NEIL SEDAKA The Music of My Life [Razor & Tie] While the days have long passed when Neil Sedaka’s brand of songwriting dominated the airwaves, the 70-year-old veteran holds true to the classic-sounding piano pop that made him a star in the early 1960s and a comeback kid in the mid-’70s. The Music of My Life proves that Sedaka has lost none of his touch. Rife with energetic melodies, elegant arrangements and an old-school showman’s flair,... 

THE MAGNETIC FIELDS Realism [Nonesuch] After swathing their songs in bristling feedback for 2008’s Distortion, the Magnetic Fields take the opposite approach on their latest. Leader Stephin Merritt calls Realism their “folk album”—but this is variety-show folk with a knowing, occasionally ironic undertone. The instrumentation is mostly acoustic, with guitar, bouzouki, cello, horns and hand percussion. It’s fairly straightforward on the opening... 

JULIAN LENNON AND JAMES SCOTT COOK Lucy [theRevolution] We all recall blushing at the sight of our first innocent childhood crush. Such thoughts are the essence of “Lucy,” the title track from the new EP by Julian Lennon and James Scott Cook. Inspired in part by the same real-life girl who was famously “in the sky with diamonds” in a little ditty penned by Lennon’s dad, the song is short on story and long on wordless choruses. Yet when the... 

CARRIE NEWCOMER Before and After [Rounder] In the acknowledgements for her 11th solo studio album, folk singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer thanks several friends for passing down stories that inspired various songs. It’s just the first in a series of nods to folkloric tradition: These 13 original compositions also boast quietly uncomplicated arrangements and minimalist metaphors. This simplistic approach is occasionally twee, as when Newcomer borrows... 

HOT CHIP One Life Stand [Astralwerks] Hot Chip’s warm and fuzzy fourth album is not without its bangers, but even when this London electro-pop quartet is gunning for the clubs, it’s thinking about what’s waiting at home. Almost too sweet for their beats, the thumping, bumping likes of “I Feel Better” and “We Have Love” are about finding comfort in the arms of another. The album’s 10 tracks rank among the mellowest and most melodic... 

ALLISON MOORER Crows [Rykodisc] For an artist whose career has been built on darkly gorgeous  hymns to melancholy, suddenly finding yourself happily married is an occupational hazard. Allison Moorer’s 2006 album Getting Somewhere found her working with new husband Steve Earle, and some measure of inspiration was lost between the earnest sunniness of the songs and Earle’s overbearing production stamp. Last year’s covers album Mockingbird was... 

CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG IRM [Elektra] There’s a lot of baggage attached to the Gainsbourg name: Serge Gainsbourg was the enfant terrible of French erotic whisper pop, and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree when it comes to daughter Charlotte. Her previous 5:55 engaged the talents of Air and Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker to provide music and lyrics. This time it’s Beck who fills that role, bringing his whimsical sense of arrangement to the “Motorcycle... 

FOUR TET There Is Love in You [Domino] Even those who aren’t fans of electronic music would find it difficult not to be impressed by Kieran Hebden’s resume. A former member of the U.K. post-rock band Fridge, Hebden embarked on a solo career a decade ago under the moniker Four Tet, and since then has recorded four albums, opened for Radiohead and provided remixes for an eclectic group of artists that includes everyone from Bloc Party to Black... 

SPOON Transference [Merge Records] Long known as a bastion of alternative country, Austin has also spawned some of America’s most adventurous pop bands. At the top of the heap stands Spoon, a quartet that strives to balance experimental art rock with jagged guitar pop in a way that’s palatable to mainstream listeners. Transference achieves that goal better than anything the group has released thus far. Packed with angular guitars, staccato... 

WAS (NOT WAS) Pick of the Litter 1980-2010 [Micro Werks] Don Was (née Fagenson) and David Was (née Weiss) established themselves as critical darlings in the 1980s by marrying clever and often absurdist lyrics to danceable music—a combination that unexpectedly thrust them into the mainstream in 1988 with the irresistible hits “Walk the Dinosaur” and “Spy in the House of Love.” Don Was’ emergence as an in-demand producer helped to... 

BLUE HIGHWAY + Some Day: The Fifteenth Anniversary Collection Formed in the mid-1990s, Blue Highway was a relative latecomer to progressive bluegrass. Although it missed its chance to help define the genre, the group’s consistency over the years has resulted in some of its finest recordings. This collection actually doesn’t pick up till midway through Blue Highway’s career, with its arrival at Rounder Records in 2001. By that time the quintet... 

