Detractors who dislike frontman John Popper’s virtuosic harmonica skills will be glad to hear that there isn’t really that a lot of it on "North Hollywood Shootout." For much of the record, the band's jammy tendencies are curbed in favor of quirky instrumentation and a sunny, summertime pop-rock vibe.

I’m an idiot because, though I’ve had HBO since the mid-1990s, I’ve never watched an episode of “The Wire.” And that’s only part of it. Not only did I ignore the show’s entire five-season run on HBO (which, remember, I was paying for), but I also got each season on DVD from the cable channel’s publicity department. And guess what? I didn’t watch those either. One of the most acclaimed shows ever, just sitting on my shelf.

The upside to being Beyonce Knowles’ sister is that it’s a lot easier to get a record deal. The downside? You’re Beyonce Knowles’ sister, so the bar has been set pretty high. But there’s no denying that her sophomore effort, "Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams," is a near-perfect blend of Motown soul pedigree and modern pop.

Last year, Britney Spears’ opening number of “Gimme More” had fans wanting less at the MTV Video Music Awards.

This regular guy happens to be good at being other people.

If, in 1952, Adlai Stevenson supporters used Benny Goodman’s 1921 song “There’ll Be Some Changes Made” without permission in a regional TV ad against Dwight D. Eisenhower, they may have gotten away with it.

Japanese dancehall? Yeah, I said it. It's a testament to the power of the Internet that dancehall, the offshoot cousin of reggae, has made it all the way to the Far East.

"American Idol" winner says he's on target for late fall release of his first post-Idol CD.

Casual fans would probably find Jeffrey B. Symynkywicz’s album-by-album evaluation of Springsteen’s work from a spiritual perspective to be almost maddeningly comprehensive. But for those of us who do think this much about this stuff, “The Gospel According to Bruce Springsteen” is a welcome and thought-provoking look at the words of an important artist whose work has and continues to resonate.

WWE seems to be losing a lot of talent recently, both voluntarily (the 14 wrestlers fired recently) and not so voluntarily (both Ric Flair and Mick Foley leaving on their own terms). This is a great opportunity for WWE to both sign some new talent from either ROH, TNA or the indies, as well as a chance for guys to step up and take some mid-card spots with less competition in the locker room.

Rainn Wilson, 42, star of the new movie "The Rocker" (and one of the stars on "The Office") is all boyish charm with a sweet open face that bears no resemblance to the usually scowling Dwight.

The guitar-playing, gruff-singing, harmonica-blowing Watermelon Slim and his crack band, the Workers – drummer Michael Newberry, guitarist Ronnie McMullen Jr. and bassist Cliff Belcher –   have an impressive body of work in contemporary blues music.

Even when his musical backing wasn't the best, you could always count on the GZA to bring intelligence and heat on the mic. With "Pro Tools," the Wu-Tang Clan's best lyricist employs production from the RZA, a few Wu juniors and Black Milk  to create his best solo disc since "Liquid Swords."

Classic Ice Cube records mined the sounds of P-Funk and Roger & Zapp, and his work with Public Enemy and the Bomb Squad was a fascinating, frenetic look at disillusioned urban angst. Raw Footage just kind of sounds like throwaway G-Unit beats and a grown man trying to recapture his former gangsta glory between movie shoots (and without a gun).