Music

In “Viva Nigeria,” one of Fela Kuti’s earliest 45s, the Afrobeat pioneer proclaims, “Men are born, kings are made.” Kuti, who was born a man in 1938 and died a king of music in ’97, transformed his home country and the world at large into something more inclusive and compassionate through driving, dynamic drums, big, funky horns, and scabrous lyrics that skewered the violent military junta controlling Nigeria. He had studied music in London, where he played piano in jazz, R&B, and rock groups — creating a tight bond with...

Tanya Tucker isn't looking to change things up too much after Shooter Jennings and Brandi Carlile helped make her last album, 2019's While I'm Livin', a 2020 Grammy Awards winner for Best Country Album. To wit, both heavy hitters will be back for Tucker's next effort.But that doesn't mean the follow-up LP won't show any progression. While Tucker and the two musician-producers will tee up for another album home run, the singer herself says her voice has markedly improved in the two years since While I'm Livin'. She noticed as much...

Rick Ross returned to his roots for NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert appearance, which premiered on Tuesday. While he lives in Atlanta, he headed to the city where he was reared and launched his career to film the show. Shot at his friend and collaborator Rich B Caliente’s gallery space complete with a throne, Ross delivered a six-song set. The concert marked the second time in his career he has performed with a live band. Backed by DJ Sam Sneak, bassist Thaddaeus Tribbett, keyboardist Monty Reynolds, drummer Rashid Williams, and...

Eric Church got out of Nashville — and his comfort zone — to make Heart & Soul, his forthcoming triple album. The country superstar says his goal in creating his latest music was to "make people really uncomfortable."The decision was a product of the creation of Church's last album, 2018's Desperate Man. In a new behind-the-scenes video, the singer admits that he and his team felt just a little too comfortable when they were making that record, "and it was hard to get the record because of that."So, in January of 2020, Church, his band...

With its future already unclear due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Nashville’s famed rock venue the Exit/In is now up for sale. In its 50th year of operation, Exit/In has served as a popular concert destination for Music City, hosting national touring acts including Talking Heads, R.E.M., and Lucinda Williams, as well as homegrown artists from the city’s country, rock, and Americana scenes — Luke Combs played their early in his career. Situated on Nashville’s “Rock Block” amid other venues and restaurants, the Exit/In has been embattled as developers buy and...

Kenny Chesney is grieving the loss of a friend of 15 years. A helicopter pilot named Maria Rodriguez was among those killed in a crash on the Virgin Islands, the singer says.The crash on St. Thomas took multiple lives, including that of Rodriguez, a woman the country singer called a dear friend. "I have been flying with Maria for over 15 years and we shared a lot of laughs and a lot of life together," Chesney shares."She was always the first person I saw when I landed and the last...

Megan Thee Stallion has released the new song “Southside Forever Freestyle” along with an accompanying video. “Happy birthday to me #MeganMonday,” the rapper, who is celebrating turning 26 today, captioned an Instagram post sharing the clip In the Mike Ho-directed visual, Megan Thee Stallion pays homage to her hometown of Houston, both in the song and via her attire. Sporting a Houston Rockets hat and bikini top, she drops her verses over longtime producers Juicy J and LilJuMadeDaBeat’s beats. “Please bitch, do not try and cap on me/Like I ain’t...

To commemorate the United States holiday of President's Day on Monday (Feb. 15), George Strait shared a snapshot of his visit to the White House's Oval Office in the early '90s.The country star made his visit alongside his wife Norma and their young son Bubba; both Strait and his son wore jackets and ties for the occasion. The president in office at the time was George H.W. Bush, and the picture shows the Strait family paying their respects to him as he focused on an item on his desk."Happy President's Day!" Strait...

Whether it’s coming out of Nashville, New York, L.A., or points in between, there’s no shortage of fresh tunes, especially from artists who have yet to become household names. Rolling Stone Country selects some of the best new music releases from country and Americana artists. (Check out last week’s best songs.) Tiera featuring Breland, “Miles” Singer-songwriter Tiera flexes her melodic and vocal muscles on the easygoing new single “Miles,” a duet with the shapeshifting singer Breland, of “My Truck” fame. Rather than trunk-rattling country-trap, it’s blissful folk-pop about falling in love...

After a largely virtual season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, American Idol judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan are back in the studio for the TV singing competitions 19th season. They'll be practicing social distancing as they audition hopefuls in only three California cities, rather than making their usual national rounds,but as Perry dramatically put it during Sunday night's (Feb. 14) season premiere, "Dreams are not canceled."In addition to country-leaning standout Alex Miller, whose audition earned him a golden ticket to Hollywood, viewers also met another country-focused hopeful on Sunday night. Mississippi teen...

By 1968, despite, or maybe because of, their huge popularity and success, the Beatles found themselves spiritually exhausted. “We’d been the Beatles, which was marvelous,” Paul McCartney later recalled in The Beatles Anthology. “We’d tried for it not to go to our heads and we were doing quite well – we weren’t getting too spaced out or big-headed – but I think generally there was a feeling of: ‘Yeah, well, it’s great to be famous, it’s great to be rich – but what it’s all for?'” The group tried to...

Luke Combs spent Valentine's Day 2021 in Daytona, Fla., entertaining fans prior to the Daytona 500. The country star honored one NASCAR legend and hung out with another during his time at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday (Feb. 14).Combs took the stage at Daytona in a Dale Earnhardt-themed letterman jacket: His right sleeve sported an American flag; the logo of the racing legend's longtime primary sponsor, GM Goodwrench; and a Winston Motorsports patch, while the left sleeve featured Earnhardt's car number. The back of the jacket included a photo of...

Nathaniel Rateliff performed a powerful rendition of his hit “Redemption” during his stint as musical guest on the latest episode of Saturday Night Live. The cathartic track features in the new Apple+ film Palmer, starring Justin Timberlake. “When I was first asked to write a song for Palmer I was told what the film was about and where the song was going to be used. The melody and the opening line came to me immediately,” Rateliff previously said of “Redemption” in a statement. “But it wasn’t until I had a conversation with...

Thirty-six years ago today (Feb. 14, 1985) was a Valentine's Day to remember for Randy Travis: It was on that date that the singer inked his record deal with Warner Bros. Records, only two weeks after recording what became his first single, "On the Other Hand."Travis had already been rejected by every label in town by the time he landed at Warner Bros. Working with his manager, Libby Hatcher -- who later became his wife -- he recorded an independent album, Live at the Nashville Palace. Hatcher managed the Nashville...