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2007
 Lucinda Williams - West2007 | Administrator | Wednesday, 29 July 2009 She excavates emotion with the skill of a seasoned coal miner. Like actress Helen Mirren, Williams digs into subjects like love, loss and redemption with wisdom and a mature sexiness.... READMORE |
 Po’ Girl - Home to You2007 | Administrator | Wednesday, 29 July 2009 Think of Po’ Girl as four young women exploring their inner minstrels, summoning weary blues, mountain music and what they call “creaky old jazz songs.” Like the Be Good Tanyas,... READMORE |
 Arcade Fire - Neon Bible2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 30 July 2009 On the year’s most anticipated album, Montreal’s Arcade Fire lives up to its spellbinding reputation. Weaving horn, string and woodwind arrangements around the vocals of husband and wife Win Butler... READMORE |
 Air - Pocket Symphony2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 30 July 2009 Favorites of filmmaker Sophia Coppola, the French electronica duo of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel scored The Virgin Suicides and contributed to Lost in Translation. Clearly influenced by the latter’s... READMORE |
 Bryan Ferry - Dylanesque2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 30 July 2009 Roxy Music’s elegant clotheshorse has always had his nostalgic side, tripping down Tin Pan Alley to tackle Gershwin and others on 1999’s As Time Goes By. Ferry’s also done Dylan... READMORE |
 Finger Eleven - Them vs. You vs. Me2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 30 July 2009 They used to be known as Rainbow Butt Monkeys, but then the dudes from Burlington, Ont. came to their senses. Or maybe not. Anyway, Finger Eleven could care less ever... READMORE |
 Peter Elkas - Wall of Fire2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 30 July 2009 Elkas earned his performance stripes fronting Montreal indie rockers Local Rabbits, before winning serious songwriter cred with his solo debut, Party of One, a collection of sensitive pop that drew... READMORE |
 Ry Cooder - My Name is Buddy2007 | Administrator | Friday, 31 July 2009 There’s a quiet riot going on—and it’s not heavy metal. It’s the resurgence of American folk music, seen in the popularity of Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom and in Bruce... READMORE |
 Stephen Marley - Mind Control2007 | Administrator | Friday, 31 July 2009 Although Ziggy, being the eldest child, was thought to be the heir apparent to the reggae king, he’s been eclipsed by the arrival of Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, who released... READMORE |
 Joss Stone - Introducing Joss Stone2007 | Administrator | Friday, 31 July 2009 She was sweet 16, from the English countryside, when she debuted in 2003 with a stunning voice that sounded African-American and mature well beyond her years. Still a teenager (she... READMORE |
 I’m from Barcelona - Let Me Introduce My Friends2007 | Administrator | Friday, 31 July 2009 Forget the group’s name, this 29-member outfit actually hails from Jönköping and, along with Peter, Bjorn & John, is currently Sweden’s hottest pop export. Led by Emanuel Lundgren, the impossibly... READMORE |
 John Butler Trio - Grand National2007 | Administrator | Friday, 31 July 2009 The dude from Down Under is back with his latest collection of jam-rock stoner epics. A dazzling, earth-hugging guitarist, Butler has toned down the politics this time around in favor... READMORE |
 Macy Gray - Big2007 | Administrator | Friday, 31 July 2009 The title fits: Gray stands nearly six foot tall in her stocking feet. But it could just as easily apply to what’s in store for the funky single mama. Gray’s... READMORE |
 Seu Jorge - Live at Montreux2007 | Administrator | Friday, 31 July 2009 He’s best known as the guitar-strumming deckhand singing Portuguese renditions of David Bowie songs in The Life Aquatic (he also starred in City of God). But Brazil’s Jorge (pronounced SAY-oo... READMORE |
 Great Lake Swimmers - Ongiara2007 | Administrator | Friday, 31 July 2009 The Swimmers’ latest was partly recorded on the Toronto Islands. Tony Dekker and company traveled there by boat, the Ongiara, thus giving the album its name. Some songs are inspired... READMORE |
 Tinariwen - Aman Iman2007 | Administrator | Friday, 31 July 2009 Their fans include Thom Yorke, Robert Plant and Carlos Santana and it’s easy to see why. These nomadic tribesmen from the Sahara desert create dusty, windswept sounds that are haunting... READMORE |
