Janelle Monae: Futuristic Soul with a story

Janelle Monae jumped onto my radar lately because of two stellar reviews from the guys at Sound Opinions as well as a 8.5 rating from Pitchfork.com. I had heard a couple of the songs showcased on Sound Opinions, but was not sure. After all the glowing reviews I decided to pick it up. I was pleasantly surprised how much I really did love it. It is such a combination of so many styles of music as well as epic in its story telling. In a nutshell it is about a singer that goes back in time but is replaced by an Archandroid, thus the title of the album. It is much more complicated than that, but I'll let you discover that for yourself in the liner notes. Needless to say, I highly recommend it. My favorite songs are Faster, Cold War, Wondaland and the cool robotic rap of Neon Valley Street. This will definitely be on a lot of peoples top ten lists for the year. It is a creative work of Pop music that takes a while to digest and is that not the best kind?

New Goldfrapp video for "Alive". Devils, vampires and aerobics..oh my!

This video is simply amazing. It is Olivia Newton-John's Physical but with pentagrams and vampires. So cool!

Do you know Bettye Lavette?

Bettye is one of the many Detroit legends that fell off the maps more than 20 years ago. She came back onto the seen in 2005 with a record titled, "I've got my own hell to raise", a lyric taken from Fiona Apple. This was an album of wonderful covers recorded in Bettye's blues style. Songs from Sinead O' Conner, Dolly Parton and Fiona Apple are all featured. But these are not simple covers, she breathes new life into them and makes them her own.

In 2007 she returned with her backing band, The Drive by Truckers with the album "Scene of the Crime".

Bettye is a force of nature live. She not only has one of the most amazing voices in modern day alternative blues, but she also is funny and energetic. If you have a chance, make sure you catch her on tour.

Here is Bettye covering The Who, "Love Reign o'er Me."

Third Man Records pt 3: Karen Elson

Karen Elson: The Ghost Who Walks
*Karen is a former model as well as Jack Whites wife. I think many were skeptical when they heard she would be recording an album with her husband as producer. the first single is actually good, if not great. Great voice, haunting lyrics and cool image. Although I will say, with her country dresses and big red hair, she does remind me an awful lot of Tracey Lee Miller from the Detroit band Blanche. I really look forward to the album. Check out the video below.

Third Man Records pt2: The Black Belles

The Black Belles:What Can I Do
*This all girl garage band sounds like they have a lot of potential. Check out their Jack White Directed video.

Third Man Records-Ok Jack, you got some good stuff

I have been taking a closer look at Third Man Studios lately. This is Jack Whites new record store/performance space/record label. It is located in Jacks home of Nashville. There are a few acts on the label that I think I will be purchasing once the full albums are released. The interesting thing about Third Man is that releases are vinyl or digital only. No plastic cds allowed.

Wanda Jackson: You know I'm no good(Amy Winehouse cover)

*Wanda is a legendary rock-a-billy queen. She has been making music for 50 years and at over 70 years old, she is still working. She is also famous for being a girl friend of the late, great Elvis. Check out this clip of her Jack White produced Amy Winehouse cover.

Tours: MGMT, Goldfrapp, Midlake

Goldfrapp World Tour

06-07 Oxford, England - O2 Academy
06-08 Leamington Spa, England - The Assembly
06-21 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
06-23 New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
06-26 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
06-27 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
07-09 Naas, Ireland - Oxegen
07-11 Kinross, Scotland - T in the Park
07-18 Grafenhainichen, Germany - Melt
08-19 Hasselt, Belgium - Pukkelpop
08-21 Shropshire, England - Weston Park (V Festival)
08-22 Writtle, England - Hylands Park (V Festival)

