Lou Reed reconsidered: Did self-sabotage obscure some of his best music?
Upon release of one of the most notorious of his '70s albums, "Metal Machine Music," Lou Reed owned up to the notion that he was self-sabotaging his career – again....
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Review: Chance the Rapper puts love songs in overdrive at United Center (with a Kanye West cameo)
For Chance the Rapper, it had all the makings of a cuddly evening at home with family and tens of thousands of friends Saturday at the United Center. There were...
Sturgill Simpson review: ‘Sound & Fury’ aims to blow up speakers and country music boundaries
Over his first three albums, Kentucky maverick Sturgill Simpson stretched the definition of country music in much the same way the '70s outlaws and '80s neotraditionalists once did. On "Sound...
2019 is 100% the year of Lizzo
Lizzo is having a year that has moved so readily from peak to peak that sometimes it feels scripted. She appears destined to win a bunch of artist-of-the-year accolades in...
William S. Burroughs: the beat author who became a rock star
William S. Burroughs was not a musician and spent his life largely indifferent to contemporary music. But he was a rock star. The author — one of the founding fathers...
Review: Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes turns solo debut into a personal manifesto
Brittany Howard's ascent as the powerhouse singer-guitarist and driving force in the band Alabama Shakes appeared to be a dream-come-true scenario. She struggled for years to forge her identity in...
Wilco sets dates for 4 Chicago Theatre shows in December
After taking a couple years off from performing, Wilco is back at it in a big way this year. Their return to the stage will include a four-night homecoming residency...
Ric Ocasek in the recording studio: Perfect start followed by 40 years of cutting-edge pop-rock
Ric Ocasek, who died Sunday at 75, bridged the gap between pop and punk on a perfect album, the self-titled 1978 album by his band the Cars. (Ocasek died from...
Review: Chicago quintet Twin Peaks explores intimate country-soul on ‘Lookout Low’
Twin Peaks' six-year progression from teenage garage-rockers to "Lookout Low" (Grand Jury) testifies to the Chicago quintet's old-school approach. Rather than going for a big viral splash and then struggling...
Review: Iggy Pop takes another detour on ‘Free’
On Iggy Pop's 18th studio album, "Free" (Loma Vista Recordings), the 72-year-old singer sounds as restless and out of step as ever with everything but his own inscrutable muse. For...