LORDE Call her queen bee: The edgy teen with the luxe vocals rules the charts  This past summer, Lorde’s sultry slice of electronic pop, “Royals,” broke the record for weeks that a female artist spent at No. 1 on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart. (The previous record holder was Alanis Morissette in 1995 with “You Oughta Know.”) It also marked the first time in 17 years that a female artist topped the Alternative chart. By the end... 

BLOOM TWINS HOMETOWN: Kiev, Ukraine INFLUENCES: The Beatles, Muse, Rudimental ALBUM: Bloom Twins, TBA WEBSITE: bloomtwins.com The Bloom Twins—Anna and Sonia Kuprienko—have been sharing a stage together for most of their lives. “Music was and is the language we speak the best,” Anna says. Growing up in a small Ukrainian town outside Kiev, the 17-year-old twins participated in various entertainment competitions and performed at venues throughout... 

LACEY CAROLINE HOMETOWN: Sparta, N.J. INFLUENCES: Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow, Bruce Springsteen ALBUM: Songbird EP, out now WEBSITE: laceycaroline.com Growing up in a small town in northern New Jersey, country singer-songwriter Lacey Caroline, born Lacey Steinel, spent much of her childhood writing short stories driven by strong female characters. As a teenager, she married her love of words with melodies, teaching herself to play guitar and recording... 

CODY KAREY HOMETOWN: Fort St. James, B.C., Canada INFLUENCES: Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, Alan Jackson ALBUM: Cody Karey, out now WEBSITE: codykarey.com Clad in cowboy boots and jeans he’d been given by his grandmother, British Columbia native Cody Karey began performing at age 6. As a teen, he shifted musical styles from country to traditional pop. “I was pretty certain that was the music I wanted to do,” he says, “which was certainly weird... 

BUTCH WALKER One of pop’s hottest producers likes to play rough—when they let him By Michael Gallant Butch Walker’s not only a jack of all musical trades, he’s a master as well. From the producer’s chair, Butch Walker has crafted hit records for everyone from Pink, Fall Out Boy, and Keith Urban to Avril Lavigne, Taylor Swift, and Katy Perry. From the stage and studio, he’s the frontman of Butch Walker and the Black Widows, which has... 

GEORGE BENSON  How the elite guitarist opened his mouth and changed jazz history  By Jeff Tamarkin   By the early 1970s George Benson was quickly gaining recognition as a young hotshot guitarist on the jazz scene. He’d already cut more than a dozen acclaimed instrumental albums and had been tapped by the likes of Miles Davis to lend his six-string chops. But Benson wanted to try his hand at singing, testing the waters with a cover of the... 

KISS Long Deserved Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction It was probably inevitable that Kiss’ long deserved induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would be problematic—and yes, I did say long deserved. It’s just been reported that in time-dishonored RockHall fashion, only originals Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons were going to perform, with current non-inductee members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer rather than fellow inductee/originals Ace... 

THAT BEATLES MAGIC According to Jeff Alan Ross It was one of those truly bizarre moments. I’d gone over to the Grand Hyatt Hotel to see if I could get into The Fest for Beatles Fans with the wristband a friend of mine, from my hometown of Madison, Wis., had handed me the night before. I figured they’d change the color the next day, and I was right. I wanted to catch Peter Asher’s wonderful show Peter Asher: A Musical Memoir Of The ’60s and... 

ROBERT EARL KEEN Still Defying Labels   Those of us who love music usually love to share it, so I was happy to take my young friends Sasha Gavrilova and Andrei Bekrenev—both New York-based correspondents for the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS, to see the one and only Robert Earl Keen a few weeks ago at Irving Plaza. Of course, they didn’t know who REK is, though they’re hardly alone in this regard. While Keen deservedly retains a legion... 

THE BEATLES From Beefy’s Point of View I’m kind of avoiding Beatles 50th anniversary hoopla. Big-name commemorative concerts starring multi-genre artists who were born a generation or three later, or even those featuring Beatles contemporaries, I don’t really need to see, so I’ll probably pass on Sunday’s Grammy celebration on CBS. I didn’t watch the CNN special or any of the Letterman tributes. There’s a Beatles fan fest here in New... 

