Contributor

5 items by Kelefa Sanneh

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  X&Y | ALBUM REVIEW

  Coldplay didn't seem destined for bigness. Their 2000 debut, Parachutes, was full of drizzly but pretty rock ballads that were almost memorable enough to prevent American listeners from confusing the band with Travis. Of course, that album...

  June 17, 2009 12:00 AM ET
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  From A Basement On The Hill | ALBUM REVIEW

  For many fans, Elliott Smith's greatest gift to the world was his sadness. He was thirty-four when he died on October 21st, 2003, from two stab wounds to the chest. But the more we learned about his...

  October 28, 2004 12:00 AM ET
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  Under My Skin | ALBUM REVIEW

  Avril Lavigne conquered the pop charts by refusing to get dirty. No skimpy clothes, no suggestive dancing, no tabloid adventures, no hip-hop collaborations, no provocative lyrics. She was both more defiant and more clean-cut than her peers:...

  June 10, 2004 12:00 AM ET
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  Kid Rock | ALBUM REVIEW

  When Eminem crossed over to pop, he freaked out. But when Kid Rock crossed over, he just grinned, threw up a middle finger and kept going, crossing right through the mainstream and coming out the other side....

  November 19, 2003 12:00 AM ET
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  You Are Free | ALBUM REVIEW

  In 1998, Chan Marshall released Moon Pix, the fourth Cat Power album. It started with a song about a musician who couldn't stop: "My friend sits at the drum/His magic hand feels nothing but time." Then she...

  February 11, 2003 12:00 AM ET