Artists Archive
Album Review: Slash ‘Apocalyptic Love’
July 14, 2012
With his first solo record, 2010’s Slash, Saul Hudson went for the Carlos Santana approach with a diverse set of songs and a host of featured singers. It was a good enough record, but for the followup Slash has opted instead to work with a set band featuring vocalist Myles Kennedy, drummer Brent Fitz, and
Album Review: Carrie Underwood ‘Blown Away’
July 13, 2012
It’s no surprise that Carrie Underwood is the most successful among her American Idol alumni, and she would likely have been able to achieve the same level of success even without the show. Since 2006 she has released four albums, selling millions of copies, and she has won a bunch of awards along the way–including
Stevie Nicks Confirms Fleetwood Mac 2013 Reunion
July 12, 2012
Stevie Nicks has confirmed that Fleetwood Mac is planning to reunite next year. In an interview with “CBS This Morning,” the singer for the band didn’t offer many details, but said that the reunion is in the works. “It’s the plan,” she said. “Because that’s what we do. I do my thing, and (singer/guitarist) Lindsey
Album Review: R Kelly ‘Write Me Back’
July 11, 2012
Write Me Back is a direct followup to 2010’s Love Letter. With that album, R. Kelly was able to show his prowess in a new light, and thus separate himself from all of the controversy and weirdness that his career had become. It was a throwback 70’s soul record, and a surprisingly good one at
Album Review: Usher ‘Looking 4 Myself’
July 5, 2012
Since the first time I saw Usher perform, which I suppose had to have been around 1997, I found myself in the odd position of advocating the man, singing his praises with wild and uncharacteristic hyperbole. I didn’t even like his music very much–I was into Radiohead and The Verve that year–but I told all
Album Review: Regina Spektor ‘What We Saw from the Cheap Seats’
July 3, 2012
Many of the tracks on What We Saw From the Cheap Seats have already been heard by fans over the past ten years, but it probably wouldn’t be fair to call this album a b-side collection. Regina has completely reworked some of her older stuff, and those tunes which once existed as simple piano ditties
Concert Review: Norah Jones at Fox Theatre in Atlanta
June 24, 2012
The first time I saw Norah Jones live was March 2002 at Variety Playhouse in Atlanta. Her debut album, Come Away with Me, had just been released and had yet to spiral into the Grammy-winning, sales behemoth that it would ultimately become. With a 1000-seat capacity, Variety Playhouse was the largest venue she had played
Album Review: Our Lady Peace ‘Curve’
June 23, 2012
Curve opens with an electric guitar which immediately brings to mind Hendrix at Woodstock. It may or may not have been intentional, but it made me think of raw, live music, and the passionate community around it. Not at all what one would expect from an Our Lady Peace album released in the last decade
Crossroads Guitar Festival Returns in 2013 at Madison Square Garden
June 22, 2012
The fourth incarnation of Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival will be held in New York next year, according to a couple of musicians set to play the event. An official announcement has yet to be made, but artists Sonny Landreth and Blake Mills announced that they would be playing the festival, which will be held
Album Review: Adam Lambert ‘Trespassing’
June 21, 2012
It’s easy enough to pass Adam Lambert off as a cookie-cutter pop star, fully equipped with all of the forced attitude it takes to convince a 13-year-old that he can be their bad boy messiah. After all, with his rise coming through an institution as ubiquitous with the campy and overdone as American Idol, dismissiveness
