Archive: August 2009 (21-30 of 139)

Aug 27 2009 01:15 PM ET

Cory Chisel, 'So Wrong for Me': A Music Mix exclusive stream

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Categories: An EW Exclusive!, Indie Rock

You may not know Cory Chisel‘s name; after all, his catalog so far consists of a two self-released albums and one major-label EP, last year’s folk-pastoral Cabin Ghosts.

But the 28-year-old rocker from Appleton, Wisconsin, has already pulled a few famous friends into his musical orbit: Guitarist Blake Mills (Band of Horses, Jenny Lewis), session drummer Matt Chamberlain (Regina Spektor, Fiona Apple) and bassist “Little” Jack Lawrence (Raconteurs, The Dead Weather).

All three appear on the exclusive track streaming below, the hushed, rueful “So Wrong for Me,” recorded at Nashville’s famous Blackbird Studios:


What do you think, Music Mixers? Are you feeling the Springsteen-circa-Nebraska vibes and co-ed harmonies with bandmate Adriel Harris (pictured above left)? Will you be making time for his official full-length debut, Death Won’t Send A Letter (other guests include Brendan Benson and My Morning Jacket’s Carl Broemel) on September 29?

More from EW’s Music Mix:
Famed pop songwriter Ellie Greenwich dead at 68Tim Buckley: Exclusive album stream
Animal Collective’s Panda Bear on new album, ATP fest and more: An exclusive Music Mix Q&A
Karen O’s Where the Wild Things Are track debuts on MySpace
An EW exclusive video: Band of Skulls
Outkast’s “B.O.B.”: Is it the best song of the decade?

Aug 27 2009 11:59 AM ET

Steely Dan live in L.A.: Are full-album concerts getting tired?

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Categories: Steely Dan

They didn’t call it a “residency,” but Steely Dan’s four-night stand at the Gibson Amphitheatre in L.A. drew a lot of repeat offenders, shelling out the big bucks to see a different late ‘70s album performed in its entirety each night. The most noticeable audience regulars were a couple who sat in the front row each night wearing bright red fezzes — just waiting for that moment on Night 3, Royal Scam night, when the Dan would be obligated by advertisement to break into the very rarely played album track “The Fez.” Never mind that that vintage song is actually an ode to prophylactics (“Ain’t gonna do it without the fez on”) and not head gear. If audience members were going to come proudly sporting one or the other in honor of their musical heroes, I reckon these two made the right choice.

(Read Chris Willman’s full review after the jump, and listen to the studio version of “The Fez” below.) READ FULL STORY »

Aug 27 2009 11:49 AM ET

Drake teams with Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Eminem for 'Forever': Hear it here

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Categories: Downloads and Streams, Drake, Eminem, Kanye West, Lil Wayne

Chances are you’ve heard a lot about Drake by now if you’ve been paying any attention to developments in the world of hip-hop this year. Even if you haven’t, though, you must know the three guests he lined up for his new tune “Forever”: just some pals named Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Eminem. This super-power summit — call it this year’s “Swagger Like Us” — came together for the soundtrack to an upcoming LeBron James documentary.

That athletic connection, plus the sheer level of stars involved, means we would feel remiss not to identify a winner here. And while all four rappers come off well enough, one verse clearly stands head and shoulders above the rest, and that’s Eminem’s. His light-speed, acrobatic flow simply makes everything that comes before it irrelevant. I’m talking serious verse-of-the-year contender status. Does it say something about rap in 2009 that the oldest guy on this track steals the show so easily from his more current counterparts? (Wait, don’t answer that question — too depressing.)

But surely I’m not a flawless ref. So give “Forever” a listen for yourself below (some NSFW language), then make your pick. Who delivered the best performance on this song: Weezy, Kanye, Em, or Drake himself?

More from EW’s Music Mix:
Famed pop songwriter Ellie Greenwich dead at 68
Reba McEntire tops the album charts
Whitney Houston album leaks … on QVC
Michael Jackson ‘Remix Suite’: How do they measure up to the originals?

