March 2010 Archives

On the Record is a video series where rockstars gush about their favorite records -- in exactly 45 seconds.

ARTIST: Jay-Z RECORD: Off The Wall

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Lemmy on the Beatles and more in the rest of our On the Record series.

Wavves

La Roux

Passion Pit

Animal Collective

On the Record is a video series where rock stars gush about their favorite records -- in exactly 45 seconds. In this special edition, we asked Nick Jonas to talk about the album he thinks everyone should be listening to this Valentine's Day. Rhapsody subscribers can listen to Michael Buble, Nick Jonas and millions of other artists whenever and however they want. Click here to sign up for a free Rhapsody trial subscription and see what we're all about.

ARTIST: Nick Jonas & the Administration RECORD: It's Time

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On the Record is a video series where rock stars gush about their favorite records -- in exactly 45 seconds. Click above to watch Brian Burton (Danger Mouse) and James Mercer of Broken Bells talk about their favorite album of all time. Rhapsody subscribers can listen to Broken Bells and millions of other albums whenever and however they want. Click here to sign up for a free Rhapsody trial subscription and see what we're all about.

ARTIST: Broken Bells RECORD: Odessey and Oracle

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On the Record is a video series where rockstars gush about their favorite records -- in exactly 45 seconds. Rob Thomas' Cradlesongs is available exclusively on Rhapsody starting June 15.

ARTIST: Rob Thomas RECORD: Greatest Hits...& Some That Will Be

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Lemmy on the Beatles and more in the rest of our On the Record series.

Alice In Chains

Tricky

Tori Amos

James Yuill

Goldfrapp, Bonobo and every other artist mentioned here are yours to listen to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

It's a great month for happy returns: Goldfrapp are back with Head First, a vivacious follow-up to 2008's subdued Seventh Tree, while Ninja Tune's eclectic mood-manipulator Bonobo returns from a four-year album break with Days to Come, easily his best record so far. Then, coming back just to say goodbye, the noise duo Yellow Swans signs off with a final album that's extreme only in its beauty.

Reunite with all those artists, and dive into Deadbeat's dub-techno mix opus Radio Rothko and more.

On the Record is a video series where rock stars gush about their favorite records -- in exactly 45 seconds. Click above to watch J.Cole talk about his favorite album of all time. Rhapsody subscribers can listen to J.Cole's Lights Please and millions of other albums whenever and however they want. Click here to sign up for a free Rhapsody trial subscription and see what we're all about.

ARTIST: J.Cole RECORD: The Don Killuminati

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Tupac, T.I. and every other artist mentioned here are yours to rock out to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

Death seems like an inescapable part of hip-hop culture. The specter of past legends — many of whom died in a hail of bullets — looms over the culture's present and, most likely, its future. Phrases like "ready to die," "ride or die," and "only God can judge me" are part of the lexicon. Artists from other genres such as heavy metal and goth/darkwave explore the vagaries of life, but few do it with such morbidity.

There have been dozens, if not hundreds, of rap memorials to unnamed emcees as well as heroes like Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.; former enemies and close family members; and known and nameless soldiers in the street life. The songs range from Ice Cube's 1991 rap hit "Dead Homiez" to T.I.'s 2009 pop smash "Dead and Gone." This list compiles 10 of the better-known tributes, with a focus on songs that honor fallen hip-hop stars.

On the Record is a video series where rock stars gush about their favorite records -- in exactly 45 seconds. Click above to watch Nneka talk about her favorite album of all time. Rhapsody subscribers can listen to Nneka's new album Concrete Jungle and millions of other albums whenever and however they want. Click here to sign up for a free Rhapsody trial subscription and see what we're all about.

ARTIST: Nneka RECORD: Comfort Woman

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single-phile: the latest singles, dissected and discussed

Pop music has always been a youthful pursuit. Pop stars start young, sing young and are associated with young audiences — or at least with the youthful vibrancy of first love, dancing, burgeoning sexual energy and so much teen angst. From time to time, the teen spirit gets literal and actual adolescents (or even pre-adolescents, aka "tweens") take over the charts. And occasionally, the rare teen star comes along who manages to appeal to both the kids and their parents (or at least, their big brothers or cool aunts). On this edition of single-phile, we rate the current crop of kiddie popsters who are storming the charts to see who's kid-tested — and who's grown-up-approved.

Don't forget, all the music mentioned here is yours to rock out to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. If you don't have one, click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

Artist: Miranda Cosgrove
Current Hit: "Kissin' U"
Cosgrove epitomizes the ideal of the tween pop trend in many ways. She's got a Nickelodeon show your kid (sister) is, like, totally watching, she's adorable, and she's sweet but with a spine and very little of the adult drama that has plagued Miley Cyrus and her ilk (so far, anyway). AND she signs melt-in-your-mouth confections about chaste first-kiss choices.
Kiddie Pop Currency: 10 (out of 10)
Adult Appeal: 4. There's a slight Kelly Clarkson vibe that could earn Cosgrove guilty pleasure status with some childless adults. But ultimately, she's a wholesome, parent-approved option, which makes her a bit too kid-friendly for most of the able-to-drink-legally set.

