Here we are folks, the dog days of December. The list of releases has trickled to a crawl for the next couple of months, which means we’re gonna have to stretch to find five noteworthy releases some weeks-like this one. Matter of fact, I’m not even gonna try to come up with a list of five. There are exactly three albums coming out tomorrow that anyone gives half a damn about, and they are as follows:
Britney Spears Circus: She may have gotten off the crazy train, but there’s nothing to suggest that Britney’s music has undergone any sort of change in the year and change since the Platinum Blackout hit store shelves. Mindless dance pop is still the order of the day, and Britney’s vocal contributions are, as always, negligible-but have no actual bearing on whether the music within is good or not. Choice title? If You Seek Amy. Confused. Say it reallllly slooowwwww. Get it now? Yeah. Proof that all the antidepressants in the world can’t bring you class.
Akon Freedom: Fresh from dry-humping teenage girs and tossing fans into crowds (oh, and lying about his criminal past), Akon’s third album reveals more of the wafer-thin (in vocal talent as well as stature) artist’s clubby dance anthems and simple pop songs. The guest list on this album reads like a shopping list, but you can bet that the ubiquitous Lil’ Wayne and T-Pain are both represented here.
Scarface Emeritus: You gotta give the O.G. props for trying, right? Half a decade since anyone gave a damn, the grandfather of Southern rap returns with his umpteenth solo album. ‘Face has flown pretty far under the radar these past couple of years (being on a label like Asylum probably doesn’t help much), but this album will appeal to just about anyone who’s bought his work (either solo or as part of The Geto Boys and Facemob) over the past 20 years.
Elsewhere, there’s a Panic at the Disco Live record out for the 7 of you who still care, and the Cadillac Records soundtrack also hits stores. The film, which tells the story of legendary blues label Chess Records, stars Mos Def and Beyonce, who sings Etta James’ At Last on the soundtrack. On the reissue tip, there’s also a Chess Records anthology featuring the original versions of the songs featured in this movie. And yeah…that’s all, folks.
Get a complete list of this week’s releases here.