Yale Russian Chorus – credit Andrei Bekrenev YALE RUSSIAN CHORUS 60 Years of Vocal Tradition Let others talk about Lorde, Miley Cyrus’ latest video and the new Beyonce promotion, er, album. Me? I’m still basking in the glow of seeing a bunch of 70-something American men singing Tsarist and Red Army songs along with Russian liturgical and folk music fare at Yale a few weeks ago. Okay, so they weren’t all in their 70s. But it was in fact... 

THE SOUND OF MUSIC Live Music Theater on Television Okay, so I let the first NBC showing of The Sound of Music with Carrie Underwood go. I figured, she’s a good singer, she’ll be good, not great. She’s pretty much just a ratings draw, anyway. Then after reading some of the reviews and seeing how well it did—and that they were going to show it again—I decided to DVR it, which, really, is what I should have done in the first place, when it... 

BOBBY WOMACK NEEDED LITTLE DIRECTION FROM photographer Norman Seeff during this L.A. session for his 1971 album, Communication. “He loved performing—I didn’t have to push him at all,” recalls Seeff. “He would just launch right into a song. He had an energy that, for me, was a benchmark for being in the moment.” It was a satisfying shoot for Seeff. “Every frame has its own character,” he says. “He was willing to be vulnerable and... 

“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”   THE ROLLING STONES On May 7, 1965, Keith Richards woke up in the middle of the night at a Florida hotel with a melody in his head. Fumbling in the dark, he grabbed his guitar next to the bed and a cassette recorder on the nightstand—and played an eight-note riff into it. It was accompanied by the mumbled vocal line, “I can’t get no satisfaction.” Then he fell back asleep. “On the tape you can hear... 

GRAMMY NOMINATIONS Did The Most Deserving Artists Prevail? You know the hoopla over the Grammy nominations has gotten way out of hand when even that little video screen in the elevator you’re riding in at the Empire State Building puts up “Grammy nods: Did the most deserving artists prevail?” Even the elevator wants to know. My friend Roger Friedman at his Showbiz 411 site revives a valid point. He notes that Pink’s “Just Give Me a Reason,”... 

ICONA POP A monster hit launches a club-friendly debut album for the Swedish duo   From radio to TV ads to movies, Icona Pop’s “I Love It” has infiltrated every corner of pop culture. “I didn’t expect over 40 million views on YouTube,” says Aino Jawo. She and Caroline Hjelt formed the duo in 2009 and recently released their debut album, This Is…Icona Pop. “We went out clubbing and heard our song in every one,” says Jawo. “We... 

Cage the Elephant Overcoming fear leads to inspiration for the indie rockers’ latest Cage the Elephant picked an odd title for their third album, Melophobia. The name refers to a fear of music, which seems like an unfortunate condition for a group of musicians. In the case of the Kentucky quintet, though, they’re only averse to certain types of music—specifically, the kind that doesn’t feel honest. “We were trying to fight that voice of... 

EARTH, WIND & FIRE                          R&B’s legendary performers revisit their iconic sound on a new set     “It was a totally different thing, and when you have the right thing at the right time, you can’t stop it,” says Ralph Johnson, who’s been Earth, Wind & Fire’s percussionist since 1971, just two years after the group formed. Earth, Wind & Fire was a force of nature through the 1970s and ’80s,... 

KENNY ROGERS The Gambler rolls the dice on his dream of making chart history at 75    “My current audience falls into two groups,” says Kenny Rogers. “Those born after 1980 whose parents made them listen to my music as child abuse, and those born before the ’60s who can no longer remember that decade.” That’s a typical self-deprecating comment from one of this year’s Country Music Hall of Fame inductees—an honor that Rogers says... 

SAMMY HAGAR The Red Rocker marks a milestone with an album full of famous friends   In 1973, Sammy Hagar recorded one of the great rock screams of all time on the intro of Montrose’s “Rock Candy.” It was only the first of many howls to come from a 26-year-old kid who would go on to a singular career that included hit records as a solo artist and as frontman for bands like Van Halen and Chickenfoot. Four decades later there’s no end in sight—and... 

