Dixie Chicks

Eminem's 'Love The Way You Lie' Isn't First Video To Deal With Domestic Abuse

06 Aug 2010 15:56:17 EDT

Ludacris, Eve, Ashanti, Dixie Chicks have also dealt with the issue in their clips.
By Gil Kaufman

Rihanna performs in front of a burning house while filming a music video with Eminem for "The Way You Lie" on July 20
Photo: Danny Mayer/ Eric Ford/ On Location Photos

The shocking images of domestic violence in the new Eminem/Rihanna video for "Love the Way You Lie" have sparked a heated debate online about the depiction of an abusive relationship in a music video. And though Slim Shady has chronicled his contentious relationship with twice-ex-wife Kim Mathers throughout his career, the "Lie" video is certainly not the first time the topic has been dealt with in a video. The clip for Ashanti's 2003 song "Rain on Me" also depicted the seesaw battle between intense love and physical violence, as the singer moved from hugging and holding hands with her video boo to using makeup to cover the bruises and scars after their altercations. Similarly, Ludacris' collabo with Mary J. Blige on 2006's "Runaway Love" showed teenage runaways who fled their homes after abuse at the hands of their stepdads and mothers' boyfriends, who also laid hands on their mom. The topic has been ripe for other rappers, including Eve, who released "Love Is Blind" in 2000, which chronicled her anger at her friend's abusive boyfriend and her plot of revenge against him.

The topic has also been covered by country artists, including the Dixie Chicks, who took a kitschy, "Thelma & Louise" approach in their "Goodbye Earl" clip, in which the battered woman gets her revenge for landing in intensive care after a beating. In the video for 2002's "Family Portrait," Pink and her childhood doppelgänger relive the chaos and drama of "growing up in World War III" by trying to remember the good times, but not lingering on images of abuse. Even if they didn't address the issue directly in their videos, plenty of other acts have also written songs about dating and married violence, from Sublime ("Date Rape") and Nirvana ("Rape Me" and "Polly") to Christina Aguilera ("I'm Okay"), Tori Amos ("Me and a Gun"), Suzanne Vega ("My Name Is Luka") and Em's own "Kim." Nickelback sang about personal violence on their first major album, Silver Side Up, on the song "Never Again," which had harsh depictions of domestic abuse, and though the original video was never officially released — a live version was issued instead — it can still be found online. While Em's "Lie" has mostly been praised for its serious handling of the issue, another often controversial artist, shock rocker Marilyn Manson, was widely panned for his ultra-violent "Running to the Edge of the World" clip, in which he seemed to be glorifying violence against women by beating up on a bloodied female who resembled his then-ex-fiancée Evan Rachel Wood. How do you think "Love the Way You Lie" handled domestic violence? Let us know in the comments.

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Rock's Voices Of Protest Finally Wake Up — And It's About Time, By John Norris

29 Jun 2007 17:36:00 EDT

Politically charged releases from Arcade Fire, Nine Inch Nails, Bright Eyes, others finally unleash voices of dissent.
By John Norris

