Playlist

Here's a few who are playing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area Monday through Sunday. Get the details, check out what they sound like, then get your concert tickets here.

R&B singer Anthony Hamilton. Listen to his sound.

Rock/operatic singer and UNT grad Shara Worden, better known as My Brightest Diamond. Listen to her sing.

Pop/rock Texas quintet Blue October. Listen to the band.

Country/rock singer-songwriter Holly Golightly. Listen to her sound.

Country singer Tracy Lawrence. Listen to him sing.

Soft-rock singer-songwriter JD Souther. Listen to his sound.

(Photo of Anthony Hamilton)

The attraction is instant. Aterciopelados, Colombia's veteran Latin rock duo of Andrea Echeverri and Hector Buitrago, immediately draw in the listener to their fine new CD, Rio. That title track, the first cut, is an infectious plea for ecological clarity, particularly in the river waters. The rest of the CD is quintessential Aterciopelados, which means it's a hodge-podge of rock, funk, pop, hip-hop, electronica and even a little waltz thrown in food good measure. Standouts include "Dia Paranormal," a percussive, salsa-jazz-rock fusion that laments the commercialization of nature; "Vals," a gorgeous waltz with a melancholy lilt; the mid-tempo "Tomate," a quirky little story set to a slow shuffle beat; and "Aguita," which closes the disc praising the purity of water. For more on Aterciopelados, check out their website, or that of their cool label, Nacional Records.

Photo: Rio cover courtesy of cduniverse.com.

R&B singer Usher stopped in at House of Blues Dallas on Tuesday night for an "up close and personal" concert as he promotes his latest CD Here I Stand.
We talked to him before the show, and he said it would be "definitely very, very visually stimulating and give the people who bought a ticket a treat."

Did you go? Tell us what you thought of the show.

Look here for a review of the show.

Conventional wisdom will tell you that any band performing a local concert on Thanksgiving night might as well cancel it or expect a mere handful of people. But we're talking about norteño super group Los Tigres del Norte, who put on mammoth two-hour concerts filled with plenty of dancing and audience participation. The band will be at Fort Worth's OK Corral on Turkey Thursday. And the Tigres' New York-based publicist has a perfect plan for post-Thanksgiving waist-saving:

"What better way to work off all that Thanksgiving food," he says. "Think of it as a public health service in the form of two-step dancing."

Having witnessed a Tigres concert or two, I must agree with him.

Photo: Lead Tiger Jorge Hernandez doing his thing onstage (Courtesy of PBS).

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kanye West says he's not concerned about whether his new album is a blockbuster, because he's made "great art" - and he feels really good about it.

West's new CD, "808s & Heartbreak," was released Monday. It's a departure for the 31-year-old rapper because it mostly features him singing.

West says he was ready to take a risk and he thinks it paid off.

Says West: "You know people sometimes don't understand great art when they first hear it, but I am very confident in it. Whether it sells as much as the last one, or way more, I feel like I am just successful in doing something I felt really good about."

Watch the video from Yahoo.com.

I've never put too much stock in the American Music Awards. After all, it's a popularity contest. But I'm so happy to hear that Christian rockers Third Day finally got their first AMA last night. The Atlanta-based band, nominated twice before for an AMA, won in the contemporary inspirational category. If there's a time this group deserves the honors, it's now. Revelation, produced by rock knob-turner Howard Benson, is lead singer Mac Powell and company's best CD ever. It's an effort loaded with passion, pathos and plenty of melodic rock verve. I recommend it to anybody, whether you like contemporary Christian music or not.

Are there any AMA winners that you're happy about? Let us know.

Photo: Third Day's Mac Powell performing at Superpages.com Center Oct. 2 (Jason Janik/Special to DMN).

NEW YORK (AP) -- Bruce Springsteen's new single can be downloaded free of charge - for one day.

Springsteen is offering free downloads of "Working on a Dream" on iTunes and his official Web site. The track will have a fee attached on iTunes from Tuesday through December 9.

It's the first offering from Springsteen's upcoming album, also titled "Working on a Dream," which will be released January 27, five days before the rock star and the E Street Band perform at the Super Bowl halftime show in Tampa, Florida.

YPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan rapper MC Breed, who burst onto the national scene with the 1991 hit "Ain't No Future in Yo' Frontin'," has died at age 37.

A Washtenaw County medical examiner's spokesman says Eric Breed was pronounced dead Saturday at a friend's home in Ypsilanti, about 30 miles southwest of Detroit.

Toxicology reports are pending, but officials say no foul play is suspected.

House of Blues Dallas took home Top Club honors at the recent 2008 Billboard Touring Awards, which were presented Nov. 20 at the Roosevelt Hotel Ballroom in New York City. The local venue, which opened its doors in May 2007 and has staged more than 400 concerts, bested House of Blues Chicago and The Fillmore in San Francisco. Anthony Nicolaidis, HOB talent buyer, had this to say about the news: "It is great to bring a Billboard Award home for the Dallas venue. Our entire team has worked really hard this year. Dallas, Texas continues to be one of the top live music markets in the country."

Photo courtesy of HOB.com.

What did you think of the live show Sunday night? Did everyone you voted for win? If you missed all the performances and trophies, get the story here and the list of winners here, then tell us your thoughts.

OK, I admit it: I'm one of those "new country" people who didn't really start getting into country music till the vanguard of Garth Brooks in the early '90s. So let's just say I've had some catching up to do to earn my country bona fides.

