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Category: Releases

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  • First Look: Ciara & Justin’s “Love Sex Magic”

    Ciara’s “Fantasy Ride” is one of those albums that was SUPPOSED to come out ages ago, but her record company just hasn’t found a song that caught fire. Enter Justin Timberlake, and voila, not only does Ciara have another hit on her hands, but the album’s finally been given a firm May release date. The song’s called “Love Sex Magic”, and the video is below.

    A lot of folks hate on JT, but I’m not mad at the dude at all. Although he’s obviously not as talented as HE thinks he is, the fact of the matter is that he was behind one of the few 50 Cent songs I like (“Ayo Technology”), finally turned me around to appreciating T.I. (“Dead & Gone”), and was behind most of the good stuff on Madonna’s last album. Hell, I wouldn’t even be caught near a Ciara record if not for this song. While I still won’t buy the album, this is definitely worth the 99 cents (or $1.29 now that their prices are being raised) on iTunes.

    As for the video, well, damn. All I have to say is that if Ciara moves like that, she should be in the circus.

  • New Release(s) of the Week 3/31/09: Prince

    princeWhen Prince left Warner Brothers back in ’96, one major sticking point was that his then label refused to allow him to release music at the pace he wanted to. Among the many issues Prince had was the fact that his magnum opus, 1987’s “Sign O’ the Times”, was whittled down from 3 discs to a more consumer-palatable 2. Prince finally got his 3-disc set upon his release from Warner with ’96’s “Emancipation”, which, while not bad for a 3-CD set, you can find for five bucks used at most retailers these days.

    After slowing down his release schedule slightly, Prince has returned with yet another three-disc set: “Mplsound”, “Lotusflower” and “Elixir” are all being released as one package tomorrow. The catch? This set will only be sold at Target stores and via target.com. Prince is following the model set by AC/DC and The Eagles (successfully) and Christina Aguilera and Guns ‘n Roses (not so successfully). We’ll see if the Purple One still has what it takes. Judging from public response to his performances on Leno last week, I think it would be foolish to count the little man out.

    A few other things to look out for this week:

    Keith Urban “Defying Gravity”- A new album from Mr. Nicole Kidman and the first set he’s recorded since completing rehab a couple years back. The Aussie country star should wind up with the week’s biggest-selling debut.

    Bow Wow “New Jack City Pt. 2”- He’s not been Lil’ for some time now, and Bow Wow has, quiet as kept, been one of hip-hop’s most consistent sellers over the past decade or so. I wonder if he’s writing his own lyrics yet, or if Jermaine Dupri’s still hiring ghostwriters for him. I won’t discuss the stupid title for fear that our own GG might jump through the screen and strangle me.

    UGK “UGK for Life”- This should wrap things up for the Houston-based hip-hoppers, seeing as 1/2 of the group, Pimp C, passed away a year and a half ago, sadly following their biggest commercial success with “International Player’s Anthem”. This album features a bevy of guests paying tribute, from MCs like Too $hort and Eightball & MJG to smooth soul singers like Raheem DeVaughn.

    Gavin DeGraw “Free”-The piano man returns barely a year after his last album with a stripped-down, raw set of original tunes and covers.

    Flo-Rida “R.O.O.T.S.”- So I was watching MTV the other day and Flo-Rida was announcing videos, and he saw fit to explain his name as “Florida” broken up into “2 syllables”. Hey genius, both “Florida” and “Flo-Rida” have three syllables. Someone send dude back to 5th grade. Anyway, this guy’s had the #1 single in the country (“Right Round”) for something like 6 weeks now, so someone’s gonna buy this, right?

    Get your complete list of this week’s releases right here.

  • New Release of the Week 3/17/09: Les Claypool

    claypoolListening to a Les Claypool album is like getting high without the drugs. The former bass player for Primus (who scored a hit with “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver”) has a playing, performing and singing style that can charitably be called “weird”. After a three year absence, Claypool is back with “Of Fungi & Foe”, the most high-profile in a quiet week for new releases.

    (and see, this is what I don’t get. Take Kelly Clarkson and The-Dream, for example. Why not release them a week apart so both albums have a chance to debut at #1 and fans have a reason to return to record stores? I don’t get it. But, yeah. I said that already.)

    Also new and exciting this week…

    Gabriella Cilmi “Lessons to Be Learned”-This Australian singer was profiled a couple of months back by our own Jason Matos and is now finally getting a Stateside release for her new album.

    Marianne Faithfull: “Easy Come, Easy Go: 18 Songs for Music Lovers”-One of the most striking female voices in music returns with a covers album. I’m not sure what material is being featured here, but her dark, dramatic voice can make anything interesting, so this might  be worth checking out.

    Ray J. “For the Love of Ray J.: The Soundtrack”-After becoming addicted to “I Love New York”, I’ve managed to stay away from most of VH-1’s Celebreality shows. Brandy’s annoying little brother now has one of those shows, which is even more reason to change the dial. Not sure what this “soundtrack” features, but hopefully it’s a reminder that the dude sang before he became a porno actor/media whore.

    Superdrag “Industry Giants”- Superdrag made their initial impression back in ’96 with the song “Sucked Out”, which got an assload of MTV play and was a reasonably-sized hit on the alternative charts. After taking a break in 2003, they are back with “Industry Giants”, an album that features all the original members.

    Get your complete list of new releases .