Review: Lindsey Buckingham Goes His Own Way, Again, With 'Seeds We Sow'
September, 06, 2011 2:53 pm | Comments On #album review, Chris Willman, Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham, music, reviewsFor someone who plays so well with others -- as attested to by tens of millions of records sold with Fleetwood Mac -- Lindsey Buckingham sure does create a hermetically sealed world when he makes his one-man-band solo albums.
“Seeds We Sow,” his latest, is another pipeline directly into his brilliant head, an echo chamber marked by equal parts obsessive neuroticism and dexterity. As always, it’s a fascinating place to visit, though if you dared to live there, you’d probably want to bring along a rhythm section, if not a chick singer.
This is the paradox of Buckingham: When he's with the Mac, you wish Stevie Nicks would do fewer songs so we could get more of...
Read MoreReview: Latest Buddy Holly Tribute Could Use More Creative Spark
September, 06, 2011 2:37 pm | Comments On #album review, Brian Wilson, Buddy Holly, Chris Willman, Eric Idle, Imelda May, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Monty Python, music, pat monahan, Peter Asher, reviews, Ringo Starr, Stevie Nicks, Train, Zooey DeschanelBuddy Holly never lived to see his 23rd birthday, but that isn’t stopping anyone from celebrating his 75th this week, with the rather belated installation of a star on Hollywood Boulevard and the release of yet another all-star tribute. Maybe now he’ll finally be recognized by the youth of America for something other than stealing Elvis Costello’s look, right?
“Listen to Me: Buddy Holly” is the second Holly tribute to come out in two and a half months, so you’ll be forgiven if you need someone to sort out the confusion -- especially since each one features a Beatle. The first was “Rave On Buddy Holly,” released in late June and leaning toward indie-rock types like the Black Keys, Florence + the Machine, and Modest Mouse, though Paul McCartney put in a screaming appearance.
...
Read MoreReview: George Strait's 'Good Time' Could Use More Heartbreak
September, 06, 2011 2:27 pm | Comments On #Alan Jackson, album review, Chris Willman, country music, george strait, music, reviewsGeorge Strait named his 39th studio album “Here for a Good Time,” after the hit single that preceded it. But, oddly enough for a collection with that title, it’s the bad times that work best.
For much of the new album’s length, Strait alternates uppers and downers. While you can hardly blame him for wanting to make good on the that title, there’s hardly shortage of other artists in country delivering what Music Row encouragingly refers to as “up-tempos.” Heartbreak is harder to come by, and that’s where Strait is at his most necessary nowadays.
After the album kicks off with...
Read MoreReview: Hugh Laurie Delivers Enjoyable -- If Limited -- Debut Album
September, 06, 2011 1:19 pm | Comments On #album review, Chris Willman, Dr. John, House, Hugh Laurie, Irma Thomas, Jeff Bridges, Joe Henry, music, New Orleans, review, reviews, Tim RobbinsIf Dr. Gregory House, M.D. got put to work figuring out what doesn’t quite gel about actor Hugh Laurie’s debut album, "Let Them Talk," he’d run through a checklist trying to get at the core malady.
Could it be the musical genre, or choice of backup? No -- the album’s jazzy New Orleans blues could hardly be more delectable in the hands of the great players assembled by producer Joe Henry. Could it be the guest stars? Hardly, when Dr. John, Irma Thomas, and Allen Toussaint all make prominent contributions.
How about Laurie, himself? Bingo, Dr. House. The British actor pretty much sticks to one method of...
Read MoreCharts: Streisand, The Game Are Both Off Their Sales Game
August, 31, 2011 9:11 am | Comments On #adele, barbra streisand, Billboard, Chris Willman, game, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Maroon 5, miranda lambert, music, Pistol Annies, soundScan, The GameWhen it came to first-week sales for his new album, the rapper Game was not on his game. But Barbra Streisand wasn’t on hers, either, so Game’s “The R.E.D. Album” still had a first-place finish.
The Interscope rapper’s latest entered at No. 1 with 98,000 sales -- a big comedown from the 239,000 his previous release came out of the box with three years ago, let alone the 538,000 his freshman album debuted with in 2005.
Game earned a lot of pre-release publicity for a stunt in which his Twitter account encouraged fans to tie up Compton’s police lines. But with such dramatically diminishing...
Read MoreReview: Lil Wayne Still Crazy After All These Jail Sentences on 'Tha Carter IV'
August, 30, 2011 12:34 pm | Comments On #Beyonce, Chris Willman, hip-hop, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, music, reviews, Rick RossLil Wayne’s new album arrives preceded by controversy over a track that seems to make a barely veiled threat against rival Jay-Z. If Hova pays any mind to the schoolboy taunt at all, he can rest assured that if there’s anyone Weezy feels more contempt for than him, it’s ... every woman in the world.
