Playlist

I know, I know, I know----hearing practically every other new performer being described as 'blue-eyed soul' is annoying and (in some cases) unwarranted, but this moniker clearly fits Peak Records' Leigh Jones. The California native, who's been taken under the wing of none other than Berry Gordy Jr. (yes, that Berry) and his son Kerry, display why they took the time with her first single, "Free Fall." This song is already in my phone, and trust me, one listen will get you hooked. Ms. Jones' debut CD, Music in My Soul, is scheduled to hit retail on Sep. 9.

You might remember Hot Lixx Hulihan, who mastered the ceremonies at the Dallas regional air guitar competition at House of Blues. We can't forget him, a little bit because he frowned at some of our scores when we were judging but mostly because of his awesome awesomeness. And it seems as if the international judges couldn't, either.

Hot Lixx, known to his mother as Craig Billmeier, wowed the spectators in Oulu, Finland, and walked away with the world air guitar title on Aug. 20 after two rounds of competition. He advanced to Finland after beating 24 others to win the national title in San Francisco earlier this month. Hot Lixx's prize, probably stronger than pride, was a Finnish handmade Flying Finn electric guitar.

According to a press release, US air guitar officials were reflective as their representative went on to his one moment in time, receiving heartfelt congratulations from the other contestants from around the world. "It's certainly in keeping with the true heart of air guitar, which is world peace," said US Air Guitar co-founder Kriston Rucker, via text message. Of course, that's referring to the Air Guitar ideology which states that if one is holding an air guitar, one cannot, at the same time, be holding a gun.

(Photo by Misha Vladimirskiy)

Live Nation is putting Santana on sale for the holiday. Tickets for reserved seats at Santana's show at Superpages.com Center on Sept. 17 are on sale through Monday for only $10. That's right: $10. For. Reserved. Seats. As my mother would say, "You can't beat that with a stick."

You can only buy the tickets online, Friday at 10 a.m. through Monday at 10 p.m. or as long as the supply lasts.

(Photo by JAN KOLLER/CTK)

As my editor, Mr. Dallas, would say (derisively): It's time to gather 'round the Ballad Tree! Mr. Dallas is not what I'd call the biggest fan of such venues as Uncle Calvin's Coffeehouse, which I, of course, love. (If you've been lost in a rain forest and don't yet know of Mr. Dallas, please visit his Web site.) Folk is the rage these days, but such naysayers as Mr. Dallas and my 23-year-old son would argue that folk-induced coffeehouses are geriatric venues where one might expect to hear, say, "Lesbian Seagull" from that Beavis & Butthead movie. But for me and millions of other gray-haired warriors who dig any music that carries the adjective "acoustic," October is going to be a truly exquisite month. On Oct. 2, the great John Gorka comes to Fort Worth's McDavid Studio for an evening show, followed the very next night by Gretchen Peters (at the same venue). Jimmy LaFave cruises to the Palace Theatre in Grapevine on Oct. 17. And on Oct. 29, Jackson Browne, who got his start in the folk clubs of Orange County, California, invades the Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie, armed with his full band. Fittingly, Mr. Browne's show is promoting his new record, Time the Conqueror, which features a gray-bearded Jackson on the cover. Just 20 days earlier, on Oct. 9, Jackson will have celebrated his 60th birthday.

Photo: Singer-songwriter Gretchen Peters is on her way to Fort Worth

If you're a fan of true soul music and happen to be in Detroit on Oct. 3 and 4, there's going to be a Soultracks Readers Choice Awards ceremony and then an All-Star performance blow-out the following night. Taking place at the Max M. Fisher Music Center on Oct. 3, confirmed attendees of the ceremony so far include Dwele, Phil Perry, former Erykah Badu background vocalist Yazarah, Conya Doss and the legendary Dramatics, who are being recognized with this year's Lifetime Achievement Award. For more information on tickets, accomodations and how to get a free gift thru Sep. 2nd with purchase, click here.

By Manny Mendoza, Special Contributor, tvboymanny@yahoo.com

Though he never acknowledged it to the audience Wednesday night, it was clear a few songs into Tom Petty's set at American Airlines Center that he was under the weather, perhaps road-worn from three months on tour.

It also was clear that whatever ailment, it wasn't going to prevent the 57-year-old pop rocker and his band, the Heartbreakers, from putting on an engaging, energetic, two-hour show.

"We've got a big song list, so I'm going to get right to it," Mr. Petty told the packed crowd after opening with a pair of songs spanning the period of his career he would focus on, the late 1970s to the mid-'90s.

Mike Campbell had already wrapped his distinctively ringing guitar sound around "You Wreck Me" and "Listen to Her Heart," and Mr. Petty pretended to be overwhelmed by the audience's cheers.

