Yep, it’s April 15th. Hope your taxes are done! With freshly received refunds in hand (hopefully), let’s mosey on down to the record store, shall we? Here’s what’s new this week.
Mariah Carey-E=MC2: The most highly anticipated release of the year thus far has finally arrived, and I’m sure Mariah is having a good laugh thinking about the fact that five years ago, her career was considered dead. At any rate, her 10th studio album features Mariah’s usual mix of hip-hop influenced club bangers and emotional ballads. Guests include Young Jeezy (ugh), T-Pain (ugh) and Jermaine Dupri (ugh). It’s still my contention that Mariah has yet to make a definitive album, and that the best album she’s released to date has been her first, but I must say that I’m fairly intrigued here.
The Naked Brothers Band-I Don’t Want To Go To School: Is it me, or is The Naked Brothers Band the most inappropriate band name for a bunch of pre-teens in recorded music history? That’s just inviting the pedophiles to come on board. Anyway, from the little I know about these kids, they’re Nickelodeon-endorsed, and they’re sort of like a more garage-y, less talented version of “Mmmbop”-era Hanson. The little girls will go apeshit for this, I’m sure.
Apocalyptica-Worlds Collide: I thought these guys were just a vaguely classical Metallica tribute banc, but they’re so much more! Well, the cellos are still there, but this album from the Finnish (I believe) metal album contains all original material, and also features guest appearances from Slipknot/Stone Sour’s Corey Taylor as well as the lead singers from Three Days Grace and Lacuna Coil, making this sort of a new-metal (as opposed to nu-metal) all-star album.
Everclear-The Vegas Years: At least five if not ten years past his sell-by date, Art Alexakis and his rotating group of bandmembers are back on a major label (after a one-album detour into indieville) and they’re releasing that old standby-a covers album! It looks like the thrust here is pop/rock of the Seventies and Eighties, with Thin Lizzy, The Go-Gos and Hall & Oates among the artists/bands covered.
Also in stores this week: a new one from WB-endorsed rockers Phantom Planet, new country act Lady Antebellum (whose name makes them sound like the latest U.K. rap phenomenon), a new album from jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves, the debut album from Jordan Zevon (son of the late, legendary Warren Zevon), a new album from William Shatner (which finds him reading the book of Exodus!), and the long-awaited, much-anticipated return of White Lion (remember them? This might jog your memory: http://youtube.com/watch?v=oUR86bnKLaI)!!!
Happy shopping, people.
Oh, and get a full list of this week’s releases here: http://www.pauseandplay.com/cdfront.htm