Ween fans will dig this one. At the Cat’s Cradle, 1992 is a two-disc set, the first a CD recorded live at the Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on December 9, 1992. At this time the band included Gene Ween (vocals & guitar) Dean Ween (vocals & guitar) and at bass and drums Yamaha Digital Audio Tape Deck. That’s right, Ween fans, with Kirk Miller as live sound engineer and Paul Monahan as tour manager, this was one of the first tours after signing with Elektra Records and the band were still just Dean and Gene. The second disc is a DVD, which is one hell of a bonus. It contains shows caught live at Vera in Groningen, Netherlands and Staches in Columbus Ohio. There are also two fun clips of the guys filmed while in a studio at WTSR Radio in Trenton, New Jersey.

Disc one is a great show, twenty-one tracks starting with warm-up song “Big Jim” followed by one of my favorites, “Never Squeal On Th’Pusher”. Other favorites of mine on here are “Mango Woman” with its funky tropical sound. Also “Pork Roll, Egg and Cheese” which has more of a basic rock ‘n’ roll sound to it. The words are sung in a manner you might have heard in the early fifties. Right after that tune comes “Cover It with Gas and Set It on Fire.” Now here is where vocals add texture. As Dean snarls out “He’s the hobble with the wobble at the gang rape,” Gene screeches his words out wickedly, “cover it with gas and set it on fire” while the Hendrixesque guitar riffs and cowbell give this song an LSD twinge. You know, kind of groovy yet freaky at the same time. You don’t know if you should really be rocking out to this song, but it’s got a great beat and you just can’t help yourself. The guys use their voices to express more than just the words they have written; they can use them as other instruments. Other fan favorites such as “You Fucked Up” and “Nan” are here along with “Captain Fantasy” that sounds like a twisted Queen symphony. This song was also caught live on the DVD.

For Ween being anti-pop culture musicians was about getting their ideas out there and having fun doing it. And having fun on stage for Dean and Gene means a fun show for the now hundreds of thousands of Boognish worshipers around the world that appear at Ween shows. You can hear this in the CD. The audience in the background, small then compared to the crowds they get now, is enjoying not only the music, but also the interaction with the guys. The liner notes by Dean lay out a base of what they faced on stage every night before the band was as known as they are today. The true Ween fans will understand this because this is one of those bands that you either get or you don’t.

They tried an increasingly commercial approach which hit a nadir with their cover of the Christopher Cross tune "Ride Like The Wind", and a series off lineup changes ended up with two versions of Saxon doing the rounds before the version led by vocalist Peter "Biff" Byford won the legal battle.  However, they always maintained a strong presence in the metal heartland of Germany, and remained beloved by many for inspiring the writers of "This Is Spinal Tap".  Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer have confirmed that Saxon was a major inspiration for the 1984 mockumentary and they copied  many of Saxon's mannerisms on stage. This came about after Harry Shearer toured with the band in 1981, hearing anecdotes from lead guitarist Graham Oliver and bassist Steve "Dobby" Dawson. Shearer also copied many of Dawson's mannerisms, such as playing his bass with one hand plucking the strings while the other one points to the crowd and he even sported a moustache just like Dawson's.

The nineties and the new millennium saw them releasing a series of strong but unheard albums as they toiled away in the farther reaches of Europe until 2007 saw them the subjects of an episode of legendary promoter Harvey Goldsmith's Get Your Act Together TV series.  Despite (or because) of the clashes with Goldsmith their popularity in the UK soared and the resulting single "If I Was You" (a song about gun culture), went to number one on the Rock charts in over 10 countries.  Saxon then sold out the City Hall in their hometown of Sheffield, resulting in their biggest UK date in over 15 years. They also became the most talked about band at the 2008 Download Festival, despite being on the third stage. They cemented this stunning comeback by releasing their strongest album in over a decade, The Inner Sanctum, and setting out on headline treks across the UK.  The end of the year saw them touring with fellow veterans Motorhead, leading to this, their 18th studio album.

