Blake Hannon's take on CD releases and everything music.


"Rock Band: The Beatles" commercial: Coolest music commercial ever?

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

A career-spanning trailer for the highly-anticipated game

Thoughts on Record Store Day

Friday, April 17, 2009

Digital music is the future. Heck, who are we kidding. It's the friggin' present. But ironically enough, online is probably the one place where most people found out that Saturday, April 18 is officially Record Store Day.

CD Review: Dierks Bentley's "Feel That Fire"

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Arizona-born country crooner Dierks Bentley came along as one of several total-package male stars with good looks, talent and tunes in spades. While Bentley can't shred or sing like Brad Paisley or Keith Urban, his craft as a songwriter became his saving grace. It's that devotion to carefully crafted arrangements, structure and melody that mostly comes through on his latest "Feel That Fire," a safe continuation and showcase of Bentley's abilities.

CD Review: Eagles of Death Metal's "Heart On"

Friday, Feb. 20, 2009

Plenty of rock music that comes out today wants to break new ground or provoke thought. Then there's the L.A. outfit Eagles of Death Metal, who would just prefer to lay down some scuzzy-and-fuzzy guitar while tossing sexual metaphors and tongue-in-cheek choruses around like dollar bills at a strip club. They do that on their latest album, "Heart On," which is a fun dose of filthy-sounding seventies guitar grooves and glammy touches

Grammy Awards recap

Monday, Feb. 9, 2009

Well, the Grammys are in the books and in my first attempt to predict the outcomes, I learned a few things. 1. I have a about a .500 batting average on these things. 2. In some cases, it turned out that much better that my predictions were incorrect.
So from what I saw of the telecast, here are my the awards that caught me by surprise, the best and worst performances and the things that make you go "huh?"

Grammy predictions: The Big Categories

Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009

Well, after trying my hand at nailing down my picks for winners in a few specific genres, it's time to talk about the categories that seems to bring them all together. Whether it's epic bands, platinum-selling rappers, soulful songbirds, peculiar collaborations or Disney kids, all are represented this year. And I'm giving you my final call before the Grammy Awards air on Feb. 8.

Grammy predictions: Hard rock, Metal and Hip-Hop

Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009

People may think that putting rap and rock together was a turn-of-millenium fad, but you don't have to look to Lil Wayne's upcoming rock album to see it's making a comeback. You can look at my predictions for hard rock, metal and hip-hop categories at this year's Grammy Awards coming up on two weeks.

CD Review: Ryan Adams and the Cardinals "Cardinology"

Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009

Equal parts creative, prolific and erratic, singer/songwriter Ryan Adams recently announced he's retiring from music indefinitely. But considering his work with seminal alt-country act Whiskeytown and his 11 releases in nine years, it's not like he didn't leave behind his fair share of material. Thankfully, if his newest release with his capable backing band The Cardinals entitled "Cardinology" is his last album, it's good to know that he left listeners on a high note.

Zeppelin reunion takes stairway to heaven

Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009

In news that is either optimistic, devastating or inconsequential depending on how big a fan you are of Led Zeppelin, it was announced Thursday that there will be no plans for a Led Zeppelin reunion in any capacity.

Dead reunited, prolific Prince and Radiohead and Jay-Z collide

Monday, Jan. 5, 2009

Happy New Year indeed for anyone who are fans of psychedelic icons, the Purple One and mix tapes.

Grammy predictions. Pop categories

Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008

Considering that all of the biggest selling albums of the year weren't exactly pop (Lil Wayne, Metallica, AC/DC), some may say it wasn't the best year for pop music. But then again, there's plenty of these songs that you probably had stuck in your head all year. That's what makes it "pop," right? Anyway, before the Feb. 2009 Grammys come up, here's who I think will win and should win in Pop music categories.

Grammy nominations. B-Side predictions

Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008

The nominations for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards were announced Wednesday, and the biggest acts of the year got the most props. Hip-hop superstar Lil Wayne led the way with eight nominations, followed by Brit-rockers Coldplay with seven nominations. A diverse group of artists including Kanye West, Ne-yo, Radiohead and newcomers Adele and Duffy also received multiple nods, along with music veterans like Bruce Springsteen and the duet of Robert Plant and Allison Krauss.

R.I.P: Mitch Mitchell

Friday, Nov. 14, 2008

The last member of one of rock's most important, powerful and groundbreaking bands died on Nov. 12.

The Beatles say "Hello!" to video games

Friday, Oct. 31, 2008

To enjoy and purchase The Beatles music in the digital age, the saying "all you need is love" isn't quite going to cut it. You're going to need a video game console.

Led Zeppelin reunion - Robert Plant = ?????

Monday, Oct. 27, 2008

When Led Zeppelin reunited to perform in London for a one-night concert late last year, the reunion tour speculation began.

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