The New Now
  • Hall & Oates have always been cool, really, but Philly's blue-eyed soul duo is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance as of late, with the Gym Class Heroes naming one of their treks the "Daryl Hall For President Tour"; Daryl Hall getting artists like KT Tunstall, Chromeo, Diane Birch, and the Gym Class Heroes' Travis McCoy to guest on his online music/talk show, Live From Daryl's House; and Koot Hoomi and Robert Lurie paying homage to the duo on their tribute disc, The Dark Side Of Hall & Oates.

    Another act that worships at the pop altar of H&O is the Bird & The Bee (the indie-pop duo of singer-songstress Inara George and Ke$ha/Lily Allen/Flaming Lips/Kylie/Peaches producer Greg Kurstin), who in fact love the '70s/'80s yacht-rockers so much, they've recorded their own full album of H&O covers, Interpreting The Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall & John Oates.

    B&B recently brought their H&O tribute to Los Angeles's sold-out El Rey Theater, and they made fans' dreams come true for

    Read More »from The Bird & The Bee Sow Their Wild Hall & Oates
  • Cookie cutter artists find a style that works and stick withit. But newcomer Jason Derulo is not afraid to take a risk.

    The 20 year-old singer-songwriter from Miami, Floridascored a No. 1 hit with his debut release, "Whatcha Say," a synthesized,mid-tempo track about cheating. But for his follow up single, "In My Head," heopted for something a bit brasher, with rock guitars.

    "I continue to reinvent myself with every song," Derulo saidwhen he visited the Yahoo! Music studios to perform the songs for hisself-titled album. "Prince, Michael Jackson, and Madonna, they continued toreinvent themselves time and time again. That's what makes a legend. That'swhat I aspire to do."

    Derulo has worked hard to prepare himself for his pursuit oflegendary status in the music business. He began as a child, attendingperforming arts schools where he studied classical music and various forms ofdance, including tap, ballet, and jazz.

    But it was the creative freedoms pop music afforded him thatcaught his

    Read More »from Jason Derulo Reinvents Himself On Each Pop Track
  • Though not quite a new band--their debut album first emerged in 2003--Rogue Wave is has been reaching a newer and larger audience with each successive album.

    Permalight, the band's fourth and latest effort, is likely to expand that audience considerably.

    Their second album for Brushfire Records, the label owned by eco-friendly recording artist Jack Johnson, it's a step up both musically and production-wise for the band--an intriguing combination of accessible melodies and surprisingly sharp, mature lyrics. Largely performed by singer/songwriter Zach Rogue and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Pat Spurgeon, with a host of guest musicians, Permalight is perhaps the strongest item in the band's catalog and a good indication that even better material may be on its way.

    And aside from the album? The band's music is everywhere. Commercials, TV shows (One Tree Hill, Nip/Tuck, Heroes, Friday Night Lights, Scrubs and more) and anywhere else music can ostensibly be attached. Anyone who saw last

    Read More »from Rogue Wave: Quite Good, Actually!
  • Australia's Daniel Merriweather is best known in America as the blue-eyed soul crooner heard on Mark Ronson's cover of the Smiths' "Stop Me If You Think That You've Heard This One Before," but he's already a chart-topping sensation Down Under and in Britain. And now he's set to become a Grammy-sweeping, Adele-esque success in the States, once his Ronson-produced U.S. debut album, Love & War, finally comes out February 23.

     

    While the feminine likes of Adele, Amy Winehouse, Duffy, and Sharon Jones have ushered in a new era of throwback soul in the last couple of years, few retro-R&B males have made inroads in the old-is-new-again genre. Daniel, with his honeyed vocals and matinee idol looks, may very well change all that. And his critically acclaimed Love & War even features a duet with the aforementioned Adele that is a real stunner.

     

    In January 2010, tastemaking Los Angeles radio station KCRW sponsored an intimate Daniel show on the rooftop of the Paley Center For Media museum in

    Read More »from Daniel Merriweather’s ‘Love & War’ Conquers U.S.
  • A new face? Could be. Kate Voegele has been stirring up the music world lately with her recent release A Fine Mess--an excellent collection of material that sometimes dwells in the surprisingly personal--and gathering increased momentum among fans and critics alike.

    New? Those who watch TV may also recognize Kate from her role as Mia Catalano on One Tree Hill. And those present at Farm Aid in 2005 and 2005 would have seen the young, Ohio-born singer performing onstage with the likes of Neil Young and John Mellencamp.

    But all these levels of exposure have only helped Kate break through to the masses; songs from A Fine Mess popped up regularly on One Tree Hill during its week of release, and the singer's active schedule is reaping significant dividends. In fact, this Saturday afternoon, Feb. 20, Kate will be singing the national anthem before NASCAR'S NNS Stater Bros. 300.

    Here's a chance to check out two live performances by Kate in a considerably more intimate environment. Recorded at

    Read More »from Kate Voegele: Her Inexorable Rise Topward!
  • Nigerian singer Nneka,28, has made a big impression with her recent U.S. debut "Concrete Jungle."

