Dixie Chicks

Rock's Voices Of Protest Finally Wake Up — And It's About Time, By John Norris

29 Jun 2007 05:36:00 EDT

Politically charged releases from Arcade Fire, Nine Inch Nails, Bright Eyes, others finally unleash voices of dissent.
By John Norris

Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst
Photo: MTV News

Well, it took them long enough.

More than six years into the presidency of arguably the most polarizing leader in U.S. history, and four grindingly long years into the second-least-popular American war ever, a wave of musicians is finally speaking — or at least singing — up.

How quiet they had been. With few exceptions — the Dixie Chicks' refusal to "shut up and sing" in 2003 and willingness to pay for it by losing their largely red-state fan base, and Green Day's tour de force American Idiot, which was either about a disaffected teen or man in the White House operating with messianic purpose — the music community had been largely silent about George W. Bush, effectively giving the president and his policies — including the Iraq War — a pop pass.

Of course, without a concerted mass protest movement against the war, the rise of any significant amount of protest music was never likely. And where was it gonna come from? Certainly not pop or R&B. Hip-hop? The genre seems to have drifted from the voice that Public Enemy's Chuck D once called the "CNN of the streets."

So that left the old standby: rock. Today, it's as fractured and as embattled as it's ever been, and it hasn't been given to political commentary. The emo dudes (the Wentzes and Ways of the world) can summon plenty of angst, but generally don't look past their own navels to the wider world; so-called "mainstream rock" (Nickelback, the Fray, the Chili Peppers, etc.) didn't seem to be interested; the U.K.'s arena men (Coldplay, Snow Patrol, etc.) served more as musical balms than rabble rousers; and as erudite as many of them are, indie rockers were mostly addressing other concerns — definitely not the war or its architects.

Well, no more! At least not judging by the flurry of albums that have come out in the first half of 2007. From Arcade Fire, Sum 41, Bright Eyes, Smashing Pumpkins ... the voices and the lyrics — some literal and pointed, some far more subtle — run the gamut, but the overall message seems clear, and it ain't pretty.

"I think it's great for anyone to become more aware of those ideas and, if they're compelled to, share them with their audience," Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst said.

(See why Conor Oberst has been outspoken about the Iraq war, President Bush and more, right here.)

And yes, they are sharing. From Arcade Fire's "Intervention" ("No place to hide/ You were fighting as a soldier on their side/ You're still a soldier in your mind/ Though nothing's on the line") to Rufus Wainwright's searing "Going to Town" ("You took advantage of a world that loved you well/ I'm going to a town that has already been burned down/ I'm so tired of you, America") to Sum 41's remarkably blunt "March of the Dogs" ("Ladies and gentlemen of the underclass/ The President of the United States of America/Is dead!"), tongues have been unleashed up and down your radio dial (or all over your iTunes — pick your poison). The lyrics seem to echo a growing majority of public opinion, but while the origin seems clear, the timing — and why it all took so long — is a bit harder to pin down.

"Not many bands today are speaking their minds on issues", Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington told MTV News. "We've been noticing some things that we're not too stoked on and we feel like we're at a place now where we can speak out about it."

Some artists say they've been speaking their minds all along, but the message may have been lost until now. "As for me, I felt really, extremely angry and frightened and crazy over it a few years ago," Oberst said. "I think that's when I was writing the most overt songs about it. Now I've sort of reached a point of overload, where I just didn't want to think about it anymore, which I guess is sort of chicken sh--."

Perhaps. Even Sum frontman Deryck Whibley backpedaled on the "the President of the United States of America is dead" thing, telling MTV News' James Montgomery that the lyrics are "a metaphor" for how "ineffectual and incompetent" Bush is as a president. Whibley also insisted the upcoming Sum 41 album Underclass Hero would not be a "political record" (see "Sum 41 Kill President In New Song — Deryck Whibley Says It's 'A Metaphor' s").

But if Whibley won't go there, plenty of others have. You'd be hard pressed to find a more "political record" than Year Zero from Nine Inch Nails. Trent Reznor traded in angst for social commentary, drumming up a bleak look at where America is — and, sadly, where it could be 15 years from now. You'd be hard pressed to find a darker record out there. "I got my propaganda/ I got revisionism/ I got my violence/ In hi-def ultra-realism/ All a part of this great nation/ I got my fist/ I got my plan/ I got survivalism," he howls on "Survivalism." Later, on "Capital G," he sings, "Well I used to stand for something/ Now I'm on my hands and knees/ Turning in the god of this war/ And he signs his name with a capital G" (see "Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero Preview: Beginning To Solve The Mystery").

The man who "signs his name with a capital G" also takes some knocks from a less expected place than Reznor: some former purveyors of nu-metal who've found a newly political voice. Linkin Park have never been viewed as a political band, but on the Mike Shinoda-penned track "Hands Held High," the band definitely goes there (see "Linkin Park's Minutes To Midnight Preview: Nu-Metallers Grow Up" and "Could Linkin Park, Green Day, Nine Inch Nails Be The Next U2?"). "For a leader so nervous in an obvious way/ Stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay/And the rest of the world watching at the end of the day/ In the living room, laughing, like, 'What did he say?' " Elsewhere on their latest, Minutes to Midnight, the band remembers the victims of Hurricane Katrina and takes aim at the government that failed to help ("Hope decays, generations disappear/ Washed away, as a nation simply stares").

At the same time, Bennington adds, the band will only go so far: observation, yes; incitement, no. "That was a difficult process with these particular songs because ... we don't want to preach, you know?" he said. "We just want to kind of speak our minds without telling you what to do." But there is no mistaking the origin of Linkin Park's new album title. Minutes to Midnight is a reference to the Doomsday Clock, the theoretical clock that portends the possibility of nuclear armageddon. (That clock, by the way, is currently "set" at five minutes to midnight).

And they aren't the only ones watching the clock. Smashing Pumpkins finally returns to us with the appropriately titled "Doomsday Clock" ("Is everyone afraid? Is everyone ashamed?/ Apocalyptic scream, they're bound to kill us all"). Main Pumpkin Bill Corgan isn't doing interviews for the upcoming Zeitgeist, preferring to let the music "speak for itself," we're told, and with tracks like "For God and Country" and the 10-minute epic "United States" ("I don't know what I believe/ But if I feel safe, what do I need?/ Revolution! Revolution!"), the music is speaking loud and clear.

The parade doesn't end there. Montreal's Arcade Fire returned in March with another album full of urgent, exuberant rock — only this time, as the twisted title Neon Bible suggests — they took their megaphones in a darker direction, one more informed by that uniquely American place where God, guns and gall intersect ("Don't wanna live in my father's house no more/ Don't wanna fight in a holy war/ Don't want the salesmen knocking at my door/ I don't wanna live in America no more," the band sings on "Windowsill").