Photo: MTV News

Well, it took them long enough. More than six years into the presidency of arguably the most polarizing leader in U.S. history, and four grindingly long years into the second-least-popular American war ever, a wave of musicians is finally speaking — or at least singing — up. How quiet they had been. With few exceptions — the Dixie Chicks' refusal to "shut up and sing" in 2003 and willingness to pay for it by losing their largely red-state fan base, and Green Day's tour de force American Idiot, which was either about a disaffected teen or man in the White House operating with messianic purpose — the music community had been largely silent about George W. Bush, effectively giving the president and his policies — including the Iraq War — a pop pass. Of course, without a concerted mass protest movement against the war, the rise of any significant amount of protest music was never likely. And where was it gonna come from? Certainly not pop or R&B. Hip-hop? The genre seems to have drifted from the voice that Public Enemy's Chuck D once called the "CNN of the streets." So that left the old standby: rock. Today, it's as fractured and as embattled as it's ever been, and it hasn't been given to political commentary. The emo dudes (the Wentzes and Ways of the world) can summon plenty of angst, but generally don't look past their own navels to the wider world; so-called "mainstream rock" (Nickelback, the Fray, the Chili Peppers, etc.) didn't seem to be interested; the U.K.'s arena men (Coldplay, Snow Patrol, etc.) served more as musical balms than rabble rousers; and as erudite as many of them are, indie rockers were mostly addressing other concerns — definitely not the war or its architects. Well, no more! At least not judging by the flurry of albums that have come out in the first half of 2007. From Arcade Fire, Sum 41, Bright Eyes, Smashing Pumpkins ... the voices and the lyrics — some literal and pointed, some far more subtle — run the gamut, but the overall message seems clear, and it ain't pretty. "I think it's great for anyone to become more aware of those ideas and, if they're compelled to, share them with their audience," Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst said. (See why Conor Oberst has been outspoken about the Iraq war, President Bush and more, right here.) And yes, they are sharing. From Arcade Fire's "Intervention" ("No place to hide/ You were fighting as a soldier on their side/ You're still a soldier in your mind/ Though nothing's on the line") to Rufus Wainwright's searing "Going to Town" ("You took advantage of a world that loved you well/ I'm going to a town that has already been burned down/ I'm so tired of you, America") to Sum 41's remarkably blunt "March of the Dogs" ("Ladies and gentlemen of the underclass/ The President of the United States of America/Is dead!"), tongues have been unleashed up and down your radio dial (or all over your iTunes — pick your poison). The lyrics seem to echo a growing majority of public opinion, but while the origin seems clear, the timing — and why it all took so long — is a bit harder to pin down. "Not many bands today are speaking their minds on issues", Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington told MTV News. "We've been noticing some things that we're not too stoked on and we feel like we're at a place now where we can speak out about it." Some artists say they've been speaking their minds all along, but the message may have been lost until now. "As for me, I felt really, extremely angry and frightened and crazy over it a few years ago," Oberst said. "I think that's when I was writing the most overt songs about it. Now I've sort of reached a point of overload, where I just didn't want to think about it anymore, which I guess is sort of chicken sh--." Perhaps. Even Sum frontman Deryck Whibley backpedaled on the "the President of the United States of America is dead" thing, telling MTV News' James Montgomery that the lyrics are "a metaphor" for how "ineffectual and incompetent" Bush is as a president. Whibley also insisted the upcoming Sum 41 album Underclass Hero would not be a "political record" (see "Sum 41 Kill President In New Song — Deryck Whibley Says It's 'A Metaphor' s"). But if Whibley won't go there, plenty of others have. You'd be hard pressed to find a more "political record" than Year Zero from Nine Inch Nails. Trent Reznor traded in angst for social commentary, drumming up a bleak look at where America is — and, sadly, where it could be 15 years from now. You'd be hard pressed to find a darker record out there. "I got my propaganda/ I got revisionism/ I got my violence/ In hi-def ultra-realism/ All a part of this great nation/ I got my fist/ I got my plan/ I got survivalism," he howls on "Survivalism." Later, on "Capital G," he sings, "Well I used to stand for something/ Now I'm on my hands and knees/ Turning in the god of this war/ And he signs his name with a capital G" (see "Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero Preview: Beginning To Solve The Mystery"). The man who "signs his name with a capital G" also takes some knocks from a less expected place than Reznor: some former purveyors of nu-metal who've found a newly political voice. Linkin Park have never been viewed as a political band, but on the Mike Shinoda-penned track "Hands Held High," the band definitely goes there (see "Linkin Park's Minutes To Midnight Preview: Nu-Metallers Grow Up" and "Could Linkin Park, Green Day, Nine Inch Nails Be The Next U2?"). "For a leader so nervous in an obvious way/ Stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay/And the rest of the world watching at the end of the day/ In the living room, laughing, like, 'What did he say?' " Elsewhere on their latest, Minutes to Midnight, the band remembers the victims of Hurricane Katrina and takes aim at the government that failed to help ("Hope decays, generations disappear/ Washed away, as a nation simply stares"). At the same time, Bennington adds, the band will only go so far: observation, yes; incitement, no. "That was a difficult process with these particular songs because ... we don't want to preach, you know?" he said. "We just want to kind of speak our minds without telling you what to do." But there is no mistaking the origin of Linkin Park's new album title. Minutes to Midnight is a reference to the Doomsday Clock, the theoretical clock that portends the possibility of nuclear armageddon. (That clock, by the way, is currently "set" at five minutes to midnight). And they aren't the only ones watching the clock. Smashing Pumpkins finally returns to us with the appropriately titled "Doomsday Clock" ("Is everyone afraid? Is everyone ashamed?/ Apocalyptic scream, they're bound to kill us all"). Main Pumpkin Bill Corgan isn't doing interviews for the upcoming Zeitgeist, preferring to let the music "speak for itself," we're told, and with tracks like "For God and Country" and the 10-minute epic "United States" ("I don't know what I believe/ But if I feel safe, what do I need?/ Revolution! Revolution!"), the music is speaking loud and clear. The parade doesn't end there. Montreal's Arcade Fire returned in March with another album full of urgent, exuberant rock — only this time, as the twisted title Neon Bible suggests — they took their megaphones in a darker direction, one more informed by that uniquely American place where God, guns and gall intersect ("Don't wanna live in my father's house no more/ Don't wanna fight in a holy war/ Don't want the salesmen knocking at my door/ I don't wanna live in America no more," the band sings on "Windowsill"). And, of course, there is Bright Eyes. Oberst has been raising his voice and growing more politically indignant (about the state of the world and particularly about the Bush administration) since 2000 (see "Bright Eyes Slam 'Off-The-Leash Administration'; Give Details On New Albums"). He drew praise — and a degree of outrage — when he performed the vitriolic "When the President Talks to God" on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in 2005 (moral of the story: know your audience). He tells us that his latest, Cassadaga, is less "overtly political," saying its essence is "just sort of trying to make peace with everything, to be comfortable in your own skin." Still, there are undoubtedly political themes throughout. He concedes politics is "always in the background" and "hard to escape completely." And Oberst does manage to come up with at least one incendiary couplet on "Four Winds": "The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Koran's mute/ If you burned them all together, you'd get close to the truth." Them's fatwa words, son. Was Oberst not at all hesitant to go there, in a world where a cartoonist can be a marked man for offending religious sensibilities? Apparently not. "I guess I didn't think about it too much," he said. "I haven't really gotten much angry feedback or anything." And, while he says he means no disrespect to anyone's faith, he makes no apologies for the lyric. "For me, religion is ... if it enhances your life and it's something that, you know, gives you compassion or comfort or makes you empathetic toward other people or anything which religion should do in its pure form, then I think it's great. But it's hard not to look historically and just not think that it is the worst thing to ever happen to the human race. It really is." Amid all of this, we also get the return of Rage Against the Machine, hardly a coincidence. But where were they during most of

