New album releases, week of 7-26-2005

Best likely new thing on which you might take a chance is Rockabilly Riot, Vol. 1: A Tribute to Sun Records from Brian Setzer. These are all covers apparently, but he's reached in deep enough that even I don't recognize even the titles of most of these songs. He's definitely the top guy around that could make something like this work. Not that he couldn't sing the notes or understand the feelings invoked, but really even Elvis Costello probably couldn't make this come out right. There's something about Setzer though that gives him some special believability, like he's channeling Elvis or Carl Perkins. Also, this album is already #9 at Amazon.

Record company dumbassery warning: The new Babyface album is copy protected. Thus, the record company is purposely selling a defective product designed not play in your computer at all perhaps, and certainly not to be ripped to mp3s for your iPod. He's not that good, anyway.

Alanis Morissette is now widely releasing Jagged Little Pill Acoustic, re-arrangements and new recordings of her entire breakthrough album on the tenth anniversary. This record previously available only at Starbucks.

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

Babyface Grown & Sexy Arista
Urban, Contemporary R&B, Adult Contemporary

Bob Mould Body of Song Yep Roc
Indie Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Post-Punk

Various Artists Whatever: The '90s Pop & Culture Box Rhino
Post-Grunge, Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Urban, Party Rap, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Grunge, Club/Dance

Jeff Black Tin Lily Dualtone
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Contemporary Folk

Bonnie Prince Billy/Matt Sweeney I Gave You Drag City
Indie Rock, Singer/Songwriter

Leon Botstein Chausson: Le Roi Arthus Telarc
Post-Romantic Opera

Bratz Rock Angelz Hip-O
Teen Pop, Television Music, TV Soundtracks, Pop/Rock

Stephen Bruton From the Five New West
Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, American Trad Rock, Alternative Country-Rock, Blues-Rock

The Cherry Valence TCV3 Bifocal Media
Hard Rock, Garage Punk

The Concretes Lay Your Battle Axe Down Astralwerks
Swedish Pop/Rock, Indie Pop, Twee Pop

Dane Cook Retaliation Comedy Central Rec.
Observational Humor, Standup Comedy

deSol deSol [2005] Curb
Latin Rock, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

Danny Federici Out of a Dream V2
Smooth Jazz, Fusion

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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