As has been the case throughout the Western hemisphere where Africans were used as slaves, the African population in Peru brought with them their own traditions, including music. However, unlike North America where it became one of the key foundations for popular music, in Peru their music, like their population, has remained segregated from the mainstream. African Americans in South America are routinely second class citizens, and anything associated with them is considered inferior, including their music. So, aside from sporadic recognition from outside performers like David Byrne's The Soul Of Black Peru released in 1995, little Afro-Peruvian music has been heard outside of its own community.

In 2001 four young Peruvians, Ramon Perez-Prieto, Grimaldo Del Solar, Rafael Morales, and Carlos Li Carrillo, from outside the Afro-Peruvian community formed the group Novalima as a way to experiment with their appreciation for both Peruvian and modern music, and in 2002 released their first disc, Novalima. They had invited various musicians from the Afro Peruvian community to participate and created a disc that mixed both traditional rhythms and contemporary sounds. When the disc went platinum in Peru, they realized they were onto something and in 2006, they released Afro internationally, and firmly establishing Afro-Peruvian music on the world scene as it spent ten weeks at number one on the US Collage Music Journal's Latin Alternative and New World charts.

The band has now expanded to include permanent Afro-Peruvian musicians; Juan Medrano Cotito, Mangue Vasquez, Milagros Guerrero, and Marcos Mosquera, as well as renowned Peruvian drummer and percussionist Constantino Alvarez. It's this group, plus a variety of guest performers from the Afro-Peruvian music community, who can be heard on the band's forthcoming release (January 13, '09, US and Canada and Jan. 16 for the rest of the world) Coba Coba on the Cumbancha label.

At his best, Ludacris is a great rapper for creating sweltering club bangers focused around clipped beats and his Southern drawl. His contributions to pop music have been significant and have even scooped him some Grammy Awards. But on a deeper level, Ludacris struggles to escape the alcove of party rapper. Theater of the Mind doesn’t help matters.

That’s not to say that this isn’t an enjoyable album, but beyond the quips and beats there really isn’t a whole lot here.

As per usual, a whole array of producers is used. DJ Premier, Scott Storch, Trackmasters, and more all have their hands on tracks. And the litany of guest stars is colossal, drawing comparisons to a Paul Haggis flick. Jay-Z, Nas, Common, Lil Wayne, T-Pain, T.I., The Game, Jamie Foxx, and others are given spots to shine as “co-stars” in this Theater of the Mind.

The hitch is that all of the guest stars, producers, and sound clips from Chris Rock and Spike Lee don’t help Ludacris emerge into the spotlight.

After the intro warning us that “they’re about to start the movie,” Luda rolls into “Undisputed.” The cut features garrulous hype work from boxer Floyd Mayweather and includes a stunningly obsolete reference to the Pacers punch-up at the Palace of Auburn Hills in 2004.

Fortunately, Luda is sharper on most of the other cuts. The self-deprecatingly wicked “Everybody Hates Chris” draws up one of the best lines on the record when he spits “still counting, still climbing the charts, and rappers still talking shit like they was rhyming in farts.” And “One More Drink," featuring T-Pain, tells a funny story about boozing too much, regrets, and taking drunken pictures on a camera phone.

“Last of a Dying Breed” includes the best rapper of 2008, Lil Wayne, and bounces with a hard, speckled beat. Nas and Jay-Z show up on “I Do It For Hip Hop,” pulling together one of the album’s best cuts with quick verses and old school scratches.

The usual “message” cut closes out the record, with “Do the Right Thing” filling the spot. Common is a nice choice for co-conspirator on the track, but Luda’s work leaves a lot to be desired and the song lacks thrust and impact.

And that’s really the basic problem with Theater of the Mind; Ludacris has trouble as a serious rapper. Whether it’s message tracks or thug cuts like the featureless “Wish You Would” or the daft “Call Up the Homies, he simply never casts a big enough shadow to be taken for an intimidating or shrewd performer.

As pure entertainment, then, Ludacris’ record works. As anything else, this is one Theater troupe that should probably leave it to the pros.

The title of that final exodus is tragic in a way, as none of the girls in the present-day or past Destiny's Child lineup beyond Beyonce and her sister Solange have been hits with the public. There's many an obvious reason for that. The oldest one you could use in this case is that none of the others have the chops for the business.