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Daughtry Reclaim Billboard #1

07 Mar 2007 12:11:00 EST

'American Idol' rocker's band takes top spot from Norah Jones in another slow sales week.
By Chris Harris

Photo: Michael Waring

After a week in which none of the records comprising the Billboard albums sales chart cleared the 100,000-sold mark, and any mention of "American Idol" immediately prompted discussion of controversial season-six contestant Antonella Barba, the #1 spot on the top 200 belongs to Chris Daughtry. The "Idol" veteran's band rode a 7 percent sales increase to the top — without any compromising photos of its chrome-domed frontman making the rounds on the Internet. Daughtry, the self-titled debut from the rock collective, returns to Billboard's apex — dropping the chart's previous champ, Norah Jones, to the #2 position. Daughtry sold close to 90,000 units, giving the singer his second taste of retail domination since late January; the 15-week-old LP first assumed the #1 slot six weeks ago, and has drifted between the #2 and #9 spots since. Jones, whose Not Too Late topped the two previous charts, slips one position after scanning nearly 74,000 copies. Following Jones at #3 is Akon's Konvicted, which climbs two places with sales reported at 73,000, according to the latest SoundScan data. Fall Out Boy's Infinity on High falls one spot to #4, with 67,000 sales, while Robin Thicke's The Evolution of Robin Thicke claims the #5 position, selling 57,000 units. Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds finishes at #6, with close to 54,000 copies flying off store shelves, while Nelly Furtado's Loose returns to the top 10, surging ahead seven slots to #7 with 45,000 scans. The soundtrack to "Dreamgirls" is also back in the top 10, thanks to a 19 percent sales boost that amounted to 45,000 copies sold. Selling just 58 fewer copies is Corrine Bailey Rae's self-titled LP, which finishes the week at #9. Rounding out the top 10 with 42,000 scans is the Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way. It was a relatively lethargic week at retail for chart veterans and new releases. The week's biggest-selling debut comes from New Orleans rap group B.G. and the Chopper City Boyz; their latest, We Got This, opens at #21 with 27,000 scans. Returning to the latest chart is the Goo Goo Dolls' updated and reissued Let Love In. The CD/DVD special edition occupies the #48 slot, selling 15,000 units. Slim Thug's Boss Hogg Outlawz bow at #63, having sold 12,000 copies of their latest, Serve & Collect, while "Blue Collar Comedy" affiliate Bill Engvall's 15 Degrees Off Cool pops up at #93 with 9,000 sold. Marco Antonio Solis' La Historia Continùa ... Parte III opens at #95 with 9,000 scans. Former "American Idol" contestant Kellie Pickler scores one of the week's biggest gainers with her debut effort Small Town Girl. Sales of the disc rose 37 percent following Pickler's appearance last week on "Idol." The album moved close to 12,000 copies, earning Pickler the chart's #66 spot.

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Dan Wilson, Semisonic Singer/ Dixie Chicks Songsmith, Flies Solo With Rubin

26 Feb 2007 14:43:00 EST

Singer/songwriter recently won Grammy for Chicks' 'Not Ready to Make Nice.'
By Gil Kaufman

Photo: American

With his Grammy for co-writing the Dixie Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice" sitting at home, safe and sound, former Semisonic singer Dan Wilson is now turning his attention to his solo debut — and none other than Rick Rubin, this year's Grammy-winning Producer of the Year, says it's one of the best he's ever worked on. "It's mind-blowing," said Rubin of Wilson's Free Life, which is slated for a summer release. "It's my favorite album. He's just great." Wilson, who is signed to Rubin's American label, said he began recording Life with a bunch of his friends from Minneapolis five years ago, not knowing what he was going to do with the songs at that point. At those early sessions, Semisonic drummer Jacob Slichter played keyboards and bassist John Munson chipped in as well, during a period when the band best known for the late-'90s hit "Closing Time" was taking a break from recording and touring. "I had two ideals in mind when I was writing it," said Wilson. "One was the book 'Shakey,' [Jimmy McDonough's Neil Young biography] that was on the table the whole time we were recording. Neil talks about how to get the vocal and the band [recorded] first, and then you can add something later. Mainly it was about singing with the band live, and I found it really inspiring to try and capture something live in the recording." The second thing that Wilson kept close at hand was a copy of Tom Petty's 1994 Wildflowers album, produced by Rubin, of course, which Wilson said was an inspiration for its purity of sound and songwriting. (Rubin has said of the LP, "It took us two years to make it sound like we made it in a weekend.") After completing his first set of demos, Wilson sent them to his pal Sheryl Crow, who forwarded them to Rubin. "He called and said, 'Hey man, let's talk about music,' " Wilson said of the reaction from Rubin, whom he had never met before. The unlikely pair made a "natural connection," and Wilson ended up recording more tracks in Rubin's Los Angeles mansion/studio in late 2004 and early 2005 (see "Rubin Turns To Linkin Park, Weezer After Winning Buckets Of Grammys"). Wilson noted that the delay in finishing the album was partly due to a now-healed lung disease that took him out of commission for much of 2005. "The idea was to capture this candlelit moment of this connection between people, as opposed to layering something together in a fastidious way and trying to make it perfect," Wilson said. He described the songs as vulnerable and emotional, with a classic, timeless sound. Among the guests who played on the sessions are Nickel Creek guitarist Sean Watkins, and long-time Tom Petty bandmate Benmont Tench and Wilson's brother, Matt, on keyboards. Crow also laid down some background vocals. "It's that classic solo album where you get all 25 of your friends together to play on it," he said. "It's a lot of acoustic instruments, but it's definitely a rock record. What it has in common with Semisonic are the melodies, but the lyrics are more personal and philosophical." Wilson is keeping busy as he awaits a release date later this year for Free Life. He's writing for British diva Lucie Silvas and has production duties on the upcoming solo album from former Soul Coughing frontman Mike Doughty and the Columbia Records debut from Chicago rock band AbsentStar.

