ROBBIE ROBERTSON Finding good medicine by fearlessly facing his past Robbie Robertson always avoided addressing touchy subjects like his early days with the Band, his decision to leave the group in 1977, and his wild times during those days with his longtime collaborator, movie director Martin Scorsese. But on How to Become Clairvoyant, his first new album in 13 years, the Toronto-born singer, songwriter, guitarist and film-music composer tackles... 

HERB ALPERT A master of the trumpet and music business alike reflects and looks ahead By Bill DeMain With a career of nearly five decades behind him, legendary trumpeter Herb Alpert still takes the same approach to reinterpretation that he always has. “I like to do songs that are familiar, then put my own little twist on them,” he says. “There’s no fun in doing them the way they’ve been done before.” He takes just that approach on his... 

MARCELLA ARAICA “Painting the sound of the song” for some of pop’s biggest hitmakers By Michael Gallant When engineer and mixer Marcella Araica steps into the recording studio tonight to mix Beyoncé’s latest track, chances are she won’t be thinking about producers, record labels or the millions who will soon hear her sonic craft. More likely, she’ll be too busy channeling Pablo Picasso. “I always compare mixing to painting,” she... 

BRUCE HORNSBY For this restless keyboard innovator, the only constant is change By Russell Hall “It’s been 25 years since my first album,” observes Bruce Hornsby. “Most fans who got on this train early on aren’t there anymore. And that’s fine. Those who wanted me to stay the same or keep making the same album were probably disappointed a long time ago.” While many of Hornsby’s peers have become nostalgia acts, his own career has indeed... 

RAY DAVIES Reinventing the Kinks catalogue with a roster of all-star friends For almost a half-century Ray Davies has been rock’s own artful dodger. Slipping through pigeonholes and ducking stylistic dead ends, the native Londoner has always confounded easy labeling. With the Kinks he played the parts of white bluesman, vaudeville dandy, folk revivalist and heavy-metal screamer, penning wildly diverse classics like “You Really Got Me,” “Tired... 

ARCTIC MONKEYS After a frenzied five years, it’s time to take a look back—briefly The Arctic Monkeys instantly became a sensation in their native England upon the release of their punchy, hard-charging debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. “It’s only been five years, but it seems like a long time ago,” observes frontman Alex Turner. Before heading into the studio to make the new Suck It and See, Turner and his bandmates... 

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE Making beautiful music from “electronic junk,” one note at a time Death Cab for Cutie guitarist and producer Chris Walla didn’t want his bandmates getting too comfortable during the making of their seventh and latest album, Codes and Keys. To keep them on their toes, he crafted a recording itinerary that took the group to more than half a dozen studios over 10 months. “Environment is everything with records,” says Walla.... 

KIMBERLY CALDWELL After moonlighting in reality TV, a lifelong performer rediscovers her voice After a successful run on the 2003 season of TV’s American Idol, Texas native Kimberly Caldwell detoured into work as a TV personality with gigs on outlets like Fox Sports and MTV. Now she returns to center stage with her long-awaited debut album, Without Regret, a set of party-starting anthems and pensive, stirring ballads that reintroduces the lifelong... 

STEVE EARLE How a singer-songwriter, actor and activist learned to be a novelist Singer and songwriter Steve Earle will soon release both a new T Bone Burnett–produced album and his first novel—both named for the Hank Williams classic “I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive.” Earle struggled with drug addiction in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but his high these days is productivity: He’s also writing a play, acting on HBO’s Treme... 

BOOTSY COLLINS The funkiest bass player in the universe throws an all-star party “I am the funk, I’m with the funk, the funk is within me,” declares legendary bass player Bootsy Collins—and you’d better believe it. Whether holding down the mighty grooves of James Brown’s early-1970s band the J.B.’s, slapping his way through extraterrestrial funk workouts with George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic, charting solo hits such as “Bootzilla,”... 

