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On April 16, artist-writer Brett Sheroky headed into Nashville on a T-shirt run.
With the release of his debut album, Rock Paper Scissors, looming on April 18, he delivered shirts to a handful of songwriters who had donated to a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign that raised nearly $33,000, surpassing his $30,000 goal and allowing him to hire the musicians and book the studio time to record the project. The results are impressive — there’s not a single piece of filler among its 15 tracks — and yet Sheroky has no idea what to expect. He went into the project with no label, no manager, no booking agent and no publicist, requiring him to juggle every aspect of creating and marketing the album as a one-man shop.
“There’s a hundred little different things constantly,” he says.
And no artist is an expert at all of them. Sheroky, who moved to Nashville 16 years ago, was also working on 8-second videos for Spotify Canvas, a tool that enhances the on-screen background when a song plays on the platform. He wasn’t entirely confident about making them, but he was pushing through the process on his own as a do-it-yourself artist, a common occupation in modern Nashville. The challenges those artists face can be deflating, but those who keep pushing forward frequently find the creative rewards outweigh the more mundane aspects of their lives.
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“Making the art itself, and the feeling you get of being part of something that was created out of nothing, and to be passionate about it still — the victory really is in the making of it,” he says.
Billboard Country Update talked with DIY artists Sheroky, Maggie Baugh and Gina Venier about their efforts in Nashville’s music business. In a previous era, their prospects would have been more narrow. There was no internet, so radio and the clubs were the only means of building a fan base. There was little or no home recording equipment, so artists had to amass enough cash to pay for expensive studio time, which record labels typically funded.
But with streaming, home studios and social media, artists have more tools available than ever to create and market their own music. That ease of entry, however, has increased competition. Thus, more artists are vying for the kind of viral audience that leads to record deals and booking agents. And until they land those kinds of team members, they operate as lone wolves, battling the inner voices as they plot how to advance.
“The highs and lows are crazy because there’s no sense of security,” says Venier, who has been in Nashville 11 years. “There’s no stability unless you’re seeking it out, unless you’re connecting with people and basically keeping your lifelines for the industry nearby.”
That’s one of the odd benefits of making music in Nashville. Outside of solo acoustic gigs, artists typically need bands to back them; thus, the creators form bonds with one another: trading their services, supporting the same people they’re competing with and doing their best to lift all boats in their friend group. They learn the hard way — through business relationships that don’t work out or by making mistakes as they tackle unfamiliar tasks outside their skill sets while trying to minimize their costs.
“I call it ‘bougie on a budget,’ ” Baugh says.
Baugh’s skills are impressive. In addition to her musical talents as a singer, songwriter and guitarist, she spent part of 2024 playing in Keith Urban‘s band. She booked her own 60-date tour for 2025, including two trips to the United Kingdom, building on seven years’ experience in Music City.
“When I booked them, I already knew how to talk to booking agents and promoters,” she says. “I already knew how to put together an EPK —what they were looking for, put the [statistics] first, keep it short and sweet. If they wanted to open the links, they would. I negotiated all the contracts on my behalf by myself, and it’s just from learning from my mistakes along the way.”
To the outside world, Nashville’s honky-tonk district looks like the most obvious developmental breeding ground. And artists such as Terri Clark, Kenny Chesney and Tigirlily Gold have indeed cut their teeth on Lower Broadway, learning how to work a crowd by playing familiar cover songs for tourists. Those gigs can generate income, but it’s the shows on the songwriter circuit — including The Bluebird Cafe, The Listening Room and Jane’s Hideaway — where artists have a chance to build an actual following.
“That’s where I play the originals,” Venier notes. “That’s where I get the fans.”
One of the most difficult hurdles for DIY artists is learning how to pitch themselves. For most, that doesn’t come naturally, and the rejections or unreturned calls can generate significant second-guessing. But a successful pitch sometimes becomes a breakthrough moment. Venier improbably landed a song on SiriusXM’s The Highway by working her contacts, Sheroky battled self-consciousness for weeks before he finally posted his successful Kickstarter campaign, and Baugh emailed an unsolicited recording to a Spotify executive and ended up getting playlisted.
