Mus News

One of the hardest-working R&B stars to come out of the New Orleans area during the Oldies era would have to be Lloyd Price, who even today — after more than fifty years of performing — still has a few irons in the fire. Growing up in nearby Kenner, young Lloyd's education in the music of New Orleans included everything from singing in his church choir to hanging around the jukebox in his mother's small restaurant. While still in his teens, he joined with his brother Leo to form a local musical group that eventually began to draw wider attention, leading to a 1952 recording session — one of historical significance. With a moonlighting Fats Domino handling the piano, Lloyd sang what would become one of the all-time classics of New Orleans R&B music, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy." It made the young singer a star, and when he followed up with several other good songs, including "Tell Me Pretty Baby" and "Ain't It a Shame," he appeared to be on his way to a long career. Unfortunately, the Korean War — and the draft — was next for Lloyd, and when he finally got back to music in 1954 he found that the ever-fickle public had moved on to singers like Little Richard and others. But Lloyd began rebuilding his career and making recordings, first for his own newly-formed company and later through a tie-in with ABC-Paramount. By 1958, he'd generated a huge Number One hit with "Stagger Lee," an updated version of the old song "Stack-A-Lee" made more appealing to mainstream audiences. As the years passed, Price continued to veer toward a more pop-oriented sound, selling a lot of records with songs such as "I'm Gonna Get Married," and one of his biggest, "Personality." (Video below.) He also continued to follow his business sense, re-forming his own recording company and finding success not only with his own music but also by promoting newcomer Wilson Pickett. But trouble was right around the corner. Price's longtime business partner Harold Logan met a violent death, and music began to seem less important. Over the last couple of decades, Price has still found the time to sing once in a while, but has become more and more involved in business investments and opportunities. For one thing, he's very involved in a specialty food company that might have its roots in a childhood spent at his momma's restaurant. In any case, he's still workin' hard.

Tony Shapiro understands the basic music cues and generates a consistent message throughout the Marley & Me Soundtrack. The soundtrack is basically a mix of generic movie cues. Chases, traveling, romance, and growth are all represented. I understand that the album follows musical cues from the movie, but the biggest flaw about the soundtrack is that it depends on the visuals to make it successful. The length of the tracks exemplifies that each fit a specific place in the movie. “Two Year Montage” is one of the longest tracks and it makes for a decent, generic pop/rock tune. I assume from the title that it’s supposed to represent time passing, but other than the increasing in key, it doesn’t feel progressive. The Irish arrangement in “Off to Ireland” is well-produced and shows a feeling of flight, adventure, and appreciating the unknown. The song makes you want to get up and do a jig. There is something that connects to the video game The Sims while listening to this soundtrack, which is probably the oddest compliment this album can get. A track like “Dog Farm” could fit perfectly in the computer game as part of customizing your family pet. “Labor Pains” and “Snow” have a similar “building/furnishing a house” theme that The Sims uses. Some of the tracks provide wonderful background music without being overbearing. I don’t understand why several of the tracks include a generic Latin sound, though. Instead of providing either a well-composed or organized track, the songs “Walking the Plank” and “Leg Love” have this almost basic keyboard preset, something very Casio Cha-Cha. I thought that maybe it was the last of it, but then out of nowhere a similar riff picks up in “Employed.” I appreciate the attempt at variations to the soundtrack, but I wish that the execution was cleaner. Several of the tracks include an interesting arrangement for volume. For “Walking the Plank,” the electric guitar is warbled out of control. In “Obedience School,” the horn is unfortunately stifled into the background instead of being the lead. “Leg Love” makes a crescendo of success in the middle and is a little too loud for its own good. “First Sleepless Night” also crescendos out of control. It then just fades to nothing. This whole soundtrack could benefit from the listener having to manually adjust the settings of their volume or else a lot of the music will end up distorted. The album has an interesting mix of tempos, styles, and arrangements. I would hesitate to suggest this for playing in the background because of tracks like “Boy and Dog” which crescendos way too loud for its own good, though. Overall, the music is standard soundtrack fare. Tony Shapiro didn't reinvent the soundtrack wheel with this one.