MIDLAKE World tour

03-31 Birmingham, AL - WorkPlay Theatre
04-01 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
04-02 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
04-03 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
04-04 Washington, DC - Black Cat
04-05 Pittsburgh, PA - Diesel
04-07 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
04-08 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
04-09 Boston, MA - Paradise
04-10 Philadelphia, PA - Theater of the Living Arts
04-14 Rennes, France - Antipode
04-15 Lille, France - Grand Mix
04-16 Bourges, France - Auditorium
04-17 Lyon, France - Epicerie Moderne
04-19 Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli
04-20 Paris, France - Bataclan
04-21 Rheims, France - La Cartonnerie
04-22 Strasbourg, France - Festival Artefact
04-23 Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
04-24 Hyeres, France - Festival Faveur de Printemps
04-26 Rotterdam, Netherlands - Watt
04-27 Nijmegen, Netherlands - Doonroosje
04-28 Groningen, Netherlands - Vera
05-14 Columbia, MO - The Blue Note
05-15 St. Louis, MO - Old Rock House
05-16 Newport, KY - The Southgate House
05-17 Columbus, OH - Wexner Center for the Arts (OSU)
05-18 Ithaca, NY - Castaways
05-20 Montreal, Quebec - Le National
05-21 Toronto, Ontario - The Mod Club
05-22 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
05-23 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
05-24 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
05-25 Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Center
05-27 Bozeman, MT - The Filling Station
05-28 Missoula, MT - The Badlander
05-30 George, WA - Sasquatch Music Festival
06-01 Aspen, CO - Belly Up Aspen
06-02 Santa Fe, NM - Santa Fe Brewing Co.
06-03 Lubbock, TX - The Foundation
06-04 Austin, TX - Antone's
06-05 Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom
06-25 Cork, Ireland - Live at The Marquee
06-28 Liverpool, England - Academy
06-29 Sheffield, England - Leadmill
06-30 Portsmouth, England - Pyramids
07-07 Hultsfred, Sweden - Hultsfredsfestivalen
07-09 Cologne, Germany - Classic Rocknacht
07-15 Beccles, England - Henham Park
07-16 Ferropolis, Denmark - Melt! Festival
07-18 Southwold, England - Latitude Festival
11-02 London, England - Roundhouse
MGMT World Tour

4-17 Indio, California - Coachella
04-29 Toronto, Ontario - The Mod Club
04-30 Durham, NH - University of New Hampshire
05-02 East Rutherford, NJ - Bamboozle
05-28 San Luis Obispo, CA - Avila Beach Bowl
05-29 Santa Cruz, CA - Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium
05-31 George, WA - Sasquatch Festival
06-01 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
06-02 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
06-04 Salt Lake City, UT - In the Venue
06-06 Austin, TX - Stubb's
06-07 Houston, TX - House of Blues
06-08 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
06-11 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks
06-13 Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
06-14 Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
06-15 Columbus, OH - LC Pavilion
06-16 Detroit, MI - Fillmore
06-18 Chicago, IL - Rivera Theatre
06-20 Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theatre
08-08 Chicago, IL - Lollapalooza
09-16 Dublin, Ireland - Olympia
09-20 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowland Ballroom
09-23 Birmingham, England - O2 Academy
09-24 Bournemouth, England - O2 Academy
09-26 Manchester, England - Manchester Apollo
09-29-10-01 London, England - O2 Academy
10-03 Brussels, Belgium - AB Café / Resto
10-04 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
10-07 Paris, France - Bataclan
10-08 Paris, France - Bataclan
11-29 Dusseldorf, Germany - Stahlwerk
11-30 Hamburg, Germany - Docks
12-02 Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene
12-03 Stockholm, Sweden - Berns
12-04 Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega
12-06 Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle
12-07 Munich, Germany - Tonhalle
12-08 Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
12-10 Prague, Czech Republic - Archa Theatre
12-12 Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
12-13 Zurich, Switzerland - Maag Hall
12-14 Lyon, France - Le Transbordeur
12-16 Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz
12-17 Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
12-18 Lisbon, Portugal - Campo Pequeno