Man in the mirror
R Kelly remains one of the world's hottest stars; he is also staring at a 19-year prison term if found guilty of a series of sex crimes. In his first British interview since the scandal broke, he talks to Paul Flynn.
Interview: Elton John
Forget 'Candle In the Wind' and showbiz ubiquity ... Elton John has found his very best form again. 'I was a victim of my own excess,' he tells Amy Raphael.
Death in the midday sun
On the Tex-Mex border, drug traffickers are heroes and murders are a commonplace. Martin Hodgson meets the musicians who define Mexico's own style of gangsta rap: the narcocorrido.
Red at the controls
Introducing a new OMM series, guest contributor Mick Hucknall writes about the glory years of Jamaican music, and the effect it had on his own life.
The OMM recommended 10
On the good foot
Dancers have never been quite so in demand for videos and live shows - and sometimes the hoofers in the background become stars in their own right. Four British hopefuls tell Charlotte Williamson why it's great to work with Diana Ross and Whitney Houston - and tough to shoot with Geri Halliwell.
Flash forward
The Knife are siblings who make political electro-pop and just love Top Gun. Yes, says Emma Warren, they take your breath away.
Party songs
To mark OMM's first anniversary, here is the perfect playlist to get any party rocking....
Album of the month: Testifyin' by Country Soul Revue
Old-timers from the Deep South thrill Caspar Llewellyn Smith.
This month's 10 best CDs
Song of the month: 'Bobby' by Selfish C***
Garry Mulholland cherishes a novel cover version ...
Live music: Yurts and yakkety yaks
In remote Central Asia, Peter Culshaw escapes the military police and witnesses the revival of sacred music once suppressed by the Soviets.
Music on TV
New British bands, whether on US chat shows or the homegrown variety, are always deadly. Paul Morley asks why they can't talk the talk.
Mark Lawrenson
The Match of the Day pundit has seen Bob Marley, U2 and Phil Lynott, but can he overturn received wisdom about footballers and music? By Peter Paphides.
A life through music
The childhood sweetheart: At the age of eight Tiffany Murray fell in love for the first time, with the beautiful yet doomed country singer Gram Parsons. She traded him in, cruelly, for the Wombles. But sometimes, an early romance will come back to haunt you... :
Musical differences
Ben Knowles: The launch of the Official Download Chart should have been a signpost to a brighter future. But despite Westlife, hope remains...
Lost tribes of pop: rude girl
Tiffany prefers Bluewater shopping centre to Lakeside, and Ash's pouty pose over her tedious anecdotes. Tom Cox introduces you to her posse.
