Chris Willman
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Review: ‘Idol’ Scotty McCreery Aims for the Mushy Middle
But once he lays off the treacly ballads, the deep-voiced Season 10 winner sounds more like a more wholesome Dierks Bentley doppelganger than a Josh Turner mini-me. But that still doesn’t solve this country kid’s distinctiveness problem
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Charts: Tony Bennett Becomes First Eightysomething to Top Billboard Chart
The octogenarian’s “Duets II” album sold 179,000. On the other end of the age spectrum, teens Demi Lovato, Mindless Behavior, and Cody Simpson all made strong album-chart impressions
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Review: Wilco’s ‘Whole Love’ Has Beatles’ ‘White Album’ Unpredictability
The critically beloved band splits the difference between its experimental and acoustic leanings
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Review: Blink-182 Grows Up a Little Too Much on ‘Neighborhoods’
Having jettisoned the jokiness for good, the band has a harder time making adult angst memorable on its first album since 2003
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Review: Seth MacFarlane’s Big Band Album Is No Joke
Playing it straight on an earnest album of lesser-known Sinatra-era material, the “Family Guy” creator avoids meriting his own roast
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Lady Antebellum Owns ‘Night’ — and Billboard Chart
Easily aced failed comebacks by a whacked Bush and petered-out Primus
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Review: ‘SuperHeavy’ Moves Like Jagger, With Good Reason
Mick Jagger and Joss Stone have natural duet chemistry in a supergroup project that’s good fun, if you don’t take it super-seriously
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Review: Demi Lovato Struggles With a Split Musical Personality in ‘Unbroken’
Eschewing her former rock leanings, the most talented starlet to come out of the Disney Channel stable now finds herself torn between silly rhythmic-pop fluff and honest, searing balladry
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Review: Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse Trump Tony Bennett’s ‘Duets’ Partners
Gaga is the octogenarian’s ideal trampy drinking buddy, and Winehouse his perfect foil in sorrow, even as the chemistry with other celebrity partners falters
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Review: Sensitive Gavin DeGraw Gets a Little Rascally in ‘Sweeter’
On his occasionally feisty new album, the recently battered piano man proves he can dish it out as well as take it, at least romantically
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Charts: George Strait Takes Narrow Path to Billboard’s Top Debut, Edging Out Beatles
On the digital songs chart, Kelly Clarkson managed a so-so debut for “Mr. Know It All”
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Review: Marsalis Gets Upper Hand on Slowhand in ‘Lincoln Center’
Eric Clapton defers to the celebrated jazzman in their collaboration
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Blues Velvet: David Lynch Shows Off His New Album
The auteur sounds a little like a schizophrenic Neil Young — and just as dreamy and disturbing as you’d expect — on his debut solo album
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Review: Staind Is Pained to Defend Itself on Metallic Comeback
After a head-scratching detour into a solo country career, growling frontman Aaron Lewis is all too eager to remind us he’s a tough guy
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Review: Kristin Chenoweth Is Too Much of a Good Witch on Her Country Debut
When she’s camping it up, the Broadway diva is a natural in her theater-to-twang transition, but a plethora of soppy message songs undercut the fun