What we have here is a DVD that comes exactly as advertised. Which is to say that it delivers on its promise of a series of live performances recorded in the studio, without any big production values — hence its "from the basement" title and theme. The performances seen and heard here were also done mostly without any audience. I say "mostly" only because light applause can occasionally be heard. As for the artists represented here, they fall mostly under the banner of what might be called "alternative" — whatever that means these days, since what is heard here is stylistically pretty much all over the place. But there are some big "alt-rock" names here, including Beck, PJ Harvey, the White Stripes, and Sonic Youth. The biggest of these names is of course Radiohead, who also get the lion's share of the playing time here with four tracks represented. Two of these ("Down Is The New Up" and "Videotape") close the DVD and are credited to lead vocalist Thom Yorke, who does perform them solo. But let's face it, they are still Radiohead tracks. The full band opens the DVD with "All I Need" and "Reckoner," two tracks from the great In Rainbows album. I had already seen Radiohead's stuff when it was shown on VH1 last year, but it's still nice to have here to play whenever the mood strikes. You can never have enough of Radiohead playing stuff from In Rainbows. But Radiohead are not the only highlight here. The two White Stripes tracks serve as a reminder of just how great Jack White is on guitar (and how Meg pounds the shit out of those drums). The Beck stuff is, well, Beck. PJ Harvey hits some unearthly high notes behind a metronome and an acoustic piano on "The Devil." Sonic Youth sound great as well, walking a tightrope between post-punk and psychedelia on "The Sprawl" and "Pink Steam." As for the rest of what's here? Well, I have to be honest and admit I skipped through some of it. I'm sure Neil Hannon and Laura Marling are fine songwriters, for example, but I lasted less than a minute with each of them. Something about those acoustic guitars and dour faces, I guess. Hey, I had a deadline, okay? On the other hand, there were also some quite pleasant surprises on From The Basement. I definitely liked the doomy, lo-fi minor chords of Autolux, for example, even if their song "Let It Be Broken" sounded suspiciously like a slowed-down version of "Pinball Wizard." I also dug the fuzzed-out rock of Albert Hammond Jr. and the sleepy dirge-rock of Super Furry Animals. And I was already a fan of the Shins. Ditto the Eels. So my short review reads like this: If you're a Radiohead completist, you'll want this. Just consider the White Stripes, Sonic Youth, and PJ a nice little bonus. But if you're not, there's plenty of other great stuff here you might also like or otherwise be surprised by as much as I was. There's also some filler. But that's what the skip button is for.

Canadian singer/songwriter Justin Nozuka and Australian singer/songwriter Missy Higgins are co-headlining a hectic tour across the US. They start the tour on Feb 19 at Houston TX and hit 24 cities including Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Philadelphia, PA; New York, NY; Kansas City, KS; Los Angeles, CA and San Francisco, CA before ending the tour on March 25 at Solana Beach, CA. Both artists are extremely excited to be touring the US amidst immense popularity. Nozuka released his debut album ‘Holly’ last spring which was instantly popular and reached No. 6 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart. He named his debut album after his mother Holly Sedgwick, sister of actress Kyra Sedgwick. On the other hand, Higgins is promoting the second album ‘On a clear night’ which was released early 2007. The album features three hit singles including the latest ‘Peachy’ which was released last November. Justin Nozuka & Missy Higgins 2009 Tour Dates 02/19/2009 – Houston, TX – House Of Blues 02/20/2009 – Austin, TX – Antone’s 02/21/2009 – Dallas, TX – House Of Blues 02/24/2009 – Tampa, FL – State Theater 02/25/2009 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room 02/26/2009 – Orlando, FL – House Of Blues 02/27/2009 – Atlanta, GA – The Loft 02/28/2009 – Greenville, SC – Handlebar 03/02/2009 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club 03/03/2009 – Annapolis, MD – Ram’s Head On Stage 03/05/2009 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts 03/06/2009 – New York, NY – Terminal 5 03/07/2009 – Boston, MA – House Of Blues 03/08/2009 – Troy, NY – Revolution Hall 03/10/2009 – Cleveland, OH – House Of Blues 03/11/2009 – Detroit, MI – Royal Oak 03/13/2009 – Chicago, IL – The Vic Theater 03/14/2009 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theatre

It’s been more than two years since UK dance music prodigy James Zabiela’s last solo mix CD. He’s finally set to return this month with guns well and truly blazing, putting together the latest episode of Renaissance’s epically titled The Masters Series. It’s Zabiela’s first CD in the series, and he follows in the footsteps of Dave Seaman and Hernan Cattaneo. “I’m delighted to step-up and join the ranks of The Masters Series,” said Zabs of the new release. “I can’t wait for it to hit the shelves. I haven’t done a solo compilation in over two years so I really went to town on it,” he added. There are two discs included in the package, which Zabiela has imaginatively titled Up and Down. Jokes aside, Up will be the clubbier mix, while James describes Down as an �audio travelogue’. “An intricately produced collage of beautiful electronica over-laid with his own �field recordings’,” hypes press release. “A suite of ambient sounds and spoken word that represent both his journeys on the road and in the air, and time and thoughts between gigs.” Truth be told, it does sound pretty interesting. James Zabiela The Masters Series is due out in the UK on February 23rd, with North America to follow on March 31st. Stay tuned for details on the Australian release date.

