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08/19/2008

Chaka Khan proves she’s still the miracle voice of pop
FOXBORO, Mass. — Powerful but never piercing, brassy without any old-school jazzy hokum, with warmth even in its highest range, Chaka Khan’s voice has always been a pop-music miracle. Last night at the new Showcase Live! at Patriot Place, on the grounds of Gillette Stadium, she showed she hasn’t lost a thing.

Chaka Khan proves she’s still the miracle voice of pop
FOXBORO, Mass. — Powerful but never piercing, brassy without any old-school jazzy hokum, with warmth even in its highest range, Chaka Khan’s voice has always been a pop-music miracle. Last night at the new Showcase Live! at Patriot Place, on the grounds of Gillette Stadium, she showed she hasn’t lost a thing.

08/18/2008

An album-less Keith searches for a focus at Comcast
MANSFIELD, Mass. —The physical outlines of Toby Keith’s show at the Comcast Center last night were the usual deal — big pyrotechnics, explosions, prominent Ford product placement, including the entire set done as a Ford grille — and the set list included most of Keith’s best-known stuff, a mix of good-time celebrations and hip-hop-worthy ego boost at the intersection of countrypolitan pop, ’70s boogie and ’80s arena rock. But the man himself seemed different.

Acting their age
As the Jonas Brothers tour continues, there’ll be much parental chatter about how this latest craze is affecting our kids. Adults love to fret about the effects of Miley Cyrus’ bared shoulders or of Joe Jonas’ crucifix-adorned purity ring. But there’s also music to consider.

08/17/2008

Neil Diamond: Marathon man of pop music
HARTFORD, Conn. Four decades into a career as the sequined king of soft rock, celebrated in his 1970s peak as much for his rakish growl and helmet of wavy hair as for hits like “Sweet Caroline” and “Song Sung Blue,” Neil Diamond is enjoying something of a career renaissance.

08/18/2008

Kid rockers that we knew and loved
Ricky Nelson: Ozzie and Harriet’s younger son was the rock era’s first TV-bred idol. Key song: “Lonesome Town”

08/14/2008

Radiohead broadcasts its foreboding and lush message
MANSFIELD, Mass. — “It’s the 21st century,” Radiohead singer Thom Yorke sang during “Bodysnatchers” last night at the Comcast Center, and even though we presumably all knew it, he and the band went out and proved it.

A sonic tour through the Latin landscape
Some of the most intriguing contemporary music continues to come out of the Spanish- and Portuguese-language world, where combining alternative rock and electronica with traditional Latin rhythms has led to an often intoxicating fusion. It’s sometimes known as “alt Latin,” a broad umbrella that covers a variety of musical graces and sins, but this spring and summer have seen the release of some noteworthy contenders.

Music Scene by Rick Massimo: Al Jarreau knows how to persevere
It may have been a while since Al Jarreau’s last big chart hit, but the singer has never been busier, with seven records out or in the works since 2000, including his first Christmas disc, due this fall, and the Love Songs collection of duets earlier this year, and a new best-of compilation coming out soon. That’s on top of Givin’ It Up, his 2006 record with George Benson, his jazz-standards record Accentuate the Positive and tributes to Al Green and Bill Withers.

08/11/2008

No mere saxophonist: Rollins’ richness brings jazz fest to a close
NEWPORT — Saturday’s bill at the JVC Jazz Festival-Newport closed with Aretha Franklin, so it was only fitting that yesterday featured another classic voice at the top of the bill — Sonny Rollins.

08/10/2008

It’s so cool, it’s hot
NEWPORT — While the years and the fame and the sheer icon status of Aretha Franklin mean that her voice can no longer be the audacious, fresh force it once was, now it’s the voice of experience — one of the voices in popular music that cannot tell a lie. And yesterday at the JVC Jazz Festival-Newport, in front of a crowd of 7,300, Franklin closed out the day’s events with a collection of her R&B classics and a few jazz numbers that showed her versatility.

08/09/2008

In opener, Botti goes back to basics
NEWPORT — Trumpeter Chris Botti’s performance to open up the JVC Jazz Festival-Newport last night at the International Tennis Hall of Fame was much more organic, much more old-school jazz than his last appearance at the festival in 2006, or even for that matter his show at the Providence Performing Arts Center last year.

