Adult Contemporary

The Inimitable Legacy of Jimmy Webb

In honour of Webb’s Feb 12, 2026 performance at Hugh’s Room Live in Toronto by Nick Krewen The piano is certainly a picturesque instrument: within its 88 keys is a palate of tonal colours that can be mixed, matched and stirred to unearth a kaleidoscope of sounds  ranging from emotional epiphany to textured gravitas, dependent on the player who is mastering the apparatus.   Last night at Hugh’s Room for…

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Despite ‘70s superstardom, this singer struggled with self-doubt. Then came a spiritual awakening. Now he’s joining the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Gino Vannelli will be inducted along with Andy Kim, Jane Siberry and others on Oct. 17. He recorded his latest album as a tribute to his late wife. By Nick Krewen Special to the Star He will be getting inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame on Oct. 17 at the Meridian Arts Centre in North York, but pop sensation Gino Vannelli would be the first to admit that…


Chantal Kreviazuk makes her Massey Hall concert a family affair. It just took some time for it to click

The legendary Canadian singer-songwriter had some help from husband Raine Maida’s band Our Lady Peace, plus a supporting act from her son.  By Nick Krewen Special to the Star Chantal Kreviazuk Three stars (out of 4)  Massey Hall, Toronto  Friday, Nov. 8, 2024  The family that plays together, stays together. As cliché as that might seem, that was the conceptual thread that ran through Chantal Kreviazuk’s two-and-a-half hour concert at Massey…


As ‘90s icon k.d. lang enters the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, she reflects on her extraordinary career

The singer said she doesn’t miss the stage but still feels the creative impulse. By Nick Krewen Special to the Star In 1988, k.d. lang arrived at what she called “an emotional destination:” she recorded an album called Shadowland with the legendary Owen Bradley, who decades earlier had produced country icon Patsy Cline. At the time, the perennially lowercased lang was still something of an unknown quantity in the U.S….


As he gets inducted into the Mariposa Hall of Fame, Bruce Cockburn looks back on the highs and lows of summer festivals

The 79-year-old musician will play the Lightfoot Stage at the Mariposa Folk Festival in Orillia on July 7.  By Nick Krewen Special to the Star The second time he played the Mariposa Folk Festival, in 1969, Bruce Cockburn wasn’t supposed to headline. That honour belonged to Neil Young, fresh from his split with Buffalo Springfield, until a last-minute health issue forced the Ottawa-born folksinger and songwriter — who, until that point, had…