JAMIE CULLUM In pursuit of diversity, he finds an explosion of creativity You can’t miss the symbolism in the cover of Jamie Cullum’s new CD, The Pursuit, even if you try. In the foreground stands the artist, nattily attired, his facial expression somewhere between anger and mischief. Behind him, occupying roughly two-thirds of the cover’s real estate, is a grand piano in mid-explosion, wood splinters and ivory keys flying through the air with... 

MOSE ALLISON A jazz and blues veteran changes things up—just a little It makes perfect sense that The Way of the World, Mose Allison’s first new studio album in 12 years, is released on the Anti- label. After all, he has always been an anti- kind of artist: anti-pigeonholing, anti-convention, anti-mainstream. His idiosyncratic songcraft and performance style may have kept Allison from reaching the level of fame enjoyed by many of his peers over... 

ANGELS & AIRWAVES Giving away music for free is only part of the plan While the record industry busied itself suing consumers for illegally downloading music, Angels & Airwaves came up with an alternate idea: Give away the songs for free. No strings attached. That’s exactly what the band did with its third album, Love, which the group first made available for download in February. “We felt in our heart that’s the way music is going,”... 

CAKE Two decades after forming as a “convulsive gesture,” an alt-rock stalwart doesn’t look back Cake frontman John McCrea isn’t given to retrospective analysis of how he, his music or his band has evolved over the past 20 years. “I feel strongly that the song should be its own universe,” he says. McCrea sees no need to find the threads that tie together either the band’s career or its new album, Showroom of Compassion. Fair enough.... 

CASSANDRA WILSON She listens and lets the songs speak to her—then she makes them her own Cassandra Wilson has a sixth sense when it comes to finding songs. “They will tell me if they are for me,” she says. “A song tells me that it belongs to me. It has to resonate and have some connection to who I am, who I’ve grown up to be, who I was and will be and who I want to be.” The veteran singer’s latest album, Silver Pony, includes several... 

INXS Reaching out to singers from around the world to celebrate a durable rock legacy Veteran Australian pop-rock band INXS set about making an instrumental album of new material. But the longer they worked on that project, the more they found themselves tinkering with older INXS tunes, spinning them into some unexpected new directions. “We weren’t really serious at first,” says keyboardist and principal songwriter Andrew Farriss, “and then... 

TAPES ’N TAPES An indie-rock upstart finds space in its songs during a full-circle journey to independence In some ways, the story of Tapes ’n Tapes reads like a case study of how the music business has changed over the last half-decade. The Minneapolis quartet released its debut, The Loon, in 2005, independently (in the U.S., at least) on its own Ibid label. The buzz earned them a spot on the roster of XL Recordings and a bigger budget for... 

THE DAMNED THINGS Fall Out Boy + Anthrax + Every Time I Die = a different kind of rock supergroup The first sound on Ironiclast, the debut album from unlikely hard-rock supergroup the Damned Things, is a monster guitar riff characteristic of six-string slingers Scott Ian and Rob Caggiano from thrash-metal mainstay Anthrax. The songs that follow are fast, tight and laser-precise—kind of like Every Time I Die, singer Keith Buckley and bassist Josh... 

RHONDA VINCENT One of bluegrass’ leading ladies takes care of business Rhonda Vincent grew up in the family business. The Missouri native first began singing at age 5 as a member of her parents’ bluegrass group, the Sally Mountain Show. Three years later she took up the mandolin, and it’s been her instrument of choice ever since. “One of the great things about growing up in a bluegrass family is that it allows you to experience so many different... 

YOKO ONO After a lifetime of artistic adventures, a restless innovator finds a new home on the dance floor “Never!” replies Yoko Ono when asked if she ever imagined she might someday become the toast of the dance floor—but that’s precisely what she has become. To a new generation of club kids who know little of her many decades of creating visual art, poetry, performance art and music—or of her marriage and collaborations with late Beatle... 

