SKYLAR GRAY An all-star songwriter finally releases her anticipated debut   Skylar Grey built her reputation on writing songs for superstars, so it’s understandable that she wanted her debut album to reflect her own personality. Originally set for release two years ago, the album was delayed. Songs were tweaked, added and removed—and now Don’t Look Down is finally seeing the light of day. Grey used the downtime to her advantage. “I got... 

ASHANTI The R&B chart-topper faces down the labels and goes her own way   She stars on TV’s Army Wives, has her own fragrance, and contributed to Artists Stand Up to Cancer’s “Just Stand Up!” single, but busy Ashanti still found time to write and record her fifth album, Braveheart. The first release on her own label, Written Entertainment, pitted Ashanti the artist against Ashanti the businesswoman. “As much as I’d love to be in... 

ROBERT RANDOLPH The pedal-steel powerhouse blazes funky new trails on his latest set By Bob Cannon On Lickety Split, the latest album by Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Robert Randolph takes the pedal steel guitar where no one has gone before. In his hands the instrument is no longer just the province of weepy country ballads—it contains multiple personalities, a musical Sybil that alternately evokes the ghosts of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi... 

TOM JONES The legendary Welsh heartthrob strips down (musically) for his new set Tom Jones ready to call it quits? Not a chance. “The fire has not gone out,” he says, “and to keep that fire burning, I have to sing new songs.” Jones, 73, established himself in the 1960s and ’70s as a swinging sex symbol with hits like “What’s New Pussycat?” and “It’s Not Unusual” before returning to the charts with his version of Prince’s “Kiss”... 

KT TUNSTALL The pop folkie kicks expectations to make her own kind of music  For KT Tunstall, the catalyst for her fourth album, Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon, was meeting veteran rocker Howe Gelb, frontman for Giant Sand. The Scottish singer-songwriter, 38, accepted Gelb’s invitation to record in Tucson, Ariz. Looking only to experiment with sounds, Tunstall came away with a collection of Americana-inspired songs—a marked departure from... 

AMY GRANT Life changes kick-start a creative revival for the Christian music icon  “I love all forms of the creative process, whether it’s cooking a meal or doing an art project,” says Amy Grant, “but I’d forgotten how much I missed that really intense process of making an album.” When it came time to record How Mercy Looks From Here, her first full-length album in eight years, Grant—who began her career as a contemporary Christian... 

THE NATIONAL Collecting critical raves and fans the old-fashioned way—one at a time    They’re no overnight sensation, but over the course of nearly 15 years and a half-dozen albums, New York indie-rockers the National have reached impressive critical and commercial heights. As they play high-profile slots at Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza this summer and release their latest album, Trouble Will Find Me, the group acknowledges that slow and steady... 

BLAKE SHELTON  Country’s fiercely independent superstar revels in pushing boundaries     For Blake Shelton, celebrity is simply part of the package that comes with being a successful musician. That philosophy has kept him grounded despite massive stardom gained as a mentor on TV’s mega-hit The Voice. Shelton’s easy wit and charm have endeared him to millions, even as he’s endured his share of slings and arrows. “I learned a long time... 

TOMMY EMMANUEL  Teaming up to unleash twice the fingerpicking power on his latest set By Russell Hall If anyone can be said to occupy the throne left behind by the great Chet Atkins, it’s Tommy Emmanuel. Regarded by many as the finest acoustic fingerpicker in the world, the two-time Grammy nominee has spent five decades dazzling audiences with his six-string virtuosity. And the 58-year-old Emmanuel places just as high a premium on songcraft and... 

RYAN TEDDER Rock star, songwriter, hit producer—he does it all and makes it look easy  By Michael Gallant To call Ryan Tedder a master of musical trades is an understatement—the Grammy-winning wiz is an international rock-star-songwriter-producer phenom. Tedder’s most visible gig is as frontman of OneRepublic, but pull away the curtain and his superstar production and songwriting credits are revealed. He’s helmed landmark albums and penned... 

GINNY BLACKMORE HOMETOWN: Auckland, New Zealand INFLUENCES: Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Lauryn Hill ALBUM: Due out late fall WEBSITE: ginnyblackmore.com New Zealand native Ginny Blackmore remembers precisely the moment she decided to be an entertainer: She was 9 and sitting in a movie theater captivated by Lauryn Hill’s performance in Sister Act 2. Blackmore was raised in a religious family and had little knowledge of secular music. “It... 

