Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Modest Mouse released its first new album in eight years this week, Strangers to Ourselves. “The difference between how I approach putting out a record and how I think most people do,” Lead Mouse Isaac Brock told the Wall Street Journal, “is that I actually believe that the people who put time into listening to it matter every bit as much as the time that I put into it.”
Josh Groban’s upcoming album of musical theater songs will feature guests Kelly
Clarkson, Audra McDonald, and Chris Botti and include stage classics such as “Try to Remember,” “What I Did For Love,” “Finishing the Hat,” “If I Loved You,” and – never mind that this one actually came from a movie – “Over the Rainbow.” Stages comes out April 28 on Reprise Records.
Tori Amos‘s breakthrough album Little Earthquakes and its follow-up Under The Pink resonated intensely with millions of fans in the early 1990s. On April 14 Rhino will reissue both in 2-CD deluxe editions with B-sides and other extras. Here’s “Honey,” the B-Side to the “Cornflake Girl” single:
Country megastar Shania Twain begins her first North American tour in 11 years this June, but before that, the five-time Grammy winner’s Las Vegas stage show comes to DVD and Blu-ray. SHANIA: Still the One Live from Vegas is out from Eagle Rock Entertainment on April 7.
Porcupine Tree‘s drummer Gavin Harrison releases a solo album April 14. Cheating the Polygraph features re-imagined versions of songs from the band’s repertoire.
Joan Armatrading begins a new solo world tour next month. “I will never retire,” says the legendary singer-songwriter,”but this will be the last major tour that I will undertake. For the first time these concerts will be me solo on stage playing the guitar and piano and singing. I want these concerts to be a special lively interactive one to one experience. I have absolutely enjoyed the last 42 years of performances but now, with my final major tour, I want to capture a unique memory for both myself and the audience.”
I just realized that we never told you about the new album from Kevin So. Now based in Nashville, the singer-songwriter and frequent Keb’Mo’ collaborator recently released Countryside (CD with bonus DVD). In the words of reviewer Michael Silversher, it’s “something like a cross between Brad Paisley and Pat Metheny…simply something you’ll love if you’re a fan of originality, melody, surprising lyrics and beautiful instrumentation, beautifully played.” Listen to “Long Way Around” on SoundCloud.
On Record Store Day (April 18) Alligator Records will release the vinyl-only Johnny Winter album It’s My Life, Baby – The Best Of The Alligator Records Years with eight tracks from the blues legend’s three Alligator albums. Winter, who died last year, first hooked up with Alligator in 1984, so it was a long and fruitful road.
My Morning Jacket will release its first album in four years on May 4. Following the release of The Waterfall, a North American and European tour begins May 15.
On April 28 Concord Music Group will release The Complete Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Recordings, a 4-LP vinyl box set. Pre-order here.
Grammy-nominated rapper Wale collaborates with Jerry Seinfeld and Usher on his forthcoming The Album About Nothing, out March 31. The single “The Matrimony (feat. Usher)” is online here.
The third album from Mumford & Sons comes out May 4. Of Wilder Mind, produced by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, HAIM, Florence & The Machine), Marcus Mumford says: “The songwriting hasn’t changed drastically; [the change] was led more by a desire to not do the same thing again. Plus, we fell back in love with drums! It’s as simple as that.” Tickets for the band’s “Gentlemen of the Road” tour are available online.
April 28 sees the release of Jekyll + Hyde, the new album from Zac Brown Band, who just premiered music from the new release on Saturday Night Live. The single “Homegrown” was the band’s highest chart debut and sits at No. 2 on the Country chart this week.
Bassist/composer John Patitucci‘s new album Brooklyn, which pays tribute to his home borough, comes out in May, debuting his electric guitar quartet. A documentary film about the acclaimed musician and bandleader is slated for a release later in the year.
Angélique Kidjo’s new album Sings follows up her Grammy win just last year for Eve, but this one, out March 31 on 429 Records, was recorded with the Orchestre Philharmonique Du Luxembourg. It features new arrangements of nine of her classic songs plus two new ones.
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