WILL LEE Late night TV’s ace of bass releases a star-studded solo project   His nightly gig on the Late Show With David Letterman makes Will Lee one of America’s most visible bassists. Since 1982, Lee has excelled in the pressure cooker of live TV, backing countless guest stars. He also tours with Israeli guitarist Oz Noy and takes the stage weekly with the Fab Faux, a group that performs stunning recreations of the Beatles catalog. Now Lee... 

ALLEN TOUSSAINT At 75, the New Orleans music icon releases his first live album By Jeff Tamarkin For more than a half-century, Allen Toussaint has reigned as contemporary music’s Renaissance man. As a songwriter alone, his output is legendary—classics such as “Mother-in-Law,” “Get Out of My Life, Woman,” “Yes We Can Can,” “Working in the Coal Mine,” and “On Your Way Down” all came from his pen. Glen Campbell turned Toussaint’s... 

Gov’t Mule The blues-rock jammers take a novel approach to a double-disc set Gov’t Mule didn’t intend their latest release as a celebration of the band’s 20th anniversary next year. That’s not why Shout! is a double-disc set packed with guest singers—it just turned out that way. Gov’t Mule—frontman Warren Haynes, drummer Matt Abts, keyboardist and guitarist Danny Louis and bassist Jorgen Carlsson—began writing and recording for... 

Over the Rhine An exceptionally creative week in the studio leads to a new double album  “With every record, we’re hoping to make our best album. If I felt our best work was behind us, I’d lose interest,” says Over the Rhine’s keyboardist and guitarist Linford Detweiler. The band he fronts with wife Karen Bergquist just released their latest set—the group’s 13th album—Meet Me at the Edge of the World. “What makes this project different... 

Berlin EDM strikes a familiar chord for these innovative synth-pop veterans   For Berlin frontwoman Terri Nunn, there’s a fine line between the band’s ’80s new-wave hits and the current electronic dance music craze. “EDM acts use so many of the sounds and instruments we’ve used in our past music that I didn’t have to think, ‘Will my audience like this?’” Nunn says of the EDM influence on the band’s latest album, Animal. It has... 

Blind Boys of Alabama Seven decades in, the gospel giants still find a way to inspire  “I never even thought of leaving,” says vocalist Jimmy Carter, the sole founding member still touring and recording with the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Grammy-winning gospel supergroup that formed in 1939. “When we started we were determined to go all the way. And when I step down, I’ll pass the torch behind me.” It’s impossible not to connect the... 

Val Garay Sharing the studio secrets behind some of music’s best vocal performances By Michael Gallant Even among top-tier producer-engineers, Val Garay’s credentials are impressive: more than 125 million worldwide record sales and over 200 gold and platinum albums, spread across a vast array of artists that include Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, Santana, Ringo Starr, Linda Ronstadt and many more. Garay’s talents have... 

Bonnie Mckee HOMETOWN: Vacaville, Calif. INFLUENCES: Madonna, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper ALBUM: As-yet-untitled LP, due out 2014 WEBSITE: bonniemckee.com Bonnie McKee started her musical education early, studying classical piano and touring Europe and North America with the Seattle Girls Choir. At the age of 12, she recorded a demo of Bette Midler and Fiona Apple songs that landed in the lap of family friend and Sub Pop label co-founder Jonathan... 

Brett Eldredge HOMETOWN: Paris, Ill. INFLUENCES: Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Ronnie Dunn ALBUM: Bring You Back, out now WEBSITE: bretteldredge.com Brett Eldredge grew up listening to Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and Ronnie Dunn. “I always gravitated toward big voices, because as a kid I had this big voice coming out of me,” he says. “I got hooked on the stories singers would tell through their voice.” Eldredge’s parents bought him a guitar... 

Julie Kathryn HOMETOWN: Lake Placid, N.Y. INFLUENCES: Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Crosby, Stills & Nash ALBUM: Black Trees, out now WEBSITE: juliekathryn.com Julie Kathryn studied classical piano, guitar and songwriting. But by the time she graduated high school she’d chosen an entirely different career path: social work. Kathryn received a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a master’s from Columbia University. But the pull of... 

