Alicia Keys
Photo: MTV News

WEEHAWKEN, New Jersey — Alicia Keys' band has been practicing a bridge between David Bowie's "Let's Dance" and Keys' "Karma" for a half-hour to the point where they seem like one song.

Keys nods her head to the beat, giving her approval to the proposed medley for her performance at the Black Ball, Keep A Child Alive's annual fundraiser in New York on Thursday (November 9).

"David Bowie is in the show," Keys said, "so we're singing together. But the song you just heard, we may or may not do. I figured, while he's there, why not [do a duet]?"

Also joining Keys onstage will be Damien Marley, Angelique Kidjo and Louis XIV, who've all signed on to help Keys turn this annual event into a million-dollar fundraiser to help AIDS orphans in Africa. Interspersed between the performances will be film clips of the singer's recent trip to Africa, where she visited clinics in Durban, South Africa, and Kampala, Uganda.

"You go and you experience it, and you really feel what's happening and what we're doing, how you help by just being there. You feel a connection to it," Keys said. "And then musically, it's the bringing together of a whole world of people that you will probably never see on the same stage ever again."

Keys is trying to bridge worlds in more ways than one. Like Bono, Jay-Z and Madonna, she's on a mission to raise awareness about what's happening in Africa, particularly with the 12 million orphans left by the AIDS pandemic. "Awareness is power," she said. "Here I am, thousands and thousands of miles away, and most people will never see it and get to know with their own experience and feeling that this is what people are going through. But if I could show them, 'Here's what it looks like,' for those who can never be that close to it, it ignites a sense of insistency. You feel you have to do something.

"I don't think there can ever be too much awareness," she added. "From South America to Haiti to Africa, if you can say what's happening and someone can be moved by that, that's important. We're a global family. There are some people who live on 137th Street and will never leave 137th Street, and there's things happening on 137th Street that we should all know about. But where are we going if we don't care?"

The money raised by Thursday's fundraiser "goes directly to the people," Keys assured, to provide anti-retroviral medicine, staff clinics and to build orphanages. "If you donate just a dollar a day, a child could live on that for a year," she said. "It's the full package." One of the Black Ball honorees, Carol Dyantyl, who Keys calls "Mama Carol," looks after 900 children in an orphanage in Soweto, South Africa, called Ikageng Ministries. "There's a huge orphan problem," Keys said. "It's a reaction to what happens when you can't get the medicine to everyone. Families pass away.

"When I first went over there, I felt a huge, heavy weight on my shoulders," Keys added. "People looked at me like I came with all the answers, and I didn't have the answers. I sat down with tens of hundreds of kids, listening to their stories, their lives. They were infected, or their parents were infected or died. I just said, 'What do you need?' And they said, 'Medicine. We don't have access.' "

Moved by one particular child's story, Keys has written a new song in his honor. Sudi, whose family lives in the slums of Mombasa, Kenya, was 17 years old and infected with HIV but didn't receive any medication until he was 14. His growth was so stunted, he looked 9 years old, because he was less than 4 feet tall. "He passed away while I was in Africa," she said. "But he didn't die in vain. It makes you realize the later you start the medication, the harder it is, and that's why it's so important to get them the medicine very young so they can respond. If we can start other children much earlier, they can live a normal life."

She's not ready to share the song just yet — she feels like it's too close to her heart at the moment — but she did share her time with Sudi via footage she aired on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." In response, Oprah's Angel Network raised $250,000, and Key's fan club raised $4,000.

"We're just everyday people, but we can be heroes and make a huge change," Keys said. "I've gone back, and I saw buildings, whole pediatric wings, that now exist. Orphanages erected. Children who could eat, mothers who could live, families who could have a real life now. I saw kids happy and screaming and playing and alive. I saw 900 children who had some hope because we provided for them in some way. It's amazing to see what we can do with the money we raise, when it goes where it's needed."

So instead of the heavy pain she felt before, Keys said what she now feels is faith and hope. "I'm driven and excited and proud of what we've done, what we'll continue to do," Keys said. "My heart, it bleeds, because we have to be the voice for the voiceless. That's what I want to be."

