Motown Record Co. LP

The ten most brutally honest songwriters

Let's be real: Most songwriting amounts to a bunch of vague amateur poetry with pretensions of profundity. In the midst of all the babble, though, periodically a lyricist will emerge who has the courage to write about things that are real, raw and personal. That kind of truly honest songwriting reli ... More >>

Five world-changing albums that wouldn't have existed if blog buzz determined greatness

One day, historians will look back and marvel at how blogs changed the music industry -- that is if they can avoid being distracted by the next big thing long enough to think analytically about history. Where just a few critics used to shape the tastes of music fans across country, now an army of bl ... More >>

As Black History Month comes to a close, we reflect on the influential Sounds of Blackness

Black History Month 2012 has been a doozy. Beginning with the tragic and shocking death of Don Cornelius to dealing with equally troubling news of Whitney Houston's passing as the month wore on. Most interesting about this time is the ways in which the music healed us. When Whitney died, DJs played ... More >>

Ten best divorce songs for Tiger Woods, or anyone else headed for Splitsville

Turn up the Tammy​Our long national nightmare is over. On Monday, the divorce between Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren was made official. While Tiger will likely continue to pull strange ass on the road and Nordegren will likely get a dumptruck-load of cash, we're going to suggest these songs to the ... More >>

Q&A with Stereolab's Tim Gane

Dreamgirls

Jennifer Hudson nails it as a well-worn tale struggles to transcend the Ray model.

You Can Feel It All Over

India.Arie taps into a soulful past to create her own kind of wonderful.