“I’m really bad at promoting myself and talking about myself,” Baugh says. “I’ve just learned the hard way that if you don’t open your mouth, somebody else who’s opening their mouth will get the opportunity.”
The three independent artists are all making the most of their opportunities. Baugh is working on an album with producer Rob McNelley and prepping for an April 22 Grand Ole Opry appearance. Venier will open for Fancy Hagood at Nashville’s historic Exit/In on April 23. And Sheroky, just days before Rock Paper Scissors‘ release, received messages from a booking agent and a manager who both expressed interest in potentially representing him, which would take him off the DIY rolls.
The right partners could help him reach a wider audience, though it’s the one-on-one impact with fans that Sheroky values most. He recalls a woman who traveled from Austin to Dallas to see a show and to tell him that one of his songs pulled her out of an emotional pit.
“She sounded like she was thinking about killing herself,” he remembers, “and she’s like, ‘Man, that song saved my life.’ The numbers — they’re whatever. But that part’s real.”
Meanwhile, as challenging as the DIY life might be, making a living playing music in a crowded pool of country talent is an accomplishment in itself.
“We’re in Nashville,” Venier says. “I’m among beautiful talent and art, and all of us are successful by simply sticking this shit out. Period.”
Cardi B is pulling no punches at this year’s WWE SummerSlam, which the rapper announced late Friday (April 18) she’ll be hosting both nights this August.
In a clip shared to the wrestling promotion company’s X account, Cardi — wearing an Eddie Guerrero T-shirt — excitedly shares the news. “What’s up, WWE universe?” she tells the camera, waving. “Guess what? SummerSlam. MetLife. Two nights. And I will finally be hosting.”
“And nobody better try me,” a hyped-up Cardi ends the announcement video following a montage of all-star fighters taking the ring. “We gonna turn up!”
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The two-day event will take place Aug. 2 and 3 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. It comes four years after the WWE reportedly wanted the “WAP” artist to appear at SummerSlam 2021 before her pregnancy with son Wave made her unable to do so, though the event still used her song “Up” as its official theme that year.
SummerSlam 2025 will also mark the first time the event has been held over the course of two days, something Cardi helped announce back in September. Tickets go on sale May 2, with a pre-sale taking place two days prior, for which fans can now register on WWE’s website.
The news follows the release of the hip-hop titan’s latest single, “Toot It Up,” with Pardison Fontaine. Cardi is also featured on the soundtrack for the upcoming Smurfs movie, with DJ Khaled’s “Higher Love” featuring the “Bodak Yellow” musician and Desi Trill dropping in February.
Both tracks come as Cardi is still working on her long-awaited sophomore album, which will follow 2018’s Invasion of Privacy. The star gave fans an update on the project earlier this month, saying on X Spaces, “The features on my album are really good … I’m working with artists, some that I have worked before and some that I haven’t worked before.”
“And the ones that I have not worked before, I feel like it’s gonna really, really surprise y’all,” she added at the time. “I can tell y’all this, I’m 100 percent confident with this album. I just don’t think what I got is out there.”
See the announcement for Cardi’s upcoming WWE gig below.
This week, Morgan Wallen and Post Malone pair up again for a new collaboration, while Sam Barber offers up a song of blistering song of desolation. Elsewhere, Ian Munsick teams up with Lainey Wilson, while Ashland Craft, Don Louis and Tayler Holder also release stellar new tracks.
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Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of the best country, bluegrass and/or Americana songs of the week below.
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Morgan Wallen (feat. Post Malone), “I Ain’t Comin’ Back”
Wallen and Post Malone seem poised to score a second hit — following their previous collab, the six-week Billboard Hot 100-topping “I Had Some Help” — with this musical sequel, which will be featured on Wallen’s upcoming I’m The Problem album. Released on Good Friday, “Back” employs a few religious references, as the duo sing about breaking up with a lover and making an abrupt escape from a stifling place where “half of this town has got a name for me.” This churning track bristles with defiance and self-righteousness on pointed lines such as “I might be a lot of things/ But I ain’t your savin’ grace.”