Los Campesinos! have extended their tour of North America, with a run of dates that will see them on the road until April. The band are touring in support of their second album �We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed’, which was released in November 2008, just seven months after their debut �Hold On Now, Youngster…�. The updated tour dates are: Grand Rapids, MI Calvin College/Ladies Literary Club (February 10) Columbus, OH Wexner Center for the Arts (11) Swarthmore, PA Swarthmore College/Olde Club (12) Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club (13) New York, NY Bowery Ballroom (14, 15) Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts (29) Burlington, VT Higher Ground (30) Montreal, PQ La Sala Rosa (31) Toronto, ON Opera House (April 1) Detroit, MI Magic Stick (2) Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall (3) Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Café (4) Omaha, NE Waiting Room (5) Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre (7) Seattle, WA Neumo’s (10) Vancouver, BC Richard’s on Richards (11) Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom (12) Sacramento, CA Harlow’s (13) San Francisco, CA Slims (15) Santa Barbara, CA Velvet Jones (16) Indio, CA Coachella Music Festival (17)

The issue of domestic violence was pushed into the spotlight this weekend when reports emerged that singer Chris Brown was allegedly involved in a physical confrontation with girlfriend Rihanna. While police are not identifying Rihanna as the woman injured in the incident that occurred on Sunday morning, TMZ has reportedly confirmed that the the 20-year-old singer was the victim in the case and that she identified Brown, 19, as her attacker. The alleged assault has shed light on a 2007 interview Brown did with Giant magazine, in which he said his mother had been physically abused by his stepfather. “He used to hit my mom,” the singer told the magazine. “He made me terrified all the time, terrified like I had to pee on myself. I remember one night he made her nose bleed. I was crying and thinking, ‘I’m just gonna go crazy on him one day.’ … I hate him to this day.” Emil Wilbekin, editor in chief of Giant, told MTV News on Monday (February 9) that if the allegations prove true, they fit a sadly predictable chain of abuse. “In the 2007 article, he talks about his abusive stepfather beating on his mother, and unfortunately, that type of behavior often becomes a pattern within families,” Wilbekin said. “It’s a little sad, because he is a role model for so many young men and has so many young female fans. It does send a really bad message.” Detectives investigating the alleged domestic-violence felony battery booked the singer for criminal threats in the case and released him on $50,000 bail; additional charges may be filed. A spokesperson for Brown could not be reached for comment at press time. TMZ is reporting that an unnamed police source said Rihanna suffered contusions and bite marks in the alleged assault. The incident came just two days after the end of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week, a three-year-old effort to get out the warning signs about violence among young people (16-24) in relationships. Among those signs, according to experts, are intense jealousy, excessive text messaging or calling, monitoring calls or e-mails, frequently showing up unannounced, telling the other person what to do or wear, publicly embarrassing your partner, frequent accusations of “cheating” or flirting, keeping your partner from doing things they enjoy, and threats of suicide or self-injury in the event of a breakup. The awareness week brought some sobering statistics from around the country, such as those from the Texas Council on Family Violence, which reported that 75 percent of Texans age 16-24 who were surveyed reported experiencing dating violence or knowing someone who had. Back in 2007, one victim, Kendrick, shared her story with MTV News of being physically and emotionally abused in her first relationship, in order to let other teens know that they’re not alone. Just 14 when she started dating a senior in high school, Kendrick said she and her boyfriend, known for his quick temper, rapidly escalated to saying they loved each other and would be together forever within months of beginning their relationship. After her parents forbade her to see her boyfriend, she snuck off to meet him, and it was during those times when he would become physically abusive. “You’re stuck. You’re being controlled. You don’t know what to do,” she said, describing the situation as being “stuck in a black hole.” Even after breaking up over the phone, Kendrick said she was terrified for weeks that the boyfriend would physically harm her but that the emotional abuse she suffered was equally damaging. “When someone has that much power over your routine and your schedule, and you’re getting no say in your own life, that’s a form of abuse,” she said, referring to the use of e-mail, IM and texts by an abusive partner as a means of control. “Teen dating violence, it can be prevented. This isn’t a disease that we’re trying to find a cure for,” she said. “This is something that can be prevented if we teach people about it.” For more information on teen dating violence, head over to Think MTV for a video handbook on spotting the warning signs of abuse.