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Norah Jones Reclaims Billboard #1 From Fall Out Boy

21 Feb 2007 10:18:00 EST

Gerald Levert's posthumous disc debuts at #2; Grammy nominees enjoy sales boost.
By Chris Harris

Photo: Danny Clinch/ Blue Note Records

Last week, Fall Out Boy's Infinity on High usurped Norah Jones' Not Too Late — the previous week's #1 — as the nation's top-selling LP, relegating the jazzy songstress to the chart's #2 position and scoring the Chicago rockers the first chart-crowning debut of their careers. This week, Jones returned the favor. With nearly 211,000 copies of Not Too Late sold during the album's third week of release, Jones reclaims Billboard's coveted throne, leaving Fall Out Boy in the proverbial dust. Sales of Infinity on High dipped by more than 50 percent, dropping FOB to the chart's #5 slot with second-week sales reported at close to 119,000, according to the latest SoundScan results. But the bigger news is the windfall from the 2007 Grammy Awards, handed out early last week. Whether you took home a statuette or not didn't matter much to consumers — even albums by nominees who didn't win experienced major sales boons. The biggest spike in retail interest came for the Dixie Chicks, whose Taking the Long Way was honored with five Grammys, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year prizes (see "Timberlake Rocks; Blige Weeps; Chicks, Chilis Clean Up At Grammys"). Sales of the LP rose a whopping 714 percent to top 103,000, landing the Chicks in the chart's #8 slot; during the previous week, Taking the Long Way sold nearly 13,000 units, and occupied the #72 position. Likewise, nominee Corinne Bailey Rae's self-titled album experienced a 132 percent sales surge, scanning another 120,000 copies — enough to help the disc hop four places to #4. Even the 2007 Grammy Nominees compilation — featuring 23 tracks from this year's contenders — enjoyed a 116 percent increase in sales, climbing from #7 to #3 with more than 131,000 copies sold. Sales of FutureSex/LoveSounds by Justin Timberlake — who walked off with the Best Dance Recording and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration awards — soared 123 percent for a total of 108,000, earning JT the #7 spot. John Mayer's Continuum, winner of the Best Pop Vocal Album, was the beneficiary of a 182 percent sales jump, ending the week with more than 80,000 scans at #10 — up from #29 the week before. The Best Rock Album winner, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium, climbs to #12 from #39, selling 67,000 units — a sales increase of 194 percent. Big winner Mary J. Blige's The Breakthrough sold more than 43,000 — a 161 percent sales spike — and ends up at #21, climbing more than 30 chart positions. Gnarls Barkley's Best Alternative Album-winning St. Elsewhere soars 192 percent to finish at #44 — up from #111 — with 27,000 scans, and James Blunt's Back to Bedlam closes out the week at #47 after experiencing a 152 percent increase in sales. Elsewhere on the chart, Robin Thicke's The Evolution of Robin Thicke continues selling like hotcakes, holding at #6 with around 116,000 units scanned; sales of the disc jumped 90 percent. And ending the week at #9 — down six spots from #3 but still up 34 percent in sales — is Daughtry, the self-titled debut from "American Idol" finalist Chris Daughtry's rock act, with 102,000 copies sold. When it comes to new releases, a mere four pop up on the latest chart, including the late Gerald Levert's In My Songs. The first posthumous release from the singer, who died in November at age 40, In My Songs is Levert's highest-charting debut, opening at #2 with 165,000 copies sold. Further down the chart is Lucinda Williams' West, bowing at #14 with 57,000 scans, while Van Morrison's Van Morrison at the Movies follows at #35 with week-one sales of 29,000-plus. And finally, debuting at #84 with 13,000 sold is the latest solo mixtape by the Dipset's JR Writer, JR Writer: Writer's Block 4; the album was largely produced by the Diplomats' Dukedagod.

