Some music fans will argue that the art form of the Christmas album achieved perfection with Vince Guaraldi’s score to A Charlie Brown Christmas; others will put their money on A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector. Whatever history’s verdict is, contemporary artists are still mining the rich cache…
Her Pinkness likely had no idea the Stooges used Fun House as the moniker for a genius 1970 album — but the fact that this possibility can’t be entirely ruled out demonstrates why she’s several cuts above the average popster. She’s grown increasingly confident with each passing album, and if…
Let’s set the record straight. Despite a long list of rock writers claiming the contrary, Blitzen Trapper is not an Americana band. Sure, the band tinkers with roots rock: a little Creedence twang here, some Crazy Horse crunch there. But beyond the pedal-steel-led ballad “Stolen Shoes and a Rifle,” the…
Earlier this year, thesmokinggun.com took a look at popular R&B singer Akon’s bio, then exposed him as a potential phony. By unearthing police documents, the website showed that the Senegalese-American star behind hits like “Locked Up” and “Don’t Matter” greatly exaggerated his arrest record and incarceration time. So on his…
South Florida bands must have a preoccupation with auto interiors. How else to explain the striking similarity in the handles of two bands that reside in such close proximity — Boca’s Dashboard Confessional and Miami’s Dashboard Saints? No matter; both have made names for themselves, although admittedly the latter has…
It’s been well-documented that rapper DMX is having possibly the worst year of his life. At last count, he’d been arrested seven times in 2008 alone for charges that range from identity theft and animal cruelty to drug possession and failure to appear in court. As of this afternoon, DMX…
Listen up: With all of the hush-hush hullabaloo around Langerado’s revamped location and lineup in 2009, there’s going to be a lot of attention on the festival and its new incarnation. So wouldn’t you, member of a fledgling local band, want to get in on the action? Of course you…
Curtis Mayfield’s voice is like a salve. No matter what you’re ailing from, sometimes listening to Curtis can be a cure-all. On a day like today, where motivation to keep moving forward is limited, here’s an oldie-but-goodie from one of soul music’s greatest singers. –Jonathan Cunningham…
We can all agree that the eons-delayed, punchline-defying, free-Dr.-Pepper-triggering release of Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy marks the death of something — some combination of the music industry, “the album” as a unit of cultural import, old-guard rock stardom, irony, sincerity, free-market capitalism, hip-hop, the spread offense, and neoconservatism. Regardless,…
Despite what’s been written, Kanye West’s new style on his fourth album, 808s & Heartbreak — which incorporates “tribal”-style drum machines and auto-tuned vocals — doesn’t sound especially shocking to the ears. Immediately satisfying singles like “Robocop” and “Love Lockdown” make Yeezy’s much-discussed crooning and his T-Pain-assisted use of vocoder…
If the rock-inflected energy of Aterciopelados’ 2006 album, Oye, was a response to the more electro-pop avenues the band had found itself wandering down beforehand, then this year’s Rio stands as further proof that the Colombian group’s grasp of organic, muscular pop remains one of its strongest attributes. Though somewhat…
Surprisingly still active in the jazz scene despite his 78 years of age, legendary saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins is finding a way to make an impact through his recordings some 50-plus years after he got started. On his newest album (which doesn’t feature a bevy of new recordings but rather…
After ten years in the business, two years of heavy touring, and a fourth baby to rock and burp through the night, members of Miami’s premier Latin urban orchestra could be forgiven for being exhausted. But on the contrary, this Grammy-nominated unit appears to be hitting its prime. Only two…
Only a week after wrapping up the U.S. version of her Sweet and Sticky tour here in Miami, Madonna is now making headlines in Latin America. But this time, it’s not just about her closeted romance with slugger Alex Rodriguez.Yesterday afternoon, Madonna, who is currently in Argentina on tour, met…
In the latest round of drama between the world’s most volatile couple, Amy Winehouse’s husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, has been sent back to the slammer only a month after getting released into a rehabilitation center.The reason for him being ordered back to prison is reportedly because he failed a drug test…
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, ya’ll! Well, in case you are in need of a rump-shakin’ soundtrack for Black Friday, Danny Daze is here to provide the goods. In his newest mix, created specifically for Scion Radio’s Turntable Lab channel, Daze drops electro beats over thumpin’ Miami bass grooves…
A covers album from a South Florida combo is hardly breaking news, considering that this a locale where well-crafted original music is a rare commodity. But when you’re talking about the sophomore set from the Postmarks, a group widely hailed for purveying a distinctive style, it’s initially surprising that, two…
With his final works, the American Recordings series, Johnny Cash had some of his biggest commercial and critical success, setting the bar ridiculously high for departed country singers. On Waylon Forever, which is billed as the country outlaw’s final record, Jennings doesn’t come close to Cash — although the record…
It’s well-documented that Scott Weiland doesn’t know when to quit. The former Velvet Revolver singer’s occasional drug dabbling turned into a full-fledged addiction that’s hounded him for more than a decade now. He joined up with his old Stone Temple Pilots bandmates earlier this year for a reunion tour long…
Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons has an uncanny ability to make misery sound fabulous. On his sixth EP, Another World, he continues flaunting this talent, relying primarily on his distinctive voice and a lone piano to express his beautifully mournful sentiments. Hegarty’s words carry an emotional, tearful quality…
Kanye West 808s & Heartbreak (Roc-A-Fella) Despite what’s been written, Kanye West’s new style on his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak — which incorporates “tribal”-style drum machines and auto-tuned vocals – doesn’t sound especially shocking to the ears. Immediately satisfying singles like “Robocop” and “Love Lockdown” make Yeezy’s much-discussed crooning…
Today one of South Florida’s most slept on MC’s, Rahsaan, released a new mixtape with DJ Epps of G-Unit/Shadyville fame that’s worth downloading.The project is called, Dadeland: The Dade County Project, and is a good intro to Rahsaan’s style for anyone that’s not familiar with him. He’s originally from Guyana,…
