What’s it like to be a superstar before you’re even out of junior high school? Well, ask Jackie Evancho. She finished second on “America’s Got Talent” last year, and she parlayed her television exposure into a debut release that was one of 2010’s biggest successes. What’s more, her new album, Dream with Me, will probably debut at #1 on next week’s chart. For a pre-teen, she’s got some pretty stellar guests on her album, too, including the one and only Barbra Streisand. Are we looking at the second coming of Charlotte Church? Quite possibly.
Evancho is the most high-profile of many new releases this week. It might be a safe bet to say that people who buy the Evancho album might also get a kick out of Barry Manilow’s new joint. Entitled 15 Minutes, it’s Manilow’s first album of original material in a decade, following a series of well-received covers albums. I know that our own Mike Duquette is chomping at the bit for a copy of this album.
Getting out of the adult contemporary world ever so slightly, electronic act Owl City will be looking to cement his career beyond his one hit, the #1 smash “Fireflies”. All Things Bright & Beautiful (which has gotten some phenomenally savage reviews) doesn’t appear to deviate much from the artist’s twee musings.
Marc Broussard is a little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n roll, and a whole lot of soul. He’s switched between genres pretty often, and you’ll get to hear the results of his latest musical melange with a self-titled effort that hopes to finally establish the New Orleans singer/songwriter as a legitimate star.
Other albums out this week include a new effort from Yes’s Jon Anderson, plus Pieces of Me, the third studio effort from Grammy-nominated soul singer Ledisi. They are joined by the soundtracks for the latest “Cars” and “Transformers” movies as well as the music from the ill-fated “Spider-Man” musical, composed by Bono and The Edge. Ziggy Marley’s album comes out today (featuring a guest appearance from Woody Harrelson-imagine how much weed was smoked in THAT recording session), as well as new records from jazzmasters Michael Franks and Pat Metheny.
As always, Pause and Play‘s got what you need with a complete list of new releases.