"New Releases Playlist - March 12, 2008"
Peep 'Em:
Rick Ross - Trilla - The Miami "Boss" is back with some top notch guests. ...moreDel the Funky Homosapien - Eleventh Hour - I loved Deltron 3030, Del brings it back with his unmistakable style. ...moreThe Presidents of the United States of America - These Are The Good Times People - Up-beat with quirky/funny lyrics, happy stuff. ...moreJayMay - Autumn Fallin' - Folkstress of sweetness. Never heard her before, but I am now a fan, check it. ...moreDJ Craze - Fabriclive.38 - Having a party? Pop this in. Hip-Hop and Dance. ...moreSnoop Dogg - Ego Trippin - This album proves that the Doggfather went searching to find new styles of music and found some treasure. ...moreHymns - Travel in Herds - Make sure to listen to the second track, "I Can't Be What U Want". Great song. Good album. ...more
Not so much:
Evangelista - Hello, Voyager - I really tried, but just kept waiting...for something. Abstract and experimental to the thousandth power. ...moreRandy Jackson's Music Club - Volume 1 - Terrible. ...more
Posted by nuTsie Guy
Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:56:00 GMT
So, Randy Jackson has gotten up from the table of
Idol judgment and Coca Cola cups to produce "Randy Jackson's Music Club, Vol. 1", an album chock full of "stars" (including
Richie Sambora at the ripe age of 83, John Rich and the legendary...Barbi Esco?), releasing tomorrow, March 11th.
So, in honor of this moment in music history, I have decided to review the album for you, a la Randy Jackson himself:
"Yo dawg, Randy, you know, it wasn't that tight dawg. You know for me, it just isn't your best, know what I'm sayin', dawg? This is a mad game out here, and you got to put it down every time, feel me? Dawg?"
All that is missing from this musical gem is that duet with Seacrest himself. I mean, hell, what is he waiting on?
Lots of new album releases this week. So many I won't be able to listen to them all. Lots of death/screamo metal...what's up with that? Here are a select few; based on super-quick research, location, label, album art, and reputation.
Whiskeytown - Strangers Almanac - Country Alternative, quality and geniune, lots of stuff recorded back in 1997 but newly released.
Jim Bianco - *Sing - Various styles, I love that in an album...sexy jazz to straight-up pop. Versatile and mostly up-beat, with a common thread...I deem it cocktail music, if you will.
Black 47- Iraq - Celtic Punk Rock, these guys are Irish expatriates, good stuff. Don't let the "punk-rock" turn you off.
The Waifs - Sun Dirt Water - Folk/rock/pop band from Australia, their 2003 album went double platinum in Australia. I like these sisters voices together.
Kathleen Edwards - Asking For Flowers - Canadian folky/country/pop/singer-songwriter. Tremendous genre-blending with thought-provoking lyrics. Good independent listening.
Alan Jackson - Good Time - Honkey tonk/pop Country, "cash my check, clean up my truck, put on my hat...it's time for a good time". You know the drill.
VvereVvolf Grehv - Zombie Aesthetics - guitarist/bassist/keyboardist of The Faint. Death Metal + Speed Metal, with some electronic business. Crazy music.
Anonimous - Hustla Style - Bad, stereotypical, run-of-the-mill rap. Presentation and style of flow is decent, but I've heard this all before. I found myself chuckling at points. He opens with "Trappin'", which I have a hard time believing his hardness, "I'm really really trappin, most of these rap cats is actin'". Really, really are you?
The Morning Light - The Sounds of Love EP - I almost fell asleep - typical MTV TRL pop/indie band. I can't stand the lead vocalist's voice.
Nasum - Doombringer - Holy swedish-political screaming, growling grind-core! Not for the faint hearted.
The Ruby Suns - Sea Lion - Indie/pop group from New Zealand, signed with Seattle label, Sub Pop - that means they are good. Listen!
Kula Shaker - Strange Folk - Psychedelic Rock, that I actually enjoyed. Give them a listen. Their sound is old, in a good way.
Stuck Mojo - Southern Born Killers Heavy Rock/Rap - Horrible. One would know this simply by the band's name and album title. It's like...Kid Rock + Metallica = Yuck! But hey, if you like that sort...
SM & The Jicks - Real Emotional Trash - Good California indie rock. Developed by Stephen Malkmus.
A Weather - Cove - Folk/Pop from Portland, OR. I like. Soft listening and meaningful.
Talvin Singh - Back To Mine - This guy is a British DJ known for blending classical Indian music with drum 'n bass. It's a compilation disc of deep-cut, personal favorites for "after hours grooving". Groovy.
Howlin Rain - Magnificent Fiend - I propose a new genre with this one. Dive-bar Rock, ya?
Devil Doll - The Return of Eve - Hmmm iTunes genre'fied this as country. While it really is Italian-Slovenian experimental rock. Oh wait, now I hear the twang. Once again, like Jim Bianco, I like these versatile artists. Listen.
