Willie Nelson Heroes (Legacy) Rating: In his 79 years on earth, Willie Nelson has built up an unparalleled legacy in country music and a catalog so deep that only Frank Zappa’s gives it any competition in terms of sheer volume. Nelson’s 66th album, Heroes, follows a similar pattern to most of his recent releases, offering [...]

On Sunday, Osama bin Laden, leader of the reviled terrorist group Al Qaeda, was killed by American forces. The Twitterverse was abuzz with the news, with several prominent musicians tweeting their reactions in real time. Country star Blake Shelton had a slew of tweets: – Re-writing my fav Woody Guthrie song. This land ain’t your [...]

Bow wow wow, yippee-oh yippee-ay. On Friday night, Snoop Dogg’s tour bus rolled into Nashville. The rapper was the headliner for Vanderbilt University’s Commodore Quake concert, which also featured Passion Pit, B.o.B. and Playboy Tre. The mostly collegiate audience was well-behaved, as was the 39-year-old father of three. “How many of you was two when [...]

In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the music world has joined the relief effort in full force, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in aid and several breath-taking collaborations. Shane MacGowan of the Pogues is recording a rocking version of Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You” with friends Nick [...]

And now, the second installment of American Songwriter‘s countdown of the best drinking songs of all time. 7) “Whiskey in the Jar” – Traditional Even though the Irish-alcohol connection is a stereotype, no list of drinking songs would be complete without a traditional Irish drinking song.  Whether the tipsy reputation is justified or not, the [...]

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