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New Releases: Dixie Chicks, Kidz Bop 11, K-os, Calla, Gomez & More

20 Feb 2007 06:00:00 EST

Also due Tuesday: Ataris, Kittie, Free Murda, Charlie Louvin, Trans Am, Fu Manchu, Explosions in the Sky.
By Kurt Orzeck

The Dixie Chicks' DVD "Shut Up and Sing"
Photo: The Weinstein Company

It's been a very slow-moving first quarter, and while this week doesn't exactly have a litany of marquee artists, there is something fresh in store for everyone. Here is a virtual stroll through the record shop ... and what better place to start than with country music? File Under: Country
· Dixie Chicks' "Shut Up & Sing" DVD:
While some news outlets blared headlines about a "defiant" Dixie Chicks sweeping the Grammy Awards last week — as if to say they were handcuffed to the podium, screeching about President Bush's foreign policies — the ladies didn't make too big a deal of their political attitudes at the event. That didn't stop them from doing so with this recent documentary, however: Co-directed by two-time Academy Award-winner Barbara Kopple and also featuring producer Rick Rubin, it captures just how much 15 little words can bruise — and ultimately benefit — a band. · Charlie Louvin's Charlie Louvin:
As acclaimed as the Chicks were this year, they've got nuthin' on Country Music Hall of Fame demigod Louvin, who is taking a musical stroll for the first time in 10 years with a guest-star-heavy opus. The Louvin Brothers sibling didn't manage to snare Jack White — whose Raconteurs have been toying with the group's "The Christian Life" in concert — but he was able to coax Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Will Oldham and Elvis Costello, not to mention members of Bright Eyes and Lambchop to contribute. · The Silos' Come on Like the Fast Lane:
The alt-country trailblazers have also been around for a spell — more than 20 years, in fact — but their latest effort steers them in different directions, among them proto-punk and R.E.M.-esque roots-rock. Recorded at composer Philip Glass' Looking Glass Studios, the disc is also reminiscent of Ennio Morricone's spaghetti-Western scores. (Incidentally, a tribute to that Italian legend, We All Love Ennio Morricone, also drops this week. It features tribute tracks by such unlikely fans as Metallica, Bruce Springsteen and Pink Floyd's Roger Waters.) File Under: Children's
· Various artists' Kidz Bop 11:
Expect more big things from this best-selling series, the last installment of which debuted at #3 on the Billboard albums chart. This one finds tots tooting through John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change," the Fray's "Over My Head (Cable Car)" and — this one's just a little bit of a stretch — Rascal Flatts' "What Hurts the Most." · Bratz - Fashion Pixiez
Trying to wean yourself off these tweens? Well, you probably won't be on the wagon for much longer. This latest set by the group — which counts Paula Abdul among its closest friends — seeps selections from the DVD of the same name; another video, "Livin' It Up!"; and the act's Saturday morning series. · Various artists' Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt and Smashing Pumpkins
You've seen these compilations popping up on the New Releases schedule in recent months — it's high time to giving 'em some lovin'. Using glockenspiel, vibraphone, mellotron, harp and bells to soften up — or, depending on your level of cynicism, wimpify — sounds by the aforementioned bands, the series applies its sleep-inducing sheen to "Don't Speak," "Head Like a Hole" and "Cherub Rock." If you don't know which track belongs to which artist, it's time to go back to cool school. File Under: Underground Hip-Hop
· K-os' Atlantis: Hymns for Disco
Born in Trinidad, based in Toronto and currently making waves in the States, the innovative crossover MC has even more curiosities to his name: He was raised by Jehovah's Witnesses and is touring with Gym Class Heroes and Rx Bandits. Upping the "WTF?" quotient yet another time are appearances by singer/songwriter Sam Roberts and Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew on "Valhalla." · Free Murda's RZA Presents Free Murda: Let Freedom Reign
Like K-os' album, this one is equally likely to fall under the radar of most rap fans, but the LP by Brooklyn, New York's Free Murda has just as much legitimacy thanks to one of hip-hop's best savants, the RZA. The Wu-Tang Clan agent spruced up three tracks with his production skills and appears on one of them ("My Black Nina," also featuring Sha-Cronz.) · Begetz's Ghetto Pass
Another Brooklyn street fave, Begetz is also looking up to a big brother of own — the Firm's AZ — for his maiden release. If you didn't catch him starring alongside 2Pac in "Above the Rim" or in assorted videos by Jay-Z and Nas, you'll have the chance to hear him loud and clear now. File Under: Indie-Rock
· Calla's Strength in Numbers
Critics have given this New York-by-way-of-Texas band countless hugs and kisses, and the love fest should continue with its fifth volume. This one is being perceived as a retrospective of sorts — no, there are no rehashed or previously released songs, but singer/guitarist Aurelio Valle and his comrades stop to take stock of the wide variety of moods and textures (experimental, raw, smooth) they've churned out over the years. · Explosions in the Sky's All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
This effort was produced by lo-fi master John Cogleton but actually showcases a band in all its unbridled fury. Well, the loudest fury an indie-rock band can produce, that is — skip to the Metal section if it's tinnitus you're after. The fourth effort by the Texas instrumentalists has six songs but they're hella long, so don't worry about getting your money's worth. · Field Music's Tones of Town
The Sunderland, England, band's style has been called everything from "mod-pop" to "pop art," drawn them comparisons to Wilco and earned them a spot touring with Belle & Sebastian. Brothers Peter and David Brewis are responsible for the songcraft, and with keyboardist Andrew Moore in tow, they serve up more shifting layers than your ears will be able to keep track of. File Under: Metal
· The Hidden Hand's The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote
If Lemmy is speed metal's indispensable dude, then Scott "Wino" Weinrich owns that title in the doom-metal underworld. The third effort by his latest combo — his other projects include Spirit Caravan, Saint Vitus and the Obsessed — finds him talking more about history than outright politics, and he dabbles with a slide to boot. The release is appended with the hard-to-find Devoid of Color EP. · Vader's The Darkest Age: Live, Kingdom and Live in Japan
The first Eastern European death-metal band to sign a record deal outside its native land after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Poland's Vader are hailed with three reissues. Darkest Age enshrines a 1993 concert, Live in Japan one from five years later, and Kingdom is upped with a pair of bonus tracks. · The Handshake Murders' Usurper
Seven years young, the Arkansas death-metallers finally step up with their first-ever full-length. Dare yourself to keep the earplugs at bay as they push the brutality envelope on songs like "Painted Contortionist," "Of Cult and Atrophy" and "Apostate." File Under: Punk
· The Queers' "The Queers Are Here" DVD
The Queers are 25 years old, if you can believe it, and more incredulously, this is their first-ever DVD. But while the New Hampshire band has been around since 1982, this video culls live-performance and behind-the-scenes madness they wreaked from 1993-2005 and captures the band with a handful of various lineups. · Autonym's Shall We Skip to Excessive Celebration?
Lead singer Will Angelos — who resides in Los Angeles, as luck for his name would have it — makes no secret of his iconoclastic views (check out his diatribes at MySpace.com/Autonymla). Expect that banter to seep into his hardcore-punk band's discordant assaults, lovingly put to tape by Pete Lyman of another searing L.A. squad, Year Future. · Hot Cross' Risk Revival
Featuring Level Plane Records swami Greg Drudy and a former member of Interpol, the Philly hardcore phanatics have toured with Fear Before the March of Flames but sound more akin to Big Black. Catch them chugging through "Finance Fuels the Sickness at Heart," "Scrape Wisdom" and "Cardiac Silence" on this, their third opus. File Under: Experimental
· The Boredoms' Super Roots 7, 8 and 9
In commemoration of Japan's undisputed noise kings celebrating 20 years of chaos — and on the verge of their 77-drummer live extravaganza to be held in New York on July 7 — Vice imports three installments of the band's overwhelming series. Only one, 6, has been out in the States before — while that one boasts 17 tracks, the other two clock in at just three apiece. · Big Sir's Und Die Scheibe Ändert Sich Immer
If it's incomprehensible, it's gotta be by the Mars Volta — or affiliated with them, at least. Bassist Juan A

