While Rascal Flatts has undoubtedly sold more records the past few years (and probably will this time out too), Neil Young still looms large as the biggest name with something new arriving this week. The thing is, with all of his on-again, off-again activity of late with the Archives series, it's tough to really get a handle as to just where the new Fork In The Road falls on Neil's list of priorities.
It doesn't feel Harvest or Rust Never Sleeps huge, that's for sure. At the same time, it also feels like much more than an afterthought, with the largely online marketing efforts including free streams all last week on MySpace, and now a promotional film you can see by going to Jaman.com.
As for the album itself, Fork In The Road is a new series of songs inspired both by the world economic and climate change crises, as well as by Neil Young's well-documented obsession with cars — specifically the LincVolt, a 1959 model Lincoln that Young has restored and converted into an electrically powered hybrid. Many of the songs were first performed live during Young's world tour last year.
Songs like first single "Cough Up The Bucks" and the title track reflect Young's obsessions both lyrically, and in the raw garage-rock sound of the music itself. The sound of the album has been compared to Living With War, Neil Young's infamous anti-Bush themed "folk metal protest" album from 2006.
The other biggie this week is country megastars Rascal Flatts, who are Unstoppable on their new album. James Taylor's Other Covers is a companion piece to last year's set of Covers. Husker Du/Sugar frontman Bob Mould gets personal on his solo disc Life and Times. Jadakiss returns with The Last Kiss.
Pico will be along shortly with his thoughts on the new one from jazz saxman Jimmy Greene. But first Josh Hathaway goes all fanboy on ya' over a pair of British siblings who aren't named the Kinks or Oasis.
Stop me when you've heard this one before: two brothers from Manchester, UK form a band – no, not Oasis! I'm talking about Doves.
Kingdom of Rust is the fourth full length album from Manchester's other brothers and the long-awaited follow up to the fantastic Some Cities. Jimi Goodwin, the non-Williams brother in the trio, said the band went through a lot while making this record and likened the process to "therapy." That makes for a bad time for the artist but often makes for great listening. First single "Jetstream" was briefly offered as a free single. Whatever the band did during their extended recording process, it doesn't sound like they spent too much time messing with a good thing.
I'm getting one of these today.
Tenor and soprano saxophone player Jimmy Greene may not have the big-name recognition within mainstream jazz circles that Joshua Redman, Joe Lovano, and James Carter enjoy, but it's not because this former student of Jackie McLean hadn't paid his dues. With Mission Statement, a virtually flawless set of advanced bop, Greene stakes a legitimate claim to the top tier of jazz sax players and composers. Alternately fiery and sultry, Greene and his top-shelf backing band run through a batch of consistently well-written pos-bop originals by Greene with poise and precision. Mission Statement is the perfect way to describe what Greene is making with this album. Mission accomplished.
Here are all of this week's new album releases courtesy of All Music Guide:
Bat for Lashes
Two Suns
Astralwerks
Indie Rock
Doves
Kingdom of Rust
Astralwerks/Heavenly
Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock, Britpop
Jadakiss
The Last Kiss
Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/Ruff Ryde
East Coast Rap, Hardcore Rap
Bob Mould
Life and Times
Anti
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Rascal Flatts
Unstoppable
Lyric Street
Contemporary Country, Country-Pop
Neil Young
Fork in the Road
Reprise
Album Rock, Hard Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Country-Rock
Marta Argerich
Martha Argerich and Friends Live from the Lugano Festival 2008
EMI Classics
Live Chamber Music with Piano
Hank Ballard & the Midnighters
Nothing But Good (1952 – 1962)
Bear Family
Doo Wop, Early R&B
Beastie Boys
Check Your Head
Grand Royal
Alternative Rap, Alternative Pop/Rock, Hip-Hop
Black Dice
Repo
Paw Tracks
Experimental Rock, Noise-Rock, Indie Rock, Indie Electronic
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone
Vs. Children
Tomlab
Indie Rock, Indie Electronic
Chain and the Gang
Down with Liberty… Up with Chains!
