Music Blogs

There are weeks when one can look at new album release lists and wonder who in their right mind would buy any of these?

This, however, is not one of those weeks.

I don’t know if anyone might’ve guessed ten years ago that contemporary country music would become one of the hottest genres going, but here we are. New releases by Lady Antebellum, the Pistol Annies and the Dixie Chicks’ own Natalie Maines are among this week’s most hotly anticipated albums, and all of them—however far removed they may be from the works of Hank Williams and Patsy Cline—represent where the public’s taste resides at the moment, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Because while each signals a deliberate move forward from the strict traditionalism of what some would call classic country, none are particularly blatant examples of crass commercialism, none appear to be specifically aiming at “crossing over” to pop at the expense of art, and all of them are actually quite interesting.

And then there’s that new Gatsby

Lauryn Hill at the courthouse on Monday [Photo: Kena Betancur/Getty Images]

Looks like it ain't workin' for Ms. Lauryn Hill this year. On Monday, the singer was slapped with a three-month prison sentence with a following three months on house arrest for failing to pay taxes on about $1.8 million in earnings.

Hill's lawyer conveyed that the singer had already paid in excess of $970,000 to settle her tax responsibilities, and sought probation in lieu of hard time. She was facing up to three years in prison, so three months is not as bad as it could have been.

By Laura Ferreiro

Depending on how you look at it, Johnny Marr's Brooklyn show on Friday night was either a dream come true for Smiths fans, or a bittersweet reminder of something that will likely never be.

The ex-Smiths guitarist invited his former bandmate Andy Rourke onstage during his solo show to cover their band's classic tune,"How Soon Is Now?" at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, according to Rolling Stone. Before bringing him out, Marr gave a kind tribute to the bassist, who's also a longtime friend. "When I was 15, I formed one of the first bands with my best friends," he told the crowd. "He was at that time one of the best musicians I'd ever heard; we were just kids.

"Then in 1982 I formed a band in Manchester and I asked my best friend to come and play the bass with me, and he was still one of the best musicians I'd ever heard. And tonight, 30 years later, I'm gonna invite one of my best friends in the world--and he's still one of the best musicians I've ever heard."

The duo

Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and Jimmy Page at the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors [photo: Riccardo S. Savi]By Jon Wiederhorn

Being a former president just doesn't come with the clout it used to. Bill Clinton may still have some sway when it comes to brokering peace between warring nations, but as a rock 'n' roll powerbroker, he recently fell flat.

Crystal Bowersox with Brian Walker at South By Southwest 2011In sad "American Idol" news, Season 9 runner-up Crystal Bowersox has revealed, via People magazine, that she is splitting from her husband, fellow folk-rock musician Brian Walker.

"After two and a half years, we have decided to end our marriage," the couple told People in a statement Monday. "The friendship and love which brought us together remains strong, and we will continue to support each other in our careers and personal lives. We are hopeful that people will be respectful of our privacy as we face this emotional and challenging time for our family."

Absolutely shocking and completely unexpected news, readers! After Y! Music's Dave DiMartino reviewed the new History of the Eagles LP in his blog last week, it seems the Eagles themselves read his comments!

And the comments weren't kind! Not by a long shot!

Now we hear that the band, dispirited by what they saw as a well-written and well-informed indictment of their entire career, have abruptly given up on their signature country-rock sound and taken up (holy cow!) death metal!

Needless to say, the world of music has been taken aback by this ... huh? ... what's that? Is somebody out there waving at us, trying to get our attention?

Yes! Somebody is! Why, it's our old friend and fellow Y! Music blogger, Rob O'Connor! Everybody likes Bob-O!

Come on in, Bob-O!

What's that? Hmm. Um hmm. Really? You're kidding!

Really?

Wow. OK, OK. Well, thanks for the heads up. Seriously, man. Yeah, yeah, we'll bring the hot dogs to your thing. Again. Hot dogs can be expensive, you know.

Important blog note! This week, Framed welcomes the amazing Eagles of Death Metal and their great video, "I Want You So Hard."