AARON NEVILLE Knocked down by tragedy, the sweet-voiced legend bounces back to spread the gospel Five years ago, Hurricane Katrina destroyed Aaron Neville’s New Orleans home. Two years later his wife of almost 48 years, Joel, died after a long bout with lung cancer. A pair of blows like that would’ve tested the faith of many men, but not Neville. “My faith never wavered,” says Neville, who relocated to Nashville after the Katrina disaster.... 

DAR WILLIAMS How a back-to-basics move led to a reevaluation of her rich musical history For years, Dar Williams had been thinking about rerecording some of her older songs in stripped-down arrangements. When she at last undertook the project, she was surprised at how much she had changed since starting her career nearly two decades ago. “Listening to the original recordings, I thought, ‘Wow, I don’t sound like the same person anymore,’”... 

BAD BOOKS Indie rockers Kevin Devine and Andy Hull join forces and get a little freaky Asked to describe Bad Books, the new joint side project between indie troubadour Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra frontman Andy Hull, the twosome will point to one song in particular on their self-titled debut. The grungy “Baby Shoes” was inspired by a six-word short story often (and probably wrongly) attributed to Ernest Hemingway: “For sale: baby shoes.... 

SHAWN MULLINS How crossing the divide between Atlanta and Nashville lit up his world A dozen years ago, the Top 10 hit “Lullaby” and platinum album Soul’s Core catapulted Atlanta-born singer and songwriter Shawn Mullins into the limelight. Before long he found himself opening arena shows for the likes of ’N Sync, the Backstreet Boys and Destiny’s Child—and becoming increasingly uncomfortable with his place in that overblown pop world.... 

SUGARLAND The country duo turns over another new leaf with its new album’s arena-rocking sound If Sugarland’s new album, The Incredible Machine, sounds grand and full of ambition, that’s because its inspiration was, too. “We had gotten a call about writing a song for a 2010 Winter Olympics soundtrack,” says guitarist Kristian Bush. “So we started thinking, ‘If I were writing a song for a skier or snowboarder to play on their iPod before... 

TRICKY Mixing things up with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and commitment Fame swept over trip-hop star Tricky so quickly in the mid-1990s that he was barely able to catch his breath. He sat out much of the ’00s to do just that. “It was a way of catching up with myself,” says Tricky of his self-imposed hiatus, during which he became a self-described fitness nut. “I’m more comfortable now. I realized I’ve got a great job. I’m lucky to... 

PHIL COLLINS A rock giant’s R&B labor of love might just be the last album he ever makes Phil Collins has sold more than 250 million albums over four decades as both a solo star and as the singer and drummer for rock supergroup Genesis. He has earned seven Grammy awards, an Oscar, two Golden Globes and membership in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Now Collins claims that he is well and truly finished. He swears that Going Back, a new 18-track... 

JAMEY JOHNSON A next-generation outlaw, shaking up country music with just a guitar Jamey Johnson’s new double album, The Guitar Song, is separated into conceptual halves. The first disc, dubbed “Black,” reverberates with the damage caused by broken relationships and broken promises, then the “White” disc moves past loneliness and loss towards feelings of redemption and forgiveness. But ask the soft-spoken singer and songwriter about the... 

OF MONTREAL Getting away from home for a while, thanks to a serious case of the funk flu Of Montreal mastermind Kevin Barnes recorded the group’s previous albums at his home studio in Georgia. But for the act’s new effort, False Priest, he elected to work with producer Jon Brion (Rufus Wainwright, Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple) in a professional studio. “It was really just a desire to do something different, because I’d been doing it this way... 

NELLIE McKAY Sharing ideas and changing hearts and minds, one vegan restaurant at a time If you ever find yourself in a vegan restaurant and you see a young blond woman at a table that’s groaning from the weight of the food on it, don’t be alarmed—it might just be Nellie McKay writing songs. She describes her ideal creative space thus: “In a vegan restaurant, eating a dairy-free caesar salad, a milkshake that tastes like a Butterfinger bar,... 

