Stevie Wonder

Backbeat's top five spins: This is what we're listening to this week. What's on your playlist?

As people who think about, talk about, write about, listen to and make music, it shouldn't be surprising to find that the most common (and mutually favorite) topic of conversation among us is the same: "What are you listening to right now?" Stick a quarter in us, and, boy, wouldn't you know it, off ... More >>

Backbeat's five most listened-to songs and albums, week of September 5, 2012

As people who think about, talk about, write about, listen to and make music, it shouldn't be too surprising to find that the most common (and our mutually favorite) topic of conversation among all of us is the same: "What are you listening to right now?" Stick a quarter in us, and boy, wouldn't you ... More >>

Enjoy these five dance-move GIFs from Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco

The following is a dispatch from Outside Lands Festival, from our sister paper, SF Weekly. One thing crowds at San Francisco's Outside Lands festival do pretty well is get down. Despite the relentless wind, heavy fog, and numbing temperatures, we saw plenty of good moves last weekend -- and some r ... More >>

Stevie Wonder at Outside Lands: San Francisco gets life lessons from the School of Wonder

STEVIE WONDER @ OUTSIDE LANDS FESTIVAL | 8/12/12The following is a dispatch from Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco, from our sister paper, SF Weekly. Stevie Wonder, in theory, is an American artistic treasure. He's more than our Beatles or Rolling Stones; he's our Dickens or Dalí: a figure o ... 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 >>

James Morrison on why he considers his latest album, The Awakening, to be his first

James Morrison (due tomorrow night at the Fox Theatre) first started performing at open mike nights in England before he hit it big as a singer-songwriter with a crossover appeal between pop, rock and R&B music. Two of his songs, "Broken Strings" and a cover of "Man In The Mirror," earned him a dece ... More >>

American Idol: Jeremy Rosado goes home, Top 12 move on

So there you have it. As of last night's elimination round, American Idol is now down to the Top 12, and the person sent home quite frankly deserved to go. Good job, America. The top thirteen opened the show with Stevie Wonder's "As." For a group number, it was nothing special, but the inspired, ye ... More >>

Stevie Wonder: One of the most important figures in black music and American culture

Everyone loves Stevie Wonder. If you haven't been at a basement party singing along to "I Just Called to Say I Love You" in punch-drunk love and harmony, you haven't lived. Born Stevland Hardaway Morris in 1950, Stevie Wonder is a child prodigy who has been blind since birth. His classical prowess o ... More >>

Chaka Khan remains one of the most prominent figures in funk and R&B music

Born Yvette Marie Stevens in March 1953, Chaka Khan sang songs written by Stevie Wonder and Prince as though they were crafted from her own pen. The Queen of Funk has a fiery soul about her and an undeniable rhythm that oozes from her pores. With hits from her collaborative years with Rufus and solo ... More >>

The new faces of R&B in Denver: Jon Shockness, J. Carey, Devan Blake Jones, BMore and B.Blacc

Kate LevyJ. Carey is one smooth operator​Have you noticed the influx of male R&B singers these days, particularly in the Mile High City? Adam Duncan, who just joined the A&M/Octone Records roster, is just one of many cats putting it down in Denver these days. Jon Shockness (Air Dubai), J.Carey ... More >>

Sesame Street's five best musical cameos

Elvis is everywhere​Elvis Costello finally made his Sesame Street appearance last week with a number-orientated rendition of "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes." The show is a well-tread, 42-year-old road that has included a charmingly sweet Tony Bennett, an unexpectedly fitting LL Cool J, ... More >>

10 things to do for $10 this weekend, June 17-19, 2011

Father's Day is Sunday. That's free.​While most of us will be enjoying our Saturday by getting rowdy at the Westword Music Showcase, that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of fun activities to get thrifty with around the rest of the city. Well, provided you're into things like Pride Fest, Star ... More >>

Janelle Monae on Big Boi and what it takes to become an agent of change in the community

Janelle Monáe (due Sunday, May 29 at 1STBANK Center with Bruno Mars and Mayer Hawthorne), like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, grew up in Kansas, and like that character, Monáe left home to go on something of a fantastic journey. But instead of Oz, Monáe landed in Atlanta, Georgia, where she met u ... More >>

That's a Rap: D'Girl premieres new video, Naeem Oba drops controversy-baiting track

​This week in rap, we offer several different mediums as viable outlets of rap expression. First up, we've got a new video from D'Girl, the Gang Green International affiliate who thrives on spitting hard core rhymes with a pretty face. Naeem Oba, meanwhile, comes out swinging on track whose pr ... More >>

The Shrapnelles

Thursday, April 7, Rhinoceropolis, 303-641-9809.