Artist: Justin Bieber
Current Hits: "Baby," "Never Let You Go," "Eenie Meenie"
Bieber, on the other hand, epitomizes the other side of the teenie-bopper spectrum. He's definitely got a baby-faced, puppy dog appeal — but there's a very grown-up edge to his dance pop that's earned the interest of fellow former pup-like pop stars such as Justin Timberlake and Usher (and Sean Kingston, who collaborates with Bieber on new single "Eenie Meenie," a boy-done-wrong ode to a player girl).
Kiddie Pop Currency: 8. Come on, look at him! That is one crush-worthy mug.
Adult Appeal: 8. Come on, look at him! That is one crush-worthy mug — and one that comes J.T.-approved and without the Mickey Mouse machinations!

Artist: New Boyz
Current Hit: "Tie Me Down"
Now, this is the kind of pop song that keeps kids and their parents up at night. The kids because they're listening to the slick groove, hot beats and infectious attitudes the Boyz behind sleeper hit "You're a Jerk" (and the underground teen dance phenomenon called jerking) laid down on their smoother second single. And their parents because these fresh young teenagers are espousing some rather grown-up (and somewhat misogynistic) ideas about girls, commitment and, well, getting tied down.
Kiddie Pop Currency: 7. The kids do like what might not be best for them.
Adult Appeal: 10. This is music for grown-ups, made by teenagers. The very definition of good pop.

Artist: Selena Gomez
Current Hit: "Naturally"
One of the many girls who would be Miley, Selena has what it takes to be the Next Big Teen Star: a kid star pedigree (you may have heard of a little purple dinosaur named Barney? Yeah, they're friends), a hit Disney show (Wizards of Waverly Place), a cute look, BFFs in high places (like one Ms. Demi Lovato) and the double-threat talent Disney so ardently cultivates. And now, she's got herself a hit song (No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 — a very respectable position for any Disney star who isn't named Miley) with a sleek dance-pop chic about it.
Kiddie Pop Currency: 10. The kiddos love this girl.
Adult Appeal: 6 — and rising. If she continues on this path, Gomez could have Britney-esque potential.

These are just the latest entries in a prolific trend — and they are not alone. Ms. Miley is still currently holding court on the charts with her "When I Look at You" (and on the radio with the still-ubiquitous "Party in the U.S.A.") while former teen queens-turned-all-growed-up-pop-stars Taylor Swift and Avril Lavigne are busy proving there's life after 19. The kids are all right — and the grown-ups are all right with that, too.

On the Record is a video series where rock stars gush about their favorite records -- in exactly 45 seconds. Click above to watch Patrick Stickles of Titus Andronicus talk about his favorite album of all time. Rhapsody subscribers can listen to Titus' new album The Monitor and millions of other albums whenever and however they want. Click here to sign up for a free Rhapsody trial subscription and see what we're all about.

ARTIST: Titus Andronicus RECORD: Violent Femmes

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The Avett Brothers

Thirty Tigers has been fighting the good fight for indie labels and artists for nearly 10 years. The Nashville-based, self-proclaimed "artist-friendly" aggregator has been lending a helping hand to heartland-leaning indie-rock and Americana artists like the Avett Brothers, a small convoy of former and current Drive-By Truckers (Jason Isbell and Patterson Hood, respectively), Jason Boland, and Ben Sollee, even back when they were still getting beer bottles thrown at them by "Freebird"-chanting rednecks at roadside honky-tonks. The warm and fuzzy feeling doesn't stop there, either: upstarts Those Darlins, Jessica Lea Mayfield and JEFF the Brotherhood also call Thirty Tigers home and prove that they are still looking out for the little guy and gal.

Check out a free Thirty Tigers sampler. If you like what's tickling your ear buds, then download discount albums from the above luminaries as well as Backyard Tire Fire, Matthew Perryman Jones and more.

These Thirty Tigers musicians are yours to rock out to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

(Download a Zip folder of tracks here.)

The music of DecembeRadio and countless other Christian artists is yours to rock out to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we're all about.

They've been around since 2003, picking up a Grammy nod and a Dove Award along the way, but Christian music fans are still getting to know DecembeRadio and their hopeful hard rock. These Southern gentlemen are good ol' boys with the emphasis on "good": truly nice guys who want to play hard and then return home to the support of family and friends, far from the hustle and bustle of the music industry. On the eve of another release, guitarist and founding member Brian Bunn talked with Rhapsody about helping Haiti, being in a "family way" and the thinking behind their new live album.

Ke$ha's music is yours to rock out to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

Ke$ha's Animal may well be the most inescapable and game-changing collection of songs to emerge so far in this spanking-new decade. After two and a half months, it's still firmly entrenched in Billboard's Top 15, and recent weeks have seen an extremely entertaining flurry of blogwise chatter about what it all means. Ke$ha's sometimes-co-songwriting ex-punk mom Pebe Sebert is probably most famous for having co-written the country standard "Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You" (done by Dolly Parton, Joe South, Merle Haggard, and others). But Ke$ha herself is more often compared (sometimes by yours truly) to such highly respected non-Nashville artists as Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, L'Trimm, Salt-n-Pepa, Northern State, Megan McCauley, Fan_3, Courtney Love, Scooter, Tommy James and the Shondells, the Dictators, and the Tubes. (Until now, strangely enough, she has not been likened to the Runaways, who quite possibly filled a similar skanky suburban cultural niche circa 1976 but sold fewer records from it; only time will tell whether some enterprising filmmaker will make a Ke$ha biopic in the year 2044.) At any rate, what everybody except total nincompoops acknowledges is that Animal is a really really really funny record. Here's a countdown of its most hilarious moments.