It seems strangely appropriate that this album should be coming out this year — which also heralds the 50th birthday of Motown Records — because if anyone has taken on the mantle of soul singer extraordinaire for the 21st century, then it’s the phenomenal Ruthie Foster – something that was, not coincidentally, the title of her last album. Foster has been kicking up a storm in her home state of Texas for a fair wee while now, with her winning combination of soul, classic R’n'B, and folk and blues. It’s surely only a matter of when, rather than if, she breaks internationally. From the opening, classic soul blast of “Stone Love,” through the big ballad “When It Don’t Come Easy,” and into the dynamic blues of “Truth!” this album just keeps on delivering. Hailing from a family of gospel singers, Foster studied music at university before taking the unusual route of touring with the US Navy band, Pride. Then there was an abortive period with Atlantic Records, who tried to mould her into a hybrid of Anita Baker-meets-Tracy Chapman before she broke free and headed out on the road playing at just about every folk club in North America. She’s been making albums since 1997, when her debut Full Circle came out, releasing Crossover before signing for Houston’s Blue Corn Records, which has seen another three excellent releases – Runaway Soul and the live album Stages, prior to the aforementioned The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster. Of course, it’s no real surprise that the musical performances are straight out of the top drawer. When you have the likes of former Black Crowe’s guitarist Robben Ford popping in to lay down some steaming hot lines, you know you’re in for a treat. Add in a whole pile of Memphis magic, courtesy of keyboards man, Jim Dickinson, who’s worked with, well, everyone from Aretha Franklin to the Rolling Stones, and a funked-up dose of the Memphis Horns, and you’re set up for an inspirational time. The coup de grace, though, are the vocals of Foster herself. She has that rare skill of being able to go from a whisper to a scream without losing any of the warm, welcoming glow of her remarkable voice. Frame it in slow blues, like Nickel And A Nail, then sit back and prepare to be blown away. There’s also some room for some funky Southern soul, and Dues Paid In Full, which comes punctuated with brass blasts courtesy of Wayne Jackson and the Memphis Horns, is one of the album’s highlights. The album has a cocooning feel, beautifully produced by Chris Goldsmith, who has worked with the Blind Boys Of Alabama, and I can just imagine the acoustic blues of Joy On The Other Side being given the full gospel treatment. The album finishes up with a sweet up-tempo groove called Thanks For The Joy, but it’s me who should be thanking Foster for putting a little joy into my life.

Chiefs at Spotify, the music streaming service that allows users to listen to music free, generating money from advertising, have announced that they will add “over one million” new songs to their library after signing a deal with independent music distributer CD Baby. The deal will mean that songs by artists who have had material distributed by the company, including Regina Spektor, Gary Jules and Jack Johnson, will be available to listen to on the service. The news comes in the same month that Spotify was forced to cull its library because of the details of deals with labels with regards to music releases in different regions. Spotify founder Daniel Ek said that the new deal took the company “closer to our dream of gathering all the world’s music in one place”.

Coldplay have announced the initial dates of a summer tour of the US and Canada, kicking off July 10 in Portland, OR. The band are performing at the Grammy Awards this Sunday (February 8), and are nominated for seven awards including Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Album Of The Year and Best Rock Album for �Viva La Vida’. The album has sold almost eight million copies worldwide so far. The dates are: Portland, OR The Amphitheater at Clark County (July 10) George, WA The Gorge Amphitheatre (11) San Francisco, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre (13) San Diego, CA Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre (16) Carson, CA Home Depot Center (18) Dallas, TX Superpages.com Center (21) Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (22) Maryland Heights, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater (24) East Troy, WI Alpine Valley Music Theatre (25) Toronto, ON TBD (29) Mansfield, MA Comcast Center (August 3) Raleigh, NC Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion (6) Charlotte, NC Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (7) Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre (9)

Promoters behind Ministry Of Sound’s new New York weekly night at Mansion (the venue that was formerly Crobar and has just been renamed M2) have revealed that they’ll be prioritising bottle service over dancing, to differentiate themselves from rival superclub Pacha New York. “We do not have a dancefloor, and that makes a huge difference. It’s more about table service, sitting, more about entertainment, production, aerialists, and performers,” Mansion chief Mark Baker told Blackbook writer Stephen Lewis. “I also think that the average age of our client here is slightly older than they have at Pacha. Pacha is definitely a legitimate DJ-driven music venue,” he added. In a follow up article, Baker described Pacha’s musical direction as вЂ?harder, younger… tribal, progressive, trance’ and promised that Ministry’s sound will be вЂ?a lot more vocal driven, a lot house-ier and a lot sexier’.