Sam Barber, “Man of the Year”
Since his musical breakthrough in 2022 with “Straight and Narrow,” the Missouri native has gone from strength to strength, showcasing an ever-maturing, top-tier talent as a singer-songwriter on compositions such as his latest, “Man of the Year.” This gritty track, written solely by Barber, finds him pondering the existential anguish he sees threaded throughout world events, and emotionally embedded in people around him. “Is it in my mind or are we all just sinking?” he muses, his quietly commanding voice ringing out over sparse but captivating production, and shedding light on a generation’s anxieties and fears.
Ashland Craft, “Momma Don’t Pray Like She Used To”
Since the release of her debut project in 2021, Craft has forged her reputation as an in-demand vocalist and songwriter, appearing on albums by HARDY and Lainey Wilson, in addition to releasing her own music. “Momma Don’t Pray Like She Used To,” from Craft’s upcoming album Dive Bar Beauty Queen, chronicles a progression of a mother’s prayers for her daughter over the years, as petitions of support and guidance give way to gratitude. Bolstered by a latticework of instrumentation that includes B-3 organ and mandolin, the track showcases not only a softer side to Craft’s fearless voice, but also how she uses her songwriting to capture ever-deepening emotional nuances. Craft wrote the song with Jess Grommet, Willie Morrison and Corey Elizabeth Grogan.
Ian Munsick feat. Lainey Wilson, “Feather in My Hat”
“Long Live Cowgirls” hitmaker Ian Munsick partners with former tourmate Lainey Wilson on his new song ‘Feather in My Hat,” from his third studio album, Eagle Feather. Written by Munsick with Caitlyn Smith, and Marc Scilbila, this love song depicts someone making it clear their lover surpasses any notion of a prize or milestone–they are a bedrock of support, desire and comfort. Both Munsick and Wilson have distinct voices and together, their sonorous renderings infuse the song with a soulful charisma.
Don Louis, “She Ain’t Crazy Yet”
With a sultry groove that all but commands listeners to take to the dancefloor, this new song from Don Louis seems like a party anthem, but it’s also a relational warning shot. Lyrically, he sings about being in a new relationship that seems rosy at present, but past disappointments in the romance department have taught him those idyllic moments could shift in an instant. “So far she ain’t jealous, so far she ain’t mean/ But I’m gon’ hold my breath,” he sings, with voice all burly, gritty and captivating, as he’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. From the deluxe version of his album Liquor Talkin’, “She Ain’t Crazy Yet” was written by Louis with Autumn Buysse and Danielle Blakey.
Tayler Holder, “Cry at Our Last Dance” (Wedding Version)
Holder releases what is sure to become an enduring wedding dance favorite with this tender ode of a father soaking in the moments with his daughter prior to her wedding. “I could spin you round forever/ But now that’s for him to do,” Holder sings, on what is one of his best outings to date. Holder wrote the song with Justin Ebach, Andrew Sevner, Dalton Dover, and Thomas Archer.
K-pop boy band ENHYPEN wowed the crowed at the Coachella Festival on Saturday (April 19) with a power-packed 45-minute set of hits, plus some unexpected album release news. Backed by a live band, the group — JUNGWON, HEESEUNG, JAY, JAKE, SUNGHOON, SUNOO and NI-KI— ran through such hits as “Blockbuster,” “Blessed-Cursed,” “Future Perfect (Pass the […]
“I’m free … I had to give up music for a while. I thought it would just be for a year. I realize now I’m grateful for all of those years because I have built myself back up. It is kind of a comeback.”
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So declares Keri Hilson in “Grateful,” the track that introduces We Need to Talk: Love — her first album in 15 years since 2010’s sophomore set No Boys Allowed. Released April 18 on her own imprint Audible Art Club via Create Music Group, the nine-track Love finds the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter back in true form after a memorable run of multigenre-fused hits such as the platinum singles “Knock You Down” and “Pretty Girl Rock,” “Energy,” “Turnin Me On” with Lil Wayne and her vocal feature on Timbaland’s “The Way I Are,” which she co-wrote with the artist-producer.
