Christian Hoard | Rolling Stone

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187 items by Christian Hoard

Have A Nice Day | ALBUM REVIEW

The girls who grooved to Slippery When Wet back in 1986 have gotten married and bought SUVs, but Bon Jovi have kept their arena anthems simple and sweaty — so much so that hating the New Jersey...
October 7, 2009 12:00 AM ET
Black Gives Way To Blue | ALBUM REVIEW

In the Nineties, Alice in Chains wentmultiplatinum on a grunge-metal sound that was like the soundtrack to singer Layne Staley's heroin addiction, which killed him in 2002. On the band's first album in 14 years, sludgy guitars...
September 28, 2009 12:00 AM ET
Popular Songs | ALBUM REVIEW

Playing like a welcome sequel to 2006's style-hopping I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass, Yo La Tengo's 16th studio album finds the New Jersey trio bringing out Farfisa solos and celebrating...
September 8, 2009 12:00 AM ET
Ill Communication (Remastered Edition) | ALBUM REVIEW

Topping the charts upon its release in 1994, Ill Communication found the Beasties out-cooling almost all other alt-rock acts. The New York trio mixed up hooky beat science, hardcore punk and cerebral but brassy rhymes — a...
July 20, 2009 12:00 AM ET
Blood | ALBUM REVIEW

If you liked Franz Ferdinand's last album, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, but thought it was missing something —perhaps a futuristic, stoner-friendly electro vibe? —you're in luck. This dub version, mixed by Lee "Scratch" Perry producer Dan Carey, adds...
June 22, 2009 12:00 AM ET
Monkey Business | ALBUM REVIEW

For 2003's multiplatinum Elephunk, the Black Eyed Peas recruited sexy crooner Fergie and ditched ponderous rhymes in favor of smooth hooks, transforming themselves from the world's most boring rap group to hip-hop's brightest popsters. Monkey Business...
June 17, 2009 12:00 AM ET
"Kinda Like A Big Deal" | SONG REVIEW

This seductive cut finds the world's best coke-rap duo crowing cleverly over DJ Khalil's rumbling beat about diamonds, cars and how "it's a blessing to blow a hundred thou in a recession." Kanye nearly outbrags the...
May 14, 2009 3:30 PM ET
Stand Up | ALBUM REVIEW

One advantage of actually being able to play your instruments: Midcareer crises are often less scary. In the four-plus years since Dave Matthews Band last convened to write and record a new album, its members have toured...
May 7, 2009 12:00 AM ET
'Cause I Sez So | ALBUM REVIEW

The reconstituted New York Dolls stack up awfully well against the original Seventies band, whose glam rock inspired thousands of acts. This Todd Rundgren-produced follow-up to the Dolls' fine 2006 comeback features new moves like reggae and...
May 1, 2009 12:00 AM ET
Neko Case's Animal Instinct | ARTICLE

Below is an excerpt of an article that originally appeared in RS 1074 from March 19, 2009. This issue and the rest of the Rolling Stone archives are available via Rolling Stone Plus, Rolling Stone's premium...
March 19, 2009 12:00 AM ET
Brighten The Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition | ALBUM REVIEW

In 1997, these slacker romantics slowed things down and serenaded their fans, delivering an album short on noise and long on artfully dissonant ballads. Stephen Malkmus worked softy sentimentality even into his funniest lines, rhyming "quasar in...
December 11, 2008 12:00 AM ET
Prospekt's March EP | ALBUM REVIEW

This EP collects recordings from the sessions for Viva la Vida, Coldplay's most sonically tricked-out record, but the new songs feel too conservative after Viva's world-music-laden sprawl. Though "Rainy Day" finds Chris Martin crooning brightly over strings...
December 11, 2008 12:00 AM ET
I Am...Sasha Fierce | ALBUM REVIEW

Having transitioned into a more grown-up sound, Beyoncé has gotten conceptual on us: Her third album offers two discs, a collection of heartfelt ballads credited to Beyoncé and a danceable set credited to "Sasha Fierce," the pop...
November 27, 2008 12:00 AM ET
Funhouse | ALBUM REVIEW

Pink wanted to call this album Heartbreak Is a Motherfucker — a fitting title for a record that follows her divorce from pro motocross rider Carey Hart. With songwriter Max Martin chipping in, the rock diva finds...
October 30, 2008 12:00 AM ET
The Cosmos Rocks | ALBUM REVIEW

Queen's first studio album in 13 years sounds a little like the band's old albums, with stomping rockers, over-the-top power ballads and pyrotechnic solos difficult to replicate on Rock Band. But one thing's missing: late frontman Freddie...
October 30, 2008 12:00 AM ET
Tim (Expanded Edition) | ALBUM REVIEW

Released in 1985, Tim caught a great American garage band stretching out, working Big Star pop and Fifties-style rock into a mix of punky abandon and regular-dude romanticism. This version — reissued along with three other 'Mats...
October 30, 2008 12:00 AM ET
At Folsom Prison: Legacy Edition | ALBUM REVIEW

After years of dwindling sales, Johnny Cash walked into California's Folsom Prison on January 13th, 1968, and reinvigorated his career: At Folsom Prison, the live album he cut that day, went platinum and shored up Cash's outlaw...
October 17, 2008 12:00 AM ET
Live at Shea Stadium | ALBUM REVIEW

In late 1982, the greatest punk band of all time was in the midst of a swift, sad decline: Though the Clash had just released their most commercially successful album, Combat Rock, they had also just booted...
October 16, 2008 12:00 AM ET
Big Boi's New Album: George Clinton, Raekwon and Obama | ARTICLE

Album Sir Lucious Leftfoot: Son of Chico Dusty Due Out November Outkast's Big Boi has been working on his solo debut since 2007, recording mostly in Atlanta and pulling in guests like Raekwon and George Clinton. The...
October 10, 2008 1:19 PM ET
Bruce Springsteen, Kid Rock, Foo Fighters Rip It Up at Harley-Davidson Bash | ARTICLE

When more than 100,000 motorcycle riders descended on Milwaukee for Harley-Davidson's 105th Anniversary Celebration, the lakefront festival offered plenty of action for the sunburned,...
October 2, 2008 4:45 PM ET