Hey Folks,
Another Tuesday is upon us, with more new music. Here are some of the highlights.
Leona Lewis: “Spirit”: So, um yeah, Leona won some talent contest in her native U.K. that was created by Simon Cowell. Cowell brought her over to these shores, where she was signed to J Records by Clive Davis, and…if you can think of a smoother entry into the U.S. market, I’d like to hear one. First single “Bleeding Love” has already zoomed to the #1 spot on the American singles chart (after blowing up all over Britain), and this album features production and songwriting contributions by everyone from Akon to the Kenny-G looking dude in Color Me Badd (Sam Watters).
If you haven’t heard the song yet or checked out the video, here you go: http://youtube.com/watch?v=5-ctIC65PV0
She’s no Amy Winehouse (or Adele or Duffy or Kate Nash), but if you ever wondered what Mariah would sound like if she were British…
Nine Inch Nails: “Ghosts I-IV”: Trent Reznor and crew released this 36-track instrumental set over the Internet a month or so ago (actually, closer to two months ago), and it finally receives its commercial release today. While I’m sure NIN fans have already gobbled this up, more hesitant types might want to pick this up. While some tracks are familiar sounding to those who have been listening to NIN for the past twenty years, some songs are downright purty. Does Trent have a future in film scoring ahead (and why does something tell me he’s done so already…did he do the music for “Lost Highway?)??
P.O.D. “When Angels & Serpents Dance”: I won’t be as obnoxious as I originally intended to be…but for those of you who may still actually give a shit, guitarist Marcos Curiel is back with the band after a one (mmm..maybe two-) album absence, and the band finds themselves on a new label (Columbia). Personally, I was on board for “Alive” and “Youth of the Nation” and promptly found myself right back off of the P.O.D. train.
Ray J. “All I Feel”: I would say that Ray J. is the highest-charting porn actor in history, but then I’d be forgetting about this: http://youtube.com/watch?v=6wP_kUzaRlY (and yes, she really was a porn star…I’ve seen her in action). At any rate, who’d have thought that an album by Brandy’s negligibly talented little brother would be more anticipated than a Brandy album? Me either. But while Bran defends herself against several legal woes, Ray J. has a Top Ten hit (“Sexy Can I”, an album with guest shots from The Game & Snoop Dogg, AND he bagged Kim Kardashian *and* Whitney Houston. Hats off, dude.
Other than that, the pickings are a little slim. Was (Not Was), one of the most bizarre funk/pop bands of the Eighties return with “Boo!”, which is their first album in nearly two decades, or since Don Was became the producer in demand for everyone from Bonnie Raitt to The Stones. All you hipsters will be grooving to new albums from indie faves Cut Copy and Tapes ‘n Tapes, and if you still believe in “Girl Power!”, you might wanna check out Spice Girl Melanie C.’s latest solo album entitled “This Time”.
Happy shopping!
