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Annie Lennox October 31, 2007 The Carnival Center Better Than: A Weimar-era balladeer in a blender. I dont know whats better, that I got a privileged seat for the set of Annie Lennox last night, or that I got to sit next to the Heralds Howard Cohen, who I thought was one charming man till I logged on to the papers site this morning and saw that hed used my offhanded quip about Lennox to lead his review. No matter. Lennox did bring about the ghost of Marcel Marceau during the opening stages of her Ziff Ballet Opera House set not to mention a bit of Bowies interpreting of Egon Schiele. But unlike that silenced Frenchman (and the quiet work of that crafty Austrian), her moves were loud and as proud. And of course the crowd went wild with every bold moment. Yet as strikingly graceful as was the diva (who really is true pop royalty), it was that voice which grabbed a hold of our hearts and kept it in her hands throughout the whole show. Talk about a belting. Once more we were promised No More I Love Yous and again we were left Walking on Broken Glass, but when Annie ditched the band and sat at the piano for a speakeasy-friendly torching of Here Comes the Rain Again, it was then that our hearts fully melted into a roar. Shed thanked us for braving a storm in order to hear her, and we complied with a storm of applause not even Noel could generate. With the house now fully roused, new selections from the recently-released Songs of Mass Destruction (which, incidentally, was mixed by Miamis-own Tom Lord-Alge) segued to greatest hits such as Ghosts in My Machine and yes! a very forceful rendition of Sweet Dreams. And though Sing sang the song of the unsung and unanswerable, it was Why which asked us all to question ourselves and our motives. That last part was a cinch: Wed come to see her conquer, and we wouldnt have it any other way. John Hood Personal Bias: Im a sucker for platinum cool. Random Detail: The Ziff makes for one helluva concert hall. By the Way: You can get with Annies mission here.

In the words of Andre 3000, "You can plan a picnic, but you can't predict the weather." Considering Tropical Storm Noel is storming through the Bahamas right now, it's a wise decision that Down Sound Records and Sigma Management have decided to temporarily postpone Jah Cure's concert this weekend in the Bahamas scheduled for Nov 3rd and push it back to Nov 10. As new developments happen, we'll keep you posted. -- Jonathan Cunningham

Juliette and the Licks October 30, 2007 Culture Room Better Than: Patti Smith fronting the MC5 or just as good anyway. Its a sad state of affairs when more people turn out on a Tuesday for the Tiki-fied floor show at Mai Kai than for a second South Florida coming of Juliette and the Licks. Not thats theres anything wrong with Polynesian kitsch, mind you, or the gentle swaying of scantily clad native types. But for an act as bold and as ballsy to not summon a crowd in market as large and diverse as ours is, frankly, pitiful. Thank Zeus neither Juliette nor her Licks seems bothered by the slight, and thank Zeus there are still a good many few who arent afraid to go bump in the night, no matter how many bruises it leaves behind. And last night was a bruiser alright. Taking the stage to the gutter-croon strut of Iggy Pops Nightclubbing before breaking with American Boy, the Licks kicked, crunched and crashed their way right back into my heart, where they admittedly had been all along. Okay, so the they is a she and the shes named Juliette Lewis, and, yes, our hearts been skipping for her since Gilbert Grape, but with her mop-topped gang beside, behind and sometimes astride her, dame Juliette puts the skip to a whole new beat. Think meaty. Think mad. And think the roar of last years breakout Four in the Floor, of which much of the Licks Culture Room set was comprised. The sweaty strut of Sticky Honey, the breathless tease of Hot Kiss, the back alley depth of Purgatory Blues, the oversized ride of Get Up, which was written about her band of brothers, begins and ends with Who-like triumph (replete with windmills!), yet at its core is pure Brian Jones-era Stones or J. Geils gone to Hole. But it was with Death of a Whore that the ever It Girl was most disturbing and most divine. Possessed by sex and danger, atwirl with growl and roar, Lewis frenzied to the floor in a puddle of pathos, at once exorcising and embracing the demon seed inside her. It also apparently disturbed one young punter so much he threw his beer on the band, which in turn prompted guitarist Todd Morse to jump into the crowd and have him thrown outta the house. Yet, rude as was the dumb ones drunken move, it didnt stop the Licks from kicking out some of the best jams this side of MC5. Youre Speaking My Language came off as a cauldron for kindred spirits, and Got Love to Kill slung to a low new high. When Juliette asked us whats it gonna be, we all knew there never was any question in our mind. Scolds who say Juliettes only rocking round the world because her acting careers gone to the wayside are totally missing the point. Lewis is in the Licks because she needs to be, down to the very marrow of her being. In other words, this chick means it. And she means it well. Oh yeah, and next time the lass brings to town her brash, do yourself a favor and be there. Youll thank yourself in the morning, aches and all. -- John Hood Random Detail: The feathers in her headdress confirm her warrior soul. By the Way: Dave Grohl may have played drums on Four on the Floor, but Ed Davis has got a kick that could kill you.

