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Not a whole lot on the new-release plate this week, but some tasty bits to chew on nonetheless.
Naked Willie is yet another of the many Willie Nelson compilations we've been seeing of late, but this one has a unique twist.
In much the same manner that the "naked" version of the Beatles Let It Be deconstructed Phil Spector's over-production of that album, Naked Willie strips away the more overdone aspects of some of the best songs from Nelson's years in the sixties and early seventies on the RCA label. The result is an album where Nelson's often overlooked work during those years is able to be viewed in a new, far more refreshing light.
Nick Lowe's Quiet Please: The New Best of Nick Lowe is a two disc set that purports to be the definitive overview on the legendary pure pop pioneer's career. The bonus edition also features a recent concert performance captured on DVD.
Marianne Faithfull's Easy Come Easy Go finds the one-time pop princess turned gracefully aging chanteuse covering songs by the Smiths, the Decemberists, and Billie Holiday among others, aided by a cast that includes Keith Richards, Sean Lennon, and Marc Ribot.
Mick Fleetwood's Blues Band pay tribute to the blues-rock of early Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac on Blue Again!. Static-X are back at their bludgeoning best on Cult of Static. Now, here's Pico to talk about Mike Marshall…
Much as Miles Davis continuously revitalized his career by bringing unheralded young talent into his band, so has mandolin/acoustic guitar maestro done with his new, Big Trio. His acoustic bass player Paul Kowert is barely old enough to buy liquor and his violinist is scarcely at driving age, but both play this intricate mosaic of bluegrass, classical, folk and jazz like as if they has been around as long as Marhsall himself.
The future of progressive bluegrass is very bright, and it's here right now, on Mike Marshall's Big Trio.
Here are all of this week's new album releases courtesy of All Music Guide:
Nick Lowe
Quiet Please: The New Best of Nick Lowe
Yep Roc
Pub Rock, Pop/Rock, Power Pop, New Wave, Country-Rock, Rock & Roll, Roots Rock
Willie Nelson
Naked Willie
RCA Nashville/Legacy
Outlaw Country, Country-Pop, Progressive Country, Traditional Country
Kelly Joe Phelps
Western Bell
Black Hen
Contemporary Blues, Modern Acoustic Blues, Acoustic Blues
Wavves
Wavvves [De Stijl]
De Stijl
Noise Pop, Noise-Rock, Indie Rock, Lo-Fi
Sam Bisbee
Son of a Math Teacher
Le Grand Magistery
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
Beware
Drag City
Indie Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Lo-Fi
Marianne Faithfull
Easy Come Easy Go
Decca U.S.
Pop/Rock
Mick Fleetwood Blues Band
Blue Again!
Savoy Jazz
Blues-Rock
Angela Gheorghiu
Giacomo Puccini: Madama Butterfly
EMI Classics
Post-Romantic Opera
Heavy Metal Kids
Anvil Chorus [Bonus Tracks]
Lemon
Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Heavy Metal Kids
Heavy Metal Kids [Bonus Track]
Lemon
Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Henri Ledroit
Charpentier: Rendez-moi mes plaisirs
Ricercar
Baroque Music for Voice and Ensemble
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears
Tell 'Em What Your Name Is!
Lost Highway
Retro-Soul, Modern Electric Blues, Retro-Rock
The Long Blondes
Singles
Angular
New Wave/Post-Punk Revival, Indie Rock
Mazes
Mazes
Parasol
Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Indie Pop
Ian Munro
Blue Rags
Tall Poppies
Contemporary Piano Music
Aldo Nova
Subject…Aldo Nova
Portrait
Album Rock, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Aldo Nova
Twitch
Portrait
Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Katrin Scholz
Haydn: Violin Concertos
Berlin Classics
Classical Violin Concertos
Trio Dali
Ravel: Piano Trio; Sonata for Violin & Cello; Violin Sonata
Fuga Libera
Modern Chamber Music
Seeland
Tomorrow Today
Loaf
Indie Electronic
Static-X
Cult of Static
Warner Bros.
Alternative Metal
Status Quo
Pictures: 40 Years of Hits [2CD/DVD]
Universal
Psychedelic Pop, Boogie Rock, Hard Rock, Psychedelic, Pop/Rock
Sum 41
All the Good Shit: 14 Solid Gold Hits 2001-2008 [Best Buy Exclusive Edition]
Island
Punk-Pop, Punk Revival
Superdrag
Industry Giants
Superdrag Sound Laboratories
Pop Underground, Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
U-Roy
30 Massive Shots from Treasure Isle
Attack UK
DJ, Roots Reggae
Various Artists
Coolest Songs in the World, Vol. 8
Wicked Cool
Garage Rock Revival, Garage Rock
Susumu Yokota
Mother
Lo
Ambient Techno