This time around, Hilson collaborated with songwriters and producers like Tiffany Red, Danja (who, she says, “has worked on every project I’ve had”) and Needlz and Donut. Prefaced by lead single “Bae,” the album’s other notable tracks include the raw “Naked,” “Say That” (“It’s like a soft rock song… It’s different for me”), “Whatever” (“It’s going to touch people”) and “Somethin (Bout U)” (“I couldn’t stop ad libbing in the booth”). Hilson also notes this album is the first in a three-project arc — Love. Drama. Redemption. — that chronicles her 15-year break from the solo career she launched in 2009 with debut album In a Perfect World.
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“‘Grateful’ is actually an excerpt from an interview I did with [psychic medium] Reginald Lewis that aired on Steve Harvey’s show,” recalls Hilson. “It was a real and special moment; I was in tears. So we decided to put that on to help explain as I’ve got several albums’ worth of music and want to tell a cohesive story — love, drama, redemption — like a movie. I realized I had a thread that would weave this tapestry together.”
While the rollout of the next two albums is still being determined, Hilson is also starring in a new film: Temptations: Fame. Premiering April 26 on Lifetime, the movie is the latest chapter in an acting career that began with 2012’s Think Like a Man.
During a recent sit-down with Billboard, Hilson shares what she’s learned about Keri the person and Keri the singer-songwriter over the last 15 years: “That I’m pretty freaking courageous… I also learned how important and necessary freedom is as you call your own shots. Those are the two biggest things. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s definitely welcome.”
Was there one moment that sparked your decision to finally release new music?
There was no defining moment. But there was a phase during the last five years where all these serendipitous moments started happening: acting auditions, movie offers, fans walking up and saying, “You helped me leave an unhealthy relationship or marriage” with songs like “Beautiful Mistake.” Then there were happenstance encounters with people that could help me on the business side to structure my label the way that I wanted. So I felt redemption, vindication. Energy in the universe made it so very clear that it’s time. I couldn’t deny it.
What was the deciding factor in choosing midtempo “Bae” as the lead single?
It was the perfect first song for the simple fact that it’s straightforward. You’re hearing me without a lot of heavy arrangement. You’re hearing me just carry on the mic, with no feature. There is a sample [of Hurricane Chris’ 2007 single “A Bay Bay”] that is supportive but not overpowering; we were very intentional on that. It felt like a toe in the water and the perfect tempo to reintroduce myself with. And my partner loves “Bae.”
While recording, I was listening to my repertoire, which includes Bobby Brown, Babyface, Ms. Lauryn Hill: the things that have inspired me are still the same things that always inspire me. I’m also a Bruno Mars fan, and that Silk Sonic collaboration was everything, doing old things in a new way.
Why was Method Man, the only guest on this album, your choice for the song “Searchin’”?
There’s a tribal nature about that song, but there’s also this New York street essence that reminded me of Wu-Tang and only Wu-Tang. And I love Method Man; always been a fan of his cadence, voice and his look, which ain’t bad either [laughs]. Plus I’d just done a film [2021’s A Hip Hop Family Christmas] with his partner in crime, Redman. So I got in touch with Method Mad and he was so gracious, saying “Just let me know when you need me, what you need from me; just tell me and I’m there.” That’s just the energy that you want to have as an artist, especially [when you’re] re-emerging. It’s scary. You want and need the support. And he’s just such brother energy; a good guy.
Looking back on the music industry then vs. now, has it changed for the better or worse?
Starting with the better, artists have more freedom to literally create and carve out their own space, like real estate. And because of social media, people are flipping the channel to find where artists are setting up shop. That’s a great thing. Now we [artists] are in charge of curating our own channels. But while we’re in a new world, there are also some negatives in that it has created a lot of fear for the average artist. You want your music to work. You want the traffic, the sales and streams, to sell out shows. So it creates an environment, a culture of safe music.
Even within your own sphere, you’re like, “This is what I’m known for. I can’t deviate from that. This is what they want from me, and I have to serve that.” Your fans will even say it: “Keep making songs like …” and put you in a box. It’s pressure both internally and externally. And that’s the sad part. I’ve never followed rules, and I don’t plan on starting now. It’s necessary for people to come in and mix this shit up. That’s what I’m aiming to do.
