Kanye West: Genius, or dude who’s gone too far this time?
If you believe the 2010 book "The Advanced Genius Theory: Are They Out of Their Minds or Ahead of Their Time?" by Jason Hartley, Kanye West fulfills at least one...
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Janelle Monae comes back down to earth on ‘Dirty Computer’
Janelle Monae set herself apart when she launched her career a little more than a decade ago. She presented herself as a funk android, an androgynous, sci-fi-loving Afro-futurist in the...
Big K.R.I.T. rediscovers what made him love music in the first place
On "Drinking Sessions," a track from his latest album, Big K.R.I.T. gets a few things off his chest. In addressing his struggles with drugs and depression, the exploitation of artists...
‘Wolfman’ Washington does his best work after hours on ‘My Future Is My Past’
If you hang out after hours at a blues or jazz club, chances are you'll find the musicians in no hurry to go home. Drinks, smokes, a few low-key laughs,...
John Prine proves he’s more entertaining than a dog bite
John Prine's the kind of guy who never seems to run out of ideas that glimmer with humor, poignancy, absurdity. No wonder he once viewed songwriting not so much as...
A Pulitzer smartly recognizes the ‘virtuosic’ power of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘DAMN.’
The Pulitzer Prize committee gets it. The Grammy Awards don't. Kendrick Lamar's 2017 album, "DAMN.," was snubbed by the Recording Academy for the album of the year Grammy a few...
John Prine gets surreal once more about love and death on ‘The Tree of Forgiveness’
John Prine is in no hurry to record albums anymore. In contrast to the '70s, when great songs poured out of him, the singer has pulled back in the last...
Margo Price turns country inside out at Thalia Hall
With her fringe sleeves and robust twang, Margo Price looks and often sounds like an artist steeped in country tradition. She opened her encore with the honky-tonk of "Hurtin' (on...
Phoebe Bridgers may write sensitive songs, but she doesn’t take any guff
Phoebe Bridgers sings like she's been through the wringer on her acclaimed 2017 debut album, "Stranger in the Alps" (Dead Oceans). The songs brim with subtle orchestrations, intoxicating hooks (starting...
Yvonne Staples, key member of Staple Singers, dies at 80
Yvonne Staples, who died Tuesday at 80, was the reluctant singer in the Staple Singers. She preferred to play a background role, and sang only when called upon by her...