The fellas didn’t look bad on their first live performance since 1994. The choreography was tasteful and befitting of their ages, Donnie Wahlberg is unquestionably still the leader of the group, and Danny Wood and Jon Knight’s mics were probably turned off (there were definitely support background vocals being used here, which isn’t an especially big deal). “Summertime” should be a fairly big hit, although I retched a little during the performance of “Tonight”, a song that should be buried in a cave somewhere.
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.
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.
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
I am a child of the late Eighties and early Nineties. It’s when I became a teenager and really started to develop my musical taste. Somewhere in between getting caught up in the golden age of hip-hop and digging bands like R.E.M., Nirvana and Pearl Jam, I also developed a soft spot for the pop music of the day. So a perusal of my record collection will unveil names like C&C Music Factory, Rick Astley (I don’t care what you say…that boy could sing) and, yes, New Kids on the Block. I wasn’t a super-fan (trust me, I’d admit if I was), but I remember going to The Wiz on Fulton Street in Brooklyn and buying my copy of “Step By Step” (on cassette) the week it came out. I own (still) every album they put out on CD (except for the Christmas album, which I believe costs a small fortune nowadays). I even own several solo albums by Jordan Knight and Joey McIntyre (and I owned the Danny Wood solo album at one point, which wasn’t that bad!).
At any rate, this leads up to people.com’s report that NKOTB is reforming to tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Hangin’ Tough” (has it been that long? I’m…feeling…really…fucking…old). If you log on to nkotb.com, you’ll also hear what sounds like new music, which leads me to believe that a new album is either being worked on or it’s completed (which, truthfully, excites me way more than a tour does). Either way, for all you New Kids fans out there (and the response I’ve gotten from many of my friends leads me to believe that there are WAY more of you out there than you’re willing to readily admit), be prepared to relive your childhoods. NKOTB is back!!!
(By the way, I just read that Danny Wood said on his MySpace page that there are no current plans for a reunion tour…although that is quite obviously new music on the group’s site. It could mean that the boys are staying mum, and it could mean that there will be a new album and/or a one-off performance…who knows?)
