GLORIA ESTEFAN Realizing a longtime dream with her take on timeless tunes     Since her 1985 breakthrough with the Miami Sound Machine, Gloria Estefan’s hits like “Anything for You,” “1-2-3” and “Live for Loving You” have added a Cuban flavor to pop success that’s made the Havana-born songstress a household name. After more than 20 albums, Estefan’s latest is a far cry from her early kinetic dance grooves. On the aptly titled... 

ROOTS ROCKERS Master wordsmith Elvis Costello funks up with musical magicians the Roots By Russell Hall Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson knows how to bide his time. Nearly five years ago, the Roots’ drummer and bandleader met for the first time with talk show host Jimmy Fallon to discuss potential musical guests for Fallon’s new late night TV show. As newly hired music director—with the Roots as house band—Questlove listened intently as Fallon... 

ARCTIC MONKEYS The English indie rockers dive into an R&B groove on their new set  Four albums—and seven years—after releasing their debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, the Arctic Monkeys’ latest record, AM, finds the band tapping into R&B melodies to shake up their guitar-driven sound. “We started with, ‘What if you go with Aaliyah melodies and riffs from Black Sabbath?’” says frontman Alex Turner. “Some... 

FLEETWOOD MAC These days the road has never been smoother for the Hall of Fame rockers   Fleetwood Mac has been virtually synonymous with two things—classic songs and internal drama. Both aspects were epitomized on the group’s 1977 multiplatinum album Rumours, but only recently has their legendary volatility been stripped away. “If you go back to 2003, when we were coming off the making of Say You Will, there was still a bit of tension between... 

TONY BENNETT & ANTONIA BENNETT The incomparable Tony Bennett’s Longevity and Legacy Do the math and he’s 87, but better make that 87 years young: Tony Bennett looks, moves, and above all else, sings better than he did back in, say, 1964, when he recorded Live At The Sahara: Las Vegas, 1964. That album, not coincidentally, was issued last week, three days before Bennett’s concert at Radio City, which had been sold out since July. He did two... 

ELVIS COSTELLO A True Risk Taker I’m tempted to salute Elvis Costello’s new album with The Roots Wise Up Ghost  as his latest reinvention, but that word’s too associated with Madonna—wrongly, I might add—or a meme, except I really don’t know what that word means. Rather, Ghost is just the latest expansion in what has essentially been a two-pronged Costello career. First, of course, is his bread and butter: his rock band side, initially... 

CBGB ICON AWARD: SEYMOUR STEIN Seymour Stein Awarded First Annual CBGB Icon Award There probably aren’t a whole lot of evenings left like Tuesday’s presentation of the First Annual CBGB Icon Award to Seymour Stein—Tuesday evening at the Bowery Hotel. People you hadn’t seen in decades—some you wish you still hadn’t seen in decades—literally crawled out of the woodwork, and as the hotel is just a couple blocks up the street from CBGB... 

GIRL GROUPS Still Alive and Kicking The problem with going to an oldies show is that not only do you see how old the oldies artists are, you also see how old their audience is, which, of course, you yourself are a part of. At least you’re all “still alive and kicking,” as the Toys’ (“A Lover’s Concerto”) lead singer Barbara Harris said, calling out her other two originals Barbara Parritt and June Montiero to take a bow from the audience.... 

WRITTEN BY: Debbie Harry, Chris Stein RECORDED: RECORD PLANT, NEW YORK PRODUCED BY: MIKE CHAPMAN DEBBIE HARRY: VOCALS NIGEL HARRISON: BASS CLEM BURKE: DRUMS, DRUM MACHINE CHRIS STEIN: ELECTRIC GUITAR JIMMY DESTRI: KEYBOARDS FRANK INFANTE: GUITAR FROM THE ALBUM: PARALLEL LINES (1978)   “Heart of Glass”   BLONDIE  “Everyone was like, ‘Blondie’s gone disco!’” drummer Clem Burke recalled of the group’s first No. 1 hit. It was spring... 

WRITTEN BY: RITCHIE BLACKMORE, IAN GILLAN, ROGER GLOVER, JON LORD, IAN PAICE RECORDED: THE PAVILION AND GRAND HOTEL, MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND PRODUCED BY: DEEP PURPLE IAN GILLAN: VOCALS ROGER GLOVER: BASS IAN PAICE:  DRUMS RITCHIE BLACKMORE: ELECTRIC GUITAR JON LORD: ORGAN  FROM THE ALBUM: MACHINE HEAD (1972)   “Smoke on the Water” DEEP PURPLE   It’s the riff that will not die. It’s the heavy metal version of “Chopsticks.” Metallica’s... 

