Forget all that nonsense about Dave Grohl listening to the Bee Gees and ABBA when writing Wasting Light. You can even forget Bob Mould’s killer cameo on “Dear Rosemary,” no matter how seamlessly the Hüsker Dü frontman’s patented growl slides into the Foo Fighters’ roar. What really matters is that nearly ten years after Songs …

Consciously backpedaling from the all-encompassing embrace of American Saturday Night, Brad Paisley narrows his definition of what constitutes modern country on his seventh collection of new songs, This Is Country Music. Gone are the casual multiculturalism, the allusions to the age of Obama, the subtle instrumental flourishes that suggested a world outside of country; whenever …

Lady Antebellum swept up the 2011 Grammys, winning five of their six nominated categories, cementing their status as cross-platform mainstream superstars. Certainly, Own the Night — the 2011 sequel to their 2010 breakthrough Need You Now — bears the sound of a band quite content with its position in the middle of the road. Any …

Part of the reason Jeff Bridges was so convincing in his Oscar-winning role as Bad Blake in 2009’s Crazy Heart is that he’s so comfortable in his own skin he lends a casual authority to whatever he does. He stood behind the microphone as if he belonged, a stance no doubt derived from his own …

Given its title, it†s easy to assume Here for a Good Time — George Strait†s 39th album in 30 years — would be a single-minded soundtrack to a never-ending party, but things are a little more complicated than that. Strait slips into a reflective mood almost immediately, settling into the wryly melancholy †Drinkin’ Man† on …

I’m With You is the tenth studio album from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, although it is their first without guitarist John Frusciante since 1995’s One Hot Minute. The band didn’t have to look far for a replacement, with touring guitarist and Frusciante’s best friend Josh Klinghoffer filling the vacancy. I’m With You follows a …

Hemingway’s Whiskey is slow, burnished and classy, a record designed for a quiet weekend afternoon at home. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi View on our catalog.

Since John Hiatt and the major labels decided to go their separate ways around the turn of the century, his approach to record making has been direct and organic; most of his albums have sounded as if Hiatt and his sidemen put them together without a lot of fuss, placing the emphasis squarely on Hiatt’s …

This ninth studio album from the soulful rocker is the follow-up to 2008′s It Is Time for a Love Revolution. His long-awaited “funk” album, which has been in the works for more than seven years, it sees him digging deep into the ’60s and ’70s to produce a work that is undeniably funky while also …

Beyoncé reportedly delivered over 70 songs to Columbia for her fourth solo studio album. The dozen that made the cut, combined with their sequencing, make it plain that straightforward crossover-dance singles and cohesion were not priorities. Taking it in at once is mystifying, even when little attention is paid to the lyrics. The opening “1+1,” …