The music of many Trouble & Bass artists is yours to enjoy whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

Helmed by the dashing, occasionally duck-tailed New Yorker Luca Venezia, the Trouble & Bass label is a crop of new-school upstarts with old-school attitude. Like Diplo's Mad Decent or the French label Institubes (for whom Venezia has recorded as Curses!), Trouble & Bass is all but singleminded in its pursuit of the adrenaline rush of the rave, but open-minded enough not to get bogged down in retro pieties. Drawing from acid house, electro and breakbeat hardcore as well as dubstep and kuduro, the Trouble & Bass catalog is an extended love letter to overdrive, sub-bass and swing.

To celebrate the label's 25th release, it has collected its highlights so far with the appropriately named Trouble & Bass 25th Release, a collection of shamelessly peaktime-focused jams with wobbly bass, diva vocals, piano riffs and rave sirens firing on all cylinders.

Check into detention with these creative miscreants, and listen to some highlights in the playlist below.

Britain's V.V. Brown drops her debut this week. This young pop star's sassy, super-fun girl group-esque retro pop has already made her a big hit in the U.K., and she seems to have everything it takes to be poised for superstardom stateside. And yet sometimes, despite all the charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent (as RuPaul says) in the world, artists like the apparently unsinkable Ms. Brown just simply don't make it to the surface of pop stardom. We hope that won't be the case with her (and forgive us for potentially jinxing her with this post), but she does share some qualities with some other coulda-been-contenders whose careers simply failed to launch, for one reason or another. We break down the reasons artists become "almost (but not quite) famous."

Don't forget: these artists are yours to rock out to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

Its hard to remember now but there was actually a time when you would hear about great bands years before you got a chance to actually listen to their music.

All of this leads me to the sad passing of Alex Chilton, who was in two great bands of my youth.

In Weezy-ology, there is good Lil Wayne and bad Lil Wayne.

Good Lil Wayne is the dastardly New Orleans weed head, the sizzurp-drinking gangster that sires children with beautiful actresses, gets locked up on gun and drug charges and records hours and hours of songs — a fountain of countless punchlines so funny he personifies comedy, and the self-proclaimed "best rapper alive."

Bad Lil Wayne is the Auto-Tuned fool, the guy who straps on a guitar at shows even though he can barely play it, the "son" who used to kiss his "daddy" Birdman on the lips, the would-be artiste who sang too much on Tha Carter III, maker of the pillow-humping ode "Lollipop," and the lovable ragamuffin whom teenage girls and middle-aged ladies from The View treat like a dreadlocked kewpie doll.

We tend to treat these sides of Dwayne Carter as binary objects, deifying the former and cracking jokes about the latter. Still, they are one and the same man, and the Young Money clique is the summation of Lil Wayne's true ambition.

Leprechauns and livers beware: It's St. Patrick's Day again. Rhapsody kicks it off in style with a selection of great music to get the party started. We have traditional Gaelic tunes, the Dropkick Murphys, and a new album from the Chieftains. And while St. Patrick's Day isn't just about drinking, we still thought a beer-soaked playlist and an inebriated guide to Irish rock were necessary. Of course, nearly every artist and band mentioned in this article are yours to rock out to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Be sure to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

	Let's hear it for beer! Songs about suds.		Listen to all your favorites from the Dropkick Murphys
	Check out a rough guide to classic Irish rock, from The Pogues to Thin Lizzy		The Ceili's On: Songs for St. Patrick's Day
	See why legendary Irish group the Chieftains are obsessed with Mexico		Listen to the best of traditional Irish music

There are some artists out there who deserve more of your attention than just one CD, Greatest Hits collection or box set.

We're talking artists and bands who are putting out a body of work that attracts a fan base and wins international attention. Take Bob Dylan, for example. Millions consider him a genius, but that hasn't stopped his popularity from waxing and waning with the times. Maybe it's the times (and the critics or the public) that are wrong. Sometimes, an artist like Rod Stewart can engender so much (displaced) rock hostility that many fantastic albums are scrubbed away from the collective memory.

Rhapsody isn't here to cast doubt on (or bear false witness to) universally heralded classics such as Van Morrison's Astral Weeks or Marvin Gaye's What's Going On or the Clash's London Calling or U2's Joshua Tree. Every listener on Rhapsody needs to rediscover those albums as much as every new generation needs to discover them on their own.

We just don't think that the listening should stop there. One of the best things about Rhapsody is that you can instantly dive into the enormous back catalogs of the great career artists and go completely crazy.

You can listen to just about everything the Masters have ever done, from the best-sellers to the Forgotten Disco-Crossover LPs to the Gone Acoustic sessions to the Turned Rockin' Again records.

Here are 20 neglected albums we think you should hear, broken up into a few different categories. Why not listen to selections from each while you read? If you don't have a Rhapsody subscription, sign up for a free trial now. 

