Music

Music critic Ken Tucker reviews American Life, the new CD by Madonna.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews The Headphone Masterpiece, the new CD by singer/songwriter Cody Chesnutt.

Kevin Whitehead reviews two albums: Gong With the Wind Suite from Lee Konitz and Matt Wilson, and the newly remastered Theme and Variations from John LaPorta.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the third album by singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur. It's called Redemption's Son.

Ed Ward profiles guitar prodigy Link Wray.

Music critic Milo Miles reviews two new recordings that rely on new technology: DJ Shadow's The Private Press (on MCA) and The Best Bootlegs in the World. Ever.

Eric Burdon was the lead singer for the British band, The Animals - the 1960s group that gave us, "House of the Rising Sun," "Don Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "We Gotta Get Out of This Place." Burdon has written his new autobiography, Don Let Me Be Misunderstood (Thunder Mouth Press) He is currently touring with the New Animals.

He will give us his take on the best albums of the year, including new releases from Eminem, Missy Elliot and The Hives. He is a regular Fresh Air contributor and he also writes for Entertainment Weekly.

Lloyd Schwartz reviews some classic Hollywood musicals now out on DVD: The 1946 film The Harvey Girls, starring Judy Garland and Ray Bolger; the 1954 A Star is Born, starring Judy Garland and James Mason; the 1930 film The Blue Angel, starring Marlene Dietrich; Singing in the Rain; the 1947 film New Orleans (on Kino video), starring Louie Armstrong and Billie Holiday; the 1947 Edgar Ulmer's Carnegie Hall featuring Jascha Heifetz; The Big Broadcast of 1938, starring W.C. Fields and Bob Hope; 42nd Street, the Busby Berkeley film.

Ed Ward reviews When The Sun Goes Down: The Secret History of Rock & Roll a four volume set on RCA of mostly African-American music from the late 1920s to the mid-50s.

He is a national icon in Brazil. Along with Gilberto Gil, Veloso created the provocative "Tropicalismo" movement which combined the richness of Brazil's musical past with 1960s rock 'n' roll, surrealism, and dada -– in reaction to the military junta in 1964. Veloso and Gil were jailed and exiled for their efforts. Veloso's memoir Tropical Truth a Story of Music & Revolution in Brazil (first published in 1997) is now translated and published in the United States (Knopf).

Ken Tucker reviews Original Pirate Material the debut collection by white British rapper Mike Skinner otherwise known as The Streets.

Rock historian Ed Ward remembers the band The Lovin' Spoonful.

Music critic Milo Miles reviews the new box set: Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers: The Complete Specialty Recordings (Specialty label).

Film critic and historian David Thomson's latest book is The New Biographical Dictionary of Film. It is an updated version of his Biographical Dictionary of Film, which was first published in 1975. Some of the entries have been revised and new entries have been added. Thomson has taught film studies at Dartmouth College and has served on the selection committee for the New York Film Festival. He is a regular contributor to The New York Times, Film Comment, Movieline, The New Republic and The Independent.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews rapper Paul Barman's new CD, Paullalujah.

He talks about 1960’s folk-rock group, The Youngbloods.

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Under Construction (Warner) the fourth album by Missy Elliott.

Critic Milo Miles reviews the reissue of The Explorer Series featuring music from around the world that was originally released from 1967 to 1984. The Explorer Series is now being re-released by region. The first is 13 CDs from Africa (on the Nonesuch label).

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews Joe & Zoot & More (Chiaroscuro), the reissue of the 1973 recording of violinist Joe Venuti and saxophonist Zoot Sims.