Perhaps best known as one of Emmylou Harris’ chief songwriters and also as Rosanne Cash’s husband and musical partner of a dozen years, Rodney Crowell is a man whose legacy is assured in annals of modern country music, not least because of his solo career, which commenced in 1977 and included the landmark 1988 album Diamonds & Dirt, which included five chart-topping country hits. Lesser noted is the Texas-born singer/songwriter’s credentials as a first-rate producer: in 1981 alone he produced albums by himself (Rodney Crowell), his then-wife Rosanne Cash (Seven Year Ache), Guy Clark (The South Coast of Texas), and Bobby Bare (As Is). Each of these albums is notable amid the respective artist’s discography, marking 1981 as a year of remarkable accomplishment for Crowell.

Read the rest of this entry »

Eagerly anticipated within the electronica community, Autechre’s first full-length album in three years, Quaristice, isn’t scheduled for release until March but is presently available for digital download at Bleep. One of the iconic IDM duo’s most easily enjoyable releases in many years, the 80-minute, 20-track album should delight longtime fans and newcomers alike. After three years of silence, it’s a relief the album isn’t as forcefully experimental as some of Autechre’s more inapproachable releases of this decade, most notoriously Confield (2001), though thankfully challenging all the same.

Read the rest of this entry »

The only Latin artist scheduled to appear on this weekend’s Grammy broadcast, Juanes is in the midst of a tremendous run of success. The lead single from his recent album La Vida…Es un Ratico, “Me Enamora,” has logged 20 weeks atop Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart — nearly a half-year — and its follow-up single, “Gotas de Agua Dulce,” which rose to the number three slot this week, is likely to overtake it in the near future. No stranger to awe-inspiring success, Juanes set a new record in 2002 when his second album, Un Día Normal, spent 92 weeks — almost two years — in the Top Ten of Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart; moreover, that album’s lead single, “A Dios Le Pido,” was a chart-topper in 12 different countries and spent 47 consecutive weeks on the Hot Latin Tracks chart. In terms of charting longevity, “Me Enamora” may yet challenge “A Dios Le Pido” — just another half-year to go!

Read the rest of this entry »

Vampire Weekend, “Oxford Comma” [from the album Vampire Weekend] Following months of blog buzz and an ensuing backlash, it’s a relief to finally have a full-length Vampire Weekend album to either love or loath. Musically, there’s plenty to enjoy — the charming “Oxford Comma” just one of numerous highlights — even if the band itself, or at least how it presents itself in the media, as well-to-do, smarty-pants college kids, can be insufferable.

Read the rest of this entry »

A Saturday Night Fever rewrite set on the outskirts of Houston, TX, Urban Cowboy, released in summer 1980, signaled a turning point in country music, ushering in a so-called “urban cowboy” style that would thrive from that point in time onward, until the eventual rise of new traditionalism in 1986. The film lives on as a cult favorite (”cult classic” would be too generous of a description), and while it retains some of its charm, including a tobacco-chewing John Travolta and plenty of bull riding (a mechanical bull, that is), the soundtrack of the film stands today as the more fascinating relic of its era.

This was a time when country music was crossing over into the American cultural mainstream left and right, as Urban Cowboy was accompanied by other films associated with country music, namely 9 to 5 (starring Dolly Parton), Coal Miner’s Daughter (based on Loretta Lynn’s biography), Honeysuckle Rose (starring Willie Nelson), The Gambler (a made-for-TV film starring Kenny Rogers), and Bronco Billy (a Clint Eastwood film with a soundtrack by Merle Haggard and Ronnie Milsap) — amazingly, all released in 1980, which, fittingly enough, was also the year of Ronald Reagan’s presidential win. These films drew large audiences (Urban Cowboy alone grossed 53 million) and turned legions of new listeners on to a new style of country music, one that was slick and modern, as well as increasingly “urban” in its themes.

Read the rest of this entry »

Nate Dogg, an R&B singer whose vocals graced a long list of rap hits during the late ’90s and early 2000s, suffered a mild stroke over the holidays that resulted in partial paralysis. Fortunately, according to reports by MTV News, there is reasonable hope for a full recovery. The paralysis is on the left side of his body, affecting his sense of touch and his ability to walk. His voice, however, is reportedly unaffected, and thankfully there was no brain damage. The stroke has returned Nate Dogg to the media spotlight — thanks in part to celebrity gossip website TMZ.com, who created a stir by posting an audio clip of the 911 call (”Chillest 911 Call Ever”) — after several years of diminishing musical activity.

Beginning in 1992, when he debuted on Dr. Dre’s landmark album The Chronic, singing the outro of “Deeez Nuuuts,” Nate Dogg maintained a steady presence on the West Coast rap scene. He was featured on most albums released by Death Row Records, including such platinum-sellers as Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle (1993), Tha Dogg Pound’s Dogg Food (1995), and 2Pac’s All Eyez on Me (1997). His greatest success came in 1994 with “Regulate,” a number two hit by Warren G that featured him prominently. During his tenure at Death Row, Nate Dogg did manage to record a debut solo album, G-Funk Classics; unfortunately, its release was held up because of upheaval of the legally troubled label, and it ultimately became an afterthought in 1998, released as a double-disc hodgepodge that spawned no hits and sold poorly.

Nate Dogg’s career was revived upon his departure from Death Row. In 1999, he was featured on albums by Dr. Dre (The Chronic 2001), Snoop Dogg (No Limit Top Dogg), and Kurupt (Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha); most notably, he was featured on Dr. Dre’s classic hit “The Next Episode” (also featuring Snoop), on which he sang the final verse, including the memorable coda, “Smoke weed everyday!” For the next several years, Nate Dogg was the rap industry’s go-to featured guest, singing the hooks on such hits as Ludacris’ “Area Codes,” Fabolous’ “Can’t Deny It,” E-40’s “Nah, Nah,” Snoop Dogg’s “Lay Low,” Eminem’s “‘Till I Collapse,” and 50 Cent’s “21 Questions.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Drive-By Truckers are scheduled to release their new album, Brighter Than Creation’s Dark, in a couple weeks’ time (January 22). New West Records will be releasing the 19-song, 75-minute album on both CD and double-album vinyl. An iTunes-only EP has already been released as a preview of the album, featuring four songs (”Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife,” “3 Dimes Down,” “The Righteous Path,” “The Purgatory Line”). In addition, three songs (”The Righteous Path,” “I’m Sorry Huston,” “A Ghost to Most”) are streaming freely on the band’s MySpace site, albeit in low quality.

Read the rest of this entry »

Warpaint, the first new studio album by the Black Crowes in seven years, presently scheduled for release on March 4, will mark the debut of two new bandmembers: second guitarist Luther Dickerson, formerly of North Mississippi Allstars, and keyboardist Adam MacDougall. Produced by Paul Stacey, the album features 11 songs, all except one written by brothers Chris and Rich Robinson, who last year released the live album Brothers of a Feather. Warpaint is reportedly typical of the band’s rootsy hard rock style, and the lead single, “Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution,” arrives at radio today. The Black Crowes will be independently releasing Warpaint on their newly formed Silver Arrow Records label, distributed by Sony BMG, and will be promoting the album with a series of tour dates, including a March 15 headlining performance at Stubb’s BBQ as part of the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, TX. Following a short tour of the U.S. (eight dates, including ones in New York, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, and California), the band will tour Australia (nine dates) and, briefly, Europe (two dates — London and Amsterdam).