Chris Willman

Review: Shelby Lynne Addresses Family Demons in Surprising 'Revelation Road'

October 18, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

On her 12th album, the acclaimed ex-country singer finally writes about the famous tragedy in her family background ... and, as always, lifts melancholia to exhilarating new levels

  

Review: Chris Isaak Reaches for the Memphis Sun on Elvis-Emulating Tribute Album

October 17, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

It's a wonder a Sun Records worshipper like Isaak didn't get around to covering Presley, Lewis, Orbison and Cash a couple of decades ago Better timelessly late than never

  

Review: Martina McBride Makes a Nicely Restrained Fresh Start With 'Eleven'

October 11, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

The diva's first album for a new label flirts with contemporary pop and Nashville-style R&B before settling into being a honest-to-gosh country album

  

Review: Joe Jonas Can't Quite Get Into the Club With Disco-fied Solo Debut

October 10, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

Shorn of both locks and rock, the swarthiest JoBro leaves his siblings and their power-pop behind for an underwhelming set of club bangers

  

Review: Evanescence Runs Gloom Into the Ground on 'Evanescence'

October 10, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

That more adventurous project Amy Lee kept promising over the last five years? It got put in the vault!

  

Charts: Freshman Rapper J. Cole Routs Blink-182's Comeback

October 5, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

Jay-Z's protégé bowed with an impressive 218,000, well ahead of debuting rockers Blink-182 and Wilco

  

Review: Feist Counts Down to Heartache in Gorgeous 'Metals'

October 4, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

The Canuck who broke through with an iTunes spot doesn't have anything half as peppy as '1234' this time around. But that's no detriment to the year's most haunting album

  

Review: Bob Dylan, Jack White, Sheryl Crow Hook Up With Hank Williams' Ghost

October 3, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

The Dylan-shepherded "Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams" lets a well-chosen cast of contemporary rockers and country stars rifle through the legend's unused lyric scraps. It's great -- but hope you like steel guitar and suicidal waltzes

  

Review: 'Idol' Scotty McCreery Aims for the Mushy Middle

October 3, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

But once he lays off the treacly ballads, the deep-voiced Season 10 winner sounds more like a more wholesome Dierks Bentley doppelganger than a Josh Turner mini-me. But that still doesn't solve this country kid's distinctiveness problem

  

Charts: Tony Bennett Becomes First Eightysomething to Top Billboard Chart

September 28, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

The octogenarian's "Duets II" album sold 179,000. On the other end of the age spectrum, teens Demi Lovato, Mindless Behavior, and Cody Simpson all made strong album-chart impressions

  

Review: Wilco's 'Whole Love' Has Beatles' 'White Album' Unpredictability

September 27, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

The critically beloved band splits the difference between its experimental and acoustic leanings

  

Review: Blink-182 Grows Up a Little Too Much on 'Neighborhoods'

September 26, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

Having jettisoned the jokiness for good, the band has a harder time making adult angst memorable on its first album since 2003

  

Review: Seth MacFarlane's Big Band Album Is No Joke

September 26, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

Playing it straight on an earnest album of lesser-known Sinatra-era material, the "Family Guy" creator avoids meriting his own roast

  

Lady Antebellum Owns 'Night' -- and Billboard Chart

September 21, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

Easily aced failed comebacks by a whacked Bush and petered-out Primus

  

Review: 'SuperHeavy' Moves Like Jagger, With Good Reason

September 20, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

Mick Jagger and Joss Stone have natural duet chemistry in a supergroup project that's good fun, if you don't take it super-seriously

  

Review: Demi Lovato Struggles With a Split Musical Personality in 'Unbroken'

September 20, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

Eschewing her former rock leanings, the most talented starlet to come out of the Disney Channel stable now finds herself torn between silly rhythmic-pop fluff and honest, searing balladry

  

Review: Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse Trump Tony Bennett's 'Duets' Partners

September 19, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

Gaga is the octogenarian's ideal trampy drinking buddy, and Winehouse his perfect foil in sorrow, even as the chemistry with other celebrity partners falters

  

Review: Sensitive Gavin DeGraw Gets a Little Rascally in 'Sweeter'

September 19, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

On his occasionally feisty new album, the recently battered piano man proves he can dish it out as well as take it, at least romantically

  

Charts: George Strait Takes Narrow Path to Billboard's Top Debut, Edging Out Beatles

September 14, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

On the digital songs chart, Kelly Clarkson managed a so-so debut for "Mr. Know It All"

  

Review: Marsalis Gets Upper Hand on Slowhand in 'Lincoln Center'

September 13, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

Eric Clapton defers to the celebrated jazzman in their collaboration

  

Blues Velvet: David Lynch Shows Off His New Album

September 13, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

The auteur sounds a little like a schizophrenic Neil Young -- and just as dreamy and disturbing as you'd expect -- on his debut solo album

  

Review: Staind Is Pained to Defend Itself on Metallic Comeback

September 13, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

After a head-scratching detour into a solo country career, growling frontman Aaron Lewis is all too eager to remind us he's a tough guy

  

Review: Kristin Chenoweth Is Too Much of a Good Witch on Her Country Debut

September 13, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

When she's camping it up, the Broadway diva is a natural in her theater-to-twang transition, but a plethora of soppy message songs undercut the fun

  

Review: Lady Antebellum Gets Too Lady-Like on Ballad-Thick 3rd Album

September 12, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

The country-pop trio try to repeat the romantic formula that produced "Need You Now," with less miraculous results

  

Charts: Lil Wayne Falls Just a Lil' Shy of a Million; MTV Awards Boost Adele's Ballad to No. 1

September 7, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

"The Carter IV" is almost on par with Lil Wayne's past sales glory, with 964,000 sold, while Adele's bravura awards-show turn actually pushed an old-school ballad into the top spot on the digital songs chart

  

Review: Lindsey Buckingham Goes His Own Way, Again, With 'Seeds We Sow'

September 6, 2011 By Chris Willman 1 year ago

One of rock's great mad geniuses uses his dexterous hands to beckon us back inside his troubled head. Just don't look for its claustrophobia to satisfy any pop-craving Mac attack

  
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