Music News Headlines

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - It's a good thing that you can't judge a book by its sleeve art, because Carrie Underwood's fourth album, "Blown Away," arrives this week bearing one of the tackiest country music album covers of all time - a ludicrously airbrushed portrait that dares you not to focus on Underwood's gleaming, …

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Back in 2003, the surviving Beatles authorized the release of "Let It Be... Naked," an album of remixes that stripped away the most outlandish production flourishes producer Phil Spector had added to the original "Let It Be" album in 1970. In a way, the new George Harrison release "Early Takes, …

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Kevin Jonas - the oldest member of the Grammy-nominated pop music trio the Jonas Brothers - and his wife, Danielle, will star in the new E! reality series "Married to Jonas." The show, which premieres in August, is part of E!'s packed upcoming schedule of new series, which will also include a …

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - John Legend has signed on for ABC's upcoming music series "Duets," joining a cast that already includes Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Nettles and Robin Thicke. The series, which premieres May 24, will follow the foursome as they journey across America searching for the ultimate singing partner, with …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Whitney Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown struck back at claims he was responsible for getting the pop star hooked on drugs or that he somehow played a role in her cocaine-fueled death in February. "I'm not the one that got Whitney on drugs, at all," Brown said in an interview to be aired this week …

LONDON (Reuters) - Former White Stripes frontman Jack White's debut solo album 'Blunderbuss' knocked Adele's '21' off the top of Britain's charts on Sunday, and Carly Rae Jepsen managed to keep a new single from Calvin Harris from the No. 1 spot. Soul singer-songwriter Adele's album has been a fixture near the top of Britain's …

LONDON (Reuters) - Three Kanye West albums have made it on to the latest edition of Rolling Stone magazine's authoritative "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list, placing him among the greats of popular music. The new ranking, which combines a 2003 list (updated in 2005) with a later survey of the 2000s, saw two Radiohead …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - When a hologram of late rapper Tupac Shakur appeared on stage with Snoop Dogg at the recent Coachella music festival, it stunned audiences by literally bringing the performer back to life - technologically, anyway. Reuters asked Los Angeles-based E-Poll Market Research, which surveys consumers about …

SEOUL (Reuters) - Christian groups in South Korea called on Friday for pop icon Lady Gaga to cancel her concert here saying it was "pornographic" and promoted homosexuality. South Korea's government has already bowed to public pressure and banned under-18s from attending the 26-year old's concert, but protesters gathered …

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Move over Susan Boyle: Anne Hathaway is the next diva putting a distinctive spin on "I Dreamed a Dream," based on early footage of "Les Misérables" that Universal screened at CinemaCon on Thursday. Universal Pictures Chairman Adam Fogelson warned the audience at the exhibition trade show in Las …

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - John Mayer is piping up for America's veterans. The "Waiting for the World to Change" crooner made a stop in Washington D.C. on Wednesday to attend the Grammys on the Hill event, where he was one of the night's main attractions. Mayer was honored for his efforts to support veterans in their transition …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Ousted "American Idol" singer Elise Testone said on Friday she was proud of her song choices and performances on the show, even though they may not have connected with the voting public. But bluesy rock singer Testone, the oldest of the contest's Top 10 at 28, said she had hoped to stay on and fight …

PARIS (Reuters) - Celebrated German conductor and former East German dissident Kurt Masur was recovering in hospital on Friday after falling off stage at a Paris concert hall while conducting Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony, France's National Orchestra (ONF) said. Masur, 84, who has been music director of the ONF since …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Boy band fever is storming the music scene in the United States, led by the Brits who are breaking away from the slick, squeaky-clean image of old as they battle to become America's newest pin-ups. The five young men of The Wanted take on their baby-faced rivals One Direction with their self-titled …

LONDON (Reuters) - Record label XL was the big winner at the Music Week Awards late on Thursday, picking up four prizes mainly for its work on Adele's chart-topping "21". At a ceremony in central London, music business publication Music Week honored XL Recordings with the A & R Award, the artist marketing campaign prize …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Country music veteran George Jones has again canceled upcoming tour dates after doctors ordered more recovery time from his recent bout with an upper respiratory infection, the singer's spokesman said on Thursday. The 80-year-old Texas native is postponing all tour dates through May 20th, including …

LONDON (Reuters) - Sitar player Anouska Shankar, whose album "Traveller" takes a journey through the music of India and Spanish flamenco to explore their shared Gypsy roots, was named Best Artist in Songlines magazine's annual world music awards. At a time of political unrest in Mali, artists from there took two awards …

ATLANTA (Reuters) - A planned visit to the United States by North Korea's National Symphony Orchestra next month has been postponed following Pyongyang's launch of a long-range rocket, the head of an Atlanta-based humanitarian group said on Thursday. The nonprofit group, Global Resource Services, coordinated a trip by 150 …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Director Kevin MacDonald has enjoyed a distinguished career making both documentaries - "One Day in September" and "Touching the Void," among them - as well as feature films such as "The Last King of Scotland." For his latest non-fiction movie, the 44-year-old MacDonald has taken on iconic Jamaican …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A saxophonist for rock band The Killers died earlier this week at his Las Vegas home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head, a spokeswoman for the Clark County Coroner said on Thursday. Thomas "Tommy" Marth, 33, who played saxophone on live tours with The Killers between 2008 and 2010 and …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - One thing that never really dies is a truly progressive rock album. A case in point is Jethro Tull's "Thick As A Brick," originally released in 1972, before disco, punk and rap. Back then, "Brick" was significant for its 44-minute song created around the idea it was an epic poem written by a boy. …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lionel Richie staved off stiff competition to hold onto the top spot of the Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday, beating out new entries from Jason Mraz and Train. "Tuskegee," the country music-inspired 10th studio album from the 62-year-old soul singer, made the rare climb to No. 1 last week, …

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - One Direction, who? The Wanted, what? Their music is kids' stuff. As a new wave of boy bands floods the market, there is one quartet winning fans with a modern twist on a retro sound they call "Amercan Radio Songbook." Under The Streetlamp steers clear of top 40 songs in favor of classic Motown hits, …