 Grinderman - Grinderman2007 | Administrator | Friday, 31 July 2009 Those familiar with Nick Cave will recognize the guttersnipe sermons and nasty noisefests as reminiscent of the Birthday Party. Here, working with a few Bad Seeds, Australia’s punk poet delivers... READMORE |
 You Say Party! We Say Die! - Lose All Time2007 | Administrator | Friday, 31 July 2009 What is it with dance-punk bands and exclamation points? There’s Detroit’s Thunderbirds Are Now!, Vancouver’s Fake Shark-Real Zombie! and, best of all, Brooklyn’s !!! These dance-crazed punks from Abbotsford, B.C.... READMORE |
 Nathan - Key Principles2007 | Administrator | Friday, 31 July 2009 Of all the Appalachia acts, Winnipeg’s Nathan is something quite unique. The group, fronted by Keri Latimer, mixes bluegrass, waltzes and mariachi horns with dark tales from the domestic frontlines.... READMORE |
 Joel Plaskett Emergency - Ashtray Rock2007 | Administrator | Friday, 31 July 2009 After his excellent solo album, La De Da, Halifax hero Plaskett is back with his Emergency band. The group’s latest, produced by Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar, Grady), is a mostly... READMORE |
 The Sadies - New Seasons2007 | Administrator | Wednesday, 5 August 2009 Like their siren sister Neko Case, The Sadies are masters at mining roots music and making it their own. But where Case turns everything she touches to gothic gold, The... READMORE |
 Cowboy Junkies - At the End of Paths Taken2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Has it really been nearly 20 years since the Junkies released The Trinity Session? A commemorative DVD is in the works for release later this year. In the meantime, the... READMORE |
 Mavis Staples - We’ll Never Turn Back2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Having Ry Cooder produce this album by the gospel great is an inspired choice. Cooder brings a rootsy edge to civil rights anthems like “We Shall Not Be Moved,” featuring... READMORE |
 Various artists - Tribute to Joni Mitchell2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 It must please Mitchell no end that nearly half of the songs by admirers here come from her often overlooked post-folk period. Björk, Elvis Costello and jazz pianist Brad Mehldau... READMORE |
 Bebel Gilberto - Momento2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Gilberto’s father, Joao, is the godfather of Brazilian bossa nova, while her stepmother, Astrud, is the voice behind “The Girl from Ipanema.” Bebel stepped out of her family’s shadow with... READMORE |
 Stars of Track & Field - Centuries Before Love & War2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Is this Portland trio really the new Coldplay? Listening to Kevin Calaba’s dreamy voice and the group’s soaring songs, it’s easy to think so. The band’s “Movies of Antarctica” is... READMORE |
 The Cliks - Snakehouse2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 This Toronto garage pop power trio is fronted by Lucas Silveira, a transgendered male who sings with the passion and panache of Chrissie Hynde. Moe Berg, of the Pursuit of... READMORE |
 Angélique Kidjo - Djin Djin2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Kidjo reigns as world music’s greatest star, an African diva whose albums and videos have consistently set the highest standards. Previously, she’s collaborated with Dave Matthews and Cassandra Wilson and... READMORE |
 Tori Amos - American Doll Posse2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Amos has messed with multiple personalities before: Strange Little Girls included a different photographic persona for each cover song. Now the flame-haired diva with the Bösendorfer piano is channeling five... READMORE |
 The Killers - Leaving Las Vegas2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Billed as an “unathorized [sic] documentary,” this DVD features licensed interviews with Brandon Flowers and rare performance footage (including some shot at Toronto’s Opera House). But, because it was made... READMORE |
 Blackie & the Rodeo Kings - Let’s Frolic Again2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 This roots-rock trio formed initially as a tribute to singer-songwriter Willie P. Bennett. But it’s grown to cover other Canadian icons as well as fine originals by members Stephen Fearing,... READMORE |
 Frank Zappa - Apostrophe/Over-Nite Sensation2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Fans of Funkadelic, Captain Beefheart and the Residents all point to Zappa as the godfather of eccentric rock. This DVD, the latest in the Classic Albums series, focuses on Zappa’s... READMORE |