JADE HOMETOWN: New Orleans INFLUENCES: Sade, Billie Holiday, Donny Hathaway ALBUM: Jaded EP, due out fall WEBSITE: jadesbrownbox.com Born and raised in the New Orleans suburb of Houma, Jade spent her childhood immersed in music, dance and theater. She was inspired by the sounds of the bayou, incorporating them into her own blend of R&B and hip-hop. After competing in local talent shows, Jade helped form the girl group Sophia Fresh, which signed... 

KYLE HOMETOWN: Ventura, Calif. INFLUENCES: Jadakiss, Weezer, Drake ALBUM: Beautiful Loser, out now WEBSITE: superduperkyle.com Artist Kyle—born Kyle Harvey—began singing along to the sounds of classical music and crooner tunes that his mother played in the house when he was just 6. Four years later, the lure of Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “Got Your Money” had the youngster hooked on hip-hop. In high school, Kyle performed at talent... 

AVID PRO TOOLS 11 POWERHOUSE UPGRADE Pro Tools has long been a mainstay of the recording industry—but now Avid Pro Tools 11 offers up thrilling new prospects for users. There are countless minor workflow improvements in this latest version that streamline many routine tasks such as auditioning plug-ins and configuring sends. But the big upgrade is Pro Tools 11’s 64-bit architecture, which allows the program to better utilize system resources so... 

ASHDOWN CTM-15 TUBE-FIRED TRACKING AMP While Ashdown’s solid-state bass amps rock the world’s biggest stages, their tube amps are a huge hit with recording bass players. Packing more than enough juice for smaller gigs, the new CTM-15 tube head was specifically developed for the recording world. A straight shot through a three-band EQ, ending at a pair of EL84s, provides pure tube-fired tone at lower wattages. And the onboard VU meter is more than... 

IBANEZ PAT METHENY PM200 METHENY’S HOLLOWBODY The Ibanez Pat Metheny PM200 hollowbody electric guitar is the closest most guitarists can hope to get to playing the master’s personal jazzbox. Made in Japan by Ibanez’s top luthiers, the PM200 features impressive build quality and plays like a dream. A naturally finished, all-maple body bolstered by a custom-carved mahogany neck offers quintessential jazz guitar tone with an old-time look. The... 

YAMAHA DTX502 NEXT-GEN DIGITAL DRUMS Following the release of the Yamaha DTX502 drum module, the company released three new electronic drum kits: the DTX562K, DTX532K and DTX522K. Featuring new drum pad configurations and a full set of three-zone cymbals, these kits have garnered acclaim from high-level performers. The DTX502 drum module itself provides 250 phenomenal new sounds—now up to 691—and support for cymbal muting, natural-sounding swells,... 

LINE 6 SONIC PORT POD TONE FOR YOUR PHONE The Line 6 Sonic Port turns nearly any iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch into a tone machine driven by real POD guitar effects. The Mobile POD app—which requires the Sonic Port—offers up more than 10,000 killer guitar tones featuring 32 amp models, 16 cabinets, and 16 classic stompbox effects. The Sonic Port also works with many other iOS apps, and even unlocks POD tones in the popular Jammit backing track app.... 

ZOOM H6 HANDY RECORDER MULTITRACK MAGIC The Zoom H6 Handy Recorder makes capturing quality audio in the field a breeze. It’s perfect for recording rehearsals, capturing mixer feeds, tracking on location and much more. The portable six-track recording system comes equipped with four XLR/TRS combo inputs complete with onboard microphone preamps, phantom power, and external volume controls. Plus, there’s an attachment port that accepts additional... 

STUDIOLOGIC SLEDGE SUPER SYNTH With 35 tweakable knobs and a five-octave Fatar TP/9 keybed onboard, the Studiologic Sledge digital synthesizer is a feast for the fingertips. It’s built around an analog layout and fueled by a Waldorf sound engine loaded with digital wavetables from the legendary PPG Wave. A trio of oscillators and full subtractive synthesis controls provide a solid foundation for massive stacks, complex atmospherics and everything... 

