music blog
Ed Sheeran’s ‘Equals’ Snags U.K. Chart Crown
Ed Sheeran has done it again. The British singer and songwriter holds top spot on the Official U.K. Albums Chart with = (equals via Asylum), for its third non-consecutive crown. Sheeran’s latest album was the No. 2 best-seller in the U.K. in 2021, behind only Adele’s 30 (Columbia), according to data published by the Official Charts Company. A raft of greatest hits collection are on the rise this week, including Little Mix’s Between Us (up 5-4 via RCA), Elton John’s Diamonds (up 9-7 via Mercury/UMC), The Weeknd’s The Highlights (up 18-9 via Republic Records/XO), Fleetwood Mac’s 50 Years – Don’t Stop (up 15-10 via Rhino), ABBA Gold (12-11 via Polydor), Eminem’s Curtain Call – The Hits (27-17 via Interscope), George Michael’s Twenty Five (32-19 via Aegean), The Beatles’ 1 (30-23 via App...
DEADLAND RITUAL Feat. GEEZER BUTLER, MATT SORUM, STEVE STEVENS: Why Supergroup Called It Quits
During an appearance on SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”, Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL, VINCE NEIL) spoke about the status of DEADLAND RITUAL, the supergroup he started a few years ago with bassist Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH), drummer Matt Sorum (GUNS N’ ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER) and singer Franky Perez (APOCALYPTICA). “I think it’s done, although there was a lot of material that was written that I hope will see the light of day in some form or another,” the guitarist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “I’m still friendly with all those guys.” As for what caused DEADLAND RITUAL to come to and end after only releasing two songs, Stevens said: “It was really difficult. We were about to sign a deal. We went out a...
Ex-DEATH Guitarist JAMES MURPHY On Last Month’s CHUCK SCHULDINER Tribute Concerts: ‘I Didn’t Play Very Well’
On December 11-12, 2021, former DEATH members played two shows commemorating the 20th anniversary of the passing of the band’s mastermind Chuck Schuldiner at Brass Mug in Tampa, Florida. James Murphy (guitar) and Terry Butler (bass) performed DEATH‘s classic third album, “Spiritual Healing” (1990), in its entirety under the LIVING MONSTROSITY banner, while Steve DiGiorgio (bass), Bobby Koelble (guitar) and Kelly Conlon (bass) joined forces as SYMBOLIC to play songs from “Human” (1991), “Individual Thought Patterns” (1993), “Symbolic” (1995) and “The Sound Of Perseverance” (1998). In a new interview with Heavy Culture, Murphy stated about playing the two concerts: “On the nights, I didn’t feel all that incre...
Dominion – SKILLET
RATING: 6.5/10 The basic foundation of SKILLET records is always built upon catchy choruses, straightforward song structures and female vocals (Jen Ledger) that provide a foil to male vocals (John Cooper) in just the right spots. It’s the formula that’s made them a multi-platinum Christian hard rock band. While they stick to that formula on their eleventh record, “Dominion”, there are several elements that make it distinctly different from its predecessors. Most notably, “Dominion” offers an incredibly triumphant, positive tone, whereas earlier releases struck darker ones. Even when the tempo slows and conveys a greater sense of struggle, like the weighty song “Forever or the End”, there is still a guiding sense of hope. “Dominion”...
Drake’s ‘Certified Lover Boy’ Is Only 2021 Rap Album Eligible for Double Platinum Status
Drake is about to reach yet another milestone with his latest Certified Lover Boy album. Last summer, The Boy released his sixth studio album within days of Kanye West‘s DONDA. While both rappers went head to head as the two highest-anticipated albums of the year, Drake’s CLB dominated the charts. This was Drake’s tenth U.S. No. 1 album. For almost two months after the release of CLB, Drake’s album hovered around the No. 1 and No. 2 spot on the Billboard 200 chart after it debuted at the No. 1 spot. Just under a month after its debut, CLB received its RIAA Platinum status. Now, according to Chart Data, Certified Lover Boy has sold over two million total units, making it qualified to hit double platinum by the RIAA. If Drake were to be awarded with this accolade, Certified Lover Boy would b...
Bob Saget, Stand-Up Comedian and Full House Star, Dies at 65
Bob Saget, the longtime stand-up comedian who starred in the long-running sitcom Full House, has died, TMZ reports. Police confirmed he was found dead Sunday in an Orlando, Florida hotel room. He had just performed shows in Florida as part of a stand-up tour. Saget’s cause of death is currently unknown. He was 65. Saget had two opposing public-facing personalities. He starred as the wholesome Full House (and Fuller House) patriarch Danny Tanner, appearing in the late ’80s and early ’90s sitcom alongside John Stamos, Dave Coulier, Candace Cameron, Jodie Sweetin, Mary-Kate Olsen, and Ashley Olsen. As a stand-up comedian, he famously told raunchy jokes. He was a long-running host of America’s Home Videos, served as the narrator of How I Met Your Mother, and had a memorable cameo in Half Baked...
