The 28-year-old Swede rose to fame worldwide with her 2014 debut album ‘Queen of the Clouds — which Rolling Stone called ‘smartly produced arc-of-a-love-affair concept LP’ Her breakthrough hit was “Habits (Stay High), a song that topped charts internationally and became one of the ubiquitous earworms of that year.

She’s already known for her brazen and unsparing and often explicit lyrics exploring relationships and intimacy, and this time around is no different.

In an interview with GQ, she spoke about the songs on the new album, which draw from her personal experiences, and said, “”Lyrically I was scared,…I was like ‘F–k, am I gonna dare to be as open next time?’ I didn’t realize how many people were gonna hear it when I wrote those songs.” Continuing, she added, “That’s where Lady Wood came from, because I, for some reason, love doing things that scare me and turn me on at the same time.”

Now the critics are weighing in, giving the album mostly positive reviews. Here’s a roundup.

“….It’s pop music of the highest calibre, music for the head, heart, feet and everywhere in between. ….” –The Line of Best Fith

“….Though this cache of innovations is often depleted, when utilized correctly they wield enough ingenuity to distinguish Nilsson from the rest of the pack. ….” –Pretty Much Amazing

“….Throughout the album, pop professionalism upstages passion. The songs might have been more telling in other guises. ……” –New York Times

“…Some listeners may not warm to Lo’s persona, but her songwriting skills are difficult to fault (she’s also co-written hits for Ellie Goulding and Girls Aloud on the side). Aided by collaborators including Lorde producer Joel Little and Max Martin’s protégé Ilya Salmanzadeh, she keeps the hooks coming throughout. …” –NME

“….Lady Wood isn’t an album made for radio or easy digestion. The hooks are there but, like Tove herself, they aren’t succumbing expectations….. –DIY Magazine

“….This album celebrates sex with an infectious joie de vivre, while tracks like Cool Girl–a sarcastic ode to no-strings romance–prove she’s not just posturing….” –The Guardian

Check back as more reviews arrive. Meanwhile, you can see Tove Lo’s ‘Lady Wood’ album cover art and music videos below.

A photo posted by Lucas (@lucashealyy) on Oct 28, 2016 at 4:51am PDT

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Eric Paslay’s sophomore album, ‘Dressed in Black, will be released via EMI Nashville. It’s the followup to his 2014 self-titled debut album which drew nearly universal critical acclaim. His breakthrough hit single from the album was ‘”Friday Night’ which he co-wrote and which was originally recorded by Lady Antebellum for their multiplatinum selling album ‘Own the Night’ of 2011.

Last year, alongside Dierks Bentley he was a featured artist on ‘The Driver,’ the Grammy-nominated debut solo single of Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley.

In a brief interview with fourth hour co-anchors Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford, he was asked about the significance of the song, ‘Angels in This Town.’ He said, “:From the teachers to the first responders; you can’t hemp but thank them.” Continuing, he added, “I also believe that my faith and stories I’ve heard, I believe in miracles and it’s also great to thank everyday angels.”

He also spoke about the “Angel Visits” he makes to hospitals, hospices, and other such venues whenever he performs in cities and town.

You can see Eric Paslay’s Today Show performance of ‘Angels in This Town’ and interview below!

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Bobby Vee’s death at age 73 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease was confirmed to major media outlets by his son.

He rose to fame in 1959 when he was just fifteen years old, as it was he who filled in at a concert in the aftermath of the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. As the years went by, he delivered some of his biggest hits during the 1960s with the aforementioned ‘Take Good Care of My Baby’ which was his first No. 1 hit single as well as ‘The Night Has a Thousand Eyes.’ ‘Walkin’ with My Angel’ and others.

At the height of his teen idol fame in the 1960s he also starred in several movies including ‘Swingin’ Along’ and ‘Play it Cool.’ He’s also known for his role in helping bring another legend, Bob Dylan, to prominence.

