Metallica: Death Magnetic

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One of the most influential bands in music, ranked eighth on the list of the biggest-selling groups in history, Metallica unveils its ninth studio album, Death Magnetic. The band's first album in five years, Death Magnetic is also its first with renowned producer Rick Rubin (Danzig, Slayer, System Of A Down, Slipknot), first with bassist Robert Trujillo, and first on Warner Bros. Heavy and thrashy, unafraid to embrace the band's past yet move into the future.

Review For The Old-School Fan by P. Heath

Many Metallica fans have thought of them as sellouts ever since they released their first music video to "One" back in 1989. After they enlisted producer Bob Rock for "The Black" album, Metallica became "radio friendly" with many songs coming in at around five minutes or less. Load and Reload did little to reverse this, and St. Anger was easily the worst CD that Metallica ever released. So it is with good reason that many have been sceptical about what to expect from Metallica's latest offering Death Magnetic.

Some significant things have changed since St. Anger. This is the first release from Metallica on their new record label, Warner Bros. Many will cheer that producer Bob Rock is also gone having been replaced by renowned career resurrector Rick Rubin. All of this is somewhat academic, though, unless the music also changed as a result.

I'm pleased to report that Death Magnetic is somewhat of a Renaissance for Metallica. While it will not be mistaken for what many consider to be the best trio of metal CDs made (Ride The Lightening, Master Of Puppets, and ...And Justice For All), it is a marked improvement over what Metallica has had to offer over the past 15 years. Much of what you will hear falls somewhere between Justice and The Black Album.

Right out of the gate on "That Was Just Your Life" many of the signs of old school Metallica are on display. This song starts with a simple, bare, and undistorted guitar line, but it builds to full on thrash as we see that Lars Ulrich has remembered what drums on a Metallica album are supposed to sound like. Before the first verse starts, James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett remind us what the dual guitar lines can sound like. And yes, Kirk Hammett's soloing is also back, and he does not disappoint. The next two tracks continue to crunch along, but some will lose heart when "The Day That Never Comes" come up. However, it manages to finish much stronger than it starts. As if sensing that they needed to dial it back up, "All Nightmare Long" returns to full on shredding and goes from there. The combined guitar lines and drum line create a tempo that feels like it could match the speed of helicopter blades. This song also finds Metallica on the familiar theme of mental stability heard on "Welcome Home Sanitarium" and "The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" from days of old.

When I looked at the track listing before hearing any of the songs, I had concern when I saw "The Unforgiven III". My first thought was, "Do we really need another rehash of the radio hit 'Unforgiven'?" However listening to the song showed me that my concern was in vane. While "The Unforgiven" and "The Unforgiven II" are fairly straightforward, "The Unforgiven III" is more metaphoric as it relates life's torment to sea adventures in search of gold gone awry. The lyrics actually don't include the word "unforgiven" making the title choice a bit puzzling, but I think that "The Unforgiven III" is better than either of its namesakes.

All in all, Death Magnetic is solid heavy metal CD, but I expect reaction to it to be very mixed. The part of the Metallica fan base who will enjoy this the most are those who liked ...And Justice For All and The Black Album. They don't reach far enough back for the oldest of old school fans while those looking for Load or Reload will also likely be disappointed. Hopefully having a better idea of where this fits in the Metallica spectrum will help you decide if it is for you or not.

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Celine Dion Taking Chances Concert 2008-2009

The Taking Chanches Concert has been started since February 14, 2008 in The Coca-Cola Dome, Johannesburg, South Africa and the last concert is in Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada on February 15, 2009.

This Taking Chanches World Tour 2008/2009 has finishing concert in South Africa, Uni Arab Emirates, many country in Asia and Europe, and Australia. Currently the concert is still going in North America.

The album that everyone was talking about was finally released in November 2007. ‘Taking Chances,’ pooled the talents of top songwriters and producers including Linda Perry, Dave Stewart, Ben Moody, Ne-Yo, John Shanks, Kara DioGuardi, Kristian Lundin, Anders Bagge and Peer Astrom, Aldo Nova, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Chris Neil. Celine set out in a bold new creative direction with ‘Taking Chances’, perhaps the most personal and revelatory collection of songs and performances in her fabled career. Fans around the world have embraced this new era in Celine's extraordinary career with sales around the world placing ‘Taking Chances’ in the Top 10 sales charts in well over a dozen countries, including #2 chart debuts in France, Japan, Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden, and propelling the album to the number #1 position on Billboard's pan-European top 100 sales chart.

In December 2007 Celine released a deluxe five hour double-DVD commemorating the historic five-year sold-out run of A New Day… The ‘Celine Dion: Live in Las Vegas’ DVD made history as the only music DVD to be certified Triple Diamond status in Canada. Celine was back at the top of the charts with her Triple Diamond DVD, her 4X platinum selling album, ‘Taking Chances’ and her #1 debut album, ‘D’elles’, which reaffirmed her status as one of the most successful international artists of all time.