 Oh Susanna - Short Stories2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 There was a time when Oh Susanna, a.k.a. Suzie Ungerleider, sang mostly murder ballads. Her songs still have an old-world luster, like intriguing sepia-toned photos, but now they embrace broader... READMORE |
 Travis - The Boy with No Name2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Huge in Britain, Travis seemed destined to break big in North America—until Coldplay arrived to steal its swoon-pop thunder. The Scottish quartet, led by singer Fran Healy, may do better... READMORE |
 Björk -Volta2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Björk’s last album, Medulla, was a stunning soundscape of voices. Here, Iceland’s idiosyncratic pop queen delves deep into drumbeats, working with über-producer Timbaland, African collective Konono No. 1 and her... READMORE |
 Keren Ann - Keren Ann2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Since settling in the Big Apple, the Parisian chanteuse seems to have traded her François Hardy mannerisms for Nico-like Velvet Underground influences. While her previous album, Nolita, featured whispery vocals... READMORE |
 The View - Hats Off to the Buskers2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Aside from Kasabian, the View is the only current band to win Liam Gallagher’s thumbs up. Given the Oasis frontman’s reputation as a yobbo, that endorsement might prove a curse.... READMORE |
 Gretchen Wilson - One of the Boys2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Country music’s redneck woman got all jacked up on her last album, drinkin’ way too much and drivin’ her truck off into the night anyway. On her third release, Wilson... READMORE |
 Rufus Wainwright - Release the Stars2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Wainwright has a fondness for ornate arrangements. But producing his fifth album in Berlin, where he took to wearing lederhosen and visiting old-world palaces, really brought out the baroque in... READMORE |
 Maria Muldaur - Naughty, Bawdy & Blue2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Muldaur has made it her mission of late to celebrate the music created by classic blues women from the 1920s to the 1940s. Here, the onetime Kweskin Jugband member and... READMORE |
 Wilco - Sky Blue Sky2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 The Chicago rock legends have released some inspired albums, from 1996’s classic Being There to 2004’s Grammy winning A Ghost is Born. Fueled by leader Jeff Tweedy’s fertile imagination, the... READMORE |
 Stars - Do You Trust Your Friends?2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Feist and Stars are labelmates on Arts & Crafts, which is giving the remix treatment to Montreal dream-pop collective’s Set Yourself on Fire the way it did with Feist’s Let... READMORE |
 Wil - By December2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 He lives in a Vancouver Island forest and his single name conjures up visions of Bim and Valdy, two popular B.C. folkies from the 1970s. But Wil is no tree-hugging... READMORE |
 Céline Dion - D’Elles2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Céline has ruled Caesar’s Palace since 2003. By year’s end, Canada’s ultimate diva will be leaving Las Vegas and resuming her mega-selling recording career (175 million albums and counting). A... READMORE |
 Nathan Wiley - The City Destroyed Me2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 “Come over to the sick side,” sings Wiley. Clearly his producer, Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin, welcomed the invitation to get a little weird and funky on the P.E.I. singer-songwriter’s third... READMORE |
 Liam Titcomb - Can’t Let Go2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Like Tal Bachman, Adam Cohen and Rufus Wainwright, Titcomb has impressive musical genes (Liam’s father is singer-songwriter Brent Titcomb). Songs like “It’s You” and the title track nod to his... READMORE |
 Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Yes, they favor heavy-duty riffage and jackhammer beats. But QOTSA are no hard-rock Neanderthals. There’s an intelligence to Josh Homme’s modus operandi that even pop queens like Nelly Furtado find... READMORE |
 The Chemical Brothers - We are the Night2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 The first breakout act of electronica is also the movement’s longest surviving one. Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons have kept their block-rockin’ beats fresh by collaborating with artists as diverse... READMORE |
 Deborah Cox - Destination Moon2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 Through the ’90s, Cox dominated the Junos as Canada’s top r&b vocalist. Then the Toronto-born songbird, a former Céline Dion backup singer, flew south to further her career. Now, following... READMORE |
