Vanessa Paradis – Au Zenith (Barclay/Universal-France) In the United States, Vanessa Paradis is probably best known as Johnny Depp’s live-in girlfriend. Other people may know her as the Chanel model or an actress. But in her native France, she is an institution. Paradis first made waves when she was only 14, with her 1987 international hit … Continue reading
Shania Twain – Up! (Mercury) Never in my life have I seen so many exclamation points as there are in the song listing for Shania Twain’s latest. There are nineteen song titles on Up! and ten exclamation points. It’s almost like a teenaged girl’s diary. Now Shania has a long history of unwieldy titles anyway, and this album’s … Continue reading
Axelle Red – Alive (Virgin-France) I might have never heard of Axelle Red if I weren’t channel surfing one August night last year in the Sofitel Méditerranée in Cannes. With my admittedly rudimentary skills in the French language, I was looking for something, frankly, which I could understand. That’s when I stumbled upon an hour-long interview … Continue reading
flickerstick causing a commotion by jay s. jacobs The world’s gone reality show mad these days. Instead of working on and honing your craft in crappy honky-tonks and gin joints, today everyone thinks the best way to the top of the pops is to make a fool of yourself on TV. At this writing, you … Continue reading
Chicago – The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning (Rhino) Very few bands have had two completely separate stylistic periods. The late 60s-early 70s incarnation of Chicago was a pioneering force that wed rock and roll with jazz horns and improvisational playing in a way that was totally unique. By the time the late 70s … Continue reading
Jennifer Love Hewitt – BareNaked (Jive) There is a stigma out there when actors release albums that they are usually bad vanity projects. And often, that is deserved (J.Lo, take a bow.) But sometimes, that is not the case. Sometimes, the star can actually sing and has something interesting to say. Jennifer Love Hewitt fits into … Continue reading
Chicago At Carnegie Hall-Volume I, II, III & IV (Columbia C4X 30865) ©1971 Description: Chicago had only been recording for two years and three albums before they released this four-record (remember records?) concert set. Entirely overblown and slightly pretentious, an artistic and popular failure at the time, this still can claim to being the first … Continue reading
Their Name Is… NO ONE by Bill Henhoeffer Many bands look for a distinctive name to give them an identity. This new metal band’s name fights that notion, it has a sense of anonymity, a sense of everyman. NO ONE took their name to illustrate the way they all felt. All the members coming from … Continue reading
DON’T LOOK BACK (1967) Featuring Bob Dylan, Albert Grossman, Bob Neuwirth, Joan Baez, Alan Price, Tito Burns, Donovan, Derold Adams, Chris Ellis, Allan Ginsberg, John Mayall, Howard Alk, Jones Alk and Marianne Faithfull. Written by D.A. Pennebaker. Directed by D.A. Pennebaker. Distributed by New Video Group. 96 minutes. Not Rated. There are not nearly enough … Continue reading
You’re Never Alone With… Ian Hunter by Ken Sharp After a long hiatus from recording, ex-Mott The Hoople frontman Ian Hunter is back, all guns blazing, with one of the best records of his career, Rant. We spoke with Ian Hunter about thirty years of rock and roll service. Rant is one of this year’s … Continue reading
PopEntertainmentblog.com 