Saturday night at Billy Bob's was the first time I'd seen Loretta Lynn, and now I understand why people who grew up loving her sneer a little at the whole new-country thing. Ms. Lynn is old-guard country at its finest -- a wondrous throwback to a time when lyrics and guts meant more than lasers and glitter. She doesn't need fancy lights or 18 costume changes; she just lets her voice do all the ... well, talking, so to speak (although her one costume, a mauve confection of a dress with enough sparkles to light the stockyards, was something of an event all by itself).

In about an hour and a half, Ms. Lynn and her band (many of whom are family members) crooned their way through 20 songs, from her earliest hit, "Honky Tonk Girl," to "Portland Oregon" from the edgy, Grammy-winning 2004 Van Lear Rose. The audience went especially crazy for "You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man" and "Coal Miner's Daughter," but Ms. Lynn was perfection on every single number.

At 74, she's still the real thing, and she cooks. Grace, grits, ageless beauty and talent -- there's a combination we could use more of these days.

Alabama front man Randy Owen will sign copies of his autobiography, Born Country: How Faith, Family and Music Brought Me Home, December 2 at 7 p.m. at Legacy Books, 7300 Dallas Parkway, Suite A120, Plano. Randy will meet fans and also autograph copies of his recent solo CD, One On One.

A note from the book store: There will be no music performance. Randy will only sign copies of his new book and CD purchased at Legacy Books. Also, in consideration of all who come to have the new CD and/or book signed, Randy will sign no other memorabilia or music collectibles at the store. Please do not make this request.

Photo: Randy Owen (Courtesy of Google Images).

Dalworthington Gardens resident Melissa Lawson, the 2008 Nashville Star winner, performs a benefit concert for ACI Academy at Fort Worth's Pantego Bible Church, 8001 Anderson Blvd., December 12 at 7 p.m. Surely, she'll sing her first single "What If It All Goes Right," which is still available via iTunes. The wife and mother of five sang earlier this year at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Her first album with Warner Bros. Records is due out next year, according to the label.

Tickets for the show are: General admission $8.00 (ages 13+), $4.00 (ages 3-12), free (ages 0-2). Limited Reserved Seats available for $10.00 (ages 13+) and $6.00 (ages 3-12). There are only 1, 700 seats available.

For more info go to www.melissalawsonmusic.com or www.pantego.org.

Photo: Melissa Lawson upon winning Nashville Star (John Russell).

Do you care? Will you buy album? If you've heard it (or already own it), tell us what you think.

Story: 'Chinese Democracy' album: a 17-year evolution

Check back Monday for Mario Tarradell's review of the CD.

Vinnie Paul Abbott, co-founder of local rockers Pantera and brother of the late Dimebag Darrell Abbott, will be signing copies of a commemorative book honoring his sibling. Dimebag Darrell: He Came to ROCK! details the life of his beloved brother and band mate. Mr. Abbott will be meeting, greeting and autographing Thursday at 6 p.m. at Best Buy's Midway/Lyndon B. Johnson Shopping Center, 4255 LBJ Freeway. For more info, call the store at 972-239-9980.

Photo: Dimebag Darrell painting titled Dimebag's Raging Heart by Lamberto Alvarez.

Madonna reinvents herself with each album, but never changes her name or adopts an alter ego for the sake of record sales and publicity. If she did, she'd be convincing.

Houston's Beyoncé, calling herself Sasha Fierce, is the latest singer to adopt an alter ego for "creative freedom." She joins previous personality changers Garth Brooks (who was Chris Gaines), David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Thin White Duke), Hank Williams (Luke the Drifter), Paul McCartney (the Fireman) and David Johansen (Buster Poindexter).

Most of the time it's just a vanity exercise aimed at getting more attention. Check out my column Thursday in www.guidelive.com and in the print GuideDaily section.

How do you feel about artistic alter egos? Love em or loathe them? Let us know!

Photo: Miss Beyoncé? Or...uh...Miss Fierce? (Jim Cooper)

Did Coldplay rock AAC? Give us your review of the show.

Read the review.

Even after just one listen, country singer Craig Morgan's just-released CD, That's Why, reveals much-needed stylistic improvements to his sound. In general there's a more sophisticated sonic ambiance here, a necessary change from his hokey, ho-hum last two discs, 2005's My Kind of Livin' and 2006's Little Bit of Life. The Tennessee native is singing with more passion, especially on the single "Love Remembers" and the title cut, "That's Why." On barn-burners such as "Sticks" and the clever "Planet Her" he's likable and full of gusto. Obviously Mr. Morgan's graduation to a major label (BNA Records) after four years with Nashville independent Broken Bow Records agreed with him.

Photo: Cover of That's Why courtesy of cduniverse.com.

From CNN.com:

PALM DESERT, California (AP) -- Ralph Joseph "Jody" Reynolds, the rockabilly singer and songwriter whose lone hit "Endless Sleep" in the 1950s ushered in a wave of tragic teen pop songs, has died. He was 75.

Reynolds, who was inducted into Nashville's Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 1999, died November 7 in Palm Desert, said his musician friend Alan Clark, who toured with Reynolds in the 1980s.

"Endless Sleep," which sold more than a million copies in 1958, kicked off the melodramatic teen tragedy genre, including Mark Dinning's "Teen Angel," Ray Peterson's "Tell Laura I Love Her," Dickey Lee's "Patches" and the Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack."

Reynolds continued to write and record his songs while supporting his family by running a Palm Springs music store and eventually selling desert real estate. He also occasionally toured the rock oldies circuit.