When Shane MacGowan sang on the mid-tempo-but-manic Dropkick Murphys song "Wild Rover and Good Rats," the longtime Pogues leader essentially passed his pint glass to the young Bostonians. Much like the …

So, you're not from Boston or Irish, but still want to understand what makes Dropkick Murphys the most essential shamrock punk-folk band since the Pogues? Take one listen to "Worker's Song" and you'll  …

While critics have always toasted her restless creativity, the music industry has struggled with understanding Nellie McKay from the start. Aside from being a sly jab at a Norah Jones album, Get Awa …

By the time Bobbie Gentry stepped away from public life in the late '70s, she'd recorded a wealth of material that redefined country crossover stardom and marked the Mississippi-born beauty as a one-of …

If Bobbie Gentry broke the mold of what a female country star should be, writing much of her own material and flavoring her down-home tones with pop and R&B, it only made her better suited to tackling  …

J. Mascis was a college-town kid in mid-'80s Amherst, Mass., when Dinosaur Jr. - his band with on-and-off bassist Lou Barlow - rose up to stalk the land, bringing smart-mouthed lyrics, loads of slacker …

Naturally, more than 20 years spent making music means one-offs and more than one milestone. We've sorted out the best of Dinosaur Jr.'s two-plus decades to bring you everything from mid-'80s beginning …

Who'd have thought that a country singer-turned-skater-punk from Napanee, Ontario would become the youngest female solo artist to hit #1 on the album charts - with her debut, Let Go? Avril Lavig …

Imagine pinup-idol-era Frank Sinatra with Dr. John's New Orleans-schooled piano prowess; add a touch of funk, a dash of Monk, and the killer charisma of an Entertainer with a capital E, and an artist w …