Iman Lababedi

Founding Editor of Rock NYC. Iman Lababedi was a freelance rock critic in the 1980s, took a break of 20 years, and has been writing and editing the music blog rocknyc.live since 2009. He considers this to be in many ways a golden age for pop music and hopes you are enjoying it too.

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10 Songs, Tuesday, May 18th, 2014

Rock With You – Ledesi – Hot and soulful, Ledesi may well be an everywoman making a sound we hear all day long, but she sings to the beat like nobodies business and references Dione warwick so you gotta think she ain’t afriad of comparisons – B+

Slideshow

Crosby, Stills, Nash And Young On Tour 2014?

It could be a typo, it could be a simple mistake, it could be a OTO. It is hard to access what’s going on here. For sure, there is nothing in social media, nothing on their website, nothing on Facebook. But given the amazing self-evident truth that both Crosby and Young are nearing career highs, and given the sheer brilliance of the CNSY 2000 tour, this is really thrilling news but here is the question…

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That Was The Week Of March 10th, 2014, That Was

The week belonged to Tomas Doncker’s True Groove All Stars, their two hour concert at The Cutting Room Tuesday night set the standard for all! A perfect compendium of real soul music that never stopped moving. Meanwhile, Lorde act her age if not older, at a simple, unadorned straight ahead gig at the dreaded Roseland that did her nothing but favors.

Slideshow, UK Top 10 Albums

UK Top 10 Albums, March 22nd 2014

Much better than the singles collection, elbow is growing on me and growing on me. The band broke through a couple of years but never really made it all the way for me till now. Indeed, qute the opposite. But I went back to some of their earlier material and it may have been my ears letting me down. Whatever, this is definitely a keep.

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10 Songs, Monday, March 17th, 2014

It Takes A Woman – Walter Matthau – Jokey sexism turned on its tail with growly jowly and curt Walter claiming you need a woman to help clean the stables and shoe the horse, that all romantic. “The important things in life come gift wrapped” he tells his prospective fiancee… hard to disagree right? – B+

Slideshow

Must See? Queen And Adam Lambert July 2014

A leather booted rent boy with a taste for musical theatre and a voice built for hard rock, he has been playing with Queen, off and on, for the past couple of years. Lambert hasn’t proven himself on record, no, actually he has proven he sucks on record, but he should be an excellent Queen frontman.

Opinion, Slideshow

A Million Miles from Austin SXSW

This year, greased with tragedy and murmurings about how the infrastructure can’t sustain the scene, the cool writers of a new generation are feeling the streets of Austin and we in New York merrily freeze, the SXSW finally appears to be a music scene without a reason to exist anymore.

Opinion, Slideshow

Comfort Music Part XI!

In 2012 I watched Neil play a heavy duty no nonsense Crazy Horse gig at MSG and my ears are still ringing, so take it from me folks, he didn’t need to do the Carnegie Hall gigs. Listening to him sing “A Man Needs A Maid” in 2014 takes me back to being a teenager and also, its soft strange beauty puts me at ease. It’s like not all memories end up with a bad ending.

Slideshow, Sneak Peak

Sneak Peak: New Releases Week Of March 17th, 2014

Let’s forget about Skrillex since I’m far from convinced even if you are certain, and let’s look a little further and study a whole lotta bands with important follow ups: The War On Drugs, The Pretty Reckless, the very buzzy and brilliant Coathangers (even if I wasn’t thrilled by em on stage), TBS, newcomers Perfect Pussy and let’s rest on The Both because it is the new Aimee Mann album and Ted Leo might not be in HER league but he is still in a league.

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10 Songs, Sunday March 16th 2014

Blue Collar Jane – The Strypes – we had a word for this when I was a whippersnapper, pub rock. By which we mean rhythm and blues with rock drums by proles, here proles out of Ireland and no wilko Johnson’s legacy isn’t in question. Actually it is enhanced – B+

Slideshow

Pussy Riot For #SolidarityWisconsin

Now the PR girls have joined forces with #SolidarityWisconsin. Apparently 400 protest singers were arrested last summer at the State capitol -not a bad idea within reason, but in practise not so great. So the leaders of #SolidarityWisconsin are setting up a petition to have charges dropped against them

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rock nyc Top 10 Week Of March 10th, 2014

Peter Stampfel’s full frontal attack on the NSA is funny as hell, “Studies everything you post on twitter, who is drawn to watch you on the shitter…” , is sure ths ong of the week, though close runners up Elbow and Young Money are bringing up the rear nicely. Still, after two stupendous week of new releases, this is the week that fell to earth.

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10 Songs, Saturday, March 15th, 2014

Crazy Little Thing called Love – Queen – I am no Queen fan, indeed, i always found them as disreputably shallow purveyors of glam, a somewhat shallow musical idiom at the best of times; but this straight forward little rocker stands out as the closet they ever got to a standard and it hasn’t aged a day – A+

News

A PERSONAL REQUEST FROM RUFUS

Yes, folks, I know you don’t hobnob with the rich and famous close personal friends with Elton John ,Rufus Wainwright but I certainly do. Indeed, I am so close to Rufus that sometimes he gets me on the blower and asks if he can borrow a tenner till he gets paid

rock nyc, Slideshow

Five Years Later, Here Is The Grading System Explained

I kept a diary for around ten years at the turn of the century and I graded every single day and charted my moods and grading songs and albums (I once graded deaths but decided against continuing with that particular idea) and maybe it is a guy thing, like “Gregory’s Girl” said, the way guys are obsessed with numbers, and not just numbers but lists

Slideshow

Kenny G To Tour The UK This April

“Kenny G”, the most successful saxophonist of all time, begins his UK tour at the Manchester Bridgewater Hall on Sunday April 20, followed Birmingham Symphony Hall (April 21) and Hammersmith Eventim Apollo (April 22).

