Sara Bareilles seems to be spinning her wheels on her fourth album, The Blessed Unrest. By: Nick Krewen Music, Published on Tue Jul 16 2013 The Blessed Unrest Sara Bareilles 2.5 stars Overwrought and overproduced at times, Sara Bareilles seems to be spinning her wheels on her fourth album, The Blessed Unrest. Although the Eureka, Calif., singer-songwriter’s rich, fluid alto is the connecting thread between the dozen songs on her…
From the very moment the curtain rose revealing the lean-and-leggy fedora-capped blond, Swift was a master of precision. Pennsylvania native, Taylor Swift, is no wilting lily when it comes to the art of performance. By: Nick Krewen Music, Published on Sat Jun 15 2013 Taylor Swift is a woman who knows what she wants. If there was anything made abundantly clear during the 22-year-old country music crossover sensation’s hour-and-45-minute…
He’s better known as a collaborator with Feist, Drake, Peaches and Tiga, but Chilly Gonzales is an accomplished performer in his own right. Chilly Gonzales’s background is classical but he considers himself pop. “I want to be a man of my time,” he says. By: Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Published on Wed Nov 07 2012 Chilly Gonzales is so prolific, it’s a surprise he’s not more of a…
By NICK KREWEN Special to the Star Fri., Oct. 19, 2012 The last time Grammy-nominated, Americana music siren Iris DeMent released an album of original songs, Lisa Marie Presley had divorced Michael Jackson; Diana, Princess of Wales was still among the living and social media was restricted to email. Not that it matters to the DeMent faithful who will pack Hugh’s Room to the rafters this weekend for a pair of…
Regina Spektor’s music a mystery even to the creator Arty, gifted popster coming to Sony Centre has no clue how her songs arrive. By: Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Published on Wed Oct 10 2012 Words like “eccentric” and “quirky” don’t really define the peculiar pop compositions of Regina Spektor, but they’re a decent starting point. The 32-year-old Moscow-born, Bronx-based singer and songwriter — a classically trained pianist with…