• Alicia Keys Rehearses For The "Black Ball" At Her NJ Studio
• Alicia Keys, Tom Cruise, More Help Raise Money For AIDS Orphans At The Black Ball

• Alicia Keys
• David Bowie
• Damian "Junior Gong" Marley
• Angelique Kidjo
• Louis XIV

Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea and Anthony Kiedis at the 2006 KROQ-FM Weenie Roast.
Photo: Karl Walter/Getty Images

IRVINE, California — A week after Daddy Yankee cured Cinco de Mayo hangovers with his headlining set at KIIS-FM's Wango Tango, L.A. rock station KROQ-FM also went south of the border, renaming its annual May festival Weenie Roast y Fiesta.

Saturday's capacity crowd at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre was treated to free sombreros and mustaches and greeted by a mariachi band, which was pretty much the extent of the event's Latin breadth.

Shakira sat this one out, leaving opening honors instead to Wolfmother, who played the side stage — or "Stage Dos," as it was billed. The Australian retro rockers ripped through tracks from their just-released debut as the sun beat down on an enthralled audience.

(Click here for photos from this year's Weenie Roast.)

Jam rock was also in the house, in the form of Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley. He took the main stage in the afternoon, slowing things down a bit after Finland's H.I.M. As H.I.M.'s number-one fan, Bam Margera, held onto his prime side-stage vantage point, Marley mixed some crowd faves from Papa Marley's repertoire with his own hip-hop-flavored material.

The globetrotting didn't stop there, as Taking Back Sunday took the crowd back to their New York roots. Singer Adam Lazzara did his best Mick Jagger, narrowly missing his bandmates as he swung his mic in huge circles like a tetherball. The band closed its set with "A Decade Under the Influence," much to the delight of the fans in attendance.

Whatever questions were left in the air after Dashboard Confessional's existential set were quickly quashed by Rob Zombie. With what could have been the loudest performance of the day, Zombie left his mark by jumping into the pit, making his way through the seats and tearing through hits like "More Human Than Human" and a medley of covers that included "Sweet Home Alabama." He actually managed to get people to dance, although they were predominantly female.

Zombie's macho rock didn't set the stage too well for newcomers Angels & Airwaves, former Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge's new conceptual rock band. Much of the audience used the band's set as a beer-and-bathroom break, taking the energy with them.

Dave Grohl, who performed with the Foo Fighters at last year's Weenie Roast (see "Grohl's Nipple Squeezed, Audioslave Play With 'Fire' At Weenie Roast"), made a surprise return this year sans his band.

Perhaps previewing the long-discussed acoustic Foos tour (see "Foo Fighters Showcasing Their Softer Side On Upcoming Tour"), Grohl strummed through four of the band's best-known songs (including "Everlong" and "My Hero") with the help of about 15,000 backup singers.

While Grohl was the special guest onstage, backstage that honor went to "American Idol" castoff Chris Daughtry, who attracted a long line of photo-op-hungry VIPs.

As day turned to night and after an intense set from AFI, Matisyahu proved that a reggae rapper could rock a rock and roll crowd. Although it took some time for his band to get past some monitor issues, Matis finally found his groove. Between his b-boy dancing and climbing to the top of the Marshall amps — which reached so high that he bumped his head on the jumbo screen — Matis kept everyone on their feet, especially with a beat-boxing solo that would make Doug E. Fresh proud.

By the time Matis closed his set with "King Without a Crown," a very large, sombrero-wearing fan made his way onstage, dancing past the five security guards it eventually took to escort him off. Judging by Matis' big smile, it didn't faze the singer at all.

But the kings of the Roast proved to be hometown heroes the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who closed out the night. Flea, John Frusciante and Chad Smith warmed the crowd up for a couple of minutes, building the energy until frontman Anthony Kiedis burst onto the stage. The Peppers played their hits and sprinkled in some new songs off their upcoming Stadium Arcadium. Much of the crowd already knew the words to the single "Dani California" but not to two other new tracks, "Charlie" and "Tell Me Baby."

"I've seen a lot of good shows here over the years," Kiedis said, pointing to a fan 20 rows up. "I saw Jane's Addiction from that seat in 1990."

With that, of course, Kiedis gave the person who occupied that seat at the Weenie Roast his own story to tell.

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

• Red Hot Chili Peppers, Angels & Airwaves, More At 2006 KROQ Weenie Roast

• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Matisyahu
• Foo Fighters
• Wolfmother
• Rob Zombie

Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos
Photo: John Stanton/Getty Images

As in years past, the lineup for this year's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival features an eclectic mix of artists. Depeche Mode and Tool will serve as Coachella's co-headliners, and more than 80 acts will hit the stage during the 2006 installment of the two-day rock jubilee, which is set to take over Empire Polo Field in the small desert town of Indio, California on April 29 and 30. Tickets for the festival go on sale Saturday at noon (PST).

