Most Popular
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Pentecostal Preacher Sherman Allen Turns Out to Be Reverend Spanky
The Fort Worth preacher is accused of beating, threatening and assaulting women for more than 20 years
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Obama and Me
It was the year 2000, and I was a young, hungry reporter in Chicago with a young, hungry state legislator on my speed dial
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Texas' Peyote Hunters Struggle to Find a Vanishing, Holy Crop
Harvesting peyote is legal for only three people, and all of them live in Texas
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Why is Hillary Neglecting Delegate-Rich Dallas County?
While Obama has events going on throughout the city, Clinton is nowhere to be found
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Obama and Me (62)
It was the year 2000, and I was a young, hungry reporter in Chicago with a young, hungry state legislator on my speed dial
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Melodica Festival Self-Indulgent, But Still Positive for Dallas (51)
If a festival happens in Exposition Park and only the built-in crowd shows, does it make a sound?
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Ole Oops (58)
Popular prosperity preacher sues ABC and Trinity Foundation
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Pentecostal Preacher Sherman Allen Turns Out to Be Reverend Spanky (21)
The Fort Worth preacher is accused of beating, threatening and assaulting women for more than 20 years
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Why is Hillary Neglecting Delegate-Rich Dallas County? (18)
While Obama has events going on throughout the city, Clinton is nowhere to be found
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Melodica Festival Self-Indulgent, But Still Positive for Dallas
If a festival happens in Exposition Park and only the built-in crowd shows, does it make a sound?
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MySpace Stalking Dallas Music
There are things you can learn on MySpace, and there are things you can't
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Remembering DJ Frantic
The turntablist's friends and collaborators will remember him for his love of the craft
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Dallas Music Finally Getting National Attention
It may not be Austin-level love, but we'll take it
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Erykah Badu Has Returned
The songstress burst through her stuggles with writer's block and created a solid record
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And This Glimpse of Jessica Simpson Will Not Cost You $75
06:28PM 03/09/08 -
Meet the Woman Who Has Royally Pissed Off Tom Hicks
05:44PM 03/09/08 -
Yeah, But, Like, Where's Tony?
03:07PM 03/07/08 -
Over The Weekend: Centro-matic, All-Con, Texas Guitar Competition
01:10AM 03/10/08 -
Good Friday: Centro-matic, Beach House, Pleasant Grove, Sean Kirkpatrick
04:22PM 03/07/08 -
Video: Paul Thorn at Granada
08:11AM 03/07/08
What we are writing about
- $30,000 millionaires
- Avi Adelman
- basketball
- Bob Dylan
- carcinogens
- Carol Reed
- cheap lunch
- Dallas Cowboys
- DART
- Deep Ellum
- Dirk Nowitzki
- douchebags
- DVD releases
- I'm Not There
- illegal immigration
- levees
- Meryl Streep
- Muslims
- Nintendo Wii
- Oak Cliff
- Philip Seymour Hoffman
- railroad tie plant
- referendum
- Somerville
- The Ticket
- Todd Haynes
- toll road
- Tony Romo
- Trinity River project
- Victory Park
Recent Articles By Dan Leroy
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Stevie Wonder
Wednesday, December 5, and Thursday, December 6, at Nokia Theatre, Grand Prairie
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T.I. vs. T.I.P
T.I. vs. T.I.P. (Atlantic Records)
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R. Kelly
Double Up (Jive)
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Ne-Yo
Because of You (Def Jam)
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Redman
Red Gone Wild (Def Jam)
National Features
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Houston Press
"It Was Like an Armageddon Movie"
For days after Hurricane Rita, a Texas prison was hell on earth.
By Chris Vogel -
SF Weekly
The Candidate
Our columnist knows Ralph Nader's running mate all too well.
By Matt Smith -
The Pitch
How Not To Be a Rap Star
First of all, lay off the Ecstasy.
By Nadia Pflaum -
Village Voice
Project Runaway
What becomes a gossip columnist most?
By Michael Musto
A greatest-hits album from Mary J. Blige presents more problems than you'd expect. For one thing, very few memorable singles exist between her first huge single—1992's sublime "Real Love," which anointed Blige the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul—and her latest, last year's "Be Without You." Like many great singers, Blige depends on the melodic invention of others, and the R&B she's been given over the years is solid but seldom inspired.
Of the four new tracks included with this package, "We Ride (I See the Future)" stands out. Its graceful piano runs offer relief from the two-chord vamp common to Blige's oeuvre, while the tune's opening declaration—"Everybody askin' why Mary ain't mad no more/Seems like a question I've already answered, too many times before"—provides the real argument against this retrospective. Mary has never been about just hits; it's her rags-to-riches-to-respect backstory that ultimately captivates the fans. That's a point you can more fully appreciate after seeing Blige's gospel-fueled live show, a cathartic explosion of joy and pain that's as much about affirmation as music. Put simply: Her life is her art, with no best-of necessary.
