There's not a damned thing in the new entries this week that looks even vaguely interesting. Oh wait, 2Pac has a live album! Granted, he never wrote a single worthwhile song when he was alive, but I'm sure he's ripping some killer guitar solos from the crypt to make it worthwhile.
On the other hand, there are several Alan Lomax collections of Italian and Spanish field recordings, though I don't know the vintage. Anything Lomax might be worth a listen.
This week's major releases, from All Music Guide:
A Girl Called Eddy A Girl Called Eddy Anti
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Britpop
Sir Thomas Beecham Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 93-98 EMI Classics
Classical Orchestral Music
Tony Bennett Cloud 7 Columbia
Ballads, Traditional Pop, Vocal Pop
Brand Nubian Fire in the Hole Babygrande
East Coast Rap
William Christie Boccherini: Quatuors pour deux clavecins; Fandango Harmonia Mundi Franc
Classical Keyboard Music
Crosby & Nash Crosby & Nash Sanctuary
Singer/Songwriter
Julia Fordham That's Life Vanguard
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Soft Rock
The Good Life Album of the Year Saddle Creek
Indie Electronic, Indie Rock
Jon Dee Graham The Great Battle New West
Americana
Andy Griggs This I Gotta See RCA
New Traditionalist, Contemporary Country
Sammy Hagar The Essential Red Collection Hip-O
Arena Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
Angela Hewitt Bach: Fantasia and Fugue in A minor; Aria Variata; Sonata in D major; Suite Hyperion
Baroque Keyboard Music
Houston It's Already Written Capitol
Contemporary R&B, Urban, Hip-Hop
Ill Ease The Exorcist [Bonus CD] Beggars Banquet
Indie Rock
Incognito Adventures in Black Sunshine Narada
Acid Jazz, Jazz-Funk, Club/Dance
Waylon Jennings Are You Ready for the Country RCA Nashville/BMG Heritage
Outlaw Country, Traditional Country
Robert Johnson King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 2 [Bonus Track] Columbia/Legacy
Delta Blues, Prewar Blues, Prewar Country Blues, Slide Guitar Blues
Kool Keith/Kutmasta Kurt Diesel Truckers Dmaft
Alternative Rap, Underground Rap, Hardcore Rap
Mark Lanegan Band Bubblegum Beggars Banquet
Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Article comments
1 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
come on Al, you know that Robert Johnson disc is gonna be sweet as all hell. Also, what in the great eternal is "neo-traditionalist country" That right there is an exceptional pigeonhole.
2 - Shark
Count me in on the Robert Johnson.
and...
SPACE OPERA is a classic album from one of the best never-heard band of the 60s and 70s.
I saw 'em live a million times -- and when everybody else was playing "Smoke on the Water" or some such shit, they used to play "Strawberry Fields" pretty much right off the beatles album.
Good stuff, but it helps if yer on acid.
Shark sez THREE thumbs up.
3 - visualsimplicity
Ahem. Lisa Loeb The Way It Really Is. You have it listed as one of your Amazon links, so why not make mention of it too? Sure Lisa Loeb rarely (if ever) deviates from her style, but she's been doing it so long that it can't go wrong.
4 - Al Barger
Robert Johnson obviously rules, but that's no kind of "new" album. It says "bonus track," but what could they possibly have at this point?
Does Lisa Loeb have any real songs? Maybe I've missed them. She's never made any impression on me at all.
By the way, those category listings come from the All Music Guide. "Neo-traditionalist country" sounds to me like some museum piece, a modern replica crafted to sound "authentic."
5 - Mark Saleski
al, i think the Tin Hat Trio might be to your liking.
it's a loping kinda of jazz. i've got one record of theirs that even has Tom Waits show up on one of the tunes.
6 - Eric Olsen
Al would definitely dig Jon Dee Graham
7 - The Theory
ditto on Robert Johnson.
And we all know Al will buy that reggae dylan...
8 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
re lisa loeb. i belive I Miss You or whatever it was called to be a work of great beauty. Havent a clue as to the worth of anything else shes done. i do know she got an ebay auction shut down on account of someone was selling a promo CD of this record a couple months back.
9 - Phillip Winn
Actually, the new Lisa Loeb album is better than I expected -- somewhat bluesy in parts. I'll have a full review up soon.
10 - Mark Saleski
i picked up the Lisa Loeb cd this weekend and have to agree with Phillip.
lot's a good songwriting on it...and it's more than just the girl with guitar thing.