Long before the Postal Service matched self-effacing sentiments with sparkling synth-pop perfection, the Pet Shop Boys led the electro-insecurity charge from the '80s onward, turning out tunes whose pr …

For all of their finely crafted, laser-sharp lyrics, the Pet Shop Boys have always been undeniable dance masters, and they've logged plenty of miles on the remix road to pump up their music's booty-sha …

Dave and Phil Alvin were the brothers that Dorsey and Johnny Burnette never knew they had, and their band - aptly named the Blasters - dug up roots like a roto-tiller on speed. Blues, rockabilly, count …

It's easy to focus on the Alvins - in fact, it's hard not to - but the other Blasters weren't just hitching a ride, musically speaking. When you hear the Crescent City second-line-inspired "Hollywood B …

Estelle Swaray didn't exactly sprout wings with her 2004 debut album - The 18th Day, which barely cracked the Top 40 in her U.K. homeland - but what a difference a few years can make. The versatile hip …

Liza Minnelli is the kind of performer for whom the simple term singer somehow just doesn't quite cut it. She's an all-around entertainer of the first caliber, the kind who has racked up  …

Even though Liza made her name as the premier torchbearer of the show-tune tradition in the '60s and '70s, she had plenty more strings to her bow. The blues meets Broadway when she brings new life to " …

People sometimes praise songwriters by saying they should have their faces on a stamp. Well, Johnny Mercer already does, which should give you some idea of his stratospheric status in American m …

While Mercer may have been born when Broadway still reigned supreme, his heart couldn't help but beat in time to the rhythms of the silver screen, as he composed some of the most memorable movie themes …