The cover of the 45 of The Clash's 1982 hit single "Rock the Casbah".
Sometimes we have to justify what we really love with what our friends (or in this case, readers…well, actually both) will think is cool. Which is why I switched my Clash song three or four different times while compiling this list.
Truth be told, I actually really do love The Clash. Were they “the only band that mattered”? Well, they certainly weren’t to me then. But then again, when Joe Strummer, Mick Jones and the boys were popular, I wasn’t even old enough to tie my shoes. So…The Jacksons mattered more to me then. Hall & Oates mattered more to me then. Hell, Air Supply mattered more to me then. Is it the same now? Well…Air Supply doesn’t matter to me as much, for what that’s worth.
The cover of "Sol-Angel & the Hadley Street Dreams", the sophomore effort from Solange Knowles.
The musical landscape is littered with them: artists trading on the talent and fame of their more talented, more famous sibling. Most music fans are smart enough to know that whenever “the brother or sister-or son or daughter- of chart-topping singer XXX” arrives on the scene, they should run for cover. My pals at Popdose recently dedicated an entire article to the phenomenon, bringing back some famously awful examples of a few artists who assumed that sharing a bloodline with someone meant sharing their talent as well.
So you have every right to be frightened by the sophomore effort from Solange Knowles. Yep, Solange is the little sister of world-famous diva singer/actress Beyonce Knowles, sister-in-law of Jay-Z. She’s occasionally stepped in as a fourth member of Destiny’s Child, co-written songs for her sister and her sister’s bandmate Kelly Rowland, and released a fairly horrid album of her own half a decade ago, “Solo Star”. However, she’s probably most known for creating a chink in the fresh-scrubbed Knowles family image by getting knocked up at 17 (Papa Mathew Knowles almost immediately made Solange marry the baby’s father, a move that Mr. & Mrs. Spears would have been wise to emulate). Now a 22 year old divorcee, Solange makes her re-entry onto the musical scene with “Sol-Angel & The Hadley Street Dreams”, a title so pretentious you almost want to hate the album before it starts playing.
Sheryl Crow (pictured here in concert this summer) continued lending star power to causes when she serenaded Senator Barack Obama with Strong Enough.   Crow previously had run afoul of Republican henchman Karl Rove and has spents campaigning for the Democratic candidate while using her summer concert tour to bash Bush supporters.   We appreciate the cancer survivor’s emotions, but wonder if that particular tune is just a little skeevy.
BNL Singer Crash Lands Plane Like A Stunt Man!
Meanwhile the BNL Train may have left the station early. Lead singer Ed Robertson and three other people survived a small plane crash according to CNN.  Robertson reportedly was piloting the plane in Ontario with his wife and another couple when Robertson (the tall, dark haired one) put his Cessna down without anyone getting a scratch. Fellow Barenaked Ladies singer Steven Page (the blonde, pudgy one) is currently on bail awaiting trial for an arrest for cocaine possession earlier this summer.   Page’s issue is one for the courts, but landing that plane sounds scary-amazing.
American Idol Adds Talent To Judge’s Talent, America Looks For New Catchphrase
Industry bible Variety may have tried the hardest to draw a line between American Idol adding songwriter and music company exec Kara DioGuardi to its panel and the departure of executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, but even the venerable entertainment site couldn’t pull off the connection.  There are still no details about the AI move, but we know our Movie/TV Help Web partner Ailsa is going to have to update her cast list to make room for Kara. What will a coherent female judge mean for everyone’s favorite karaoke show? My own internal poll shows indifference. George is excited whenever anyone behind the scenes makes it big, but GG thinks having someone else around will kill the Ryno-Simon banter.  Last year was a chore to watch for me, so I don’t know if I care.
>
Either Way Things Work Out, JoJo Had A Bad Night
Did anyone see Jo-Jo (our bud from ’90s group Jodeci and K-Ci make the YouTube rounds? JoJo hits the ground, K-Ci says it was a “seizure” and nearly one thousand YouTube commenters say JoJo may not need anti-seizure medicine just yet.
K-Ci says it was a “seizure”…most sane folks think it was…um, something else.
Biggie Still Dead, Still Making Money For Other People
Faith Evans’ biggest claim to fame is most likely being Biggie’s lady, but props to Njai Joszor over at Singers Room for a great review of Evans’ tell-all book. Seems Biggie and Lil (Kim, not Wayne) stories were true, if you believe in Faith.