Depeche Mode, who will close the first night on the main stage, were officially named one of Coachella's headlining acts late last week. But back in December, frontman David Gahan let it slip backstage at KROQ-FM's Almost Acoustic Christmas that the band would be co-headlining the concert (see "Depeche Mode To Co-Headline 2006 Coachella Festival"). The act's presence on the roster preserves Coachella's ritual of booking 1980s icons and pioneers. The Cure, New Order, Bauhaus, Beastie Boys, Kraftwerk, Gang of Four, and a reunited Pixies have appeared on the bill in recent years.

Franz Ferdinand, Daft Punk, Sigur Rós, Common and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley will also top the first evening's bill. Others scheduled to perform that day include the Eagles of Death Metal, My Morning Jacket, Atmosphere, Carl Cox, Cat Power, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Ladytron, Tosca, Animal Collective, Devendra Banhart, She Wants Revenge, Lady Sovereign, Deerhoof, Editors, the Zutons, Colette, Imogen Heap, Wolf Mother, Living Things and You Hear It First artists Hard-Fi and the Like.

Tool's headlining set is scheduled to cap off the weekend as the finale to Sunday night's show. The band, which rocked the crowd during the inaugural Coachella back in 1999, has not performed live in the United States since 2002, when it toured with Mike Patton's Tomahawk. At present, the Maynard James Keenan-fronted group is mixing its forthcoming album — Tool's first since 2001's Lateralus. Photos taken during the recording of the LP, which were posted on guitarist Adam Jones' online blog, showed that Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, Melvins guitarist King Buzzo and Isis frontman Aaron Turner had stopped into the studio during the sessions. It's not yet known whether the guests will appear on the album, which will arrive in stores in late April or early May.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bloc Party, DJ Paul Oakenfold and Scissor Sisters will warm up the Coachella crowd for Keenan's band. Others taking the stage on April 30 include Hasidic dancehall rapper Matisyahu, James Blunt, Sleater-Kinney, TV on the Radio, Mogwai, Coheed and Cambria, Gnarls Barkley (featuring Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo), Coldcut, Digable Planets, Little Louie Vega, Wolf Parade, the Go! Team, the Dears, the Magic Numbers, the Subways, and Minus the Bear.

Additional bands set to play the two-day festival will be announced Tuesday night (January 31).

For the past few weeks, Coachella's bill was rumored to include a Smashing Pumpkins reunion (see "Billy Corgan Says He Wants To Re-Form Smashing Pumpkins"). But a spokesperson for frontman Billy Corgan's record label shot that speculation down during a recent interview with a California radio station. Melissa Auf Der Maur, formerly of Hole and Smashing Pumpkins, scoffed at the supposed Coachella booking during a recent interview with MTV News.

"I think [that would be] a little too soon," said Auf Der Maur, who worked with Corgan several months ago on a track that will appear on her forthcoming, as-yet-untitled sophomore solo disc. "I think that it's cool that there's interest and rumors running around, but ... that's definitely a hoax."

This story was originally published at 8:42 AM EST on 01.31.2006

• Tool
• Franz Ferdinand
• Depeche Mode
• Common
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Damian Marley
Photo: Getty Images

CULVER CITY, California — Now that he's established himself as a solo artist with "Welcome to Jamrock," Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley has returned to the airwaves with one of his friends in tow.

The reggae singer's latest single is the Nas collaboration "Road to Zion."

The track is "about this road that has a lot of stumbling blocks and struggles [and still] keeping your head up," Marley said at the recent Vibe Awards.

Nas' verse keeps with the theme, although personalized a bit. "In my lifetime I look back in paths I walked/ Where savages fought and passengers taught," he raps. "Prostitutes stomp in high-heel boots/ And badges screamin' at young black children/ Stop or I will shoot."

Marley and Nas shot the video using the rapper's hometown as the backdrop. "We did the video in New York, [and] we did a scene in a prison in Queens, so it has a grimy look," Marley said.

Damian isn't the first Marley to use Zion as a symbol of refuge. It's traditionally a sign of hope in reggae music, as in Bob Marley's 1980 song "Zion Train."

Speaking of Damian's late father, a mash-up of "Welcome to Jamrock" with Bob Marley's "Get Up, Stand Up" is included on the recently released Africa Unite: The Singles Collection. A previously unreleased track featuring Eric Clapton on guitar and a remix by Will.I.Am are also included in the collection, next to 17 classics.

