New Album Releases, Week of 2-28-2006

Woo, doggies, we've got us a new Elvis Costello album this week! My Flame Burns Blue is an unusual type of live album, recorded with Metropole Orkest, a 52-piece jazz orchestra from the Netherlands. Besides re-arrangements of some Elvis classics, this includes some Elvis compositions that have never been on an Elvis album, including "Speak Darkly, My Angel" and "Upon a Veil of Midnight Blue," which was written originally for Charles Brown. The opening track is "Hora Decubitus," which was a Charles Mingus composition for which Elvis has written lyrics at the invitation of his widow. On top of which, there's a 45 minute bonus disc of music from his ballet Il Sogno.

Waylon Jenning's widow Jessi Colter was the only recognized female member of the classic country outlaw movement. Producer Don Was has brought her out for what is billed as her first album in 20 years, and it seems to be getting good notice.

Bruce Springsteen has released a two CD set Hammersmith Odeon, Live '75, which was the first show of his Born to Run tour.

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

Jessi Colter Out of the Ashes Shout! Factory
Outlaw Country, Neo-Traditionalist Country, Progressive Country

Hawthorne Heights If Only You Were Lonely Victory
Emo, Punk-Pop

Ne-Yo In My Own Words Def Jam
Contemporary R&B, Urban

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Hammersmith Odeon, Live '75 Sony
Album Rock, Pop/Rock, Rock & Roll

Hank Williams III Straight to Hell Bruc
Americana, New Traditionalist, Contemporary Country

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chamber Chorus Copland: Motets; Durufle: Gregorian Motets; Tavener: Song for Athene; Etc. [Hybrid SACD] Telarc
Modern Choral Music

Bayside Acoustic [CD & DVD] Victory
Alternative Pop/Rock, Punk Revival, Emo, Punk-Pop

Andrea Bocelli Amore Decca
Vocal Pop, Classical Crossover, Adult Contemporary

Shannon Brown Corn Fed Warner Bros. Nashville
Contemporary Country

Cassatt Quartet Sebastian Currier: Quartetset; Quiet Time New World
Contemporary Chamber Music

Cyrus Chestnut Genuine Chestnut Telarc
Post-Bop

Elvis Costello/The Metropole Orkest My Flame Burns Blue Deutsche Grammophon
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Jazz-Rock

Don Ellis Pieces of Eight Wounded Bird
Experimental Big Band, Progressive Big Band

Ella Fitzgerald Things Ain't What They Used to Be Collectables
Vocal Jazz, Traditional Pop, Standards, Swing, Ballads, Bop, Classic Female Blues

Herbie Hancock The Essential Herbie Hancock Columbia/Legacy
Crossover Jazz, Hard Bop, Post-Bop, Fusion, Soul-Jazz, Funk

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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