Isan, F.S. Blumm and every other artist mentioned here are yours to enjoy whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

If there's anything I've learned from living in Berlin, it's that Germans like a cozy home.

Windowsills spill over with ceramic figurines and plastic doodads; garden plots are festooned with painted gnomes and polka-dotted toadstools.

Whether you view such things as kitsch or charm, the pleasures of hearth and home rank highly here. (One of the first words I learned in my German course was Heimat, or "home.") Appropriately, the living room is the source of one of Germany's key pop-music movements.

The music of the Chieftains is yours to listen to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

It's kind of impossibly romantic, the tale behind the Chieftains' latest album. Imagine it: a raft of recent immigrants get conscripted by the American army, find themselves fighting a war they care nothing about (and even worse, fighting fellow Catholics), so they desert ... and get taken in the by very folks they were fighting. And then proceed to fight for them!

On the Record is a video series where rock stars gush about their favorite records -- in exactly 45 seconds. Click above to watch Victoria Hesketh (Little Boots) talk about her favorite album of all time. Hear Kate Bush's influence in Little Boots' music? Let us know what you think. Rhapsody subscribers can listen to Little Boots' new album Hands and millions of other albums whenever and however they want. Click here to sign up for a free Rhapsody trial subscription and see what we're all about.

ARTIST: Little Boots RECORD: Lionheart

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What could possibly be cooler than the Rhapsody iPhone app? The new and improved Rhapsody iPhone app, of course. We’ve been listening to your requests, heeding your suggestions and leafing through your manifestos on how we can make a good thing even better, and one thing is clear. You want to hear your music everywhere, whether you’re on a plane, in the subway, with a mouse, in a house, in a box or with a fox. Well, you get the idea. No bars? No problem. Strong signal, weak signal or no signal -- soon your Rhapsody music will be able to go ANYWHERE your iPhone or iPod touch goes.

And did we mention that your battery will last longer? Playing downloaded music from the device’s memory instead of streaming it over the carrier or WiFi network saves a ton of battery power. Longer battery life equals more listening and less time recharging. We’re hoping to submit this to Apple for approval very soon, but in the meantime, peep the video of how this feature will work.

This release week is a big one for the indies, and boy are there some goodies. To make things easy for you, we've rounded up a good lot of 'em to feast your ears upon. Indie rock deities Pavement top off the week with a best-of compilation; Liars and Ted Leo & the Pharmacists continue to dominate; and younger bands including Frightened Rabbit, the Morning Benders, Titus Andronicus, and jj are keeping the veterans on their toes. Listen to all of the albums listed below, to your heart's content, on Rhapsody. Not a member? Sign up for a free trial.

Van Morrison, Horslips and every other artist mentioned here are yours to rock out to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

Van Morrison and Rory Gallagher started Ireland rocking with their respective bands, Them and Taste, back in the '60s, and the nation has kept it up through almost 50 St. Patrick's Days since. And while songs by the Cranberries and Snow Patrol that might as well be sung by actual leprechauns are obviously not unheard of, and there are occasional Bonos who'd prefer to be the Pope, the Emerald Isle's specialty is rowdier stuff that tends to go quite well with green beer. A brief primer is below; a longer playlist can be found here.

Best-of comps are usually a marketing gimmick for record labels to make a little extra dough off  catalog artists, and the people who second-guess the albums are bored music nerds engaged in some esoteric parlor game. But it’s 2010, and here we are. On the cusp of their blockbuster (!) reunion tour, Pavement released Quarantine the Past: The Best of Pavement, collecting all the hits that kept the radio ablaze during the '90s. Seriously though, it’s not a horrible experience or anything. Anytime you put 23 Pavement tunes together it’s going to result in some quality listening. But they didn’t get it right, in our opinion, and here are the songs we would’ve added and the ones we would’ve taken away. So crack open your Pabst and be sure to scroll down to the end of the post, where there's a playlist that includes all the songs mentioned here.

Don't forget: every Pavement song mentioned in this article is yours to rock out to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

On the Record is a video series where rock stars gush about their favorite records -- in exactly 45 seconds. Watch Peter Hayes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club talk about his number one album of all time: The Jimi Hendrix Experience's Are You Experienced? Rhapsody subscribers can listen to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's new album Beat The Devil's Tattoo and millions of other albums whenever and however they want. Click here to sign up for a free Rhapsody trial subscription and see what we're all about.

ARTIST: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club RECORD: Are You Experienced?

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The first quarter of the year is almost over, and the country music catalog of Rhapsody has been blessed with an abundance of great new music. Along with a number of top-notch releases came some stream-it-before-you-can-buy-it premieres (we call them leaks). Just in case some of these releases got lost in the shuffle for all our country fans, here's a new release round-up for the first quarter of the year.

