ARTS Pick: Keith Urban

Keith Urban’s latest project, Graffiti U, is a versatile album, deeply rooted in the country music of his youth. While Urban is known for infusing guitar chops and hard rock into his music, this album stays stylistically true to the songs of Johnny Cash, Charley Pride, and Merle Haggard, which he discovered in his father’s record […]

ARTS Pick: Thomas Rhett

With Life Changes, Thomas Rhett delivers a collection of fearless rock and country vibes in a reflective ode to things lost and found. Growing up in the music scene, Rhett seemed destined to follow in the footsteps of his country singer dad, but found himself fostering the success of his peers, penning tunes for acts such […]

ARTS Pick: P!nk makes a power play

Known for her impact on pop music as well as her incredible live shows, P!nk is taking her countless hits around the globe on her Beautiful Trauma world tour. Despite using aerial stunts, Vegas-style production and lots of backup dancers, P!nk wins from the first note with her vocal talents. Expect hits, from the powerful […]

ARTS Pick: Jimmy Buffett brings the beach ballads

For local Parrot Heads looking to waste away again on a seashore in their minds, Jimmy Buffett brings his easy listening island tunes and beach ballads to the stage. Combining country, rock and pop, Buffett is often referred to as the “king of Gulf and Western” sound. From his start as an easygoing beach bum […]

ARTS Pick: Luke Bryan puts a new spin on country

Country superstar Luke Bryan’s hit songs put a contemporary spin on broken hearts and driving trucks, allowing him to shift from mainstream to the hip-hop, rock world of bro-country—a term he rejects, but it seems appropriate for a guy who’s been named Entertainer of the Year by the Academy of Country Music and Country Music […]

ARTS Pick: Zac Brown Band

Two heads are better than one…but how about eight? The award-winning, record-smashing Zac Brown Band proves that strength does come in numbers. Blending rock energy with country style, the group is tearing through the U.S. on the Welcome Home tour, following the release of its latest album of the same name. The new tracks are […]

ARTS Pick: Stevie Nicks

Throughout the ’70s and ’80s Stevie Nicks reigned as a musical goddess. Her mystical words, gypsy attire and bewitching voice made an indelible mark on rock history, and her trail of hits with Fleetwood Mac are rivaled only by the legacy of her solo material. Pair Nicks on tour with Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders, […]

ARTS Pick: Miranda Lambert

Coming up as a teenage country singer, Miranda Lambert was disenchanted by the pop music style that Nashville starmakers tried to push on her. Instead, Lambert blazed her own groove down the well-worn path of traditional country music and defined herself with hits such as “Gunpowder and Lead,” “The House That Built Me” and “Little […]

ARTS Pick: Twenty One Pilots

Why is Ohio-based duo Twenty One Pilots (below) so “Stressed Out?” The band—which has toured and built its audience since 2009—was named the biggest new act of 2016 by Rolling Stone, and has been sweeping up music awards with two tracks nominated for (a total of five) Grammys, including Record of the Year and Best […]

ARTS Pick: Carrie Underwood

It’s been 11 years since Carrie Underwood became the fourth “American Idol” winner and arguably the show’s most successful contestant—she’s sold almost 15 million albums. Her best-selling track to date, “Before He Cheats,” is a catchy, bared-soul retaliation fantasy that put nine awards, including two Grammys, on Underwood’s shelf. But she might be best known […]