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Must See: Lykke Li At the Apollo Theatre, May 2014

Poor Alyson couldn’t get a ticket, and the Apollo was an almost instantaneous sell out and I kind of get it; Lykke is a real songwriter who digs down deep. I mentioned Robyn facetiously earlier but really. they are both songwriter’s songwriters: there is an expertise here that’s all but undeniable

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10 Songs, Friday, March 14th, 2014

Fantastic Planet Of Love – Marshall Crenshaw – This is the most Crenshaw-y song he has ever written, the sink of “just this morning I felt like troubles plaything” is lost and the joy just overwhelms you -he steps back to the problems of life and then takes us out of. One of the greatest songs ever – A+

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Debbie Harry Hates The Internet

The truth is the Internet isn’t this thing you can hate, hating the Internet is like the mail because it brings you bills to pay. The Internet is a FORM OF DISTRIBUTION. You may well hate what is being distributed but that does not entail hating the Internet.

Slideshow, US Top 10 Albums

US Top 10 Albums 3-22-14

Half of this list are new this week, proof, as is Rick Ross, whose sales are down by 25% from his last album, that the album charts are a bewildering wonderland of medium cool bands here today and gone tody and all the real action is on the singles chart.

Slideshow, US Top 10 Singles

US Top 10 Singles 3-22-14

How many times can I express my loathing for “Let It Go”, the standard formusical numbers is so low really ever since “Wicked” made the point and kept to it, that anything that rises from key to key to a full scale scream can be considered a power ballad, we have been heading for this place where everybody has given up on song for spectacle. An abominable, apocalyptic piece of crap.

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10 Songs, Thursday, March 13th, 2014

Mushroom Gods – Scraps – More spacey than acidic, it might be a relation to Lorde only the world of sound has less attiude and more roominess. I got a call in the midle of tnight and I feel that spacey disjointed tiredness thing going and and this is the sound my head is making – B+

Album Reviews, Slideshow

Pharrell William's "GIRL" Reviewed

Listen to “Billie Jean” for a song that seemed everywhere and nowhere, the song is so deep in the closet we still don’t know for certain what closet it is hiding in. Nothing Pharrell does, very little Timberlake, Usher, any of the pretenders do, can get beyond emotional checkers

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10 Songs, Tuesday, February 11th, 2014

Matt Rad is all over this slice of modern pop dross misstep from a woman who should have returned to her roots and instead went to the pop charts. The only area of interest is yet another chorus that seems to have been made from the sweat off Bono’s brow and a mood infused with the loss of Corey – C-

That Was The Week That Was

That Was The Week Of March 3rd, That Was

Does New York have a problem with Governor’s or what? I can’t remember a good one. Pataki, any one? Hugh Carey? Nelson Rockefeller. Like the man said, can no one play this game any more? Well, de Blasio needs to up his game through the roof. and stop handing Cuomo opportunities to make Bill look like a reactionary half wit. Of course, maybe Bill is a reactionary half wit…

UK Top 10 Albums

UK Top 10 Singles 3-15-14

Why are the singles charts in the UK so much better than their album charts? Jess Glynne is back with a Chicago House DJ Route 94 (geddit) and is excellent, which gives her two great songs on these charts neither of which have hit the US yet. But they will!

Slideshow, UK Top 10 Singles

UK Top 10 Albums 3-15-14

Yeah, we all knew it would enter the charts at # 1, that isn’t the question. The question is, how will it sustain the position through the year. Meanwhile… what makes the UK charts the UK charts is that Mike “Tubular Bells” Oldfield is still having hits with crappy albums.

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10 Songs, Monday, March 10th, 2014

We’re A Winner – The True Groove All Stars – You think it is the harp that makes it and it is, until Tomas Doncker growls and until Jenkins goes falsetto on your ass and then it isn’t any more but suddenly it dawns on you this is Tomas’s “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out” and everyone here is a winner – A

Movies, Slideshow

"Mr Peabody And Sherman" Reviewed

I could have done without the montage of Sherman’s pre-8 years old childhood to Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy” (which probably cost them more bucks than all the voice talent in the movie combined) but the end result was a movie that honors at least some of the spirit of Ward and will make for a late Sunday afternoon HBO treat for years to come.

Opinion, Slideshow

Michael Buble Where There Are No Cheap Seats

He is probably the best at what he does, crossover cabaret. I’ve seen him on stage a couple of times and was quite impressed though not by singing but by his demeanor. The man is a lot of fun and he is a good mainstream pop starer charmer with a wide smile and just enough humility in his step. But he isn’t worth a hundred bucks.

Slideshow

Active Viewin': Concert Picks Week Of March 10th, 2014

The last time the True Groove All Stars performed was a more than memorable gig at the Blue Note last year, but this one promises to be even better. Not only does Marla Mase have an excellent new album just released but latest True Groove signee James Chance will be there. Shout for “I Don’t Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing”. On Tuesday at the Cutting room

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10 Songs, Sunday, March 9th, 2014

Let Her Dance – The Bobby Fuller Four – It is to Bobby Fuller’s credit that Marshall Crenshaw’s cover doesn’t run the band out of town on a pole -indeed, as great as Crenshaw’s cover was, Fuller had all the highlights on this power pop early rock and roll triumph from the beginning – A+

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