Gretchen Wilson
Greatest Hits
All three of Gretchen Wilson's albums debuted at No. 1 on the charts, so you know this lady is a first-class hitmaker. It stands to reason, then, that as Wilson parts ways with Sony, the label compiles some of her best tracks. Rowdy anthems such as "Here for the Party," "All Jacked Up" and "Redneck Woman" are included, but so are the softer, vulnerable songs ("I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today," "When I Think About Cheatin'") that make Wilson a well-rounded star. — Linda Ryan

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Be sure to scroll down to the bottom to check out a sampling of the music discussed in this post. And, of course, if you're a member, you can listen to Gorillaz, Janelle Monae or any other artist mentioned here as much as you want, anywhere you like. Not a member? Sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

single-phile: the latest singles, dissected and discussed

Pop music is arguably driven by two apparently disparate but often interrelated practices. The dominant one is tradition or familiarity. We want a pop song to move us and make us want to move, but in a way that feels comfortable and recognizable. Look at the charts. The artists and the message might change, but the groove is familiar, the beats like home. Then we have tradition's seeming opposite: innovation. Under the rubric of innovation, we have pop's avant-garde artists: weirdos and iconoclasts push and pull at the boundaries of their idiom and make it do strange and sometimes wonderful new things. It's the rare pop star who manages to balance both those impulses and enjoy mainstream, terrestrial success in spite (or even rarer, because) of her or his more alien(ating) tendencies. In this edition of single-phile, we take a listen to some of these odd ducks, many of whom have been busy little bees lately (and many of whom hail from hip-hop and R&B, two genres whose artists are often more willing to take risks than their pop compatriots).

Ludacris, Nas and every other artist mentioned here are yours to rock out to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

This year has started slowly. It's well into March, spring's almost here, and we're only beginning to see major new albums from the likes of Ludacris (Battle of the Sexes) and, later this month, Wu-Tang all-stars Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon (Wu-Massacre).

I've already discussed Meth, Ghost and Rae's lead single, "Our Dreams," on the new Rhapsody Hip-Hop Blog with managing editor Sam Chennault. All I can say is: search around the Web for the official leak of "Criminology 2.5," and hope that Wu-Massacre isn't an Iron Flag-sized disappointment.

The rest of this month's offerings are a hodgepodge of fresh picks and old stuff from 2009 that's still bubbling.

So you'll recall we already mentioned our super-duper colossal fandango planned for the night of Saturday, March 21st, in Austin, but you'll also recall we mentioned we are on a quest for ultimate rockness -- not serviceable, not adequate, not even moderately enjoyable, but ultimate rockness. Which is why we've joined forces with the good folks at Knuckle Rumbler to bring you a Saturday day party featuring Cool Kids, Rye Rye, and many more. Click here to RSVP, or click the jump for the whole big skinny.  

Rhapsody commemorates the historic release of Jimi Hendrix's unearthed album, Valley of Neptune, with an extensive in-depth analysis of the album. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom to check out a sampling of the music. And, of course, if you're a member, you can listen to this album or any other by Hendrix as much as you want, anywhere you like. Not a member? Sign up for your free trial today!

It's 2010. The great Jimi Hendrix has been dead 40 years. This, of course, means fans are about to get pelted with a barrage of anniversary-related merchandising, everything from video games to DVDs to hot fashions for teens new to the heavy sounds of Are You Experienced? We should also expect a new wave of music. This will include both archival releases and deluxe reissues of the classics. First up is Valleys of Neptune, a collection of demos, outtakes and rehearsal recordings committed to tape in 1969 and '70.

When reviewing any album, the primary question a rock critic must answer is this: should you, the fan, spend your hard-earned money and time on the thing? It's a question that becomes even more important when dealing with archival releases featuring previously unreleased material. Too often these types of albums are filled with recordings that were not released for a very good reason — namely, they weren't very good. Opening the vaults is cool in theory, but there's no denying the milking-the-cow factor, especially when those cows are pop music's mythical icons, such as Dylan, Elvis, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, the Doors, etc. Hendrix belongs to this group, no doubt about it. At the same time, he is unique in the sense that there is a second vital question. What does such a release, Valleys of Neptune in this instance, tell us about where he was headed, musically?

The music of Adrienne Liesching and other Christian artists is yours to rock out to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

When the Benjamin Gate frontwoman Adrienne Liesching married fellow artist Jeremy Camp and had two daughters, her music-making took a back-seat. But now that the girls are old enough to travel and still young enough to hit the road without missing school, Adie has found a way to juggle recording with parenting. As her second solo disc, Just You and Me, is set to release, the South African native talked with Rhapsody about making time for music again and how she balances it all.

What convinced you to start recording again?

The girls are a little bit older and more settled, and one of the guys at our label brought up doing another record. We just felt like time's opened up, so — "Yeah, that's a great idea!" Then the recording process just flowed so smoothly and it was so easy. At one point the producers [Marc Byrd, Steve Hindalong and Stephen Leiweke] and I were looking at each other like, "Is this too easy?"

How does making records now different from the process during your Benjamin Gate days?

That was a lot of fun back then. We just kind of came over from South Africa with really nothing to lose. It was a lot about creating art and creating something that was very different. Now, I just kind of wanted it to be raw and have a sweet spirit about it. I've been in the music industry for a while so I wasn't trying to do something so different.

There are some fun ties to your past on this album too, though, right?

The girl who wrote "Seek You," her husband was in the Benjamin Gate with me. They were living in England near my brother at the time, so I went over there to visit.

Then there are other tracks that have a more somber story behind them.

