Chaka Khan

Just Released CDs

It’s Mathew Knowles’s Town. We Just Live Here.

Drenched in Blog: "Dear Jet Magazine"

De La Soul

Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (Tommy Boy)

Great Scott

The Philly R&B neo-soulstress defies simple definitions

Aftermath: Tina Turner at Toyota Center

The Philly R&B neo-soulstress defies simple definitions

Get Lit: The Pitchfork 500

The Philly R&B neo-soulstress defies simple definitions

B.B. King Sure Has a Lot of Friends

Is there anyone who doesn't love B.B. King? If you're talking about the 83-year-old bluesman's fellow musicians, the answer is a resounding "No!" King has probably sat in with with more players (and vice versa) than anybody else save perhaps Willie Nelson, with whom of course King has teamed up co ... More >>

Rotation

Is there anyone who doesn't love B.B. King? If you're talking about the 83-year-old bluesman's fellow musicians, the answer is a resounding "No!" King has probably sat in with with more players (and vice versa) than anybody else save perhaps Willie Nelson, with whom of course King has teamed up co ... More >>

Press Picks

Is there anyone who doesn't love B.B. King? If you're talking about the 83-year-old bluesman's fellow musicians, the answer is a resounding "No!" King has probably sat in with with more players (and vice versa) than anybody else save perhaps Willie Nelson, with whom of course King has teamed up co ... More >>

Sound Check

Is there anyone who doesn't love B.B. King? If you're talking about the 83-year-old bluesman's fellow musicians, the answer is a resounding "No!" King has probably sat in with with more players (and vice versa) than anybody else save perhaps Willie Nelson, with whom of course King has teamed up co ... More >>

Rotation

Is there anyone who doesn't love B.B. King? If you're talking about the 83-year-old bluesman's fellow musicians, the answer is a resounding "No!" King has probably sat in with with more players (and vice versa) than anybody else save perhaps Willie Nelson, with whom of course King has teamed up co ... More >>

Rotation

Is there anyone who doesn't love B.B. King? If you're talking about the 83-year-old bluesman's fellow musicians, the answer is a resounding "No!" King has probably sat in with with more players (and vice versa) than anybody else save perhaps Willie Nelson, with whom of course King has teamed up co ... More >>

Rotation

Is there anyone who doesn't love B.B. King? If you're talking about the 83-year-old bluesman's fellow musicians, the answer is a resounding "No!" King has probably sat in with with more players (and vice versa) than anybody else save perhaps Willie Nelson, with whom of course King has teamed up co ... More >>

Houston-Born TV-Theme Composer W.G. "Snuffy" Walden Enjoys His Wonder Years

Up to Snuff

Don't Fence Us In

Aztex refuses to be ghettoized in the Tejano market

Bettye LaVette's an old soul, through and through

Aztex refuses to be ghettoized in the Tejano market

Leela James: Let's Do It Again

Aztex refuses to be ghettoized in the Tejano market

Betty Davis

Once too hot to handle, Betty Davis's freaky funk is ripe for rediscovery

Tuck of the Town

Anita Bump's show is packin' them in

Hip-hop as She Is Rapped

Translating the German Wikipedia entries of Houston's top MCs

Leela James, with Kem

Friday, March 17, Verizon Wireless Theater, 520 Texas, 713-230-1666

Various Artists

The Kings of Hip Hop, Compiled and Mixed by DJ Premier and Mr. Thing

Topical Storm

The ladies of Gypsy Baby bring bizarre tales of women on the verge, online dating and Chaka Khan

Chaka Khan

Friday, April 9

A Nashville Star Is Born

Former Richmond Strip denizen Sheila Marshall makes it all the way to Music City

Richard X

Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1 (Astralwerks)

'80s Babies

The twentysomethings in Longwave resurrect the Reagan era's cool underbelly

Local Album of the Week: Leela James' Let's Do It Again

Leela James Let's Do It Again www.leelajames.com To understand what an arresting, puzzling record Leela James' Let's Do It Again really is, look no further than the L.A. native and adopted Houstonian's cover of Foreigner's mid-'80s soft-rock/gospel-lite singalong "I Want to Know What Love Is." ... More >>

Distant Early Warning: The Blasters, Bobby Bare Jr., Chaka Khan, Dead Confederate, Jimmie Vaughan, Julian Casablancas, Etc.

​The Blasters: Sat., May 8. Fitzgerald's. Alexisonfire, Trash Talk, La Dispute, Therefore I Am: Mon., May 3. Warehouse Live. Billy Joe Shaver: Fri., April 9. The Firehouse Saloon. Bobby Bare Jr., David Vanderveld: Tue., March 16. Rudyard's. BT, Glint: Wed., March 17. House of Blues. Chaka Khan: F ... More >>

Gary Ross: River Oaks' Teflon Man Reappears, in Chron's Society Pages

Gary Ross: He's baaack​We laughed our asses off this morning when we saw a pic of Gary Ross, a.k.a. Teflon Man, on the arm of Carolyn Farb in the Houston Chronicle's society pages A colorful character who winnowed his way into River Oaks society in 2004, Ross eventually ticked off some of his we ... More >>

Film Collage

Johan Grimonprez's stunning work screens at the Blaffer Museum.

Remember John Dew's Summertime Johnny v 1.9?

Houston's history is dotted with albums that, fairly or not, have been swept aside. We'll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. ​John Dew Summertime Johnny Version 1.9 (Self-released, 2011) John Dew is a rapper. He is p ... More >>

1986: Best Musical Year Ever?

​For almost two weeks now, Rocks Off has been obsessed with the year exactly 25 flips of the calendar backward from this one. It started when Steve Earle did one of his "Time Machine" shows, where the singer-songwriter who plays House of Blues Wednesday spotlights a dozen or so of his favorite ... More >>

Top 10 Hip-Hop Album Intro Tracks

​Before iTunes and Amazon gave us the luxury of picking and choosing which tracks we want off an album, we had to buy the entire CD or cassette tape to listen to everything we paid for. The intro tracks are usually what help us decide if the album is something we were going to love start to fi ... More >>

G N' R, The Cure & Chili Peppers Could Be Hall Of Famers Next Year

Oh, this will be a fun induction ceremony...​This morning, The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland announced the list of nominees for its Class of 2012: The Small Faces & The Faces, Freddie King, The Cure, Guns 'N Roses, Heart, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Spinners, War, Joan Jett and the Bl ... More >>

The End is Nigh: 2012 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Edition

Mason Lankford said, "There will come a day when we forget the Rapture ever even happened," but Rocks Off is keeping an eye out for signs of our impending Armageddon. We were wrong last time, but we're totally right this time! Derek JensenThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame​Once again the time has ... More >>

No Surprises: Rock Hall Set To Induct Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys

Photo By Marco TorresGuns N' Roses are Rock Hall bound, but which version of GNR will show up? ​This morning (well, it leaked last night) the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland announced their 2012 class of inductees. Included on the list are Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Bo ... More >>

Ain't Nobody Better: The LL Cool J Valentine's Day Playlist

​ Once upon a time, LL Cool J was merely a Kangol wearing rapper who aimed for the ladies long before urban radio knew of such things from rappers. Now, he's on CBS Tuesdays on an NCIS spinoff and is hosting The Grammys this year. Not bad for someone I thought would shrink into musical obscurity a ... More >>