Celine took the stage for her final performance of A New Day… on December 15, 2007. The spectacular Las Vegas show that had been seen by nearly 3 million fans at 717 performances since its premier in March 2003 had finally come to an end. But Celine was about to embark on a new adventure…her brand new Taking Chances World Tour! Celine promised fans another spectacular live concert event directed by famed director/choreographer Jamie King. Celines’ performances of her biggest hits along with songs from her new albums, ‘D’elles’ and ‘Taking Chances’ are accompanied by a visual feast of colour, fashion, dance and surprise. The ‘Taking Chances World Tour,’ would take Celine to countries that she’s never been to before, beginning in South Africa and then making stops in Asia, Australia, Europe, USA and Canada.

With each new release, Celine has managed to top her previous successes and, along the way, has become one of the brightest stars in the world of popular music. Who would have imagined that Quebec's best-kept secret could have conquered the world the way she has?

Looking back now, we should have known it all along.

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Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded [EXTRA TRACKS]

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In one of the biggest jumps ever recorded in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Rihanna's newest single "Take A Bow" rockets from #53 to #1 this week. "Take A Bow" also debuts at #1-bullet on the Billboard Hot Digital Songs Chart with a phenomenal first week of 266,696 scans. The song was written by fellow Def Jam artist Ne-Yo and produced by Stargate, the same team responsible for Rihanna's "Unfaithful" (of 2006), and "Hate That I Love You," her Top 10 duet with Ne-Yo released late last year. "Take A Bow" raises the curtain on the upcoming new CD U.S.release of Rihanna's GOOD GIRL GONE BAD: RELOADED. The new configuration arrives in stores on June 17th - the week after the album officially marks its historic 52nd week on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

The original 12-song CD version of GOOD GIRL GONE BAD - source of the non-stop string of hit singles that began with the MTV VMA and Grammy Award-winning global #1 hit "Umbrella" (featuring Jay-Z), then "Shut Up and Drive," "Hate That I Love You" (featur­ing Ne-Yo), and the current "Don't Stop the Music" - will now be augmented with three bonus tracks: 1) "Take A Bow"; 2) a cover version of Maroon 5's "If I Never See Your Face Again" (featur­ing Maroon 5); and 3) "Disturbia."

GOOD GIRL GONE BAD (released June 5, 2007) was the third album release in less than two years by multi-platinum MTV VMA, Grammy, and American Music Award winning artist - and CoverGirl spokesperson - Rihanna. It followed-up 2006's RIAA platinum A Girl Like Me, containing the back-to-back hits, "S.O.S." and "Unfaithful"; and her RIAA gold debut from 2005, Music Of the Sun, featuring the worldwide smash, "Pon De Replay."

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Madonna Hard Candy Album

SUMMARY: Madonna's final album for Warner Brothers is by no means her best, but it's a fitting swan song for the artist who anchored the label for the past quarter-century. A lot of the reviews for this album are missing the mark, either overzealous in its defense, or obtusely critical in the hope of shining the spotlight on another artist. 'Hard Candy' is a mixed bag of true gems and questionable choices, but it's quintessentially Madonna.

WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT: When Madonna hits the mark, no one does it better, and even her detractors would be hard-pressed to name another artist of her caliber. Despite what others have said, no two Madonna albums are the same, which is why she has remained one of the most relevant artists in the past twenty-five years. While a few of the songs here are reminiscent of earlier works (in a good way), they're also very much current and a part of her ever-evolving musicality. 'Hard Candy' is thus at once an homage and a contemporary statement. There's no shortage of danceable material here, and few artists are willing to take the chances in which Madonna revels.

WHY YOU WON'T: Several of the tracks are overproduced, and Madonna's vocals are all but lost in their delivery. Noticeably absent is the vocal maturation she has consistently displayed since Evita. Her voice is high and thin - as it was in the early days, and which is unfortunately drawing comparisons to Britney Spears (who really is nothing more but a poorly-conceived clone) - but she mostly makes it work for these tracks. 'Candy Shop' is truly an abysmal song, despite its irony, and was a poor choice to open the album. The less said about '4 Minutes', the better, but don't make the mistake of judging the entire CD by its lead single - the whole of 'Hard Candy' has a distinctly different flavor than this disposable track.

BOTTOM LINE: Madonna is not interested in repeating herself, so fans who are expecting 'Confessions II' will be vastly disappointed. Many are proclaiming that Madonna is simply reproducing the recent efforts of the bevy of pop songstresses (Mariah, Britney, Christina, Nelly, Gwen, etc.) currently populating the landscape. Not true. She was here long before them and, in the cases of many of them, will be here long after they fade away; it is they who owe a debt to her. Those who understand Madonna, however, and who get her sense of humor, her irony, her deliberateness, and who know enough to look beneath the deceptively simple lyrics, will be pleased to add this to their collection. Standout tracks include 'Heartbeat' (which should be the next single), 'Miles Away', 'She's Not Me', and 'Devil Wouldn't Recognize You'.

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Coldplay Viva La Vida Tour

Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" world tour -- which will land in North America, Europe and Japan -- is set to begin at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center on June 29 and extend well into next year, Billboard.com can reveal.