Speaking of social media, you recently experienced a trending moment after sharing your regrets about a Beyoncé diss on the remix to your 2009 hit “Turnin Me On,” which later drew reaction from songwriter Ester Dean.
Obviously, the scope of social media has changed to be very salacious, a lot more than when I was out before. And that can be difficult to navigate. But despite this culture of negativity and click bait, nothing feels better than truth. That’s the best weapon. If you know you’re being honest and truthful, then you can stand up to anything because your authenticity and integrity are all you have at the end of the day. And that’s all I want to say about that.
What role does acting play in satisfying yourself creatively?
It’s a longer escape. Music can be an escape for a day or two. But while I’m creating movies, I get to pause time for much longer periods. It allows me to escape reality, and that’s really part of why I dove head first into it. My father passed in January 2020. I’d done a couple movies prior to that but now it was a departure from my grief, a welcome thing. I realized that I can kind of pause time, step away from myself and these heavy feelings. To smile and laugh because the character’s bubbly. It helped pull me out of that dark space.
Keri Hilson ‘We Need to Talk’
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In the digital age, it may be difficult to find an activity for everyone in the family to do together. There’s something nostalgic for playing foosball, slide hockey and table tennis for parents, while playing billiards, shuffleboard and backgammon can develop a sense of competition and teamwork for kids.
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Available at Walmart, the family-friendly Best Choice 10-in-1 Combo Game Table Set is on sale for $179.99, or $166 off its list price — a nearly 50% savings. In addition, the game table has a 4.2 out of 5-star rating with more than 1,100 of the retailer’s shoppers.
And since the Best Choice 10-in-1 Combo Game Table Set is from Walmart, you’ll get it shipped to you for free if you’re a Walmart+ member. Otherwise, your cart has to be more than $35 to get free shipping.
If you’re not a member, then you’re in luck: You can sign up for a 30-day free trial to take advantage of everything the retailer’s rewards program has to offer with perks such as free, fast delivery; fuel discounts; streaming access to Paramount+ to watch hit originals; additional savings with early access deals and much more.
In addition, Walmart+ comes with access to SiriusXM for all sorts of talk radio and music — including popular channels such as The Coffee House for stripped-down songs from Noah Kahan, Kacey Musgraves, The Lumineers, Phoebe Bridgers and others. Learn more about what Walmart+ can offer you here.
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Best Choice 10-in-1 Combo Game Table Set
$179.99
$345.99
48% off
Meanwhile, the game set is interchangeable with swappable tables and features 10 games, including slide hockey, foosball, billiards, shuffleboard, table tennis, chess, cards, checkers, bowling and backgammon. Game tables are easy to switch out, while games are multiplayer or single-player activities. It’s fun for the whole family, especially when you’re listening to your favorite music on a portable record player for another dose of nostalgia.
Marked down to $179.99 (regularly $345.99), the Best Choice 10-in-1 Combo Game Table Set comes in four colors — including walnut, natural, gray and arcade — at Walmart.
For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.
K-pop boy band SEVENTEEN announced the release date for their upcoming fifth studio album on Monday morning (April 21). Happy Burstday is slated to drop on May 26, marking the group’s first full-length LP in almost three years. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The follow-up to […]
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Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Euphoria” was already heavy, but according to TDE president Terrence “Punch” Henderson, it could’ve been way more lethal.
In a raw convo with Curtiss King, Punch confirmed there was a longer version of the track that had extra bars aimed at Drake, but some of the more savage shots got cut before the public ever heard it.
When asked about rumors of a 20-minute version, Punch didn’t confirm the exact length, but he kept it real, saying, “There was definitely a version that was longer than what the world got. There was a lot of stuff that didn’t make it on there.” He explained that certain lines just weren’t worth the long-term smoke, so he stepped in. “There was just some things in there that I didn’t think would have been beneficial in the long run, so I gave him my input, and he took some of those things out.”
