Tony Bennett & k.d. lang – A Wonderful World (RPM/Columbia) Last year’s dual tour between old smoothie Bennett and former torch-and-twang gal turned chanteuse lang turned out to be a surprisingly smart pairing. It has now spawned this album; a tribute to Tony’s old pal Louis Armstrong. While the songs of the scratchy-voiced Satchmo may seem like … 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
Raphael Saadiq – Instant Vintage (Universal) Raphael Saadiq has logged well over a decade in the music biz as one of the brains behind Tony! Toni! Toné! and last year’s supergroup Lucy Pearl. But other than a few solo soundtrack singles over the years like “Ask Of You” (from Higher Learning) and “Get Involved” (from The PJ’s), he … Continue reading
Rosey Real Wild Child by Jay S. Jacobs The dream isn’t an uncommon one. A young Connecticut girl gets a job working for her cousin. This cousin just happens to be the right hand-person for the biggest concert promoter in New York. And despite the fact that the job is just a glorified gopher position, … Continue reading
Norah Jones – Come Away With Me (Blue Note) This is just about the best debut album I’ve heard in years. Jones’ sultry vocals and extraordinary musical taste have led to stunning synthesis of jazz, pop folk and country. The album starts off with the truly astounding “Don’t Know Why” which is simultaneously insanely cool and … Continue reading
Kylie Minogue – Fever (Capitol) Kylie Minogue is a goddess in Europe and her native Australia, rating on the same level as Madonna (in fact, the Material Girl was known to wear Kylie t-shirts on her last tour.) But in the United States, she has just made a few blips on the pop culture radar since … Continue reading
Robbie Williams – Swing When Your Winning (Chrysalis UK) It should be no total surprise that British pop phenomenon Robbie Williams would end up doing an album of all covers (okay, there is one original here, but it is written to be a piece with the other songs chosen). After all, Williams’ old band Take That … Continue reading
CROSSROADS (2002) Starring Britney Spears, Anson Mount, Zöe Saldana, Taryn Manning, Justin Long, Jamie Lynn Spears, Kool Moe Dee, Dan Aykroyd and Kim Cattrall. Screenplay by Shonda Rhimes. Directed by Tamra Davis. Distributed by Zomba Films/Paramount Pictures. 93minutes. Rated PG-13. There are some people out there, more cynical than me, who would say that Crossroads is a … Continue reading
Jill Sobule Too Cool… by Jay S. Jacobs It’s Friday evening at the Upstage; a new Philadelphia venue built in a beautiful old bank building that has been used as a Goth nightclub for the last several years. Lloyd Cole, the Scottish cult-singer who turned some heads with his 80s band the Commotions, is unpacking … Continue reading
Jimmy Webb All He Knows… by Ronald Sklar If you are under thirty and have even the slightest retro sensibility, chances are you are familiar with the classic pop songs of Jimmy Webb, and good for you. And if you are over thirty, endlessly toiling in an office and music appreciation is just a faint … Continue reading
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