This week’s major new releases run the gamut from pop-punk to sexy R&B. Here are the highlights:
Bowling for Soup “Sorry for Partyin'”: These guys originally turned heads when they were nominated for a Grammy some years back. Since then, they’ve scored minor hits with “1985” and “Almost” and been relatively successful despite the fact that they’re essentially the love child of blink-182 and “Weird Al” Yankovic. All you need to know about these guys to get where they’re coming from is the fact that their new song is called “My Wena”. Moving on…
Dead by Sunrise “Out of Ashes”: Dead by Sunrise is the solo project of Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington. Not to be confused with The Dead Weather, which is a solo project of The White Stripes’ Jack White, or Fort Minor, which is a solo project of Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda. I’m not ashamed of the fact that I’m a Linkin Park fan, but I will say that I was infinitely more excited for Shinoda’s side project (which was actually quite good) than I am for Bennington’s. The guy’s whining can grate on the nerves after a while.
Five for Fighting “Slice”: Five for Fighting’s John Ondrasik has 9/11 to thank for his career, as radio stations turned to his “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” and used it as a dedication to the brave cops, fireman and civilians who helped out with the rescue effort. Since then, Ondrasik has been fairly content to Xerox that song to diminishing returns. Color me surprised that the guy still has a major label recording contract. Anyhow, if Coldplay is a little too aggro for you, 54F should be right up your alley.
Hall & Oates “Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall & John Oates”: All I have to say about this box set is ABOUT FUCKING TIME!!. This 4-CD set collects all of H2O’s hits, and adds a healthy share of live and previously unreleased material. Nothing too revelatory here (where’s Daryl’s solo material? Shouldn’t “Dreamtime” be available on CD?), but definitely worth the scratch if you don’t already have the 2-disc “Essential” set.
Mario “DNA”: Mario’s definitely one of contemporary R&B’s more anonymous sorts, with his major claims to fame being his singing interpolation of Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” and his #1 hit “Let Me Love You”, which established Ne-Yo as a songwriter. He recently scored a huge R&B hit with “Break Up” (a song I’ve heard all of one time), which sets the stage for his fourth album. Those of you, like me, who can’t tell Mario from an Omarion from a Trey Songz will probably pass over this one.
There’s also a handful of Christmas albums out this week from the likes of David Archuleta and Bob Dylan. Yes, Bob Dylan is releasing a Christmas album.
While you ponder that, check out the rest of this week’s new releases here.
