With most, if not all eyes on the new Madonna album hitting stores this week, it'd be easy to overlook the "other stuff" out there — but it would also be a mistake.
There are plenty of interesting choices for just about every taste imaginable in this week's new release offerings. These range from the long awaited return of veterans like Steve Winwood, to a "debut album" that has been in the works for at least three or so decades now.
I haven't actually heard anything from Madonna's Hard Candy yet. What I do know is that the set is being ballyhooed as the "Material Girl's" return to her roots as a dancefloor diva, and that she has enlisted folks like Justin Timberlake and Timbaland for a more modern sounding disco makeover. I also noticed that the cover features a seductive shot of Madge all decked out in S&M gear. Which begs the question "how old is too old" to be pimping the whole sex-kitten thing?
Hard Candy comes in both a standard, and a deluxe "candy-box" edition.
Unlike Madonna, I have heard Steve Winwood's new Nine Lives, and it sounds quite tasty to these ears.
There's nothing here that is going to be a radio staple, at least not in the same way that something as out and out catchy as "Roll With It" was. But working with a small band of crack musicians, Winwood's voice — which sounds better than ever here — is matched with songs that have almost an early Santana sort of feel to them. There are heavy sounding keyboards, and congas aplenty here. Eric Clapton also turns in a guitar solo that is simply filthy sounding on the appropriately titled "Dirty City".
Perhaps the most curious new release of the week is the debut from Mudcrutch, which those in the know will recognize as Tom Petty's pre-Heartbreakers band. It's anybody's guess why Petty chose to revive this project at this particular time some three decades (at least!) after the fact. But revive it he has, and from what we hear there is a very decent sounding alt-americana vibe to this belated "debut album."
Other noteworthy releases this week include the politically themed hip hop of Rising Down from the Roots, and Def Leppard's arena-ready Songs from the Sparkle Lounge. Tom Johnson will also be along shortly to talk about why Portishead's Third may be an early album of the year contender.
Article comments
1 - Sterfish
This is the first week since September 11 of last year that I am likely going to pick up at least two albums. I'll probably get the new albums from The Roots and Portishead along with Estelle's debut. Once you add that I haven't picked Gnarls Barkley's new one yet, and it makes for an expensive week in music for me.
2 - Tom Johnson
Argh! I sacrificed myself for the page break last week and what does the page break do to me this week? It slices me in half! That'll teach me.
Mark, it's funny, I'm not the biggest Zappa fan in the world, but I also remember exactly where I was when I found out he died. I had a drawing class at ASU and we went to our teacher's house to see some of his work (since we don't have finals in art classes - it was something to take up the 3-hour class time.) He had an altar still up in his home for Dia de los Muertos, and on there was a picture of Frank, and he said he's just added that because he'd just died. I was shocked - not because I was a huge fan but because I had literally just bought my first Zappa-related anything about two days before (Zappa's Universe.) Strange timing - I knew next to nothing about the guy, and I'm not even sure I knew he was ill. I just bought it because I saw that Steve Vai was involved and it had funny song titles.
Sterfish, that new Gnarls Barkley is really great - it's a grower, but I think it might actually be a better album overall than St. Elsewhere.
3 - Pico
I got both the Mudcrutch and Winwood yesterday. I haven't heard the Winwood yet, but I read that it sounds a lot like his prior release About Time, which was a great little overlooked record by him.
The Mudcrutch is Petty getting back in touch with his pre-Heartbreaker self with some nice band interplay. Very laid-back and touches on a lot different styles--all rootsy--while sounding very much like a record they could have recording back in their early 70's days. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
4 - Glen Boyd
Damn Tom, ya' just cant win for losing can ya'?
-Glen
5 - El Bicho
Tom, I would blame Glen and Mark and their one-sentence paragraphs. Really, why should you suffer because they can't flesh out an idea any farther? Don't seem right.
6 - Josh Hathaway
Let me throw in a word for Mudcrutch here (review forthcoming) and concur with Tom on Portishead. What a record!