"Shelter" is really meaningful to me. In August 2009, we had a two-week break in recording. [Jeremy and I] were pregnant with our third child, and we went to the doctor's appointment and the baby's heart had stopped. A friend of ours wrote that song — he and his daughter wrote it together — and the first time we heard it they were singing it together. She was like 10 or 11, harmonizing with her daddy, so that tugged at my heartstrings. I loved the song to begin with, but when I came back to sing it, it had taken on new meaning. I couldn't have described my feelings any better.

How does your decision to record again change the routine around your house or affect Jeremy's schedule?

Honestly, he'll carry on as normal, and with me it's more about just finding time. The girls take naps in the afternoon or have quiet time, and then I can get to emails. And I head out this Friday on an acoustic tour with Jeremy. I'll open for him and we'll take the girls. A friend's daughter who is 16 will come along to help out.

What other compromises has motherhood brought to the recording process?

I wrote most of the songs for the first album, but I didn't write any of them for this project. If it had come naturally, fine, but to sit down and write 12 songs for an album — I just knew I wasn't in the head space for that. God's given others such an amazing ability, and I'm fine with that. In some ways it was nicer to be able to pick songs that meant something to me.

What role, if any, does Jeremy play in the process? Do you guys try to keep your careers separate or is there a natural blurring of the lines?

I probably felt a little bit more insecure in the first album. I kind of needed him more, to have his input and support in it, but this time around I was sort of like, "Hon, just be free of any pressure to be part of this." I felt confident and had a vision for this one, even production-wise.

We're music geeks (and proud of it), and covers hold a special place in our heart. They are a bridge to different eras, an opening to obscure musicians and, sometimes, they can even lend credibility to an artist we'd otherwise dismiss. Below, we've assembled one of the most comprehensive guides to covers ever: We have the greatest cover songs, the best cover albums, the worst covers, Beatles covers, "crazy covers" and much more. If you're already a member, dig in. We have thousands of tunes ready for your perusal. If you're not a member, sign up today for your free trial account.

	From Johnny to Hendrix, the greatest cover songs ever!		Bowie did it, and so did Axl. See which acts devoted entire albums to covers.
	See which of your favorite songs are secretly covers.		Listen to our "crazy for covers" radio station
	Hear the best covers of the Beatles.		Not all covers are gold. Hear the worst covers ever.

Forget $5 footlongs, how about $5 albums? We dug through Rhapsody's seemingly endless supply of indie music and picked out some noteworthy albums for our latest MP3 sale. Get the one and only release from Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock's Ugly Casanova; "Kiss the Lipless" with the Shins; head down to the woods with Sleater-Kinney; or hit the creek with Iron & Wine. These albums and more are marked down to $5 for just one week only, starting today! Grab them all here. And don't forget, you can listen to all of these artists and more with your Rhapsody subscription. If you're not a member, sign up today for your free trial account.

Oval, SND and every other artist mentioned here are yours to enjoy whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

Another essay on glitch music is probably the last thing the world really needs. Over the years, gallons of ink have been spilled regarding the phenomenon — or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that a lot of pixels have stacked up.

Glitch music, also sometimes known as microsound — a style that emphasizes clicks and pops, whirring micro-loops and other digital effects over traditional instruments, or even synthesizers and drum machines — had its heyday in the late '90s, and it just happened to coincide with the massive spread of the Internet throughout mass culture. It was perfect timing: at the same moment that we all were becoming accustomed to the modem's screech and gurgle, along came a form of music to match — all digital hiccups and dial-tone pings. Everyone had heard the stutter of a stuck CD player; now, musicians were using it as the basis for a new musical form.

Slick Rick, Dr. Dre and every other artist mentioned here are yours to rock out to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

On Tuesday, March 2, Lil Wayne was scheduled to begin serving a yearlong sentence for a gun charge. However, a bizarre fire in the basement at the New York Criminal Court where he was to be sentenced helped postpone the affair until March 8. Go figure. Nevertheless, Weezy's impending prison stint — barring any other freakish incidents — continues a sad trend of hip-hop's biggest stars heading to prison at the apex of their careers. And like so many hip-hop tragedies, it's become a cliché that easily lends itself to parody, even as many of the root causes — aggressive police tactics, America's fascination with guns, et cetera — go unaddressed.

But let's face it: most rap felons aren't as noble as Chuck D.'s fictional draft dodger in "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos." So in commemoration of Lil Wayne's entry into this not-so-exclusive club, here's a look at 10 notable emcees whose misadventures landed them in the big house. 

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, animals, minerals, vegetables: It gives us great pleasure to announce plans for Rhapsody's umpteenth annual expedition into the jungles of the South by Southwest music festival in search of that most elusive of treasures: Ultimate Rockness. This year, as in past years, we have no doubt we will be victorious in our quest. Because, we mean, crap -- take a look at this line-up! Free Energy, Tobias Thomas, Memory Tapes, Yacht, and Major Lazer!? That is, as all the moms on Facebook are saying, ridonkydonk. Please put your dance-pants on and join us. If you can neither find your dance-pants nor join us but would like to experience the magic of the aforementioned musical talents, you may do so by signing up for a free Rhapsody trial subscription, whereupon you may listen to all these acts and more, to your heart's content.