And, of course, there is Bright Eyes. Oberst has been raising his voice and growing more politically indignant (about the state of the world and particularly about the Bush administration) since 2000 (see "Bright Eyes Slam 'Off-The-Leash Administration'; Give Details On New Albums"). He drew praise — and a degree of outrage — when he performed the vitriolic "When the President Talks to God" on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in 2005 (moral of the story: know your audience). He tells us that his latest, Cassadaga, is less "overtly political," saying its essence is "just sort of trying to make peace with everything, to be comfortable in your own skin."

Still, there are undoubtedly political themes throughout. He concedes politics is "always in the background" and "hard to escape completely." And Oberst does manage to come up with at least one incendiary couplet on "Four Winds": "The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Koran's mute/ If you burned them all together, you'd get close to the truth."

Them's fatwa words, son. Was Oberst not at all hesitant to go there, in a world where a cartoonist can be a marked man for offending religious sensibilities? Apparently not. "I guess I didn't think about it too much," he said. "I haven't really gotten much angry feedback or anything." And, while he says he means no disrespect to anyone's faith, he makes no apologies for the lyric. "For me, religion is ... if it enhances your life and it's something that, you know, gives you compassion or comfort or makes you empathetic toward other people or anything which religion should do in its pure form, then I think it's great. But it's hard not to look historically and just not think that it is the worst thing to ever happen to the human race. It really is."

Amid all of this, we also get the return of Rage Against the Machine, hardly a coincidence. But where were they during most of Bush's time in office? Squabbling? Not speaking to each other, when their powerful voice of dissent would seem to be just what the times called for? For that matter, where was anyone in music who thought this country was headed in the wrong direction? Clearly, Rage hopes to make up for lost time, telling the crowd at Coachella, "Our current administration needs to be tried, hung and shot. We need to treat them like the war criminals they are" (see "Rage Against The Machine's Ferocious Reunion Caps Coachella's Final Night").

Alrighty then. But will it any of this incite revolution? Not likely. This remains a nation of CD burners, not flag burners. As for Iraq, "surge" or no "surge," there is no end in sight. As the Florida punk rockers Against Me! point out in "White People for Peace" — a new song that the band says celebrates the nobility and futility of protesting war — "protest songs in a response to military aggression/ Protest songs to try and stop the soldier's gun/ But the battle raged on."

But neither is there any reason to think the protest lyrics will let up any time soon. You'd hate to think these artists simply waited until public opinion — in opposition to the war and to the Bush presidency in general — was overwhelmingly on their side. Whatever the reason, the flood gates seem to have opened. Better late than never, I guess. The march of the dogs as the doomsday clock counts down the minutes to midnight and year zero, and it's kill or be killed. It's coming, so keep the car runnin'.

Zeitgeist, indeed.

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Daughtry Reclaim Billboard #1

7 Mar 2007 12:11:00 EST

'American Idol' rocker's band takes top spot from Norah Jones in another slow sales week.
By Chris Harris

Chris Daughtry
Photo: Michael Waring

After a week in which none of the records comprising the Billboard albums sales chart cleared the 100,000-sold mark, and any mention of "American Idol" immediately prompted discussion of controversial season-six contestant Antonella Barba, the #1 spot on the top 200 belongs to Chris Daughtry.

The "Idol" veteran's band rode a 7 percent sales increase to the top — without any compromising photos of its chrome-domed frontman making the rounds on the Internet.

Daughtry, the self-titled debut from the rock collective, returns to Billboard's apex — dropping the chart's previous champ, Norah Jones, to the #2 position. Daughtry sold close to 90,000 units, giving the singer his second taste of retail domination since late January; the 15-week-old LP first assumed the #1 slot six weeks ago, and has drifted between the #2 and #9 spots since. Jones, whose Not Too Late topped the two previous charts, slips one position after scanning nearly 74,000 copies.

Following Jones at #3 is Akon's Konvicted, which climbs two places with sales reported at 73,000, according to the latest SoundScan data. Fall Out Boy's Infinity on High falls one spot to #4, with 67,000 sales, while Robin Thicke's The Evolution of Robin Thicke claims the #5 position, selling 57,000 units. Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds finishes at #6, with close to 54,000 copies flying off store shelves, while Nelly Furtado's Loose returns to the top 10, surging ahead seven slots to #7 with 45,000 scans.

The soundtrack to "Dreamgirls" is also back in the top 10, thanks to a 19 percent sales boost that amounted to 45,000 copies sold. Selling just 58 fewer copies is Corrine Bailey Rae's self-titled LP, which finishes the week at #9. Rounding out the top 10 with 42,000 scans is the Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way.

It was a relatively lethargic week at retail for chart veterans and new releases. The week's biggest-selling debut comes from New Orleans rap group B.G. and the Chopper City Boyz; their latest, We Got This, opens at #21 with 27,000 scans. Returning to the latest chart is the Goo Goo Dolls' updated and reissued Let Love In. The CD/DVD special edition occupies the #48 slot, selling 15,000 units.

Slim Thug's Boss Hogg Outlawz bow at #63, having sold 12,000 copies of their latest, Serve & Collect, while "Blue Collar Comedy" affiliate Bill Engvall's 15 Degrees Off Cool pops up at #93 with 9,000 sold. Marco Antonio Solis' La Historia Continùa ... Parte III opens at #95 with 9,000 scans.

Former "American Idol" contestant Kellie Pickler scores one of the week's biggest gainers with her debut effort Small Town Girl. Sales of the disc rose 37 percent following Pickler's appearance last week on "Idol." The album moved close to 12,000 copies, earning Pickler the chart's #66 spot.

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Dan Wilson, Semisonic Singer/ Dixie Chicks Songsmith, Flies Solo With Rubin

26 Feb 2007 02:43:00 EST

Singer/songwriter recently won Grammy for Chicks' 'Not Ready to Make Nice.'
By Gil Kaufman

Dan Wilson
Photo: American

With his Grammy for co-writing the Dixie Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice" sitting at home, safe and sound, former Semisonic singer Dan Wilson is now turning his attention to his solo debut — and none other than Rick Rubin, this year's Grammy-winning Producer of the Year, says it's one of the best he's ever worked on.

"It's mind-blowing," said Rubin of Wilson's Free Life, which is slated for a summer release. "It's my favorite album. He's just great."

Wilson, who is signed to Rubin's American label, said he began recording Life with a bunch of his friends from Minneapolis five years ago, not knowing what he was going to do with the songs at that point. At those early sessions, Semisonic drummer Jacob Slichter played keyboards and bassist John Munson chipped in as well, during a period when the band best known for the late-'90s hit "Closing Time" was taking a break from recording and touring.

"I had two ideals in mind when I was writing it," said Wilson. "One was the book 'Shakey,' [Jimmy McDonough's Neil Young biography] that was on the table the whole time we were recording. Neil talks about how to get the vocal and the band [recorded] first, and then you can add something later. Mainly it was about singing with the band live, and I found it really inspiring to try and capture something live in the recording."

The second thing that Wilson kept close at hand was a copy of Tom Petty's 1994 Wildflowers album, produced by Rubin, of course, which Wilson said was an inspiration for its purity of sound and songwriting. (Rubin has said of the LP, "It took us two years to make it sound like we made it in a weekend.")

