From the New York-based rock outfit’s second album, “The Sun and the Moon” — which launched at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 — the Bravery’s “Time Won’t Let Me Go” is quite the paradox: a lyric infused with melancholic nostalgia, whispering of “all these precious moments you promised me would come in time/So where […]
Hurricane Chris’ “A Bay Bay” has been heating up in his native Shreveport, La., and is now unraveling its melodic tentacles across the rest of the nation. A chorus laced with a child singing along in almost incomprehensible English adds the right amount of catchiness to a ditty about approaching the opposite sex. The chorus […]
Colbie Caillat put “Bubbly” on MySpace last September and by early this year had shot up to the site’s No. 1 unsigned artist spot, a position she maintained for four months. Universal Republic jumped onboard during that run and stuck with the charming track as the first single from a July LP. Caillat is […]
The trips are getting darker for Queens of the Stone Age. In contrast to the adrenaline rush of 2000’s drug anthem “Feel Good Hit of the Summer,” lead Queen Josh Homme disappears in the fade almost completely on the band’s fifth studio album, singing of “don’t resist” and “forever midnight” on the devilish first […]
This two-CD set, whose proceeds will support Amnesty International’s work in Sudan and elsewhere, serves up 23 takes on the post-Beatles work of John Lennon. Although household names like U2, Aerosmith and Avril Lavigne make appearances on disc one, it’s disc two that really delivers. Green Day offers a passionate, profound reading of “Working […]