There are things you have to do in order to get noticed. You have to be different, exciting, sexy, and the dream of every man or woman alive. Michelle Williams, Latavia Roberson, Kelly Rowland, and Letoya Luckett don't seem to want the spotlight as much as their former leader. I don't count Farah Franklin, given that her time in the group was shorter than anyone else who’s been in DC.

Beyonce, for all of her acclaim and sexiness, has no real chance to be herself. Coming from a musical catalog of hit songs discussing the art of booty shaking and dumping a trifling boyfriend, it's hard for her as she gets on in years to make that leap and still be relevant. Kelly Rowland actually tried that with "Stole", which she recorded for her first album Simply Deep. 

Because that song didn't involve anything remotely trivial and sounded too much like it belonged in another musical genre, the song got dismissed. Kicking herself probably for breaking from the DC formula, she returned to the more radio-friendly airwaves with her second album Ms. Kelly. It still didn't do anything in the states, but overseas apparently the album is killing the charts.

Michelle Williams is back this time with yet another album, Unexpected. The title basically informs the person buying it that this is not the Michelle Williams of Destiny's Child that no one pays attention to or largely ignores. This Michelle Williams is her own person and is ready to compete in the R&B genre without hesitation - that is if you believe that title. If you take a listen to the actual album, that's a different story.

Like Kelly Rowland's latest effort, Michelle Williams and her venture to party on this latest album feels dishonest. I understand that as an artist you have to do what's necessary to be able to eat. I also understand, however, that you have to do what's comfortable for you.

Blogcritics' music editors are no exception to that rule, and what follows is our own little guide to the best of the year past.

Connie Phillips, Music Editor

This has been a different sort of year for me musically. There have been very few releases that I've really connected to and it's made the job of picking the "best" a real chore.

Connection on an emotional level is an essential quality of a top pick for me. Another standard is whether or not I hit the skip button when a song from it comes up on my iPod on iTunes? With these two guidelines I came up with a short list, and from there I just couldn't bring myself to narrow it down any further.

Are these the best albums 2008 had to offer? I really can't answer that for you, but I connected to them. Some of you (or maybe most) might file all of my choices under "guilty pleasures" but they are the albums that I spun the most in 2008.

Rick Springfield's Venus in Overdrive came out in July and has been on my favorite playlist ever since. It's a perfect balance of light and fun tracks as well as songs deeply tied to love and loss. Eric Himan's Resonate (released in April) still remains one I can 'dial into' on the iPod and listen to for days without growing tired of it. All ten tracks touch me in a very personal way. If you haven't checked this one out, you must.

Vampire Weekend 's self titled and American Idol's David Cook (also s/t) are two more that consumed a good chunk of my music listening time.

Josh Hathaway, Senior Editor/Asst. Music Editor

Counting Crows - Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings

I can't remember the last time I had such a difficult time picking one album to be my album of the year. The last few years have had many great records but I was always able to zero in on one that stood above the rest. Not this year. There were spectacular debuts (Dave Carter) and marvelous performances by legends (B.B. King) and even hybrids of that (Tom Petty and his first band, Mudcrutch). There were gorgeous indie records (Bittersweets) and British psychedelic sprawl (Oasis). The Black Crowes were inspired by the addition of Luther Dickinson and the Black Keys were revitalized by their partnership with Danger Mouse. Those are seven great records good enough to be #1, but the best album of 2008 is Counting Crows' Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings.

William Balfour, Jennifer Hudson's estranged brother-in-law, was indicted on three counts of murder on Tuesday, CNN reported.

Earlier this month, Balfour was denied bail after being charged with the murders (and one count of home invasion) of the Oscar winner's brother, Jason Hudson; mother, Darnell Donerson; and nephew, Julian King, in October. No new charges were brought up on Tuesday, but a grand jury must indict the defendant before the case can go to trial, a Cook County state's attorney's office spokesperson explained to The Associated Press.

