Urban AZ’s first Spoken Word Showcase brings together a range of poetic performers, along with R&B artists Dwele and Bilal with a band, at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18 at Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix.

Trace Adkins works with five different producers on his 11th album, suggesting the country music veteran and reality TV star is searching for an infusion of fresh energy.

George Strait is amid a two-year tour before retiring from the road, but new album “Love Is Everything” proves he still has plenty of great new country music in him.

If you weren’t convinced of his talent by James Blake’s debut album, his sophomore release, “Overgrown,” will do the trick.

The latest release from Philadelphia guitarist- songwriter Kurt Vile is a 69-minute double LP of lengthy, languid meditations on the everyday and beyond. The songs unwind slowly, their charms leaving imprints on the way back around.

Hard rocker Tom Keifer would be among the first to say that life doesn’t go as planned. The long-time musician, best known for his lead role in the band Cinderella, released his first solo album – ”The Way Life Goes” – April 30 after a 10-year process and a long struggle with partial vocal chord paralysis — the ruination of many music careers.

New York • When he first started working with Imagine Dragons, music producer Alex da Kid was looking for some inspiration for the Broadway musical, “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.”

Longtime guests on “A Prairie Home Companion,” this roots band revives an old-fashioned genre in a new era. They are touring in support of their latest album, “Carry Me Back,” along with special guests, Dale Watson and the Texas Two.

He has given standout performances in the likes of “The Big Lebowski,” “Crazy Heart” and “True Grit,” but Oscar-winner Jeff Bridges’ enormous talent doesn’t stop there. His illustrious resume runs the gamut from musician to author to humanitarian, which begs the question: Is there anything he can’t do?

Why does Bon Jovi crank out an unending string of relentlessly upbeat, unavoidably catchy songs in the style that made the Jersey boys famous 30 years ago and kept them there 'till now?

While Thursday's opening day at Country Thunder was the shortest day concert-wise, there was no disappointment in the four acts that took the stage – especially not when it came to headliner Brantley Gilbert.

She may have grown up in Michigan, but Jana Kramer is country at heart. The former “One Tree Hill” actress entered into the music scene in 2012 with the release of her self-titled debut album. She has since been enjoying success in the genre — gearing up for a tour with Blake Shelton, planning her wedding with fellow country music star Brantley Gilbert, and heading to Arizona for a performance at Country Thunder, the annual music festival in Florence. In between it all, she chatted briefly with the Tribune about her career and what fans will experience this weekend at her show.

Critics have dubbed Dwight Yoakam a music sponge for transcending the country genre and absorbing different musical styles, making his brand of hip, honky-tonk music accepted among rock audiences. His latest album -- his first original recording in seven years -- is a testament to that.

They brought folk back to mainstream radio long before The Lumineers and Of Monsters And Men hit it big, with blissful, down-home tunes popping up in jaunty car commercials and adorable father-daughter YouTube covers. This weekend, you can find the 10-piece Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at the McDowell Mountain Music Festival in Phoenix, where they’ll be rubbing shoulders with the likes of The Shins, Dr. Dog and The Roots.

It’s no surprise that Chelsea Bain has been attending NASCAR races since she was 5 years old. Her dad, Emmett “Buddy” Jobe, brought NASCAR to Phoenix International Raceway in 1987. Now, Bain is more involved in NASCAR than she ever has been, but not as a spectator — as a rockin’ country musician.

It must be tough enough going through your 20s without worrying whether the pop machinery that built you up at age 20 has spit you out completely.

You know him as Luke Duke from “The Dukes of Hazzard,” but what you may not know about Tom Wopat, one of the two lead actors from the classic 1980s TV show, is that aside from his history of driving around the General Lee and foiling Boss Hogg’s latest scheme, he and his former co-star John Schneider are also accomplished musicians.

"Warm Bodies," the latest permutation of the zombie screen phenomenon, places heart over horror and romantic teen angst over sharp social commentary.

“I just poured Gatorade all over my plants.”

David Bowie is celebrating his birthday by releasing new music.

Marilyn Monroe. The Rolling Stones. And Bond — James Bond. What do they have in common?

Danny Zelisko presents Brian Setzer’s Christmas Rocks! Extravaganza, with special guest Totsy, at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Celebrity Theatre. 

Don’t hate me — but this new Ke$ha album is good. Kind of really good.