After completing his first set of demos, Wilson sent them to his pal Sheryl Crow, who forwarded them to Rubin. "He called and said, 'Hey man, let's talk about music,' " Wilson said of the reaction from Rubin, whom he had never met before. The unlikely pair made a "natural connection," and Wilson ended up recording more tracks in Rubin's Los Angeles mansion/studio in late 2004 and early 2005 (see "Rubin Turns To Linkin Park, Weezer After Winning Buckets Of Grammys").

Wilson noted that the delay in finishing the album was partly due to a now-healed lung disease that took him out of commission for much of 2005.

"The idea was to capture this candlelit moment of this connection between people, as opposed to layering something together in a fastidious way and trying to make it perfect," Wilson said. He described the songs as vulnerable and emotional, with a classic, timeless sound. Among the guests who played on the sessions are Nickel Creek guitarist Sean Watkins, and long-time Tom Petty bandmate Benmont Tench and Wilson's brother, Matt, on keyboards. Crow also laid down some background vocals.

"It's that classic solo album where you get all 25 of your friends together to play on it," he said. "It's a lot of acoustic instruments, but it's definitely a rock record. What it has in common with Semisonic are the melodies, but the lyrics are more personal and philosophical."

Wilson is keeping busy as he awaits a release date later this year for Free Life. He's writing for British diva Lucie Silvas and has production duties on the upcoming solo album from former Soul Coughing frontman Mike Doughty and the Columbia Records debut from Chicago rock band AbsentStar.

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Norah Jones Reclaims Billboard #1 From Fall Out Boy

21 Feb 2007 10:18:00 EST

Gerald Levert's posthumous disc debuts at #2; Grammy nominees enjoy sales boost.
By Chris Harris

Norah Jones
Photo: Danny Clinch/ Blue Note Records

Last week, Fall Out Boy's Infinity on High usurped Norah Jones' Not Too Late — the previous week's #1 — as the nation's top-selling LP, relegating the jazzy songstress to the chart's #2 position and scoring the Chicago rockers the first chart-crowning debut of their careers. This week, Jones returned the favor.

With nearly 211,000 copies of Not Too Late sold during the album's third week of release, Jones reclaims Billboard's coveted throne, leaving Fall Out Boy in the proverbial dust. Sales of Infinity on High dipped by more than 50 percent, dropping FOB to the chart's #5 slot with second-week sales reported at close to 119,000, according to the latest SoundScan results.

But the bigger news is the windfall from the 2007 Grammy Awards, handed out early last week. Whether you took home a statuette or not didn't matter much to consumers — even albums by nominees who didn't win experienced major sales boons.

The biggest spike in retail interest came for the Dixie Chicks, whose Taking the Long Way was honored with five Grammys, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year prizes (see "Timberlake Rocks; Blige Weeps; Chicks, Chilis Clean Up At Grammys"). Sales of the LP rose a whopping 714 percent to top 103,000, landing the Chicks in the chart's #8 slot; during the previous week, Taking the Long Way sold nearly 13,000 units, and occupied the #72 position.

Likewise, nominee Corinne Bailey Rae's self-titled album experienced a 132 percent sales surge, scanning another 120,000 copies — enough to help the disc hop four places to #4. Even the 2007 Grammy Nominees compilation — featuring 23 tracks from this year's contenders — enjoyed a 116 percent increase in sales, climbing from #7 to #3 with more than 131,000 copies sold.

Sales of FutureSex/LoveSounds by Justin Timberlake — who walked off with the Best Dance Recording and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration awards — soared 123 percent for a total of 108,000, earning JT the #7 spot. John Mayer's Continuum, winner of the Best Pop Vocal Album, was the beneficiary of a 182 percent sales jump, ending the week with more than 80,000 scans at #10 — up from #29 the week before. The Best Rock Album winner, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium, climbs to #12 from #39, selling 67,000 units — a sales increase of 194 percent. Big winner Mary J. Blige's The Breakthrough sold more than 43,000 — a 161 percent sales spike — and ends up at #21, climbing more than 30 chart positions.

Gnarls Barkley's Best Alternative Album-winning St. Elsewhere soars 192 percent to finish at #44 — up from #111 — with 27,000 scans, and James Blunt's Back to Bedlam closes out the week at #47 after experiencing a 152 percent increase in sales.

Elsewhere on the chart, Robin Thicke's The Evolution of Robin Thicke continues selling like hotcakes, holding at #6 with around 116,000 units scanned; sales of the disc jumped 90 percent. And ending the week at #9 — down six spots from #3 but still up 34 percent in sales — is Daughtry, the self-titled debut from "American Idol" finalist Chris Daughtry's rock act, with 102,000 copies sold.

When it comes to new releases, a mere four pop up on the latest chart, including the late Gerald Levert's In My Songs. The first posthumous release from the singer, who died in November at age 40, In My Songs is Levert's highest-charting debut, opening at #2 with 165,000 copies sold. Further down the chart is Lucinda Williams' West, bowing at #14 with 57,000 scans, while Van Morrison's Van Morrison at the Movies follows at #35 with week-one sales of 29,000-plus. And finally, debuting at #84 with 13,000 sold is the latest solo mixtape by the Dipset's JR Writer, JR Writer: Writer's Block 4; the album was largely produced by the Diplomats' Dukedagod.

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New Releases: Dixie Chicks, Kidz Bop 11, K-os, Calla, Gomez & More

20 Feb 2007 06:00:00 EST

Also due Tuesday: Ataris, Kittie, Free Murda, Charlie Louvin, Trans Am, Fu Manchu, Explosions in the Sky.
By Kurt Orzeck

The Dixie Chicks' "Shut Up and Sing" DVD
Photo: The Weinstein Company

It's been a very slow-moving first quarter, and while this week doesn't exactly have a litany of marquee artists, there is something fresh in store for everyone. Here is a virtual stroll through the record shop ... and what better place to start than with country music?

File Under: Country

· Dixie Chicks' "Shut Up & Sing" DVD:
While some news outlets blared headlines about a "defiant" Dixie Chicks sweeping the Grammy Awards last week — as if to say they were handcuffed to the podium, screeching about President Bush's foreign policies — the ladies didn't make too big a deal of their political attitudes at the event. That didn't stop them from doing so with this recent documentary, however: Co-directed by two-time Academy Award-winner Barbara Kopple and also featuring producer Rick Rubin, it captures just how much 15 little words can bruise — and ultimately benefit — a band.

· Charlie Louvin's Charlie Louvin:
As acclaimed as the Chicks were this year, they've got nuthin' on Country Music Hall of Fame demigod Louvin, who is taking a musical stroll for the first time in 10 years with a guest-star-heavy opus. The Louvin Brothers sibling didn't manage to snare Jack White — whose Raconteurs have been toying with the group's "The Christian Life" in concert — but he was able to coax Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Will Oldham and Elvis Costello, not to mention members of Bright Eyes and Lambchop to contribute.