(Photo by GUY REYNOLDS/The Dallas Morning News)

Everybody is buzzing about how Solange Knowles calls herself snapping on a newcaster about bringing up Beyonce and Jay-Z before their televised interview about her new CD, but check this out; that portion never actually aired, so Solange gets all kinds of egg on her face, outs her sister's closely-guarded marriage secret (she refers to Hova as her "brother-in-law") and looks, quite frankly, like an entitled, spoiled brat (kudos on how the reporter, although confused, handled things by attempting to apologize and move on with the the story).

IMO, Solange does have some talent, but she knows good and well that she's used her association with Beyonce to her advantage personally and professionally, so why the attitude if someone does happens to bring her up? What she needs to do, beyond learning how to interview, is to check out how the world's most famous baby sister, Janet Jackson, graciously handled her constant comparisons to big brother Michael. It took time, but Janet's now accepted as her own woman and a great entertainer, something Solange won't accomplish if she persists with this uncalled for attitude.

Did you see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers -- and Steve Winwood -- at the AAC Wednesday night? Tell us your review of the show.

Progressive rockers Queensryche, fronted by master showman Geoff Tate, always put on a bigger-than-life show. These guys understand that the line separating heavy metal from arty theatrics is mighty blurry. So they up the ante every time, pretty much since unleashing 1988's ambitiously conceptual Operation: Mindcrime. And let's not forget the pop radio breakthrough, 1990's masterful power ballad "Silent Lucidity." While the group's commercial heyday is behind it, Mr. Tate and company haven't remained idle. No sir. In 2006 they released Operation: Mindcrime II (a sequel) and last year came Take Cover, a collection of fave songs from other artists such as Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine," the O'Jays' "For the Love of Money" and the Police's "Synchronicity II." Also, in 2007 the DVD Mindcrime at the Moore, chronicling the tour where the band performed both Mindcrime discs, was released.

Catch Queensryche tonight at 8:30 p.m. at Nokia Theatre, 1001 Performance Place, Grand Prairie. Ticket are $29.50-$49.50 through Ticketmaster.

Photo: Queensryche rocking it up onstage (Jeff Findley).

With all of the decentralization and cold-shouldered attention that the local pop music scene's been enduring lately, this development might be a sign that important folks are finally beginning to realize how rich it actually is:

DowntownDallas has partnered with the Granada Theater to present the AT&T Main Street Live Music Festival, a series of day-long, festival-style concerts to be held every other Saturday in Pegasus Plaza. Most of the acts are some of North Texas' top pop, rock and blues attractions, sprinkled around some Texas-wide bands and a couple of moderate national-level bookends.

The series, which will also feature food and drink vendors and a Farmers Market, uh, market, will run from 2 to 11 p.m. beginning Sept. 20, and admission will be free until 5 p.m. and $10 afterward.

Headliners for the first (Louis XIV) and last (Mae) dates don't have Texas ties, but everyone else does. Examples: The Orange, Calhoun and the Crash That Took Me (Sept. 20); Loaded Moses, the Feds and Fair to Midland (Oct. 4); the Drams, Record Hop, the Riverboat Gamblers (now in Austin, but formed in Denton) and the Reverend Horton Heat (Oct. 18); and Burning Hotels, the New Frontiers and Black Tie Dynasty (Nov. 1). Braaa-vo!

Country-pop pin-up Billy Currington releases his third album, Little Bit of Everything, Oct. 14. The disc, which follows 2005's million-selling breakthrough Doin' Something Right, features the first single, "Don't." Everything boasts a dozen tracks and production by Carson Chamberlain and Mr. Currington. The sound? We'll let Billy tell you: "People kept asking what kind of music they'd hear on this next album, whether it was going to be R&B, pop, country or rock, and I seemed to keep saying the same thing. It's going to be a little bit of everything, I guess!"

Well, alrighty then. Mr. Currington is best known for his steamy video of "We Must Be Doin' Something Right," where he's scantily clad and writhing on the sand with a voluptuous model.

Photo: Cover of Little Bit of Everything courtesy of Mercury Nashville.

Beaumont native Edgar Winter, the rock 'n' roller who fused classic rock with synthesizers back in the '70s when it wasn't so common, has this to say about his new CD, Rebel Road, and the state of the music industry today:

"The idea of Rebel Road, the concept behind the title, came from a lot of biker shows that we do. Bikers and rockers have a good deal in common. We're not 9 to 5-ivers. The open road is a symbol of freedom. That's what music is all about. That's what the '70s were all about. I'm not going to be told who I am and how I'm supposed to live. ...It's not just a biker song. It's a perfect metaphor for the music that's being created. The thing that makes the '70s so special is the idea that it wasn't commercial. That makes that time very different from what's going on today. I was trying to set aside all those considerations and make an album that I wanted to make. I get tired of hearing artists today complain about being so commercial because as far as I'm concerned it is up to the artist to maintain the integrity of their music."

For more on Edgar Winter, who performs at the House of Blues Friday, check out my story in GuideLive tomorrow.

Photo: Edgar Winter circa 2008 (Neil Zlozower).