WRITTEN BY: NORMAN WHITFIELD AND BARRETT STRONG RECORDED: MOTOWN, DETROIT PRODUCED BY: NORMAN WHITFIELD MARVIN GAYE: VOCALS JAMES JAMERSON: BASS RICHARD “PISTOL” ALLEN: DRUMS ROBERT WHITE: ELECTRIC GUITAR EARL VAN DYKE: ORGAN  THE ANDANTES: BACKING VOCALS PAUL RISER: STRINGS FROM THE ALBUM: I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE!   “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” MARVIN GAYE    Though it has become one of Motown’s signature songs... 

PHOTOGRAPHER NORMAN SEEFF’S SESSION WITH Al Jarreau for his 1983 album, Jarreau, was a memorable, fun affair. “He brought this bubbling laughter and enthusiasm,” recalls Seeff. “Al came across as someone who loved his life and loved this great gift he has.” Seeff’s young daughter, Tai Power Seeff, joined the son of the photographer’s assistant in some playful interaction with the singer. “It was a time when we all had kids,” says... 

PHOTOGRAPHER NORMAN SEEFF’S SESSION FOR Van Morrison’s 1979 album, Into the Music, nearly never happened. “I met with him at his home in Northern California,” recalls Seeff, “and he took me on a crazy drive in his Porsche as we listened to the album.” But by the end of the day the quixotic artist expressed doubts about using his image on the album cover. Seeff turned to a mutual friend, who had played violin on one of Morrison’s previous... 

CMA IN THE SCHOOLS Keep The Music Playing At most I was half awake between 5 and 6 a.m., the TV still on from falling asleep watching the night before, when the news reader said something to the effect that not even 10 percent of school kids today know what the Declaration of Independence is about—even though it’s kind of right there in the title. She said they don’t know who their U.S. senators are, either, but I’d heard that one before,... 

BARENAKED LADIES Canada’s lighthearted rockers get serious about cutting loose in the studio     Barenaked Ladies burst onto the scene with their 1998 chart-topper “One Week.” Now the band is heard by nearly 20 million people every week as performers of the opening theme from TV’s The Big Bang Theory. But as they’re well aware, that level of recognition has been known to backfire. “There will always be some casual fans or critics who... 

3OH!3 Boulder’s most famous alternative rap duo offers something for everyone   “Our live show is less a musical performance than a social happening,” says Nathaniel Motte, one-half of the electropop duo 3OH!3. He and fellow member Sean Foreman have made a concerted effort to engage a diverse audience. “We’ve always tried to have our live shows be inclusive,” Motte continues. “We don’t want to close any doors.” At times, that means... 

JASON ISBEL Welcoming sobriety, the former Drive-By Trucker digs deep  “Usually, I was too drunk to read, much less write,” says Jason Isbell. “The biggest difference in making this record is that I had more time and energy. I knew all along what I needed to do to make the songs better, but it’s hard when you’ve got that nagging feeling telling you to drink.” The 34-year-old singer-songwriter has been sober for nearly a year after entering... 

30 SECONDS TO MARS The post-grunge rockers shoot for the stars on their latest effort  With a name like 30 Seconds to Mars, they expect jokes about space. But the L.A.-based band got the last laugh when they sent a copy of “Up in the Air,” the first single from their latest album Love Lust Faith + Dreams, to the International Space Station. “We went to see the rocket go up,” says drummer Shannon Leto. “And a couple of weeks later we went... 

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... 

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... 

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... 

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... 

CBGB MOVIE TRAILER Plenty of great music  The trailer for the upcoming CBGB movie has just gone up and not surprisingly, people who were there are already complaining. Roger Friedman’s Showbiz411.com entertainment news site reports that “everyone who ever went there is ducking and hiding,” notably including Linda Ramone, widow of Johnny Ramone. She doesn’t like the casting for Johnny (he’s played by Puerto Rican actor Julian Acosta, who... 

FILTER On their latest, the unorthodox rockers welcome back the drum machines  Throughout the last 20 years, Filter has covered a broad spectrum, from intense industrial rock to shiny pop. On their sixth full-length album, The Sun Comes Out Tonight, they strike a balance between electronic and acoustic. Their loud/quiet contrast, exemplified by 2002’s hit single, “Take a Picture,” led a Warner Bros. exec to refer to the band as “musical schizophrenia.”... 

GOO GOO DOLLS   The moody alternative rockers look at the brighter side on their new set   “I’m an artist as much as anybody’s an artist,” says Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Rzeznik, placing air quotes around the word artist. “Sometimes I can be a bit of a precious little bitch about my work. But not being precious about it, digging in and putting the sweat into it, is where the really good stuff comes from. And being determined to not... 