The Hawaii-born trio Pepper is based in Southern California, played this years Warped Tour, and mix in Jamaican rhythms with a little punk rock tude. But dont call em any variation of s-k-a. Rather, they look a little further later in the history of Caribbean beats, mixing in a classic Seventies/Eighties reggae sound influenced by greats like Barrington Levy and Steel Pulse. Oh, and the band are also big metal fans. Huge. That might not come out in their chilled-out tunes, but the party-time vibe definitely comes through in their signature amped-up live shows. Grinding it out for over 11 years since they formed in their hometown of Kona, HI, the bands relentless touring and dogged, nice-guy persistence has won them a major buzz in the last few years. After appearing on a number of Volcom compilations, Pepper snagged tours with everyone from 311 to Snoop Dogg to Slightly Stoopid, as well as landing on this past summers edition of Warped. The bands latest full-length, No Shame, was released last year on Atlantic. The followup is slated to drop early next year on the bands own imprint, Law Records. I spoke to drummer Yesod Williams last week while the band made its way through the Midwest. Pepper lands in South Florida November 7 at Club Cinema in Pompano Beach. After the jump, the full Q&A. Arielle Castillo Pepper performs with the Expendables, Passafire, and Whitestarr Wednesday, November 7 at Club Cinema, 3251 N Federal Hwy, Pompano Beach. Call 954-785-5524, or visit www.clubcinemaflorida.com.

If you plan on going to Sleepless Night this Saturday, make sure you head to Collins and 21st around 1:00 a.m. That's when Habana Abierta, the Cuban supergroup - by way of Madrid - will rock the beach. For an excellent profile on the band, read Julienne Gage's February New Times article. Crossfade checked out the band last Saturday at the Miami-Dade Auditorium, and wow. The music - a mixture of rock, rap, acid jazz, Cuban son, salsa beats and a teeny bit of Brazillian lounge - made the room sparkle. The 12-piece band was tight, the music danceable and the rythms eclectic. The audience - mostly younger Cuban-Americans - danced and sang along with the band's well known tunes, especially the rockason "Como Soy Cubano." Individual members of the band will be playing Kimbaracumbara at 1644 SW 8th Street over the next week; call the club (305-642-8822) for more information. The band will also be playing on Nov. 9 at SOB's in Manhattan. They'll be back in South Florida on Nov. 17 for a show at La Covacha. -- Tamara Lush

Although the band originally about ten years ago in Minneapolis, Minnesota, things really started picking up for Motion City Soundtrack within the last few years. A booster: a big helping hand from Blink-182s Mark Hoppus, who fell for the bands high-powered, punk-inflected, Superchunk-y rock. Hoppus later produced the bands second album for Epitaph Records, Commit this To Memory. Another leg up: The bands signature viral music videos, like this one for Broken Heart, from 2003s I am the Movie. The bands third album, Even If It Kills Me, dropped on Epitaph last month, and MCS is currently on a major national tour with Anberlin and mae. (They play tonight at Revolution.) I caught up with guitarist and founding member Joshua Cain yesterday by phone, with the warning that there was a rush due to technical issues. After the jump, the interview. -- Arielle Castillo Motion City Soundtrack performs with Anberlin, mae, and Metro Station Tuesday, October 30 at Revolution, 200 W. Broward Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale. The show starts at 5:30 p.m., and tickets are $19. Visit www.ticketmaster.com.

