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"Pac's Life" doesn't keep him living
By Betsir Zemen | Dec. 14, 2006, midnight | In Music »
Pac's Life commemorates the ten-year anniversary of Tupac's death at age 25. His eleventh posthumous album, "Pac's Life" is an entire album of collaborations with artists who knew or grew up listening to Tupac. Unfortunately, with all the featured artists and re-mastered beats, Tupac's true talent fails to shine through in "Pac's Life."
Jay-Z doesn't show us what he's got
By Betsir Zemen | Dec. 11, 2006, midnight | In Music »
Barely two years after retiring in 2004, Jay-Z is back with his highly anticipated album "Kingdom Come." Head of Def Jam Records and one of the most successful living rappers, Jay-Z has set high standards for rap with his previous albums including Reasonable Doubt and Black Album. Unfortunately, Jay-Z can't seem to make the kingdom succumb to liking his new album.
Urban's "love," "pain" and "crazy things"
By Elsi Wu | Dec. 8, 2006, midnight | In Music »
The reigning king of country, Keith Urban, is decidedly defending his throne with the release of his highly anticipated fifth album, "Love, Pain, and the Whole Crazy Thing." Featuring Urban's Australian-bred style of classic country heavily infused with rock 'n roll sounds and smooth vocals, the album has rocketed straight to the top of Billboard country charts. His most successful album to date, "Love, Pain, and the Whole Crazy Thing" is a strong compilation that represents Urban's originality as well as his down-home country flavor.
Upcoming shows
By Courtney Burtraw | Nov. 21, 2006, midnight | In Music »
Need something to do? Check out these upcoming shows in the DC area for something new.
No need to "Panic!"
By Julia Mazerov | Nov. 13, 2006, midnight | In Music »
"Swear to shake it up, if you swear to listen!" Panic! At the Disco's lead vocalist Brendon Urie belted through the microphone during the opening song of their performance titled "The Only Difference between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage," as he challenged the crowd to get pumped. The crowd did just that, and as promised, the band did indeed "shake it up" all night long.
"Bat out of Hell": Back to success
By Alexis Egan | Nov. 5, 2006, midnight | In Music »
Classic rock and roll musicians know how hard it is to produce an album that is new enough to keep our attention but not so different to disappoint loyal fans. And even with nearly 40 years under his belt, Meat Loaf finds the perfect balance between these needs in his newest CD "Bat out of Hell III: The Monster is Loose."
A "Force" to be reckoned with
By Simon Kanter | Oct. 6, 2006, midnight | In Music »
As I walk into the packed club, flanked by 11 friends and already sweating from the oppressive humidity, the lights dim abruptly. Only one light remains, a huge digital clock on the stage that pours harsh red light on the crowd. And thus, the countdown begins: three minutes until the most epic event in modern history. DragonForce.
Ludacris fails to top himself with "Release Therapy"
By Gus Woods | Oct. 4, 2006, midnight | In Music »
There's little doubt that Ludacris is one of the biggest rappers out there today. He has a huge career, best selling albums and lead roles in two academy-award nominated films, 2004's "Crash" and 2005's "Hustle and Flow." His booming voice gives his rapid-fire songs high-energy and a fast-pace. Despite high expectations and anticipation, Ludacris does not offer his listeners anything new with "Release Therapy," just consistent Ludacris material.
Janet sounds "20 Years Old"
By Betsir Zemen | Oct. 4, 2006, midnight | In Music »
Janet Jackson has covered a lot in her 20 year career. As she says in the intro to her new album, "20 Years Old," "I've talked about racism, spousal abuse, empowering women." But this time, Janet wants to "keep it light," she does not want "to be serious," she just wants "to have fun." And that is exactly what she did.
"Continuum" cries foul at games of politics, love
By Elsi Wu | Sept. 28, 2006, midnight | In Music »
Clean-shaven yet adorably shaggy, John Mayer's puppy-eyed look has played perfectly into the bluesy, romantic crooner he'd always been. Until now.
"A silo of love"
By Courtney Burtraw | Sept. 27, 2006, midnight | In Music »
Masked by tents, blankets, bottles, thousands of people and a notable lack of horses, the Pimlico Race Track, home of the Preakness horse race, became unrecognizable Saturday. If not for the grandstands, a pole marked "Finish" and a dusty track encircling the festivities, this Saturday's Virgin Festival, hosted by Virgin Mobile, might have taken place anywhere. Indeed, this Saturday's agenda was far from equine, with a 14 band lineup that made the festival's American debut a rollicking good time.
"Food & Liquor" is the future
By Nitin Sukumar | Sept. 26, 2006, midnight | In Music »
Sex, cash, drugs and violence. Sound familiar? Almost every successful mainstream rap album is full of them. But Lupe Fiasco is different from the mainstream. The highly anticipated album was bootlegged from Lupe's studio three months ago, giving listeners a taste of the candy. "Food & Liquor" captures everything from skateboarding to family problems with a lyrical flow Jay-Z describes as "a breath of fresh air."
