We got some pretty good action going in new releases this week. The big Kahuna of the menu is the Allen Toussaint/Elvis Costello River in Reverse. Elvis and the Katrina survivor wrote five new songs, to go with Elvis singing Toussaint classics as the author plays piano on it all.
Cheap Trick has a new album for the hometown, Rockford. I've found it too painful to sit all the way through recent Cheap Trick albums, but this one is getting exceptionally good marks. Tom Johnson, for one, will tell you that this is their best album in 20 years.
Ice Cube has a new joint as well, Laugh Now, Cry Later. Given the Boston controversy around the specific phrase, I'm curious what Brother Cube might have to say about "Stop Snitchin'."
In the archive material, there's a particularly choice jazz label retrospective, starring their first signing in 1961, John Coltrane in The House That Trane Built: Story of Impulse Records.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases, courtesy AMG:
AFI decemberunderground Interscope
Alternative Pop/Rock, Punk Revival, Emo, Goth Rock, New Wave, Hardcore Punk
Cheap Trick Rockford Cheap Trick Unlimited/Big3
Pop/Rock, Power Pop, Hard Rock, Album Rock, Arena Rock
Elvis Costello/Allen Toussaint River in Reverse Verve Forecast
Retro-Soul, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, New Orleans R&B, Singer/Songwriter, Modern Electric Blues, Soul, Blue-Eyed Soul, Pop/Rock, New Orleans Blues
Live Songs from Black Mountain Epic/Red Ink
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Grunge, Alternative Pop/Rock
Smoosh Free to Stay Barsuk
Indie Rock
Amps for Christ Every Eleven Seconds 5 Rue Christine
Appalachian Folk, Experimental Rock, Traditional Scottish Folk, Lo-Fi, British Folk, Electro-Acoustic, Electronic
The Au Pairs Stepping Out of Line: The Anthology Castle
Post-Punk, New Wave
Be Your Own Pet Be Your Own Pet [Ecstatic Peace!/Universal] Ecstatic Peace!/Universal
Noise Pop, Indie Rock
Art Blakey Holiday for Skins Blue Note
Hard Bop
The Bottle Rockets Zoysia Bloodshot
Alternative Country-Rock, Roots Rock
Holly Brook Like Blood Like Honey Warner Bros./Machine Shop
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
William Brown Swing Along: The Songs of Will Marion Cook Albany
Modern Vocal Music
Camera Obscura Let's Get Out of This Country Merge
Indie Pop
Cracker Greenland Cooking Vinyl
American Trad Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince The Very Best of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince Jive/Legacy
Pop-Rap, Urban, Hip-Hop, Comedy Rap, Golden Age
EMO Ensemble Maasta of the Earth Alba
Contemporary Choral Music
Gil Evans The Complete Pacific Jazz Recordings Blue Note
Modern Big Band, Cool, Progressive Big Band
Donavon Frankenreiter Move by Yourself Lost Highway
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Jam Bands
Article comments
1 - RogerMDillon
"the Katrina survivor"
That's what you call the man? He deserves better than that.