PATTY GRIFFIN + Downtown Church Patty Griffin is, by her own religious estimation, a lapsed Catholic of no certain faith. So she might seem like an odd duck to be doing a “gospel album”—except that hers is a voice you hope to hear sing not only the phone book but also the Bible, Koran and Bhagavad Gita, if possible. In any case, there’s nothing pat or predictable about the quietly stunning Downtown Church, which finds Griffin focusing on black... 

In This Light and On This Evening After Editors’ stellar U.S. debut in 2006 got overlooked and a self-conscious 2007 follow-up came and went here without much fanfare, the British post-punk band seems to have struck a comfortable balance on its third release. Editors will probably never shake the scorn of those who think the band is merely rehashing influences such as Joy Division and Echo & the Bunnymen, but this time it doesn’t seem to care.... 

Fall Be Kind The members of Animal Collective started 2009 with the first album of the year worth your buck (Merriweather Post Pavilion) and ended it with an EP that proves once again they’re one mighty trippy bunch. Like the rest of the Brooklyn band’s best work, Fall Be Kind lets us fantasize about the music Brian Wilson might have made in the late 1960s and beyond if the drugs he favored had been even harder and Mike Love’s prohibitively... 

Few bands have worked a winning formula as rigorously as Lifehouse. Roaring out of the box a decade ago with the smash “Hanging By a Moment,” the L.A.-based group hit upon a radio-friendlier version of the grunge aesthetic. Four albums later, Lifehouse continues to work that approach for all it’s worth. “Halfway Gone,” “Had Enough” and “All In” sport anthemic choruses, wall-of-sound guitars and infectious melodies, and are given... 

TELLURIDE BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL June 17-20, Telluride, Colo. Top acts: Alison Krauss & Union Station, Del McCoury Band, Lyle Lovett Tickets: $60 per day, $185 for the weekend 2009 attendance: 10,000 bluegrass.com/telluride Now in its 37th year, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival has grown to 10 times its original size—and would likely continue if venue capacity weren’t capped at 10,000. Telluride is a family-friendly summer festival with a wealth... 

ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL July 2-4, New Orleans, La. Top acts: Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Earth Wind & Fire, De La Soul Tickets: $159-636 2009 attendance: 270,000+ essence.com/festival The Essence Music Festival was created 15 years ago by the lifestyle magazine for black women. Artists you’ll find headlining the event embody the messages found in its pages: women whose music preaches empowerment and independence. Educational seminars... 

FORECASTLE FESTIVAL July 9-11, Louisville, Ky. Top acts: The Flaming Lips, Spoon, Drive-By Truckers, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists Tickets: $60 per day, $150 for the weekend 2009 attendance: 23,000+ forecastlefest.com So over the big-name festivals everyone’s heard of? Get in on the next big summer thing by checking out Forecastle. Founded in 2002 as a free event spotlighting local bands, it has since outgrown three subsequent venues, attracted the... 

IOWA STATE FAIR Aug. 12-22, Des Moines, Iowa Top acts: Keith Urban, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Sugarland, Colbie Caillat Tickets: $25-47 2009 attendance: 1 million+ iowastatefair.org Looking for the king of state fairs? Head to Des Moines. Founded in 1854, the 11-day fair saw a record-setting 1.1 million visitors in 2008. This must-see slice of Americana offers nightly concerts over a range of genres, though country and nostalgia-type fare feature... 

CAREFUSION NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL Aug. 6-8, Newport, R.I. Top acts: Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Chick Corea Freedom Band, Jamie Cullum Tickets: $69-100 per day Performers: 30+ newportjazzfest.net Some of America’s most famous jazz recordings were made at this legendary festival, which since 1954 has brought together the greats for three days of nonstop music. The first outdoor jazz festival has served as an introduction to luminaries such as... 

ROCKY MOUNTAIN FOLKS FESTIVAL Aug. 13-15, Lyons, Colo. Top acts: John Prine, Ani DiFranco, The Swell Season, Richard Thompson Tickets: $110 for a 3-day pass 2009 attendance: 3,500 per day bluegrass.com/folks For a selection of the best in song craftsmanship, look no further than this Colorado festival nestled in the mountains, a sister event to the well-known Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Now in its 20th year, the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival attracts... 

KERRVILLE FOLK FESTIVAL May 27-June 13, Kerrville, Texas Top acts: Indigo Girls, Slaid Cleaves, Sara Hickman, Randy Rogers, Porterdavis Tickets: $25-40 per day Site space: 50 acres kerrville-music.com One of the longest summer music festivals, Kerrville runs for 18 days and features more than 60 folk acts, as well as songwriting seminars, guitar workshops and open mic nights. Attendees can camp out on the Quiet Valley Ranch for an extended stay or... 

