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Pop Rock Nation

Category: Releases

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  • New Music In Stores & Online: 5-13-08


    Sorry, folks. Last week’s set of releases was so crappy that I just couldn’t bring myself to post. Consider yourselves lucky. You avoided a hearty round of Clay Aiken and Chris Sligh jokes (yep, both former “American Idol” contestants released albums last week).

    Thankfully, this week’s set of releases is much better. Here’s what’s on tap:

    Death Cab for Cutie: Narrow Stairs : It’s kind of hard for me to explain what Death Cab sounds like. Think really strong indie pop with great songwriting. Ben Gibbard is an expressive vocalist, even though he won’t make anyone’s great singers list. Long story short, these guys deserve the hype. I found them with their last album, “Plans”, and if you’re not familiar with these folks, you should start now.

    http://www.deathcabforcutie.com/splash/

    (yes, the video is 8 minutes long. You’ll get over it.)

    Duffy “Rockferry”: It’s not difficult to explain what Duffy sounds like. Think Amy Winehouse. That is all. Amidst the wave of British female singers that have crashed our shores in Amy’s wake, Duffy is the one who has been compared to Wino the most-minus the whole drug addiction thing. Kinda sounds to me like a whitewashed copy, but I’ll be checking the album out anyway.

    Homepage

    Jason Mraz “We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things”: Remember Jason Mraz? In the wake of John Mayer, Mraz was the smart-alecky, Boradway kid version of Mr. “Your Body is a Wonderland”. His second album, “Mr. A-Z” overdid it on the pretentiousness, which had already reached fever pitch by that time (remember when he popped up at the Gramy nomination ceremony only to receive ZERO nominations? There were a lot of happy people there). Anyway, everyone deserves a second chance, and this release (which has been preceded by a couple of EPs) might find Mraz dialing down the obnoxiousness a little bit. OK, I just took a look at the website. So, maybe not.

    Jason Mraz — Official Website

    Keith Sweat “Just Me”: It’s been twenty years and Keith Sweat still ain’t too proud to beg. The master of R&B begging is back after a six-year absence, and he’s changed absolutely nothing. Sweat may be approaching 50, but the grooves are still smoove, and Mr. Sweat is still whining and begging for you to love him down, baby!! Keyshia Cole guests.

    http://www.thesweathotel.com/

    Foxy Brown “Brooklyn’s Don Diva”: I say Li’l Kim, Remy Ma and Foxy should have linked up behind bars and put together a group or something. At any rate, with two of the three out of the clink, that won’t happen, so Foxy’s long-delayed fourth album finally arrives (this album has been pushed back so many times that she’s served her entire term since it’s initial release date). If you don’t buy this album, she might throw a BlackBerry or some hair glue at you. Watch out.

    (apparently, Foxy doesn’t have a website)

    Most of this week’s releases similarly come from the “Where The Hell Have YOU Been?” category. Remember Filter? They’re back with an album. How about Ashlee Simpson’s former boyfriend Ryan Cabrera? He’s back with a skeevy new look (and now is dating one of Lisa Marie Presley’s kids) and an independently-released album. And if you’re hankering for some of that mid-Eighties pop/rock flavor, you might want to check out Bryan Adams’ new album, cleverly titled “11”. Hint, it’s his 11th album.

    OH!! Speaking of long vacations, the New Kids on the Block return with their first group release in fourteen years. “Summertime” is available for purchase at iTunes and all the other major subscription/pay-download services. Hangin’ tough!!

    Happy shopping, folks.

    And here’s the full list…
    http://www.pauseandplay.com/cdfront.htm

  • New Releases 4/29/08: Madonna, The Roots and More!!!


    Last week was so bereft of quality releases that you knew there was going to be an overflow this week. How fitting that my last new release Tuesday in NYC is going to find me spending a LOT of money!! Here’s the hotlist:

    Madonna “Hard Candy”: Madge is back, she’s dropping the final album on her Warner Brothers contract, and she’s finally dropped the electronic flavorings that she’s favored for the last decade in favor of the R&B-leaning pop that she began her career with. Of course, working with Reggie Lucas, Chic and Jellybean Benitez in ’83 means working with Timbaland, Pharrell and Kanye West in 2008. It’s certainly not her first flirtation with hip-hop/R&B (see “Bedtime Stories” and “Erotica”), and if lead single “4 Minutes” is any indication, we might be getting the best Madonna album since “Ray of Light”. Not bad for a 49-year old mother of three, eh?

    http://www.madonna.com/

    The Roots “Rising Down”: Another act wrapping up their contract, The Roots are ending their ill-fated tenure on Def Jam with a bang. “Rising Down” is a pointedly political work (which means that it will be severely bungled by the Def Jam folks), featuring cameos by Roots album mainstays like Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Interestingly enough, the most commercial song on the album (“Birthday Girl”, which features Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump) was ultimately dropped from the album because it didn’t fit thematically. Well, thematic continuity or no, The Roots’ creative resume is damn near impeccable, and their last three studio albums have been almost perfect, so great things are expected from me on this one.

    http://okayplayer.com/

    Portishead “Third”: Anchored by the sultry/creepy vocals of Beth Gibbons, Portishead helped kick off the British trip-hop movement with 1994’s classic album “Dummy”, an album that still gets heavy rotation in my CD player. After a 10 year absence, Beth and instrumentalist Geoff Barrow are back. Although the reviews I’ve read of the album have been almost uniformly awful (and Barrow has not made any friends in the press, slinging darts at the likes of Danger Mouse and Prince), I’m still interested to hear what the duo has come up with after so long apart.

