Freda Payne is the subject of a new biography. (Photo: Freda Payne)
Singer Freda Payne, best known for the No. 1 hit song, “Band of Gold,” in 1970, ha...
First, silence. Then, slowly, a growing audience roar more than 50 years in the making is heard. Two singers shout out “Hello!” to the crowd, and the listener just knows this is going to be fun....
Micky Dolenz of The Monkees and Peter Noone of UK rock group Herman’s Hermits share a lot of rock history. Both broke out in the 1960s and have continued performing ever since. Now, they’re sharing their experiences in a sort of actor’s studio for musicians. Dolenz recalled a party at his house in Los Angeles during the 1970s which served as a sort of coming out party on the West Coast for John Lennon. Many bold-faced names were there, but when a limo pulled up at 2 AM and out stepped Brian Wilson ...
With visions of London’s King’s Road circa 1985 in my mind, I witnessed Culture Club’s return to New York City at The Beacon Theatre. Despite some rough patches, the re-formed bunch kicked off with my personal favorite, “Church of then Poisoned Mind” and took off from there. The Club also played some new songs, destined to end up on their next album, Tribes, due out next year. The most impressive of the lot was “More Than Silence.,”...
Watching Bruce Springsteen try to sing U2’s classic, “Where the Streets Have No Name’ last week in honor of World AIDs Day was a surreal experience–like being in a karaoke bar with actor John Pankow (look him up) doing a bad Bruce impression....
Rihanna has reopened the door to the man who beat her savagely. She’s starting a new arc in her life after three years that saw her soar as an artist even has her personal life was restless and unsettled. Rihanna, 23, struggled to follow the advice of friends and fans. They urged her to quit Chris Brown after their infamous 2009 blow up. She was left battered and unconscious on the eve of would have been a spectacular Grammy Awards ceremony for them. Brown ultimately pleaded guilty to criminal battery and is still on probation for the attack....
Rihanna looks skyward for the inspiration for her latest song, “Diamonds (in the Sky).” It’s a love ballad with a thumping bass set against piano and synthesizers. She implores her lover to “shine bright like a diamond.” Almost every move the singer makes these days is interpreted by the trashier tabloids as some kind of gesture involving her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. It seems likely the same interpretation will be applied to this song. Although the title is also a play off The Beatles’ 1967 song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” The song was widely interpreted to be about the drug LSD, although The Beatles denied it. So maybe Rihanna is just singing to her blunt....
There’s nothing humble about the Olympic-themed video for “Survival,” the official song of the 2012 games. British rock band Muse delivers in-your-face lyrics and a pulsating beat. “I am gonna win, Yes, I am gonna win,” lead vocalist Matthew Bellamy sings. What ever happened to how you play the game?...
When Florence Welch first hit these shores from Britain two years back with her stunningly beautiful “Dog Days Are Over,” it was a revelation. Yet another Brit-singer was making noise here across the pond. She debuted last night at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and she was suitably humble. In fact, she kept saying she couldn’t believe she was at such prestigious venue....
Usher is back with another album, but like his last effort Raymond V. Raymond, released only weeks ago, it's another uneven effort from an artist talented enough to do better....
It's rare that a musician comes along as poignant as Ray LaMontagne. He is America's own troubled troubadour and his latest album, God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise, is nothing less than a gem....
Sarah Blasko's smoky vocals have garnered her praise from her native Australia, and she's using them to enchant U.S. audiences with her third album, As Day Follows Night....
