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Featuring Blog Critics

· Music Review: David Arkenstone - Visions of Christmas

· Music Review: Bing Crosby - The Crosby Christmas Sessions

Visit our Blog Critics section to see more content from BlogCritics.org.

Blogs

Reader blog: After Dark
· New York City trio The Narrative benefits from a 'feminine presence'
· CONCERT REVIEW: Sold-out Wild Flag show makes a splash at High Dive

Reader blog: Raised on Rock
· New York City trio The Narrative benefits from a 'feminine presence'
· CONCERT REVIEW: Sold-out Wild Flag show makes a splash at High Dive

Reader blog: guErRillA candy
· Fistful of Mercy begins tour with an intimate, elegant show
· Mark Arm teams up with Teatro ZinZanni for a delightful performace full of FEAR

Reader blog: Blue Notes
· Blues & Bluster: Other Uses For Your Money
· Write, Fight, Swede

Reader blog: Lit Riffs
· Thank You For Being My Audience
· Solitude

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2010
Katy Perry supreme as 'Divas' salutes troops
Katy Perry loves a man in a uniform.

'Suge' Knight arrested on outstanding warrant
Authorities say rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight was arrested on an outstanding traffic warrant as he left a restaurant near Universal Studios outside Los Angeles.

Down on luck diva faces surgery, mounting bills
Jeneane Marie Cranert boasts of touring Europe with the Funk Brothers and Tito Jackson and warming up the stage over the years for such stars as Frank Sinatra, Liberace and Wayne Newton.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2010
Suge Knight appeals lawsuit being tossed
Rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight has appealed a judge's decision to toss out a lawsuit he filed against hip-hop star Kanye West over a 2005 shooting in Miami.

Morrison pardon papers paint picture of wild night
It's a strange sheaf of documents for Florida's governor to have. The thick notebook describes how Jim Morrison discussed sex with a lamb he held on stage, ordered fans to "love your neighbor 'til it hurts" and later, at trial, defended his boozy singing to a prosecutor.

German hackers allegedly steal pop music
Two young German computer hackers allegedly stole pop songs from Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Ke$ha and Kelly Clarkson, selling them online and forcing the advanced release of several singles, officials said Friday.

Oscar-winner Bingham helps homeless kids with show
All kinds of opportunities come with an Oscar win and Ryan Bingham has been pitched a lot of them - and turned most down.

Music Review: David Arkenstone - Visions of Christmas
Over the years David Arkenstone has been known as a pioneer in the area of New Age music, from his beginnings with Narada records, where he gained three Grammy nominations, to his work as both a solo artist and composer on the collaborative albums of the great musicians who were featured on the Windham ...

Bands You Must See Live: Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
I saw Grace Potter & the Nocturnals almost by accident this year. They opened for the Avett Brothers at the Charlottesville Pavilion back on October 17th, in support of their self-titled album, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals (released June 08, 2010). I should have known the brothers would attract ...

Music Review: The Brian Setzer Orchestra - Christmas Comes Alive
Brian Setzer’s career now stretches back to the late 1970s when he was a member of The Stray Cats. This modern rockabilly group was extremely popular in the early eighties, producing such hits as “Rock This Town” “(She’s) Sexy + 17,” and “Stray Cat Strut.&rd; ...

Music Review: Bing Crosby - The Crosby Christmas Sessions
Although stores may have Christmas things in stock right after Halloween, I don't truly begin my Christmas preparations until Thanksgiving week – which, let's face it, is still plenty early. I get ready for Christmas when I do mostly because I love the music associated with the holiday. ...

Music DVD Review: INXS - Mystify
Although it's no surprise to find this disc named after a track off the band's biggest-selling album Kick, Mystify actually finds INXS in support of Elegantly Wasted which had come out a couple of months earlier. Kick brought the band to their commercial peak in 1987 and is an outstanding album. They ...

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2010
Aretha Franklin calls her surgery a success
Aretha Franklin says her surgery was "highly successful" and thanks well-wishers for their prayers. In a statement released Thursday to The Associated Press, the Queen of Soul says: "God is still in control. I had superb doctors and nurses whom were blessed by all the prayers of the city and the country."

Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck: Check them out
Seattle is a capital of the Americana music scene. The region is home to groups like the Maldives, Grand Archives and the Moondoggies, as well as past acts like Radio Nationals and North Twin. Jet City is also a must-stop for alt-country bands on tour, with groups like Driveby Truckers and the late Slobberbone packing local clubs.

Bing Crosby's widow recovering after traffic crash
Bing Crosby's widow, Kathryn Crosby, is recovering after being flown to a hospital with major injuries following a deadly traffic crash last month in the Sierra Nevada.

Pioneering soprano Helen Boatwright dies at 94
Soprano soloist Helen Boatwright, who championed the performance of American song and recorded the first full-length album of songs by composer Charles Ives, has died.

Judge: Banton can perform while awaiting retrial
Jamaican reggae singer Buju Banton will perform a concert to raise money for his security and other expenses while he awaits retrial on federal drug charges in Florida.

Eminem tops Grammy nods with 10; Bruno Mars has 7
When Eminem was first nominated for album of the year some 10 years ago for "The Marshall Mathers LP," it marked a milestone for the Grammys as it chose to honor an album that was considered masterful in its artistry yet morally bankrupt in its values.

An Interview with Stan Ridgway
His songs are like character sketches of the human condition, and in a career spanning thirty years — first with Wall of Voodoo, the band most known for its 1982 hit, "Mexican Radio," then as a solo artist — Stan Ridgway has produced a string of adventurous works that have endeared him to ...

A Very Beatles Christmas
Beatles fans, rejoice: this Christmas promises to be a festive one for you. Due to the John Lennon 70th birthday celebration last October, Paul McCartney reissues, and a slew of new DVDs and books, many new Beatles-related presents should appear under the tree. The following is a gift guide ...

