L.A. Times - Pop & Hiss — The veteran songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David has been chosen to receive the Library of Congress' fourth Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, which will be presented at an all-star tribute ceremony in the spring in Washington. The creators... more info

Guardian Music — This little-known soul number from 1962 is two minutes and 37 seconds of desperation and anger, rejection and defianceFor me Sugar Pie DeSanto – possibly the best-named female soul singer of all time – ranks among the great voices of the genre's ... more info

ContactMusic — Veteran superstar Tony Bennett celebrated his 85th birthday by playing a star-studded gig in New York City on Sunday night 18Sep11 with Sir Elton John and Aretha Franklin The singer reached the milestone age last month 03Aug11 and on Sunday he put on... more info

ContactMusic — Soul singer Aretha Franklin has recruited a new pianist to join her touring ensemble after he impressed her at an international music competition on Sunday 11Sep11 The Respect hitmaker made a surprise appearance at the Thelonious Monk International J... more info

The Telegraph — Respect La Diva at the Garrick Theatre, a tribute to great female vocalists ranging from Aretha Franklin to Madonna and Beyonce, is the kind of show you might expect to see on the end of a pier in Blackpool or at a holiday camp in Skegness. more info

Guardian Music — The Mobos celebrate the uniqueness of British urban music, origins and allDan Hancox chose to undermine the achievements of the nominated artists for the Mobo awards, who have done so well and have been flying the flag for British music internationa... more info

VH1 Blog — Aretha Franklin has apparently rebounded completely from last December’s health scare (rumored to be pancreatic cancer) that led to surgery, not to mention death rumors on Twitter. Yesterday morning in Detroit she performed a four-song set—”I C... more info

Guardian Music — A recent Guardian article asked whether the Mobo awards are still relevant. But the criticisms were wide of the mark – thanks to the Mobos the charts are dominated by urban actsIt's a shame that Dan Hancox, while writing about the Mobo awards in a ... more info

Guardian Music — Days after the death of the master songwriter, plans revealed for musical about Irish writerAs the rock world mourned lyricist Jerry Leiber last week, it fondly remembered classic hits such as Jailhouse Rock and Stand By Me, for which Leiber wrote th... more info

Yahoo! Music UK — world entertainment news - Aretha Franklin wowed fans in her hometown on Thursday night when she performed her first show since battling a mystery illness last year. more info