TELEFUNKEN M82 ADD PUNCH TO YOUR KICK Telefunken M82 dynamic microphone makes it a snap to capture the best kick drum and other bass-heavy sounds right at the source. In addition to a 1.37” moving-coil diaphragm that comfortably captures low-end punch and body, this versatile mic sports a couple of switchable settings for fine-tuning its response. There’s a KICK EQ mode that notches out 350 Hz to eliminate boxiness, and a high boost mode for adding... 

NUMARK ORBIT GRAB & GO COMMANDER The Numark Orbit wireless handheld controller is a natural fit for any digital DJ longing to step out from the booth without letting go of the mix. With its 16 multicolor backlit pads, touch-sensitive aluminum control wheel, and unique accelerometer-driven two-axis position sensor, the Orbit provides artists with control over dozens of MIDI-based functions—taking freestyle controlling to a new level. But it’s... 

FENDER PASSPORT MINI PORTABLE PA POWER  For small coffeehouse gigs, street-corner busking, or playing in the park, the Fender Passport Mini packs plenty of battery-powered portable PA power. One channel provides inputs for a microphone or line-level, and the other features a guitar input, plus there’s a stereo input for a music player. In addition to the preset delays, reverbs and modulations, Fender’s FUSE software provides access to a massive... 

MILEY CYRUS AND BOLLYWOOD There Are Other Options Every week I watch AVS (Asian Variety Show), as its web site describes it, “a weekly capsule that encompasses the best of Bollywood and beyond.” The New Jersey-based, English language program is available on cable and satellite TV stations as well as online, and does a great job in keeping you up-to-date on South Asian culture if you’re into it—like I am. Last week they ran an interview with... 

NICK ASHFORD & THE HAGER TWINS Never met a stranger Hair loss being what it is, if it’s summer and I’m traveling, I always take along a baseball cap. Off to L.A., I thought of taking my “Milwaukee Road” with the tilted logo that I’d recently acquired, but I’d worn that on a July 4th outing to Cape Cod and wanted something different. But only two others were within easy reach. One was a great Cleveland International Records cap with... 

A new mastering pack for EZmix 2 available! Umeå, Sweden, August 20, 2013 After the massive success of the Mastering EZmix Pack, Toontrack just released a second collection of settings completely devoted to mastering. Just like the first volume, Mastering II EZmix Pack was designed by Mats “Limpan” Lindfors, senior engineer at the leading mastering studio in Scandinavia, Cutting Room. Equipped with an expanded selection of back-end effects... 

KONGAR-OL ONDAR Tuvan Throat Singer Tuvan throat singer Kongar-ol Ondar has died. Saw him several times after Jim Ed Norman signed him to Warner Nashville and co-produced his Back Tuva Future album for the label in 1999. The album featured true “country crossover” titles like “Tuva Groove” and “Little Yurt on the Prairie,” and guest artists including Willie Nelson, Randy Scruggs and Bill Miller. I laughed out loud when I read The New... 

NEW VIDEO BY SARA HICKMAN Check out singer-songwriter Sara Hickman’s new video “Selfish Freak”—released exclusively by M Music & Musicians—from her latest album Shine. Sara Hickman : Selfish Freak from Kirtland Records on Vimeo.  Read More →

THE SUBURBS Fans Crowd-Funding Through Kickstarter Seems lately like every other day brings a new Kickstarter campaign to my Inbox, and while I’m all in favor of keeping my favorite artists going in this era of declining CD sales and record labels and opportunities to produce a professional music product and get it out there, I had to shake my head at the news that even Spike Lee is looking for a $1.25 million Kickstarter handout for his next film. And... 

ELVIS COSTELLO & THE ROOTS Wise Up Ghost [Blue Note] If he weren’t such a great and versatile singer—irritable punk one album, tender balladeer the next, something entirely different the one after that—Elvis Costello might have made a fantastic rapper. Thankfully, he doesn’t prove it on this surprise collaboration with eclectic Philly hip-hop collective the Roots, but he does rely more on words (always his best friends) and grooves than... 

MAVIS STAPLES One True Vine  [Anti-] Like Bettye LaVette and the late Solomon Burke, gospel-soul singer Mavis Staples’ career has seen a resurgence in recent years thanks to a fruitful collaboration with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy. But Staples never feels the need to compromise her roots or reverence to mine commercial appeal. Instead, she tows the line between unwavering faith and a tireless quest for redemption, and while the majority of these songs... 