One year after being released on double CD, and a full two years after the event itself, Opeth The Roundhouse Tapes finally came out on DVD in November 2008. It has been reviewed here before: check out the excellent review by Blogcritics own Aaron Fleming, written from the perspective of someone fortunate enough to have been there on the night. For those of us that missed it, we now have this nicely packaged DVD set to fall back on. So wind up that surround sound, dust off your flat screen, check that the neighbours are out for a couple of hours, pull open a beer, and watch one of rock’s finest bands at their intense and passionate best. Obviously the double CD release, reviewed by BC’s Chris Beaumont late last year, captures the gig but there is something about the presence and charismatic power of Sweden’s Opeth that cries out to be seen. They are, in short, one of the premier epic metal bands of recent times. This concert not only captures them live but does so in one of London’s most famous and atmospheric haunts, the world renowned Roundhouse. It arrives nicely packaged. One disc, an artistically photographed booklet, hard sleeve, and the nice additional touch of a set of postcards of each band member. For extras you have band interviews, fan interviews, a gallery, but best of all is the fascinating film of the band’s sound check for the gig. They open the concert itself with the full on drama of “When”, taken from their 1998 album, My Arms Your Hearse. The film constantly cuts from band member to band member, back to the crowd, all from numerous angles, in a fast paced sequencing that helps to bring out the drama and scale of the event. The sound is excellent, the film crystal clear, and the angles well used. The crowd are up for it and the band hit their trademark high from the off. Since forming in 1990 Sweden’s Opeth has always been at the pinnacle of progressive death metal. Heavily influenced by elements ranging from folk to epic metal, Opeth move from dark to light, dynamic to the softest melodic acoustically based shifts, creating an unforgettable, and relentlessly intense atmosphere.

Just before the soundtrack to the movie Into the Wild came out I became involved in a conversation over band front men releasing solo albums. The brother-in-law was pontificating that it was quite unusual for a band as prominent and long-running as Pearl Jam to not be having solo albums from their lead singer. We ran through famous front men that have put out solo albums: Mick Jagger, Robert Plant, Jerry Garcia, David Lee Roth, Ozzy Osbourne, Phil Collins, Don Henley and then began to think that maybe it wasn't such a bad idea for Eddie to stick with the band. That led naturally to lead singers who had not formed solo projects and quickly realized that brother-in-law was wrong, it had happened lots. The exercise quickly became pointless, but ongoing (Does it count if they go solo after the band breaks up? What if it is labeled as a solo album, but most of the band actually played on the record? Does Into the Wild even count as it is a movie soundtrack and not a true solo record?) Into the Wild actually turned out to be a better record than it was a movie, though it was neglected by the Academy Awards. It is also, in my opinion better than a number of Pearl Jam records. Truth be told though, I mostly gave up on them some years ago. Oh there was a time when I was very much a fan. I can remember seeing "Evenflow" on the MTV and freaking out at how brilliant it was. When I got the album, I listened to it over, and over, and over…til my ears bled. Well, maybe not that much but it got a lot of playtime. I once even mimicked Eddie's MTV Unplugged performance of writing "Pro-Choice" on my arm while in the church van on our way to a devotional (being the good boy back then I did change the wording to read "Pro-Life" but the passion was just the same.) Etc. In the decade since those days I've found I like some of their songs, and can dig their ability to hang around with good talent, but I am no where near a worshipful fan. I even tried to give Pearl Jam the old Bootleg Country try, but I could never make it. I listened to a couple of a shows a couple of times, but each time I could never really grab on. I like their energy, and many of their songs, but somehow live they just don't click for me.

Every year the Grammy Awards come around and prove once again that I am listening to the wrong radio stations. The 2009 collection is no different. The 2009 Grammy Nominees CD includes an amazing cross-section of the radio waves, some of which I hadn't heard before listening to the CD. 2008 was a great year for pop, rock, and R&B artists across the board, and on February 8, 2009, we'll know who wins in the usual categories: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Coldplay's album and song "Viva La Vida" is up in multiple categories, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or group with Vocals. It's amazing how many times I've seen amateur renditions of this song on YouTube this year. Next we have Estelle with her song "American Boy" (featuring Kanye West) off her album Shine. "American Boy" is up for Song of the Year and faces some stiff competition in the category. After that we have Sara Bareilles "Love Song" released as a single in 2008, which is up for Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. "Love Song" has received a ton of play on my local radio stations, and I have to admit it's pretty catchy. I haven't checked out the rest of her album Little Voice, but hope to do so. Ne-Yo's album Year of the Gentleman is up for Album of the Year. You'll find the first track, "Closer" on the Nominees CD. And Ne-Yo is competing with Lil Wayne for Album of the Year. Lil Wayne's album Tha Carter III is represented on the CD by "Got Money", which also features T-Pain. One of my own favorite albums of the year, Raising Sand by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, is up for Album of the Year and Record of the Year. The song "Please Read the Letter" is on the CD, represents the album, and shows the fruit of this amazing duo. Radiohead, another great group with staying power, is up for Album of the Year with In Rainbows. "House of Cards" is here and proves that Radiohead still has what it takes to create amazing music. Lady Antebellum came on the country music scene last year and is up for Best New Artist. Their song "Love Don't Live Here" from their self-titled album was chosen to represent. The Jonas Brothers are also up for Best New Artist. Their song "Burnin' Up" is off their album A Little Bit Longer. This is a hugely popular group at my eldest daughter's elementary school. Jazmine Sullivan is another artist up for Best New Artist. Her album Fearless is represented with her song "Need U Bad."