    Home page

    Estelle “Shine”: Estelle also comes from across the pond. The young singer is the first artist released on John Legend’s Homeschool Records. Given Legend’s star power (and the industry’s current fixation with British female vocalists), it’s no surprise that Estelle’s debut features a star-studded cast including Kanye West, will.i.am and Mark Ronson. First single “American Boy” is cute enough and has gotten a pretty good buzz. Can Estelle follow in the (musical, not personal) footsteps of Brit divas like Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen?

    http://www.estellemusic.com/

    Robyn “Robyn”: I posted a blurb about Robyn a month or two back, when “The Rakamonie EP” was released, and her self-titled full-length album (her first American release in a decade…what is UP with some of these artists) hits stores today. Most of you who remember her obviously do so from the singles “Show Me Love” (not to be confused with house music diva Robin S., who *also* had a 90s hit called “Show Me Love”) and “Do You Know (What It Takes)”. Well, she’s grown up, she has an attitude problem, and she’s making some of the best pure pop music around right now. She’s kinda like Fergie, only GOOD.

    http://www.robyn.com/

    And that’s not it, folks!!! Augustana try to stave off one-hit wonderdom with their sophomore release, “Can’t Hurt, Can’t Love”, Def Leppard’s “Songs From The Sparkle Lounge” is their latest attempt to stave off irrelevance, former neo-soul guitarist/vocalist Lyfe Jennings offers a more commercial side on “Lyfe Change”, complete with T.I. and Snoop Dogg cameos, teenage girl rapper Lil’ Mama’s debut FINALLY hits stores a year after “Lip Gloss” became a Top 10 hit, British soul singer (and critical fave) Jamie Lidell drops “Jim” today, Mudcrutch (the band that eventually became Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) release their self-titled debut today (which may be this week’s sleeper hit), we have new albums from punk legends Mindless Self Indulgence and rock en espanol legends Mana, rock legend Steve Winwood (fresh off a tour with Eric Clapton)and hipster fave Santogold.

    Damn. Do you think folks could have thrown some of this stuff into last week when there was nothing out worth mentioning? Geez.

    Happy shopping!!

    Oh…and get a complete list of this week’s releases here: http://www.pauseandplay.com/cdfront.htm

  • I Waited Till 6:15 To Post This Week’s New Releases Because…

    Well, because there really isn’t anything out worth your time. To wit…
    Ashlee Simpson “Bittersweet World”: I don’t *dislike” Ashlee Simpson the way I dislike…say, Avril Lavigne. She seems like a nice enough girl, her songs are pleasant without being irritating and that whole “SNL” lip-synching thing didn’t bother me because, well…people lip-synch on TV shows all the freaking time. It’s not like she was presented as this powerhouse diva and then got her spot blown up when the tape skipped, you know?
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=GsulZKXFxK8 (the video for “Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)”)
    Anyway, her third album backs away from the bratty power-pop of her first two albums and goes in a dance-pop direction, with the production provided by Timbaland and The Neptunes’ Chad Hugo, among others. I thought the first single, “Outta My Head”, was super-annoying, so I’m not going anywhere near this unless I get a freebie. However, the woman’s sold 4 million albums in her career, so it’s safe to say she has a pretty solid fanbase. She won’t be worrying about me.
    Carole King “Tapestry (Deluxe Edition)”: For a while, “Tapestry” was the biggest selling album by a female artist of all time, and rightfully so. It’s equal parts sweet soul and confessional singer-songwriter brilliance, with more than it’s share of standards. “I Feel The Earth Move”, “It’s Too Late”, “So Far Away”, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” are just some of the gems you’ll find on this album. Whether you buy this expanded edition (and I swear that it’s been remastered/repackaged half a dozen times) or just cop the original, “Tapestry” is an absolute must-have album.
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=Sb5MORLi8K0 (an excellent clip of “It’s Too Late”)
    Blind Melon “For My Friends”: How can the “No Rain” guys be back?, you ask. Didn’t Shannon Hoon, their lead singer, die from a drug overdose over a decade ago? Well, yes he did, but the band has finally decided to soldier on with a NEW lead singer. Why? I don’t know. But, figuring that I didn’t care much for the band when they were popular (and when their original lead singer was alive), I think it might be a good idea to pass on this one.
    (I don’t know that there’s an updated Melon page and no way I’m subjecting you to that damn Bee Girl)
    Whitesnake “Good To Be Bad”: No, David Coverdale’s not dead. In fact, he’s back with a new Whitesnake album. However, the fact that Coverdale has got to be about 172 by now, coupled with the fact that Whitesnake’s heyday is 20 years behind them, and added to the fact that Tawny Kitaen’s probably a little too old to flitter around on top of a car anymore ends up equalling one album no one in their right mind should care about.
    (I will subject you, however, to Tawny Kitaen: http://youtube.com/watch?v=oKTiwCez6Zs)
    There’s also…
    a love songs collection by Donny Osmond, who I’d make fun of if it didn’t seem like he had so much fun mocking himself…
    Ah, all of the Replacements’ Twin/Tone albums (including “Let It Be”, which critics splooge themselves over) are remastered and reissued today with bonus material.
    “Mess of Blues”, the album singer/guitarist Jeff Healey was working on at the time of his death from cancer, is being released today…
    …and that’s the best of a weak lot, folks. Next week will certainly be better!!
    Get a full list of this week’s releases here: http://www.pauseandplay.com/cdfront.htm