Not much jumps out this week as being of special interest to cool people.
Everlast has a new album, White Trash Beautiful, which rates as perhaps the top new item of interest. His last album blew, but the memory of the classic Whitey Ford Sings the Blues makes me interested in hearing him out.
The Classic Maritime Music from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings sounds just geeky enough to make me want to hear. The likes of Pete Seeger and Leadbelly sing lots of sea chanteys and such what.
Avril Lavigne has her second album out this week, Under My Skin. Her teenie bopper stuff doesn't do much for me, but she's better than most of her ilk artistically- though that's setting the bar low.
Apparently she has ditched the producers that brought her to the dance, concentrating more on making the record between her and the band. I appreciate at least the intention of musical seriousness in the gesture. Whether or not it'll get her another decent record is questionable.
Under My Skin is currently the #1 CD at Amazon.
Wilson Phillips has a new album of covers of California songs. It does not really look like a particularly interesting set of choices, but does feature a guest appearance from Papa Brian on "In My Room." Might be worth a listen: the girls can actually frickin' sing. With their pedigrees, they ought to be the best singers in the business.
There's also a new John Williams soundtrack for Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban, if you're the kind of person who digs John Williams.
This week's major releases, from All Music Guide:
Avril Lavigne Under My Skin Arista
Styles: Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Teen Pop
Wilson Phillips California Columbia
Styles: Pop/Rock, Adult Contemporary
Kenny Barron Quintet Images Sunnyside
Styles: Modern Creative, Hard Bop, Post-Bop
Dave Brubeck Private Brubeck Remembers Telarc
Styles: Mainstream Jazz
Bumblebeez 81 Printz Geffen
Styles: Alternative Pop/Rock, Hip-Hop
Tony C. & The Truth Demonophonic Blues Lava
Styles: Blues-Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Al Casey Cookin': The Smooth Guitar and Organ Sounds of Al Casey Sundazed
Styles: Instrumental Pop, Lounge
Danny Cohen Dannyland Anti
Styles: Experimental Rock, Post-Rock/Experimental, Pop Underground
Deborah Coleman What About Love? Telarc
Styles: Modern Electric Blues, Contemporary Blues
Graham Colton Band Drive Strummer
Styles: Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
James Cotton Baby, Don't You Tear My Clothes Telarc
Styles: Electric Harmonica Blues, Modern Electric Chicago Blues, Contemporary Blues
Jan Davis Boss Guitar: The Best of Jan Davis Sundazed
Styles: Instrumental Rock, Surf
Skeeter Davis Blueberry Hill/The End of the World Collectables
Styles: Country-Pop, Nashville Sound/Countrypolitan, Pop, Country-Rock, Traditional Country
De La Soul Live at Tramps, NYC 1996 Rhino
Styles: Alternative Rap, Hip-Hop, East Coast Rap
eighth blackbird Beginnings Cedille
Styles: Contemporary Chamber Music
Electric Masada 50th Birthday Celebration, Vol. 4 Tzadik
Styles: Jewish Music, Post-Bop, World Fusion
Everlast White Trash Beautiful Island
Styles: Alternative Rap
Holly Golightly Down Gina's at 3 Sympathy for the Record Industry
Styles: Indie Rock, Garage Rock Revival
The Grateful Dead Rockin' the Rhein With The Grateful Dead Rhino
Styles: Album Rock, Country-Rock, Jam Bands
Tamyra Gray The Dreamer 19. Records
Styles: Urban, Teen Pop
LaShell Griffin Free Sony Urban Music/Epic
Styles: Contemporary Gospel, Contemporary R&B
Hiromi Brain Telarc
Styles: Contemporary Jazz, Fusion
Hothouse Flowers Greatest Hits Rhino
Styles: Celtic Rock, College Rock, Pop/Rock
Waylon Jennings The Complete MCA Recordings MCA Nashville
Styles: Outlaw Country, Progressive Country, Traditional Country
Keane Hopes and Fears Interscope
Styles: Alternative Pop/Rock, Britpop
Petr Kotik From the Depth of Silence: Orchestral Music of Somei Satoh Mode
Styles: Contemporary Orchestral Music
Lisa Loeb/Elizabeth Mitchell Catch The Moon Artemis
Styles: Singer/Songwriter, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Buddy & Julie Miller Love Snuck Up Hightone