After the banner year in music that was 2007, I suppose it was inevitable that 2008 would be a let down. And it was. It's not that there wasn't any good music released this year; after all, I was able to come up with a full list of 20 (unlike with 2006, where I wimped out at ten). But there was a lack of greatness this year, with albums that rank very highly this year that would have ranked much lower the year previous. In fact, until I seriously started to think about how this list would shape up, many of the albums on it had failed to grab me throughout the year. In part, this has more to do with the fact that I spent the year listening to older music, but still, if I loved these albums like I loved the ones that topped last year's list, I would've taken notice much earlier. The result is a list where I'm more comfortable with the bottom half (20-11) than I am with the top half. Not because the albums at the bottom are better (if they were, they'd be higher on the list), but because those albums feel like 20-11-type albums, whereas the albums that place highly on this album don't really feel like high placing albums, but this year they are. Honourable Mentions: Jenny Lewis – Acid Tongue, Gnarls Barkley – The Odd Couple, Tapes 'N Tapes – Walk It Off, The Stills – Oceans Will Rise, Coldplay – Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends 20. Q-Tip – The Renaissance: It's become tradition for me to include at least one hip-hop album in my year end lists, in a futile attempt to show that I listen to more than just indie rock. Former token representatives Common and Kanye West each released albums this year, and, well, let's just say neither contended for this list and leave it at that. Instead, Q-Tip makes his triumphant return to the world of hip-hop in the appropriately-named The Renaissance, his first album since 1999 (and first work of his I've paid attention to since A Tribe Called Quest's Beats, Rhymes and Life from 1996). If you've been missing that old Quest sound, rejoice that the Abstract has returned with an album that stacks up to some of the best that group had to offer, while staking out new territory for itself. 19. Cat Power – Jukebox: Normally, cover albums are the death of artistry, the final sign that a singer has nothing new to offer, and instead tosses out a bunch of standards, hoping people will still pay to hear them sing even after they've tired of listening to what they have to sing about. But in the case of Cat Power, real creativity is applied to the songs Chan Marshall decides to cover (it helps that they aren't all standards).

After her triumphant (albeit lip-synched) performance of the national anthem at Sunday’s Super Bowl, Oscar-winning actress/singer Jennifer Hudson is continuing her slow return to the public eye following the October slayings of her mother, brother and nephew in Chicago. According to EW.com, Hudson is planning a six-week U.S. tour in the spring, which would mark her debut as a solo headliner on the road. Manager Damien Smith reportedly told the site that Hudson will headline theater-size venues for about six weeks, beginning in late March or early April. “Everybody, stay tuned,” Smith said. “You’ll be seeing a lot more of her.” A spokesperson for Hudson could not be reached at press time for confirmation of the tour. One person has already volunteered to accompany Hudson on the road: her “Dreamgirls” co-star Jamie Foxx. The “Blame It” singer, who reportedly sent an inspirational text message to Hudson after her Super Bowl appearance, told “Entertainment Tonight” that he’s ready to go on the road with his pal. “She’s doing well,” Foxx told “ET.” “She says she wants to get back into the flow of things. Hopefully, we will go out on tour together and, you know, heal the world with our music.” Hudson is slated to perform in Hollywood on Friday at the 2009 MusicCares Person of the Year Gala in honor of Neil Diamond, as well as at Sunday’s Grammy Awards where she’s got four nominations for her self-titled debut album. Hudson has also been nominated for seven awards at the 40th annual NAACP Image Awards on February 12, six for her album and one for her role in the film, “The Secret Life of Bees.” Hudson is also expected to perform at the Image Awards show. The singer had kept a low profile for the past three-plus months, but recently began her slow re-emergence with the completion of the music video for “If This Isn’t Love” and the Super Bowl appearance, her first public performance since the murders. Will Lil Wayne grab all the gramophones? Is Katy Perry going to tell her girl rivals to kiss off? Can Coldplay march off with a win? MTV News is all over the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, so stay tuned for interviews, analysis and more before, during and after the big night, Sunday, February 8.