Even with the edits, “Euphoria” still hit hard and had the rap game buzzing. But Kendrick wasn’t done. He followed up with “Not Like Us,” a track that felt like the final blow, making the culture crown him as the clear winner in the beef. The fact that there was an even more aggressive version of “Euphoria” locked away in the vault just adds to the legend. Kendrick showed he could still cut deep without letting it get too messy, and that’s a different level of control.
Check out the full conversation below:
American Idol leaned into the Easter Sunday (April 20) holiday with a three-hour episode in which this season’s top 20 sang anthems of faith and devotion, with one contestant turning heads thanks to his original song dedicated to a lost friend.
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“No words can describe how I truly feel/ But I hope these will try/ It’s a feeling that I can’t explain/ Deep and endless like the sky,” sang 18-year-old Addis, LA country singer John Foster on “Tell That Angel I Love Her.” He said he wrote the song for his late friend Maggie Dunn, who was killed, along with another friend, on New Year’s Eve in 2022 when a police officer ran a red light during a high-speed chase and slammed into their vehicle.
“Though we may not know the reason/ It’s not for us to understand/ Lord, won’t you tell that angel/ I love her as soon as you can?” Foster crooned before hitting the moving chorus: “Sure the sun will come up/ But it won’t shine on her skin/ And I’d give anything I have/ To talk to her again/ Each tear that falls on my guitar/ Is a hug from afar/ Lord, won’t you tell that angel that I love her?/ As y’all live in the stars.”
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At the end of the performance, Foster said, “I love you Maggie” as his eyes got watery.
“There’s something wonderfully throwback about your voice, about your style. And I think it’s something that’s lacking in country music today, to be honest. I love that you keep it very traditional,” Underwood said of Foster’s old school country balladeering. “I feel like that’s who you are. I love that in this song, we got to hear a sweet, tender side of your voice that honestly I didn’t know you had.” Bryan noted that Foster had been a “wild card” for him from the beginning but that with that song he’d “removed all doubts in my mind that you deserve to be here.”
The episode opened judge Lionel Richie performing his song “Eternity” accompanied by a full gospel choir and the top 24, just before four of those singers — Grayson Torrence, Kyana Fanene, Penny Samar and MKY — were sent packing. In addition, fellow judge Luke Bryan sang “Jesus ‘Bout My Kids” and Carrie Underwood brought down the house with a moving “How Great Thou Art.”
Also performing on the episode were the rest of the top 20: Canaan James Hill, Drew Ryn, Desmond Roberts, Filo, Josh King, Thunderstorm Artis, Amanda Barise, Mattie Pruitt, Olivier Bergeron, Breanna Nix, Victor Solomon, Baylee Littrell, Isaiah Misailegalu, Gabby Samone, Slater Nalley, Zaylie Windsor, Jamal Roberts, Ché and Kolbi Jordan.
The top 20 will be cut down to the top 14 on Monday night’s (April 21) episode, which airs at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Watch John Foster’s performance below.
Alice Cooper says that making a new album with his original bandmates — the first in more than 51 years — was like riding a proverbial bike.
“Oh, very much so,” the veteran shock rocker tells Billboard by phone from his home in Phoenix, speaking about the upcoming The Revenge of Alice Cooper (out July 25 on earMUSIC). “It was very much like this was our next album after (1973’s) Muscle of Love, just like, ‘OK, this is the next album.’ Isn’t that funny after 50 years? All of a sudden it just falls into place.”
Producer Bob Ezrin, meanwhile, says that the band on The Revenge… was eerily similar to the group he worked with on platinum Cooper 70s albums such as Love It to Death, Killer, School’s Out and Billion Dollar Babies. “None of them has changed much as a person,” Ezrin notes. “Obviously everyone’s older and more mature and more settled, but when we all get together and I watch the interplay between them, it’s like they just walked out of high school and were hanging out in the local cafe. They just revert to type. They revert to who they were as kids when the first got together… and make music together like they did 50-some years ago.”
The 14-track album reunites Cooper with guitarist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway and drummer Neil Smith. Guitarist Glen Buxton passed away in 1997 at the age of 49 — the album is dedicated “to our brother Glen Buxton” — and he’s represented on two songs. “What Happened to You” is built from the riff on an old demo tape Dunaway and Buxton made together and the limited-edition box set bonus track “Return of the Spiders 2025,” is an upgraded remix of a track from the group’s second album, 1970’s Easy Action.
