With its release last month of second album “Welcome to the Dollhouse,” reality TV girl group Danity Kane — the mother lode of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ “Making the Band” — became the first female group in Billboard history to debut at No. 1 with its debut and sophomore sets. That certainly sets things up nicely […]
With the Wallflowers on hiatus, Jakob Dylan has been flying solo for a while, and something clicked when he opened as an acoustic artist for T-Bone Burnett in 2006. The first single from his Rick Rubin-produced solo debut, “Seeing Things” (June 10), recalls the minimalist storytelling of country blues masters like Robert Johnson, while offering […]
Sarah Brightman has never been much of a radio presence in the United States, but the recent No. 13 debut on the Billboard 200 album chart of “Symphony” shows she has quite a captive following. “I Will Be With You,” a duet with Kiss vocalist Paul Stanley, is pure bombast, but its journey to the […]
Josh Groban’s last studio album, “Awake,” relegated its namesake track to a special edition of the 2006 release. With his performance on upcoming “Awake Live,” a CD/DVD combo that also promises a PBS special, the adult-contemporary staple brings the tome about an uncertain relationship to the forefront. As an anthem, it is less immediate than […]
There was little question that Disturbed would rile the airwaves when it dropped its next single, and the hot reception at radio for “Inside the Fire” proves that the nu metal survivor has an audience awaiting new album “Indestructible,” out in June. Frontman David Draiman is still inserting demonic chuckles into his repertoire, giving over […]
It’s no secret that country stars and pop-metal vets are joining forces these days, and for 25-year chart maven Def Leppard, the road, too, leads to Nashville. Fist-pumping, arena-ready “Nine Lives,” which leads the Brits’ forthcoming new “Songs From the Sparkle Lounge,” finds country singer Tim McGraw and Lep frontman Joe Elliott trading testosterone-fueled lines […]
It took Sarah McLachlan nearly a decade to graduate from mod-rock darling to mainstream deity, via her late-’90s Lilith tour and string of cross-format hits, including “Building a Mystery,” “Aida” and “Angel.” Since, output has been sporadic; even upcoming album “Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff, Volume 2″ (following 1996’s “Volume 1″) leaves fans itching for […]
This ain’t your uncle’s Breeders. Kim Deal’s cheeky Pixies spinoff, which held rock radio in its sway 15 years ago with “Last Splash,” returns with its fourth studio album and first in six years. Make no mistake: The Breeders in 2008 are not festival headliner material. This quartet is more like a Midwest garage band, […]
In the wonderful land of Oz, where pop-rock mercifully continues to reign, the Veronicas are thriving heroines, with five top 10s, including No. 2 “Untouched.” But twin singer/songwriters Jess and Lisa Origliasso are not exactly strangers to America. “When It All Falls Apart” grazed top 40 playlists in 2006, but the V’s were lumped in […]
The third single from Luke Bryan’s engaging debut, “I’ll Stay Me,” is an ear-grabbing salute to the good things a “Country Man” has to offer: “Your little iPod is loaded down with Hoobastank/Don’t be a tape-player-hater girl, we’re groovin’ to Hank.” The catchy melody and cute lyric will surely draw smiles for one of country’s […]
Sara Bareilles rocketed to fame on the back of one very soulful “Love Song” — No. 1 on the Pop 100 — and returns with a second musing on the consummate pop topic. The delightful “Bottle It Up” opens with a prescient observation: “There’ll be girls across the nation that will eat this up.” Indeed. […]
Robert Plant is reluctant to label the 13 songs he recorded with bluegrass superstar Alison Krauss for “Raising Sand” as duets. To the once and future Led Zeppelin frontman, their collaboration requires more than harmonizing, although they do that with subtlety and organic ease. Each track, including second single “Please Read the Letter,” is […]
New years are a time for renewal, right? So perhaps the dawn of 2008 is ripe to at last forgive and forget Janet Jackson’s past indiscretions. Granted, singles from previous album “20 Y.O.” weren’t exactly radio-friendly, but in Island Def Jam bow “Feedback,” she gives us the goods for a meaningful return to pop and […]
The latest single from Miranda Lambert’s excellent “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” album is an explosive number about domestic violence. The protagonist in this song decides to take drastic measures to end a desperate situation as Lambert sings in the chorus: “I’m going home, gonna load my shotgun/ Wait by the door and light a cigarette/ He wants […]
