Music journalism, books and more

One of the brightest stars of the new millennium, Alicia Keys burst on to the scene like a streaking comet in 2001. Her debut album, Songs in A Minor, was released to instant acclaim. Featuring hits like the gospel-drenched “Fallin’,” it earned the newcomer a remarkable five Grammy Awards. “I remember turning to my left and it was Céline Dion and I was like ‘what the hell,’” she recalls of the awards night. “And then to my right it was Bono and I thought, ‘What is going on?’” Barely out of her teens, Keys dazzled the music world with her soulful voice, classically-inspired piano playing and streetwise beauty. Raised by a single mother in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, she rose to become a powerh...

Before he became the befuddled father of TV’s The Osbournes, Ozzy Osbourne was revered by heavy-metal fans as the “Prince of Darkness.” The former Black Sabbath frontman made his mark as a solo performer with his 1980 debut, Blizzard of Ozz, and this spooky followup. Now restored and remastered, Diary of a Madman captures Ozzy in top maniacal form, wailing like a true madman on the opening “Over the Mountain” and sounding suitably creepy on “Little Dolls.” Includes a bonus disc of live recordings.

America’s blue-eyed soul singer regularly tops the charts belting out power ballads and r&b covers. Bolton’s latest CD tweaks that formula, teaming him up with various duet partners. He joins violinist Anne Akiko Meyers on U2’s anthem “Pride (In the Name of Love)” and records a bittersweet version of Sting’s gorgeous “Fields of Gold” with singer Eva Cassidy, who died in 1996. Best of all, he and Seal deliver a stirring medley of the soul classics “When a Man Loves a Woman” and “It’s a Man’s, Man’s Man’s World.”

Lady Gaga is now officially ubiquitous. Last year she dominated the charts, with accumulated sales of The Fame and its spin-off releases The Fame Monster and The Remix making her the world’s top-selling artist. This year, she’s become the champion of cyberspace: the first living person with more than 10 million fans on Facebook and over one billion channel views on YouTube. Now Gaga has become the first person to reach more than 10 million Twitter followers. On learning the news last week, she tweeted excitedly to her fans: “I’m speechless, we did it! It’s an illness how much I love you.” As outrageous in her fashion sense as she is savvy with social media, Gaga has transcended pop stardom t...

England’s pop legend is renowned for esoterica. Her first hit, “Wuthering Heights,” was based on the 19th century Emily Bronte novel. The ambitious video for her 1985 song “Cloudbusting” featured actor Donald Sutherland as an inventor and the singer as his son. Bush’s latest album opens with a Middle Eastern-tinged version of her song “The Sensual World,” now with words from James Joyce’s Ulysses included in the lyrics. Other reworked songs, including the piano-laced “Moments of Pleasure,” are equally beguiling.

Producer David Foster’s specialty is finding gifted singers, from Céline Dion and Michael Bublé to Josh Groban. His latest discovery is an 11-year-old who became a YouTube sensation after appearing on TV’s America’s Got Talent. On her full-length solo debut, Jackie proves herself a formidable star. Whether tackling classical arias or duets with Susan Boyle (“A Mother’s Prayer”) and Barbra Streisand (“Somewhere”), the pint-sized prodigy delivers a dazzling pop-opera sound of rich, unbelievable maturity.

The most commercially successful songwriter in popular music, Paul McCartney could be forgiven if he chose to rest on his laurels. He has sold an astonishing 100 million solo singles and 700 million albums worldwide. But McCartney, who got engaged to Nancy Shevell on May 6 and turns 69 on June 18, shows no signs of letting up. He has two new albums planned for this year: a rock record and a collection of pop standards. Meanwhile, McCartney has been busy reissuing his past catalogue, including his last year’s re-release of Band on the Run. The latest installments in the Paul McCartney Archive Collection are McCartney and McCartney II, his first and third solo albums respectively. Both come in...

The sequel to the most successful R-rated comedy of all time moves the bachelor action to Bangkok and features plenty of ’80s pop—some from the Wolfpack itself. Star Ed Helms tackles Billy Joel’s “Allentown,” one of three songs by the Piano Man. The soundtrack also includes a cover of A Flock of Seagull’s “I Ran” and a hilariously bad rendition of the Murray Head hit “One Night in Bangkok” by tattooed boxer Mike Tyson. Best of all are fresh slices of electronica and hip hop from Deadmau5 and Kanye West.

Women of a certain age will find it hard to resist this superboyband, made up of nine original members of New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys. The touring group’s compilation features five NKOTB numbers and five BSB songs, including chart-toppers like “Step by Step” and “I Want It That Way.” The album also features a mashup medley of both bands’ biggest hits and two new collaborations: the piano ballad “All in My Head” and the dance-pop number “Don’t Turn Out the Lights.” Boyband heaven.

Music plays a big part of any wedding. For a royal wedding, the music takes on huge significance, conveying both regal grandeur and time-honored tradition. Those rich qualities were in abundance at the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as Prince William and Catherine Middleton are now known. The ceremony at Westminster Abbey featured music with a distinctly British theme, combining traditional and newly commissioned pieces. And, movingly, the musical choices evoked memories of William’s mother, the late Princess Diana. The Royal Wedding: The Official Album, recorded and now available digitally, captures the full ceremony—all of the music, plus the readings, blessings and vows. A...