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Rubin Turns To Linkin Park, Weezer After Winning Buckets Of Grammys

14 Feb 2007 06:00:00 EST

Producer also teaming with Metallica; says peace comp 'feels less pressing' as Iraq war support declines.
By Corey Moss

Photo: Stephen Shugerman/ Getty Images

Rick Rubin never having won the Producer of the Year Grammy was the musical equivalent of Martin Scorsese never having won the best-director Oscar. And on Sunday, two weeks before Scorsese is expected to finally get his prize, Rubin was at last honored — and then honored again and again and again. In the end, Rubin walked away (not literally — he did not attend) with five Grammys: for Producer of the Year; Album of the Year and Country Album of the Year for the Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way; Record of the Year for the Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice"; and Best Rock Album for Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium (see "Timberlake Rocks; Blige Weeps; Chicks, Chilis Clean Up At Grammys"). And, while we're counting, he was also a part of five other Grammy-winning projects: Song of the Year and Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal for the Dixie Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice"; Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal and Best Rock Song for Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California"; and Best Metal Performance for Slayer's "Eyes of the Insane." "It feels so good to know our work touched listeners," Rubin said in a statement. "During the process, we are making our own favorite music. [These awards are] confirmation that what is true and real in the emotion of music is contagious." The Grammys undoubtedly add an exclamation mark to a very successful 2006 for Rubin. But it's understandable that he called the year "not unusually special" in an interview with MTV News (see "Rick Rubin Calls His Year 'Not Unusually Special'; Grammy Nods Tell Another Story") — particularly if you look at what 2007 has in store for him. As always, Rubin is working with a variety of artists and hoping to give new life to a couple of them along the way. Here's a rundown: Linkin Park: "They really are reinventing themselves," Rubin said of the band, mixing now for a summer release. "It doesn't sound like rap-rock. There's very strong songwriting. I've heard guys in the band say that it transcends everything they've done before, like it puts them in a whole different light in their minds, and they really like that. It's very melodic. It's a progressive record." Metallica: "I saw [the warts-and-all Metallica documentary 'Some Kind of Monster'], and it made me really nervous," Rubin said. "Then we started working, and it's the opposite direction of that. They're really productive, really communicative — it seems like they really like being in the room together. It's a great process. They say they're more excited than they have been in a long time about making music. We're going to start recording in March. I asked them not to reinvent themselves so much as to make a defining album, like the purest of what Metallica is. That's the aim, so we'll see what happens." Weezer: "Rivers [Cuomo] just gave me some demos, the first round for this album," Rubin said. "I'm trying to get my head clear to really just dive in." U2: "We've talked about doing some more, but they're on tour," said Rubin, who produced two tracks for the band's recent hits compilation, U218 Singles, including the Green Day collaboration "The Saints Are Coming." "Hopefully we'll get to do some more together." Dan Wilson of Semisonic: "The album's done and hopefully will be out this summer," Rubin said. "It's mind-blowing. It's my favorite album. He's just great." The (International) Noise Conspiracy: "I heard one set of demos that were really good, and I'm waiting for the next batch," the producer said. Rubin's long-in-the-works compilation of peace songs: "It has not yet come to pass, but hopefully it will," Rubin said (see "Audioslave, Chili Peppers Play For Peace On Rick Rubin Compilation"). "It felt more meaningful to me at the beginning of the [Iraq] war, when it felt like there was a lot of pro-war sentiment. As it's changed, and more and more people are realizing [the war is] a bad idea, it feels like we're preaching to the converted now. At the time, we felt like we'd be leading the charge. At this point, it feels less pressing, which I think is a great thing." For more on Rick Rubin, check out the feature "What's Up With That Bearded Guy in the '99 Problems' Video?" The show's over but there's plenty of Grammy hotness here on MTVNews.com. Check out photos of the hottest red-carpet and onstage action; join our reporters as they hit all the Grammy week parties; and let us know what you think about the performers, winners and losers. Plus see videos of all the nominees on MTV.com and check out exclusive video footage from the big night right here.