Balfour denies the charges and has pleaded not guilty. Defense attorney Joshua Kutnick has argued that there is no forensic evidence to tie him to the crimes. Balfour appeared in court for the indictment, where Kutnick asked that his client be moved to the Cook County jail to facilitate communication between lawyer and defendant, the AP reported. That decision will be made on January 20.

"The police believe it is William Balfour, but the problem is what they have done. They find their suspect and build evidence around the suspect. That's not the way it should work. They should gather evidence, and it should lead to a suspect," Kutnick said. "This was the convenient person to go to. It is bolstered by the fact that it took them so long to get him arrested and charged."

The prosecution has said that Balfour was jealous that his wife, Julia Hudson, was dating another man and went to the Hudson home on the day of the killings to confront her. His mother, Michele Davis Balfour, has argued that her son was dating three other women at the time, and that jealousy would not have been an issue.

Since the tragedy, Jennifer Hudson has kept a low profile. She has been nominated for four Grammy Awards and was reportedly going to head back to work on a music video, but later reportedly scrapped those plans.

Loretta is quite the country icon, and was top of the charts in the �60s and �70s, before she took a hiatus to take care of her ailing husband. She has had a second coming of sorts since her return in 2000.

Loretta Lynn Tour Dates 2009
01/16/09 - Hilton Head Island, SC - Shoreline Ballroom
01/17/09 - Silver Springs, FL - Silver Springs Amphitheatre
02/06/09 - Marksville, LA - Mari Center
02/07/09 - Robinsonville, MS - Gold Strike Casino Resort
03/06/09 - Biloxi, MS - IP Casino, Resort & Spa
03/07/09 - Bossier City, LA - Horseshoe Casino & Hotel / Riverdome
03/08/09 - Tulsa, OK - Johnston Theatre
03/20/09 - Jim Thorpe, PA - Penn’s Peak
03/21/09 - Atlantic City, NJ - Harrah’s Casino Hotel
04/18/09 - Chicago, IL - Old Town School Of Folk Music
05/29/09 - Pigeon Forge, TN - Country Tonite Theatre
05/30/09 - Hurricane Mills, TN - Loretta Lynn Ranch
09/26/09 - Hurricane Mills, TN - Loretta Lynn Ranch
10/09/09 - Renfro Valley, KY - Renfro Valley Entertainment Center
10/10/09 - Renfro Valley, KY - Renfro Valley Entertainment Center
10/16/09 - Birmingham, AL - Alys Stephens Centre For Perf. Arts
11/07/09 - Nashville, IN - Little Nashville Opry

1. The Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies
Limited Edition, 180 Gram Vinyl.

Ray Davies is certainly not like everybody else here, nor is he a dedicated follower of fashion: “I’m a 20th Century Man but I don’t want to be here,” he angrily seethes. At the same time, in the nostalgically exquisite “Oklahoma USA,” he fairly yearns for the company of Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae and a cinematic escape away where “All life we work / But work is a bore / If life’s for livin’ / then what’s livin’ for?” Embracing music hall and vaudeville, with songs ranging from country-folk to boozy blues, and subjects covering, say, demon alcohol and “sad memories you can’t recall,” or ocean-side holidays where “the sea’s an open sewer,” 1971’s Muswell Hillbillies is one of the Kinks’ more consistently first-rate albums, in both lyrical wit, bite, and poignancy - and in musical terms, as rooted in its infectiousness and ferociousness with which it conveys the ambiguity and ambivalence toward life in general, and living on London’s Muswell Hill, specifically.

2. The New York Dolls - The New York Dolls
Limited UK 180 Gram, Vinyl Pressing.

When friends were listening to ‘70s luster and sludge like Journey and ELP — whose tunes I could not get attuned to — I discovered this debut '73 New York Dolls LP in, of all places, my local branch of the Orange County, California Public Library. I whisked it away, and soon got carried away by the reckless glam and proto-punk spirit. My friends thought I suffered a 'personality crisis' - and, fortunately, I had.

