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Was M.I.A.'s album better than those from Amy Winehouse and Alicia Keys? Cast your vote in our annual poll. (Rod | Le-HibOO.com)Critics Week: The Year in Pop
All this week, music critics are helping Soundcheck review the best and worst of 2007. Today: a look at the year in pop music with Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times. Plus, we unveil our annual online poll. And later: With a singer and a pianist for parents, Sasha Dobson grew up with jazz. Her own music draws on Brazilian and pop sounds. Dobson performs live in our studio.
Weigh in: Soundcheck's 2007 listener poll
More on Soundcheck's Critics' Week
Pop Music: Best of 2007
Jay-Z rode the coattails of an "American Gangster." Sanjaya overstayed his welcome on "American Idol." And the industry's high anxiety over the future of music got, well, higher. Soundcheck kicks off "Critics Week" with a recap of pop music in 2007. We talk with Ann Powers, chief pop music critic at the Los Angeles Times.
Ann Powers' top albums of 2007 list (listed in no particular order)
Sharon Jones, 100 Days 100 Nights
LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver
The Bird and the Bee, The Bird and the Bee
Radiohead, In Rainbows
MIA, Kala
PJ Harvey, White Chalk
Robin Thicke, The Evolution of Robin Thicke
Of Montreal, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
Lil Wayne [various mixtapes and appearances]
Patty Griffin, Children Running Through
Soundcheck's Picks of 2007
The Soundcheck staff weighs in with their favorite recordings of the year.
Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, Mahler Symphony No. 5
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
[Brian Wise]
Andy Palácio and the Garifuna Collective, Wátina
[Gisele Regatao]
Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
[Joel Meyer]
Jamie T, Panic Prevention
[John Schaefer]
Sasha Dobson
Singer-songwriter Sasha Dobson's latest CD, "Modern Romance," flirts with Brazilian, pop and country styles. She joins us to talk about the album and to perform live in the Soundcheck studio.
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Soundcheck's Noteworthy New York
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Find out what John Schaefer and the Soundcheck staff have to say about recent segments on the show.
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Noteworthy New York
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We have invited musicians and artists to help us select their favorite cultural destination in the neighborhood where they live. From parks and coffee shops to bowling alleys and museums, the options are as diverse as our group of contributors.
Your "Democracy Song"
Soundcheck
As we march toward Election Day, Soundcheck wants you to identify a song that captures the spirit of democracy. It might be Woody Guthrie’s populist classic “This Land Is Your Land” or Sly and the Family Stone’s funky hit “Everyday People.” It might even be a current Top 40 hit with mass appeal. Put on your musical thinking cap, get creative, then post your song here.
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Soundcheck
Check out our ongoing series of Soundcheck Smackdown debates on the music marketplace -- and how we shop inside it. Part I: the pros and cons of MySpace. Part II: two documentarians throw down over music at Wal-Mart. Coming up: Part III: iTunes and Part IV: iPod vs. Zune
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Tin Pan Alley
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A two-block stretch of West 28th Street was once the home of American songwriters and music publishers. But buildings in area are now up for sale, and preservationists fear a major development is in the works. We look at the history and future of Tin Pan Alley.
I Am Azerrad ... No, I Am Azerrad!
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Nirvana biographer and indie-rock historian Michael Azerrad writes about musicians for a living. Now, the British band Tubelord (pictured) has written about him -- and the lyrics are a tad scary.
- Comments [1]
Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile
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Two major players from the worlds of classical and American roots music have joined forces for an album of new material. They perform in our studio.
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