Otis Redding News

Matt Giraud earns praise for his performance during the "American Idols Live Tour" kick off Sunday in Portland, Oregon.

One was smooth and polished, while the other was street and gutsy. The mere mention of Motown or Stax Records still brings back the memories of the legendary music performers and the songs that made them famous.

The top 10 American Idols launched their 50-city Idols Live tour Sunday night at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore., with a three-hour production showcasing the Season 9 singers' best sides and emphasizing contemporary material over oldies.

The Susan Boyle debate rages on. Will she need a makeover before the album comes out? Did she succeed despite or because of her unorthodox appearance? And so on and so on... Back in the Sixties, record companies were still in the habit of putting pretty white girls on record covers, especially if the artist who recorded the music was black.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Concerts at Marymoor at Marymoor Park, 6046 W. Lake Sammamish Parkway N.E., Redmond.

WEEKS before the final curtain fell on Michael Jackson's remarkable life, I noticed a startling similarity among some of my favorite artists that went far beyond the musical genre.

JACK Ladder had a moment last year that changed his music career. Until that point he had been the introspective indie type, writing acoustic ballads about match-ups and break-ups and delivering them on an old three-quarter size acoustic guitar to anyone who would listen.

By DARLA ATLAS / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News Darla Atlas is a Fort Worth freelance writer.

June 24, 2009 Booker T. and the MG's to bring soul to Charleston Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Booker T. and the MG's with opener Eddie "Knock On Wood" Floyd in the 2009 FestivALL Mayor's Concert at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Clay Center.

Digging rock 'n' roll In recent months my musical tastes have become so retro it's disgusting.

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings bring their classic soul sound to Power Center Thursday as part of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival.

I watched my 78-eight year old father toting his beloved trumpet up the walkway.

City Stages 2009: You're looking at country -- Singer-songwriter James Otto says he's a Southern boy at heart Posted by Mary Colurso -- Birmingham News June 19, 2009 4:00 AM Special James Otto has recorded a song, "Your Good Thing's Gone Bad," at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals.

It's hard to dislike Lee Fields. He's an almost archetypal jobbing soul singer in the shouter/grunter/talker/improviser tradition of Otis Redding and James Brown, and he's currently undergoing something of a revival as a Sharon Jones collaborator and featured vocalist for Eurohouse hits.

" has made a leap of Olympic proportions... in both breadth of genres, and maturity of perspective -- it sounds more like a fourth effort than a second," raved Jim Farber in the New York Daily News.

Lee Fields ' name may not ring a bell to those unaware of obscure, vintage soul, but Fields and his band The Expressions are doing their best to change that with next week's release of My World on Truth & Soul Records .

$21 advance. $24 door. 9 p.m. Fri., June 12. The current wave of old-school Southern R&B just peaked with the energetic new release by Austin-Texan Black Joe Lewis.

There are some among us who believe Macon could follow in the footsteps of Memphis, Tenn., and turn part of downtown into an entertainment district similar to Beale Street.

New Music Tuesday Review: Paolo Nutini bring raw soul on 'Sunny Side Up' Tuesday, June 9th 2009, 3:19 PM Farber for News photo of Paulo NutiniFor: New Music TuesdayReporter: Jim FarberEditor: Lauren Johnston Original Filename: Paolo Nutini - COL PUB 2 - Small.jpg There's a scratch in Paolo Nutini 's voice millions would kill for.

Should Punk Rock ever lead to growing up? Such is the quandary that the aging delinquents of Dillinger Four have been silently pondering.