Singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen dead at 82

Leonard Cohen, the baritone-voiced Canadian singer-songwriter who seamlessly blended spirituality and sexuality in songs like "Hallelujah," "Suzanne" and "Bird on a Wire," has died at age 82, his son said Thursday."My father passed away peacefully at his home in Los Angeles," Adam Cohen said in a statement. "He was writing up until his last moments with his unique brand of humor."Cohen, also renowned as a poet, novelist and aspiring Zen monk, blended folk music with a darker, sexual edge that wo

Nov. 11, 2016

[Album Review] STRFKR’s relaxed flow fits 4th album’s dance grooves

STRFKR“Being No One, Going Nowhere” (Polyvinyl/ADA)Frontman Josh Hodges takes command in STRFKR’s fourth album, shaping the dance grooves into a relaxed, joyous flow. Written during a stint in the California desert outpost of Joshua Tree, Hodges’ “small and slow” feelings of solitude imbue his songwriting with a coat of easygoing exuberance.The sounds across “Being No One, Going Nowhere” stay within the realm of recognizable electro pop, their graceful trot belying some of the heaviness of the l

Nov. 11, 2016

[Album Review] Love helps Jim James survive in ‘Eternally Even’

Jim James“Eternally Even” (ATO/Capitol) My Morning Jacket’s Jim James takes a melancholy turn on “Eternally Even,” a dreamy if somber overview of some of life’s pressures and challenges.The focus of James’ attention is clear from the opening track “Hide in Plain Sight,” companionship and camaraderie acting as small-scale but effective balms to the meanness in this world.Considering there are five drummers, including the legendary Jim Keltner, credited on “Same Old Lie,” the song is a model of re

Nov. 11, 2016

[Album Review] Susan Boyle has music formula down in new album

Susan Boyle“A Wonderful World”(Syco/Columbia)How to properly harness the skill of Susan Boyle is something of a pop riddle. What’s the best way to deploy the soaring voice that comes out of this shy, British, middle-aged woman? Jazz? Broadway show tunes? Christmas songs?Producer Steve Anderson thinks he’s cracked it: Give Boyle an old pop tune, surround her with an orchestra and let her start quietly before the musicians crank up and she ends up belting behind a gale of music.His approach seemed

Nov. 11, 2016

[Highlights] Arts and entertainment calendar

Classical MusicA scene from Giuseppe Verdi’s “Macbeth” (Sejong Center)“Macbeth Opera”: The Sejong Center is gearing up to host its latest opera production, Verdi’s operatic rendition of the Shakespeare classic “Macbeth.” Verdi’s rendition of the Shakespearean tragedy is often hailed as the best of the composer’s earliest works, expressing the cruelties and ambitions of humans through a powerful score. The production will star baritones Yang June-mo and Kim Tae-hyun as Macbeth; and sopranos Oh Mi

Nov. 11, 2016

Kevin Oh to release debut single

Singer-songwriter Kevin Oh is getting ready for his debut. 　The 26-year-old won Mnet’s music competition show “Superstar K” last year and will unveil his first single next week, according to his entertainment agency CJ E&M on Thursday.　Produced in collaboration with hip-hop artist Primary, the upcoming track “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” is expected to boast Oh’s soft ballads which allowed him to rise to the top in “Superstar K.” Primary has collaborated with some of the biggest names in Korean h

Nov. 10, 2016

Se7en to release Japanese album

Se7en has had a busy year. After returning with his first Korean EP “I am Se7en” in over four years in October, the singer is set to release a new Japanese album next month. During a fan meeting held at the Tokyo Dome City Hall in Japan on Wednesday, Se7en announced his plans for the upcoming studio album “Danger Man,” according to the artist’s management agency Eleven 9 Entertainment on Thursday. 　 “The new album will include everything from rhythm-and-blues to dance to punk music,” he told his

Nov. 10, 2016

Elton John's photo trove displays beauty in black and white

LONDON (AP) -- He's one of the most colorful figures in rock ‘n’ roll, but when it comes to photography, Elton John embraces black and white.Scores of vintage images from the musician's collection are on display in “The Radical Eye,” an exhibition opening this week at London’s Tate Modern. The show displays more than 190 photos that usually line the walls of John's 18,000 square foot (1,670 square meter) Atlanta apartment, one of his several homes.If stark black and white seems too plain a palet

Nov. 10, 2016

‘Lazarus’: David Bowie’s musical legacy opens in London

LONDON (AFP) -- David Bowie’s musical “Lazarus” has arrived in London, with an opening line evoking the spirit of the late British star: “Look up here, I’m in heaven.”The play’s run in the British capital brings Bowie’s legacy back to his home city nearly a year after he died on Jan. 10 following a 10-month battle with cancer.Bowie, who grew up in London’s Brixton neighborhood, made his last public appearance at the show’s gala night in New York on Dec. 7 last year.The somber musical is inspired

Nov. 10, 2016

'Mozart 225' contains all of his music in 200-CD box set

What measures 11 inches square and 7 inches high, weighs 21 1/2 pounds and takes 10 days and nights to play?Answer: A new box set jam-packed with 200 CDs that contains every note composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in his short 35 years of life. Just in time for the 225th anniversary of the composer's death on Dec. 5, Decca and Deutsche Grammophon have combined forces to issue this compilation, mind-boggling in its thoroughness and admirable in its scholarly depth. There are other “Complete Moza

Nov. 8, 2016

Sistar's Hyolyn set to drop new album

Hyolyn of girl group Sistar will release a new album at midnight, her management agency said Monday, marking the artist’s solo return after a three-year hiatus.The mini album, titled “It's Me,” will be unveiled at 12 a.m. Tuesday, featuring six songs, including the title track “Paradise,” “Love Like This” and “One Step,” according to Starship Entertainment.Well-known musicians, including American composer Melanie Joy Fontana and European composers Erik Lidbom and Andreas Oberg, took part in its

Nov. 7, 2016

Hockney, de Kooning highlight NY contemporary art auction

NEW YORK (AP) -- Works by Gerhard Richter, Willem de Kooning and David Hockney will highlight Sotheby's contemporary art auction later this month. The Nov. 17 auction also will feature paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol. Sotheby’s expects a large-scale landscape by Hockney titled "Woldgate Woods, 24, 25 and 26 October, 2006" to set a new auction record for the British artist. It believes the painting will bring between $9 million and $12 million.The current Hockney auction record

Nov. 7, 2016

Seeking strong female role, Fleming turns to life of O'Keeffe

NEW YORK (AFP) - Tired of an opera repertoire in which women are so often portrayed as young and vulnerable, Renee Fleming is premiering an original piece on Georgia O'Keeffe, the painter whose life was momentous and multidimensional.Fleming, often considered the greatest US soprano of her generation, has increasingly branched out from the traditional canon as she strives to challenge herself and ensure the contemporary relevance of opera.“Letters from Georgia,” a song cycle by rising composer K

Nov. 7, 2016

Electronic music pioneer Jean-Jacques Perrey dies at 87

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) -- Jean-Jacques Perrey, the French composer and pioneer of electronic pop music who was best known for co-writing “Baroque Hoedown” used as the music for the Main Street Electrical Parade at Disney theme parks, has died at age 87.　 Perrey died in Lausanne, Switzerland, Friday “from a very quick and violent lung cancer,” his daughter, Patricia Leroy, said.　 Electronic music composer Dana Countryman, in a tribute to his frequent collaborator posted on Facebook, noted tha

Nov. 6, 2016