 Pride Tiger - Pride Tiger2007 | Administrator | Thursday, 6 August 2009 What is it about Vancouver and Black Sabbath? First there was Black Mountain and its lo-fi offshoot Pink Mountaintops, both of which clearly worshipped at the altar of Britain’s gods... READMORE |
 Mandy Moore - Wild Hope2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Moore came up in the shadows of Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson and others, and was treated with even less respect than those pop tarts. Moore’s acting career hasn’t fared much... READMORE |
 The White Stripes - Icky Thump2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 With Jack White’s recently revealed relationship to Canada’s Natalie MacMaster and Ashley MacIsaac (distant cousins), you might expect to hear some Celtic fiddle on the Stripes’ latest release. Instead, we... READMORE |
 The Ghost is Dancing - The Darkest Spark2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Comparisons to the Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene have dogged this indie-rock collective. Mind you, it’s not bad company to be in. And it’s easy why the comparisons keep... READMORE |
 Nick Lowe - At My Age2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 England’s Lowe is the king of cool. He produced the Damned, Elvis Costello and the Pretenders. But to have also written “Cruel to Be Kind,” “(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace,... READMORE |
 Sinéad O’Connor - Theology2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 An uncompromising talent, O’Connor came out of retirement to release 2005’s Throw Down Your Arms, a collection of conscious reggae classics. Now, the Irish icon offers an album she calls... READMORE |
 King Wilkie - Low Country Suite2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 King Wilkie, a young, six-piece bluegrass outfit from Charlottesville, Virginia, takes its name from Bill Monroe's horse. That says a lot about these boys’ tastes. Rather than pursue commercial bluegrass,... READMORE |
 The Cribs - Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Having toured with Kaiser Chiefs and Bloc Party and now produced by Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos, the Cribs are Britain’s latest buzz band. Hailing from the Yorkshire mining town of... READMORE |
 Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Although it has been overshadowed by labelmates Arcade Fire, Spoon’s stature is on the rise. The Austin indie rock band scored a critical breakthrough with 2005’s Gimme Fiction album, which... READMORE |
 Interpol - Our Love to Admire2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 When New York’s Interpol arrived in 2002 with its debut album, Turn On the Bright Lights, there were many comparisons to British doom-and-gloom bands like Joy Division and Echo &... READMORE |
 Suzanne Vega - Beauty & Crime2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Vega has always been a scholarly folkie. After graduating from the performing arts school featured in the film musical Fame, she majored in English literature and began writing thoughtful songs... READMORE |
 Sum 41 - Underclass Hero2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Like his wife, Deryck Whibley knows he can catch more flies with sugar than vinegar. On his band’s latest album, Avril Lavigne’s husband offers three spoonfuls of melodic pop—each of... READMORE |
 Linda Thompson - Versatile Heart2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Thompson made six classic folk-rock albums with her then-husband Richard and released her solo debut, One Clear Moment, in 1985. She waited 17 years before her next, the aptly titled... READMORE |
 Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals - Lifeline2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Along with Dave Matthews, Harper leads the surfer brand of blissed-out blues, folk, reggae and jam-band music that includes Jack Johnson and Xavier Rudd. The acoustic songs on Harper’s latest,... READMORE |
 The Perishers - Victorious2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Swedish music generally breaks down into the garage-rock of The Hives or the dream-pop of The Cardigans. Warm and fuzzy, The Perishers’ sound definitely belongs in the latter camp. No... READMORE |
 Joe Henry - Civilians2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 If an artist can be judged by the company he keeps, Joe Henry gets top marks. He has produced artists as diverse and accomplished as Ani DiFranco, Aimee Mann, Solomon... READMORE |