"It's exciting for me to listen to [the songs], because a lot of them I'm not too familiar with," said Marley, who was 2 when his father died.

Now Marley is moving on another family album. He's producing tracks for brother Stephen's new disc, due in 2006.

• Damian "Junior Gong" Marley

Paul Wall's <i>The People's Champ</i>
Photo: Atlantic / Wea

Twice Tippin': Houston's scorching hip-hop scene might finally reach its tipping point this week with Paul Wall's much-ballyhooed major-label debut, The People's Champ. A limited-edition config couples the standard disc with a chopped-and-screwed version, but if you're living on the cheap this week, the chopped-and-screwed mix will be released separately on September 27. Songs include: "I'm a Playa" (featuring Three 6 Mafia), "So Many Diamonds" (featuring T.I.) and "Internet Going Nutz."

Meow Music: The purr-lesque Pussycat Dolls sashay into record bins at last this week, hoping Busta's rhymes on their "Don't Cha" single will help them scratch their way into the top five. Top-shelf producer Ron Fair spices up the Dolls' PCD with some Wurlitzer piano, and the PCD Orchestra nibbles here and there. Songs include: "Wait a Minute" (with Timbaland), "Beep" (with Will.I.Am) and "Tainted Love/ Where Did Our Love Go."

Mac Attack: A somber, gray cover photo adorns Paul McCartney's Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, but it's still a lot more attractive than the heavily pixilated art that muddied up 2001's Driving Rain (which prompted a re-release for that reason). A special edition of Chaos — this one in red and with no photo — has a doc, studio cuts, instrumentals and more. Songs include: "Jenny Wren," "Riding to Vanity Fair" and "English Tea."

Stepping It Up: Switchfoot have poured their love of Dylan, the Shins and harmonica into Nothing Is Sound, and they muse about everything from "social entropy" to democracy. Fans should switch over to the video side of the DualDisc, which has some in-the-studio stuff. Songs include: "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine," "Happy Is a Yuppie Word" and "Lonely Nation."

Mind the Gap: Like the Democrat running for 96th House District in the Ohio Congress, Charlie Wilson of Gap Band fame is also actively seeking support. He found some as of late in R. Kelly, Justin Timberlake and Will.I.Am, all of whom appear on Charlie, Last Name Wilson. Tracks include "Floatin' " (with Timberlake), a remake of the Guy ballad "Let's Chill" and the dancefloor banger "So Hot."

Welcome Back, Rockers: Gavin Rossdale returns with new project Institute and their debut, Distort Yourself; "Flagpole Sitta" breakthrough bygones Harvey Danger issue King James Version;Spin Doctors make a "WTF?"-like return with their first album in six years, Nice Talking to Me; and last but certainly not least, the fittingly named double-disc Return of the Champions finds Queen revisiting 27 ballpark and arena faves with Bad Company crooner Paul Rodgers.

We're in the Money: Pink Floyd fans will be thrilled this week, what with David Gilmour — in the flesh — helping B.B. King celebrate his milestone birthday on 80. (Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Eric Clapton and Elton John also help with the candles.) Also, prog meisters Adrian Belew (King Crimson) and Alan White (Yes) salute Floyd with a two-disc tribute, Back Against the Wall; and Dar Williams and Ani DiFranco lift their lighters for a cover of "Comfortably Numb," featured on Williams' My Better Self.

Song Titles of the Week:

The honor this week goes to Sigur Rós, who can't seem to get enough of this imaginary "Hopelandic" dialect of theirs. Takk ... features the title track, "Glosoli," "Hoppipolla," "Mea Bloanasir," "Se Lest," "Seaglopur," "Milano," "Gong," "Andvari," "Svo Hljott" and " Heysatan."

Other notables:

Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley's Welcome to Jamrock and DJ Quik's Trauma: While these two disparate artists don't have a beef we're aware of, who'd get the TKO if they did? The youngest Marley son has Nas, Bobby Brown, Black Thought and Eek-a-Mouse in his corner; revered hip-hop vet Quik's got Game, Ludacris, Wyclef Jean, Chingy, Nate Dogg, B-Real, Jodeci and T.I. Set, point, match: Quik.