Kenny Rogers, who recently turned 70, shares his festivities with Cracker Barrel. Hey, the food's good. Anyway, Kenny Rogers: 50 Years, a compilation of hits such as "The Gambler," "Lucille" and "Coward of the County," is on sale now exclusively at Cracker Barrel Country Store. The disc also includes three new songs -- "She'll Believe In You," "Something's Wrong in Vegas" and "Only Time Will Tell" -- all produced by the renowned Tony Brown. Kenny Rogers: 50 Years, selling for $11.99, joins exclusive Cracker Barrel titles by Josh Turner, Ricky Skaggs, Aaron Tippin and Alison Krauss & Union Station, among others.

Photo: Kenny Rogers: 50 Years cover courtesy of www.crackerbarrel.com.

MTV.com is reporting that 20-year-old Andre Young Jr., son of legendary rapper and producer Dr. Dre, was found dead at his home in Woodland Hills on Saturday morning.

Andre Young Jr. was found when his mother went to check on him around 10 a.m. The 20-year-old man was unresponsive, prompting his mother to call 911.

The cause of death is unknown, pending completion of a toxicology report.

Andre Young Sr. - better known as "Dr. Dre" - is an award winning producer who gained fame and notoriety as a part of the influential gangsta rap group NWA. He later becoming co-owner of West Coast record label Death Row records. Dr. Dre is currently working on Detox, an album reputed to be his last.

The constant replay of Olympics medal ceremonies for the USA, Nike's ad campaign for the Redeem Team and Mario's earlier post had me rating renditions of the national anthem. There's the gold standard: Whitney Houston and Marvin Gaye. There's some hot-on-their-heels silver: Beyonce, Jimi Hendrix and Boyz II Men. And there are too many to name and/or count in the bronze category: NSync and the Dixie Chicks come to mind.

There are also a lot of versions that should have been disqualified, such as Carl Lewis' version and Roseanne Barr's version. Marvin's version, while universally admired, begs the question of how much the arrangement of the Star-Spangled Banner should be toyed with. Marvin's arrangement turned the anthem into a smooth operation, without any of the bombast that anthems of any sort deserve. A small problem to have, though, when it still grooves all these years later.

(Photo: Business Wire)

According to Access Hollywood, Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson will perform the National Anthem Thursday at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. She'll do it at the request of Senator Barack Obama when he formally accepts the party's nomination for president, said a press release from Access Hollywood. Ms. Hudson's long-awaited debut CD, a self-titled project, will be released Sept. 30. Her next movie, The Secret Life of Bees, comes out Oct. 17. The film also stars Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys and Dakota Fanning.

Photo: Jennifer Hudson at the Oscars in February (Valerie Macon).

So London's enigmatic, haunting, dreamy singer-songwriter Dido is starting to emulate the equally elusive Sade. Well, at least when it comes to CD releases. Dido's upcoming third studio album, Safe Trip Home, arrives in stores Nov. 4. That's five years after her last disc, 2003's Life for Rent. Her solo debut, No Angel, was released in 1999. In nearly a decade, Dido has recorded just three studio efforts. She's got a bit to go before she ties Sade -- who thus far has a mere five studio projects in 16 years --but Dido's on her way. For a free download of Dido's "Look No Further," a track from Safe Trip Home, go to www.didomusic.com.

Photo: Dido in 2004 (Lionel Cironneau).

Back in 2007, I gave ex-Soundgarden/Audioslave singer Chris Cornell's second solo CD, Carry On, a reasonably positive review (generally, reviews were mixed on the album). Though it lacked any strong singles beyond "You Know My Name" (the theme from the James Bond movie Casino Royale), I called it a watershed work because of its subtle and playful reimagining of 1970s and 80s pop rock and soul.

Somehow, Mr. Cornell saw the review and thought well enough of it to request an informal meeting Saturday at the Projekt Revolution tour.

What was supposed to be a hey-thanks, great-to-meet-you, two-minutes-tops rendezvous backstage turned into a 13-minute discussion about art, music as escapism, technology, and the effect of place and experience on expression.

Local boy Jason Castro and the other American Idol finalists take the stage tonight at American Airlines Center.

Tell us: Are you going to the show? Which Idol are you most excited to see? Which songs are you hoping to hear? (Anyone for David Cook's rendition of "Billy Jean"?)

Fall is fast approaching, and soon after that, the Christmas season. Can you tell? That explains the list of upcoming high profile country CD releases. It begins with Jessica Simpson's country debut, Do You Know, which is out Sept. 9. Kenny Chesney drops a deluxe fan edition of his new CD, Lucky Old Sun, Oct. 14. Come Oct. 28, we'll get Rascal Flatts' first compilation, Greatest Hits Volume 1, which will contain a limited edition second disc of three newly recorded Christmas songs. Also coming up: Fresh music by Patty Loveless (Sept. 9), Lee Ann Womack (Oct. 21) and Brad Paisley (Nov. 4). There'll probably be even more. Stay tuned.

Photo: Miss Jessica's CD cover courtesy of amazon.com.