 Hot Hot Heat - Happiness Ltd.2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 With singer-keyboardist Steve Bays’ yelping vocals and cascading curls, Canada’s Hot Hot Heat has stood out from the synth-pop pack. Bays’ inventive wordplay and the band’s retro sound haven’t hurt... READMORE |
 Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Swedish bands are becoming as ubiquitous as IKEA. This Stockholm group debuted in 2005 with its oddly titled album Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, a collection of songs that ran from... READMORE |
 Ann Wilson - Hope and Glory2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Heart’s hard-rock mama who roared through hits like “Barracuda” and “Crazy on You” reveals a social conscience on her solo debut, covering classic protest songs. Wilson teams up with Alison... READMORE |
 Catherine MacLellan - Church Bell Blues2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 PEI’s MacLellan comes by her craft honestly. Her father, Gene MacLellan, wrote such Can-folk classics as “Snowbird” and “Put Your Hand in the Hand,” covered by Anne Murray, Elvis Presley,... READMORE |
 Figurines - When the Deer Wore Blue2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Denmark’s Figurines have a deep affection for Sixties music. But, unlike many of their Scandinavian counterparts, the band’s tastes run more to Beach Boy pop than Who-style riffage. Figurines’ latest... READMORE |
 Kevin Drew - Spirit If…2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 It’s not surprising that Drew’s solo debut sounds like a stripped-down Broken Social Scene album. Drew uses many of the same elements (whispered vocals, quirky melodies, roaring guitars) as the... READMORE |
 Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Rush-released digitally weeks ago to thwart internet leaks, Stars’ fourth album will soon be available in tangible form—with evocative cover painting and song lyrics. While it might seem impossible to... READMORE |
 Chaka Khan - Funk This2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Khan’s first new album in a decade is a freakin’ riot, a funk-filled return to form for the old-school soul diva. Produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, it features... READMORE |
 The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 The Weakerthans’ John K. Samson is Canada’s poetic punk-rock laureate. Need proof? Check out just two of the titles on the Winnipeg band’s latest album: “Hymn of the Medical Oddity”... READMORE |
 Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Having released the double album In Your Honor, consisting of a hard rock disc and an acoustic one, it makes sense that the Foos would eventually blend their two musical... READMORE |
 Debbie Harry - Necessary Evil2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Blondie legend Debbie Harry has been enjoying a resurgence of late, with her presence on Cyndi Laupers’ True Colors Tour and receiving major props from Lily Allen. Harry’s first solo... READMORE |
 Ken Whiteley - One World Dance2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Whiteley is a member of one of Canada’s most gifted musical families: like his brother Chris, Ken’s a master of blues, jazz, swing and other styles and plays about 20... READMORE |
 Bettye Lavette - Scene of the Crime2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Until recently, Lavette was one of the great lost soul divas, a victim of record company indifference in the early ’70s whose recordings were known only to a handful of... READMORE |
 The Most Serene Republic - Population2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 There’s nothing serene about the sophomore album from Milton, Ont.’s young art-rock sextet. Although the band, which shares a record label with Broken Social Scene, favors dreamy, atmospheric soundscapes, there’s... READMORE |
 The Cult - Born Into This2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Now that he’s fulfilled his dream of becoming Jim Morrison, performing in The Doors tribute band Riders on the Storm, singer Ian Astbury is back to doing what he does... READMORE |
 Wintersleep - Welcome to the Night Sky2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Halifax heroes Wintersleep keep venturing deeper into alt-rock space. On its third album, the band jettisons its Pearl Jam affectations for more experimental sonic explorations. Although there’s a bit too... READMORE |