Last Night: G Records Presents Lil Blaze & Yungen Monday, October 29, 2007 Vice at the Cameo, Miami Beach Better Than: Watching reruns of I Love New York 2 on VH1. OK so maybe its not as good as watching Tailor Made get his ass beat by Midget Mac and Mr. Wise (oh, you know who Im talking about!) but reality-tv had nothing on last nights soiree. For one thing, the Cameo was looking mighty packed for a Monday. I mean, really? For a club promoter to pull off a Monday night event on South Beach is like George Bush opening up a gay bar in East Compton. In another words: not a good idea. However, last nights party was surprisingly well attended. Was it due to the much talked-about up-and-comers Lil Blaze and Yungen, both Wynwood bad boys gone good, ready to take on the hip-hop game? Or was it in part due to the fact that the PR agency for the nights event, Creativas Group, busted their asses in promoting the be-jesus out of this event? [Big Ups to Liza Santana for the 13th or so e-vites sent to my inbox --- way to work those emails, girlfriend!] Or, maybe it had something to do with Ciara being there. Oh yes, did I forget to mention that last night was an impromptu 22nd birthday bash for R&B popstar Aaliyah uh, wait, I mean, Ciara? In fact, when speaking with the partys promoter, SMAC Entertainment, the nights shindig is an on-going affair celebrating the most dreaded day of the week Mondays with the oxymoronic party name entitled Dirty Sexy Mondays. There is nothing dirty nor sexy about waking up early on a Tuesday morning to get your hung-over ass to work. Either or Dirty Sexy Mondays paid big paper to bring Ms. Ciara down so she can say Hello to her Miami fans, sign some autographs, do couple shout-outs on the mic and bounce. But enough about Ciara tonight was all about one thing well, two things Lil Blaze and Yungen. Both dudes are the prized hip-hop artists that will set off Miamis own G Records. Headed by Ata Gonzalez, Humberto Torres and Giovanni Arana, these three Cuban-Miamians are, in their own words, Ready to take over. Part of their larger enterprise, The G Inc., G Records is their music division in hopes of breaking into the hip-hop industry. From the looks of the nights attendees, theyre not far from it. Having folks like Pitbull, Diaz Brothers and newly-minted Miami R&B crooner Casely all at the event showing their support, it was obvious that something was brewing in the 305s urban music scene. What is to be this concoction, who knows but so far, its looking mighty tasty. Unfortunately, no live performances from Lil Blaze and Yungen due to conflict of interest between their camp and Ciaras people. Didnt matter, the folks in the VIP area were having the time of their lives. It was as if they all won a BET award for Best Album of the Year. The energy was high, the champagne glasses were raised and when that DJ dropped an old Bobby Brown classic, it was over! All anyone had to say was Ciara who? -- Esther Park Critic's Notebook Personal Bias: Was not much of a fan of the 99cent Party City Halloween decorations that were strung up like loose cannons on the clubs ceilings. A cheap-ass broke-down zombie hanging on the stripper pole is worst than Britney Spears hanging on the stripper pole. In another words, tacky. Random Detail: Free samples of Sprincbac, a new energy drink thats suppose to help you rejuvenate your body after heavy alcohol consumption, were being handed left and right to the nights crowd. The drink was a mixture of corn syrup, seltzer water and urine. I guess it tastes great when youre drunk. By the way: Casely, who did a record with Lil Blaze, was beyond ecstatic to be at the nights event. Why? Cos the dude just got signed to a major recording deal with Epic Records this week! Damn right, Id be ecstatic as hell too! Happy Happy Joy Joy! Good luck, Casely!