· The Silos' Come on Like the Fast Lane:
The alt-country trailblazers have also been around for a spell — more than 20 years, in fact — but their latest effort steers them in different directions, among them proto-punk and R.E.M.-esque roots-rock. Recorded at composer Philip Glass' Looking Glass Studios, the disc is also reminiscent of Ennio Morricone's spaghetti-Western scores. (Incidentally, a tribute to that Italian legend, We All Love Ennio Morricone, also drops this week. It features tribute tracks by such unlikely fans as Metallica, Bruce Springsteen and Pink Floyd's Roger Waters.)

File Under: Children's

· Various artists' Kidz Bop 11:
Expect more big things from this best-selling series, the last installment of which debuted at #3 on the Billboard albums chart. This one finds tots tooting through John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change," the Fray's "Over My Head (Cable Car)" and — this one's just a little bit of a stretch — Rascal Flatts' "What Hurts the Most."

· Bratz - Fashion Pixiez
Trying to wean yourself off these tweens? Well, you probably won't be on the wagon for much longer. This latest set by the group — which counts Paula Abdul among its closest friends — seeps selections from the DVD of the same name; another video, "Livin' It Up!"; and the act's Saturday morning series.

· Various artists' Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt and Smashing Pumpkins
You've seen these compilations popping up on the New Releases schedule in recent months — it's high time to giving 'em some lovin'. Using glockenspiel, vibraphone, mellotron, harp and bells to soften up — or, depending on your level of cynicism, wimpify — sounds by the aforementioned bands, the series applies its sleep-inducing sheen to "Don't Speak," "Head Like a Hole" and "Cherub Rock." If you don't know which track belongs to which artist, it's time to go back to cool school.

File Under: Underground Hip-Hop

· K-os' Atlantis: Hymns for Disco
Born in Trinidad, based in Toronto and currently making waves in the States, the innovative crossover MC has even more curiosities to his name: He was raised by Jehovah's Witnesses and is touring with Gym Class Heroes and Rx Bandits. Upping the "WTF?" quotient yet another time are appearances by singer/songwriter Sam Roberts and Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew on "Valhalla."

· Free Murda's RZA Presents Free Murda: Let Freedom Reign
Like K-os' album, this one is equally likely to fall under the radar of most rap fans, but the LP by Brooklyn, New York's Free Murda has just as much legitimacy thanks to one of hip-hop's best savants, the RZA. The Wu-Tang Clan agent spruced up three tracks with his production skills and appears on one of them ("My Black Nina," also featuring Sha-Cronz.)

· Begetz's Ghetto Pass
Another Brooklyn street fave, Begetz is also looking up to a big brother of own — the Firm's AZ — for his maiden release. If you didn't catch him starring alongside 2Pac in "Above the Rim" or in assorted videos by Jay-Z and Nas, you'll have the chance to hear him loud and clear now.

File Under: Indie-Rock

· Calla's Strength in Numbers
Critics have given this New York-by-way-of-Texas band countless hugs and kisses, and the love fest should continue with its fifth volume. This one is being perceived as a retrospective of sorts — no, there are no rehashed or previously released songs, but singer/guitarist Aurelio Valle and his comrades stop to take stock of the wide variety of moods and textures (experimental, raw, smooth) they've churned out over the years.

· Explosions in the Sky's All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
This effort was produced by lo-fi master John Cogleton but actually showcases a band in all its unbridled fury. Well, the loudest fury an indie-rock band can produce, that is — skip to the Metal section if it's tinnitus you're after. The fourth effort by the Texas instrumentalists has six songs but they're hella long, so don't worry about getting your money's worth.

· Field Music's Tones of Town
The Sunderland, England, band's style has been called everything from "mod-pop" to "pop art," drawn them comparisons to Wilco and earned them a spot touring with Belle & Sebastian. Brothers Peter and David Brewis are responsible for the songcraft, and with keyboardist Andrew Moore in tow, they serve up more shifting layers than your ears will be able to keep track of.

File Under: Metal

· The Hidden Hand's The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote
If Lemmy is speed metal's indispensable dude, then Scott "Wino" Weinrich owns that title in the doom-metal underworld. The third effort by his latest combo — his other projects include Spirit Caravan, Saint Vitus and the Obsessed — finds him talking more about history than outright politics, and he dabbles with a slide to boot. The release is appended with the hard-to-find Devoid of Color EP.

· Vader's The Darkest Age: Live, Kingdom and Live in Japan
The first Eastern European death-metal band to sign a record deal outside its native land after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Poland's Vader are hailed with three reissues. Darkest Age enshrines a 1993 concert, Live in Japan one from five years later, and Kingdom is upped with a pair of bonus tracks.

· The Handshake Murders' Usurper
Seven years young, the Arkansas death-metallers finally step up with their first-ever full-length. Dare yourself to keep the earplugs at bay as they push the brutality envelope on songs like "Painted Contortionist," "Of Cult and Atrophy" and "Apostate."

File Under: Punk

· The Queers' "The Queers Are Here" DVD
The Queers are 25 years old, if you can believe it, and more incredulously, this is their first-ever DVD. But while the New Hampshire band has been around since 1982, this video culls live-performance and behind-the-scenes madness they wreaked from 1993-2005 and captures the band with a handful of various lineups.

· Autonym's Shall We Skip to Excessive Celebration?
Lead singer Will Angelos — who resides in Los Angeles, as luck for his name would have it — makes no secret of his iconoclastic views (check out his diatribes at MySpace.com/Autonymla). Expect that banter to seep into his hardcore-punk band's discordant assaults, lovingly put to tape by Pete Lyman of another searing L.A. squad, Year Future.

· Hot Cross' Risk Revival
Featuring Level Plane Records swami Greg Drudy and a former member of Interpol, the Philly hardcore phanatics have toured with Fear Before the March of Flames but sound more akin to Big Black. Catch them chugging through "Finance Fuels the Sickness at Heart," "Scrape Wisdom" and "Cardiac Silence" on this, their third opus.

File Under: Experimental

· The Boredoms' Super Roots 7, 8 and 9
In commemoration of Japan's undisputed noise kings celebrating 20 years of chaos — and on the verge of their 77-drummer live extravaganza to be held in New York on July 7 — Vice imports three installments of the band's overwhelming series. Only one, 6, has been out in the States before — while that one boasts 17 tracks, the other two clock in at just three apiece.

· Big Sir's Und Die Scheibe Ändert Sich Immer
If it's incomprehensible, it's gotta be by the Mars Volta — or affiliated with them, at least. Bassist Juan Alderete de la Peña sets up camp with Lisa Papineau of M83 and Air to revive their atmospheric assemblage — and invite Beastie Boy colleague Monkey Mark and Hella's Jonathan Hischke to contribute intermittently.

· Zu & Nobukazu Takemura's Identification With the Enemy: A Key to the Underworld
Italian Jazz spazz-outs Zu have paired up in the past with another avant-garde master, saxophonist Ken Vandermark, but this time around they chose experimental Japanese DJ Takemura for their third collaboration disc issued by purveying under-the-radar label Atavistic. If your record store carries the disc, chances are you won't miss it in the racks: It's cased in a glorious digipak.