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The set also features another bonus remix, of the “Titanic Overunderture” from the group’s 1969 debut, Pretties For You, and a remake of the Yardbirds’ “I Ain’t Done Wrong” from 1965 — a nod to a favorite band of Cooper and company that it covered during their early days as the Spiders on Phoenix.
Cooper will be premiering the first single, “Black Mamba,” on Tuesday (April 22) on the latest episode of his syndicated radio show, Alice’s Attic. Featuring Robby Krieger of the Doors, a friend since the band’s late 60s days in Los Angeles, it was, according to Cooper, “definitely an Alice Cooper, from-the-ground-up song” created during studios sessions for the album.
“It wasn’t even a song yet,” Dunaway recalls. “We’re in the studio and we start jamming on the riff and warming up together. The next thing you know we get this swampy feel and decide it’s gonna be about a Black Mamba snake, which is very deadly, and it fell into place. It was so new Alice had to stop us at one point and ask me if I remembered what the melody was. It was very spontaneous.”
For Ezrin — who also co-wrote songs, sang backup and played keyboards and percussion on the LP — “Black Mamba” in particular defined what The Revenge… was going to be. “When we started to play that it’s when I knew the spirit of the Alice Cooper group was back and that what we were making was very much an album that could’ve been in the 70s, when we were last together. It had the psychedelia, it had the artful drumming and bass playing, the great atmospheric guitars. It has Alice telling a really fabulous story, in character.”
Cooper adds that, “We didn’t know where it was gonna go. At the end we looked at each other and went, ‘Oh, that’s pretty good!’”
The Cooper crew has been working its way towards another full album for more than a decade.
Its split in 1974 — after seven albums over six years, and such iconic hits as “I’m Eighteen,” “School’s Out,” “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and more — was acrimonious but not insurmountable. “We didn’t’ divorce as much as we separated,” Cooper explains. “There was no anger, no bad blood — not for very long anyway.”
Dunaway adds that, “the breakup wasn’t what the band was about; the togetherness was. After all of these years we’ve buried a lot of hatchets.” Bruce and Smith performed at the opening of one of the Alice Coopers’town restaurants in Phoenix during 1988 and all four living members played for the band’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2011.
That led to song collaborations on several of Cooper’s subsequent albums — Welcome 2 My Nightmare in 2011, Paranormal in 2017 and 2021’s Detroit Stories, and on Oct. 6, 2015, the four played an eight-song set at Good Records in Dallas to celebrate Dunaway’s memoir Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs! My Adventures in the Alice Cooper Group; the show was subsequently released as the Live from the Astoturf album and DVD three years later.
And during 2017, Bruce, Dunaway and Smith performed as special guests on the U.K. dates of Cooper’s Spend the Night with Alice Cooper world tour.
“All of those things got everybody reacquainted — reacquainted is a weird term ’cause we’re so much like family, so it’s more like a family reunion,” Dunaway says. “Then Alice and Bob called and were talking about, ‘Oh yeah, we want to do an album,’ because there’s so many songs kicking around.”
Ezrin explains that, “We’ve worked together here and there over the years. The boys played together… and every time it’s been a joy and complete pleasure, and kind of like going home. So we finally decided, ‘Let’s just do a whole album, an Alice Cooper group album like we used to.”
Work on The Revenge… actually began in Phoenix a few years ago, when Cooper, Bruce, Dunaway and Smith gathered together to try out songs. Dunaway recalls that he and Smith each came in with around 30 songs, putting them on par with Bruce, who was the band’s primary music writer during the 70s.
“Dennis and Neil really blew my mind,” Bruce says. “They’ve come a long way as writers. I just can’t say enough about their songwriting. We all are songwriters now; it’s a real battle of the songwriters. I’m so proud of the band.”
Cooper maintains that he’s long felt, “if we’re gonna do an original Alice record, I want it to sound like the original Alice band. The original band has a darker sound, and a heavier sound. It’s a very different personality, and I even sing differently when I sing with those guys.
