Tammy Wynette

With "Merry Go 'Round," Kacey Musgraves Starts Writing the Future of Country

Whether or not you've heard Kacey Musgraves's voice, if you watch ABC's Nashville, you've probably heard one of her songs. Written with her friend Trent Dabbs and selected by the show's musical director, T-Bone Burnett, "Undermine" first appears in the second episode, when pop country star Juliett ... More >>

The Ten Best Country Albums of 2012

This list of the year's best country albums is assembled with two important premises in mind: First: If the people who record and listen to these records consider them country, than they're damn well country. Purists who argue that country should still sound like '68, '76, '84 or whenever are in the ... More >>

SMALL-TOWN GIRL

Kellie Pickler brings the country to long Island

Oddsmaking: Best Country Solo Performance, Where Ludacris's Stamp Of Approval Makes A Difference

As part of this year's larger reduction in genre-specific awards, 2012 will see the country portion of the Grammys streamlined to just four categories: Best Solo Performance (which swallows Male and Female Vocal Performance), Best Duo/Group Performance (which swallows Best Duo/Group Vocal Performanc ... More >>

Radio Hits One: The Elusive Superstar Duet (Or Three-Way)

​ In last week's breakdown of Lil Wayne's chart ubiquity, I noted that while Lady Gaga's Born This Way and its singles seemed to be everywhere, she hasn't staked out much additional Billboard territory with collaborations. Her only charting collab of late is "3-Way (The Golden Rule)," a little ... More >>

Live: Bonnie Prince Billy & the Cairo Gang Play Dress-Up at Town Hall

The day before, at Yo La Tengo's show at Maxwell's. Bonnie Prince Billy & the Cairo Gang Town Hall Wednesday, December 9 Better than: Any other band wearing both pajamas and black suits in the course of one night. "Are you deceiving me?" went the first line of the tonight's six-piece opening ban ... More >>

"A Writer At Pitchfork Critically Said I'd Collaborate For A Bag Of Doritos": David Byrne On Writing Songs With St. Vincent, Fatboy Slim, Brian Eno, And Others

You get one guess which Pitchfork writer. Fascinating post on DB's journal/blog on songwriting alchemy, how much everyone hates writing words, his own personal workspace ("Serial numbers and security codes for software are pinned to the wall, along with a Tammy Wynette poster"), and so forth. Evid ... More >>

Country Music, Faded Stardom, Liquor, and Age in Crazy Heart

NEWMAN'S OWN

Expansive rock from another time

iVoice: Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift Paint their Toenails!

'24' Star Won't Shave Her Privates!

Direct hits on Abu Ghraib, some close shaves, and frank talk about that Foster parent

Live: Southern Soul Great Candi Staton Makes Her Long-Overdue Return to NY

Country Superstar Brad Paisley Gives New York Another Try

Pulp Nonfiction: Home to Licentious Libations and Big Boobs

New Boots and Hot Pants

Two shots of happy, one of sad, and a saloon singer's star daughter updated to 10 years ago

A Manner of Speaking

Rust-belted Motor City meets mined-out Appalachia in the battleground state between

Found . . . and Gone

Choreographers Grapple With Loss and Dream Safe Worlds

Parents Just Do Understand

Music

Standing While Black in NYC

The Police Only Saw He Was Black

Love and Industry

A Little Lite Music

Saving Private Clinton

As the casualties mount, our Commander-in-Chief soldiers on

NY Mirror

Though the elves now rap, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular is the same as ever— like Psycho, but far more worth re-creating.

View Finders

The Season’s Best Photo Books

Still Standing

NY Mirror