Dandy Warhols' Odditorium or Warlords of Mars: Although expectations couldn't be higher for an album with a title like this, the Dandys had to scrap a bonus DVD they'd planned on including with the release. "For reasons we cannot mention, [the DVD] was scrapped by someone in the department called 'legal,' " they posted on their Web site, adding that they might wind up selling the thing themselves. (As it is, you can watch the whole program on DandyWarhols.com.)

Cave In's Perfect Pitch Black: After a short-lived affair with RCA, Boston bashers Cave In are circling back to their original label, Hydra Head, and original metalcore sound — which has become, well, something of a phenomenon since Cave In turned to a softer, more prog-oriented sound. If you're interest is piqued, head over to PerfectPitchBlack.com, where they're streaming the album — all 10,000 decibels of it.

New Releases:

• A Dozen Furies - A Concept From Fire (Sanctuary)
• Jon Philip Alman - When You Get Home (LML)
• Shawn Amos - Thank You Shirl-ee May: A Love Story (DualDisc; Shout! Factory)
• Antigone Rising - From the Ground Up (Lava)
• Aphasia - Fact & Fiction (DRT)
• Apollo Sunshine - Apollo Sunshine (spinART)
• Baby Mongoose - Enter the Baby Mongoose (Dionysus)
• Badi Assad - Verde (Deutsche Grammophon)
• Bag - Bag (Sanctuary)
• Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow (XL/Beggars)
• Cecilia Bartoli - Opera Proibida (Decca)
• Baumer - Come on, Feel It (Astro Magnetics)
• David Benoit - Orchestral Stories (Peak)
• Steve Blanchard - Northbound Train (LML)
• Blue Rodeo - Are You Ready (Rounder)
• Blues Traveler - ¡Bastardos! (Vanguard)
  Buy Now: ¡Bastardos! (Vanguard)
• Michael Bolton - Til the End of Forever (Passion Group)
  Buy Now: Til the End of Forever (Passion Group)
• The Bomb - Indecision (Thick)
• Brakes - Give Blood (Rough Trade)
• Brides of Destruction - Runaway Brides (Shrapnel)
• Pieta Brown - In the Cool (Valley Entertainment)
• Dee Dee Bridgewater - J'ai Deux Amours (Sovereign Artists)
• Cantoma - Cantoma (Quango)
• Cave In - Perfect Pitch Black (Hydra Head)
• Sam Champion - Slow Rewind (Razor & Tie)
• Tracy Chapman - Where You Live (Elektra)
  Buy Now: Where You Live (Elektra)
• Cherry Monroe - The Good, the Bad & the Beautiful (Universal)
• Choppa - Da Real Choppa (Body Head Entertainment)
• CocoRosie - Noah's Ark (Touch & Go)
• Dana Cooper - Made of Mud (Virtual Label)
• Dandy Warhols - Odditorium or Warlords of Mars (Capitol)
• Doug Cox & Sam Hurrie - Hungry Ghosts (Northern Blues)
• Cranes - Particles & Waves (with bonus DVD; Manifesto)
• Dengue Fever - Escape From DragonHouse (M80)
• Diamond Nights - Popsicle (Kemado)
• DJ Quik - Trauma (Mad Science)
  Buy Now: Trauma (Mad Science)
• The Double - Loose in the Air (Matador)
• Ebony Eyez - 7 Day Cycle (Capitol)
• The Enlightened Family - A Collection of Lost Love Songs (Voodoo-Eros)
• Eugene Edwards - My Favorite Revolution (Flagship)
• Tim Fite - Gone Ain't Gone (Anti-)
• Jack Foster III - RaptorGnosis (Muse Wrapped)
• The Fray - How to Save a Life (Epic)
• Freakwater - Freakwater Is ... Thinking of You (Thrill Jockey)
• From Monument to Masses - Schools of Thought Contend (Dim Mak)
• Gas Huffer - Lemonade for Vampires (Estrus)
• Howe Gelb - Arizona Amp and Alternator (Thrill Jockey)
• Giant Drag - Hearts and Unicorns (Kickball)
• Gio - Gio (Universal Latino)
• Go Betty Go - Nothing Is More (Side One Dummy)
• David Gray - Life in Slow Motion (ATO/RCA)
  Buy Now: Life in Slow Motion (ATO/RCA)
• Brian Lane Green - Waiting for the Glaciers to Melt (LML)
• Carlos Guitarlos - Hell Can Wait (Nomad)
• Mats Gustafsson and David Stackenas - Blues (Atavistic)
• Harvey Danger - Little by Little (Phonographic)
  Read: "Remember 'Flagpole Sitta'? Harvey Danger Return"
• Annie Hayden - The Enemy of Love (Merge)
• H.I.M. - Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 (Universal)
• HorrorPops - Bring It On! (Hellcat)
• Institute - Distort Yourself (Interscope)
  Read: "Gwen To Holla Back On Gavin Rossdale's Muscular New LP"
• Iron & Wine/ Calexico - In the Reins (EP; Overcoat)
• Jacknife - Moment of Reckoning (Zero Sum)
• Jessy - Rain (Water Music)
• John 5 - Songs for Sanity (Shrapnel)
• Marc Johnson - Shades of Jade (ECM)
• Syleena Johnson - Chapter 3: The Flesh (Jive)
• George Jones - Hits I Missed ... And One I Didn't (Bandit)