Some sense of normalcy has come back to the iTunes Top 100, having both Paula Abdul and Michael Jackson depart the top 100. Paula’s “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow” fell by the wayside after a Super Bowl halftime performance left a lot to be desired (and a little queasy), to say the least. The gloved one,
however, fell out of the 100 the day his new album dropped. Strange (if I am going to use the word strange, shouldn’t it be about “Jack-O”?). The whole album (”Thriller 25”, released February 12th), to me, is just a way to make a bunch of money with minimal work. I guess the Neverland Ranch needed some new llamas and a tilt-o-whirl…
Ok, enough on the 80’s star misfits. Other stars making waves in the 100 are Sheryl Crow, whose song “Love Is Free” debuted nicely off of her latest album "Detours" and Amy Winehouse, whose 5 Grammy’s bolstered her record sales enough to get two songs (“Rehab” and "You Know I'm No Good") back into the top 100.
Posted by nuTsie Guy
Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:52:00 GMT
Another busy week in the iTunes Top 100, let’s get going…
Tom Petty used the Super Bowl XLII Halftime Show as a catalyst to further his expiring career, having 5 songs limp back into the iTunes Top 100. I don’t know if it is just me, but was this the worst halftime show since “Nipplegate”? A flaccid Tom Petty mumbling through songs that we’ve all heard 400 times, just trying to distract the 97 million viewers for 12 minutes? Come on. And do we need that fake audience brimming over with fake enthusiasm to get so much camera time? And maybe this is just me…but did the first 18 seconds of the halftime show remind anyone else of a fluorescently-lit telling of the birds and the bees? Watch it again and think about it.
Did anyone else see Paula Abdul perform her new single “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow” at The Super Bowl? I am not going to waste my time telling you she was lip-synching. If you have eyes and are older than 11, you know that. What I care to comment on is the sheer bravado and lack of loyalty to fans it takes to do such a thing. Instead of sing a song that you “recorded” and let your fans see and hear you sing your first single in 15 years, you would rather prance around a stage you are performing on the Mickey Mouse club in 1988, resurrecting some prehistoric dance moves to boot. I don’t know, maybe I am being too tough on her but I found it insulting, and I despise Paula Abdul (can you tell?).
Ok, no more ranting, back to the top 100…
Joining Tom and His Heartbreakers in the 100 is Journey, back with “Don’t Stop Believin” after a month long hiatus. In my heart, it never really left at all. Also, the song “What Is Love?” by Haddaway popped into the top 100 after being used in the hilarious Pepsi Max ad. However I can’t help but wonder how much that song would be heard if that SNL skit never happened.
It has been a big week for iTunes Top 100, let’s jump right in…
Michael Jackson is back...in the iTunes Top 100, that is (sorry, didn’t mean to send any children running in terror). His song featuring Akon, “Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" is the first single off his forthcoming release of “Thriller 25”; a remix/remaster album celebrating the silver anniversary of one of the most influential albums ever (not to mention one of the best selling). Other artists rumored to be on the one-gloved Prince of Pop’s CD are Akon, Chris Brown, Kanye West, Ne-Yo and will.i.am. The album is released February 12th.
Not to be outdone in the recent resurgence of washed-up entertainers is the glossy-eyed pop icon Paula Abdul. Having not released a single in 15 years, what better time to join the party than a few days before she performs at the Super Bowl XLII halftime show. For me (hell, for all of us), please, Paula, get off the stage and back on your crappy TV show. And put down the microphone, and pick back up those pain killers and vodka. We liked you better when you were slurring your way through American Idol auditions. The best part? The songs called “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow”. Can you feel me cringing? You can get the album featuring this musical gem (along with other songs featuring Idol alum Elliott Yamin, record label vagabond Katharine McPhee, Jason Mraz and even Three 6 Mafia) on March 11th.
Alright, I’m done ranting, enjoy the Super Bowl (and the train-wreck of a halftime show), talk to you next week, when hopefully Bobby Brown and Gloria Estefan release new singles…
Peep 'Em:
Rick Ross - Trilla - The Miami "Boss" is back with some top notch guests. ...more
Del the Funky Homosapien - Eleventh Hour - I loved Deltron 3030, Del brings it back with his unmistakable style. ...more
The Presidents of the United States of America - These Are The Good Times People - Up-beat with quirky/funny lyrics, happy stuff. ...more
JayMay - Autumn Fallin' - Folkstress of sweetness. Never heard her before, but I am now a fan, check it. ...more
DJ Craze - Fabriclive.38 - Having a party? Pop this in. Hip-Hop and Dance. ...more
Snoop Dogg - Ego Trippin - This album proves that the Doggfather went searching to find new styles of music and found some treasure. ...more
Hymns - Travel in Herds - Make sure to listen to the second track, "I Can't Be What U Want". Great song. Good album. ...more
Not so much:
Evangelista - Hello, Voyager - I really tried, but just kept waiting...for something. Abstract and experimental to the thousandth power. ...more
Randy Jackson's Music Club - Volume 1 - Terrible. ...more
