Jonatha Brooke – Back in the Circus Jonatha Brooke – Back in the Circus   (Bad Dog/Verve) Jonatha Brooke has been out in the folk-pop...

Toby Lightman Toby Lightman Devils and an Angel by Jay S. Jacobs The music biz is always hungrily searching for the next big thing....

Jewel - 0304 Jewel – 0304  (Atlantic) Before this album even came out, we got some emails from long-time Jewel fans who had read our interview with the singer and were very disturbed by the direction that folk singer Jewel was taking with her latest album, the single "Intuition" and the video for the song. I hadn't heard the song at the time of the first note, and when I did see the video... a goof on advertising with the sensitive, down-home songstress turned into a temptres

A MIGHTY WIND (2003) Starring Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Catherine O'Hara, Harry Shearer, Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Parker...

Vanessa Paradis – Au Zenith Vanessa Paradis – Au Zenith  (Barclay/Universal-France) In the United States, Vanessa Paradis is probably best known as Johnny Depp's live-in girlfriend. Other people may know her as the Chanel model or an actress. But in her native France, she is an institution.  Paradis first made waves when she was only 14, with her 1987 international hit single "Joe Le Taxi." That single was a huge hit in just about every country  but  the U.S., and the song an

Bet Williams – Live at the Point Bet Williams – Live at the Point  (Epiphany)   It's always strange to hear a recording of a concert when you had been in the audience.  I have been lucky enough to experience several shows that have been changed into live albums or videos, and they are almost always a bit of a let-down, not capturing the magic of the moment.  Bet Williams'  Live at the Point  is the exception to that rule.    Now it's only ethical for me to acknowledge right o

Jill Sobule Jill Sobule Too Cool… by  Jay S. Jacobs It’s Friday evening at the Upstage; a new Philadelphia venue built in a beautiful old...

Jewel Jewel Portrait of a Young Artist by Jay S. Jacobs POPENTERTAINMENT.COM ARCHIVES-June 1996 We spoke with superstar Jewel Kilcher in...

Natalie Merchant – Ophelia  (Elektra)   Inside the slip case of Natalie Merchant's second post-10,000 Maniacs outing, she poses in a series of retro-looking glamour shots in which she is playing a different character. We get Natalie as glamourpuss, librarian, gun moll, nun, circus girl, Olympic athlete and junkie.   The obvious conceit of the packaging is that we are going to see all sorts of conflicting and surprising views of who and what Merchant is. Too bad the album itse

10,000 Maniacs – Love Among The Ruins 10,000 Maniacs – Love Among The Ruins  (Geffen) It is pretty much universally agreed that Natalie...