Music

Amistad Summer: Anthony Hopkins And Morgan Freeman Ready Decca Debuts

• Hopkins and Freeman release solo music projects on Decca next month.
• Freeman's blues album lands 7 August; Hopkins's classical work 21 August.
• Both Amistad co-stars were born in 1937, six months apart.

Two of the lead actors from Steven Spielberg's 1997 historical drama Amistad, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Morgan Freeman, are each set to release their own musical projects on the Decca label next month. Hopkins has signed to Decca Classics as a composer and will release Life Is A…

Alabama Shakes return with new single ahead of first album in 11 years

Alabama Shakes have released "I Feel Hope Coming", the second single from their forthcoming album I Must Be Dreaming. The band describe the track as an "understated anthem about choosing optimism and community in the face of an increasingly chaotic world", with a press release framing it as…

Four Tet’s Internet-Breaking New Wingdings Album Is Now Streaming

• Four Tet released a new album under a symbol-based alter ego.
• Chaotic metadata reportedly crashed iTunes and iPods for buyers.
• The album reached streaming services a day after Bandcamp.

Kieran Hebden, best known as the electronic artist Four Tet, has released a new album under his unpronounceable alter ego, an alias rendered entirely in unusual symbols and characters. The record first appeared last month as a limited-edition vinyl pressing before arriving digitally, and it quickly gained attention…

On This Day in 1970, Johnny Cash Recorded the Live Album That Launched Kris Kristofferson’s Career

On 10 July 1970, Johnny Cash recorded the live album *The Johnny Cash Show* at the Grand Ole Opry House, a release tied to his television series of the same name. Though not the best-remembered of Cash's live records, it proved significant because its only single, "Sunday Morning…

Cage The Elephant Release Single “Beaches in Tennessee”: Stream

Cage The Elephant have released "Beaches in Tennessee," their first new music in two years since the 2024 album Neon Pill. The garage rock single is built around brothers Matt and Brad Shultz's overdriven guitar and vocal melodies, and marks a notable moment as the band's return following…

JAY-Z at Yankee Stadium: How to Get Last-Minute Tickets

• JAY-Z plays three anniversary shows at Yankee Stadium, 10thu201312th July.
• The Blueprint night is in highest demand, from the $250s.
• Further 2026 dates follow in London, Paris and Los Angeles.

JAY-Z is returning to the stage this weekend for three concerts at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, in a run of shows celebrating major anniversaries of two of his most acclaimed albums. Friday 10th July marks 30 years since his debut Reasonable Doubt, Saturday 11th July…

3 Whitney Houston Songs That Will Make You Feel Like Anything Is Possible

This is a light music feature from American Songwriter highlighting three Whitney Houston songs chosen for their uplifting, confidence-boosting feel. - "Higher Love" — Originally a 1986 Steve Winwood track, covered by Houston in 1990; producer Seth Faber told Music Week how Kygo's acclaimed 2020 remix chopped up…

‘When You Love A Woman’: the Journey hit that took 15 years to find meaning

This article from Far Out Magazine looks at the Journey song "When You Love a Woman" and explores how the track reportedly took on a fuller or truer meaning some 15 years after its release. The piece frames the song as one whose emotional significance deepened over time,…

RIAA, IFPI & More Come Together to Create System for Tagging AI-Generated Songs

A coalition of major music-industry bodies — including IFPI, the RIAA, independent-label groups A2IM, WIN and IMPALA, The Grammys, SAG-AFTRA and the Human Artistry Campaign — has announced plans to create a standardised system for tagging AI-generated songs on streaming services. The proposal, likened to the existing "explicit"…

3 Essential 1960s Surf Rock Albums That Pushed the Limits

This American Songwriter feature highlights three 1960s surf rock albums that it credits with expanding the genre beyond its origins as a regional Southern Californian fad. The piece argues that a handful of visionary artists helped transform surf rock's sun-soaked melodies and twangy guitars into a nationwide phenomenon,…