• The Juliana Theory - Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat (limited edition; Paper Fist/Abacus)
• Eugene Kelly - Man Alive (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
• B.B. King & Friends - 80 (Geffen)
• KMFDM - Hau Ruck (Metropolis)
• Lake Trout - Not Them, You (Palm Pictures)
• The Like - Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? (Geffen)
• Little Brother - The Minstrel Show (Atlantic)
• Lonestar - Coming Home (BNA)
• Patty Loveless - Dreaming My Dreams (Epic)
• Manfred Mann's Earth Band - 2006 (Friday)
• Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley - Welcome to Jamrock (Universal)
• Paul McCartney - Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (Capitol)
  Buy Now: Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (Capitol)
• Mr. Greenweedz & G. Riot - G-Strings (All Natural Inc)
• Nada Surf - The Weight Is a Gift (Barsuk)
• Neon Blonde - Chandeliers in the Savannah (Dim Mak)
• Numbers - We're Animals (Kill Rock Stars)
• OOIOO - Gold and Green (Thrill Jockey)
• Lorenzo Owens - After the Show (D-Town)
• John Parish - Once Upon a Little Time (Thrill Jockey)
• Maceo Parker - School's In! (BHM)
• Jimmy Ponder - What's New (High Note)
• Princess Superstar - My Machine (!K7)
• Pussycat Dolls - PCD (A&M)
  Read: "Pussycat Dolls: The New Spice Girls?"
• Queen + Paul Rodgers - Return of the Champions (two-disc live set; Hollywood)
  Buy Now: Return of the Champions (Hollywood)
• Bonnie Raitt - Souls Alike (Capitol)
  Buy Now: Souls Alike (Capitol)
• Rasputina - A Radical Recital (live; Virtual Label)
• The Reigning Sound - Home for Orphans (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
• Rosebuds - Birds Make Good Neighbors (Merge)
• Charlie Sexton - Cruel and Gentle Things (enhanced; Back Porch)
• Sigur Rós - Takk ... (Geffen)
  Buy Now: Takk ... (Geffen)
• Simple Minds - Black & White 050505 (Sanctuary)
  Buy Now: Black & White 050505 (Sanctuary)
• Skarp - Requiem (Alternative Tentacles)
• Mercedes Sosa - Corazón Libre (Deutsche Grammophon)
• Smif 'N' Wessum - Reloaded (enhanced; Duck Down)
• Soulive - Breakout (Concord)
• Spin Doctors - Nice Talking to Me (RuffNation)
• Steep Canyon Rangers - One Dime at a Time (Rebel)
• Stellastarr* - Harmonies for the Haunted (RCA)
• Bob Stenson, Anders Jormin, Paul Motian - Goodbye (ECM)
• Stretch Arm Strong - Free at Last (We Put Out)
• Stacy Sullivan - Cold Enough to Snow (LML)
• The Sun - Blame It on the Youth (Warner Bros.)
• Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft (XL/Beggars)
• Switchfoot - Nothing Is Sound (DualDisc; Columbia)
  Read: "Switchfoot Look Like California Raisins After Video Shoot"
  Buy Now: Nothing Is Sound (Columbia)
• Rosie Thomas - If Songs Could Be Held (Sub Pop)
• Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté - In the Heart of the Moon (Nonesuch)
• Turn Me on Dead Man - God Bless the Electric Freak (Alternative Tentacles)
• Trapt - Someone in Control (Warner Bros.)
• U-God - Mr. Xcitement (Free Agency Media)
• The Vandermark 5 - The Color of Memory (Atavistic)
• Paul Wall - The People's Champ (Atlantic)
  Read: "Paul Wall Puts His Album Aside To Help Hurricane Survivors"
  Buy Now: The People's Champ (Atlantic)
• Dar Williams - My Better Self (Razor & Tie)
• Charlie Wilson - Charlie, Last Name Wilson (Jive)
  Read: "R. Kelly Is Worth Waiting For, 'Uncle' Charlie Wilson Learns"
  Buy Now: Charlie, Last Name Wilson (Jive)
• CeCe Winans - Purified (Epic)
• Wooden Wand & the Vanishing Voice - Buck Dharma (5 Rue Christine)
• Xbxrx- Sixth in Senses (Polyvinyl)
• Trisha Yearwood - Jasper County (MCA Nashville)
• Various artists - Cry Wolf (with Bloc Party, Cake, Low, others; Lakeshore)
• Various artists - Back Against the Wall (Pink Floyd tribute; Cleopatra)
• Various artists - Mean It Man (Thick)
• Various artists - Music Is My Art (Ubiquity)
• Various artists - Old Skars and Upstarts (Disaster)
• Various artists - We Reach: The Music of the Melvins (Fractured Transmitter Recording)
• Various artists - "Elizabethtown" soundtrack (RCA)
  Read: "Cameron Crowe Requests My Morning Jacket 'Freebird' For Film"
• Various artists - "Just Like Heaven" soundtrack (Columbia)
• Various artists - "Thumbsucker" soundtrack (Hollywood)
  Read: "Elliott Smith, Polyphonics Bring Balance To 'Thumbsucker' Soundtrack"