JOE BONAMASSA Goodbye to the rib joints, hello to blues-rock guitar hero status By Russell Hall “People told me I was destined to play rib joints and biker rallies all my life,” says Joe Bonamassa, reflecting on his early years as a struggling blues-rock guitarist. “But I knew there had to be a better way.” But more than a decade and a half into his career, today Bonamassa has arrived at the pinnacle of the blues-rock world—and he’s... 

JAMES STROUD Bringing a session player’s perspective to Nashville hitmaking By Michael Gallant If you’ve listened to a country radio station anytime in the last 20 years, chances are you’ve experienced the craftsmanship of studio drummer-turned-producer James Stroud. One of Nashville’s most prolific and successful hitmakers, Stroud has produced multiplatinum albums for country giants like Tim McGraw, Toby Keith and Clint Black, and over... 

ALISON KRAUSS Two decades along, bluegrass’ conquering angel is still on the move By Russell Hall If there’s one lesson Alison Krauss learned from working with producer T Bone Burnett on Raising Sand, the album she and Robert Plant made together in 2007, it’s the importance of being in the moment. “I’ve always believed I could get a better vocal by re-singing it, or manufacturing a vocal by putting together multiple takes,” she says.... 

LUCINDA WILLIAMS A songwriter known for melancholy looks on the bright side Lucinda Williams has earned a reputation over the last three decades for writing songs that were as melancholy as they were dazzling. So, many fans were surprised when her most recent album, 2008’s Little Honey, found her sounding happy and optimistic. Her latest, the aptly titled Blessed, further proves that emotional turmoil isn’t the only fuel for her art. “Now I’m... 

NIKKI SIXX The Mötley Crüe and Sixx:A.M. rocker prefers clicks to cliques When bass player and songwriter Nikki Sixx isn’t busy shouting at the devil with Mötley Crüe or Sixx:A.M., you’ll find him taking photos or writing books. His latest project, This Is Gonna Hurt, combines all three: It’s a book of photography and prose accompanied by an album of the same name. This Is Gonna Hurt showcases Sixx’s gritty photos, serves as his literary... 

R.E.M. After three decades, still showing the kids how it’s done “Let’s sing and rhyme, let’s give it one more time,” sings R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe in “All the Best,” a song from the group’s 15th and newest album, Collapse Into Now. “Let’s show the kids how to do it.” Especially coming from a lyricist known for his obtuse wordplay, it’s a loud-and-clear statement for a band in the midst of an artistic renaissance. Following... 

AVRIL LAVIGNE A pop princess strips down her sound—and fights for her vision Goodbye Lullaby is Avril Lavigne’s first new album in four years—and her most emotional effort yet. “It’s not like I haven’t gone there before,” says Lavigne, who has sold more than 10 million albums since releasing her debut, 2002’s Let Go, at age 17. “I’ve done that on some of my albums, but I was really in that place and wanted to go more in that direction.”... 

JAMES BLUNT Pop troubadour goes looking for trouble—and discovers electricity James Blunt’s first two albums, Back to Bedlam and All the Lost Souls, catapulted him to stardom with hits like “You’re Beautiful” and “1973.” Those discs also cast him in the guise of sensitive pop crooner. With his new album, Some Kind of Trouble, the former British Army officer shakes free of his balladeer reputation and unleashes an upbeat collection of... 

ERIC JOHNSON To shred or not to shred? For this guitar hero, that is the question By Russell Hall Eric Johnson might be the world’s most reluctant guitar hero. In the 1980s, as his star was first rising, the Austin native earned a reputation as a white-hot shredder. But from the start, Johnson has emphasized that technique is just part of a larger musical landscape. “If you play a show where you shred for two hours, you’ll see a lot of the... 

PETER ASHER Coaxing the best work from pop’s most amazing voices By Jeff Tamarkin When he and singing partner Gordon Waller began enjoying hits in the 1960s as Peter and Gordon, London-born Peter Asher made the most of his opportunity. In the recording studio, Asher kept a close eye on the steps that producers Norman Newell and John Burgess took to make now-classics like “A World Without Love” and “Nobody I Know” sound the way they did.... 