Aug 26 2009 04:32 PM ET

Killian Mansfield: RIP

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Categories: In Memoriam, Levon Helm

killianLast winter, teenage ukulele prodigy Killian Mansfield recorded Somewhere Else, an album that also featured the talents of Dr John, Kate Pierson from the B-52s, Todd Rundgren, and Levon Helm of legendary rockers The Band. The album was released on August 4, with proceeds going to the Killian Mansfield Foundation, which supports integrative therapies for children with cancer.

Cancer was an illness Killian knew well. At the age of 11 he was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, and he made Somewhere Else shortly before entering hospice care. Sadly, he passed away last week.

His death is a source of particular sadness to us here at the Music Mix. One of our colleagues knew Killian and says he was a wonderful kid with a beautiful spirit.

He was certainly a talented musician, and you could do much worse than check out this sampler of Somewhere Else ,which includes memorable covers of “Express Yourself,” “Blue Skies,” and Prince’s “Kiss.”

More from EW’s Music Mix:
Tim Buckley: Exclusive album stream
Animal Collective’s Panda Bear on new album, ATP fest and more: An exclusive Music Mix Q&A
Karen O’s Where the Wild Things Are track debuts on MySpace
An EW exclusive video: Band of Skulls
Outkast’s “B.O.B.”: Is it the best song of the decade?

Aug 26 2009 04:19 PM ET

Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell goes country, '90s resurgence now officially absurd

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Categories: Attack of the '90s, Things Nobody Asked For

It’s times like this I wish I’d been making a chart: After a year that’s seen the return of Alice in Chains, TLC, and Blink 182; new albums from Third Eye Blind, Better Than Ezra, Vertical Horizon, Collective Soul, and Sugar Ray; and the Nashville ascendancy of one Darius “Hootie” Rucker, I honestly didn’t think there was anywhere else for the ’90s revival to go. Well, color me badd, people, cause according to the Tennessean, Smash Mouth lead singer Steve Harwell has recorded a country album. Hey now, you remember Steve: he’s an all-star! The new album is tentatively titled All the Way Gone, and as Harwell tells the Tennessean, “It’s kind of an alternative country. I think it’s what people have been waiting to hear.”

Is it, Mixers? Are you a believer? Or does this news just make Harvey Danger’s decision to call it quits like a thousand percent more respectable?

Photo Credit: Gary Gershoff/ Retna Ltd.

More from EW’s Music Mix:
Famed pop songwriter Ellie Greenwich dead at 68
Reba McEntire tops the album charts
Whitney Houston album leaks … on QVC
Michael Jackson ‘Remix Suite’: How do they measure up to the originals?

Aug 26 2009 03:37 PM ET

Famed pop songwriter Ellie Greenwich dead at 68

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Categories: In Memoriam, Phil Spector

Brooklyn-born Eleanor Louise Greenwich, a Brill Building songwriter and producer perhaps best known for collaborations with Phil Spector on Wall of Sound powerhouses like the Ronettes “Be My Baby,” Ike & Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High,” and the Crystals’ “Da Doo Ron Ron,” passed away today in New York City.

Her ability to convey both the rapture and heartbreak of young love in music proved transcendant; the unbridled joy in the Crystals’ “Then He Kissed Me” and abject sadness in the Ronettes’ “I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine” come through as clearly today as they did forty years ago.

Alongside writing partner and then-husband Jeff Barry, Greenwich penned a stream of ’60s hits, including early rebel-girl classic “Leader of the Pack,” “Chapel of Love,” and “Do Wah Diddy,” and produced much of Neil Diamond’s early work (she is often credited with helping him get his start), including “Cherry Cherry” and “Kentucky Woman.”

Leader of the Pack, a play based on Greenwich’s life and songs, ran on Broadway in 1985, and earned a Tony nod for Best Musical; she also sang backing vocals for Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and on albums as diverse as Blondie’s Eat to the Beat and Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual.