LEVITT PAVILIONS May – Sept., Los Angeles; Pasadena, Calif.; Westport, Conn.; Memphis, Tenn.; Arlington, Texas Top Acts: Todd Snider, Cowboy Junkies, Dionne Warwick, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears Tickets: Free levittpavilions.org A nationwide nonprofit committed to promoting arts in the community, Levitt Pavilions offers free concerts at five locations throughout the summer months. Relax on the lawn and soak up the sounds of blues, zydeco,... 

CROSSROADS GUITAR FESTIVAL June 26, Bridgeview, Ill. Top acts: Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Steve Winwood, John Mayer, Vince Gill Tickets: $100 2007 attendance: 28,000 crossroadsguitarfestival.com When the legendary Eric Clapton assembled a group of guitar virtuosos for an all-day show in 2004, it was billed as a once-in-a-lifetime line-up. But he organized a repeat performance in 2007 and again this summer. More than 25 guitarists will gather... 

WATERFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL July 2-5, Portland, Ore. Top acts: Taj Mahal, Little Feat, John Mayall, Booker T. Tickets: $10 plus two cans of food, per day 2009 donations: 87,577 pounds of food waterfrontbluesfest.com You can’t beat the admission price for the country’s second-largest blues festival. The fundraiser for a local food bank asks for a minimal donation each day in exchange for more than eight hours of music on four stages overlooking... 

BONNAROO June 10-13, Manchester, Tenn. Top acts: Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, Kings of Leon, Dave Matthews Band, Norah Jones, Weezer Tickets: $249 2009 attendance: 75,000 Site space: 700 acres bonnaroo.com It’s safe to say the majority of outdoor music events these days have taken their cues from Bonnaroo. “It’s America’s best-known camping festival,” says Bongiovanni. Since 2002, the event has grown from a laidback jam to a 24-hour carnival of... 

LOLLAPALOOZA Aug. 6-8, Chicago, Ill. Top acts: Lady Gaga, Green Day, Soundgarden, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, Cypress Hill, MGMT, Erykah Badu Tickets: $215 2009 attendance: 225,000+ Artists: 150+ lollapalooza.com In the ’90s, Lollapalooza criss-crossed the country as the premier alt-rock summer tour, after getting its start as an extended farewell for Jane’s Addiction organized by lead singer Perry Farrell. Slow ticket sales eventually forced it... 

VANS WARPED TOUR June 25-Aug. 15, kick-off in Carson, Calif. Tickets: around $30, varies by city Top acts: The All-American Rejects, Andrew WK, Bring Me the Horizon, We the Kings Stages: 5+, depending on venue vanswarpedtour.com The line-up for the 2010 Warped Tour was announced via YouTube by Tiffany Mink, a 23-year-old music blogger sporting a nose ring, which offers a general idea of the event’s demographic. But the tour is a bargain. High-profile... 

CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL June 10-13, Nashville, Tenn. Top acts: Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Zac Brown Band Tickets: $30+ per day, $110-300 plus fees for a 4-day pass 2009 attendance: 56,000 per day average cmafest.com If you’re in the mood for country music this summer, there’s no shortage of options. But not only does this reasonably priced four-day festival boast more than 150 hours of music, it offers the increasingly rare opportunity... 

PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL July 16-18, Chicago, Ill. Top acts: Modest Mouse, Broken Social Scene, LCD Soundsystem, Pavement, Big Boi Tickets: $40 per day 2009 attendance: 49,000 pitchforkmusicfestival.com Founded in 1996, Pitchfork Media quickly became a leading voice in online music criticism, and its accompanying festival is poised for the same brand of success. Just five years old, it drew an impressive crowd last year, and three-day passes have... 

The A-300PRO combines Cakewalk’s lauded software compatibility and universality with Roland’s decades of experience. FOR: Keyboard players. In the world of MIDI controllers, expressivity is key. The plug-and-play USB connection and dedicated transport controls are great features for home recording and production, but rarely do we see such responsive, musical action in a 32-key controller. Nine knobs, nine sliders and eight dynamic pads increase... 

Superior Drummer 2.0 has a revamped interface and loads of new sample libraries. FOR: Songwriters, producers and even drummers. Superior Drummer 2.0 has improved load times, dynamic and EQ controls, ADSR for sample-playback shaping and compatibility with Toontrack EZdrummer libraries, making it as straightforward or as in-depth as needed. Add the Music City USA SDX expansion for 20GB of pristine drum samples recorded in Nashville by drummer Harry... 