I have to admit that before this album, I hadn't heard of Matt York. Then I heard the first track of Mine and had to hear more. "Death Came a Knockin'" is most definitely a gospel tune, but it captured my soul immediately. There was a purity to it that drew me back to the rest of Mine. Was I disappointed? I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. If the rest of the album included more gospel-style tunes like "Death Came a Knockin'" I probably wouldn't be disappointed at all, but the rest of the album hits me like Lenny Kravitz going Motown, which didn't always work for me. That said, I think York has crafted a good album. It's pretty low-key musically, with a pretty consistent pulse. The album landscape has a few hills and valleys, but the only stand-out song for me was the first one. After that, I do have a couple of favorites. "Lucky Man" speaks to me of a man in a committed relationship, who feels lucky to be with the one he's with. And "It's All Fire" just has a lovely melody with some beautiful harmonies along with the guitar. York toured for three years and nearly 750 shows for his first record Under the Streetlights, working his way across North America, Japan, and Australia. He even released a DVD in March 2008 of some of his concert footage (filmed by Dan Ramirez, who also worked with the Dave Matthews Band and O.A.R.). At the end of the tour, York was feeling the effects of the road, but decided to work on his sophomore record rather than taking a break. He teamed up with Brad Stella and Joel Parisien to create the tracks for what eventually became Mine over the next few months. York grew up listening to Motown and gospel and wanted to go back to that feel for this album. He and his new five-piece band will most likely be on tour again later in the year to showcase Mine. Overall Mine was a good album, just not what I expected after hearing the first track. If you are a fan of the Motown sound, I'd definitely recommend Mine as something to check out! Track listing: 1. Death Came A Knockin' 2. Tomorrow 3. Let Me Go 4. Someday 5. Give Me Love 6. Those Days 7. Lucky Man 8. Hard Days 9. Mine 10. It's All Fire 11. Now And Then

In the booklet which accompanies the DVD release of Dream Of Life, filmmaker Steven Sebring describes the Patti Smith he came to know while making the film as essentially two different people. "She had been this really sweet, almost innocent, interesting woman," Sebring explains. "And then at Irving Plaza, she was raging, spitting music, and spewing poetry. It was fantastic." Playing as often as a visual and audio collage as it does as a documentary, Sebring's film about Patti Smith captures the essence of this iconic artist beautifully. It jumps around quite a bit between both times and places, but still manages to paint a picture that is as equal parts abstract and beautiful as the work of the icon herself. In fact, in some of the film's best moments, Sebring's unlimited access to Patti Smith provides a rare and often intimate look into the personal life of this legendary artist. We not only see Patti Smith as the iconic high priestess of punk-rock poetry — we also see her as a mother, a daughter, a wife, and sadly as a grieving widow. Patti Smith's story is already well known to fans and students of rock history. During the mid to late seventies, she made a string of four great albums, beginning with her classic debut Horses, and ending with Wave, before dropping completely out of sight for several years to move to Detroit, marry MC5 guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith, and start a family. In the mid-eighties, she briefly re-emerged with the album Dream Of Life, only to disappear again for another several years. Sebring's film essentially tracks Patti Smith's life following the death of her husband in 1994. While his journey as a filmmaker begins there, it ends up lasting for the next eleven years and gains him unprecedented access to Patti Smith's life both on and offstage. By then Patti Smith has returned full time to live performance and recording — this time for good. With Sebring's unlimited access, we not only see the poet, the rock star, and the activist. We also see Patti Smith in her most private moments, which have unfortunately been overshadowed by death within the past ten years or so. In addition to losing her husband, the film reveals Patti Smith dealing with the loss of her brother, friends like artist/photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, and even the keyboardist in her band. A significant amount of the film is shot at grave-sites, including those of her husband, as well as those of poets like Rimbaud and Brecht, where she makes frequent pilgrimages.