BOB DYLAN The Lip-Synching Interactive Video True, video killed the radio star—but then it killed MTV, too. Yet music video lives bigtime on the Internet, and especially in the press releases I get daily from publicists wanting my time. Now I loved music videos at the beginning, but not much longer. I was one of the first music video critics, at Danny Fields’ Rock Video magazine in the early 1980s, and reviewed them elsewhere; indeed, I got fired... 

LOU REED On His Way Somewhere Else I got there a couple minutes after 1 P.M. (Nov. 14) so if anything was said I didn’t hear it, but nothing was supposed to be said, according to the posting on Lou Reed’s Facebook page two days earlier: “New York: Lou Reed at Lincoln Center: A gathering open to the public—no speeches. no live performances, just Lou’s voice, guitar music & songs—playing the recordings selected by his family... 

RONNIE WOOD & MICK TAYLOR Playing Jimmy Reed Tunes One particularly music-knowledgeable witness of last week’s Ronnie Wood/Mick Taylor shows at the Cutting Room, which focused entirely on the music of the great Chicago bluesman Jimmy Reed and also featured Al Kooper on Hammond and Bad Company’s Simon Kirke on drums, was none other than the great Troy Sharmel. That’s right, guitarist/pianist Troy Sharmel of the legendary Dr. Bop & the... 

ALAN JACKSON Among Country Greats I generally make it a point not to read other reviewers if I’m writing about a show, so as not to be influenced. Maybe I’ll skim it to see if they got a song title that I missed, but that’s about it. But I did go to The New York Times’ review of Alan Jackson last week at Carnegie Hall when I saw it pop up on Twitter, mainly because I didn’t see anyone I knew there, not from the Times or anywhere, which... 

LOU REED, SHERMAN HALSEY & MINNIE PEARL An Appreciation I knew Lou Reed. Not really well, but we were quite friendly. I knew him a bit when I interviewed him when I was at Billboard, when Doc Pomus died. He loved Doc, and I was quite friendly with Doc—though I can’t say I knew him well, either. Lou appreciated most that I was a martial arts guy, like he was. He was happy to talk to me about martial arts. It was me, music reporter, talking... 

WILL LEE & BILLY GIBBONS Allen Toussaint’s “Get Out of My Life, Woman” Miley Cyrus nude on the “Wrecking Ball” video is so last week. This week it’s Will Lee’s “Get Out of My Life, Woman,” that’s taking the Internet by storm. Okay, only 6,045 views on YouTube so far at last count, but that’s bound to rise now that both music industry newsletter writer/whiner Bob Lefsetz and Howard Stern have championed the clip. And you can... 

CARLY RITTER HOMETOWN: Los Angeles, Calif. INFLUENCES: Hank Williams, Jackie DeShannon, Nancy Sinatra ALBUM: Carly Ritter, out now WEBSITE: carlyritter.com The daughter of actor John Ritter and granddaughter of country singer Tex Ritter, Carly Ritter has a rich entertainment pedigree. She grew up listening to the rock ’n’ roll in her parents’ record collection, and played classical piano and harp as a teen. But it wasn’t until Ritter began... 

JENN BOSTIC HOMETOWN: Waconia, Minn. INFLUENCES: Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Wonder ALBUM: Missin’ a Man EP, out September WEBSITE: jennbostic.com At the age of 10, Jenn Bostic survived a horrific car accident that took the life of her father, a musician who taught her to play piano. To cope with the loss, she began writing songs. “The first time I sat at the piano after the accident, I shut my eyes and honestly felt my dad’s presence... 

LEE DEWYZE HOMETOWN: Chicago, Ill. INFLUENCES: Cat Stevens, Kris Kristofferson,   Simon and Garfunkel ALBUM: Frames, out now WEBSITE: leedewyzeofficial.com Lee DeWyze, winner of 2010’s American Idol, recorded his new album, Frames, with one goal in mind. “I wanted to take it back to what I’m really about, which is writing emotionally charged, meaningful songs,” he says. “It feels really good to get back to the grass roots of what I’m... 

