Rolling Stone February 23, 2017

COMEDY HOTTEST COMICS IN HISTORY Everyone has a different style, but what does it take to be among the best? From Louis C.K. and Richard Pryor to Joan Rivers, Dave Chappelle and Jerry Seinfeld, we rank the greatest comedians of all time. MUSIC HELLFIRE OF ARTHUR BROWN The Crazy World of Arthur Brown return for their first U.S. tour in 48 years. We spoke with the wild frontman about today’s rock iconoclasts and touring with Jimi Hendrix. SPORTS THE 76ERS BOUNCE BACK Is Joel Embiid the NBA’s most skilled young player? His spectacular season is among the reasons that Philadelphia 76ers fans have something to cheer about again. MOVIES FULL OSCARS COVERAGE With four Best Picture nominees directly addressing people of color, this year’s Oscars aren’t so white. We cover the best and worst moments from the ceremony. ‘MUSIC NOW’ PODCAST The Edge…

Stone’s Rising Star was a star [“Emma Stone’s Hollywood Ending,” RS 1278/1279] the first time I saw her, in Easy A, and she has only shined brighter since. She is a modern Barbara Stanwyck who can do anything: comedy, drama, singing and dancing. And like that Hollywood icon, she always performs with class and grace. Phil Stenger, Via the Internet whether your subscribers are paying attention, I found the cover to be eerily similar to your 1994 photo of Liz Phair [“A Rock & Roll Star Is Born,” RS 692]. Now, as a father of teenage girls (fans of both Ms. Phair and Ms. Stone), I wonder whether declaring that a female artist’s “star” has been “born” means she must first be photographed in a state of undress. Eric Rosenthal, Cambridge, MA Saving the Planet Hansen…

1. Arcade Fire and Mavis Staples “I Give You Power” Arcade Fire released a surprise single the day before Donald Trump was inaugurated, teaming up with veteran soul singer Mavis Staples for a darkly quaking dance-rock call to community and resistance in scary times. 2. Missy Elliott feat. Lamb “I’m Better” Missy doesn’t grace us with her future-freak presence nearly enough. But here, she’s at her best, shouting out Scandal and her “dudes in Orlando” over a sci-fi slow-glide beat and rocking mirror-shade lip gloss in the eye-popping video. 3. Father John Misty “Pure Comedy” Mankind gets a sidelong spanking in this bitter shot of glitter-soul nihilism. It’s like Elton John via Randy Newman. 4. Elliott Smith “I Figured You Out” The late indie-folk icon was a master of fragile Lennonesque gorgeousness, and this bonus track from a new reissue of…

The Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist is gearing up for the group’s upcoming 40th-anniversary tour. The Rolling Stones “Street Fighting Man” There’s something about the lyrics and energy that make you want to get up and fight somebody for what you believe in. It’s a joy from start to finish. Jimi Hendrix “All Along the Watchtower” This sounds like it’s about the world and how it could be better. It’s a sloppy record with odd production, but somehow it’s beautifully perfect. Bob Dylan “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” Every time I hear this, it just stops me. I feel so moved by it. It’s on the edge of death and despair, but there’s hope. The Clash “London Calling” This has that apocalypse kind of vibe, like the world is coming to an end but maybe we’ll make it through. Neil Young “Rockin’ in the…

D inspired the largest wave of protests in America since the Vietnam War. And, just as it did back then, music is helping lead the charge. The new coalition includes everyone from rappers to rockers to EDM stars, with protest veterans and previously apolitical pop stars alike speaking out. Katy Perry appeared alongside Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards at the Women’s March in D.C. Rihanna told her 70 million Twitter followers, “The country is being ruined before our very eyes,” in response to Trump’s executive order limiting immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries. And during a recent stop on his Australian tour, Bruce Springsteen paid tribute to the new movement: “We are the new American resistance,” he told the crowd. “There’s never been anything quite like this,” says Tom Morello, who…

‘D voice?” Shania Twain asks, leaning forward on a hotel-room couch on a frigid New York afternoon. “It still sounds like me?” Twain – who sold more than 85 million records in the Nineties and early 2000s with country-pop hits like “You’re Still the One” and “That Don’t Impress Me Much” – is discussing her first album in 15 years. Out in the spring, it also marks her first recordings since she was diagnosed with dysphonia, a vocal-cord disorder that causes hoarseness and trouble speaking. The issue kept Twain out of the studio for years as she received voice therapy. She eventually found a timbre that’s recognizable, but deeper than before. “I’m a different singer now,” she says. “There was a lot of coming to terms with that. It’s been…