GREGG ALLMAN After a brush with mortality, a rock legend gets back to the blues By Chris Neal It’s been a few months since doctors used a device to spread Gregg Allman’s rib cage as part of his treatment for cancer, but he still winces at the thought. “That hurt so damn bad,” he says. “Unh! All the rib bones that go back and connect to your spine, they disrupt all that. Boy, that hurts. They can cut and sew muscles and skin, and that’s... 

THE DECEMBERISTS Whether in the studio or a barn, getting back to basics isn’t always easy Following 2009’s The Hazards of Love—the Decemberists’ second straight high-concept fairy-tale song cycle in a row—frontman and principal songwriter Colin Meloy decided to ditch the theatrics and record a batch of no-frills Americana tunes. Taking cues from the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St. and the Band’s self-titled sophomore effort—barebones... 

IRON & WINE Making a clean break with some help from a little kiss of R&B From the spare solo acoustic songs of Iron & Wine’s early-2000s work to the expansive arrangements of the new Kiss Each Other Clean, Sam Beam has consistently steered his songs in ever more complex directions. For his latest, Beam drew from the sounds he heard on the radio as a kid, expanding his rustic folk sensibility with R&B horns, Afro-pop polyrhythms... 

BRIGHT EYES Conor Oberst and company reinvent themselves once again Could Bright Eyes be doomed? Rumors of the indie-rock powerhouse’s demise spread like wildfire when frontman Conor Oberst said in an interview that he had been thinking about bringing the band to an end. But fans can relax—for now, at least. “I was probably feeling that way that day,” he says. “But we’re just focused on getting the new record out and doing the tour. That’s... 

DURAN DURAN Mining fresh sounds from the musical territory they first pioneered Duran Duran emerged from England 30 years ago with a sound that uniquely melded dance, rock and New Wave. In the time since, the group has sought to continually reinvent itself—but when producer Mark Ronson suggested to the members that they return to some of the sonic trademarks that defined classic albums like 1982’s Rio, they were willing to try. The result is... 

GEORGE THOROGOOD Still rocking, still laughing and still b-b-b-b-bad to the bone Guitarist, singer and songwriter George Thorogood’s raucous brand of bluesy rock ’n’ roll has been steadily satisfying fans for more than three decades through hits like “Bad to the Bone,” “You Talk Too Much” and “Get a Haircut.” Thorogood and his band, the Destroyers, have just returned to the road in support of last year’s The Dirty Dozen, a mix... 

MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO A notorious perfectionist tries her hand at keeping it simple She’s sung with MadonnA and John Mellencamp, played bass with the Rolling Stones and Alanis Morissette, but Meshell Ndegeocello’s primary focus has always been her own solo work. Since getting her start playing in go-go bands in Washington, D.C., in the late ’80s, the singer, bassist and bandleader has rolled through pop, soul, funk, jazz and R&B. She made... 

WARREN HAYNES Gov’t Mule’s fearless leader adapts and survives By Chris Neal If playing in a rock ’n’ roll band is a full-time job, Warren Haynes is successfully holding down three full-time jobs at once. He has fronted his own band, Gov’t Mule, for the last 16 years; he continues to bring his virtuoso lead guitar work to the Allman Brothers Band; and since 2004 he has performed alongside several former members of the Grateful Dead in... 

DON WAS For one of rock’s best-known producers, it all comes down to the song By Howard Massey Don Was insists that the magic touch he brings to his production projects—albums by some of rock’s biggest names, many of which have sold in the multimillions—comes through him, not from him. “It requires lightning to strike in order for something amazing to happen,” he says. “Hopefully, it eventually dawns on you that you’re not the source.” Wherever... 

SLASH He’s back with a few new friends—and one very special old one By Chris Neal As recording progressed on Guns N’ Roses’ first album in 1986, the up-and-coming hard-rock band’s lead guitarist was getting anxious. He was OK recording basic tracks with the three guitars he had on hand—a BC Rich and two Jacksons, for the record—but he didn’t feel confident using any of them to lay down his leads. He couldn’t afford to buy a new... 