File Under: Un-File-Able

· Call Me Lightning's Soft Skeleton
Pretty much anything Frenchkiss puts out these days is impossible to classify — look no further than Les Savy Fav and Enon. Call Me Lightening certainly further that notion; their LP features a spot by "SNL" comedian Fred Armisen, for crying out loud. The band's second release — and 30th for the label — also features help from Black Heart Procession's Joe Plummer and Enon culprit Matt Schulz.

Barr's Summary
Good luck finding a place in the rack for this one too. As the press release states, "This new body of work further experiments with the art of storytelling using sound waves and vocal tones." Well, OK, that's basically just a complicated way of saying an artist "makes music," but believe us when we tell you that the anti-pop and spoken-word passages Brendan Fowler presents here will leave you scratching your head.

· Bunny Rabbit - Lovers and Crypts
Yet another Brooklyn artist, this one crafting her art on street corners using upturned garbage cans, and has since gone on to craft an album of freestyle nursery rhymes that, in her words, are intended to provoke "deep-seated shame and inexorable ass-shaking." Nice job.

Song Title of the Week:

"Put All Your Eggs in One Basket and Then Watch That Basket!!!" from Marnie Stern's In Advance of the Broken Arm

New Releases:

· 2XL - Neighborhood Rapstar (Tommy Boy)
· Brent Amaker and the Rodeo - Brent Amaker and the Rodeo (J-Shirt)
· Anberlin - Cities (Tooth & Nail) [Buy Now]
· The Ataris - Welcome the Night (Sanctuary) [Buy Now]
· Autonym - Shall We Skip to Excessive Celebration? (Alarmor) [Buy Now]
· Kathie Baillie - Love's Funny That Way (Aspirion)
· Philip Bardowell - In the Cut (Locomotive)
· Barr - Summary (5 Rue Christine) [Buy Now]
· Begetz - Ghetto Pass (X-Ray) [Buy Now]
· Beneath the Massacre - Mechanics of Dysfunction (Prosthetic) [Buy Now]
· The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse (Jagjaguwar) [Buy Now]
· Big Sir - Und Die Scheibe Ändert Sich Immer (GSL) [Buy Now]
· Black Lips - Los Valientes del Mundo Nuevo (enhanced; Vice) [Buy Now]
· Bratz - Fashion Pixiez (Hip-O/UMe) [Buy Now]
· Bunny Rabbit - Lovers and Crypts (Voodoo-Eros) [Buy Now]
· Call Me Lightning - Soft Skeleton (French Kiss) [Buy Now]
· Calla - Strength in Numbers (Beggars Banquet) [Buy Now]
· The Coach and Four - The Great Escape (Makeshift) [Buy Now]
· Comeback Kid - Broadcasting ... (Victory) [Buy Now]
· Bobby Conn - King for a Day (Thrill Jockey)
· The Cringe - Tipping Point (Megaforce) [Buy Now]
· Jill Cunniff - City Beach (The Militia Group)
· Dir en Grey - The Marrow of a Bone (enhanced; Warcon)
· Dolorean - You Can't Win (Yep Roc) [Buy Now]
· Erasure - On the Road to Nashville (live; with DVD; Mute) [Buy Now]
· Everlife - Everlife (Buena Vista)
· Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone (Temporary Residence)
· Fatal Smile - Neo Natural Freaks (Locomotive) [Buy Now]
· Dennis Ferrer - The World as I See It (MVD Audio)
· Field Music - Tones of Town (Memphis Industries)
· Fifty Caliber Kiss - Armor Class Invincible (MVD Audio) [Buy Now]
· The Frames - The Cost (Anti-) [Buy Now]
· Free Murda - RZA Presents Free Murda: Let Freedom Reign (Cleopatra)
· Fu Manchu - We Must Obey (Century Media)
· The Handshake Murders - Usurper (Goodfellow)
· The Harlem Shakes - Burning Birthdays (EP; Harlem Shakes) [Buy Now]
· The Hidden Hand - The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote (with EP; Southern Lord)
· Peter Himmelman - My Green Kite (Rounder)
· Hot Cross - Risk Revival (Equal Vision) [Buy Now]
· I Am the Thorn - You Are the Lamb (Goodfellow)
· Jesu - Conqueror (Hydra Head)
· Kittie - Funeral for Yesterday (with bonus DVD; X of Infamy)
· K-os - Atlantis: Hymns for Disco (Virgin)
· Victor Krummenacher - The Cock Crows at Sunrise (MVD Audio)
· La Drivers Union - Por Por: Honk Horn Music of Ghana (Smithsonian Folkways)
· Laibach - Volk (with special hard-book packaging; Mute)
· Little Feat - Rocky Mountain Jam (Hot Tomato)
· Charlie Louvin - Charlie Louvin (digipak; Tompkins Square)
· Love Hate Hero - White Lies (Ferret)
· Minsk - The Ritual Fires of Abandonment (Relapse)
· Minus the Bear - Interpretaciones del Oso (Suicide Squeeze)
· Mortal Love - I Have Lost (Locomotive) [Buy Now]
· Nein - Luxury (Sonic Unyon)
· The One AM Radio - This Too Will Pass (Dangerbird)
· Paganize - Evilution Hour (Candlelight)
· Elvis Perkins - Ash Wednesday (digipak; XL)
· P.G. Six - Slightly Sorry (Drag City)
· Pop Levi - Return to Form Black Majick Party (Counter)
· The Rakes - Remixes (EP; Dim Mak)
· Reel Big Fish and Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer - Duet All Night Long (Reignition)
· Morris Robinson - Going Home (Decca)
· Rwake - Voices of Omens (Relapse)
· The Shining - Grindstone (Rune Grammofon)
· The Showdown - Temptation Come My Way (Mono Vs. Stereo)
· The Silos - Come on Like the Fast Lane (Bloodshot)
· Southern Culture on the Skids - Countrypolitan Favorites (digipak; Yep Roc)
· John Starling and Carolina Star - Slidin' Home (Rebel)
· Marnie Stern - In Advance of the Broken Arm (Kill Rock Stars)
· Corey Stevens - Albertville (Ruf)
· Sting & Edin Karamazov - The Journey & the Labyrinth: The Music of John Dowland (live; with DVD; Deutsche Grammophon)
· The Subjects - With the Ease, Grace, Precision and Cleverness of Human Beings (Pretty Activity)
· Richard Swift - Dressed Up for the Letdown (Secretly Canadian)
· Cortney Tidwell - Don't Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up (Ever)
· Toby Mac - (Portable Sounds) (Forefront)
· Trans Am - Sex Change (Thrill Jockey) [Buy Now]
· Louie Vega - Mix the Vibe: For the Love of King Street (two CDs; MVD Audio)
· Nick Warren - GU030 Paris (two CDs; Global Underground)
· Amelia White - Black Doves (Funzalo)
· The White Barons - Up All Night With the White Barons (Gearhead)
· Tommy Womack - There, I Said It! (Cedar Creek)
· The Young Knives - Voices of Animals and Men (with bonus DVD; Ryko/Transgressive)
· Zero on In - Oblivion Fair (Locomotive)
· Zu & Nobukazu Takemura - Identification With the Enemy: A Key to the Underworld (digipak; Atavistic)
· Various artists - Kidz Bop 11 (Razor & Tie)
· Various artists - Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt and Smashing Pumpkins (Baby Rock)
· Various artists - Singing for Life: Songs of Hope, Healing and HIV/AIDS in Uganda (Smithsonian Folkways)
· Various artists - We All Love Ennio Morricone (Sony Classical)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material: · Artrosis - Fetish and In Nomine Noctis (MVD Audio)
· Audionom - Retrospectiv (Kemado)
· Behemoth - Chaotica: The Essence of the Underworld (MVD Audio) [Buy Now]
· The Boredoms - Super Roots 7, 8 and 9 (Vice)
· Toni Braxton - The Essential Toni Braxton (two CDs; LaFace/Legacy) [Buy Now]
· Christ Agony - Elysium (MVD Audio)
· Electric Light Orchestra - Out of the Blue (Epic/Legacy)
· Luscious Jackson - Greatest Hits (Capitol) [Buy Now]
· Lux Occulta - The Mother and the Enemy (MVD Audio)
· Sirrah - Acme and Did Tomorrow Come ... (MVD Audio)
· The Triffids - Calenture and In the Pines (Domino)
· Turbo - Awatar (MVD Audio)
· Vader - The Darkest Age: Live, Kingdom (EP) and Live in Japan (MVD Audio)