No, Lil Wayne hasn’t gotten any less small-minded with “Tha Carter IV,” the long-delayed album that’s certain to be the year’s top hip-hop release. Prognosticators expect it to sell upwards of 700,000 or even 800,000 its first week (which, if you’re keeping track of the...
Read MoreReview: Red Hot Chili Peppers Leave Hot New Guitarist Stewing in 'I'm With You'
August, 30, 2011 8:55 am | Comments On #Anthony Kiedis, Chris Willman, Flea, John Frusciante, music, Red Hot Chili Peppers, reviewsThe big worry for Red Hot Chili Peppers fans leading into “I’m With You,” their 10th album, was whether new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer could possibly measure up to the legacy of departed axeman John Frusciante, who’d been with the Chili Peppers for most of their career and all their most popular recordings.
Actually, Klinghoffer has no problem fitting in, despite, at 31, being about 17 or 18 years the junior of the other three members. If anything, the problem is that the young addition isn’t featured nearly enough, since his all too infrequent, all too fleeting solos are the reddest and hottest thing about the under-...
Read MoreReview: Glen Campbell's 'Ghost' a Moving -- But Not Entirely Satisfying -- Farewell
August, 29, 2011 7:01 pm | Comments On #Chris Willman, country music, glen campbell, Jakob Dylan, Jimmy Webb, music, Paul Westerberg, pop music, reviews, Robert PollardWhen Glen Campbell made a comeback bid in 2008, there was one aspect of his concert appearances that invited audiences' ridicule or alarm -- not his delivery, which was still pitch-perfect, but the fact that his eyes were glued to his Teleprompter for even his most familiar hits. Could he really be afraid he’d forget the words to the chorus of “Galveston”?
Yes, as we now know from his recently revealed Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Although he’s still good to go with the aid of those monitors, Campbell has announced his farewell tour, preceded by this week's release of a goodbye album, “Ghost on the Canvas,...
Read MoreReview: Jake Owen's 'Blue Jean Night' Revels in Ordinary -- and Not in a Good Way
August, 29, 2011 11:48 am | Comments On #Chris Willman, country music, Jake Owen, music, music review, reviewsIf you were to scientifically engineer a modern male country star, you might come up with Jake Owen. He’s got the stubble-laden dimples, the easy grin, the longish, slightly tousled hair, the pleasant, Southern-accented baritone, and the obligatory one-syllable first name and two-syllable last name.
Most importantly, he’s got the smarts to know the country radio pipeline requires a lot of breezy, feel-good summer anthems from its hunks. Owen delivered one of those in a big way with “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” a single that’s sold 801,000 downloads prior to...
Read MoreCharts: Jay-Z & Kanye Unbowed; Lil Wayne Can and 'Will' Sell Singles
August, 24, 2011 11:21 am | Comments On #adele, Billboard, Blue October, Breaking Benjamin, Chris Willman, Eli Young Band, Jay-Z, Jeff Bridges, Kanye West, Lady Antebellum, Lil Wayne, Maroon 5, music, soundScanIn a week that saw other worldwide rulers being run out of their palaces, it was pretty clear that Jay-Z and Kanye West would be keeping their jointly held throne. And, sure enough, the rappers’ collaborative album dominated the Billboard/SoundScan album chart for a second week, even with a 59 percent decline in sales.
“Watch the Throne” sold 177,000 units in its second week, after moving 436,000 the week before. The album probably would have sold even more the first week – and fewer the second week – if not for an odd release pattern that had the long-awaited set available only at iTunes for the first four...
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Description
Chris Willman has been a frequent contributor to TV Guide, New York magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, Spin, Billboard, Parade and other publications. In a long run at Entertainment Weekly, he penned more than 20 cover stories as a senior writer before becoming the magazine’s chief music critic. His recent essay about Bob Dylan for New York magazine was selected for the latest edition of De Capo's’ "Best Music Writing" book series. Advertising Age’s media columnist included Willman in a short list of “the entertainment world’s sharpest critics.”
His book "Rednecks & Bluenecks: The Politics of Country Music" was praised by Stephen King, who said, “You won’t read a better book about American music this year — or, probably, a better one about American political thought.”
During his time at EW, meanwhile, he received the ultimate celebrity accolade from Kanye West, who famously blogged (in response to a B+ review), “Kill yourself, Chris Willman!” Failing to heed that advice, Willman has survived to live, live-blog, and grade another day.