Save for the Pemberton Festival in Vancouver on July 27, Coldplay will play arenas in North America, the U.K. and Europe on the tour’s first leg. Some North American dates will go on sale May 16-17, but the majority go up June 14, the weekend before "Viva La Vida" is released. Ticket info will be available at www.coldplay.com.

As previously reported, Coldplay will play free concerts in London (June 16 at the Brixton Academy) and New York (June 23 at Madison Square Garden).

Roughly 50 shows are planned for North America, followed by Europe and the U.K. Coldplay will also headline the Summer Sonic festival Aug. 9-10 in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. About 90 dates total are expected for this year. More shows announcement can be seen it clodplay website. "Last time we ended up doing 150 shows; we’ll probably end up roughly the same," Coldplay manager Dave Holmes tells Billboard.com.

Live Nation will promote shows in Europe and North America, with U.K. dates promoted by SJM. Lighting and set design for the tour are by Paul Normandale and features "lots of projection," Dave Holmes says. "It will really blow people away."

Ticket prices are still being determined, but a three-tiered pricing strategy is likely, with prices roughly in the $50, $65 and $85 range. "You’re not going to see us coming out with $125-$150 tickets," Holmes says.

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Coldplay Latest Album Viva La Vida

To say there has been a lot of anticipation for Coldplay’s fourth album, Viva La Vida, is an understatement. Having enlisted legendary leftfield producer Brian Eno, borrowed their album title from a painting by renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and made tantalising remarks about sonic reinvention, the world has been curious (to say the least) to hear what the ‘new’ Coldplay might sound like. Viva La Vida definitely makes some departures from the band’s usual formula, which happens to be one of the most commercially successful rock-pop blueprints of recent years. The plangent chords, emotive melodies, stadium-rock rhythms and universal lyrical concerns remain, but Martin and co. have gone out on several limbs here, incorporating instrumental tracks ("Life In Technicolour"), using subtle North African and Latin elements ("Yes", "Strawberry Swing"), and overhauling previously strict verse-chorus-verse structures in favour of slightly more avant arrangements. The old Coldplay still shine through (see tracks like "Violet Hill" and the title song) but even their classic sound feels more muscular and confident. The band’s new flourishes, cosmetic and self-conscious as they may be, are enough to make Viva La Vida a welcome break from the old routine.

-- Danny McKenna

Coldplay has turned in another solid effort with its 4th studio album, the indecisively-titled "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends," but they expand their boundaries this time. Gone is the predictability of tightly-wound, highly catchy 4 minute arena pop/rock anthems marching in succession, not to mention the sensitive male singer/songwriter clichés and often dial-by-numbers production values. The British quartet has traded that solid but stagnant formula for artsy experimentation, and the results are commendable, even if their enlisting legendary studio wizard Brian Eno to bolster the LP's ethereal, left-field sound is in and of itself predictable. These songs do not lend themselves to radio playlists in the vein of "Clocks" or "Talk," but the album is their most intriguing and memorable. The results are a little less Phil Collins, a little more Peter Gabriel.

The highly digitized, nearly instrumental "Life In Technicolor" opens the album on a high note with sweeping Middle-Eastern instrumentation and loopy, buoyant beats. Immediately ascertainable is that this is not an album that can safely grace the intercom of the local ShopRite. With hand claps and frothy production values behind a droning, funereal organ, "Lost!" is a poignant, yearning ode to finding salvation and a new lease on life. Accented by just the right amount of electric guitar, the intriguing, atypical track not only rocks and invigorates but finds these talented musicians trying for something new and succeeding, underscoring the album's unexpectedly adventurous direction.

With its soul-searching sentiments and sizzling melody, chugging lead single "Viva La Vida" is the only track that oozes mainstream appeal with its sweeping, gorgeously evocative melody that has landed it at #1 on the Billboard pop charts. In that light, it is classic Coldplay and, amazingly, their first Top 5 hit. Even alternate lead single "Violet Hill," a Top 40 hit, defies radio programmers with its mercurial tempo and deep, adventurous lyrics. Singer Chris Martin, however, has never sounded more confident in his delivery, and the band's playing skills have never been demonstrated so impressively in-studio. These four guys sound truly in-sync, and rather than burying their sound Eno smartly accentuates it, bringing out the essence of the songs.

The plaintive "42" is another awesome outing. After 90 seconds of mellow piano and dark lyrics the song zooms into a succession of production swirls, fast melody swings and snazzy electric guitars. It is not only a marvel, but worth many listens. "Lovers In Japan" is also a winner with its sunny, bristly melody - the way Martin wraps his vocals around the proceedings is a pleasure to hear. The thunderous ode to peace that is "Death and All His Friends" is also a highlight as it closes the album before revealing a hidden track titled "The Escapist," a mellow finale set to the tune of "Life In Technicolor."

The men of Coldplay will likely lose fans who prize clear-cut ear candy over adventurousness, yet will surely gain respect from those who had previously written them off as creators of slick but predictable radio-savvy pop/rock. What's for sure, however, is that this is their most interesting outing to date.

The painting on the album covers is "Liberty Leading the People (La Liberté guidant le peuple)" by French artist Eugène Delacroix depicting the July Revolution of 1830.

By Rudy Palma "The Writing Fiend"

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