Music DVDs: · The Dixie Chicks - "Shut Up & Sing" (Genius Products) [Buy Now]
· Evanescence - "Broken: An Unauthorized Biography" (Locomotive) [Buy Now]
· Gomez - "Five Men in a Hut: Singles 1998-2004" (Virgin)
· Hawkwind - "In Concert: Out of the Shadows" (MVD Visual)
· Helloween - "Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy World Tour 2005/2006" (Steamhammer)
· Pat McGee Band - "Vintage Stages Live" (with CD; Kirtland)
· The Queers - "The Queers Are Here" (MVD Visual) [Buy Now]
· Martha Reeves - "In Concert" (MVD Visual)
· U2 - "Achtung Baby: A Classic Album Under Review" (Sexy Intellectual) [Buy Now]
· Bobby Vee - "In Concert" (MVD Visual)
· Barry White - "Let the Music Play: The Barry White Story" (Eagle Vision) [Buy Now]
· Neil Young - "Under Review 1966-1975" (MVD Visual) [Buy Now]
· Various artists - "Rock Relief: Live in Concert - Musicians Disaster Relief" (MVD Visual)
· Various artists - "Wim Wenders Presents: Musica Cubana - Live in Amsterdam" and "Live in Tokyo" (MVD Visual)

Coming Attractions:

February 27:
· Beck - The Information (deluxe-edition reissue; Geffen) [Preorder]
· Nine Inch Nails - "Nine Inch Nails Live: Beside You in Time" DVD (Nothing) [Preorder]
· Slim Thug & Tha Boss Hogg Outlawz - Serve & Collect (Koch)

March 6:
· Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (deluxe edition with book due same day; Merge) [Preorder]
· Jonny Greenwood - Jonny Greenwood Is the Controller (Trojan)
· Notorious B.I.G. - Greatest Hits (Bad Boy)
· Korn - MTV Unplugged (Virgin) [Preorder]
Read: "Korn Quiet Down With The Cure, Amy Lee For 'MTV Unplugged' "
· Relient K - Five Score and Seven Years Ago (Capitol)
Read: "Relient K Pump Serious Rock, Sugary Pop In The Tank For Upcoming LP"

March 13:
· Gillie Da Kid - The Best of the GDK Mixtapes (Babygrande)
· Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Epic) [Preorder]
· Musiq - Luvanmusiq (Atlantic) [Preorder]

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Rubin Turns To Linkin Park, Weezer After Winning Buckets Of Grammys

14 Feb 2007 06:00:00 EST

Producer also teaming with Metallica; says peace comp 'feels less pressing' as Iraq war support declines.
By Corey Moss

Rick Rubin
Photo: Stephen Shugerman/ Getty Images

Rick Rubin never having won the Producer of the Year Grammy was the musical equivalent of Martin Scorsese never having won the best-director Oscar. And on Sunday, two weeks before Scorsese is expected to finally get his prize, Rubin was at last honored — and then honored again and again and again.

In the end, Rubin walked away (not literally — he did not attend) with five Grammys: for Producer of the Year; Album of the Year and Country Album of the Year for the Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way; Record of the Year for the Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice"; and Best Rock Album for Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium (see "Timberlake Rocks; Blige Weeps; Chicks, Chilis Clean Up At Grammys").

And, while we're counting, he was also a part of five other Grammy-winning projects: Song of the Year and Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal for the Dixie Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice"; Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal and Best Rock Song for Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California"; and Best Metal Performance for Slayer's "Eyes of the Insane."

"It feels so good to know our work touched listeners," Rubin said in a statement. "During the process, we are making our own favorite music. [These awards are] confirmation that what is true and real in the emotion of music is contagious."

The Grammys undoubtedly add an exclamation mark to a very successful 2006 for Rubin. But it's understandable that he called the year "not unusually special" in an interview with MTV News (see "Rick Rubin Calls His Year 'Not Unusually Special'; Grammy Nods Tell Another Story") — particularly if you look at what 2007 has in store for him.

As always, Rubin is working with a variety of artists and hoping to give new life to a couple of them along the way. Here's a rundown:

Linkin Park: "They really are reinventing themselves," Rubin said of the band, mixing now for a summer release. "It doesn't sound like rap-rock. There's very strong songwriting. I've heard guys in the band say that it transcends everything they've done before, like it puts them in a whole different light in their minds, and they really like that. It's very melodic. It's a progressive record."

Metallica: "I saw [the warts-and-all Metallica documentary 'Some Kind of Monster'], and it made me really nervous," Rubin said. "Then we started working, and it's the opposite direction of that. They're really productive, really communicative — it seems like they really like being in the room together. It's a great process. They say they're more excited than they have been in a long time about making music. We're going to start recording in March. I asked them not to reinvent themselves so much as to make a defining album, like the purest of what Metallica is. That's the aim, so we'll see what happens."

Weezer: "Rivers [Cuomo] just gave me some demos, the first round for this album," Rubin said. "I'm trying to get my head clear to really just dive in."

U2: "We've talked about doing some more, but they're on tour," said Rubin, who produced two tracks for the band's recent hits compilation, U218 Singles, including the Green Day collaboration "The Saints Are Coming." "Hopefully we'll get to do some more together."

Dan Wilson of Semisonic: "The album's done and hopefully will be out this summer," Rubin said. "It's mind-blowing. It's my favorite album. He's just great."

The (International) Noise Conspiracy: "I heard one set of demos that were really good, and I'm waiting for the next batch," the producer said.