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Christina Talked Private Parts? Who Was Sick? Grammy Moments You Didn't See

12 Feb 2007 02:59:00 EST

MTV News went where cameras didn't to get backstage scoop.
By Corey Moss and Shaheem Reid

Christina Aguilera at the 49th annual Grammy Awards
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images

Word on the street was that Justin Timberlake was sick, but MTV News found out another one of the night's big performers was also under the weather. So who used to perform Lionel Richie songs at talent contests, and what exactly did Christina Aguilera say about private parts? Check out what we discovered by poking around backstage where the cameras didn't go at the Grammys: · The night before the big show (see "Timberlake Rocks; Blige Weeps; Chicks, Chilis Clean Up At Grammys"), Justin Timberlake was feeling chatty during Grammy rehearsals and sat down at the piano to treat everyone in the room to an impromptu, slowed-down rendition of "Di-- in a Box." · Quentin Tarantino walked the red carpet with fellow martial-arts enthusiast RZA. The two were making inside jokes and cracking each other up. · Just after Black Eyed Peas finished interviews on the red carpet, Will.I.Am broke loose and chatted with everyone in sight, including Chris Brown, who checked out Will's diamond-encrusted ear cover and asked, "Where did you get that? I have to get one" (see "Justin And T.I.'s Suits Show Up Ladies' Sequins On Grammy Red Carpet"). · Beyoncé hit the press room early and revealed that she was suffering from the stomach flu. But B wasn't fazed until her publicist cut her off just as she was starting an interview to change the look of the shot. Beyoncé said, "Now I feel all self-conscious!" · When a reporter told John Legend some people say he's the next Marvin Gaye, Legend smiled and responded, "Some people need to slow down. He's an idol of mine. If you hear some of him [in me], I stole it from him." Legend also said he keeps his Grammys "on my piano in my apartment in New York." Later, Legend watched Lionel Richie perform "Hello" and remarked that he used to perform that song at talent contests. Someone asked, "Did you win?" Legend replied, "Of course." · Christina Aguilera talked backstage about her tour, possibly getting into acting and, of course, performing James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." "I was thrilled, completely flattered that they would think I could pull off a James Brown song," she said, adding that she researched her performance by watching old Brown DVDs. "I saw his spins — I didn't do the spins. I didn't want to trip on my heels or something." When one reporter noted that Aguilera has always managed to enter and exit limos without incident, she laughed, "Are you setting me up to say, 'Keep your legs closed?' There's a way to make sure privates are kept private." · Carrie Underwood walked around backstage with two Grammys in her arms and said she felt a little bit more relaxed about taking the stage at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party after she saw a few people perform and realized no one was going to throw anything at her when she got up to sing (see "Aguilera, Hudson Play For Clive Davis; FOB Rock Roots' Grammys Eve Jam"). · At least she's not label crazy. In the press room, Natasha Bedingfield drew a blank, telling a reporter she was wearing, "A red dress ... a red dress which I can't remember [who designed it] because I threw it on when I got offstage." · Chamillionaire pranced around the hallways, super-hyped about his win for "Ridin," while Krayzie Bone announced to those gathered in the press room that the victory was a great jump-start for the return of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. "This is a perfect kickoff. Last time we got a Grammy was, like, '97." Krayzie also said "Ridin" attained a level of success "way beyond" what he and Chamillionaire had expected. · Ludacris held onto his two Grammys and told reporters he performed "Runaway Love" during the show because "it was time for change, time to start talking about different things." "This is pretty much the best day of my life," he gushed. "No words can explain how I feel. This is my fifth studio LP and I've been nominated every year — this is my first time winning. Earth, Wind & Fire (he and Mary J. Blige performed with them at the show) were just as big of fans of mine as I was of theirs." He also said he's cleared his schedule for Monday (February 12) because he's going to party all night. · "My Grammy Moment" winner Robyn Troup revealed backstage that it's her birthday. She added that she looked at Blige the entire time she was performing with Timberlake because Blige's face was warm and welcoming, and she feared looking elsewhere would make her nervous. · Dixie Chick Natalie Maines said this was by far the most amazing awards-show experience she'd ever had, adding, "But it's funny, I'm not that angry," in response to talk that the band's album was defiant.
The show's over but there's plenty of Grammy hotness here on MTVNews.com. Check out photos of the hottest red-carpet and onstage action; join our reporters as they hit all the Grammy week parties; and let us know what you think about the performers, winners and losers. Plus see videos of all the nominees on MTV.com and check out exclusive video footage from the big night right here.