I usually don’t pay much attention to soundtracks, especially those comprised of a gathering of older songs strung together because they fit the “mood” of a motion picture. A score is a different story, as music created exclusively for a motion picture can often be very moving and exciting. Henry Mancini and Nino Rota come to mind. In the case of the soundtrack for Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, I wasn’t expecting much. But as I started to thumb through the press and scan the track listing, my curiosity was piqued. There amid the standard guyliner-wearing rockers lay a few names well worth checking out: Puscifer (the alias of Maynard James Keenan), Deftones, Perry Farrell, and Milla Fucking Jovovich. After pausing a bit to lust after Rhona Mitra, in it went and the thundering sounds of Puscifer’s “Lighten Up Francis (JLE Dub Mix)” blasted out like a Lycan kicking somebody’s ass. The song crunches with a firm groove, punching forward with Maynard’s distinctive vocals and Joshua Eustis’ beats. It’s the type of track that would be entirely at home in one of those S&M clubs. Not like I’ve ever been… Maynard and the notorious Milla Jovovich contribute background vocals to a startlingly touching remix of The Cure’s “Underneath the Stars.” Milla’s voice meshes with Robert Smith’s to form a sad little duet, while Maynard accents the scene caringly. It’s a poignant number, probably the best on the soundtrack. Perry Farrell’s “Nasty Little Perv (Renholder Remix)” is a taut track that swirls with Carl Restivo’s guitar and Danny Lohner on the switches. And Lohner’s remix of the Deftones’ “Hole in the Earth” crackles with shady ambience. The bleak “Board Up the House (Renholder Remix),” a cut from Genghis Tron, thumps with necessity and Mookie Singerman’s strident vocals. “I Want You To,” from Wes Borland’s 685th band Black Light Burns, is a decent little cut untouched by remixers. It has a hard garage rock feel and thunders ahead sounding like something Queens of the Stone Age might have done. The rest of the Underworld: Rise of the Lycans soundtrack is steeped in silly attempts at darkness, however. The songs often don't match the remixes and the attempts at slicing extra beats are often stale and annoying. Take, for instance, the neo-buoyant vitality of “Deathclub (Wes Borland/Renholder Remix).” The William Control song starts out sounding like somebody’s going to “do it like they do it on the Discovery Channel” and degenerates into a ludicrous and wobbly attempt at dark wave music. The lyrics don't help matters, either. Or there’s the overly busy spin on AFI’s “Miss Murder” drawn up by Ronan Harris. Done right, the remix could sound ideal for a cemetery rave. As it is, Harris overcooks the track and the end result is pointlessly glitzy. Overall, the Underworld: Rise of the Lycans soundtrack wound up being better than I expected. The addition of The Cure with Jovovich on backing vocals was a nice touch and Maynard is always worth a listen. Unfortunately, my expectations were low and the majority of this soundtrack is just too dull for many repeat listens.

Not gonna make you wait on this one. No beating around the bush, no hemming and hawing – well OK, a little – but the simple truth is that Brazilian jazz icon Eliane Elias' newest album, Bossa Nova Stories, is one of the best I've heard in a long time. It's a new issue on the Blue Note label commemorating fifty years of Bossa Nova, and I can't imagine a better choice to celebrate the musical heritage of Brazil. Pianist/singer Elias has spent the last couple of decades establishing herself as one of the stars of the genre. A classically-trained piano virtuoso who's equally adept at performing jazz, she became known earlier in her career as one of the few individuals to have best-selling albums in both genres at the same time. But she didn't stop there. While continuing to build her résumé as a member – and leader -  of some of the best groups around, she also added singing to her arsenal of weapons. Not surprisingly, she proved to be very, very good. Her warm, rich and full voice, along with her natural affinity for the material, gave her the ability to delight and entertain listeners, and she's become one of the most popular performers around. To commemorate fifty years of Bossa Nova, Elias and her producers have put together a 14-track collection that throws a pretty wide net over a lot of different musical – er – fish. Included are some nice performances on the Brazilian  standards you'd expect, such as "Girl From Ipanema" and "Desafinado," along with some lesser-known pieces, such as "Falsa Baiana," a tricky little vocal exercise that Elias handles flawlessly. Many of the tracks showcase the instrumental side, and not just Elias' keyboard. On a number of the pieces she's backed by a lush orchestral sound, while on others the focus is on smaller and more intimate groups. Among her accompanists are guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves and drummer Paulo Braga, along with her regular collaborator – and husband – bassist Marc Johnson. Even legendary jazz harmonica master Toots Thielemans shows up on a couple of tracks, notably in support of Elias' outstanding performance of Stevie Wonder's "Superwoman." It's one of several non-Brazilian tunes that are included here and given a Latin treatment; among them "They Can't Take That Away From Me," and one of my favorite standards, "The More I See You." The inclusion of Latin versions of jazz standards might seem a little odd in a collection devoted to Bossa Nova's fiftieth birthday, but when the result is this delightful it's easy to forgive. And I would guess that it might make it more accessible to those who are a little new to Brazilian jazz, which is probably the purpose. In any case, it's an outstanding album — highly recommended, and not just for newbies.