Blender May 2008

REGULARS
7 BLENDER BIBLE
16 LETTERS
21 BURNER
Jessica Simpson suits up for battle.
32 TOP 33 CHART
34 COLLECT CALL FROM ...
KID ROCK - 168 hours with Detroit's rap-rock wildman
39 ASK BLENDER
A Led Zeppelin mystery explained!
41 USEFUL TIPS:
FLO RIDA - The "Low" rapper on the art of juicing
42 DEAR SUPERSTAR:
KEITH RICHARDS
The Stone on snorting Dad's ashes—and staying up for nine days straight
47 THE GREATEST SONGS EVER:
"ONCE IN A LIFETIME"
How a fundamentalist radio preacher shaped the Talking Heads' masterpiece
96 WHO DOES ERYKAH BADU THINK SHE IS?
The R&B eccentric cures colds with tuning forks and thinks "time is for white people."
THE GUIDE
73 NEW RELEASES
Madonna, Mariah Carey, Flo Rida, R.E.M.. Nine Inch Nails and more
80 REISSUES
Lynyrd Skynyrd, Love, Willie Nelson, Otis Redding and more
82 BACK CATALOGUE: CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
In four short years, this West Coast foursome recorded some of the finest deep-blues rock ever.
84 MOVIES
Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Heavy Metal in Baghdad and more
86 GAMES
Grand Theft Auto IV, Boom Blox, SingStar '90s and more
ARTIST INDEX
Where to find your favorite performers in this month's Blender
BADU, ERYKAH 96
BLACK SABBATH 84
BONO 39
GEE-LO 30
CLASH, THE 85
COLDPLAY 30
FLO RIDA 41
HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH 36
KID ROCK 34,96
MADONNA 73
MAYER, JOHN 60
MICHAELSON, INGRID (and her pet squirrel) 28
NINE INCH NAILS 77
REDDING, OTIS 81
RICHARDS, KEITH 42
SMALLS. BIGGIE 53
STEFANI, GWEN 22,26
STYX 67
TALKING HEADS 47
TOKIO HOTEL (a threat to girls' glockenspiels) 56
ON THE COVER
ALICIA KEYS
PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDREW ECCLES.
Styling by Wean Vice for Epiphany Artist Group. Her by Tippi Shorter for Epiphany =TOM Group. Makeup by Ashunta Sheriff for Epiphany Artist Group. Bodysuit by The Blondes. Jeans by House of Cassette. Earrings by Kenneth Jay Lane. Ring by Kenneth lay Lane.