Luther Vandross

Twenty Feet from Stardom, Like All Powerful Movies, Sparks Contemplation of Our Own Lives

I'm Singing With A Surrealist Rocker At Joe's Pub

This Saturday night, I'm appearing with Kenyon Phillips, the love child of Luther Vandross and Steve Tyler, who fuses "glam rock, surrealist theater, and cabaret into a heady froth with a little help from his all-girl backing band, the Ladies in Waiting."

The Five Worst Cover Songs Of All Time

Taking a classic song that's perfectly fine as is and exhuming it for financial gain is awful enough, but when the result comes out sounding excremental, you want to cover the new artist with a blanket and make them stop. Here are my 10 least favorite cover tunes: (1) Britney Spears, "(I Can't Ge ... More >>

The Five Best Christmas Songs You've Never Heard

If there's two things you'll find no shortage of every holiday season, it's Christmas music and complaints about Christmas music. Whether overheard on the radio while the family cooks Christmas dinner in the kitchen, or providing the soundtrack to some frantic last-minute mall madness, the seasonal ... More >>

Hip-Hop's Top Ten Aretha Franklin Samples

​Rap royalty loves the Queen of Soul. Or, at least, some very prestigious hip-hop types have found the intimate grooves of Aretha Franklin's discography to be fine and fertile fodder for their sampling kicks. So with Franklin preparing to warble her way through a couple of back-to-back shows a ... More >>

Radio Hits One: Foster The People, Cage The Elephant Lead The Charge Of New "The" Bands

Back around 2001, a Transatlantic cabal of music critics led a media hype machine declaring that rock was "back." To further this thesis, it grouped together a disparate set of bands offering variations on the stripped-down "garage rock" template who were often cheekily referred to as the "The" Band ... More >>

Six Songs For A Desert Isle

Here's audio I could listen to through eternity ... or at least until a hawk swoops down and pecks my eardrums out. (6) "Losing My Religion by R.E.M. Don't tell me what it means! Don't even tell me they broke up! Just tell me I can have this on constant rotation! Its propulsive guitars and angst ... More >>

The Best Cover Versions in Musical History

​I'm not interested in the paint-by-numbers ones designed to make a quick buck. Here are the six cover tunes that I feel brought the most originality and fresh energy to standard tunes, making it more than worth the effort to do the remaking. (6) "It's My Life" by No Doubt. (2003.) Gwen Ste ... More >>

"American Idol" Drags Itself Into The 21st Century

Michael Becker/FOX​Last night's episode of American Idol started as this gramatically ridiculous question flashed on the screen: "Do you remember when they were just a face in the crowd?" No, I don't. I don't remember when they were all just one face. That would've been some weird David Cronen ... More >>

American Idol, Season 10, Live Show #1: Up With Judas Priest, Down With Edwin McCain

This shirt is a major problem. Credit: Frank Micelotta/FOX.​Before we say anything else about the first live American Idol show this season, we're going to need to talk about Steven Tyler's shirt. Steven Tyler came out wearing this impossible-to-figure silky blouse-y thing with pictures of gig ... More >>

Rock-Critic Pop Quiz #2: How Many Members Of New Edition Can You Name?

Left to right: Raphael Saddiq, Luther Vandross, Usher, Gerardo, Masta Killa, and Jimmy Rollins​It's a poorly kept industry secret that rock writers are cheaters, frauds, and goons -- as dependent on Google as a clown is on facepaint. Our ongoing column "Are You Smarter Than a Rock Critic?" pee ... More >>

R&B Serenity Now: R. Kelly, Ne-Yo, and Others Keep the Quiet-Storm Flame Alive

I Don't Go Clubbing, I Go Dancing: The Weekend In Nightlife, Starring Shackleton, Frankie Knuckles, And Other People You May Know

​Tonight, creepy dubstep producer Shackleton headlines Dub War at Love -- the genre gets even darker thanks to his unexpected silences and evil whisperings in between all that bass wobble. WARP's Eskmo and Eprom are also scheduled to play, along with Dubwar residents Joe Nice and Dave Q, among ... More >>

Interview: Jazz Bassist Marcus Miller, the "M" of S.M.V.

Please Excuse This Brief Moment of Sincerity

American Idol Week Six: The Archuleta Problem

Soul Summit

Here is the bland soul-karaoke record you did not request

Hugs and Kisses 23: Vampire Weekend Bassist Chris Baio on His Favorite Records

The Quarterly Report: Best New Albums

Project Pat and Z-Ro: The Unsung Heroes of Southern Rap

The Wedding That Wasn't

NY Mirror

The Exquisite Thug

In the ghetto, vulnerability is the boldest possible emotion.

Are You In Love?

Rock stars, dating experts, and cartoon characters talk about Valentine's Day

Richard Pryor, 1940–2005

Used to be a genius, I ain't lying, booked the numbers didn't need paper or pencil.

Letters

Power of Love

Memorial service for Luther Vandross brings out the star wattage and Holy Ghost power

Letters

D-list Star Says Britney's Trash!

So Amazing

Why Luther Vandross's Legacy Matters

Mostly Harmless

Smooth Jazz leaves no room on the racks or on the airways, except for Dead Legends

They Have Chandeliers

Rules on the Wall: Make Needs Known Even if You Want to Lie About Them

Retooled by Reggae

So when are they gonna get Augustus Pablo and his melodica to cover an old Hooters hit?

NY Mirror

A Wise Man's Brill Building

Move over Dionne, Luther, Elvis too—Mr. Biggs wants a piece of Burt Bacharach now

With God on Our Side

Today's Pop-Gospel Albums Affirm the Persistence of Faith Through Adversity

Family Men

They Are the World

Easy-Chair Rap

Turkey Shoot 2001

Serenading the Boys

Music

NY Mirror

Soul's Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)

Getting Jiggy With It

Consumer Guide

Six of these 12 picks recast known compositions, and only two of the six are in the rock tradition. But I did find one medium-obscure alt band worth writing about. One.

Dancing Up the Charts

Give It Up!

Queen of Pop