7 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Did anybody else see that poor ass "Milli Vanilli" that Def Leppard pulled on Dancing with the Stars??
I mean, WTF was that?! Two words...Washed Up!
8 - JC Mosquito
Mudcrutch album is good, but their version of Shady Grove made me dig out my Quicksilver Messenger Service version. A great band - whatever happened to them? Are any of them still alive and playing?
9 - El Bicho
Let me get this straight, you watch "Dancing with the Stars"?! There goes your street cred.
10 - Glen Boyd
I'm not sure what the guys in Quicksilver are doing these days JC, but that John Cipollona was sure one hell of a guitar player wasn't he? And for the uninitiated...I can't recommend the album "Happy Trails" highly enough.
Thanx for the quick reminder Skeeter (oh, and thanks for the CD too...which I got today).
-Glen
11 - Tom Johnson
Is anyone surprised that Def Leppard would lipsync on a TV show? Joe Elliot has not been a particularly strong live singer in ages. I didn't see it, however - was it a complete mess, did they screw up?
I still haven't decided if I can part with $10 for this new album of theirs or not. What I've heard has not filled me with a need to own it. I'm pretty sure it would get about three spins from me and then get filed away permanently. I've probably got better places to spend my money.
12 - Tom Johnson
Oh yeah, no doubt it was faked - Blabbermouth has video of "Pour Some Sugar on Me" from Dancing With The Stars. Straight off of Hysteria. Wow, that's brave. They could have at least re-recorded it with the Vivian Campbell version of the band if they're going to do this kind of thing. Contrast that with the Ellen performance earlier in the day of "Hysteria" which actually was live. Yikes - on both counts.
13 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Let me get this straight, you watch "Dancing with the Stars"?!
Nope...But, when my wife screams from the other room that Def Leppard was performing then it's kinda like watching a car crash. And believe me, it was like a 12 car f*ck*ng pile up!
EVERYBODY NOW: "Blame it on the Rain.."
There goes your street cred.
I wouldn't be too concerned with me losing "cred". However, now I can laugh with utter confidence that my point has been proven... Def Leppard is just as much a joke as that SNL performance from Jessica Simpson's sister! HA!
Tom,
It is quite a shame, Vivian Campbell is a better guitarist than Steve Clark ever was. His work with DIO on the album "Holy Diver" is f*cking awesome. Def Leppard went from NWOBHM to Hard Rock to "Arena Rock"?.So.. WHAT F*CK*ING HAPPENED?!?
This country has really turned into a bunch of pansies when it comes to good 'ol blistering,NO Apology, talented Rock.... F*CK!
14 - Glen Boyd
I don't know how many of you caught Leppard on Kimmel last night, but it was most definitely live and Elliot's voice was shot.
-Glen
15 - Josh Hathaway
You know, it's funny about DL on TV. I saw them on the VH-1 Honors show a few years back and they sounded awful. I was hesitant to go see them on the Yeah tour because of it. What a night and day difference actually seeing them live a few months later! They sounded much, much tighter and stronger. Joe doesn't have the same range he used to but he was quite excellent that night.
16 - Tom Johnson
I think seeing the band in an arena where some natural filtering of his voice occurs is a better situation than watching them on TV or video. He's been a spotty singer for a long time, however - he has a very weak voice, it seems. The Classic Albums: Hysteria (absolutely fascinating, by the way) has him and Phil singing a few songs acoustic and he handles it quite well - but it's also low volume and low-key. He's just not well-suited to the demands of touring nor the microscope provided by televised performances. To me they're just more of a studio band.
As for Vivian, I don't think it has ever once crossed my mind while listening to a Campbell-era DL song "this is the dude who provided that great stuff for Holy Diver and Last In Line." It just does not equate. Such a shame that they've got that in their pocket and they don't use it.
17 - Josh Hathaway
It was an amphitheater, but then that couldn't really matter less, could it?
He's not a naturally great vocalist and age has robbed even some of that, but they were great live in the summer of '05. Their sound, not just Joe, has been more of a studio thing. I agree.