BY ANDY VIHSTADT E=CD^2 The Eels are kicking off 2008 time-capsule style. Along with the Essential Eels Vol. 1 2CD/DVD greatest hits collection, the band will releasing Useless Trinkets (also 2CD/DVD), an all-inclusive anthology of B-sides and rarities that makes the cache of import singles Ive been collecting just that -- useless trinkets. Get the inside story here. Both are scheduled for January 15. In the meantime, brush up on Es pre-Eels days with a ton of downloadable goodness here, courtesy of the Runout Groove. On the House Roger Sargent, 2006 The Charlatans UK will probably be pegged as biters, even though the band announced its free album giveaway on the same day as Radiohead. No title for LP10 as of yet, but youll be able to get the whole thing at no cost at XFM sometime in early 2008. Until then, heres the first single. The Charlatans UK: You Cross My Path MP3 Warming Up Verve fans that have been geeking out since this summers reunion announcement finally got a taste last week. Clocking in at over 14 minutes, the "Thaw Session" demo/jam session is the first material the band has laid down in ten years. Download it thanks to Album of the Day. Watered Down Gomez co-frontman Ian Ball is testing the waters this week with his solo debut, Who Goes There. From the two tracks posted at Stereogum, itll basically be a Gomez cutting-room floor album, cept without that gravely-voiced dude. Yeah, so basically something like this. Ian Ball: Whippin Piccadilly (Live at WOXY.com) MP3

Toots and the Maytals Sunday, October 28, 2007 City Limits--Delray Beach Better Than: Getting Swept in the World Series Reggae fans around the world should be familiar with the raspy yet powerful voice of Toots Hibbert, enigmatic frontman of legendary band, Toots and the Maytals. The group has left their amazing and inimitable stamp on the genre of reggae for years. Initially in the mid 60s and 70s the original line-up cranked out numerous number one hits like, "Pressure Drop" and "Country Road," and these days, the current line-up is a force to be reckoned with as well. Last night they played a fairly intimate set at City Limits in Delray Beach for the final stop of their tour and you could almost feel the cosmic energy swirling through the venue. It needs to be said that Toots is in great shape for a man that's been playing reggae live since 1964. He moves and grooves like a man half of his age. Maybe it was because this was the last night of the tour but Toots was visibly having a great time on stage and was laughing and dancing for most of the hour long set. During certain parts of the show, it was almost like watching James Brown at the Apollo Theatre circa 1962 as Toots' footwork was rather impressive. So were the sexy backup singers on stage that just happened to be Toot's daughters. For the most part, the crowd got to hear all of the band's greatest hits. It's a given that the band will crank out, "54-46 That's My Number" and "Pressure Drop" but it was a treat to hear "Bam Bam" and "Monkey Man" worked into the set as well. As a music critic, I admit to being a touch hard to impress but during last night's version of "Monkey Man" I was jumping around swirling like a hippie at Bonnaroo. The instrumentation was all top notch throughout the night. All of the musicians were locked into a groove so tight, everyone could have been playing with their eyes closed and still been perfectly in synch. The band is taking a well needed break but will be back in Fort Lauderdale for the Jam Cruise around the first of January... Critics Notebook: Personal Bias: I always like seeing a band's state of mind during the last night of a grueling tour, as it's either going to be the best of worst gig that they play. 50/50 odds were on my side and it paid off. Random Detail: Toots came out on stage wearing black leather chaps, black leather shoes, and a black leather vest. If that's not badass for an aging reggae singer, I don't know what is. By the way: If you want to hear more of Toots and the Maytals, check out their MySpace and hear some of best songs ever recorded within the genre of reggae. - Jonathan Cunningham

It was just last week that CrossFade reported news out of Miami that R&B/pop star Kelis was heading to trial for her recent run in with the law this past March in South Beach. As if that's not enough to deal with (aside from everyone hating on her fashion style) late last week, her record company also gave her the boot. According to a story on Entertainment Weekly, Mrs. Nasir Jones has officially been dropped by Jive Records and is searching for a new label. Hopefully her luck changes soon or her next single is going to be a cover of "Jailhouse Rock" no matter what label signs her. -- Jonathan Cunningham