08/10/2008

Detours a sure sign that Sheryl Crow is back
A thriving, 15-year career in the pop-rock world is a triumph.

08/08/2008

Jonas Brothers get beyond teen scene at Comcast Center
MANSFIELD, Mass. — So, are Jonas Brothers for real?

08/07/2008

Jazz festival schedule
Friday

Great as he is, Sonny Rollins still searching
Sonny Rollins is one of the last of the remaining giants of postwar American jazz. The saxophonist made his recording debut in 1949 and spent time playing with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk in the early ’50s before joining a quintet including Max Roach and Clifford Brown, then striking out on his own in 1957, where he’s been ever since.

Bass-ically, she’s got it going
Prodigy? Yeah, maybe.

Success comes with each new song for Al Martino
Al Martino’s first hit came in 1952, and while his career has had more ups and downs, fizzles and comebacks than many, he says that reinventing himself has always been the key to continued success.

08/05/2008

Is it music?
PROVIDENCE There’s paint by numbers. Now there’s play by colors.

08/04/2008

Buffett brings heat to Newport, but everybody’s cool
While it wasn’t the folk session expected, Jimmy Buffett’s folk festival closer caps a day of solid performances.

08/03/2008

Music for wet folks
NEWPORT — There are a few ways to react to rainy weather, and yesterday at the Newport Folk Festival, at Fort Adams, a few of them were on display at the same time.

No one plays harder than the Boss on Magic at Gillette
There’s an old adage among diehard fans of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that goes something like this: there are two types of people in the world, those who love The Boss and those who have never seen him perform live.

Music for wet folks
NEWPORT — There are a few ways to react to rainy weather, and yesterday at the Newport Folk Festival, at Fort Adams, a few of them were on display at the same time.

08/02/2008

Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson lets his music do the celebrating in Newport
NEWPORT — Well, I still don’t know what to make of that.

08/03/2008

Next weekend, it’s all that’s jazz in Newport
While this weekend’s Newport Folk Festival widened its palette by bringing in a number of acts that wouldn’t be considered big names on the folk circuit, next weekend’s JVC Jazz Festival-Newport is pretty much sticking with the tried and true in traditional, straight-ahead jazz.

O.A.R. jammin’ at Comcast Friday
It’s the sort of break that a band like O.A.R. isn’t accustomed to.

08/01/2008

Police start slow, catch up
MANSFIELD, Mass. — The Police took a while to get going last night at the Comcast Center, but they eventually got there.

07/31/2008

Newport Folk Festival at Fort Adams this weekend blurs traditional categories
The Newport Folk Festival (that’s right; no titular sponsor this year) should be an interesting time. The lineup over three days includes lots of modern-day singer-songwriters who got their start in the rock world but who typify the aesthetic and attitude of folk music, such as M. Ward (performing with Zooey Deschanel in She & Him), Jim James and bands such as Calexico; full-on rock bands such as The Black Crowes; legends such as Steve Earle and unusual acoustic performances by Jimmy Buffett and Trey Anastasio.

Earle loves love and politics
For decades, Steve Earle was in Nashville but not of it. That’s Nashville’s loss. Earle’s best music does what the best country music is supposed to do — reflect the hopes, dreams and realities of real people. And while he certainly found an audience over the years, the lack of support he got from the country-music machine redounds to their discredit, not his.

Damian Marley: ‘I have a serious love for music’
It’s been three years since Damian Marley’s third album, Welcome to Jamrock, put the youngest son of reggae legend Bob Marley on the musical map with dance-floor slammers such as the title track and “Move!”. Since then, the 30-year-old has been working on new music, but as usual his career has been a family affair.

Avett Brothers: ‘It’s been an endless tour’
Since forming in 2001, The Avett Brothers have become one of the rising phenomena of roots music, with original acoustic music that honors traditional music while taking in the mix of influences that typifies the best rock ’n’ roll. Along with their studio work, which includes last year’s Emotionalism and the sprawling semi-concept album Mignonette, the relentless touring of Scott and Seth Avett and bassist Bob Crawford has also resulted in two live albums that capture the band at their most raucous.

Hear sets on the Internet
If you can’t make it out to Newport, you can hear parts of the folk and jazz festivals on the Internet.