Rubin's long-in-the-works compilation of peace songs: "It has not yet come to pass, but hopefully it will," Rubin said (see "Audioslave, Chili Peppers Play For Peace On Rick Rubin Compilation"). "It felt more meaningful to me at the beginning of the [Iraq] war, when it felt like there was a lot of pro-war sentiment. As it's changed, and more and more people are realizing [the war is] a bad idea, it feels like we're preaching to the converted now. At the time, we felt like we'd be leading the charge. At this point, it feels less pressing, which I think is a great thing."

For more on Rick Rubin, check out the feature "What's Up With That Bearded Guy in the '99 Problems' Video?"

The show's over but there's plenty of Grammy hotness here on MTVNews.com. Check out photos of the hottest red-carpet and onstage action; join our reporters as they hit all the Grammy week parties; and let us know what you think about the performers, winners and losers. Plus see videos of all the nominees on MTV.com and check out exclusive video footage from the big night right here.

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Christina Talked Private Parts? Who Was Sick? Grammy Moments You Didn't See

12 Feb 2007 02:59:00 EST

MTV News went where cameras didn't to get backstage scoop.
By Corey Moss and Shaheem Reid

Christina Aguilera at the 49th annual Grammy Awards
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images

Word on the street was that Justin Timberlake was sick, but MTV News found out another one of the night's big performers was also under the weather. So who used to perform Lionel Richie songs at talent contests, and what exactly did Christina Aguilera say about private parts?

Check out what we discovered by poking around backstage where the cameras didn't go at the Grammys:

· The night before the big show (see "Timberlake Rocks; Blige Weeps; Chicks, Chilis Clean Up At Grammys"), Justin Timberlake was feeling chatty during Grammy rehearsals and sat down at the piano to treat everyone in the room to an impromptu, slowed-down rendition of "Di-- in a Box."

· Quentin Tarantino walked the red carpet with fellow martial-arts enthusiast RZA. The two were making inside jokes and cracking each other up.

· Just after Black Eyed Peas finished interviews on the red carpet, Will.I.Am broke loose and chatted with everyone in sight, including Chris Brown, who checked out Will's diamond-encrusted ear cover and asked, "Where did you get that? I have to get one" (see "Justin And T.I.'s Suits Show Up Ladies' Sequins On Grammy Red Carpet").

· Beyoncé hit the press room early and revealed that she was suffering from the stomach flu. But B wasn't fazed until her publicist cut her off just as she was starting an interview to change the look of the shot. Beyoncé said, "Now I feel all self-conscious!"

· When a reporter told John Legend some people say he's the next Marvin Gaye, Legend smiled and responded, "Some people need to slow down. He's an idol of mine. If you hear some of him [in me], I stole it from him." Legend also said he keeps his Grammys "on my piano in my apartment in New York." Later, Legend watched Lionel Richie perform "Hello" and remarked that he used to perform that song at talent contests. Someone asked, "Did you win?" Legend replied, "Of course."

· Christina Aguilera talked backstage about her tour, possibly getting into acting and, of course, performing James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World." "I was thrilled, completely flattered that they would think I could pull off a James Brown song," she said, adding that she researched her performance by watching old Brown DVDs. "I saw his spins — I didn't do the spins. I didn't want to trip on my heels or something." When one reporter noted that Aguilera has always managed to enter and exit limos without incident, she laughed, "Are you setting me up to say, 'Keep your legs closed?' There's a way to make sure privates are kept private."

· Carrie Underwood walked around backstage with two Grammys in her arms and said she felt a little bit more relaxed about taking the stage at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party after she saw a few people perform and realized no one was going to throw anything at her when she got up to sing (see "Aguilera, Hudson Play For Clive Davis; FOB Rock Roots' Grammys Eve Jam").

· At least she's not label crazy. In the press room, Natasha Bedingfield drew a blank, telling a reporter she was wearing, "A red dress ... a red dress which I can't remember [who designed it] because I threw it on when I got offstage."

· Chamillionaire pranced around the hallways, super-hyped about his win for "Ridin," while Krayzie Bone announced to those gathered in the press room that the victory was a great jump-start for the return of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. "This is a perfect kickoff. Last time we got a Grammy was, like, '97." Krayzie also said "Ridin" attained a level of success "way beyond" what he and Chamillionaire had expected.

· Ludacris held onto his two Grammys and told reporters he performed "Runaway Love" during the show because "it was time for change, time to start talking about different things." "This is pretty much the best day of my life," he gushed. "No words can explain how I feel. This is my fifth studio LP and I've been nominated every year — this is my first time winning. Earth, Wind & Fire (he and Mary J. Blige performed with them at the show) were just as big of fans of mine as I was of theirs." He also said he's cleared his schedule for Monday (February 12) because he's going to party all night.

· "My Grammy Moment" winner Robyn Troup revealed backstage that it's her birthday. She added that she looked at Blige the entire time she was performing with Timberlake because Blige's face was warm and welcoming, and she feared looking elsewhere would make her nervous.

· Dixie Chick Natalie Maines said this was by far the most amazing awards-show experience she'd ever had, adding, "But it's funny, I'm not that angry," in response to talk that the band's album was defiant.

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Grammys '07: Who Won, Who Sung?

12 Feb 2007 01:09:00 EST

Dixie Chicks, Mary J. Blige and Red Hot Chili Peppers grabbed gold, while Justin, Christina, Chris Brown and the Police rocked onstage.

Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

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Timberlake Rocks; Blige Weeps; Chicks, Chilis Clean Up At Grammys

12 Feb 2007 12:14:00 EST

Despite all the chatter, the show's quieter moments carry the most weight.
By James Montgomery

The Dixie Chicks at the Grammy Awards
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

LOS ANGELES — In the weeks leading up to the 49th Grammy Awards, many miles of verbiage were unspooled by slick-suited TV pundits and somewhat bitter music journalists to dissect, predict and pick apart music's biggest night.

But as the awards themselves actually unfolded, live from the Staples Center, it was the moments in which very little — if anything at all — was said that carried the most weight.

(Check out photos of Beyoncé, Christina, Justin and many more at the show right here.)

Whether it was the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines simply — and somewhat fittingly — quoting "The Simpsons" in a kiss-off to the group's many critics; Chris Brown's footstep-perfect rendition of the late James Brown's famed onstage routine; or the Godfather of Soul's longtime hypeman Danny Ray draping Brown's sequined robe on the mic stand after the evening's "In Memoriam" segment (not to mention the standing ovation that followed), there was very little more that needed to be said.

And those are just the first three moments that sprung to mind. One could also mention Mary J. Blige's quiet elegance and fiery onstage performances (she brought the audience to its feet with "Be Without You," which would earn her two of her three Grammy awards on the night, for R&B song and Best Female R&B Performance.) Or the pair of showstopping numbers Justin Timberlake — who burned up the red carpet earlier in the evening (see "Justin, T.I. And John Mayer's Suits Show Up Ladies' Sequins On Grammy Red Carpet") — unveiled. And the usually goofy guys of Gnarls Barkley, who turned in a soul-drenched, deceptively low-key rendition of "Crazy," which won the duo a pair of awards.