PORTUGAL. THE MAN Evil Friends [Atlantic] On first pass, listeners with no knowledge of this band might hear Evil Friends and wonder if it’s a man or a woman singing. Not only is it a man—it’s the man. Portugal. The Man’s John Gourley has a high-pitched voice that’s among the most distinctive in indie rock, and on his group’s eighth studio record, it proves a striking instrument. Generally faster and more aggressive than previous PTM releases,... 

CAMERA OBSCURA Desire Lines [4AD] Perhaps unfairly, Camera Obscura have always been lumped in with the other jangly indie-pop bands from their hometown of Glasgow. On their fifth album, the group seizes an opportunity to carve out their own identity, moving away from the kinds of vibrant string arrangements so prominent on their previous releases. While “I Missed Your Party” has shades of the orchestral charm and brass-band camp that—like hand-wringing... 

GUY CLARK My Favorite Picture of You [Dualtone] At 71, Guy Clark is one of Texas country’s elder statesmen, a songwriter’s songwriter whose material has been recorded by luminaries like Emmylou Harris and Johnny Cash. My Favorite Picture of You, his first studio album in four years, was worth the wait. The title track, written with Gordie Sampson, is a poignant tribute to songwriter and artist Susanna Clark, Guy’s wife of 40 years who passed... 

QUEENSRŸCHE   Queensrÿche  [Century Media] It’s taken Seattle prog-metal stalwarts Queensrÿche more than 30 years to release a self-titled album, but with original singer Geoff Tate absent, this marks the debut of a new lineup. Today’s group comprises three co-founders (bassist Eddie Jackson, rhythm guitarist Michael Wilton and drummer Scott Rockenfield), latter-day guitarist Parker Lundgren, and rookie singer Todd La Torre. Instrumental... 

SURFER BLOOD Pythons [Warner Bros.] There’s something delightfully ’90s about this Florida quartet’s sophomore album and major label debut, and with producer Gil Norton (Pixies, Counting Crows, Throwing Muses) at the helm, it’s no huge surprise. Pythons is full of punchy guitar hooks and smooth, harmonious vocals, and while it’s poppy, there are some fetching bursts of anger. On opener “Demon Dance,” frontman John Paul Pitts sings about... 

ALISON MOYET  The Minutes [Cooking Vinyl] As Yaz, Alison Moyet and synth-pop maestro Vince Clarke (Depeche Mode, Erasure) recorded one of pop’s most simple yet haunting songs, “Only You.” Here, Moyet has another significant other: producer Guy Sigsworth (Bjork, Robyn, Madonna). And Sigsworth’s presence is significant; these wonderfully arranged and produced songs find the pair flitting with ease from edgy to laissez-faire. Breezy opener “Horizon... 

DELBERT & GLEN Blind, Crippled and Crazy [New West] A 40-year gap between collaborations must be some kind of world record, but it’s not as if Delbert McClinton and Glen Clark—who last recorded together in 1973—have been sitting around doing nothing. Clark’s songs have found their way to the likes of Bonnie Raitt and the Blues Brothers, while McClinton has been an Americana hero since before that genre had a name. What’s most remarkable... 

SNOW WHITE’S POISON BITE Dr. Gruesome and the Gruesome Gory Horror Show [Victory] The second album from Snow White’s Poison Bite, a band carrying on the beautifully warped tradition of Finnish metal, is the music your parents warned about. By his own admission, frontman Allan Cotterill, aka Jeremy Thirteenth, is “out for blood,” and given the album’s traumatic horror-show imagery (graveyards, creeps, zombies) and ghoulish nihilism, it seems... 

ROBERT POLLARD Honey Locust Honky Tonk [GBV] Somehow, in between the 57 or so Guided by Voices albums he’s recorded over the past year and a half, Robert Pollard found time to make his 23rd solo record. But despite its title, Honey Locust Honky Tonk isn’t the super-prolific singer-songwriter’s traditional country music addition to his vast catalog. (The only thing vaguely country is the cowboy hat Pollard sports on the album’s cover and the... 

