Chris Willman
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Review: Barbra Streisand’s Gracefully Aging Voice Is ‘What Matters Most’
The songs of Alan and Marilyn Bergman alternate schmaltz and profundity, but Barbra’s unerring phrasing makes every line sound like buttery holy writ
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Review: O Brother, There Are Lots of Alternate Takes in the Revised Soundtrack
The real reason to say “oh, boy” is remembering original performances by Allison Krauss, Emmylou Harris and Ralph Stanley
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Music Charts: Jay-Z & Kanye Fall Short; Katy Perry Ties Jackson’s Singles Record
Meanwhile, “Glee 3D” entered the album chart at No. 16 with a shockingly modest 20,000 copies
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Review: After 29 Years, Sly Stone Is ‘Back’ — Well, in Name at Least
Eternally troubled soul star is a token, croaky presence on the re-recordings that dominate “I’m Back!”
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Review: The Motels’ Great Lost ‘Apocalypso’ Worth the 3-Decade Wait
The album offers a case study in what can go right and wrong when dark work is shelved for commerciality
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Review: Jeff Bridges’ Cowboy Zen Is Cooler Than Costner, Safer Than Tim Robbins
“Jeff Bridges,” the album — possibly much like Jeff Bridges, the person — is all about the cowboy Zen
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Review: ‘Voice’ Highlights Album a Cure for the Cover-Tune Blues
If you’re burned out on “Glee” and “American Idol” soundtracks, the less predictable choices on the first “Voice” album could cure your aversion to TV-bred cover songs
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Review: Country’s Hunk of the Week, Luke Bryan, Confined by ‘Tailgates’
Other than those super-white teeth, Bryan can’t quite set himself apart from the rest of the overcrowded young-country-male pack with his third album
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Review: Jay-Z & Kanye West Earn Their Egos With ‘Watch the Throne’
They’d be the first to tell you how great (even Grammy-deserving) their new collaboration is — and it’s a pretty reasonable claim
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Review: ‘Glee 3D’ Soundtrack Closes the Generation Gap Between Stars on 45 & Kidz Bop
If you’ve been waiting 35 years for a version of “Silly Love Songs” that isn’t quite so edgy, the “Glee 3D” soundtrack is for you
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Katy Perry Breaks Record Set by Gaga, Timberlake — But Can’t Yet Tell Jacko to Beat It
Country star Eric Church debuted at No. 1 on the album sales chart, while Perry is poised to tie Michael Jackson’s record for most chart-topping singles from a single LP
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Review: Fountains of Wayne Sounds Rueful Note in ‘Sky Full of Holes’
Fountains of Wayne remain rock’s cleverest, hookiest group, so let’s hope the spirit of resignation that permeates “Sky Full of Holes” is unique to the songs’ characters, not the band itself
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Review: Trace Adkins Saves Belligerence for Bonus Cuts on New Album
Country star and “Apprentice” contestant Trace Adkins is all sweetness on his tenth album… unless you buy the deluxe edition
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Review: Ellen’s Bieber-Like Protege, Greyson Chance, Is One Morose 13-Year-Old
Chance’s still-high voice is put to work in the service of world-weary laments in “Hold on ‘Til the Night’
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Music Charts: Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black’ Back in Billboard’s Top 10
The late singer’s 2006 multi-Grammy-winning album returns to the top 10 after just two days of posthumous sales fever