FRANZ FERDINAND Setting their own pace in the studio pays off on their latest effort  Franz Ferdinand closed ranks for the recording of their fourth album, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action. The Scottish rock band began work on the album a year and a half ago with frontman Alex Kapranos and guitarist and backing vocalist Nick McCarthy meeting in each other’s homes to write songs. “The whole recording process was off and on,” says... 

SARAH JAROSZ No creative avenue is left unexplored for  this bluegrass prodigy Americana singer-songwriter Sarah Jarosz’s third album, Build Me Up From Bones, is her most ambitious project yet—an achievement the multi-instrumentalist largely credits to her education at Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music. “School was crucial in pushing me out of my comfort zone,” says the Texas native. “It expanded my repertoire and opened my... 

MOBY Old-school techno adds a touch of vulnerability to his latest project  “I’m an only child who lives alone and usually works alone,” declares Moby flatly. The techno pioneer isn’t bemoaning his lot in life— it’s just his explanation of why, after more than 20 years of producing his own records, he brought in Mark “Spike” Stent to co-produce his 11th album, Innocents. “I like to work by myself,” he says, “but I lose objectivity.... 

YOKO ONO At 80, the controversial artist is still full of passion—and surprises   To a younger generation, Yoko Ono isn’t the dragon lady who broke up the Beatles. She’s a multitasking, forward-thinking artist who’s scored 10 No. 1 dance hits, collaborated with stars including Lady Gaga, the Flaming Lips, and Iggy Pop, and staged cutting-edge art exhibitions—as well as an activist who works relentlessly to raise awareness on issues ranging... 

MICHAEL FRANTI Like his heroes, he’s on a mission to change the world through music For more than 25 years, Michael Franti has channeled his spirited blend of R&B, folk, jazz, reggae and hip-hop to both entertain and raise awareness of social and political issues. On his new album, All People, Franti—who formed Michael Franti and Spearhead in the late 1990s—has been inspired by a host of musical icons who offered him reassurance and hope... 

JOE BOYD From Clapton to Kubrick, this creative giant has worked with them all  By Michael Gallant “If you had told me 25 years ago I would be producing tribute concerts about Nick Drake’s music, it might have depressed me,” says Joe Boyd with a chuckle. Fortunately for Boyd the experience turned out to be “kind of wonderful.” It’s a fitting project for the veteran producer. Having helped pioneer the British folk-rock movement, Boyd... 

BUDDY GUY A guitar icon continues his five-decade mission to keep the blues alive By Jeff Tamarkin When blues guitar legend Buddy Guy performed at the White House last year, the significance of the event didn’t escape him. “I told President Obama that where I grew up, I didn’t even know what running water was until I was nearly 17,” Guy remembers. “I said, ‘Mr. President, picking a guitar in the White House is a long way from picking... 

DAVE KOZ His new project sets out to prove that when it comes to sax, more is better By Jeff Tamarkin “There was a big sigh of relief that first day in the studio when we made a sound together and it was really good,” saxophone giant Dave Koz is saying. He’s referring to the first recording session for his new album Summer Horns. Until that moment, the record was nothing more than a high-minded concept—get four smooth-jazz sax players together... 

TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND For these Grammy-winning blues rockers, the bar is always set high   The Tedeschi Trucks Band is only three years old, but its namesakes, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, have been married more than a decade, and they’re about to take their best collaborations—their two children—to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates’ batting practice before tonight’s concert. “The kids are a balancing influence on the road,” Tedeschi... 

COURT YARD HOUNDS Two former Chicks find a new confidence on their second set Martie Maguire and Emily Robison were still forging an identity beyond the Dixie Chicks when they released a self-titled album as Court Yard Hounds in 2010. Now the sisters are back with a second effort, Amelita—and with it comes a deeper confidence about their musical direction. Their first album was personal, but Maguire and Robison turned their focus outward on Amelita,... 

BOOKER T. JONES An architect of the Memphis sound takes his B3 on a new adventure In the ’60s, Stax Records house band Booker T. & the MG’s backed a host of Memphis soul stars, including Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, and Albert King. But beginning with 1962’s classic “Green Onions,” the quartet scored several chart-topping instrumental hits of their own. Since the group disbanded, frontman Booker T. Jones, 68, has lent his signature...