R&B

Rihanna at the ACC: Barbadian pop queen capable of so much more

I Entertainment / Music Rihanna at the ACC: Barbadian pop queen capable of so much more Her performance during the first of two nights at The Air Canada Centre was anything but a gem. Rihanna lacked intensity and emotion during the first of her two shows at the ACC, says reviewer Nick Krewen. By: Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Published on Tue Mar 19 2013     Rihanna’s latest…


Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience bloated and dull: Review

Suit and Tie singer’s new album really could have used the hindsight of an editor. Nick Krewen Special to the Star Published on Tue Mar 19 2013 Justin Timberlake The 20/20 Experience (RCA) 2 stars Second only in studio secrecy to the recent re-emergence of David Bowie, Justin Timberlake ends a six-year music hiatus with The 20/20 Experience, only his third solo album since he managed to buck the trend…


Joss Stone breezes into town with soulful sound

Grammy-winning artist follows her instincts, whips up another covers album and roams into Toronto. British soul singer and free spirit Joss Stone will perform at Sound Academy.   By: Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Published on Fri Oct 05 2012   If Grammy-winning British soul belter Joss Stone had a nickname, it would be “Miss Spontaneity.” “Either that, or ‘Impatience’ — one of the two,” Stone says, laughing heartily,…


Donald Fagen and friends cruise into new band

By: Nick Krewen Special to the Star, Published on Fri Aug 10 2012 Ready for some retro soul, man? When the Dukes of September Rhythm Revue convenes at Molson Amphitheatre this Sunday led by the stellar trio of Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen, ex-Doobie Brother Michael McDonald and “Lido Shuffle” hitmaker Boz Scaggs, they’ll be mixing it up for the masses. While it’s not too much of a stretch to assume…


Still kooler than Van Halen

Entertainment / Music Life has its enduring mysteries.  SILVIA MAUTNER / KTG PRESS PHOTO Kool and the Gang opens for Van Halen on Saturday, March 17. Nick Krewen Special to the Star Published on Fri Mar 16 2012   Life has its enduring mysteries. There are the Seven Wonders of the World; the secret of getting caramel into the Caramilk bar and . . . Kool & The Gang opening for Van…