“On this (album) it was much more of a band, where each one of us has a certain say. In other words, it wasn’t like my albums. I’m not gonna have a final say on it; I had one-fourth of the say on it, and that’s the way we always did it,” he adds. “I think the best thing about this is normally Bob and I would go, ‘OK, wait a minute — that doesn’t necessarily fit. That shouldn’t go there.’ When we’re working with this band, we go, ‘No, let it go there,’ ’cause that’s what the original Alice Cooper Band did. We would see where it should go, and 70 percent of the song went where it should go, and the about 30 percent of the song went in another direction — but it all sounded like it fit.
“That was the difference. When we heard that, we kinda laugh and say, ‘Let’s go there.’ On my albums I wouldn’t go there, but on this album, we go there.”
Filling Buxton’s role on The Revenge… is Gyasi Hues, a Nashville player who was recommended to Ezrin by Mike Grimes, owner of Grimey’s New & Preloved Music in Nashville and checked out by Dunaway and Smith in a local club. “Neil and Dennis were slightly skeptical,” Ezrin says.
“Nobody wants to replace Glen, and they hold jealously onto his memory and their love for him. But very early on (Hues’) started playing some really cool stuff and the guys were looking around going, ‘That’s kinda great.’ So we have the Alice Cooper group, not with Glen Buxton but with somebody who honors Glen Buxton.” A number of other players, primarily Connecticut guitarist and instrument merchant Rick Tedesco, also appear on The Revenge…
Tracking sessions for The Revenge… began during August of 2022 in Nashville, with other recording done in Phoenix, Los Angeles, Hollywood and Glendale, Calif., and Cooper’s vocals recorded at Noble Street Studios in Toronto.
As word about The Revenge… filters out, Dunaway says the band is “ready to explode with excitement because we’ve kept it secret for so long.” There’s no word yet, however, on whether the four will regroup to play live to support it; Cooper already has a full slate of touring ahead this year, including a May and August dates in the U.S., summer shows in Europe and a co-headlining run with Judas Priest during September and October.
“We haven’t even gotten to that point yet,” Cooper says about putting the quartet back on stage. “I don’t really see it being a full-out tour; it would be very, very hard, I think, if you haven’t done it for a long time. But I could see it being a feature, like going into certain cities — Detroit, New York, L.A., London maybe, and doing a half-hour or 40 minutes in a club or something. We always leave those things open, and if it looks feasible then we do it.”
His bandmates are game. “If (Cooper) asks, I’ll be there,” says Bruce, who continues to write and plays in a local band in Arizona. “I’m an Alice Cooper trouper.” Dunaway, whose various musical endeavors include Blue Coupe with former members of Blue Oyster Cult, adds that, “It has always depended on Alice. If Alice gives us a call, we’re there. We’re ready.”
And while Dunaway considers The Revenge… to be “a full-circle moment” for the original Alice Cooper band, all concerned seem to feel like it’s not the last thing they’ll do together.
“Dennis was talking about a one-off album, and I’m like, ‘Who says it’s a one-off album,” says Cooper, who’s working on his next solo album with Ezrin. “I have no problem working with these guys all the time. I can be doing my albums, working with them. I’ve got the Hollywood Vampires. I’m in the Solid Rock band for all the kids at Solid Rock (his youth centers in Arizona). I’ve got to keep remember what band I’m in! But doing (the original band) again is great. I’ll always be up for that.”
The Revenge of Alice Cooper is currently available for pre-order. The full tracklist includes:
1. “Black Mamba”
2. “Wild Ones”
3. “Up All Night”
4. “Kill The Flies”
5. “One Night Stand”
6. “Blood On The Sun”
7. “Crap That Gets In The Way Of Your Dreams”
8. “Famous Face”
9. “Money Screams”
10. “What A Syd”
11. “Inter Galactic Vagabond Blues”
12. “What Happened To You”
13. “I Ain’t Done Wrong”
14. “See You On The Other Side”
15. “Return of the Spiders 2025” (bonus track)
16. “Titanic Overunderture” (bonus track)
