Stacie Orrico Waking Life by Jay S. Jacobs In the image-obsessed, party-hopping world of pop music, it’s kind of nice to find someone with her priorities straight. Stacie Orrico has been recording since she was twelve, but she’s never been part of the pop star scene – though she has certainly made significant strides towards … Continue reading
“Weird Al” Yankovic Straight Outta the Box By Ronald Sklar Copyright ©2006 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: October 9, 2006. Some artists – Nirvana, for instance – didn’t feel that they had truly made it until Weird Al Yankovic had parodied them. Right on – the man who got his start with his silly but rockin’ accordion, … Continue reading
Live 8 (Capitol Records-2005) The television coverage for the massive Live 8 concerts on MTV and VH1 was awful. It was all about the personalities, not the music. This was supposed to the most important concert experience of the decade, and yet very little of the performance footage actually ended up on screen. The viewer … Continue reading
USHER GETTING INTO THE MOVIE MIX by Brad Balfour For Usher Raymond IV, making the move from R&B superstar / singer / composer (his most recent album Confessions sold nine million copies) to actor had to present some risks – if not to his pocketbook, then to his ego. But Usher decided to take that risk when he was offered the role … Continue reading
Various Artists-So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross (J Records) After the tragic death earlier this year of one of the greatest soul voices of his generation, it is nice to see a tribute to this consummate artist and spine-tingly good singer who pretty much defined the quiet storm and smooth jazz genres. The lineup … Continue reading
Michael McDonald – The Ultimate Collection (Warner Brothers/Rhino) It makes perfect sense, somehow, that the cover of this album has a near black and white closeup of Michael McDonald. The only color that really grabs you in the shockingly limpid blue pool of the singer’s eyes (and I type that with a staunch record of heterosexuality, to … Continue reading
MINT CONDITION AS GOOD AS NEW BY ABRAHAM KURANGA Fear not! There has been a Mint Condition sighting. The multi-talented band is made up of lead singer/drummer, Stokley Williams, guitarist O’Dell (né Homer O’Dell), Ricky Kinchen on lead guitar and bass, keyboardist Larry Waddell and saxophonist/keyboardist Jeffery Allen. Known for their break-out hit, “(Breaking My Heart) Pretty Brown Eyes,” from … Continue reading
Carole King – The Living Room Tour (Sanctuary) Living room shows are a phenomenon in the folk-music world where groups of fans put together money to hire folk singers to do personal concerts for small audiences in people’s homes. It’s a charming, old-fashioned idea and a fantastic way to get to see an artist in a … Continue reading
EAGLES – FAREWELL I TOUR: LIVE IN MELBOURNE (2005) Starring Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit, Steuart Smith, Will Hollis, Greg Smith, Billy Armstrong, Chris Mosert, Al Garth, Scott Crago, Michael Thompson and David Wild. Directed by Carol Dodd. Distributed by Warner Strategic Marketing. minutes. Not Rated. It seems like the Eagles … Continue reading
Us3 Questions and Answers by Abraham Kuranga You’ve heard the song a thousand times and probably didn’t know to whom you were listening. The hip-hop meets jazz feel of “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)” undoubtedly made you move to its infectious rhythm. The name of the group, in case you were wondering, is called Us3 (pronounced Us Three) and they … Continue reading
PopEntertainmentblog.com 