Styles: Americana, Country-Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Roots Rock, Rock & Roll
Mr. Big Greatest Hits Rhino
Styles: Guitar Virtuoso, Hair Metal, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Pop-Metal
Monster Magnet Monolithic Baby! [Bonus DVD] SPV
Styles: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Alternative Metal, Stoner Metal
Original Soundtrack Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban Warner Sunset/Nonesuch/Atlantic
Styles: Film Music, Original Score
Pedro the Lion Achilles Heel Jade Tree
Styles: Indie Rock
Johnathan Rice Extended Player 24:26 [EP] Warner Brothers
Styles: Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Julie Roberts Julie Roberts Mercury
Styles: Contemporary Country, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Scorpions Box of Scorpions Hip-O
Styles: Heavy Metal, Hair Metal, Hard Rock, Album Rock
Skinny Puppy The Greater Wrong Of The Right Hunter
Styles: Industrial Dance, Industrial
Slipknot Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses Roadrunner
Styles: Alternative Metal, Heavy Metal, Rap-Metal
Spyro Gyra The Deep End Heads Up
Styles: Jazz-Pop, Crossover Jazz
Lara St. John Re: Bach Sony
Styles: Contemporary Crossover
Michael Stern Charles Ives: Universe Symphony Col Legno
Styles: Modern Orchestral Music
Al Stewart Greatest Hits Rhino
Styles: Folk-Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Soft Rock, British Folk-Rock, Pop, Pop/Rock, Prog-Rock/Art Rock
Three Dog Night The Complete Hit Singles Utv
Styles: AM Pop, Pop/Rock
Various Artists Classic Maritime Music from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Smithsonian Folkways
Styles: Sea Shanties, Traditional Folk
Various Artists The Contemporary Records Story Contemporary
Styles: Avant-Garde Jazz, Bop, Cool, Early Creative, Free Jazz, Hard Bop, Modal Music, Modern Creative, Post-Bop, Progressive Jazz, Standards, Swing, West Coast Jazz
Various Artists Poul Ruders: Fairytale; Sonata No. 2; De Profundis; Concerto in Pieces Bridge
Styles: Contemporary Chamber and Orchestral Music
Article comments
1 - Shark
Shark recommends Buddy and Julie Miller! Two originals in one package. Hard to mistake Buddy's guitar or Julie's voice for any other.
Side note: Is it just me, or is the kid who plays Ron in "Harry Potter" starting to look like the insane Christopher Walken? Poor baby.
(see album photo above)
2 - Mark Saleski
yep, gotta chime in with shark on the miller's. they're fantastic. i would think they'd be right up the barger alley too (or maybe anybody out there who thinks that all of country music has gone to hell, or the mall)
3 - BRICKLAYER
Happy to see that Avril has wrestled her sound back from Liz (MILF) Phair! This fresh spring musical tome easily and effortlessly outranks the new Modest Mouse in listenabilty, the new Alanis in memorability, and the new Rufus Wainright in shaggability.
Also, the new Slipknot smells nice and evil, but fails to elicit goosebumps upon first listen. Perhaps tonight, after "Touched by an Angel", Mrs. Bricklayer and I shall light some black candles, strip naked in the moonlight, and give this another listen as we dance around the chinese elm in the back yard. If we can get little Bricklayer put down at a reasonable hour that is.
4 - BRICKLAYER
PS-Those Wilson Phillips sisters must have gotten the Swan treatment, 'cause yo, they are looking tres' hot on that album cover. If they could only kick the fellas out of the Corrs, and join forces with the remaining Irish lasses, youza, what a fine looking band that would be.
5 - Eric Olsen
Thanks for keeping up with these All, really appreciate it!
Bricky, perhaps you are the anti-Christ, making evil all fun and fuzzy and whatnot.
The Wilson Phillipses have viciously reduced indeed - less is more, Carny is Rikki Lake 2, DO NOT revert to Rikki Lake 3, Carny, you've come too far. I wonder if the CD is any good. My oldest daughter (20 as of last week, damn!) used to sing along to their first album with verve and joy upon her youthful brow. Now she's old and stuff.
6 - The Theory
AAAAH! New Buddy & Julie album! *promptly puts that on to-do list*