    Her mixture of rhythmic melodies, occasional raps,underlying social messages, and acoustic guitar has drawn comparisons to LaurynHill, Tracy Chapman, and Mos Def.

    When she was 18 she moved to Germany and studied Anthropologywhile working on her music.

    Before "Concrete Jungle," Nneka released two other albums,2005's "Victim of Truth," and 2008's "No Longer at Ease," released in Germany,England, France, Netherlands, Nigeria, and Japan.

    Nneka's songwriting feels effortless in the sense that herlyrics are conversational and on the surface appear to discuss relationshipmatters.

    She sings about the beauty of her homeland on "From Africa 2U." On "Mind vs. Heart" she comes to terms with learning lessons of the heart.And "Come With Me" sounds like a stripped-down lovers quarrel.

     
    Nneka "Come With Me" Performance at Yahoo! Music
    @ Yahoo! Video

     
    On the latter, Nneka's voice beam as she strums her

    Read More »from Nigerian Singer Nneka Melds Sweet Melodies And Social Messages
  • When the production crew in the Y! Music studios gets awfully excited about the sound of the band they're shooting--a band that they probably haven't even heard before--it's a very good sign.

    But enthusiasm is unavoidable in the presence of New York's Phenomenal Handclap Band, a fairly new group of sophisticated musicians who mix genres and eras together into a hypnotic, pulsing and always danceable blend of exuberant fun.

    Formed about a year-and-a-half ago by Daniel Collás and Sean Marquand--two underground DJs with an urge to go out and make their own music--the group released their superb debut album The Phenomenal Handclap Band last June and have been getting rave reviews everywhere. Not just in the States, but in Europe, where they opened for the likes of Franz Ferdinand, and in Australia, where they'd just returned from a few days before our shoot in the studio.

    We'd of course advise you to check out their album (which features guest appearances by TV On The Radio's Jaleel

    Read More »from A Standing Ovation For The Phenomenal Handclap Band
  • England's Hotrats are technically not a "new" band, considering that its two core members, Gaz Coombs and Danny Goffey, are Britpop veterans (their respective "day jobs" are frontman and drummer for the almightily awesome Supergrass). Additionally, the Hotrats' side-project album, Turn Ons, is a collection of cover songs in the vein of David Bowie's Pin-Ups, entirely consisting of distinctively Supergrassian reworkings of classics by the likes of the Doors, the Kinks, the Cure, Elvis Costello, Squeeze, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, the English Beat, and Bowie himself.

    But despite all this, Turn Ons--which was produced by longtime Radiohead production guru Nigel Godrich--sounds incredibly fresh in 2010, and the Hotrats are generating a huge amount of buzz, considering that their packed January 19 show at L.A.'s Spaceland club was attended by several members of Radiohead (yes, even the reclusive Thom Yorke) and Spoon.

    Among the best covers on Turn Ons are Gang Of Four's "Damaged Goods," the

    Read More »from The Hotrats: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Cool
  • Every year, there is one highly anticipated MC on the vergeof breaking onto the scene. For 2010, that artist is J. Cole, the first signee to Jay-Z's Roc Nation.

    The Fayetteville, North Carolina native has been working on his forthcoming debutslated for a Spring release. He was holed up in a mansion turned studio in LosAngeles, working with NO I.D., the producer responsible for Jay-Z's "D.O.A." andKanye's "Heartless."

    I stopped by the studio in December to interview him oncamera. See the two-part interview below.

    J. Cole ignited a buzz with his mixtape "The Warm Up" and,in particular, his song "Lights Please."

    "Lights Please" is actually the song that got Jay-Zinterested in signing the artist/producer born Jermaine Cole.

    On first listen "Lights Please" might sound like a typicaltrack about female conquests. But J. Cole gets a little deeper, explaining thatthis particular woman of his affection is actually focused on escapism. He raps about being the next king on "Simba."

    Like lyrical

    Read More »from J. Cole: First Artist Signed To Jay-Z’s Roc Nation
  • Snarky, jaded types may grumble that no real quality new music came out in 2009, or that this decade's musical output could never compare to that of the '90s, '80s, '70s, and beyond. But those cynics are wrong: 2009 was actually the fantastic finale to a sonically rich decade (although much of this year's retro music sounded like it was recorded in '79 or '89, not '09), thanks to many stunning newcomers joining the late-Noughties party.

    And so, to silence all doubters, here are the year's alphabetically assembled brightest breakouts...

    Chester French - Endorsed by Kanye West (don't hold that against them), Lady Gaga, Pharrell Williams, DJ Clinton Sparks, and basically anyone with good taste in quirky indie-pop, this duo of multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist Harvard grads released one of the year's most underrated debuts, the aptly titled, very fresh-sounding Love The Future. With its wry odes to Jimmy Choos and '70s groupies, and its clever, subtle hip-hop influences, the album was

    Read More »from The Most Awesome New Artists Of 2009

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