So What! reunion slated for May at Beauty Bar

​ Psst! We just heard from a little birdy that So What! is having a reunion. What is SoWhat!, you ask? Only one of the most popular, longest-running, progressive, influential nights in town. Not to mention resilient. Let's talk about resiliency. Think the Solution has thrived despite enduring ... More >>

Medical marijuana dispensary review: Pure Medical Dispensary -- where less is more

Pure Medical Dispensary​​In "Mile Highs and Lows," Westword offers a no-holds-barred look at what goes on behind the locked doors of marijuana dispensaries, whether they resemble swanky bars or a dope dealer's college dorm room. See our dispensary list here, and keep reading for William Brea ... More >>

Nofrendo on being funkier than a mosquito's tweeter and taking listeners on a journey through sound

​ Nofrendo (aka Joseph Meezy) is the beat making equivalent of Nina Simone. Built on his love for soul and all things raw and gritty, his production style begets welcoming anachronistic melodies. Quite different from the sped up soul sample moves of many producers, he takes the properties of ... More >>

The Dispensary Music saga continues

Beef. It's what's for dinner. Stevie Wonder could've seen this coming. In what's shaping up to be the biggest local hip-hop rivalry since the legendary Apostle versus Kingdom battle of 2004, DJ Quote and Iman S have responded to the release of King FOE and Whygee's Take a Bite Out of Dispensary Mu ... More >>

With more than 40,000 miles of touring under their belt, the men of Kinetix keeps things moving

Hey, DJ! Q&A with DJ Big Styles

Dave Gaslin Every Friday we spotlight the hottest cats (and kittens) behind the decks in the MHC, grilling them to gain some insight on what it takes, exactly, to get the party rocking, to find out about their most treasured crate digging experiences and what they really think when we stumble up to ... More >>

Bonnaroo 2010 lineup revealed: Chromeo with Daryl Hall, Stevie Wonder, the Avett Brothers, Against Me!, Kings of Leon, Dave Matthews Band and more...

As if we didn't already have enough reason to find our way to Tennesee to catch the Flaming Lips playing Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety, we now have even more incentive -- namely, Chromeo with Daryl Hall and Stevie Wonder!

Littleton's got the blues — and proves it at the Blue Moo'd

Does Barack Obama see Colorado as his (stimulating) good-luck charm?

White House photo by Pete Souza. Stevie Wonder, one of President Barack Obama's favorite performers, famously sang, "When you believe in things that you don't understand/Then you will suffer/Superstition ain't the way." Nonetheless, Obama seems to have a superstitious streak, especially when it com ... More >>

A first look at the Fray's new documentary

Just attended a private screening at Starz FilmCenter of Fair Fight, a brand-new documentary focusing on the Fray that chronicles the making of the act's forthcoming album. The film was directed by Rod Blackhurst, a onetime merch guy who's been trailing the band for the better part of three years, ... More >>

Yonder Mountain String Band scores the coolest gig at the DNC

What song will play for Obama's acceptance speech? The 10 (or so) best guesses

What song will play for Obama's acceptance speech? The 10 (or so) best guesses

Lucky Break: Channel 9's Kirk Montgomery Doesn't Sing at Stevie Wonder Concert

Stevie Wonder

Tuesday, July 1, Fiddler's Green, 303-830-8497.

Jamie Lidell

Monday, June 2, Bluebird Theater, 303-377-1666.

Jamie Lidell

Demon Funkies

Punk Junkies
Self-released

Bender’s Ball

The Grandma Awards

Soulive

Friday, October 7, Fillmore Auditorium, 303-830-8497.

Legendary

It's a very good time to be John Legend.

Widespread Panic With the Dirty Dozen Brass Band

Night of Joy (Widespread Records)

Van Hunt

Van Hunt (Capitol) The Soul of John Black (No Mayo)

Chicago

Chicago V (Rhino)

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

Dap-Dippin' With... (Daptone)

You Can Feel It All Over

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

Critic's Choice

Los Hombres Calientes

Judgment Day

Backbeat contributors offer up their favorite recordings of 1999.

Mos Def

Black on Both Sides
(Rawkus)

Leon Huff & Gladys Knight & the Pips

The Seventh Deadly Sin(Coroner Records/Atomic Pop) & The Seventh Deadly Sin(Coroner Records/Atomic Pop)

A Place in the Crowd

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