Notable reissues:

• Joan Baez - Blessed Are ... (Vanguard)
• Joan Baez - One Day at a Time (Vanguard)
• Dieter Scherf Trio - Inside-Outside Reflections (Atavistic)
• Donovan - Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan (three-CD box set with DVD; Epic/Legacy)
• The Ex - Singles. Period. The Vinyl Years 1980-1990 (Touch & Go)
• Jimi Hendrix - 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection (Experience Hendrix/ Universal)
  Buy Now: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection (Universal)
• Jefferson Starship - Red Octopus (with bonus tracks; RCA)
• Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy - Deluxe Edition (Island)
• B.B. King - Original Greatest Hits (Capitol/EMI)
• Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Criminal Tango (with bonus tracks; Friday)
• Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Somewhere in Afrika (with bonus tracks; Friday)
• Barry Manilow - The Complete Collection and Then Some ... (box set; Arista)
• Motörhead - Bomber and No Remorse (deluxe editions; Sanctuary)
• Shattered Realm - Broken Ties ... Spoken Lies ... (new track, new cover, remastered; Eulogy)
• Sonic Youth - Goo - Deluxe Edition (with bonus disc; Geffen)
• Today Is the Day - Sadness Will Prevail & Live Till You Die (Relapse)
• Van Zant - Get Right With the Man (DualDisc; Sony Nashville)
• The Warriors - War Is Hell Redux (two new studio tracks; enhanced video; remixed and remastered; Eulogy)
• Buckwheat Zydeco - 100% Fortified Zydeco (Shout! Factory)
• Various artists - Keats Rides a Harley (Warning Label)
• Various artists - "Friday: 10th Anniversary Edition" soundtrack (two CDs; Priority)

DVDs:

• Chesterfield Kings - "Where Is Chesterfield King?!?!" (Music Video Distributors)
• Dance Hall Crashers - "Live! At House of Blues L.A." (Kung Fu Films)
• Genesis - "The Video Show" (Rhino)
• Jimi Hendrix - "Live at Woodstock" (two DVDs; Experience Hendrix/ Universal)
• Led Zeppelin - "Inside Led Zeppelin: 1968-1980" (Classic Rock Legends)
• Lydia Lunch - "Willing Victim" (Music Video Distributors)
• Samhain - "Live 1984 - Stardust Ballroom" (Music Video Distributors)
• "The Dick Cavett Show: Ray Charles Collection" (Shout! Factory)
• "Metallimania" (Plastic Head)
• "The Work of Director Anton Corbijn" (Palm Pictures)
• "The Work of Director Mark Romanek" (Palm Pictures)

Coming Attractions:

September 20:

• David Banner - Certified (Universal)
  Buy Now: Certified (Universal)
• Coheed and Cambria - Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness (Columbia Records)
• Disturbed - Ten Thousand Fists (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Disturbed Songs Will Be 'United In Anger' On Third Album"

September 27:

• Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Jacksonville City Nights (Lost Highway)
• Sheryl Crow - Wildflower (A&M)
  Buy Now: Wildflower (A&M)
• Lil Kim - The Naked Truth (Atlantic)
  Read: "Lil' Kim's Wrath For 50, Foxy Has No Bounds On Naked Truth"
  Buy Now: The Naked Truth (Atlantic)

October 4:

• Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine (DualDisc; Epic)
  Read: "Fiona Apple's Long-Delayed LP Slotted For October 4 Release"
  Buy Now: Extraordinary Machine (Epic)
• Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better (Epic)
  Read: "Set A Man On Fire, Name Next LP — Franz Ferdinand Do Whatever They Want"
  Buy Now: You Could Have It So Much Better (Epic)
• Nickelback - All the Right Reasons (Roadrunner)
  Read: "Nickelback Go The John Mellencamp Route For New Video"
  Buy Now: All the Right Reasons (Roadrunner)

• Paul Wall
• Pussycat Dolls
• Switchfoot
• Paul McCartney
• Sigur Rós

Alicia Keys performs an "Unplugged" set at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

If anyone could get MTV to bring "Unplugged" out of retirement, it would be Alicia Keys, who just taped her installment of the series last week in New York. She says it was a dream come true, and she can't believe she's about to be in the same company as Eric Clapton, Nirvana and Mariah Carey.

"As a child, in my wildest dreams — and I dreamed so big — but you never think it's going to happen," Keys said. "So to be here, on the set that we're going to record 'Unplugged' on, it's amazing and beautiful and everything I've ever dreamed of.

" 'Unplugged' is my thing, it's really my style, it's what I'm all about," she added. "When I first started playing anywhere, it was on a little cheesy keyboard in a small, nasty hotel dive, and even though I didn't have a beautiful 9-foot Yamaha piano, there was a certain energy that comes with an intimate space. I really loved it."

Keys says she also loved dreaming up brand-new arrangements for well-loved — but well-worn — tunes such as "A Woman's Worth" and "Heartburn," as well as a few choice covers (see "Alicia Keys Talks About New LP, But Won't Blow Her 'Cover' "). "To have strings, to have percussion, to have all these elements to put in the piano base that I have, this is so much fun, man," she enthused. "When my drums do come in — a lot of times they don't, it's just about the percussion — but when they do, it's about using the brushes and keeping it calm and cool for a minute."

Creating a feeling as if everyone was gathered around the piano in her living room, "just chilling," was important, she said, so that the audience could feel like her extended family. "It's about the personal feel, as opposed to a big huge rocking-out crazy three-hour show," she said. "It's about speaking to the audience."

Part of that audience also included her guest performers. With Maroon 5's Adam Levine, she covers the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses," which she calls "the most beautiful classic on the planet. The chorus is, 'Wild horses couldn't drag me away,' and if you feel that serious about something, you know it's real," she said. Damian Marley came onboard to do "Welcome to Jam Rock," while Common and Mos Def ("two of my most favorite MCs") contribute to "Love It or Leave It Alone."

	Alicia Keys Gets "Unplugged," 07.14.2005

In addition to a cover of "Every Little Bit Hurts," previously performed by female greats like Aretha Franklin and Brenda Holloway, Keys also whips out two new songs: "Stolen Moments" and "Unbreakable." The former track, which she co-wrote with Al Green, is about a romance "that shouldn't exist, but it's so perfect in how they relate to each other," she said. As for "Unbreakable," she said it's about "how life and love can be unbreakable," when it comes to couples who are inseparable, citing Will and Jada Pinkett Smith as an example. "This might be an 'Unplugged' exclusive," Keys said. "But we'll see."

"Once people see this 'Unplugged,' I just want them to feel the spontaneity, to feel passionate," she said. "I want you to see another side of me, that's free, and feel where my head is, where whatever happens, happens. I want you to feel inspired."

"Alicia Keys: Unplugged" is tentatively scheduled to air on September 9.

• Alicia Keys
• Mos Def
• Common
• Damian "Junior Gong" Marley
• Maroon 5

Bonnaroo 2007 Performances

• The National
• Lily Allen
• Damien Rice
• Regina Spektor
• Damian "Junior Gong" Marley

Radiohead, Common, Matisyahu, More At The 2006 Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival

• Radiohead
• Matisyahu
• Beck
• Common
• Ben Folds

Sundance 2006: Damian Marley Performance Party Hosted By Paris Hilton

• Damian "Junior Gong" Marley
• Eve
• Good Charlotte