Ann Powers

Lessons From SXSW 2013: Take The Middle Road

Ann Powers — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 23:08:06 +0000

That guy Prince has a sense of humor.

First Listen: Bilal, 'A Love Surreal'

Ann Powers — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 21:17:41 +0000

Audio for this feature is no longer available.

"Funk is fun, and it's a state of mind," George Clinton once said. "But it's also all the ramifications of that state of mind." With this observation, one of funk's inventors sought to free the style from any constraints. Funk is lowdown music, designed for dancing, with a heavy bottom and a crazy streak; but an exceptional artist can also make funk that's quiet, beautiful, a real head trip. What makes music funky isn't necessarily a monster bassline.

Listening To My Bloody Valentine Three Ways

Ann Powers — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:25:52 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBKjhgHGVZs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUc5y1NljXI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HhSS1hUUjQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oXJus1ajIU

The Roots Of Beyonce's Super Bowl Spectacular

Ann Powers — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 16:08:03 +0000

One of the Twitter hashtags devised by rabid Beyonce fans before last night's Super Bowl halftime show was religious in nature: #praisebeysus. Praise Beysus! This bit of hyperventilating resonated in interesting ways. Strutting into the very center of America's biggest television spectacle, the 31-year-old superstar intended to secure her place in the musical pantheon next to recent Super Bowl-approved legends Madonna, The Who, Bruce Springsteen and Prince.

And that's not all.

For The Ladies: R. Kelly, Teddy Pendergrass And The State Of R And B

Ann Powers — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 22:50:31 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeBdqeQ1-l8

Springsteen's American Dream, Beautiful And Bleak

Ann Powers — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 00:06:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYriU4bhW7I

Afghan Whigs: Songs Of Love Gone Wrong, Done Right

Ann Powers — Fri, 25 May 2012 18:03:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mE0I6flzGQ

The Many Voices Of Donna Summer

Ann Powers — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:05:00 +0000

Pop singer Donna Summer, whose long career began in the 1960s and reached its apex in the disco era of the '70s, died of cancer on Thursday at her home in Naples, Florida. Summer was 63 years old. According to Billboard magazine, the singer born LaDonna Gaines had 32 singles that charted in the Hot 100. Fourteen of them made it into the top 10.

Whitney Houston: Her Life Played Out Like An Opera

Ann Powers — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 02:15:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wupsPg5H6aE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J538b-OLRU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH3giaIzONA

Get To Know The Song Of The Year Nominees: Mumford And Sons' 'The Cave'

Ann Powers — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:01:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6rYPHmSzcE