Music Review: The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Box Set
With The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Time box set, Sony Music have done a nice job of repackaging five of his classic early sixties albums. They have reproduced the original LP s exactly, albeit from a 12 x 12 inch source down to an impossibly small 5 x 5 inch form. While the notes are basically impossible ...

Music Review: Wilson Phillips - Christmas In Harmony
Wilson Phillips burst upon the music scene in 1990 with their self-titled debut album. Not only did it reach number two on the United States album charts, it also produced five top twelve singles, three of which reached number one.

Music Review: Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez – The New Bye & Bye
An unlikely pairing, the association between New Yorker Chip Taylor and Texan Carrie Rodriguez, the former a songwriting legend and rock ‘n’ roller, the latter a classically trained violinist who’d never sung lead before, has been fruitful enough to result in a greatest hits collection ...

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2010
Grammy nominations in top categories
Nominees announced Wednesday in top categories for the 53rd annual Grammy Awards

With new album, El DeBarge is full of joyous tears
Recording a new album for El DeBarge was an emotional experience.

Freed American releases song written in Iran jail
An American woman freed from an Iranian prison has released a song she hopes will build support for the release of her friends who remain jailed in that country.

Snoop Dogg pens bachelor party song for William
Snoop Dogg is not your usual royal wedding singer.

Michael Cera plays bass at the Moore Theatre
Actor Michael Cera (best known for playing the soft-spoken dork in, well, every movie he's ever acted in) took to the stage at Seattle's Moore Theatre Monday night with Sup Pop band Mister Heavenly.

CMT celebrates 5 acts changing country music
They gathered to honor CMT's five artists of the year, but the night was more like a celebration of music without borders.

Madonna's new Mexico City gym has no permits
Madonna may be touched by bureaucracy the very first time she opens a fitness club.

APNewsBreak: Jackson wrongful death case refiled
Michael Jackson's father refiled a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday against the doctor charged in his son's death and added as a defendant a Las Vegas pharmacy that records show sold the physician a powerful anesthetic blamed for his death.

'Glee' star to be honored by Billboard
Even though Lea Michele stars on a television show, her "Glee" role has had such an impact on music this year that Billboard is honoring her with a "triple threat" award.

Music Review: Various Artists - Baby How Can It Be? Songs Of Love, Lust & Contempt From The 1920s & 1930s
After more than five years of reviewing what feels like thousands of different music CDs a great many of the titles I've covered have vanished into the haze of my memory. It's one of the reasons I don't review nearly as many titles as I once did, there's only so many different ways I have of saying ...

Join Katharine McPhee in her virtual Christmas Carol video
American Idol alum Katharine McPhee wowed everyone with her beautiful voice on Idol. Now, Kat has dropped her holiday album, Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You and she wants to continue spreading holiday cheer.

Music Review: Fleetwood Mac - The Dance
My wife actually listens to The Dance on a regular basis, which is the highest accolade an album can receive, at least in my universe. Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham returned to Fleetwood Mac after a several year absence, reuniting in 1997 with Christine McVie, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood to ...

Leopold and His Fiction Offer Free Download
Very occasionally, I will hear a new song that absolutely blows me away. As the opening chords of Leopold and His Fiction’s “Golden Friends” played, I thought to myself, “well isn’t this nice?” and then Daniel James’s vocals began and I was hooked. ...

Eminem leads nominations with 10; Bruno Mars has 7
Eminem's "Recovery" was made complete on Wednesday night as the Recording Academy nominated the resurgent rapper for 10 awards, including the biggest prizes: album, song, and record of the year.

Music Review: Glee Cast - Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album
The holidays are here! With everyone and their Aunt Sissy putting out a music album in recognition, is it any wonder Glee follows suit? This latest selection from Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album, gives fans a sneak peek of the tunes which are part of the Dec. 7th episode. Although the title might ...

Music Review: Jazmine Sullivan - Love Me Back
For Jazmine Sullivan, the name of the game is realism. Her follow-up to the mega-hit Fearless is Love Me Back, a spirited and affecting collection of R&B and hip hop missives that wanders through the murky evidence of broken relationships in search of something authentic to cling on to.

Jim Morrison: True to His Genius
Had he not overdosed in Paris in 1971, Jim Morrison would have been 67 years old this December 8.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2010
Music DVD Review: Depeche Mode - Tour of the Universe
Depeche Mode’s latest concert film, Tour of the Universe, captures the stage show for their most recent world tour, in support of the album Sounds of the Universe. This review will be for the standard package, which comes with a DVD plus two audio CDs of the same performance, but otherwise contains ...

Music Review: Elvis Presley - Viva Elvis
Elvis Presley has entered the 21st century and it will be up to his huge fan base to decide whether he will be welcomed or not.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2010
Jose Bold's impressive "MOUNTAIN" debuts at ACT Theatre
John Osebold (Thom Weinstein/seattlepi.com file photo) What do you say about a musical/visual/theatrical performance that begins and ends with historic footage of Mount Rainier, offers a hilariously dated look at the gender politics behind the making and marketing of coffee and is suffused with bright, hook-laden tunes that will stick in your head long after the curtain falls? You say it's "MOUNTAIN," the latest offering from Awesome's John Osebold, and you'd be well advised to check it out.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2010
The Frames wow an appreciative Seattle crowd
"Thanks for coming out, we thought you might've forgotten us," Glen Hansard said shortly after The Frames began their two-plus hour set before a packed Friday night house at Seattle's Showbox at The Market.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2010
A little late to the party? The Beatles are on iTunes
The music of the Beatles, everyone's favorite holdout-band, is now available through the Apple iTunes store.