He continued performing and recording throughout the decades up until 2011 when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. His final album ‘The Adobe Sessions’ was released in 2014.

Now his fellow music artists as well as celebrities and other in the entertainment world are paying tribute. Among them, legendary singer and songwriter Carole King who co-wrote his chart topper and signature song ‘Take Good Care of My Baby.’ Here’s a roundup of what’s being said.

RIP Bobby Vee pic.twitter.com/TbXwQDmqkl

— Carole King (@Carole_King) October 24, 2016

RIP Bobby Vee
With deepest sympathy from Gerry’s family and mine to Bobby Vee's family and friends. pic.twitter.com/DxA7QNVZZh

— Carole King (@Carole_King) October 24, 2016

Bobby Vee's music gave me so much pleasure, when I met him a few years ago he was charming,warm,and friendly.Thanks for the wonderful songs.

— Tony Blackburn (@tonyblackburn) October 25, 2016

Very sad news: Bobby Vee has died. Great interpreter of Carole King, Buddy Holly among many others. Truly lovely man & family. RIP

— Sir Tim Rice (@SirTimRice) October 24, 2016

Rest In Peace my Rock&Roll friend Bobby Vee #BobbyVee

— Brian Hyland (@Brian_Hyland) October 24, 2016

Reactions to the death continue many pay tribute to the 1960s icon and offer condolences to his surviving family members. You can see tribute videos to Bobby Vee below.

Pictures: Dutch National Archives (CC-BY-SA 3.0 Netherlands)

The world premiere draw plenty of A-listers to the premiere held at the Regency Village Theatre in Westwood, California but Anna Kendrick was a standout. Yes, just like the iconic 1960s Bobby Vinto song she wore blue velvet. The long-sleeved, embossed dress is from the Marc Jacobs Spring 2017 collection featured a long bow-tied scarf adorning the front and a princess-style cutout in the back.

A winning choice, without doubt, and it goes to show you don’t have to go commando or flirt with wardrobe malfunction to turn heads. Sometimes just a classic style will do the trick!

As for that movie, ‘Trolls,’ it’s been getting a buzz for months which began when Justin Timberlake’s theme song, ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’ shot up to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and easily become one of the summer’s biggest hit songs. Its music video went instantly viral; it featured many of the voice actors of the movie including Anna Kendrick and her costars Gwen Stefani, James Corden, Icona Pop, Ron Funches, Kunal Nayyar and Timberlake himself.

Trolls is the story of the dolls, by the way, not the folks on the Internet and social media. OR, we might say, finally the real trolls are trolling us all. Kendrick portrays Princess Poppy, the leader of the Trolls, who are pitted against their adversaries The Bergens.

In a recent interview, Anna Kendrick said of her role in the movie, “We wanted to make her happy but not the kind of thing that you couldn’t stand for a 90-minute movie.” Elaborating, she added, “She’s got layers. She’s messed up. She’s the kind of troll that I like.”

You can see photos and video of Anna Kendrick gracing the red carpet at the world premiere of ‘Trolls’ below!

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Tom Hanks arrives on the famed Studio 8H stage amidst promotion of his Oscar-worthy portrayal of the Miracle on the Hudson hero pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger in the Clint Eastwood directed ‘Sully.’ For those hoping for a spoof on the movie, well, such hopes were fulfilled.

But first, he deftly spoofed his recent ‘America’s Dad’ magazine for the opening monologue which saw him as the literal father of the literal country which, let’s face it has literal problems. This saw him delivering such lines as “You OK with money? I don’t have $19 trillion, I have $230 million” and “You got a lot of guns, kiddo.”

But naturally first of all, there was that matter of the third and final presidential debate with Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump taking to the stage opposite Kate McKinnon’s Hillary Clinton. With the likes of “bad hombres” and “nasty women” and other such social media viral bits and memes to banty about, days after the fact, SNL put its unique spin on the festivities.