Anyway, here are the deets:

When: Saturday, March 20, 7:30 P.M.
Where: Cedar St. Courtyard, 208 W. 4th St., Austin, Texas
How much: FREE with your SXSW badge, subject to capacity (so get there early or you're gonna be assed out).

On the Record is a video series where rock stars gush about their favorite records -- in exactly 45 seconds. Watch Lifehouse talk about the album that was most influential in the making of their new album Smoke & Mirrors Rhapsody subscribers can listen to Lifehouse's new album Smoke & Mirrors and millions of other albums whenever and however they want. Click here to sign up for a free Rhapsody trial subscription and see what we're all about.

ARTIST: Lifehouse RECORD: Damn the Torpedoes

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It's Oscar time again and Rhapsody is here with all the Academy Award-nominated scores and songs to keep you ahead of the game at any Hollywood-crazed viewing party. Along with the nominees, we dig into some of the fine movie music that has been overlooked by the Academy. We also revisit some of our favorite cinematic memories and offer up two lovingly programmed radio stations geared towards music in film. Nearly every artist and band mentioned in this article is yours to enjoy whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. If you're already a member, dig in. If you're not a member, sign up today for your free trial account.

	The songs that were nominated this year, as well as the ones that should have been		Listen to the 20 greatest Oscar winning songs of all time
	From Sherlock Holmes to Avatar, the best scores from this year's films		Check out the history of James Bond theme songs
	Listen to non-stop movie scores on our Cinema radio station		Rediscover your favorite movie music on Soundtracks Radio.

Tons of country-rock artists — my Top 10, those on my exclusion list and countless others — are yours to rock out to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. If you don't have one, click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

The country-rock canon is like an incestuous mafia family. The overwhelming majority of its classic albums, from the Burritos' Gilded Palace of Sin to Neil's Harvest to the Eagles' masterful debut album (and yes, it is masterful), can be linked to just five artists: the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, the Band, Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead.

Now that's one hell of a denim-clad oligarchy, ain't it?

This got the Crate Digger thinking: Is it possible to tear down and rebuild the country-rock canon — let's say the genre's 10 all-time best albums — without including these five core artists, as well as the myriad groups and musicians with significant ties to them?

This, of course, means I can't include albums from the following:

Crosby, Stills and Nash
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
New Riders of the Purple Sage
Gene Clark
Dillard & Clark
Muleskinner
Old & In the Way
The Dillards
Gram Parsons
Emmylou Harris
The Gosdin Brothers
Poco
Linda Ronstadt
Manassas*

Well, below is what I came up with. And despite the self-imposed handicap, it's pretty sweet as far as alternate Top 10s go. Now mind you: some of the albums on the list were most definitely made with help from session musicians, engineers, producers and composers who also worked with the artists and groups mentioned above. To exclude a record based on these non-core role players, however talented, would've made the exercise too hard and most of all totally unfun. A guy like pedal-steel maestro Orville "Red" Rhodes played with just about every hippie cowboy in Los Angeles between the years 1968 and '75. So yeah, hired guns didn't count. But hey, if you discover a significant connection that I missed, then by all means post a comment. Hell, post a comment, regardless. We love hearing from our readers! In fact, my challenge to each and every one of you is to post your own Top 10s that adhere to identical criteria. I'd love to see what you come up with.

By the way, if you find yourself wanting to listen to all the music I freak out about week in and week out, then simply use your Rhapsody subscription! Don't have one?

Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we're all about.

Now on to my (alternate) Top 10 ...

If music is a conversation — with artists dialoguing via tones, tempos and themes — then a cover is the most direct and interesting form of communication. It provides artists with the chance not only to pay homage to their influences (to descend into the marshes of fandom), but also to add or take away meaning from the original version as they see fit. The best covers, and most of the ones included here, use the original as merely a point of departure and turn it into something of their own. Think how Bryan Ferry turns the apocalyptic surrealism of Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" into a glam come-on, or how Yael Naim brings out a sense of longing and vulnerability in Britney's "Toxic."

Keeping that in mind, here are some of our favorite covers. They span genres and generations, but they're all essential listening. Check them out, and be sure to scroll down to the bottom, where we've included a playlist so that you can listen along as you read.

Remember: Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker and every other artist mentioned in this piece are yours to rock out to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we're all about.

Jars of Clay, Michael English and nearly every other artist mentioned in this article are yours to enjoy whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

Every April, Nashville hosts Christian music’s answer to the Grammys: the Dove Awards, presented by the Gospel Music Association — Christian music's biggest night. The 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards will be held on Wednesday, April 21, 2010, at Nashville’s famed Grand Ole Opry House and televised nationwide on the GMC network. The fanfare began in late February, when the GMA held a special press conference to announce the nominees in 23 of the ceremony’s 43 categories. Michael W. Smith, Jeremy Camp, Francesca Battistelli, Jason Crabb, Lisa Kimmey-Winans and others took the stage at the Curb Café on the Belmont University campus in Nashville.

