Music news, reviews, albums, concerts, and downloads | The Music Mix

The Music Mix Music news, reviews, albums, concerts, and downloads

Archive: August 2009 (31-40 of 139)

Aug 26 2009 11:28 AM ET

Reba McEntire tops the albums chart

Categories: Charts, Country, Y'all!, Reba McEntire

Reba-McEntire-Keep_l August is “respect your country elders” month, it seems: Reba McEntire takes the top spot on this week’s Billboard 200 with 96,000 copies sold of Keep On Loving You, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That’s enough to unseat last week’s winner, King of Country George Strait, who falls to No. 2 with 61,000. For those keeping score, this is Strait’s 26th album and McEntire’s 31st. Whew.

Rounding out the Top Three is Third Eye Blind, who sold 49,000 copies of Ursa Major. For a band whose last album came out six years ago and whose last hit was three years before that, 49K is nothing to sneeze at. Looks like 3EB’s life is still semi-charmed, after all.

Elsewhere on the chart, Sean Paul enters at No. 12 with a not-particularly-imperial 28,000 units moved of Imperial Blaze. Lead single “So Fine” hasn’t caught fire yet, but perhaps one of the dozen other extremely catchy dancehall bangers on the album will be able to gain some traction in the coming weeks. Down at No. 14, Ledisi, whose Best New Artist nod at last year’s Grammy Awards no doubt helped her in the name-recognition department, debuts with 27,000 copies sold of Turn Me Loose. And MuteMath made it to No. 18 with 18,000 of their Armistice.

What do you think of this week’s numbers? Any surprises?

Aug 26 2009 08:35 AM ET

The Wallpapers, 'Crazy': A Music Mix exclusive stream

by Leah Greenblatt

Categories: An EW Exclusive!, Buzzworthy, Things That Are French

Wallpapers_l Parlez-vous le rock Francais? Parisian teenage quartet the Wallpapers (they range in age from 15 to 17) may not speak English as a first language, but the jeunes garcons fake it surprisingly well on their upcoming debut album, produced by David Kahne (the Strokes, Kelly Clarkson, Paul McCartney).

Listen to tracks on the band’s MySpace, or stream the exclusive, unreleased song “Crazy” below, and tell us if you are feeling the fou:

Aug 25 2009 06:20 PM ET

Britney brings the 'Circus' to Madison Square Garden: She's back!

by Tim Stack

Categories: Britney Spears

Last night, I had the extreme pleasure of witnessing the rebirth of a pop icon, Britney Spears. The singer performed her first of three nights at Madison Square Garden in New York for her “Circus” tour, and the energy was amazing (plus opening act Jordin Sparks was utter fabulosity).

EW’s music critic Leah Greenblatt caught the show back in March in Newark and had more lukewarm feelings. The amount of actual singing that took place was definitely questionable but for me, it didn’t really matter. Britney’s more of a performer than a great singer (I do have to agree with Leah’s assessment that Brit hardly addressed the audience. Come on, girl—talk to your fans!).

My fave moments were an acrobatic take on “Touch of My Hand,” in which she was lifted into the air by two men, harnessed together. Insanely hot. But the finale took the cake. Spears performed her first huge hit, “…Baby One More Time,” clad in stiletto boots and skintight red pants. It almost brought a tear to my eye. Or at least some solid misting. Take a look below and see what I mean.

What do you think Music Mix-ers? Is Britney back? Will you go see the “Circus” tour?

Aug 25 2009 06:05 PM ET

Chris Brown sentenced: Has justice been served?

by Simon Vozick-Levinson

Categories: Chris Brown

Chris Brown’s formal sentencing in an L.A. court this afternoon brings his experience with the criminal justice system to a symbolic end of sorts. Per the terms he agreed to when he pleaded guilty this June to felony assault of his former girlfriend Rihanna, Brown will now serve 1,400 hours of “labor-oriented” community service in Virginia as well as five years of supervised probation.

Now begins the next chapter in Brown’s career, distasteful as it may seem to many. But is his audience ready to move on? Was justice for the extremely serious act of violence he committed served with today’s sentencing? Even after he’s picked up his last piece of trash and attended his last court-ordered domestic violence counseling session, will it feel okay to listen to new music from Brown? His label has said nothing about any upcoming projects, yet these are questions that will need to be answered sooner or later. Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Photo credit: Rick Loomis/AP Images

Aug 25 2009 05:48 PM ET

Tim Buckley, 'Live at the Folklore Center, NYC - March 6, 1967': Exclusive full album stream

by Leah Greenblatt

Categories: An EW Exclusive!