Now that the laughter — or lack of same — has died down, the critics are weighing in. Here’s what they’re saying,

“….You know, you never realize just how much you need Tom Hanks until he’s back on Saturday Night Live. Sure, sure, he’s got the Oscars, and he’s saving a plane full of people, or a spaceship full of people, or all the people (as in his newest Dan Brown movie, which, okay, maybe we don’t need). But, blessedly, Hanks has never lost his inner goofball, and, tonight, in his ninth hosting appearance, he was the Hanks we need right now. …..” — A.V. Club

“….While there were a couple of sketches that were merely okay (Sully, 100 Floors of Flights), the rest more than made up for it. Grade: A-…..” — CarterMatt

Check back for more reviews as they arrive. Once again, SNL lumbers through another 90 minutes of air time and the result is up for possible viral video perpetuity. Below you can see the highlights and/or see the full episode video below from last night’s SNL with host Tom Hamks!

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Now 75 years old, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee David Crosby rose to fame with the legendary supergroup Crosby, Stills and Nash, whose numerous hit songs — including “Teach Your Children” and “Ohio” — span the pop cultural landscape of the 1960s and 1970s.

Decades later, as a solo artist, he’s releasing his second album, ‘Lighthouse,’ a followup to 2014’s ‘Croz’ Before that, he had not released an album in 21 years, not since 1993’s ‘Thousand Roads.’

In an interview with The Guardian, he was asked about his newfound productivity and he said, “I think the key to the whole thing is I’m very happy these days. I’ve hit a streak of writing that’s probably one of the densest and best writing runs I’ve ever had.” Continuing, he added, “I’ve always written in little bursts and this burst is lasting a couple of years now and it’s consistently happening.”

Now as the album arrives in full the critics are weighing in. Here’s a roundup of reviews.

“….’Lighthouse’ features more of David Crosby himself than any of his previous solo albums….” –The Arts Desk

“….The songs aren’t easily digestible but, as he winds into the final stages of his life, they are honest, intricate, personal and above all, uniquely the work of David Crosby. ….” –American Songwriter

“….Co-written with Michael League of jazz-funk band Snarky Puppy, the songs are gentle affairs, mainly oriented around the 75-year-old’s acoustic guitar and voice, which remarkably retains an optimistic lilt despite a vigorous life of excess…..” –FT

Check back as more reviews arrive. Meanwhile, check out David Crosby’s ‘Lighthouse’ album cover art and music videos below.

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Yes, the long awaited ‘Doctor Strange’ will soon arrive in theaters, with the 40-year-old British ‘Sherlock’ star in the title role of Stephen Strange, the Marvel superhero and famed neurosurgeon. It marks thee iconic character first big screen appearance after more than a decade of proverbial “development hell.”

Yes, all true, but before all that, of course, the Hollywood premiere. Accompanying him was his wife, the 38-year-old British playwright, theater and opera director Sophie Hunter. She was gorgeous in an black straplesss gown. For his part, Cumberbatch was dapper in a midnight blue velvet jacket.

As E! reports, the couple is expecting their second child. Their first child, a son, Christopher Carlton, who was born in 2015.

The couple has yet to confirm this news. They have a history of low-key announcements. They announced their engagement in 2014 in the most traditional of all means, in the the Forthcoming Marriages section of The Times of London. Yes, a newspaper announcement, just as if they were an “ordinary” non-famous couple. They went on to get married on Valentine’s Day in 2015, in a private ceremony.

Benedict Cumberbatch has drawn notice for his portrayal of Alan Turing in the biopic ‘The Imitation Game’ and to many others he’s known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the TV series in the UK. But now, another challenge, a superhero. He opened up in a recent interview about portraying that famous superhero and spoke about his early interest in such characters when he was growing up. He said, ” “It really intrigued all our imaginations and enthusiasms as kids at school…”We had the posters, we had the hats, we had the Prince soundtrack which we used to sing and dance to. That was my way in.”