PETER FRAMPTON A charismatic guitar superstar comes alive once again for an unforgettable moment in the mid- to late-1970s, no artist was more ubiquitous than singer and guitar virtuoso Peter Frampton. His 1976 breakthrough solo album, Frampton Comes Alive!, sold six million copies and elevated him to rock superstardom. It also raised expectations that no one could have met. “It was a blessing and a curse,” he acknowledges. Beginning with an... 

SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS One of soul’s leading ladies brings the boys back home The master funkateers in the Dap-Kings have earned mainstream attention over the last several years for their work with big-name artists like Amy Winehouse and Jay-Z, but their one true leader is soul singer extraordinaire Sharon Jones. Their new album together as Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, I Learned the Hard Way, is the fourth of their almost decade-long... 

KAKI KING This “musician’s musician” intends to go where the music takes her Kaki King may be the world’s most reluctant guitar hero. While she has been compared in the press to such fingerstyle giants as Michael Hedges, Alex De Grassi and Leo Kottke, King modestly brushes aside her reputation as a six-string virtuoso. “Critics have been more interested in how I play,” she says, “whereas my fans are more interested in the music I make... 

JAKOB DYLAN Chasing new sounds with an old friend Women and Country, the second solo album from Wallflowers frontman Jakob Dylan, came together in the studio within days. But that doesn’t worry him. “I’ve done records that have taken eight months, and I don’t know what happened in all that time,” he says with a laugh. Perhaps credit for that efficiency should go to the crack team of professionals he assembled for the record, including... 

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS Their latest is a “straight-up rock record” with a few unexpected twists Drive-By Truckers’ brand of rock ’n’ roll is characterized by a full-on sonic assault led by a three-person guitar attack in the front ranks. It’s no surprise, therefore, that a guitar-drenched song titled “Drag the Lake Charlie” set the tone for the band’s latest album. “That was the first song we tracked,” says Patterson Hood, singer,... 

DOOBIE BROTHERS After four decades of musical adventures, they’re still grooving “I was surprised to hear people come up and say, ‘Man, that new album is classic Doobie Brothers!’” says Tom Johnston with a chuckle. “I thought that was awesome. That’s pretty hip.” World Gone Crazy, the Doobies’ first new album in a decade, is indeed immediately identifiable as the work of the group that first rose to prominence in the 1970s with... 

AMOS LEE Getting out of his comfort zone with an unexpected collaboration For his fourth and latest album, Mission Bell, Amos Lee teamed with members of the critically acclaimed Americana band Calexico. Recorded at the group’s Wavelab Studio in Tucson, Ariz., the album frames Lee’s storytelling skills in a blend of roots music and old-school R&B. The Philadelphia native and onetime elementary school teacher spoke with us about the new music,... 

STEVE LUKATHER Toto’s guitar giant steps out on his own with an emotional new album By Russell Hall Steve Lukather is feeling a little philosophical these days. The reason, he admits, is because he’s just come through an especially tumultuous year. “I’ve reassessed things,” says the veteran guitarist. “I stopped drinking and stopped smoking, and started going to therapy. It’s like the warranty is up at age 50. I have lots of friends... 

DANIEL LANOIS A master producer vows to raise the standard yet again By Chris Neal Daniel Lanois was riding his motorcycle down a Los Angeles street in June when he was cut off by a car coming from the opposite direction. He veered to miss it, swerved onto the sidewalk—and woke up a few minutes later on his back in a parking lot, suffering from six broken bones, a cracked pelvis and internal bleeding. Lanois spent the next three weeks in intensive care,... 

KEVIN EUBANKS Leaving the Tonight Show behind him, a jazz guitar master looks ahead By Jeff Tamarkin When a 30-foot hole opened up in the basement of Kevin Eubanks’ home in the notoriously unstable terrain of Hollywood, he wasn’t sure what to do at first. “It was a massive problem with my house,” he says. “I didn’t know whether I was going to sell it or rebuild the foundation.” A contractor suggested it might be a nice place to build... 