 Rides Again - Into Existence2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Like Finger Eleven and Three Days Grace, Rides Again is the latest Canadian band to forge a tough, melodic sound that, in the tradition of hoser-rock heroes Rush, appeals primarily... READMORE |
 Bruce Springsteen - Magic2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 After his (some would say ill-advised) folk departure, which reached its nadir with his cover of the kiddie tune “Froggie Went a-Courtin,” the Boss is back with the E Street... READMORE |
 Nathan Lawr & the Minotaurs - A Sea of Tiny Lights2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Lawr has played drums in such revered bands as King Cobb Steelie, Fembots and Royal City. Along the way, he’s clearly picked up some singing and songwriting skills. His latest... READMORE |
 Richard Hawley - Lady’s Bridge2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 He sings like a cross between Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley and writes songs with the wit and warmth of Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello, which helped Hawley win a... READMORE |
 The Old Soul - Gold2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 The Old Soul is the brainchild of Toronto’s Luca Maoloni, a gifted musician with an absurdist bent. Like Joel Gibb of The Hidden Cameras, Maoloni has extravagant, wacky ideas and... READMORE |
 Cass McCombs - Dropping the Writ2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 McCombs is a U.S. singer-songwriter, but no ordinary folkie. Signed to England’s Domino label (Franz Ferdinand, The Arctic Monkeys), he writes quirky songs about himself that sound like nothing else... READMORE |
 Jully Black - Revival2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Black is a survivor—and one gutsy diva. Born in Toronto’s tough Jane and Finch ’hood, the r&b singer got her start lending her gritty, soulful vocals to tracks by various... READMORE |
 The Fiery Furnaces - Widow City2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 The White Stripes’ Jack and Meg White once pretended to be brother and sister, until a wily reporter exposed the Detroit couple as formerly husband and wife. The Fiery Furnaces... READMORE |
 Rebekah Higgs - Rebekah Higgs2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Like another new East Coaster, Jenn Grant, Higgs crafts warm, willowy sounds over dreamy, confessional lyrics. But what sets Higgs apart is her predilection for mixing acoustic balladry with synthesized... READMORE |
 The Diableros - Aren’t Ready for the Country2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 The album title is a play on Neil Young’s song “Are You Ready for the Country,” which is appropriate given that The Diableros’ music seems at least partly inspired by... READMORE |
 Robert Plant/Alison Krauss - Raising Sand2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 They make a supremely odd couple: the grizzled old rock god and the impossibly sweet bluegrass diva. Despite their differences—or because of them—Plant and Krauss forge a real chemistry on... READMORE |
 Buck 65 - Situation2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 No longer the “hick from Mount Uniacke” in Nova Scotia, Buck 65 is now Canada’s avant-garde maestro. The rapper-MC-turntablist shifted away from his down-home rap with 2005’s Secret House Against... READMORE |
 Alicia Keys - As I Am2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Not many singers get name-checked in a Bob Dylan song, but Keys is the real deal, a gifted artist unspoiled by the Grammy wins and multimillion sales. Keys’ third studio... READMORE |
 Anne Murray - Duets: Friends and Legends2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Canada’s Snowbird gets the high-class treatment with this impeccable collection, featuring pairings with some of her favorite singers from home and abroad. Produced by duet mastermind Phil Ramone (Frank Sinatra,... READMORE |
 The Hives - The Black and White Album2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Still not your favorite band? Have you checked your pulse lately? From Veni Vidi Vicious and Tyrannosaurus Hives to this thrilling piece of modern garage rock, Sweden’s worst kept secret... READMORE |
 Seal - System2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 It’s hard to hate Seal. Sure, the British soul-pop singer’s a one-hit wonder (1995’s “Kiss From a Rose”). And he married German supermodel Heidi Klum and now spends most of... READMORE |
 Duran Duran - Red Carpet Massacre2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Lock up your daughters—the lecherous pretty boys of synth pop are back. The Durannies, still best known for provocative ’80s hits like “Girls on Film” and “Hungry Like a Wolf,”... READMORE |
