Barring some fourth-quarter cataclysm, Lil Wayne’s Da Drought 3 is probably going to end up as my album of the year, despite it not actually being a real album and everything. It’s tough to articulate just what’s so powerful about Da Drought 3; when I first heard it, I thought…
So it stands to reason that there’s only one American Gangster album that people should be interested in and that’s Jay-Z’s new release. It’s his second full length album post retirement and it’s not getting the greatest of reviews, partly because it’s his second full length album post retirement and…
Jay-Z American Gangster (Roc-A-Fella) American Gangster is one hell of a comeback album. For Diddy. Alongside his production team, The Hitmen, Sean Combs produces the album’s hottest tracks, “Pray,” and “Roc Boys (And The Winner Is),” outshining hit makers like the Neptunes and Jermaine Dupri. As for Jay-Z, let’s hope…
Michael Jackson, even after his loss of popularity in the U.S., continues to be an international icon. His music captured huge audiences around the world, especially during his glory days. Jackson also has lots of impersonators, including an entire Filipino prison full of inmates who choreographed their own version of…
So it’s finally the fourth quarter in the music industry and record companies are desperate for some real sales. CD’s practically have one foot in the grave anyway so whatever dollars record companies can squeeze out of consumers by Christmas is a miracle. But alas, the heralded fourth quarter isn’t…
BY ANDY VIHSTADT CrossFade mixes it up Photo by Bill Sitzmann Last year, Omaha’s Cursive challenged its fans to remix the single, “Bad Sects,” from the Happy Hollow LP. The winning entry earned the flipside on the 12” single, which is finally available this week. Have a listen to the…
Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez American Airlines Arena Nov. 2, 2007 Better Than: Sonny and Cher The Mennifer, or shall we say, J.Ant show is so overwhelmingly over the top, you can’t help but marvel at the star power in all of its pyrotechnics. Friday night at the American Airlines…
Through The Past, Darkly Currently touring in support of his second solo album, former Soundgarden/Audioslave wailer Chris Cornell spoke with New Times about the environment, the thought process behind choosing which songs to include in a career-spanning setlist, art versus audience perceptions of it, and the consequences of a positive…
Annie Lennox October 31, 2007 The Carnival Center Better Than: A Weimar-era balladeer in a blender. I don’t know what’s better, that I got a privileged seat for the set of Annie Lennox last night, or that I got to sit next to the Herald’s Howard Cohen, who I thought…
In the words of Andre 3000, “You can plan a picnic, but you can’t predict the weather.” Considering Tropical Storm Noel is storming through the Bahamas right now, it’s a wise decision that Down Sound Records and Sigma Management have decided to temporarily postpone Jah Cure’s concert this weekend in…
Max Bemis, frontman for the New York-based band Say Anything, was diagnosed three years ago as bipolar. This, he says, made absolute sense — it explained his manic episodes. In fact he attributes the lyrics of the band’s 2004 debut, … Is a Real Boy, to the disorder. If that…
To visit Whole Wheat Bread’s MySpace page — which pairs a profile photo of three unsmiling black men with streaming strains of fast, melodic punk — is to suspect an elaborate hoax. Not because black dudes can’t play punk (Bad Brains obliterated that silly stereotype two decades ago), but because…
On this mostly pan-Latin compilation, DJ Raul Campos, the host of Nocturna, a popular program on Santa Monica’s KCRW-FM radio station, brings together tunes from artists both new and well-known. He hooks the listener right from the opening track, “Shine,” a tune by DJ Bitman, which successfully blends into Nortec…
New York-based DJ DB has always known how to throw a good party. Years after his first events (notably the groundbreaking, historic NASA parties), the veteran electronic music persona is still breathing new life into the city with his monthly Secret Art of Science nights. A cofounder of the pioneering…
The idea of a collaboration between Prince Paul and Bernie Worrell — with guest appearances by George Clinton, Shock G, and others — is a self-fulfilling prophecy, right? The quirky hip-hop producer and the P-Funk keyboard wizard are going to make some sort of Dope Dogs ’07, because, well, that’s…
Viva subterfuge and theft that doesn’t harm anybody who doesn’t deserve it. But holy Girl Talk, Batman; at a certain point, one gets the sense that powerful music-biz suits aren’t the only folks falling prey to sample-happy activist-composers. To be more concise: If you simply must taunt copyright lawyers, flip…
When Bryan “Birdman” Williams walks through the doors of North Miami’s Hit Factory Studios on a recent Friday night, he cuts a commanding yet calm figure. The spray of diamonds dripping from his neck, wrist, and ears is almost blinding, but then there’s his understated swagger. Williams exudes successful music-exec…
Most hip-hop MCs are hungry, but LMS is starving like a late dinner guest to the Last Supper. You can feel it in his delivery, you can see the look in his eyes, but most of all you can hear it in his words. “Knowing the power of words, you…
Since their inception in 1977, the Village People have sold more than 85 million albums and singles. With omnipresent hits like “YMCA,” “Macho Man,” and “In the Navy,” the group has become universally known for catchy disco hits as well as distinct onstage costumes. Ray Simpson, who plays the policeman,…
Shine opens its Sleepless Night festivities Friday with an appearance by steamy DJ Colette. With her doe eyes and demure presence, Chicago native Colette is the very essence of postmillennial house music. Her sweet but sultry voice has been called “angelic” so many times it’s a wonder she hasn’t grown…
Chances are good it’s already too late to get yourself into Studio A for the only U.S. date on UK DJ James Zabiela’s fall 2007 tour. One thing that’ll probably be there is a small band of haters standing around with arms crossed, silently cursing Zabiela for bringing turntablism into…
We found this blurb on Yahoo!, describing the Kings of Leon’s official Web site: “Rock band from Tennessee whose songs teem with primal emotions and rangy rhythms.” First, somebody from the Kings’ camp wrote this. Second, somebody in the Kings’ camp thinks their songs teem with primal emotions and, moreover,…
