Billie Holiday's troubled life colored every phrase she sang, and she brought her listeners to moments of joy that soothed the worst heartache. No matter how lousy a hand life deals you, one song from Billie reminds you that she had it worse and still, somehow, remained beautiful. The woman whose sou

Dreamy, Jazz vocalists, Lush, Sensual, Smoky

Few words are as synonymous with luxury as Gucci. We see the gilded "G" and we know, instantly, that its wearer is in the 40-percent tax bracket. However, Gucci's beginnings were a bit more humble. Guccio Gucci, a former maitre d'hotel, started the company in early-1920s Florence as a purveyor of lea

Glamour, Rock 'n' roll, Sexy, Smoky, Spare

With titles like "Flower, Fist, and Bestial Wail," "Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions, and General Tales of Ordinary Madness," and "Notes of a Dirty Old Man," Charles Bukowski's work is still the stuff that teenage poet-boys read on the bus. Bukowski is a movement-less poet: not a Beat or a Confes

Beat poetry, Beats, Gritty, In-your-face, Masculine, Minimal, Smoky, Wise assy

Any band that brings together Jamaican ska and British punk and actually makes it fun should indeed be called the Specials. Their music was certainly an exciting mix. The ska movement was born in Jamaica and based on traditional reggae with subtle hints of R & B and jazz. The punk scene, on the other

Kinetic, Punk, Rebel, Ska revival, Smoky, Social revolution, Urban