3. The Beach Boys - Endless Summer 
Two LPs, Limited Edition.

Twenty-one tracks of '60s pop perfection from the first Wilson Administration. “And we’ll have fun, fun, fun ‘til her daddy takes the t-table away…”

4. The Band - The Band 
Four-Color Gatefold Jacket, 180 Gram Vinyl.

A drunkard’s dream if I ever did hear one. Rustic Americana done right by a bunch of mostly Canadian guys.

5. House of Freaks - Monkey on a Chain Gang
Back2Vinyl.com

Though it doesn’t pack the powerhouse punch of their 1989 sophomore stunner Tantilla, this stripped-down but striking 1988 debut presents the range of the guitar-and-drums duo (Bryan Harvey and Johnny Hott) from melodic pop to more dire declarations, such as found in the Wolfeian avowal that “You Can Never Go Home”:

Standing on a dusty road
Praying for a sign
Lightning only struck me once
And then it struck me blind...
You can never go home.

Celebrities had children on the brain in 2008. Baby bumps were everywhere, and Hollywood is starting to resemble a playpen.

There were plenty of stars who didn't shock us too much when we found out they were in the family way. Christina Aguilera and hubby Jordan Bratman had baby Max. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony had twins they named after the kids on "Dragon Tales." Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale welcomed Zuma Nesta Rock. It wasn't even that surprising when Jessica Alba announced she was going to have a baby with her longtime beau, Cash Warren. And we didn't fall off our seats when Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban welcomed Sunday into the world. There are plenty of famous couples who are still perpetually rumored to be pregnant: Avril Lavigne and Deryck Whibley, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, and Jen Aniston and John Mayer. (There were also some parents who went from famous to notorious this year.)

And then there were the celebs that made us stop dead in our tracks when we found out they'd be having a kid (or two). Here are the most surprising parents of 2008:

5. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
OK, they love kids, but you'd think that after four, they'd want to slow down a bit. But these two can't stop adding to their brood. To be honest, they are beautiful and rich, so it's sort of like why not? So, with that in mind, this year they went from four babies to six when in July, Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline, came into the world.

4. Nicole Richie and Benji Madden
It's always sort of surprising when two free-spirited, wild people get together and make a baby. This was the case when Nicole and Benji gave birth to little Harlow Winter in January. They've each been out there and sowed their wild oats, and now they're changing diapers!

3. Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz
Ashlee sort of denied her pregnancy in a way that made everyone suspect it even more. Then Pete got defensive about it. And then, finally, Pete confirmed the whole thing on his blog. Actually, after their quick engagement and wedding in May, the fact that these kids were having a kid was less surprising than the name they chose for their bundle of joy, Bronx Mowgli.

2. Jamie Lynn Spears and Casey Aldridge
Technically, the littlest Spears shocked the world back in 2007 when she announced her pregnancy. But since the 17-year-old gave birth to daughter Maddie Briann in June of this year, she still counts, right? Opting to raise her baby with boyfriend Casey Aldridge (who's become a tabloid magnet in his own right) near her family's home in Louisiana, the former "Zoey 101" star worked to get her GED and has some plans to go to college in the future.

1. Clay Aiken
Perhaps the Claymates were the only ones surprised to learn the "American Idol" runner-up is gay, but the earlier news that he was going to be a father made quite a ripple. The American Idol and his friend Jaymes Foster decided to raise son Parker together. "I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things," the singer said when he came out and introduced his son in the same People article. "I wasn't raised that way, and I'm not going to raise a child to do that."

Honorable mentions

Ricky Martin had twins via surrogate. Taylor Hanson, 25, and his wife welcomed their fourth child and named him Viggo Moriah (his brothers both had kids this year too). "Full House" alumna Jodie Sweetin had a kid only months before announcing she was getting divorced. Action star Vin Diesel and his model girlfriend had a daughter when no one was looking. Minnie Driver had a son but refused to name the dad. Alaskan first daughter Bristol Palin announced that she was expecting a bundle of joy, courting some controversy for mom, VP candidate Sarah Palin. Lisa Marie Presley had twins (insisting she wasn't just fat). Usher and his wife had another kid, Naviyd Ely Raymond, only a year after the birth of Usher Raymond V. And, of course, there was the pregnant man ...