K
Garage Punk, Experimental Rock, Indie Rock, Lo-Fi
Ray Charles
Genius: The Ultimate Collection
Concord
Early R&B, Soul
Eddie Cochran
Somethin' Else:The Ultimate Collection
Bear Family
Rockabilly, Rock & Roll
Comet Gain
Broken Record Prayers
Milou Studios
Indie Pop, Indie Rock
Crystal Antlers
Tentacles
Touch & Go
Experimental Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Rock
Billy Ray Cyrus
Back to Tennessee
Walt Disney/Lyric Street
Contemporary Country
Erasure
Total Pop! Deluxe Box [3CD/1DVD]
Rhino
Club/Dance, Alternative Pop/Rock, House, Dance-Pop, Alternative Dance, College Rock, Pop/Rock
The Felice Brothers
Yonder Is the Clock
Team Love
Americana
Grateful Dead
To Terrapin: Hartford '77
Rhino
Jam Bands, Album Rock, Roots Rock, Rock & Roll
Grateful Dead
Winterland 1973: The Complete Recordings
Rhino
Jam Bands, Country-Rock, Album Rock
Merle Haggard
Best of Merle Haggard [Capitol 2009]
Capitol
Bakersfield Sound, Traditional Country
Roy Hamilton
Dark End of the Street 1963-1969: The Operatic Soul of Roy Hamilton
Raven
Pop-Soul, Uptown Soul, Early R&B, Early Pop/Rock, Soul
I Was a King
I Was a King
Control Group
Indie Rock, Pop Underground, Shoegaze
It Hugs Back
Inside Your Guitar
4AD
Indie Pop, Indie Rock
Philippe Jaroussky
Opium: Mélodies françaises
Virgin Classics
French Art Songs
Joker's Daughter
The Last Laugh
Team Love
Indie Pop, Folk-Pop
Junior Boys
Begone Dull Care
Domino
Indie Electronic, Alternative Dance
Bettye LaVette
Do Your Duty
Sundazed
Northern Soul, Soul
Lady Sovereign
Jigsaw
Midget
Garage Rap/Grime
Micachu & The Shapes
Jewellery
Rough Trade
Indie Electronic, Indie Rock
MIMS
Guilt
Capitol/EMI
Pop-Rap, East Coast Rap
Marc Minkowski
Bach: Mass in B minor
Naive
Baroque Choral Music
Moby Grape
The Place and the Time
Sundazed
Rock & Roll, Country-Rock, Folk-Rock, Psychedelic
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Salonen
Deutsche Grammophon
Contemporary Orchestral Music
Yuja Wang
Sonatas & Etudes by Chopin, Scriabin, Liszt & Ligeti
Deutsche Grammophon
Romantic and Modern Piano Sonatas
Betty Padgett
Betty Padgett
Luv N Haight
Soul
Pontiak
Maker
Thrill Jockey
Experimental Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Rock
Recloose
Perfect Timing
Sonar Kollektiv
Detroit Techno, Techno, Broken Beat, House, Downtempo
Jimmy Rushing
The Scene: Live in New York
Highnote
Vocal Jazz, East Coast Blues, Jazz Blues, Jump Blues
Omar-S
Fabric 45
Fabric
Club/Dance, House, Experimental Techno, Techno
Sam & Dave
Sam & Dave [Collectors' Choice]
Collectors' Choice Music
Memphis Soul, Southern Soul, Soul, Deep Soul
Single File
Common Struggles
Sire/Reprise
Emo-Pop, Punk-Pop
Ray Smith
The Sun Years, Plus……Rockin' Little Angel
Bear Family
Rockabilly
The Style Council
Classic Style Council
Polydor
Sophisti-Pop, New Wave, Synth Pop
Super Furry Animals
Dark Days/Light Years
Rough Trade
Britpop, Alternative Pop/Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Pop
Superchunk
Leaves in the Gutter
Merge
Indie Rock
Richard Swift
The Atlantic Ocean
Secretly Canadian
Indie Pop
James Taylor
Other Covers
Hear Music
Soft Rock, Singer/Songwriter
Vienna Teng
Inland Territory
Zoë
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Glenn Tilbrook & the Fluffers
Pandemonium Ensues
Quixotic
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
The Tragically Hip
We Are the Same
Zoë
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, College Rock, Hard Rock, American Trad Rock
Various Artists
Covered: A Revolution in Sound
Warner Bros.
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Metal, Alternative Pop/Rock
The Veils
Sun Gangs
Rough Trade
Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock
Sara Watkins
Sara Watkins
Nonesuch
Contemporary Bluegrass, Contemporary Country, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Progressive Bluegrass
Hank Williams
Rockin' Chair Money
Bear Family
Honky Tonk, Traditional Country
Hank Williams
The Unreleased Recordings: Gospel Keepsakes
Time Life
Honky Tonk, Traditional Country, Country Gospel
Cassandra Wilson
Closer to You: The Pop Side
Blue Note
Vocal Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Jazz-Pop