Even Kanye West — so often the source of an infantile awards-show rant — kept it on the quiet, choosing to focus on the award he was brought in to present, Best Rap Album (it should be noted, however, that that award's winner, Ludacris, opted to pop off on frequent nemesis Bill O'Reilly). Of course, many speculated that if the Recording Academy voters chose to shower the Dixie Chicks with awards (which they did, bestowing five Grammys, including Record, Album and Song of the Year, as well as Best Country Album honors, on the Texas trio), it would be seen as a sort of statement against those who Maines spoke out against, including George W. Bush and the entirety of the country-music establishment.

And although they won more Grammys than anyone, the group made no grand statement to speak of.

"To quote the Simpsons: Ha-ha!" Maines laughed while accepting the Best Country Album award. "A lot of people just turned their TVs off." And while accepting their Album of the Year trophy, Maines chuckled, "I've got nothing clever to say, sorry!"

The Red Hot Chili Peppers won four Grammys, including Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song. Carrie Underwood — who performed at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party Saturday night (see "Aguilera, Hudson Play For Clive Davis; FOB Rock Roots' Grammys Eve Jam") — Justin Timberlake and Gnarls Barkley each won two, though none of them used their winning moments to launch into any diatribes, make any political pleas or even put anyone on blast (the once-decadent Peppers even thanked their families.)

Even Timberlake, the evening's "It" boy, will probably be remembered for his trippy "Blair Witch Project" action (thanks to a handheld camera) during his performance of "What Goes Around ... Comes Around," or for his tag-team performance with T.I. and "My Grammy Moment" contest winner Robyn Troup on a medley of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" and his own "My Love."

Indeed, the brevity may have been part of the Grammy planners' design: The house orchestra's "hurry-up" music was merciless, hustling along Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder while they accepted the show's first award, and Mary J. Blige when she whipped out several index cards filled with names of people to thank.

In hindsight, we probably should've known things would play out this way from the start. The evening got under way with a much-anticipated performance by the reunited Police, making their first major public appearance in more than 20 years (see "The Police Kick Off Reunion At Grammys — But How Long Will It Last?"). And although their two-decade hiatus has been at times rather acrimonious, the trio simply introduced themselves, ripped through "Roxanne" and took a bow.

Well done, everyone. After all, why talk when you can sing, dance or quote "The Simpsons"? Actions speak louder, anyway.

[This story was originally published at 6:09 pm E.T. on 02.11.2007]

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Rick Rubin Calls His Year 'Not Unusually Special'; Grammy Nods Tell Another Story

7 Feb 2007 06:22:00 EST

Super-producer is connected to 15 nominations, including three of five Album of the Year contenders.
By Corey Moss

Rick Rubin
Photo: John Shearer /WireImage.com

If you could put a face to this year's eclectic crop of Grammy nominees, it would have an overgrown beard and black shades.

Rick Rubin not only produced, or had a hand in producing, three of the five Album of the Year contenders, but for the fifth time in his esteemed career, he earned a Producer of the Year nomination (see "Mary J. Blige, Chili Peppers Top Grammy Nominations List").

Between his work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Dixie Chicks, Justin Timberlake, System of a Down, and U2 and Green Day, he's connected to more than 15 nominations, more than any other artist. Not bad for a year the low-key producer described as "not unusually special."

"I have to say, usually when I'm in the studio, it feels special," he clarified, calling from his Malibu, California, home. "In fact, I try to work on projects that feel special before we get in the studio whenever possible."

And "special" might be the only word that fits all of Rubin's varied projects. While his look is signature, his sound is certainly not, which is how he ends up overseeing rock, country, pop, hip-hop and metal albums — sometimes on the same day.

"I love having a variety, as far as styles go," he explained. "I feel like it keeps me fresh. I get to work a lot, but I never really get bogged down, because every time I go to the studio with a different style of artist, it forces me to start from square one and really tune in to what the artist is about. If all I did was make hip-hop records or metal records, I feel like it would run its course."

Rubin picks all of his projects, whether it's Mick Jagger, Shakira or Andrew "Dice" Clay, using the same simple guidelines. "I have to really like them as people first and foremost," he said. "Then I talk to them and hear their vision for the project, see what's going on in their life and see if it feels like a potential there for great work to come."

Once he does sign on, his priority is not production but rather pre-production and songwriting. "It's different for every artist, but I tend to believe overall in the quality of content over everything else," Rubin said. "So we spend a great deal of time working on material long before we ever think about going into a recording studio. It's about finding songs and writings songs and really exhausting that before thinking about things like performance and what the album's going to sound like."

Rubin doesn't follow a set songwriting formula; he just offers opinions based on his personal tastes, and as Justin Timberlake put it, "Rick Rubin doesn't ever do anything bad" (see "Don't Expect Justified 2: Timberlake Enlists Rick Rubin For New LP").

"The cool thing about Rick," the pop star said, "is when we first met, he said to me, 'Look, I don't influence you one way or the other. You do whatever it is that you do and I'll just come in and tell you what I think and move stuff in a direction that seems conducive to what you do.' And that's such a comforting thing because you know you're in good hands."

Although he's certainly made millions in the music industry (dating back to his massive successes with the Beastie Boys, Run-DMC and Public Enemy), Rubin basically ignores the business side of record-making.

"He's just so focused on the music, he doesn't care when the label wants it done, he doesn't care if there is a format that plays you or doesn't play you," Dixie Chicks frontwoman Natalie Maines said. "I think [the Chicks' Grammy-nominated Taking the Long Way] was really the first time that I ever made a record where I just loved the process, because there was no pressure, no stress, there was no rules. We used to have rules for ourselves just about being the Dixie Chicks ... she had to play something and she had to play something on the same song, and we all three had to sing on the choruses. And Rick just throws all of that out."

"So much of what we do is not premeditated," Rubin explained, also speaking on behalf of the artists he works with. "We really show up and try to do our very best and get it flowing, and then when it's flowing, we try to let it flow until it runs out and then we see what we got. It's not dictated by us."

Although he works with new artists every year, Rubin also reserves studio time for his close friends, whether it was the late Johnny Cash, Slayer or especially the Red Hot Chili Peppers (see "Peppers Say Return To Sex Scene Yielded Different Magik").

"I talk to Rick almost every day of my life," Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis said. "He really has earned his place as the producer of this band. He has improved his game consistently. He just gets better and better and he's willing to work harder and harder. His intuition flourishes."

Interestingly, of all the projects Rubin's produced over the past couple of years, the one that stands out is Neil Diamond's critically acclaimed 12 Songs (see "How Jay-Z's Producer Brought Neil Diamond Back To The Future").

"It really touches a spot in me," the producer said. "He hit a sweet spot in his writing, and there's an intimacy and vulnerability to how it was recorded and a natural quality to it that really affects me when I hear it. We went in with no expectations and it turned into what it is. I'm really proud of it."

Oh, and as for those four previous Producer of the Year Grammy nominations — in 1994, '95, '99 and 2004 — he lost them all.

For more on Rick Rubin, check out the feature "What's Up With That Bearded Guy in the '99 Problems' Video?"

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