ANNIE LENNOX Revisiting the music of her childhood while looking ahead If Annie Lennox had done nothing in her life except sing “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” the 1983 No. 1 smash that helped define that decade, her place in pop history would be secure. But there’s been no stopping her for nearly three decades. With the Eurythmics—the duo she formed in 1980 with Dave Stewart—Lennox scored hit after hit, from “Here Comes the Rain Again”... 

BRYAN ADAMS Why strip his hits down to their bare bones? He does it for you A few songs into Bare Bones, the live album he released late last year, Bryan Adams pauses to make sure the audience knows what it’s in for. “I don’t know if you got the memo about tonight’s show,” he says, “but this is the band.” By “the band,” the veteran Canadian rocker meant the minimalist lineup of himself and pianist Gary Breit, his lone accompanist.... 

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE Rediscovering themselves as creative, dangerous and daring After spending most of 2009 working with producer Brendan O’Brien on a follow-up to their hit 2006 album The Black Parade, the members of My Chemical Romance were hit with an unsettling realization: They didn’t like their new material all that much. They felt bored and stifled. So when a quick session to write a couple of additional songs veered in a more inspiring... 

REGINA SPEKTOR A self-proclaimed “nerd” lets fans into the live music-making process In 2009, Regina Spektor’s director friend Adria Petty convinced her that the time was right to preserve one of her concerts on film. Petty (daughter of Tom Petty) traveled across England on tour with Spektor, filming behind-the-scenes footage, then shot her show at the Hammersmith Apollo. That performance is documented on the new DVD and CD set Live in London,... 

DOOBIE BROTHERS After four decades of musical adventures, they’re still grooving “I was surprised to hear people come up and say, ‘Man, that new album is classic Doobie Brothers!’” says Tom Johnston with a chuckle. “I thought that was awesome. That’s pretty hip.” World Gone Crazy, the Doobies’ first new album in a decade, is indeed immediately identifiable as the work of the group that first rose to prominence in the 1970s with... 

JASON BONHAM Drumming up a salute to the Led Zeppelin legend—and his family name When Led Zeppelin reunited for one show in London three years ago, many hoped the event would be followed by a full-fledged tour—not least of all Jason Bonham. He had impressively taken over the drum seat once occupied by his late father, John Bonham. But Zeppelin singer Robert Plant balked, and a plan to continue in some fashion without him fizzled. So Bonham elected... 

RICHARD THOMPSON An eclectic guitar slinger continues a four-decade journey through music By Bob Cannon Over the course of his long career, Richard Thompson has become accustomed to hearing fans tell him they prefer the live versions of his songs over the studio takes. So for his latest album, Dream Attic, Thompson elected to cut out the middleman—all 13 songs were recorded live during a two-week American tour last February. “We basically chop... 

LIZ PHAIR One of rock’s most daring artists once again surprises her audience Liz Phair has become accustomed to ruffling feathers. Her now-classic 1993 debut, Exile in Guyville, exposed the boys’-club nature of indie rock with its frank explorations of femininity. Ten years later she infuriated her loyal alt-rock fans by issuing a self-titled album of slick, catchy pop songs. Over the last several years she has confounded expectations by becoming... 

LINKIN PARK Making noise about nü-metal, new directions and nuclear war Linkin Park will not be rushed: A Thousand Suns, the California hard-rock group’s latest, is just the fourth studio album the band has released since forming in 1996. It’s something of a departure for the band, with less emphasis on heavy metal guitar riffs and volatile vocals than on electronic musical textures, elements of hip-hop and driving rhythms. Why the change?... 

NATASHA BEDINGFIELD Building relationships through the power of positive songwriting “I am quite pessimistic—that’s why my music is the opposite,” Natasha Bedingfield says with a laugh. “I need music to help me get through things.” The English singer and songwriter sure makes a convincing optimist. Her latest release, Strip Me, is so chock full of uptempo grooves and sunny lyrical nuggets that it comes on as the musical equivalent of...