 Kylie Minogue - X2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Her fans range from Nick Cave and The Pet Shop Boys to Scissor Sisters, so it may only be a matter of time before Minogue finally becomes a major star... READMORE |
 Wyclef Jean - Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Life is a carnival for Wyclef Jean, whose solo albums are hip hop’s most colorful and diverse projects, tapping guests and styles from every corner of the planet. ’Clef’s latest... READMORE |
 Rufus Wainwright - Rufus Does Judy2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Only a performer as talented and audacious as Rufus could pull off a tribute to Judy Garland’s legendary 1961 concert. The Carnegie CD and the Palladium DVD capture all of... READMORE |
 The Libertines - Time for Heroes: The Best of the Libertines2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 Although they recorded only two albums before their demise amid Pete Doherty’s chronic drug use, these Brit-rockers left a huge legacy. NME readers chose four Libertine singles for the magazine’s... READMORE |
 Foxy Brown - Brooklyn’s Don Diva2007 | Administrator | Friday, 7 August 2009 There’s nothing new about a female rapper dropping an album from prison. Lil’ Kim released one while she was sentenced for lying to a jury about a shooting (one that... READMORE |
 Dave Gahan - Hourglass2007 | Administrator | Sunday, 9 August 2009 Depeche Mode represented the dark, dehumanized side of ’80s electropop. Despite frontman Gahan’s velvety vocals, Martin Gore’s deeply moody lyrics and the band’s cold, industrial sound always cast a pall.... READMORE |
 PJ Harvey - White Chalk2007 | Administrator | Tuesday, 29 December 2009 Polly Jean Harvey is one of those polarizing female artists who confounds as many people as she delights. Her music, often noisy and uncompromising, has challenged listeners with its unsettling... READMORE |
 Babyshambles - Shotter’s Nation2007 | Administrator | Tuesday, 29 December 2009 His drug addictions, constant arrests and on-off relationship with Kate Moss have made him tabloid fodder, but Pete Doherty can still mine nuggets from debauchery. On his latest Babyshambles album,... READMORE |
Reviews
 Mika - The Origin of Love2012 | Administrator | Wednesday, 10 October 2012 England’s divo made his mark with Freddie Mercury-style operatics, most noticeably with his falsetto-drenched hit “Grace Kelly.” On his third album, the 29-year-old Mika traveled to Montreal to record a... |
 Ringo Starr - Ringo 20122012 | Administrator | Wednesday, 8 February 2012 To mark the 50 years since he joined the Beatles, Ringo has released a sweetly nostalgic tribute to his early musical roots, including skiffle (“Rock Island Line”) and Buddy Holly... |
 Kelly Clarkson - Stronger2011 | Administrator | Saturday, 22 October 2011 Kelly Clarkson has endeared herself to fans with her straight-talking manner. The inaugural American Idol winner made her name with songs like “Miss Independent” and “Since U Been Gone.” Never... |
 Justin Bieber - Believe2012 | Administrator | Monday, 9 July 2012 This one’s for the non-Beliebers out there. Justin turned 18 on March 1—and it shows. The Canadian sensation’s latest recording presents a new, mature Biebs. Gone are the innocent odes... |
Features
 Alex Cuba - A Magical Musical Blend2012 | Administrator | Monday, 21 March 2011 With his oversized Afro and razored sideburns, Alex Cuba cuts a cool figure, a cross between ’70s soul man and stylish rocker. It’s a look that has been attracting attention ever since the musician, born... |
 Great Lake Swimmers' new energy2012 | Administrator | Sunday, 3 June 2012 For Tony Dekker, recording—like real estate—is all about location. The Great Lake Swimmers frontman has made a habit of working in unusual settings, beginning with his Toronto-based group’s 2003 self-titled debut, which was recorded in an... |
 Passing the Torch2012 | Nicholas Jennings | Sunday, 9 September 2012 When Dustin Bentall was 12, he spent the summer with his parents at a cabin they bought in Cariboo Country, in British Columbia’s interior. There his father, veteran Canadian musician Barney Bentall, taught him the guitar... |
 Hey Rosetta! - Literary songwriting worth yelling about2012 | Administrator | Sunday, 4 March 2012 Tim Baker has a problem. As frontman for Newfoundland’s Hey Rosetta!, one of Canada’s fastest-rising, hardest-working bands, he is touring for nine months of the year, performing concerts on three continents. Trouble is, Baker is also... |