Soundcheck

Who's Afraid of Céline Dion?

Friday, April 25, 2008

Céline Dion is one of the most successful singers in the world, yet she has few fans among music critics. Today we find out if one critic changed his mind after immersing himself in Dion's music. Later: Brooklyn-based band Via Audio explains how they scored a top-notch producer. And, they perform live in our studio.

Guilty Displeasures

Carl Wilson of Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper did what other music critics might find unfathomable: He listened to Celine Dion. A lot. In the book Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste, Wilson explores the idea of a "guilty displeasure": something we're quick to dismiss because, well, "it's just not me." We find out what Wilson learned from his ordeal -- and if he changed his mind about Dion.

Tell us: What's your "guilty displeasure?" Do you have a music-snob sin to confess?

"Let's Talk About Love" on Amazon.com
Carl Wilson's blog Zoilus.com
Wilson's article about Dion's Las Vegas show

Via Audio

Brooklyn-based band Via Audio scored a top-notch producer the old fashioned way: they pressed a CD into the palm of Spoon drummer and producer Jim Eno. Via Audio's new album is called "Say Something." They play live in the studio.

Via Audio website

Oregon Takes a Stand

In its fight against illegal file-sharing, the recording industry has turned to colleges and universities to ferret out students swapping songs over campus networks. But the University of Oregon is having none of it. We talk with New York Times reporter Adam Liptak.

Adam Liptak's New York Times article