He's bringing "Sexy Back"
By Johanna Gretschel | Sept. 20, 2006, midnight | In Music »
No one would accuse successful solo artist and former boy band heartthrob Justin Timberlake of low self-esteem. His new album, "FutureSex/LoveSounds," shows that J.T. is back, and just as cocky and self-assured as ever. From the first lines of his pulsating summer smash hit, "SexyBack," Justin lets us know that he's bringing sexy back—whatever that means, and providing millions with good dance music.
Gary and the "gang" rock out Nissan Pavilion
By Elsi Wu | Sept. 13, 2006, midnight | In Music »
You know you're at a country concert when cowboy boots, hats, and Daisy Duke's are just staples of the regular attire. Armed with burgers, beers, and big voices, all of the area's hillbillies were out in full force in Bristow, VA to celebrate the reigning group in country, Rascal Flatts.
InToneNation impresses in spring concert
By Alex Hyder | May 31, 2006, midnight | In Music »
InToneNation, Blair's a cappella group, performed in its annual spring concert last night in the band room from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m.
Juvenile loses all sense of "Reality"
By Abe Schwadron | March 23, 2006, midnight | In Music »
A great rap album combines intense, meaningful lyrics about intriguing stories with super production and impeccable beats. A great rap album is smooth, concise and powerful. Juvenile's latest, highly heralded release, "Reality Check," is not a great rap album. In fact, Juve's new CD is immature, not meaningful, and is sloppy, not smooth.
Slightly Stoopid: Slightly uninspired
By Devon Madison | Feb. 24, 2006, midnight | In Music »
The reverberating base sounded throughout the club. The audience was full, the fans were pumped and everyone was jumping up and down in sync with the music. A haze of smoke filled the club, and Slightly Stoopid came to center stage. But the band never showed up, only their disappointing performance did, leaving a less than amazed crowd.
Exceptional talent in Magnet Arts Night
By Meaghan Mallari | Feb. 11, 2006, midnight | In Music »
During Magnet Arts Night, the auditorium was bursting with people. All seats were occupied and some people had to stand in the back and in the aisles. The audience grew silent as senior Sarah Peitzmeier delicately moved her fingers across the keys of a grand piano performing "Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52" by Frederic Chopin. The piece officially began the 2006 Magnet Arts Night held yesterday at 7:30 p.m. in Blair's auditorium.
Clamoring for Grammy glamour
By Ethan Kuhnhenn, Abe Schwadron, Josh Zipin | Feb. 8, 2006, midnight | In Music »
The Grammy Awards are more than just hardware. The Music Industry's Oscars aren't about taking home the mini record player trophies. The Grammys are about respect. Artists put their hearts and souls into their works and this is when they get recognized for it. On a night when every major musical artists holds their breath hoping to hear their name, SCO offers its very own guide to the 48th annual Grammy Awards, complete with nominations for selected categories and our predictions.
Bowfire is smokin'
By Eve Gleichman | Jan. 29, 2006, midnight | In Music »
They're flashy, they're multitalented and they're in town. "Bowfire," a ten-part string group, is making its rounds across the country, bringing forth a show that will knock the socks off of instrumental music fans everywhere.
B.I.G remains Notorious
By Josh Zipin | Jan. 25, 2006, midnight | In Music »
The Notorious B.I.G., also known as Christopher Wallace, gives a glimpse of what could have been in "Duets: The Final Chapter." The album is the only therapy left for Biggie fans who have already memorized all his songs.
"First Impression of Earth" isn't quite out of this world
By Eve Gleichman | Jan. 18, 2006, midnight | In Music »
Well, one thing is for sure. After their last two nearly identical releases, The Strokes needed a change-up, and they needed one badly. It's not that there was anything wrong with what their sound, but by the 2003 release of "Room on Fire," it was clear that the next album would need to be more innovative and distinguished if these guys wanted to keep their fans close.
Winter Choral Concert warms audience
By Merlyn Deng | Jan. 9, 2006, midnight | In Music »
Brilliant voices resonated through the school auditorium on Friday, Jan. 6. Eyes shined brightly as students in the Chamber Choir, clad in long robes, blended their voices together for the beginning of the second annual Blair Winter Choral Concert.
Young'n can "Run It"
By Abe Schwadron | Dec. 19, 2005, midnight | In Music »
Comparisons can often be tough to live up to, especially when a young artist is being compared to the king of a genre. Sixteen-year-old Chris Brown has been deemed the next Usher, sometimes to the awe and surprise of fans. But if Usher is indeed the Michael Jordan of R&B, then Chris Brown is most definitely the LeBron James.
"Best of the Box": reality truly is the best
By Payal Patnaik | Dec. 2, 2005, midnight | In Music »
Nirvana's new release "Sliver: Best of the Box" showcases some of the band's most well-known songs in a small package of 22 tracks. To those who own "With the Lights Out," a four-disc tribute to Nirvana released last year, this new album may seem like overkill since it selects the best of the previous release and adds only three unreleased tracks to the list. But to the more enthusiastic Nirvana and rock fans that do not own "With the Lights Out," this CD is a definite addition to have. "Sliver: Best of the Box" follows the band from its bare beginnings in 1985 and gives the listener samples of the house demos made in lead singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain's Aberdeen, WA home, as well as in radio shows and live recordings.
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