Chris Willman
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Review: Jake Owen’s ‘Blue Jean Night’ Revels in Ordinary — and Not in a Good Way
The country hunk can’t rise above the idealized clichés of backroads romance on his determinedly upbeat third album
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Charts: Jay-Z & Kanye Unbowed; Lil Wayne Can and ‘Will’ Sell Singles
Modestly debuting releases from the Eli Young Band and Jeff Bridges posed no threat to week 2 of the Kanye/Jay-Z dynasty … or to Adele, whose album passed the 3 million mark
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Review: Pavement Hasn’t Run Out for Stephen Malkmus on Nostalgia-Defying ‘Mirror’
With fellow ’90s indie-rock icon Beck producing, Malkmus has an album captivating enough to make you forget about his old band … again
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Review: Miranda Lambert’s Side Project, Pistol Annies, Pull Trigger on 2011’s Best Country Album
Sly country comedy competes with stark economic realism in the rude, charming debut from Lambert’s off-hours female trio
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Review: Barbra Streisand’s Gracefully Aging Voice Is ‘What Matters Most’
The songs of Alan and Marilyn Bergman alternate schmaltz and profundity, but Barbra’s unerring phrasing makes every line sound like buttery holy writ
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Review: O Brother, There Are Lots of Alternate Takes in the Revised Soundtrack
The real reason to say “oh, boy” is remembering original performances by Allison Krauss, Emmylou Harris and Ralph Stanley
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Music Charts: Jay-Z & Kanye Fall Short; Katy Perry Ties Jackson’s Singles Record
Meanwhile, “Glee 3D” entered the album chart at No. 16 with a shockingly modest 20,000 copies
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Review: After 29 Years, Sly Stone Is ‘Back’ — Well, in Name at Least
Eternally troubled soul star is a token, croaky presence on the re-recordings that dominate “I’m Back!”
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Review: The Motels’ Great Lost ‘Apocalypso’ Worth the 3-Decade Wait
The album offers a case study in what can go right and wrong when dark work is shelved for commerciality
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Review: Jeff Bridges’ Cowboy Zen Is Cooler Than Costner, Safer Than Tim Robbins
“Jeff Bridges,” the album — possibly much like Jeff Bridges, the person — is all about the cowboy Zen
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Adele Dislodges Santana as This Century’s Chart Champ
Singer’s “21” has now logged more time at No. 1 than any other album to come out since the turn of the millennium
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Review: ‘Voice’ Highlights Album a Cure for the Cover-Tune Blues
If you’re burned out on “Glee” and “American Idol” soundtracks, the less predictable choices on the first “Voice” album could cure your aversion to TV-bred cover songs
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Review: Country’s Hunk of the Week, Luke Bryan, Confined by ‘Tailgates’
Other than those super-white teeth, Bryan can’t quite set himself apart from the rest of the overcrowded young-country-male pack with his third album
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Review: Jay-Z & Kanye West Earn Their Egos With ‘Watch the Throne’
They’d be the first to tell you how great (even Grammy-deserving) their new collaboration is — and it’s a pretty reasonable claim
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Review: ‘Glee 3D’ Soundtrack Closes the Generation Gap Between Stars on 45 & Kidz Bop
If you’ve been waiting 35 years for a version of “Silly Love Songs” that isn’t quite so edgy, the “Glee 3D” soundtrack is for you