MAROON 5 From Switzerland to Nashville, finding the way forward on a make-or-break album On their 2007 album, It Won’t Be Soon Before Long, Maroon 5 enlisted a team of producers to help shape the material. For their latest disc, Hands All Over, the pop rockers turned to one—Robert John “Mutt” Lange, famed for his cinematic productions of AC/DC, Def Leppard and others. “The producers on the last album did a great job, but it was hard to... 

JENNY AND JOHNNY An indie-rock couple’s unplanned burst of inspiration turns into a full-time gig On I’m Having Fun Now, their debut effort as Jenny and Johnny, indie-rock “it” couple Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice take on God, economics and Michael Jackson’s chimpanzee, addressing these and other topics with wit and wisdom. The two began writing the album in late 2009—“a bastard of a year,” as Rice sings on the standout “My Pet... 

RAUL MALO Keeping music alive by getting out of his comfort zone For the creation of Raul Malo’s sonically diverse new album, Sinners & Saints, the crooner opted to forgo the assistance of just about everyone who had aided him in assembling his previous releases. Malo recorded much of the album at his home studio in Nashville, producing and playing most of the instruments himself. He then decamped to Bismeaux Studio in Austin, where he added... 

LITTLE BIG TOWN There’s a reason why this tenacious country group refuses to go back to the house When Little Big Town’s self-titled debut was released in 2002, its poppy, overproduced sound was met by critical scorn and commercial indifference. The band has been on a mission ever since. “The first record we made was just crucified, so we had something to prove,” says Kimberly Schlapman, who shares vocal duties equally with bandmates Karen... 

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO Finding himself again in songs about the mysteries of love After releasing two intensely personal concept albums—2006’s The Boxing Mirror, about a near-fatal bout with hepatitis C, and 2008’s Real Animal, a detail-rich rock ’n’ roll memoir—Alejandro Escovedo needed a change. He and collaborator Chuck Prophet began writing what would become Street Songs of Love, Escovedo’s 10th solo album. What emerged was a record... 

TIM O’BRIEN A bluegrass master in competition only with himself When selecting a title for his new album, bluegrass icon Tim O’Brien found inspiration when his neighbor’s chickens wandered into his photo shoot. He had a moment of realization later during a lunch of hardboiled eggs: “You don’t know what came first,” he says, “and it doesn’t matter.” Such is O’Brien’s approach to folk and bluegrass music on Chicken & Egg.... 

TEGAN AND SARA Ready to mix things up, in the studio and on stage After more than a dozen years of recording and performing, Canadian indie-pop duo Tegan and Sara know their fan base. Now they’re finding creative ways to expand it. That was the idea behind Alligator, a 17-track iTunes exclusive of remixes (and one demo) of the title song, a bouncy piano-based pop number that appeared on Tegan and Sara’s 2009 album Sainthood. For the remixes,... 

GOO GOO DOLLS Seeking inspiration from without as well as within Past Goo Goo Dolls hits—“Name,” “Slide” and “Let Love In,” to name a few—have been deeply introspective. For the band’s latest album, Something for the Rest of Us, frontman and principal songwriter Johnny Rzeznik wanted to look outside himself. A beautiful ballad, “Notbroken,” paved the way. “That song was based on conversations I had with a woman whose husband... 

FEFE DOBSON Making the most of an unexpected second chance at stardom Toronto native Fefe Dobson appeared poised for a major breakthrough in 2003—her song “Take Me Away” was climbing the charts, she scored endorsement deals with Tommy Hilfiger and the Got Milk? ad campaign and was picked as the opening act for Justin Timberlake’s world tour. Nonetheless, Dobson was dumped from her major label right before the release of her second album,... 

SQUEEZE Painstakingly recreating the past while looking to the future Squeeze’s Glenn Tilbrook knows a thing or two about the pressure of expectations. In the late ’70s, when the London-based band first came onto the scene, he and songwriting partner Chris Difford were lauded as “the new Lennon and McCartney.” “That was a tremendous compliment,” Tilbrook says. “But as a result, our writing got more mannered, more stylized and more... 

