Today marks the first “Super Tuesday” of the 4th quarter, where the labels start bringing out their super big guns. Lots going on this week, so let’s get right into it!
John Legend–Evolver
…In which the stately piano man gets frisky. Legend has called this album a slight departure for him, and indeed, first single Green Light sounds like nothing he’s released before. However, diehard fans who loved the smooth sounds of his first two albums needn’t fear, there’s tons of smoove balladry amid the club bangers on this album.
Pink–Funhouse
I love Pink. I think she’s got one of the best voices of any current pop singer, and I love the fact that she’s not afraid to have a little fun on her albums and in her videos. I must say, I’m a little underwhelmed by the single So What (which puts me in the minority, since the song hit #1), but then again I didn’t like Stupid Girls, and the rest of the album it came from, I’m Not Dead, was great.
Snow Patrol–One Hundred Million Suns
Irish band Snow Patrol scored a huge hit a couple years back with the moody Run and then had another hit with the moodier Chasing Cars. Much like Britain’s Keane, this album is coming out a little more under the radar, but under the radar doesn’t necessarily mean bad. Gary Lightbody is one of the most promising songwriters around, so expect a great mix of chugging rockers and pretty ballads similar to their first two albums.
Queen + Paul Rodgers–The Cosmos Rocks
Somewhat sacrilegiously, Queen has decided to replace the irreplaceable Freddie Mercury with Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers. I can totally understand the want to continue playing music, but don’t you think a name change should be in order? You’re essentially trading off of an image created by someone who’s no longer here! This album has been ripped apart in almost every review I’ve read. Steer clear.
The Cure–4:13 Dream
Still mopey after all these years, eh? It’s time that Robert Smith and The Cure got the respect they deserved. While the last couple of entrants on the waiting list for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame have been mighty strange, deserving bands like The Cure and Depeche Mode are being unjustly ignored, even though both bands are successfully kicking around nearly thirty years later. 4:13 Dream has been teased throughout 2008 with a series of EPs.
Also in stores this week, Ryan Adams (is it me or does he release an album every six months?) and the Cardinals present Cardinology, Bloc Party and Kaiser Chiefs, two of the most buzzed about bands in the middle part of this decade, both return with their third albums (Bloc Party’s has been available on the band’s website for at least a month now). Right in time for Election Day, everyone’s favorite neocon, Toby Keith, pops up with That Don’t Make Me a Bad Guy, and on the pop/dance front, newcomer Lady Gaga (who has been opening for NKOTB on their tour) debuts with The Fame. The legendary Boz Scaggs has another steaming plate of hot standards ready for you on Speak Low, and on a totally different vibe, metal is represented by Eagles of Death Metal‘s Heart On (insert childish giggle here) and Finnish metal band Lordi aims to conquer America with Deadache.
On the reissue/compilation front, hey, it’s Queen again! Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races all get the remaster treatment (for those who will hopefully steer clear of the new album, which I hope no one buys), Celine Dion gets the double-disc hits package spotlighting the ballads that made her one of the Nineties’ biggest artists on My Love, singer/actress Reba McEntire unleashes her 50 Biggest Hits, and while we’re still on the country tip, you might wanna check out Rascal Flatts‘ first hits compilation. Finally, for the bon vivant that lives in all of us, Roxy Music‘s first two albums are also being reissued today.
