Ann Powers

Lessons From SXSW 2013: Take The Middle Road

Ann Powers — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:48:00 +0000

That guy Prince has a sense of humor.

The Roots Of Beyonce's Super Bowl Spectacular

Ann Powers — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:41:00 +0000

One of the Twitter hashtags devised by rabid Beyonce fans before last night's Super Bowl halftime show was religious in nature: #praisebeysus. Praise Beysus! This bit of hyperventilating resonated in interesting ways. Strutting into the very center of America's biggest television spectacle, the 31-year-old superstar intended to secure her place in the musical pantheon next to recent Super Bowl-approved legends Madonna, The Who, Bruce Springsteen and Prince.

And that's not all.

Go See The Old Guys

Ann Powers — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 20:53:00 +0000

Neil Young made me write this. Before last Thursday, when ol' Shakey and his golden garage band Crazy Horse stomped through my local amphitheater, the last thing I'd thought I'd be excited about was a bunch of guys hovering around 70, playing loud rock and roll into the night.

'Nashville' Duets: Voices In Harmony And Conflict

Ann Powers — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 18:19:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWrSg5znyMU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb4nmz529pE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r-VwSRzXbk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQW7I62TNOw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5axlwCBXC8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKIegJH7Mdc

For The Ladies: R. Kelly, Teddy Pendergrass And The State Of R&B

Ann Powers — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 18:44:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeBdqeQ1-l8

Why Some Musicians Last

Ann Powers — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 21:08:00 +0000

The mists of eternity wafted over my Twitter feed the other night. Okay, not quite — but talk of eternity, or at least of the pop scene in thirty years, did make for a lengthy and spirited group exchange. It started when a friend who's not fond of singing competitions asked whether Kelly Clarkson will be remembered in 2042.

Antony's 'Future Feminism': Stage Banter As Statement Of Purpose

Ann Powers — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:10:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npyAImVa7qw

On Bob Dylan And Jonah Lehrer, Two Fabulists

Ann Powers — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 11:21:00 +0000

Yesterday my husband and I had the same thought at the same time. It's not an uncommon occurrence for two writers who've spent decades arguing and enthusing about pop music. I mention it, in part, to stave off accusations that I'm plagiarizing from a nearby source, but also because I think what we reflected upon in light of the writer Jonah Lehrer's fatal mistake was probably in the minds of many music obsessives.

Springsteen's American Dream, Beautiful And Bleak

Ann Powers — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 00:06:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYriU4bhW7I

The Many Voices Of Donna Summer

Ann Powers — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:05:00 +0000

Pop singer Donna Summer, whose long career began in the 1960s and reached its apex in the disco era of the '70s, died of cancer on Thursday at her home in Naples, Florida. Summer was 63 years old. According to Billboard magazine, the singer born LaDonna Gaines had 32 singles that charted in the Hot 100. Fourteen of them made it into the top 10.