Usually we think of cover versions as tributes to songs we know already — stars or hopefuls paying homage to a time-proven classic, perhaps. But once in a while, a cover song gets to be a huge hit when almost nobody out there ever heard the original version in the first place. For some reason, this seemed to happen especially often in the '80s. For instance, there's a real good chance you know who had hits with "I Love Rock N Roll" and "Tainted Love," but you might not realize that the artists who recorded those songs first were not Joan Jett or Soft Cell. A rundown of covers you might've thought were originals is below — including a couple where the hit artist cheated by changing the title.

Elvis Presley, Prince and every other artist mentioned here are yours to listen to whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about.

• "Hound Dog," Elvis Presley (1956); "Goin' Up the Country," Canned Heat (1968); "When the Levee Breaks," Led Zeppelin (1971): Only three of the probably scores of well-known rock songs whose initial blues versions aren't as famous. Consult Big Mama Thornton's 1953 "Hound Dog," Henry Thomas' 1928 "Bull Doze Blues" (before Canned Heat changed some words), and Memphis Minnie's 1928 "When the Levee Breaks" for evidence.

The music of Sean Paul and countless other Dancehall artists is yours to enjoy whenever and however you want with your Rhapsody subscription. Click here to sign up for a free trial and see what we’re all about. Watch Jamaican Dancehall superstar Sean Paul talk about growing up amongst Reggae Royalty, the affect of the Haitian earthquake on the Jamaican musical community, and his difficult decision to move away from conscious reggae and focus on "entertainment". Like Sean Paul? Here are some other features you might enjoy: Listen: Sean Paul's latest album Imperial Blaze Playlist: New Sound Of Dancehall Rhapsody Radio The latest and greatest in Roots Reggae and Conscious Dancehall More Video: Sean Paul on why he should have won the GRAMMY « February 2010 | Main Index | Archives | April 2010 » On the Record: Artist on Artist Jay-Z x Michael Jackson Animal Collective x Michael Jackson Monthly Archives Select One... November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 Categories Select One... 2010 VMA 2010 VMA Artist Interviews 2010 VMA OTRs Acura Adele Air Force Air Force On the Record Album Guide Album of the Day Alt/Indie/Punk Alternative Amstel Amy Winehouse Austin2011 Awards Bandmating Best of 2007 Best of 2008 Best of 2010 Best of the Decade Beyonce Blackberry Blues Bon Iver Britney Spears Cheat Sheet Children's Christian/Gospel Christmas Chuck Eddy Chuck Eddy's Chuck It All In Classic Rock Crate Digger Classical Coachella 2010 Coachella 2011 Coachella2011 Comedy Concentric Pleasures Country Country Corral Country Strong Coup de Stereo Dance Diary Dig This! Disco Dispatches Drake Drunk Dialing Earth, Wind & Fire Electronic Eminem Fallen Through The Cracks Festivals Field Trip Folk Foo Fighters Frank's World Friday Mixtape Funk Garrett Kamps Gloriana Green Day Halloween Hip-Hop Hip-Hop's 100 Non-Essential Tracks Holiday HTC Indie Interview Jack Johnson James Blake Jason Aldean Jazz Jen Guyre John Mayer Justin Farrar Katy Perry Lady Gaga Latin Lauren Tabak Leak Lil Wayne Linda Ryan Listening Party Live LMFAO Lollapalooza 2010 Lollapalooza 2011 Marc Music Marley Lovell Metal Michael Jackson Mike McGuirk Mosi Reeves Motorola MSN Nate Cavalieri Neil Strauss New Age News Nick Dedina Nick's Picks Nicki Minaj Nine Inch Nails Oldies On the Record Outside Lands Philip Sherburne Photos Photos Photos Pitbull Playlist Pop Premieres and Exclusives Producers Corner Product/Marketing productnews Punk Q&A QA QA R&B R.I.P. Rachel Devitt Radio Rap Is Not Pop Rap/Hip-Hop Recap Reggae Rhapsody 5 Rhapsody by the Numbers Rhapsody Exclusives Rhapsody MP3 Discounts Rhapsody Radar Rhapsody Reviews Rhapsody Rocks Rhapsody TV Rhapsody's Song of the Day Rhapsody.com New Features RhapsodyRocks Rob Harvilla Rob Thomas Rock Rock Star Guide to the Galaxy Rock the Bells Roundup Sam Chennault Sarah Bardeen Senior Year Singer-Songwriter single-phile Soul/R&B Soundcheck Soundtracks soundtreks Source Material South Park Sessions Sparks Spoken Word Sponsors Stephanie Benson Steven Curtis Chapman Summer Survival Guide SXSW Team The Box vs... Tim Quirk TV on the Radio ubykotex Weird Music Wendy Lee Nentwig World Music Zac Brown Band Subscribe to this blog's feed Recent Entries Breaking News: The Smiths Reunite Taylor Swift Collaborates with Kanye, Apologizes to Beyonce Ted Nugent Announces White House Bid Baseball's Most Rock 'n' Roll Moments The Morning Benders x Big Star Rap Is Not Pop: Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number Q&A: The Morning Benders Q&A: J.Cole Jay-Z x Michael Jackson Nick Jonas x Michael Buble Portions of album content provided by All Music Guide © 2011 All Media Guide, LLC ® 1999-2011 Rhapsody International Inc. Rhapsody is a trademark of Rhapsody International Inc. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.