 BOX SET SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE Higher! [Epic/Legacy] Is it possible, after all these years, there’s more to the story of Sly and the Family Stone? Apparently so, as the groundbreaking interracial, mixed-gender, funk/soul/rock juggernaut left behind enough loose ends to fill these four CDs. Much of Higher! consists of mono masters of singles and album tracks, some significantly different (more punch, less air) than their stereo counterparts,... 

KEITH JARRETT TRIO Somewhere [ECM] It’s a rare jazz outfit that stays intact as long as pianist Keith Jarrett, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette. Rarer still is a group this familiar to one another that manages to keep diving into uncharted waters. For the 2009 Swiss concert heard here, Jarrett was in a particularly improvisational mood. Opener “Deep Space” is all explorations and sudden shifts of temperament, and DeJohnette sits... 

BOB SCHNEIDER Burden of Proof [Kirtland] Austin-based singer-songwriter Bob Schneider has enjoyed a storied career, fronting an eclectic array of hometown bands before going it alone on such acclaimed solo albums as Lonelyland, I’m Good Now and Lovely Creatures. Major label affiliations and more than two-dozen local music awards have raised his profile, but the big breakthrough fans have sadly failed to materialize. Whether the aptly titled Burden... 

EDWARD SHARPE AND THE MAGNETIC ZEROS Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros [Vagrant/Rough Trade] There’s something so exquisitely retro about the third studio album from this L.A. 10-piece that you have to look twice to confirm its dozen raspy, romping tracks weren’t cut in the early ’60s. While bandleader Alex Ebert and frontwoman Jade Castrinos don’t sing together on every track, standouts such as “Two” find their voices rising above... 

TERENCE BLANCHARD Magnetic [Blue Note] Terence Blanchard, continues to give new meaning to the word prolific. Primarily known as a jazz trumpeter and composer, he’s worked as an educator and written music for films, theater and even opera. So when he actually gets around to releasing proper jazz records it’s an event. Happily, Magnetic is as strong as anything he’s produced. Surrounding himself with his regular quintet, Blanchard surveys various... 

PEDALJETS What’s In Between thepedaljets.com The indie world’s sudden interest in all things ’90s is great news for the Pedaljets, which is funny, since they missed out on that decade the first time around. Formed in Lawrence, Kan., in 1984, this is one of rock’s classic “coulda been a contender” bands, and had they stuck it out after the 1989 release of their sophomore album, they might have found fame in the post-Nirvana era. On their... 

MARSHALL CHAPMAN Blaze of Glory tallgirl.com On one hand, you can’t believe this South Carolinian cult fave is 64 years old. The singer, songwriter and “female Jagger,” as some call her, wrote and recorded her 13th album after what sounds like one hell of a trip to Mexico. Chapman gets real on bluesy rockabilly cuts and spills her guts on country-folk ballads, and thanks to warm production and sparse arrangements—all rumbling bass and twinkling... 

KEATON SIMONS Beautiful Pain keatonsimons.com A prime mover in his hometown L.A. scene, this singer-songwriter and studio musician has opened for Coldplay and Train, done session work for Snoop Dogg and Gnarls Barkley and landed songs on numerous TV shows, among them Celebrity Rehab, which featured his stepfather, actor Eric Roberts, as a patient. Why, then, isn’t he famous? It’s probably a matter of time. Simons’ sophomore effort is an exceedingly... 

JAY NASH Letters From the Lost jaynash.com Nowadays, since car-commercial placements are the new hit singles, you don’t want to be too much of anything—except maybe versatile. On his latest, this Vermont singer-songwriter mopes and strums like Ray LaMontagne (“Sometimes”), whoops and stomps like a Lumineer (“Sailor”), plays blues-pop riffs like John Mayer and even tries some Thom Yorke falsetto. No wonder he’s performed with everyone... 

THE MOTHER HIPS Behind Beyond motherhips.com Californian to their core, the Mother Hips know that life is nothing to get hung about. No matter what earthly concerns harsh our mellows, “man is not the man,” and we all wind up “back in the ocean.” So frontman Tim Bluhm sings on “Isle Not of Man,” the leadoff track on their eighth album. These self-styled “California Soul” survivors don’t fear a return to the Pacific, and on these slightly...