Well, guess what, folks. We’re headed into the infamous 4th quarter: a place where the releases get bigger and brighter. Although there’s nothing coming out that really turns my crank, there are certainly a few records that will catch the attention of others—quite possibly you! So let’s move on and investigate.
Last week would have marked Amy Winehouse’s 28th birthday. Her final recording-of the standard “Body & Soul”-can be found on Tony Bennett’s latest album, Duets II. This follow-up to the octogenarian crooner’s recently successful collaboration album contains guest shots from divas Natalie Cole and Mariah Carey as well as heartthrobs John Mayer and Josh Groban. Whether you’re a fan or not, you’ve gotta give Bennett props for still being able to do it at his age.
2011 marks the twentieth anniversary of Pearl Jam’s groundbreaking album, Ten. Along with Nirvana and Soundgarden, Eddie Vedder and co. were the point of the spear for the grunge revolution, and they’re celebrating this milestone with a documentary called Twenty (ten? Twenty? Ohhhh…I get it now!!). Directed by Cameron Crowe, the film promises to be quite interesting, and the soundtrack comes out today.
Looking for some supergroup action? Then you might wanna check out the debut album from a rockin’ conglomerate known as SuperHeavy. This outfit contains the one and only Mick Jagger (subject of a recent #1 single to boot) along with producer/instrumentalist/Eurythmic Dave Stewart, soul diva Joss Stone, reggae superstar Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, and film composer A.R. Rahman. So, we’ve established that they look like an All-Star United Colors of Bennetton ad. But can they make good music? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Elsewhere in the music world, Gavin DeGraw hopes to return to the success he found with his debut effort, Chariot, with his new album entitled Sweeter. The piano man has enlisted co-writers like Butch Walker and the ever-present Ryan Tedder to help him out. Meanwhile, Tori Amos appears poised to move in the opposite direction with her new album, Night of Hunters. It’s being described as “a 21st century song cycle inspired by select classical pieces spanning the last 400 years.” In other words, a little odd, but maybe not too odd for Tori’s cult following. I bet her fans eat that shit up.
Other artists releasing albums this week include Eagles of Death Metal frontman Boots Electric, teen superstar Demi Lovato (with songwriting contributions from our friend Bleu), aggro-rockers Thrice, dance party favorite Miguel Migs (featuring guest shots from the likes of Evelyn “Champagne” King and Meshell Ndegeocello) and releasing their first album in fifteen years and proving that, without a doubt, the ‘90s are back, The Jayhawks.
Did we miss something? Probably. Make sure you’re checking out Pause and Play to get a complete list of releases for this week and all other weeks!