James Mtume, Jazz and R&B Musician, Dies at 75
James Mtume, a musician who recorded with jazz greats before leading the R&B group Mtume, has died. His son Faulu Mtume confirmed the news to Pitchfork. He was 75. Mtume was born James Heath Jr., the son of jazz saxophonist Jimmy Heath, in Philadelphia. He was raised by his mother Bertha Forman and pianist James “Hen Gates” Forman, who played in Charlie Parker’s band. Forman introduced the young Mtume, literally, to some of the greatest jazz musicians of all time. “Just imagine, you’re nine, ten years old and there’s Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins,” Mtume told Red Bull Music Academy in 2014. “I never was hip enough to know just how brilliant a situation that was, but what I did know about jazz musicians were they were an extraordinary group. Witty, funny. There was not...
Billie Eilish and Finneas Win Best Original Song at 2022 Golden Globes
Billie Eilish and Finneas won Best Original Song tonight at the not-televised 2022 Golden Globe Awards. Their James Bond theme “No Time to Die” was nominated alongside Beyoncé (“Be Alive” from King Richard), Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto), Van Morrison (“Down to Joy” from Belfast), Carole King and Jennifer Hudson (“Here I Am” from Respect). Hans Zimmer won Best Original Score for his work on Dune. Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood (Power of the Dog), Alexandre Desplat (The French Dispatch), Germaine Franco (Encanto), and Alberto Iglesias (Parallel Mothers) were also nominated. Lady Gaga was nominated for Best Performance By an Actress in a Motion Picture: Drama for her portrayal of Patrizia Reggiani in House of Gucci, but lost to Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos). Alana Haim ...
Kendrick Lamar’s ‘good kid, m.A.A.d city’ Is 2021’s Highest-Selling Rap Vinyl Album
Kendrick Lamar‘s good kid, m.A.A.d city was named the highest-selling rap vinyl album of 2021 despite being released almost a decade ago. According to stats shared by Billboard, K-Dot’s sophomore studio effort sold a total of 194,000 vinyl copies last year, becoming the 10th highest-selling vinyl album overall in addition to being the highest-selling rap album on vinyl of the year. Other titles in the top 10 include Adele’s 30, which sold 318,000 copies, Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever, which sold 252,000 copies and the Beatles’ Abbey Road, which sold 201,000 copies. Lamar’s longtime producer Sounwave recently teased that he has new music on the way, and many fans think that it could be the DAMN. followup. The Compton artist’s forthcoming album will be his last with Top Dawg Entertainmen...
John Stamos Reacts to Bob Saget’s Death: “I Am Broken. I Am Gutted.”
On Sunday, Bob Saget was found dead inside of an Orlando, Florida hotel room at the age of 65. News of Saget’s passing was met with an outpouring of tribute posts from the entertainment world. “I am broken. I am gutted,” tweeted Saget’s Full House co-star John Stamos. “I am in complete and utter shock. I will never ever have another friend like him. I love you so much Bobby.” “Bob Saget was as lovely a human as he was funny. And to my mind, he was hilarious. We were close friends and I could not have loved him more,” wrote legendary TV writer and producer Norman Lear. Advertisement Related Video “I’m so shocked at @bobsaget’s passing,” added Joel McHale. “One of the most kind & thoughtful people I’ve ever come across & he just happened to be one of the funniest on the planet. I wil...
Golden Globes 2022 Winners: The Power of the Dog, West Side Story, Succession Take Top Prizes
The 2022 Golden Globes represented a truly unprecedented moment for the 78-year-old awards ceremony — for one thing, there wasn’t a public ceremony. Instead, in the middle of both a rising Omicron wave and an ongoing existential crisis, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced last Thursday that it would announce this year’s winners via social media on the designated night, during a private event. Thus, with pretty much the opposite of fanfare, The Power of the Dog (Drama) and West Side Story (Comedy/Musical) were named the best films of 2021 by HFPA members. On the TV side, Succession, HBO Max’s Hacks, and Amazon Prime’s The Underground Railroad were recognized as last year’s outstanding drama, comedy, and limited series. Jane Campion also won best director for The Power of ...
Woodstock Co-Creator Michael Lang Dead at 77 Years Old
1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair co-creator Michael Lang has died. He was 77 years old. The news was confirmed by Lang family spokesperson Michael Pagnotta, who confirmed that the industry icon had non-Hodgkin lymphoma and died on January 9 at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. “He was absolutely an historic figure, and also a great guy,” Pagnotta said. “Both of those thing go hand in hand.” Lang co-created the famed Woodstock festival alongside Artie Kornfeld, and the late organizer attempted to celebrate Woodstock’s 50th anniversary in 2019. However, recurring issues such as permits, artist cancellations and production problems forced Lang to officially cancel the event. Read Full Article