BOBBY McFERRIN The vocal acrobat pours his joy into songs  of faith and devotion  “Making music is the most joyful experience I know,” says vocalist and conductor Bobby McFerrin, best known for his 1988 Grammy-winning smash, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” His new album, spirityouall, is a collection of devotional songs and original compositions. “Without faith I couldn’t walk, much less sing,” says McFerrin. “My career is very public,... 

JIMMY EAT WORLD Looking at love and life with a new perspective—and a new producer Though best known for their optimistic 2002 hit “The Middle,” Jimmy Eat World’s lyrics have always leaned more toward heartache and internal struggle. With the polished rock of their eighth album, Damage, frontman Jim Adkins decided to write an album that reflected the world-weary attitudes of someone who has grown up writing love songs. “The kinds of love... 

MELISSA FERRICK Teaching opens creative doors for the veteran singer-songwriter Teaching lyric writing at Boston’s Berklee College of Music has fostered a career renaissance for folk-rocker Melissa Ferrick. “I’m surrounded by all these jazz musicians, classical composers and theater professionals,” she says. “There’s such an intensity—and it’s a good thing. It’s made me into a happier live performer. I’ve been exhausted but completely... 

INDIA.ARIE                           The distinctive artist defines success—and her music—in her own terms     “I had no idea I could make an album in six months,” says India.Arie of her fifth studio project, SongVersation. “I’ve never done anything that fast. Ever. I don’t do anything fast. But I told myself that’s what I needed to do—and I did it. I’m still laughing at that one.” That kind of speed hardly sounds... 

MEGADETH Dave Mustaine explains why these metal icons aren’t afraid to take risks  Megadeth’s latest album, Super Collider, celebrates 30 years in the metal trenches—and it will certainly satisfy the cravings of fans who feast on the band’s stock-in-trade: shock-and-awe thrash metal. But it may also confuse—and even anger—some die-hard headbangers. This is the most melodic record frontman Dave Mustaine has made in years, and there’s... 

NATALIE MAINES A Chick stops whistling Dixie to rock Cali with Ben Harper Dixie Chicks fans might be surprised that Natalie Maines chose a rock direction for her solo album debut, Mother, but for the Texas native it was all about getting back to her roots. “Anything but country music was what I listened to growing up,” says the 13-time Grammy winner. “It was all pop, rock and R&B.” Maines recorded Mother at Ben Harper’s L.A. studio,... 

TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON  Musician, composer, professor—for this busy drummer, the beat never stops By Jeff Tamarkin Hearing Terri Lyne Carrington rattle off the list of artists she’s drummed with is jaw-dropping: Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell, Wayne Shorter, Stan Getz, Al Jarreau, Dianne Reeves, Carlos Santana, for starters. These giants and scores more of their stature seek her out for her airtight timekeeping, creative impulses and sensitivity... 

STEVE EARLE A powerful storyteller takes a hard look at hard times    “All singer-songwriters do this job on groundwork laid by Bob Dylan, who built his own fame based on Woody Guthrie,” says Steve Earle. “We’ve all done it with one foot in the 1930s, even though none of us—including Bob—witnessed that time firsthand. Times are really hard these days. What I’m seeing out the window is a lot closer to what Woody saw than it’s been... 

MARK HORNSBY This veteran producer’s goal is to unlock the best in every artist  MARK HORNSBY LEARNED EARLY ON THAT VERSATILITY WAS the key to a successful career as a producer and recording engineer, recalling a mentor who cautioned against getting pigeonholed into a certain sound or style. “If you get locked into just one thing, one day you’re going to wake up and not have any work,” says Hornsby. Hornsby’s never lacked for work. He spent... 

JOE SATRIANI With a new set, the guitar virtuoso showcases his Unstoppable talent By Russell Hall Surprisingly, Joe Satriani doesn’t always pay scrupulous attention to detail. His new album, Unstoppable Momentum, is a case in point. Only after the project was complete did it occur to him that the opening track was in 5/4 time. “A few things got past me,” says the guitar ace with a laugh. “It never dawned on me that it might be weird to start... 

DAVID KAHNE A studio maestro shares the secrets to some of his timeless collaborations  By Michael Gallant “Somebody once asked George Bernard Shaw what a great play was,” says David Kahne. “He said that it’s when you go to the theater, and you know what’s going to happen—but when it does, you’re still surprised. That’s a great description of a single as well. You can hear it over and over again, but it still gets you every time.”... 

VALERIE JUNE HOMETOWN: Humboldt, Tenn. INFLUENCES: Wanda Jackson, Dolly Parton, Nina Simone ALBUM: Pushin’ Against a Stone, out August WEBSITE: valeriejune.com Valerie June showed off her vocal chops by singing in church as a child in West Tennessee, where she soaked up the region’s rich musical culture. She landed her first gig as a teen with the help of her father, a promoter for gospel musicians. “It was and still is hard to go anywhere without...