Continuing, he said, “It’s very exciting as a 40-year-old adult to see yourself on billboards the size of buildings and realise that you’re upfront and centre as one of the lead characters in that world now. ”

You can see the full gallery of pictures of Benedict Cumberbatch and his wife Sophie Hunterfrom the ‘Doctor Strange’ red carpet below!

(Click to enlarge)

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Lady Gaga launched her relaunch with a catchy EDM dance single ‘Perfect Illusion’ that’s become an international club hit. It was a revisiting of the late aughts when she rose to fame with the likes of Poker Face and Just Dance. As fans know, her 2013 ARTPOP was panned by many critics, some of whom began dubbing it “Art Flop.”

The woman who once wore a meat dress to the Grammy Awards retreated into the gentile world of jazz with a collaborative album, ‘Cheek to Cheek,’ with the now 90-year-old legendary singer Tony Bennett. She even retreated to the small screen with a recurring role on ‘American Horror Story: Hotel.’

She told The Mirror that in the aftermath of ARTPOP, “I needed a moment to stabilize.” She added, “When my career took off, I don’t remember anything at all. It’s like I’m traumatized. I needed time to recalibrate my soul.”

But once again, it’s Lady Gaga pop icon whose back with less outrageous costumes for now, donning derriere-bearing cutoff shorts and a crop top that flirts with wardrobe malfunction. For the title she didn’t have to search any further than her legal middle name — Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta a name that she shares with her late aunt, who died at age 19 — years before she was born — of the lupus she suffered in the aftermath of a sexual assault.

As for the music and the album itself, she opens up about its personal significant, saying “It was really Joanne, and that story of our family, and the toughness that made us who we are, that gave me the strength to go, ‘You know, I’m going to live the rest of my life in a way that she couldn’t.’”

Needless to say, those are high aims and intentions. But nonetheless, critics are weighing in, giving the album mixed to negative reviews.

“….While Joanne is elemental, nothing about it is bare. Instead, it’s confused, full of songs that feel like concepts in search of a home, small theater pieces extruded from other imaginary productions and collected in one miscellany bin. ….” –The New York Times

“….Working together, they [Mark Ronson, Beck, Father John Misty and dudes from detail-obsessed rock bands like Queens of the Stone Age and Tame Impala] assemble some gorgeous pieces. … Yet other songs, for all their vivid sonic color, lack strong stories…..” — L.A. Times

“….While its modernity is expressed by mixing and matching genres or adding digital zing to familiar tropes, for all its bravura exuberance and pop slickness it is old fashioned to its core. ….” –The Telegraph

“….It’s understandable that Joanne finds Gaga performing authenticity, if only because it’s the strongest way to convey artistic evolution to the masses in 2016. The image here–the illusion, really–is as imperfect as it is meticulously rendered….” –SPIN

“….Although Joanne lacks the indelible pop hooks that those two influences [Elton John and Prince]–not to mention Gaga herself–are famous for, the album is more sonically consistent and thematically focused than the singer’s last solo effort, the regressive Artpop……” –Slant Magazine

“….Even if Joanne fails to connect with you emotionally, it’s nonetheless the album that will make fans and observers once again rethink what they know about the daring diva. Make no mistake: even with all her extracurricular endeavors paying off cultural dividends, Gaga’s greatest achievement is yet to come, and Joanne, flaws and all, feels like the necessary step to get there. ….” –Pop Matters

“….She blew it. This was Lady Gaga’s big chance to erase the memory of 2013’s abysmal last solo outing, Artpop. Instead, her fifth effort is a disjointed and unrealized mess that sounds as if Gaga got cast in a bad off-Broadway rock musical. ….” –US Weekly

“….Joanne may not become the multiplatinum blockbuster Bella Donna was, but the record absolutely feels like Gaga is once again on an upward trajectory…. –A.V. Club

“….To a certain extent it works, especially when Josh Homme’s on hand to lend gritty riffing and imaginative lead lines to some tracks: his spiky but fluid breaks on “A-Yo” and “John Wayne” are undoubted album highlights. Sadly, the bombastic orchestral stomper “Perfect Illusion”, a much-anticipated collaboration with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, is less impressive, just stridently dull. ….” –The Independent

Check back as more reviews arrive. Meanwhile, you can see Lady Gaga’s ‘Joanne’ album cover art and music videos below.