Though she never achieved the type of marquee fame that she brought to other artists, she was an accomplished singer and performer in her own right. Listen below to “Sunshine After the Rain,” from her aptly-titled 1968 album Ellie Greenwich Composes, Produces & Sings:

More from EW’s Music Mix:
Reba McEntire tops the album charts
Whitney Houston album leaks … on QVC
Michael Jackson ‘Remix Suite’: How do they measure up to the originals?

Aug 26 2009 02:40 PM ET

Guilty Pleasures, Round One: Ashlee Simpson (8) vs. Mariah Carey (9)

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Categories: Ashlee Simpson, Guilty Pleasures, Let's Argue!, Mariah Carey

EW’s Music Mix is searching for the Greatest Guilty Pleasure Musical Act of All Time. With 32 seeded contestants (see all the matchups), this tournament is sure to change hearts, minds, and lives for weeks to come. Read/listen to the following, and then cast your vote in the poll after the jump; reader comments will be used in subsequent rounds, so we encourage you to also post a comment explaining why you chose the way you did. Note: In case of a tie, please select the artist you feel more ashamed to adore. Thank you.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: This is the final matchup of Round One. All polls will close at the end of business Friday, and an updated bracket will be posted once the results are tabulated. Round Two starts next week.

Ashlee Simpson Mariah Carey

READ FULL STORY »

Aug 26 2009 01:04 PM ET

Madonna's 'Celebration' track list revealed: Are the greatest hits all there?

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Categories: Divas!, Madonna

Today marked the track-listing announcement of Her Madjesty’s upcoming Celebration CD and DVD, due this September 29, but if you’re a fan, you may already know — after all, you helped her pick the songs.

Madonna’s manager Guy Oseary used his Twitter page to solicit readers’ suggestions of what should be included in the set, and then worked with the singer to hone a final list. Find out which classics are in — and what’s new — after the jump:

READ FULL STORY »

Aug 26 2009 12:14 PM ET

Guilty Pleasures, Round One: Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana (8) vs. Lady Gaga (9)

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Categories: Guilty Pleasures, Lady Gaga, Let's Argue!, Miley Cyrus

EW’s Music Mix is searching for the Greatest Guilty Pleasure Musical Act of All Time. With 32 seeded contestants (see all the matchups), this tournament is sure to change hearts, minds, and lives for weeks to come. Read/listen to the following, and then cast your vote in the poll after the jump; reader comments will be used in subsequent rounds, so we encourage you to also post a comment explaining why you chose the way you did. Note: In case of a tie, please select the artist you feel more ashamed to adore. Thank you.

Miley Cyrus Lady Gaga

READ FULL STORY »

Aug 26 2009 11:36 AM ET

Bob Dylan's Christmas album artwork unveiled

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Categories: Bob Dylan

bob-dylan-christmas_lIt may be still only August, but Bob Dylan has released the album artwork for his forthcoming Yuletide collection Christmas in the Heart. The album is set for an October 13 release with profits going to the hunger-relief charity Feeding America. You can see the artwork on the left. To be honest, it’s not exactly what I expected. But then, I’m not sure what I did expect. Bob dressed as Santa? Bob pouring Jakob Dylan a nice glass of eggnog? Bob looking disappointed that everyone got him socks as a present?

In other Bob news, the New York Times is reporting that the great man said on his radio show that he’s been “talking to a couple of car companies about being the voice of their GPS system.” Need I point out that’s a looooong way from “Talkin’ John Birch Paranoid Blues”? I need not. Mind you, I’d still buy a GPS system that featured Dylan’s gloriously weathered tones. And I haven’t even got a car.

What do you think about the Dylan album cover? And would you like the Voice of a Generation to tell you which path to take in literal, rather than a metaphysical, sense?

More from EW’s Music Mix:
Reba McEntire tops the album charts
Chris Brown sentenced: Has justice been served?
Tim Buckley: Exclusive album stream
Jim Dickinson: An appreciation

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