On Songs & Albums Will U2's "Songs of Ascent" Blast Off in June? Members of U2 are talking again. That usually means very little. Their release-date predictions rarely come true. But still, this report is more encouraging than the last report I heard, in which it sounded uncertain whether this project was moving forward at all. What's most exciting to me
On Songs & Albums Overstreet's Favorite Recordings: 2009 Here's a video that runs through my favorite albums of 2009. Before I made that video, I sketched out a rough list in order to encourage people to pick up good albums as Christmas gifts. The order was different then, but here's a glimpse of that
On Songs & Albums How Do YOU Want Your Music? So, fast forward five years. How do you want to enjoy your favorite band? Do you want to go to the store on release day, buy a Coldplay album on vinyl, and find a code inside so you can download a digital copy? Do you want to leave albums behind,
On Songs & Albums Bob Dylan Goes Caroling At this point in his career, what's left for Bob Dylan? A Christmas album!
On Songs & Albums Whistling "Poughkeepsie" in New Mexico Anne and I are savoring the artistic community, the beautiful country, the spicy food, and the literary inspiration here at The Glen Workshop in Santa Fe. And our cats are having a great deal of fun with our generous house-sitter. We wish you were here. The Glen Workshop is a
On Songs & Albums Gratitude for Joe Henry's "Blood from Stars" Please put on your seatbelts and helmets: I'm reduced to blathering in the very superlatives that have been beaten senseless and slapped upon lesser albums, and I'm gonna throw them around. (Then, no doubt, I'll come crawling back to revise this, feeling rather embarrassed
On Songs & Albums A Message from Aaron Strumpel About His Amazing Album Here are a few words from Aaron Strumpel, the guy responsible for Elephants, my favorite record of '09 so far... hey, i just wanted to share a couple of things. if you have the elephants and love it, you can jump up and down and say, 'i knew
On Songs & Albums I've Caught Aaron Strumpel Fever The only 5-star album I've heard thus far this year. If Nine Inch Nails sang the Psalms and invited avant garde jazzbos The Art Ensemble of Chicago to the studio, it might sound like this.- Paste music critic Andy Whitman In the last several years, I'
On Songs & Albums Is U2 stealing the title of their next album from another singer? In short, it appears so. Bono has declared that U2's next album is called Songs of Ascent. With that in mind, it's worth taking note of this: http://bit.ly/1735Tl "Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief," Bono once sang.
On Songs & Albums The next Joe Henry album Thanks to Andy Whitman for passing along this press release for the new album from Joe Henry: Renaissance Man Eschews Decorum to Reveal More Vital, Raw and Dark 11th Album Joe Henry's new record Blood From Stars begins with a poignant and haunting piano prelude before launching into
On Songs & Albums Jesus is Mine I have a recording of my friend Nathan Partain singing a hymn called "Jesus is Mine." I'm grateful to have his permission to share it with you. If you're interested in the history of the hymn, you can read about the history of the
On Songs & Albums U2 Medium, Rare + Lillywhite! UPDATE: Here's Steve Lillywhite talking about No Line on the Horizon at NPR. If you're a U2 fan, you're in for a treat. Fan club members will receive a two-disc set of rarities called U2:Medium, Rare and Remastered. Here's the track
On Songs & Albums A Concert Stage With No Backdrop U2's upcoming tour is going to be something concertgoers haven't seen before. Check it out here. Be sure to use the different "cameras" listed in the corner.
On Songs & Albums U2's Best Performance in 2009 So Far... Okay, now that you've seen the best, here's a bonus. And now, check out Cathleen Falsani's wonderful meditation on the album. Okay, one more.
On Songs & Albums The U2 Late Show Continues... "Every generation gets a chance to change the world Pity the nation that won't listen to your boys and girls Cos the sweetest melody is the one we haven't heard Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear? The right to appear ridiculous
On Songs & Albums U2's next album is "Songs of Ascent", coming soon. I'm actually more excited about hearing this album, due to Bono's description (which, as most U2 fans know, usually isn't, um, precise): The new disc will be called "Songs of Ascent," and it will be more mellow than the current album, "
On Songs & Albums Breathe, U2 Fans. It's Here. And just for old time's sake... my favorite five minutes of U2's history, right here:
On Songs & Albums Andy Whitman on "No Line On the Horizon" Here's Whitman's take on U2's No Line on the Horizon.
Looking Elsewhere Andy Whitman on U2's "Really Good Non-Reinvention" Josh Hurst hosts a U2 love-in. Meanwhile, at artsandfaith.com, Andy Whitman of Paste, who is working on his review of the new album, lets this slip: Don't believe the hype. This is not U2's best album, but it is a really good non-reinvention. I think
On Songs & Albums Buddy Miller Update From Buddy Miller's MySpace page: Statement Regarding Buddy's HealthFollowing his show in Baltimore last Thursday evening, Buddy Miller was not feeling well. After consulting doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital, tests revealed some heart blockage. It was determined that surgery was needed right away. He is now
On Songs & Albums Your First Impressions of U2's New Album While I'm waiting until March 3 so I can have my little U2 album-unwrapping ritual, I'd love to hear from you. Now that there's a way to hear the album early legally and with the band's blessing, what do you think of
On Songs & Albums Behind the Scenes with Bono: Rock, Politics, Poverty... and His Christian Faith Believe it or not, I still hear Christians who declare that Bono isn't a believer. In spite of his testimonies in public, in print, in music, and in deed. And here he is again, in a monster of an article about the band and its singer, talking about
On Songs & Albums New Zoo Reviews: U2's "No Line on the Horizon" Even the haters would have to admit: This is a pretty cool story. Yeah, the hype for U2's upcoming album has come to a boil. But is this just "hype"? Check out these reviews... The Guardian: No Line on the Horizon It starts out blustery and
On Songs & Albums Help Andy Whitman, the world's best music reviewer/columnist! If you can find anybody who writes about music with more eloquence, passion, and historical knowledge than Andy Whitman, please let me know. He's my favorite. Nobody can send me running to spend money on music I haven't heard before like Andy can. Alas, Andy had
On Songs & Albums Bruce Springsteen writes back to Walker Percy Did you know that Bruce Springsteen and Walker Percy almost corresponded?
