New album releases, week of 12-14-2004

If I were really a sick bastard, I might take some interest in the grotesquely necrophilic specter of 2Pac's now NINTH posthumous album Loyal to the Game, executive produced by his mother, Afeni Shakur. Jebus H Criminy, what are they doing to be getting this many posthumous albums? What are they going to do for #10, mic his coffin and loop the sounds of worms chewing to make rhythm tracks?

My more prosaic interests, however, run mostly to music (songs, and melodies, and such what). Seeing that 2Pac wasn't any good at that stuff even when he was alive, I doubt death has improved his compositional abilities. On the other hand, I'm sure he can de-compose as well as Beethoven or Jimi Hendrix.

Just attaching Eminem's name to this 2Pac album doesn't make it work either. His own album ain't sounding like much, and isn't setting the woods on fire.

Other than that, there's a new Ashanti album, though I can't quite remember her hit, so that's not sounding like anything of importance.

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

Ashanti Concrete Rose Def Jam
Urban, Contemporary R&B

2Pac Loyal to the Game Amaru / Interscope
Hardcore Rap

Xzibit Weapons of Mass Destruction Sony
West Coast Rap, Hardcore Rap

Birdland Paradise: Anthology Castle Music UK
Punk, Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock

Detroit Jr. Blues on the Internet Delmark
Piano Blues, Modern Electric Chicago Blues, Chicago Blues

Ernst von Dohnanyi Dohnany plays Dohnanyi: The Complete HMV Solo Piano Recordings, 1929-1956 APR
Romantic Piano Music

Merle Haggard Unforgettable Merle Haggard Capitol
Western Swing Revival, Traditional Pop, Bakersfield Sound, Honky Tonk, Traditional Country, Standards, American Popular Song

J.B. Hutto Stompin' at Mother Blues Delmark
Slide Guitar Blues, Electric Chicago Blues

Jos van Immerseel Liszt: Pièces Tardives Zig Zag
Romantic Chamber Music

Mud Time and Again: The Private Stock Collection Sanctuary
Glitter, Glam Rock, Hard Rock, Disco, Rock & Roll

Original Soundtrack The Aviator Sony
Traditional Pop, Film Music, Soundtracks, Swing, Dance Bands, Big Band

Tom Robinson Band Power in the Darkness [Bonus Tracks] EMI
British Punk, New Wave, Rock & Roll, Hard Rock

Yitkin Seow Yitkin Seow Plays Erik Satie Hyperion
Modern Piano Music

Slowdive Catch the Breeze Sanctuary
Dream Pop, Shoegaze, Alternative Pop/Rock

Dave Specter & Steve Freund Is What It Is Delmark
Modern Electric Chicago Blues, Modern Electric Blues

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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