Was there anyone cooler than Johnny Cash? I've posted the David Bowie/Bing Crosby Christmas for the past couple years, so I decided it was time for something different. Johnny, his wife June, and his family sing "The 12 Days of Christmas!" Lovely. Happy Holidays, everyone!
Over the weekend, I was hanging out with friends when David Bowie's "Young Americans" hit the jukebox and, of course, everyone started singing along. It suddenly struck me that that song would probably be awesome to hear live, and that I bet Bowie gives a fantastic live performance. I started thinking of other musicians I'd love to check out in concert — including those whom I'll never get the chance to see.
Of the musicians from days gone by, of course, it would have been a thrill to see the Beatles live. I would have truly loved to have seen Johnny Cash in person, and would have given pretty much anything to have seen Louis Armstrong live (actually, there's some great footage of these two performing together, check it out after the jump). In the land of the living, I hope to someday get to an Estelle concert, and though this might seem lame to some of you, I'd jump at the chance to see The Police in concert.
I'll stop there so you can weigh in. Who do you hope to see someday? Who do you wish you could have seen, once upon a time? To check out the Louis Armstrong/Johnny Cash video and add your thoughts, read more
When reflecting on all things American this 4th of July, I think of apple pie, representative democracy, Elvis, reality television, stuff like that. Of all the things I associate with this land of ours, few things strike me as uniquely American as country music, and whether you love it or loathe it, I bet you know a thing or two about it.
Some of the best musical artists we Americans get to claim came out of this genre, including Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, and Dolly Parton. So in honor of this grand country and some of music's greats, I challenge you to test your knowledge about country music!
Take the Quiz
We can debate the best and worst songs of this season until we all turn blue (or our fingers fall off for that matter) because everyone has strong opinions about which holiday music is appropriately cheerful and which is gratingly annoying. I try my best to bring in new holiday albums every year so my collection doesn't grow too stale, but I must admit that I have my time-tested favorites!
I love Nat King Cole's Christmas Song so much I suggested it in one of my holiday gift guides. Cole's voice is just so warm and comforting — like the holiday season itself. For an even more down-home Christmastime atmosphere, I turn to Christmas With Johnny Cash. And in more recent years I've loved the smooth jazzy seasonal tunes on Diana Krall's album Christmas Songs.
What are your most beloved holiday albums? Just use BuzzSugar's cool bookmarking tool to find your favorite albums around the Web, tag them with the phrase holiday albums, and write a little blurb about why they're the best. I'll feature a few picks here next week — just in time to beef up your music collection before the holidays.
Not every year can be a great year for music, and 2006 was just okay. It didn't help that this year was sandwiched between 2005—which gave us great albums by Kanye West, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and Sufjan Stevens—and 2007, which promises new releases from Wilco, Arcade Fire, and Timbaland. While choosing my Top 10 for the year was a cinch, coming up with the bottom 10 was tough.
Thankfully, I managed to scour enough fo the year's music to bring you this four-part series, BuzzSugar's Top 20 Albums of 2006. Now for Part I: albums 16 to 20.
20. The Clipse, Hell Hath No Fury
In recent musical memory, every year ushers in at least one critically acclaimed and commercially successful hip-hop album that helps redefine its genre. This year, the closest thing to an album of that ilk is Hell Hath No Fury, the sophomore album from hip-hop duo The Clipse. Comprised of brothers Malice and Pusha T, The Clipse, alongside production duo the Neptunes, relies on dark lyrics and eerie beats that explore the fallout from champagne, cocaine, and "dirty money." Namely, "Pyrex stirrers turned into Cavalli furs," as Pharrell raps on the album's swaying highlight, "Mr. Me Too."
19. Band of Horses, Everything All the Time
It is somewhat reluctantly that I put Band of Horses on this list because, to me, the band's album breaks very little new ground with its lush, sweeping rock songs that sound alternately like My Morning Jacket, REM, and a handful of other bands. But for the first month or so that I owned Everything All the Time, I was hooked on its lethargically lovely arrangements, and after revisiting it this week, it holds up as a highly entertaining and remarkably consistent album. There's a lot to be said for that.
To see the rest, read more