Last month, we brought you an exclusive stream from ’60s folk hero (and of course, father of Jeff) Tim Buckley‘s never-before-released performance album, Live at the Folklore Center, NYC – March 6, 1967. Now, we’ve got the whole thing streaming only here on the Music Mix (you can, of course, also buy it in stores starting today).

Below, listen to the uninterrupted 16-song set originally performed for a mere handful of onlookers over forty years ago, at the famed downtown venue in lower Manhattan, years before Buckley’s legend was cemented:

Aug 25 2009 03:54 PM ET

Whitney Houston album leaks ... on QVC?

by Leah Greenblatt

Categories: Divas!, New Stuff, Whitney Houston

Attention, shoppers! Yes, you — get your paws off that Marie Osmond Baby Boo doll and focus: Miss Whitney Houston is waiting for you on (digital) aisle 5.

The long-absent diva, who returns next week with I Look to You, her first album in seven years, is now streaming the full record via the famous shopping channel’s online marketplace to advertise a pre-order deal (all 11 tracks are also streaming on her official website, though QVC holds the retail exclusive).

Listen and tell us what you think, Whitney-ites, before the full review runs in EW’s print mag this Friday. Below, a YouTube grab of the song we personally think is the strongest; the Alicia Keys collaboration “Million Dollar Bill”:

Aug 25 2009 03:19 PM ET

Michael Jackson 'Remix Suite': How do they measure up to the originals?

by Simon Vozick-Levinson

Categories: Michael Jackson

The first installment of Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite, which features contemporary producers reworking classic MJ and Jackson 5 tracks, hits iTunes today. (Four further digital installments are planned, with a physical release of the full set on Oct. 27.) So how do the first five remixes compare to the original hits they’re based on? Listen below to the best of the bunch — Polow da Don’s take on “Dancing Machine” — then click through to the jump for my reviews of all five.

READ FULL STORY »

Aug 25 2009 03:00 PM ET

Guilty Pleasures, Round One: Styx (7) vs. Air Supply (10)

by Whitney Pastorek

Categories: Guilty Pleasures, Let's Argue!, Styx

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 explain to the group 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.

READ FULL STORY »

Aug 25 2009 01:39 PM ET

Remembering Aaliyah: where would she be today?

by Leah Greenblatt

Categories: In Memoriam, R&B

Back in January, we noted what would have been Aaliyah’s 30th birthday. Today, however, marks an even sadder anniversary: eight years to the day since the R&B star lost her life (as did the eight others on board) in a Bahamian plane crash at the age of 22.

At the time of her death, the singer and actress seemed to be at the peak of her game; she had just begun filming a role the first of two sequels in the blockbuster Matrix trilogy, and her third, self-titled album showed an impressive sonic leap from her teenage releases Age Ain’t Nothin’ But a Number (1994) and One In A Million (’96); it contains easily some of the best work of her career, including songs like “Try Again” and “More Than A Woman” that still sound impressively fresh today.

Watch “We Need a Resolution” below (one of my personal favorites, but feel free to list yours) and tell us, Music Mixers, how do you remember her? And what could she have accomplished had she lived?

Aug 25 2009 01:09 PM ET

Pearl Jam's Cameron Crowe-directed video: Are live videos awesome, or a cop-out?

by Aly Semigran

Categories: Music Videos, Pearl Jam

If there’s one thing Pearl Jam is known for (besides, of course, all that ’90s grunge/flannel shirt business), it’s their live shows.

So it’s only fitting that the band’s latest video features a live performance, directed by a guy who has something of a soft spot for rock & roll, Cameron Crowe. The video is for the song “The Fixer” (watch below), a track off their upcoming album Backspacer, which they performed live at a secret show at Seattle’s Showbox in May.Granted, the clip is a little dizzying, but it is one of few music videos that actually captures the feel of a band when they perform live.

What about you, MusicMixers? Are you a fan of Pearl Jam’s live videos or do you think they’re a cop out? Does the video get you excited for the new album or are your days of deciphering Eddie Vedder’s every move long since passed?