It's the week before Christmas, and the new album release schedule is quiet as a mouse. Not much in the way of interesting new releases.
However, there is one standout that I'm hyped on, Back to Black, which is the second album for Amy Winehouse. I don't know much about her and I've never heard her first album. However, "You Know I'm No Good" has been circulating on the net for a couple of months, and it's one outstanding R&B exposition on sexual guilt, one of the best new songs I've heard all year.
It's not particularly stylistically exotic, but I'm not sure what else to compare it to. The closest I can come up with is Nina Simone. In any case, if the rest of the album is half as good as this song - which apparently isn't even the single - then this could be a most impressive disc.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new releases, courtesy AMG:
Nas Hip Hop Is Dead Def Jam
Hardcore Rap, East Coast Rap, Hip-Hop
Styles P Time Is Money Ruff Ryders/Interscope
Hardcore Rap, East Coast Rap
Amy Winehouse Back to Black Universal/Island
Contemporary R&B, Neo-Soul
Blak Jak Place Your Bets Universal Republic
Southern Rap, Hardcore Rap
Bow Wow The Price of Fame Sony Urban Music/Columbia
Pop-Rap, Southern Rap
DJ Clue? The Professional, Pt. 3 Roc-A-Fella
East Coast Rap, Hip-Hop
James DePreist Mahler: Symphony No. 5 Naxos
Post-Romantic Orchestral Music
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs Nonesuch
Contemporary Vocal Music
Jean-Guihen Queyras Schubert: Arpeggione Sonata Harmonia Mundi
Romantic Keyboard Music
Germaine Thyssens-Valentin Germaine Thyssens-Valentin Plays Mozart, Debussy, Faure Testament
Classical and Modern Piano Music
Robert Ian Winstin Holidays of the New Era Erm Media
Contemporary Holiday Music
Original Score Night at the Museum Varese Sarabande
Original Score
Original Soundtrack Pan's Labyrinth Milan
Original Score, Film Music, Soundtracks
Original Score We Are Marshall Varese Sarabande
Original Score, Film Music
The Pack Skateboards 2 Scrapers Up All Nite/Jive/Zomba
West Coast Rap
John Powell Happy Feet [Original Score] Warner Sunset/Atlantic
Original Score, Film Music
RBD Rebels EMI Televisa Music/Virgin
Teen Pop, Latin Pop, Pop/Rock, Dance-Pop
Trick Daddy Back by Thug Demand Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic
Dirty South, Hardcore Rap, Gangsta Rap
Various Artists Grand Hustle Presents: In da Streets, Vol. 4 Grand Hustle/Atlantic
Southern Rap, Hardcore Rap
Neil Young Living with War - "In the Beginning" Reprise
Album Rock, Hard Rock, Singer/Songwriter
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