NIKKI & RICH A California girl and New York guy make beautiful music together As far as mea culpas go, “Next Best Thing,” the debut single by pop duo Nikki & Rich, isn’t particularly remorseful. Over malt-shop piano and doo-wop backing vocals, singer Nikki Leonti tells a heartbroken ex it was boredom that led her to stray. “It’s my fault, I’m the one to blame,” she coos, callous and cavalier. “Shame on me and my man-eating... 

MICHAEL FRANTI A sonic innovator with a sunny disposition—even in the hospital Michael Franti has long been acclaimed by critics and a devoted cult of fans for his fusion of hip-hop with blues, reggae and soul. But last year Franti and his backing group, Spearhead, were surprised to find a mass audience with the breakout hit “Say Hey (I Love You),” a charming nugget of reggae-pop. “We’ve gone from traveling in vans and playing in the street... 

TONIC An extended break quickly gives way to a long-awaited renewal Alt-rock band Tonic didn’t intend to wait eight years between albums, but side projects and growing families helped put some distance between the Los Angeles band’s 2002 album Head on Straight and its new self-titled effort. “There was no definitive moment when someone said, ‘Hey, let’s take a break,’ at least not on purpose,” says guitarist Jeff Russo. “It was more... 

PUNCH BROTHERS Chris Thile’s boundary-breaking crew shakes itself to see what’s inside If bands were in the habit of adopting stretches of highway, Punch Brothers would probably choose one that was all left turns. The hot-picking bluegrass-classical-jazz ensemble’s sophomore album, Antifogmatic, is full of melodic and rhythmic twists that defy convention at every chance. “Musical expression is by nature abstract,” explains mandolin player... 

HANSON Shouting out loud their love of classic R&B and rock ’n’ roll Hanson’s last album, 2007’s The Walk, was comprised of weighty songs about facing conflicts and overcoming obstacles. For the new Shout It Out, the Tulsa, Okla.-based band was determined to rediscover its sense of joy. “We wanted to make a summer record,” says drummer Zac Hanson, who co-founded the trio 18 years ago with brothers Taylor and Isaac. “Hopefully,... 

AGAINST ME! Drawing inspiration from Florida, fatherhood and a cross-country journey Driving across the country allows plenty of time for contemplation, which is how Against Me! singer Tom Gabel spent the trip last year on his way from his native Florida to Los Angeles to start recording sessions for the band’s new album, White Crosses. Gabel converted those thoughtful hours on the road into song lyrics, resulting in a batch of vivid punk tunes... 

GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS Casting aside comparisons and coming Grace Potter & the Nocturnals had always worn their 1960s and ’70s influences on their sleeves, as their charismatic frontwoman drew comparisons to greats ranging from Bonnie Raitt to Janis Joplin. But with the release of their self-titled third album, Potter and company have truly come into their own. “This time around there’s more of an identity,” says Potter. “We’ve... 

DIERKS BENTLEY A country star rediscovers a teenage love affair with bluegrass Dierks Bentley was a 19-year-old from Phoenix, Ariz., aiming for a career as a country singer when he walked into Nashville’s Station Inn nightclub, famous as the stomping ground to many of the city’s finest bluegrass pickers. What he heard there changed his life. “Up to that point I always thought of bluegrass music as being an older generation’s genre,” he... 

DEVO De-evolution is real and the future is now Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh used to be frustrated that the band was so frequently misunderstood. Today, many of the concepts the group put forth 30 years ago are all too familiar. “We talked about de-evolution, and people thought we were crazy,” Mothersbaugh says. “We predicted one day there would be something called Music Television, and our record companies and our managers said, ‘Why are... 

THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS For this pure pop collective, the more’s the merrier–marching band included The New Pornographers’ A.C. Newman has a confession to make. “Some people might think a song like ‘Daydream Believer’ by the Monkees is cheesy,” he says. “But every time I hear the song, I think it’s so beautiful it makes me want to cry.” Fans of the Newman-led collective, which just released its fifth studio album, Together, know... 

