Michelle Shocked Explores Love and Anger on Forthcoming CD

The sentiments on Soul of My Soul, performed by Shocked and producer/multi-instrumentalist Devin Powers, are couched mainly in straight-four, no frills, rock 'n' roll — just the context for Shocked's two-toned passion play. Among the songs about her new love is the acoustic ballad "True Story," in which she sings directly to Willardson. Her "sweetheart" also is the subject of "Love's Song," an ebullient, Stones-y anthem; "Heart to Heart," a spacey Kate Bush-meets-U2 meditation on the couple's future; and the lusty "Paperboy," about Willardson's carnal near-miss at age 12. - more on this story

Starling Members Reunite

PR reports: Former Starling frontman Ian LeFuevre reunites with bassist Maury LaFoy and drummer Peter Von Althen to create The Hundreds and Thousands. The band will unveil their Nettwerk debut, The Hundreds and Thousands, on May 26.

The album is a paired down, raw and jagged take on rock n' roll recorded live off the floor. Careful to not dilute the raw power of the three-piece, the vast majority of the record (vocals included) was recorded live in only a few short sessions; a testament to each musician's technical aptitude. As a result, the 11 songs on The Hundreds and Thousands swell with a larger than life sound.

Each member brings a unique and varied musical background to the group. Von Althen has collaborated with Kathleen Edwards, Jim Bryson and Skydiggers, while LaFoy's bass history cross-references the folk reverie of Sarah Harmer with K-OS' next level hip-hop. - more on this story

James Taylor Releasing Left Over Cover Tunes

PR reports: When legendary singer/songwriter James Taylor went into the studio last year to cut his Grammy nominated "Covers" album, he and his band had so much fun playing some of their all-time favorites that they ended up with far more material than they could possibly include on the record.

Now, these unearthed gems will get the attention they deserve with the April 7th, Hear Music release of Other Covers, a specially priced 7-song album that will be available at all retail and digital outlets. Some of the stellar new material includes versions of Tom Wait's "Shiver Me Timbers," Chuck Berry's "Memphis," The Silhouettes' "Get A Job" and the Eddie Floyd/Steve Cropper Stax nugget "Knock On Wood." Also coming out April 7th is the digital exclusive release of Covers: Deluxe Edition which includes both the original 12-tracks on "Covers" and the 7 new songs.

Taylor recorded over 20 tracks during the January 2008 recording sessions for "Covers" in his Massachusetts barn-turned-studio. The music was recorded live and improvised on the spot with his 12-piece Band of Legends during a 10-day recording session in the middle of winter. Taylor's inspired take on American rock and folk classics debuted last fall at No. 4 on The Billboard 200, earning him critical attention and two Grammy nominations: Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Male Pop Vocal for the track "Wichita Lineman." - more on this story

The Amenta Mosh Cam'd

PR reports: Australian extreme metal act The Amenta has posted quality, multi-camera shot, concert footage from the band's performance at Sydney's Gaelic Theater as part of the Industrial Corruption tour also featuring The Berzerker.

For a taste of the ugliness of the new phase of The Amenta, visit the below link for a pro-filmed experience of the Sydney show.

The songs "Vermin" "Whore" and "Dirt" are also available for streaming on THE Amenta's Myspace Page. - Video here

JJ Cale Hitting The Road

PR reports: JJ Cale has confirmed his first tour in five years, returning to the road with a few weeks of solo shows in intimate west coast venues.

The tour is in support of his sublime Rounder Records debut Roll On, with a portion of the proceeds from each show to be donated to animal shelters and rescue efforts in each city.

The album, out this week, is getting rave reviews and the title track featuring Eric Clapton on guitar was the #1 Most Added song at AAA radio in its first week. - more on this story

The Soul of Hip Hop

PR reports: Every creative act, no matter how edgy and forward thinking, has some precedent. Even the most progressive artist, no matter how groundbreaking, cannot deny a connection to an earlier era of genius. In few places is this link more evident than in hip-hop, an art form built on musical artifacts and hooks from decades past, reconfigured and reinterpreted via contemporary recording and sampling technology.

And judging from the sounds of modern-day hip-hop, artists from Stax Records were prominent figures in those record collections. Stax, re-launched in 2007 as a division of Concord Music Group, offers a glimpse of hip-hop's roots with the release of The Soul of Hip Hop, Volume I, a collection of classic tracks from the '60s and '70s. The 14 songs featured in this first volume are just a few of the Stax gems that have since become sampling mainstays for some of the most prominent hip-hop artists of the past two decades – all of whom owe an incalculable debt to the label's rich legacy of soul, R&B and funk. The Soul of Hip Hop, Volume I will be available at all digital and retail outlets on March 31, 2009.

The compilation is a testament to the enormous influence of the Stax sound, energy and attitude on the entire hip-hop generation. The Soul of Hip Hop, Volume I features hits from Stax luminaries like Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & The MGs, The Emotions, The Bar-Kays, The Dramatics, Rufus Thomas, William Bell, David Porter and Little Milton. - more on this story

Beaumont Boys Bash Set for Rocktober

Webster and Assoc reports: Country music stars and Southeast Texans Tracy Byrd, Zona Jones, and Mark Chesnutt will be home in October for a three-day-long series of charity events called the Beaumont Boys Bash.

Byrd explained, "By postponing the Bash from April to our new dates in October it will hopefully give our community some extra time that we need to recover from Ike and from the general state of our economy. We just need a little more time to heal."

Jones states, "This weekend is so much fun and such a great thing for our community. We really didn't want to risk losing the event. Moving the dates to October will allow all of us the extra time we need." - more on this story

Jimmy Kimmel's Music Guests in March and After The Oscars Revisited

PR reports: If you missed any of the "Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Academy Awards" action, including two-time Academy Awards winner Mel Gibson, a behind-the-scenes video featuring Tom Cruise and musical performance by Robin Thicke, watch this Friday for the first and only rebroadcast on ABC at 12:05 am ET/PT.

Jimmy Kimmel Live welcomes the following musical acts in March: March 2 – New Kids On The Block **Exclusive late-night television performance * March 3 - Robyn * March 4 – Uh Huh Her * March 5 – Raphael Saahiq * March 10 – Chris Cornell * March 11 – The Pretenders

March 12 – Pendulum * March 13 – The Dream * March 18 – MSTRKRFT * March 19 – The Duke Spirit * March 25 – Blue October** March 26 – Busta Rhymes * March 27 – Ozzy Osbourne

- JK's site

. On The Record: David Bowie- Sam Cooke- Kemialliset Ystavat / Sunroof!

In this latest edition of On The Record Kevin Wierzbicki takes a listen to new vinyl releases from David Bowie, Sam Cooke and Kemialliset Ystavat / Sunroof! - Read the full David Bowie- Sam Cooke- Kemialliset Ystavat / Sunroof! review

. Netherbird - The Ghost Collector

Netherbird has little aiding them in battle throughout The Ghost Collector, because this album stays in its non-evolutionary status from an obsolete introduction to a fourteen-minute flop of embarrassing proportions. - Read the full Netherbird - The Ghost Collector review

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