Taylor’s T3/B pairs the best of a hollowbody with some signature features from their SolidBody and T5 electrics. FOR: Electric guitarists in almost any genre. The neck expands on Taylor’s hollow T5 design with more substantial frets, t confidence and comfort in the fingers. The same Style 2 HD humbuckers found on the SolidBody line offer traditional three-way switching, while pulling up on the volume knob engages a coil-splitter. The tone knob... 

Perhaps the most complete entry-level studio package we’ve seen. FOR: Home and mobile recording. Fast Track has a sexy new look, with top-mounted knobs, rounded edges and monitor switching boiled down to a single button. Speaking of monitoring, the headphone output is louder than in previous builds, making it less of a hassle to find a balance between mic and instrument when recording simultaneously. The bundled Pro Tools M-Powered Essential software... 

This waterproof case for Stratocasters and Telecasters is the first injection-molded case of its kind. FOR: Traveling guitarists. SKB has spared no efforts in creating the ultimate flight case for two of the most common body styles. The polypropylene copolymer resin is designed to be corrosion- and impact-resistant, airtight, waterproof and even submersible up to certain pressures. Inside, a plush lining supports the neck and protects the guitar from... 

WHO’S NEXT: ELI ‘PAPERBOY’ REED HOMETOWN: Boston INFLUENCES: Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding ALBUM: Come and Get It, due out Aug. 10 WEBSITE: elipaperboyreed.com EVERYTHING CHANGED FOR YOUNG ELI REED THE DAY that his father bought a Ray Charles box set, which the family listened to again and again over the course of a summer vacation. Reed was already a fan of vintage rock ’n’ roll and country music, but when he heard... 

WHO’S NEXT: NIKKI YANOFSKY HOMETOWN: Montreal, Quebec INFLUENCES: Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday ALBUM: Nikki, out now WEBSITE: nikkionline.ca THINGS HAVE MOVED QUICKLY FOR NIKKI YANOFSKY-AT 12 she was singing in front of 100,000 people at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, by 13 she had been nominated for a Juno award (Canada’s equivalent to the Grammys), and at 16 she’s just released her debut studio album,... 

WHO’S NEXT: SONS OF SYLVIA HOMETOWN: Rocky Mount, Va. MEMBERS: Adam Clark (mandolin, guitar, vocals) Ashley Clark (lead vocals, guitar, fiddle) Austin Clark (Dobro, lap steel, vocals) ALBUM: Revelation, out now WEBSITE: sonsofsylvia.com ADAM, ASHLEY AND AUSTIN CLARK are Three of 11 children born to traveling ministers Freddy and Sylvia Clark (hence the name of the group), who taught them to play instruments as kids. The three were all working... 

WHO’S NEXT: LAURA BELL BUNDY HOMETOWN: Lexington, Ky. INFLUENCES: Pearl Bailey, Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson ALBUM: Achin’ and Shakin’, out now WEBSITE: laurabellbundy.com FOR LAURA BELL BUNDY, THE ROAD TO NASHVILLE BEGAN in New York City. She had been performing country music for several years, but caught the attention of Music City as the Tony-nominated star of Broadway musicals like Legally Blonde, Hairspray and Wicked. She set aside... 

WHO’S NEXT: BERTELL HOMETOWN: Houston, Texas INFLUENCES: Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder ALBUM: Goin’ Hard, out June 22 WEBSITE: bertellonline.com R&B NEWCOMER BERTELL (BORN BERTELL YOUNG) got his start in his grade-school cafeteria, where he regularly took over the piano and sang to entertain his classmates. He attended college in new Jersey on a basketball scholarship, and through his team’s coach got to know music... 

WHO’S NEXT: TRUTH & SALVAGE CO. HOMETOWN: Los Angeles, Ca. MEMBERS: Joe Edel (bass), Adam Grace (keyboards), Tim Jones (vocals, guitar), Scott Kinnebrew (vocals, guitar), Bill “Smitty” Smith (vocals, drums), Walker Young (vocals, keyboards) ALBUM: Truth & Salvage Co., out May 25 WEBSITE: truthandsalvageco.com TRUTH & SALVAGE CO. FORMED IN 2005, GROWING OUT of late-night jam sessions at Hotel Café in Hollywood, where singer... 