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Grammys '07: Who Won, Who Sung?

12 Feb 2007 01:09:00 EST

Dixie Chicks, Mary J. Blige and Red Hot Chili Peppers grabbed gold, while Justin, Christina, Chris Brown and the Police rocked onstage.
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Timberlake Rocks; Blige Weeps; Chicks, Chilis Clean Up At Grammys

12 Feb 2007 00:14:00 EST

Despite all the chatter, the show's quieter moments carry the most weight.
By James Montgomery

Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

LOS ANGELES — In the weeks leading up to the 49th Grammy Awards, many miles of verbiage were unspooled by slick-suited TV pundits and somewhat bitter music journalists to dissect, predict and pick apart music's biggest night. But as the awards themselves actually unfolded, live from the Staples Center, it was the moments in which very little — if anything at all — was said that carried the most weight. (Check out photos of Beyoncé, Christina, Justin and many more at the show right here.) Whether it was the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines simply — and somewhat fittingly — quoting "The Simpsons" in a kiss-off to the group's many critics; Chris Brown's footstep-perfect rendition of the late James Brown's famed onstage routine; or the Godfather of Soul's longtime hypeman Danny Ray draping Brown's sequined robe on the mic stand after the evening's "In Memoriam" segment (not to mention the standing ovation that followed), there was very little more that needed to be said. And those are just the first three moments that sprung to mind. One could also mention Mary J. Blige's quiet elegance and fiery onstage performances (she brought the audience to its feet with "Be Without You," which would earn her two of her three Grammy awards on the night, for R&B song and Best Female R&B Performance.) Or the pair of showstopping numbers Justin Timberlake — who burned up the red carpet earlier in the evening (see "Justin, T.I. And John Mayer's Suits Show Up Ladies' Sequins On Grammy Red Carpet") — unveiled. And the usually goofy guys of Gnarls Barkley, who turned in a soul-drenched, deceptively low-key rendition of "Crazy," which won the duo a pair of awards. Even Kanye West — so often the source of an infantile awards-show rant — kept it on the quiet, choosing to focus on the award he was brought in to present, Best Rap Album (it should be noted, however, that that award's winner, Ludacris, opted to pop off on frequent nemesis Bill O'Reilly). Of course, many speculated that if the Recording Academy voters chose to shower the Dixie Chicks with awards (which they did, bestowing five Grammys, including Record, Album and Song of the Year, as well as Best Country Album honors, on the Texas trio), it would be seen as a sort of statement against those who Maines spoke out against, including George W. Bush and the entirety of the country-music establishment. And although they won more Grammys than anyone, the group made no grand statement to speak of. "To quote the Simpsons: Ha-ha!" Maines laughed while accepting the Best Country Album award. "A lot of people just turned their TVs off." And while accepting their Album of the Year trophy, Maines chuckled, "I've got nothing clever to say, sorry!" The Red Hot Chili Peppers won four Grammys, including Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song. Carrie Underwood — who performed at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party Saturday night (see "Aguilera, Hudson Play For Clive Davis; FOB Rock Roots' Grammys Eve Jam") — Justin Timberlake and Gnarls Barkley each won two, though none of them used their winning moments to launch into any diatribes, make any political pleas or even put anyone on blast (the once-decadent Peppers even thanked their families.) Even Timberlake, the evening's "It" boy, will probably be remembered for his trippy "Blair Witch Project" action (thanks to a handheld camera) during his performance of "What Goes Around ... Comes Around," or for his tag-team performance with T.I. and "My Grammy Moment" contest winner Robyn Troup on a medley of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and his own "My Love." Indeed, the brevity may have been part of the Grammy planners' design: The house orchestra's "hurry-up" music was merciless, hustling along Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder while they accepted the show's first award, and Mary J. Blige when she whipped out several index cards filled with names of people to thank. In hindsight, we probably should've known things would play out this way from the start. The evening got under way with a much-anticipated performance by the reunited Police, making their first major public appearance in more than 20 years (see "The Police Kick Off Reunion At Grammys — But How Long Will It Last?"). And although their two-decade hiatus has been at times rather acrimonious, the trio simply introduced themselves, ripped through "Roxanne" and took a bow. Well done, everyone. After all, why talk when you can sing, dance or quote "The Simpsons"? Actions speak louder, anyway. [This story was originally published at 6:09 pm E.T. on 02.11.2007]
The show's over but there's plenty of Grammy hotness here on MTVNews.com. Check out photos of the hottest red-carpet and onstage action; join our reporters as they hit all the Grammy week parties; and let us know what you think about the performers, winners and losers. Plus see videos of all the nominees on MTV.com and check out exclusive video footage from the big night right here.

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