|
|
New Releases For The Week Of February 03, 2008
Edited by Jonathan Cohen
|
As The Crow Flies
A lot of has happened since Sheryl Crow's fifth studio album, "Wildflower," hit stores in September 2005. Her very public relationship and engagement with champion cyclist Lance Armstrong came to an end in early 2006, and soon thereafter Crow was diagnosed with breast cancer. And just weeks before "Wildflower" was released -- to mixed reviews and sales well below those of her past efforts -- Hurricane Katrina wrought its lasting damage upon New Orleans and the surrounding area.
Crow's thoughts on the aftermath of that tragedy as well as the ongoing war in Iraq, politics and the environment are all addressed on "Detours," her new A&M album due this week.
But the new set is not just about the past. Indeed, it also represents new beginnings and the return of an old friend. In the spring of 2007, Crow became a single mother when she adopted a 2-week-old baby boy, Wyatt Steven. Just months earlier, in October 2006, she had moved to a 150-acre farm 45 minutes outside of Nashville, in the rolling hills of Williamson County. After living for years in Los Angeles and then in Texas with Armstrong, Crow made the move, she says, to be closer to family.
The 14-cut album is a wakeup call for Crow and for anyone listening. "I wanted to knock on some doors and wake some people up and just say, 'What the heck are we doing?'" she says. "'Where did we go? What did we become? We're like zombies in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers.'" If a wakeup call was her goal, she succeeded masterfully. While "God Bless This Mess" addresses current and recent political developments, the bouncy but impactful single "Love Is Free" fetes the people of New Orleans and their stoicism. "Peace Be Upon Us" pleads for understanding in a world that contends that one god is better than another. Elsewhere, "Now That You're Gone," "Drunk With the Thought of You" and "Diamond Ring" seem to address at least some aspects of her relationship with Armstrong. Even young Wyatt makes an appearance via "Lullaby for Wyatt."
"I always contend that life informs art, and for me life right now is about being awake," Crow says. "It's difficult to be awake and not be affected by all that is going on around us. Not only at the grand level, but also personally how affected you are by these moments in your life that become pivotal or become refining moments. To me in looking back over my 45 years, almost 46 years, I can look distinctly at the detours I've taken in my life where I had to go far away to come back to knowing who I am, and I think that as a nation we're also in that moment in time."
|
|
As The Crow Flies
Atlantic's soundtrack to the film "Step Up 2," featuring Flo Rida´s No. 1 hit "Low" and new songs from Missy Elliott.
The latest album from ex-Husker Du/Sugar frontman Bob Mould, "District Line" (Anti-)
Indie rock trio Nada Surf's "Lucky" (Barsuk), with guest appearances by members of Death Cab For Cutie and the Long Winters.
A kid-friendly CD/DVD set from They Might Be Giants, "Here Come the 123s" (Walt Disney).
Canadian vocalist k.d. lang's "Watershed" (Nonesuch).
|
|
'Static Prevails'
"Some of the songs on this album are about making babies. Some of the songs are about raising them," Jack Johnson says of "Sleep Through the Static," due this week via Brushfire/Universal. "Some of the songs are about the world that these children will grow up in; a world of war and love, and hate, and time and space. Some of the songs are about saying goodbye to people I love and will miss."
The album was created using 100% solar energy at the Hawaii native's eco-friendly L.A. studios. Johnson will kick off his tour in support of the set on Earth Day (April 22) at Hawaii's Kokua Festival.
"Static" features bassist Merlo Podlewski, drummer Adam Topol, pianist/accordionist Zach Gill and was produced by JP Plunier, who produced Johnson's debut, "Brushfire Fairytales." First single "If I Had" is a lighthearted love song with swirling electric guitar arrangements. Much like prior efforts, Johnson rarely meanders into the minor keys, though songs like "They Do, They Don't" tread into deeper and sometimes darker subject matter.
|
|
Revolution Blues
Lenny Kravitz played nearly all the instruments on "It Is Time for a Love Revolution" (Virgin), his first effort in three years. "The last record was still very natural, but it had a cleaner sound," he says. "On this one, I was really into using more of the room mics and getting a lot of spill. I wanted to hear the walls and the room."
The result is a more-stripped down feel on rockers like "Bring It On," "Love Love Love" and the fast boogie "Will You Marry Me." The riff for the latter cut dates back to sessions for 1993's "Are You Gonna Go My Way," according to Kravitz. "In actuality, it was a different song with a different melody and lyric," he says. "I pulled the riff back out and then I cut the lyric and the melody. But my guitar tech looked at me like, 'That's depressing, man. I love the riff, but it's depressing.' It was about dropping out of society. So, he challenged me. I went home that night, wrote completely different lyrics and melodies and put it down."
In addition to ballads like "I'll Be Waiting," "I Love the Rain" and "A Long and Sad Goodbye," Kravitz turns political on "Back in Vietnam" and "I Want To Go Home."
The latter is narrated by a soldier, "but that song is more from the point of, I don't care who you are or what side you're on ... no matter what, at some point, you're like, 'I've gotta get out of here,'" he says. "Maybe some guys are gung-ho. But people I know and that I've talked to, it has taken a lot of them by surprise, when you've had ideas in your head about what your life would be."
|
|
Hot In The Shade
Inclusiveness and studio improvising were the key factors in making British electro-pop band Hot Chip's third studio record, "Made in the Dark," due this week via Astralwerks. "We started the whole process when the other record ['The Warning'] was being released," lead vocalist Alex Taylor says. "And for the first time, we wrote songs in band practices. For us, these subtle changes make a big difference. We went quite awhile without being inclusive, in having everyone play on the previous records."
Several tracks were done outside the confines of their home studios, also a first. "We recorded six demos in January, and that was our first experience being in a studio other than a room or a basement," Taylor explains.
"I remember a lot of discussion about improvising in the studio, and listening to bands like This Heat," he continues. "We wanted to take it away from the computer; it became more about recording everything we do, and piecing it together later."
Fans of Hot Chip's club hit "Over and Over," will find similar heavy dance grooves on cuts such as the fast, guitar-driven "Out at the Pictures," and the bass-heavy "Hold On." But there's also a return to the balladry that early listeners heard on the group's first EP, "Mexico."
|
|
 |
Additional titles hitting stores this week include:
A pop album from Broadway star Idina Menzel, "I Stand" (Warner Bros.).
Indie duo the Helio Sequence's "Keep Your Eyes Ahead" (Sub Pop).
College rock act Dispatch's DVD "Dispatch Zimbabwe: Live At Madison Square Garden" (Warner Bros.).
A new album from Pat Metheny (in collaboration Christian McBride and Antonio Sanchez), "Day Trip" (Nonesuch).
A solo album from Death Cab For Cutie guitarist Chris Walla, "Field Manual" (Barsuk).
Call it unique artistic vision or simply creative chutzpah, but few artists would feature such disparate duet partners as Andrea Bocelli, Fernando Lima and Kiss' Paul Stanley on the same album. Yet that's exactly what Sarah Brightman does on "Symphony," which arrives this week via Manhattan Records.
More...
|
|
The team behind metal band Bullet for My Valentine has a major resolution for 2008: Break the metal quintet in the United States with its new album, "Scream Aim Fire," due this week on 20/20 Entertainment/Jive/Zomba.
More...
|
|
With U.S. and European tours already under its belt, New York buzz band Vampire Weekend has something else to celebrate: its long-awaited self-titled debut hits stores this week via XL Recordings.
More...
|
|
Contact Us 
