| Poignant recordings from Cash; navel-gazing from India.arie
The Man in Black returns from beyond the grave with the startling American V: A Hundred Highways, the latest in his series of collaborations with legendary producer Rick Rubin that was culled from the last batch of songs he recorded before his death in 2003 at the age of 71. Cash's remarkable American Recordings series, which began in 1994, has presented the grizzled country vet in an almost frighteningly intimate light, with his weathered voice taking center stage in Rubin's sparse production, which has rarely included more than acoustic guitar. The series found Cash exploring and reinterpreting the works of a wide range of artists, from Tom Waits to Nine Inch Nails. On American V, Cash covers artists from Bruce Springsteen ("Further On (Up the Road)") to Don Gibson ("A Legend in My Time"), and his ailing vocals lend these tracks an added, unnerving poignancy.
Critics' Choice Awards
There's a reason why Calexico's star keeps rising--locally, nationally and internationally. They're a versatile, multinational outfit that can seem to do no wrong, and they've done as much to shine a light on Tucson's music scene as anyone. Whether he's releasing solo albums or with Giant Sand, performing with his Danish cohorts or by himself, switching deftly between guitar and piano, Gelb and Sand have been doing that ramshackle, unpredictable thing they do for more than two decades, and they show no signs of slowing down. Featuring a pair of sisters on bass and vocals/guitar, and a male drummer whose crash cymbal is way too high in the air, The Beta Sweat update Jimmy Page's riffs and adapts them to the punk ethos. Add tension, dynamics and a soulful singer who can whisper or scream, and make you believe both equally.
Music reviews: Dashboard Confessional, The Brand New Heavies, Milsap and others
(AP) - The latest album from Chris Carrabba's super-successful emo-rock outfit Dashboard Confessional continues the artist's emotional excursions into the world of young love - with all its heightened yearnings and frequent sorrows. And if there are hints of U2-style production textures, as in the standout second track Reason to Believe, well, U2 collaborator Daniel Lanois had a hand in the production, though Linkin Park producer Don Gilmore, who produced Dashboards 2004 Spider-Man 2 soundtrack hit Vindicated, is responsible for most of it. .
Los Lonely Boys are back in town with a new album
SAN ANGELO - Los Lonely Boys saw no reason to stray from the sound that made its self-titled debut a breakaway hit two years ago. Guitarist Henry Garza said just having the opportunity to record new CD Sacred (due July 18) was "a step forward." .
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