We're back from our holiday break. Hopefully yours was as good to you as it was to us. Of course, that depends on whether or not your own idea of holiday fun was being buried under a couple of feet of snow, as NAR World Headquarters in Seattle, as well as much of the rest of the country was.
But with it being already two weeks into the new year, now is probably as good a time as any to relaunch the weekly report on all the greatest and latest in New Album Releases. The thing is, because it is still so early in the New Year, there's really nothing all that earth-shattering to talk about just yet.
The real fireworks, in fact, don't begin to get underway for another two weeks with the first real blockbuster of 2009, in the form of the new Springsteen album (due January 27). From there, the first few months of 2009 continue to look very promising indeed, with new music expected from the likes of Eminem, 50 Cent, and U2. On paper, the first quarter of 2009 looks pretty damn good so far.
That's the good news. As was the case in 2008, NAR will be there to cover it each and every week too. Once again, this will include the ever popular Saleski's Choice reports from NAR stalwart Mark Saleski, as well as our usual rotating and ever-expanding panel of regular BC/NAR contributors.
In the meantime, we have this week to consider.
Topping the list is the soundtrack for the biopic Notorious, based on the life and times of the late, great Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, a.k.a. the legendary rapper Notorious B.I.G.. The soundtrack features wall to wall hits emphasizing the "gangsta" rap of this largest of the large hip-hop legends, including tracks like "Hypnotize." There are also new tracks contributed by rap royalty like Jay Z, as well as an appearance by B.I.G.'s son, Christopher "CJ" Wallace, Jr.
Derek Trucks, who is probably best known for riding shotgun for Gregg Allman in the current version of the Allman Brothers Band, is back this week with Already Free, the latest from his appropriately named Derek Trucks Band.
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