A photo posted by Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) on Sep 15, 2016 at 11:56am PDT

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Frontwoman Chrissie Hynde founded The Pretenders in the late 1970s and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band continue to endure despite many lineup changes, and even the deaths of two of the original members, guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon.

The new album arrives eight years after the aforementioned ‘Break Up the Concrete.’ It’s also the band’s first new album since Hynde launched a solo career in 2014 with the album ‘Stockholm.’ Hynde also drew notice last year with her memoir Reckless: My Life As a Pretender, a vivid and often harrowing account that easily lived up to the title.

This time around, it’s the music that’s generating the buzz as Hynde teams up with The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach who produced the new album in Nashville. The lead single, ‘Holy Commotion’ has already drawn positive reviews from critics. As Billboard reports, Hynde is the only member of The Pretenders featured on the album alongside a variety of Nashville musicians including bassist Dave Roe, guitarist Kenny Vaughan, pedal steel guitarist Russ Pahl, keyboardist Leon Michels and drummer Richard Swift.

If anyone wondered if The Pretenders were sailing off into the annuals of rock music history, this album proves otherwise. Not only that, the band is also set to embark on a co-headlining tour with Stevie Nicks in support of the new album. It kicks off on October 25th in Phoenix, Arizona.

Now as the album arrives in full the critics are weighing in. Here’s a roundup of reviews.

“….Make no mistake, Alone is a very good album. From the second the title track kicks in, feeling like a strangely rowdy Velvet Underground deciding it’s time to cut loose and boogie, it’s obvious that Hynde has really got stuck into the creative process. The album – produced and almost entirely played by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach in his Nashville studio – crackles with enjoyment of the studio, and though the reference points are all retro (southern boogie…” –The Arts Desk

“….Auerbach steers Hynde into a lot of new sonic territory, but he’s also smart enough not to deviate too far from what’s always made the Pretenders’ work, which has always functioned as a great combination of opposite moods and attitudes. Pretenders songs can be tough and gritty in one moment and sweet and sentimental the next. That much stays the same on Alone…..” –Consequence of Sound

Check back as more reviews arrive. Meanwhile, you can see The Pretenders’ ‘Alone’ album cover art and music videos below.

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The celebrated singer and musician first drew critical notice in 2006 with her stunning debut solo album, Junjo.’ A few years later, she achieved international fame as the winner of the coveted Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2011, winning against the likes of Justin Bieber.

In the years that have followed she has had success upon success including her latest project, Emily’s D+Evolution. And, not least, it’s refreshing when an artist reinvigorates a genre that some might think of as having had its past glories.

Now her most recent accolade is the prestigious Americans for the Arts’ Young Artist Award. In an interview with Billboard she said, “”I’ve had my nose down in the tree hollow working this project out.” Elaborating, she added, “The last two years have been really challenging. To get this project off the ground, figure out what it was, who wants to hear it, how it can work in the live performance context…all of it.”

In reflecting upon the award, she said, Americans for the Arts’ Young Artist Award “So it’s helpful to get those little affirmations that you’re getting what you’re going for. When you realize people are paying attention to your work and appreciating it, it’s a big boost, of course, for any creator. So I feel grateful.”

In reflecting upon her past and current achievements, she said, “”Accomplish — that word doesn’t stick with me…There’s no, ‘Oh yeah, we accomplished this. Yah!’ She added, “The work of art is my life and it’s forever a working in progress, and that’s what satisfies me and makes me want to do stuff.”

You see the complete interview here and check videos of some of Esperanza Spalding’s performances below.

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