WHO’S NEXT: KATE MILLER-HEIDKE Kate Miller-Heidke HOMETOWN: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia INFLUENCES: Joni Mitchell, Queen,  Regina Spektor ALBUM: Curiouser, out now WEBSITE: katemillerheidke.com ESTABLISHED AS A POP STAR IN HER NATIVE AUSTRALIA since 2007, singer and keyboardist Kate Miller-Heidke is poised to make a similar splash in the u.s. she recorded Curiouser over more than two months in Los Angeles, collaborating with guitarist... 

WHO’S NEXT: PAPER TONGUES Paper Tongues HOMETOWN: Charlotte, N.C. MEMBERS: Aswan North (vocals), Devin Forbes (guitar), Joey Signa (guitar), Cody Blackler (keyboards), Clayton Simon (keyboards), Danny Santell (bass), Jordan Hardee (drums) ALBUM: Self-titled debut out this summer; Ride to California digital EP out now WEBSITE: papertongues.com PAPER TONGUES’ MEMBERS GREW UP IN NORTH Carolina listening to rock, electronica... 

WHO’S NEXT: IMELDA MAY Imelda May HOMETOWN: Dublin, Ireland INFLUENCES: Billie Holiday, Luke Kelly, Gene Vincent ALBUM: Love Tattoo, out now WEBSITE: imeldamay.com MANY WHO TUNED IN DURING JEFF BECK’S TRIBUTE TO the late Les Paul on the Grammy Awards earlier this year found themselves wondering about the identity of the intriguing young woman singing “How High the Moon” alongside the guitar great. Those listeners were getting their fi... 

WHO’S NEXT: SALVADOR SANTANA Salvador Santana HOMETOWN: San Francisco, Calif. INFLUENCES: Bob Marley, Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner ALBUM: Keyboard City, out Feb. 2 WEBSITE: salvadorsantana.com THE SON OF GUITAR LEGEND CARLOS SANTANA AND grandson of blues pioneer Saunders King, Santana has music in his DNA. He began playing piano at age 6, and studied at San Francisco’s School of the Arts as well as Cal Arts in Valencia, Calif. He co-wrote... 

WHO’S NEXT: N’DAMBI N'DAMBI HOMETOWN: Dallas, Texas INFLUENCES: Betty Davis, Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simone ALBUM: Pink Elephant, out now WEBSITE: ndambionline.com N’DAMBI GREW UP IN A STRICT BAPTIST HOUSEHOLD where the only secular music allowed was country, but was drawn to classic soul from the moment she began discovering music on her own. She established herself in the music business working as a backup singer with fellow old-school... 

WHO’S NEXT: DANIEL MERRIWEATHER Daniel Merriweather HOMETOWN: Melbourne, Australia INFLUENCES: D’Angelo, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder ALBUM: Love & War, out Feb. 23 WEBSITE: danielmerriweather.com DANIEL MERRIWEATHER WAS FIRST DRAWN TO MUSIC at age 4, when he discovered his mother’s violin. Soon he was playing Vivaldi and Bach concertos, but at 10 he was nudged toward R&B music by his discovery of Boyz II Men’s Cooleyhighharmony.... 

M Music & Musicians / June 2010 Issue 04 Cover Story: Sarah McLachlan Features: Rock At The Movies, Deal Or No Deal? Gear Feature: Maximum Mixes Musician: Herbie Hancock, Robert Randolph Producer: Hugh Padgham Q&A’s: Jewel, Ozzy Osbourne, 3Oh!3, Timothy B. Schmit, Tift Merritt, Solomon Burke Spotlight: Devo, Dierks Bentley, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Against Me!, Hanson, Punch Brothers, Tonic Who’s Next: Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed,... 

M Music & Musicians / May 2010 Issue 03 Cover Story: Stone Temple Pilots Features: The Vinyl Frontier, Summer Festivals Musician: Chester Thompson, Melissa Etheridge Producer: Alan Parsons Q&A’s: Merle Haggard, Deftones, Taylor Hawkins, Nas & Damian Marley, Chely Wright, The Black Keys Spotlight: Minus The Bear, Josh Ritter, Betty Lavette, The Hold Steady, Bill Charlap And Renee Rosnes, Widespread Panic, The New Pornographers Who’s... 

Cover Story: Willie Nelson Issue 02 Cover Story: Willie Nelson Gear Feature: Get Great Vocals Features: Rock On Broadway, Social Networking Musician: Slash, Warren Haynes Producer: Don Was Q&A’s: Jakob Dylan, Kaki King, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Peter Frampton, Meshell Ndegeocello, George Thorogood Spotlight: Angels & Airwaves, Jamie Cullum, Mose Allison, The Chieftains, Cypress Hill, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Drive-By Truckers Who’s...