In addition to this fine site, I also occasionally write (but mostly comment) for a couple of other sites, one being my friend JayVee’s site, The Round Table. You can find it at theround-table.blogspot.com. This column was originally written for them. Enjoy!!
Believe it or not, 2008 has not been a bad year for music-unless you happen to be a superstar. Particularly a superstar diva. Janet Jackson, Madonna and Mariah Carey have all released fairly underwhelming albums over the first half of the year-with Janet’s the best of a very weak bunch. Hip-hop has also taken a bit of a leave of absence-unless you’re one of those folks who thinks “The Carter III†is a classic, there wasn’t much to gloat about if you were a rap fan for the first part of this year.
However, there have been some bright spots. Soul singers on the other side of the Atlantic continued their renaissance after Amy Winehouse set one hell of a standard (and you have to admit that “Back To Black†is a work of genius, no matter what you think of her personally) last year. In addition to the new Brit divas, a couple of vets returned after short absences with albums that rank among the best of their careers. And there’s still half a year to go.
No need for fancy introductions today, here’s this week’s Top 5 picks:
The Hold Steady- “Stay Positive”: Craig Finn looks like an investment banker, but his band The Hold Steady have taken their Springsteen-esque brand of anthemic, lyrical rock and become one of the best-loved American rock bands around. Following up 2006’s critically acclaimed “Boys & Girls in America”, “Stay Positive” looks to be the album where the sales catch up with the street cred.
http://www.theholdsteady.com/
Nas “Untitled”: I’m not one for publicity stunts, and the whole gambit behind this album leaves me a little leery about what the music actually sounds like. For those who need catching up, the new album from Queens rapper Nas was originally entitled “Nigger”, and a whole bunch of (very likely manufactured) hoopla resulted. Who cares what the album’s title is? Is the fucking music good? While teaser single “Be a Nigger Too” failed to move me (and was eventually removed from the album’s tracklist), I’m kinda digging this new song, “Hero”.
John Mellencamp “Life, Death, Love & Freedom”: The former John Cougar is now a Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Famer. Can you believe it? The troubadour returns after only about a year off, with an album that confronts aging and mortality in a way not dissimilar (although undoubtedly less sunny) than Paul McCartney’s “Memory Almost Full” from last year. Me? I’ll just crank up “Jack & Diane” again.
http://www.mellencamp.com/
David Banner “The Greatest Story Ever Told”: Last we heard from David Banner musically, he was shamelessly ripping The Ying Yang Twins’ “Wait (The Whisper Song)”. This new album allegedly finds the politically minded Mississippi rapper dumbing down for dollars a little bit-never a good thing. Guests include UGK, Chris Brown, and the ubiquitous triumverate of (let’s all say it together) Snoop Dogg, Akon & Li’l Wayne. Ugh.
http://www.david-banner.com/news.aspx
O.A.R. “All Sides”: Does anyone enjoy these guys’ music without firing up a giant doobie first? Just asking.
http://www.ofarevolution.com/
Also…there’s a live digital EP from Bruce Sringsteen & The E Street Band’s “Magic” tour, a new record from country singer Randy Travis, the debut from Season 6 “American Idol” finalist Ace Young, and for those of you lucky enough to be Australian, The Vines have a new record out!! ‘Memba them??
…and there’s also an album by a guy called Andy Yorke, who happens to be Thom Yorke of Radiohead’s brother. Why does this make me think of John Stamos’ brother singing “Lovin’ You” on an episode of “South Park”?
Get your full list of new releases here: http://www.pauseandplay.com/cdfront.htm
Looks like the dog days of summer have arrived early, because there are very few releases of note this week. Let’s jump right into it.
Beck-Modern Guilt: Beck switches it up on his first album in two years, installing Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley) into the producer’s chair. On paper, the two seem like a perfect fit, and the album has gotten pretty good advance notice. Then again, do you remember any Beck album that didn’t get good reviews? Critically, he’s as much of a sure bet as any artist out there.
http://www.modernguilt.com/
Alison Moyet-The Turn/Yaz-In Your Room: Our very own Paul wrote a column a couple of weeks back on British synth-pop duo Yaz and their return to the concert stage a quarter-century after their split. In order to commemorate that tour, we have “In Your Room”, an exhaustive box set containing basically every note the two played and sung together. Yaz’s vocalist, Alison Moyet, also sees the U.S. release of her latest album, “The Turn”, which was released in the U.K. last October.
Billy Joel-“The Stranger: Legacy Edition”: “The Stranger”‘s probably Billy Joel’s best-loved album, with hits like “Only the Good Die Young”, “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)”, the title track, and “Just the Way You Are”. This thirtieth anniversary edition of the hit album is remastered and comes in two versions: one adds a second disc from a Carnegie Hall concert, while another includes the concert and a DVD from the old British musical variety show “The Old Grey Whistle Test”.
Um…after that? Crickets, pretty much. Strokes frontman Albert Hammond Jr. releases his second solo album, entitled “Como Te Llama?”, and there are a couple of interesting collaborative efforts out today: one from Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis (there’s a joke in there somewhere that I can’t quite figure out), and the other from Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Patti Smith and My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields. “Country Sings Disney” finds the likes of Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts and Brad Paisley tackling some of the Mouse’s favorite songs, while in the “curiosities” section, there’s a new album from Devin Lima of former C-List boy banders LFO. Yay!!
Enjoy that Beck CD!!
A full list of releases can be found here: http://www.pauseandplay.com/cdfront.htm
