Last week was a little light on the new releases side. The biggest new release appeared to be The R.E.D. Album by Game. I won’t pretend to be an expert on hip hop/rap, but I will say that I found the latest from Jay Z and Kanye West, Watch The Throne, much more listenable with bigger hooks and better melodies.
Other notable new releases included a Patti Smith best-of compilation titled Outside Society and Barbara Streisand singing a collection of songs from the great American songbook of Alan and Marilyn Bergman – like I said…it was a bit of a bummer week for new music.
Add It To The Collection… One of the little perks of RDIO is that from time-to-time the site will stream albums prior to their release. That was the case with the latest from uber-talented singer/songwriter and highly-sought-after producer Butch Walker. The Spade by Butch and his band The Black Widows is a 36-minute tour de force of pop/rock ear candy. Featuring big guitars, catchy hooks and harmonies from top to bottom, Butch has done it again – and you can hear him and the band having a great time playing these tracks. Must-have track: Synthesisers (can you spot the Dexys Midnight Runners vibe in the chorus?).
Worth another listen…Hard to believe it’s been 10 years since George Clooney and John Turturro brought the Cohen brothers’ vision of Homer’s Odyssey to life on the big screen with O Brother, Where Art Though? One of the highlights of the film was undoubtedly the T Bone Burnett produced and Grammy winning blue grass/country flavoured soundtrack. In celebration of the 10th anniversary Burnett is back to produce a Deluxe Edition of the soundtrack with a bonus second disc of material. Must-have track: I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow by The Soggy Bottom Boys.
Skip It… I was very intrigued by the release of Muppets: The Green Album, a collection of songs made famous by The Muppets, covered by some current and interesting bands/singers. OK Go do their thing with a quirky reinvention of The Muppet Show Theme Song and My Morning Jacket do a nice job on Our World (I actually think this could be a hit). But nobody sings Bein’ Green or Rainbow Connection like Kermit. Despite their best efforts Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) and Hayley Williams (Paramore) don’t quite measure up to Kermit and Debbie Harry.
