"Sequester" sounds significantly sexier than it is. As in, "Sequester"? I don't even know 'er. See, I was right.

Bringing the fine art of jazz vocals into these modern times full of anarchy for the music business is probably not the easiest gig in music today, but the work that Curtis Stigers is doing right now is important and stunning and sexy and soulful.

In the United States, he is mainly known for playing Lieutenant Werner in the critically acclaimed film Das Boot, not as a recording artist. That may change with the February 2012 release of his new album I Walk that features his international hit duet with Bono, "Mensch."

Rush, Deep Purple, Public Enemy and N.W.A. are among the group of first-time nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They join returnees Heart, ...

NEW YORK — Randy Newman is weighing in on the presidential election, and he's playing the race card through a song he wrote called "I'm Dreaming...

"For me, I picked up the guitar because of Brian Setzer and Stevie Ray Vaughan when I was a kid. So to even be in the same breath as Brian Setzer? I was blown away. But to have an ambassador of badassness like Brian Setzer being attached to swing only validated the whole thing. Way better for me."

At age 84, Joe has lost none of his comic timing. When I reminded him of the good deed he'd done for me so long ago, he paused for a beat and said, "Yeah, I sure am a great guy, aren't I?"

Multi-Platinum selling Grammy Award winners, Boyz II Men, are bringing R&B back with their with their new double album, Twenty, which debuted in -- of course -- the Top 20 on the Billboard Top 200.

This week we review albums by Neil Young, Fabolous, John Hammond, Scarface, and other artists.

"I think the culture today is very, very different from what it was in the '60s, and I feel lucky that I grew up at a time when I had these very strong female role models. They were strong women, but their power was very much connected to their creativity and their voice."

Hugh Laurie has a new album, Let Them Talk, which is New Orleans blues based. Here he discusses how he came up with that idea.

Pat Metheny's new album is titled What's It All About, which is based off a line from the song "Alfie." Since this is an unusual approach for Pat Metheny, he tracked him down to talk about it.

RN: Well, I was writing songs for other people, and they heard my demos. A&M and Warners made me offers, and because Lenny Waronker -- who I had known since I was one year old -- was at Warner Bros, I went there. And here I am today, on the same label.

One of my favorite tracks on k.d. lang's new album is the opener, "I Confess," which sounds like Brill Building meets country, meets...okay, I'll shut up now, k.d. lang has the rest.

Steve Earle spoke to me from Liuzza's in New Orleans, where he had just ordered a Po Boy, and where he is currently filming the second season of HBO's Treme.