New Album Releases, 1-16-2007: America, Crowded House, Wanda Sykes, and the Smithereens meet the Beatles

We're riding through the desert on a mission with no name, which does have the advantage that in the desert you can remember your name. Ah yes, America. They're back with their first new album since around 1922, called Here & Now, which also includes a bonus CD of new recordings of the classic hits at XM radio studios.

Crowded House are releasing the recording of their farewell concert on the tenth anniversary of the event with the vaguely morbid title Farewell to the World.

At least the idea of Meet the Smithereens sounds like a particularly unmistakable sign of utter creative bankruptcy - especially for being their first new album in some seven years. Apparently, they pretty much made a note for note cover of the entire classic first Capitol Beatles album. Why?

Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases, courtesy AMG:

America Here & Now Burgundy/Sony BMG Music Enter
Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Adult Contemporary, Singer/Songwriter, AM Pop, Folk-Rock

Crowded House Farewell to the World EMI/Parlophone
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop/Rock

The Mahavishnu Project Return to the Emerald Beyond Cuneiform
Jazz-Rock, Fusion

The Smithereens Meet the Smithereens! Koch
Tribute Albums, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

Elis Griefshire [Bonus Track] Napalm
Neo-Classical Metal, Progressive Metal, Heavy Metal

Al Green Definitive Greatest Hits [CD/DVD] Capitol/EMI
Smooth Soul, Memphis Soul, Soul

Guru Guru Don't Call Us We Call You Atlantic
Kraut Rock, Prog-Rock/Art Rock

Guru Guru Shake Well Revisited/Inside/Out
Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Blues-Rock

Guru Guru Wah Wah Revisited/Inside/Out
Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Experimental Rock

The Holmes Brothers State of Grace Alligator
Retro-Soul, Soul-Blues, Modern Electric Blues

Rene Jacobs Rene... By Himself [Includes DVD] Harmonia Mundi
Baroque Works for Counter Tenor

Philippe Jaroussky Vivaldi Heroes Virgin Classics
Baroque Opera Arias

Coco Montoya Dirty Deal Alligator
Modern Electric Blues, Soul-Blues

Viktoria Mullova Viktoria Mullova & Katia Lebeque in Recital KML
Music for Violin & Piano

Article Author: Al Barger

Unreformed hawkish Hoosier hillbilly Al Barger runs the still squeezin' down the psychodelic Kentucky moonshine at More Things. What with the paranoid religious visions, the Pentecostal music, visions of God and anarchy running amok and such, somebody …

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