WIDESPREAD PANIC For their latest, the masters of improv draw upon comedy and tragedy alike Widespread Panic frontman John Bell sees a sharp distinction between being a so-called “jam band” and being a band that’s adept at improvisation. “It’s the difference between playing while you’re asleep and playing while you’re awake,” he says. “To apply yourself properly to improvisation, you need to have an awareness of the other players... 

BILL CHARLAP AND RENEE ROSNES A pair of virtuoso jazz pianists makes beautiful music together Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes are not like most couples. By the time they married in 2007, each was already a world-renowned jazz pianist with an impressive discography and a packed touring itinerary. The living room of their New Jersey home is taken up mostly by two grand Steinways, and their piano stools are where they prefer to spend their leisure hours.... 

THE HOLD STEADY Aging gracefully, struggling mightily and thinking positively On the Hold Steady’s fifth album, Heaven Is Whenever, singer Craig Finn continues his evolution from a scenester reveling in gritty detail to an elder statesman with wisdom to impart. “On the last record, I was concerned with aging and the attempt to age gracefully, which is a tricky business in rock ’n’ roll,” Finn says. “This record sounds more like it came... 

BETTYE LaVETTE A mighty soul legend takes on classic-rock heavyweights Bettye LaVette admits that she wasn’t listening to rock ’n’ roll radio at  the time the 1960s and ’70s classics she tackles on her new album, Interpretations: The British  Rock Songbook, were popular. “I was listening to mostly black radio then,” she says. “I’m a rhythm & blues singer, and that’s where my music was being played. I had no particular teenage... 

JOSH RITTER He thought he was cursed—until a mummy showed the way home Josh Ritter albums have been fueled by one dominant emotion—and for the new So Runs the World Away, that emotion was terror. “For the first time in my life, I felt, ‘I don’t belong here,’” Ritter says. “I was thinking it was time for me to do something else, to move on to something other than music. I felt like a phony, and that terrified me. It was an awful... 

MINUS THE BEAR A little less math + a little more groove =  maximum “Minus-the-Bear-ness” When Minus the Bear guitarist Dave Knudson listens back to his band’s 2007 album Planet of Ice, he hears a complex, “proggy” deviation from the Seattle quintet’s more dance-oriented early material. “We were going for it,” Knudson says—“it” being a level of precise, hyper-clever riffing and arranging that, over the last decade, has earned... 

FREEDY JOHNSTON After eight years, he’s back thanks to some discipline in the studio Freedy Johnston didn’t mean to spend eight years between albums. “I tried to make it a couple times on my own, and it didn’t work out for various reasons,” says the singer-songwriter. He discovered the key to his new Rain on the City album when he brought in producer Richard McLaurin as his collaborator. “You learn some lessons and go down one hallway,... 

MIDLAKE Slow and steady wins the race for this indie breakout band McKenzie Smith, Eric Pulido, Eric Nichelson, Tim Smith, Paul Alexander After exploring classic-rock influences like Fleetwood Mac and Crosby, Stills & Nash on their breakthrough album, 2006’s The Trials of Van Occupanther, the members of Midlake wanted a new direction. They found it in the folk-based tradition of vintage British acts such as Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention—then... 

Dave Haywood, Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley LADY ANTEBELLUM The hit country trio takes control of its own chemistry “If we could combine all our talent into one person, we’d be one hell of a good songwriter,” jokes Charles Kelley, one-third of the Grammy-nominated country trio Lady Antebellum. Kelley and bandmates Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood are doing just fine as it is. After finding fame with 2007’s platinum-certified... 

Billy Martin, Chris Wood, John Medeski MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD Improvisation is key—just don’t call ’em a jam band In late 2008, jazz-rock trio Medeski Martin & Wood pondered ways to inspire themselves to write new material. They found that inspiration in the animal kingdom. “There’s a bird, a certain canary, that comes up with a new song every year, which it never repeats in its lifetime,” explains keyboardist John...