Actually, it arrived yesterday, and I’m late. The highly anticipated full-length collaboration between mega-rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West, Watch the Throne, arrived at 12:01 Monday morning, and is already generating copious amounts of buzz around the internets. With guest appearances from Frank Ocean and Beyonce and production shots from Q-Tip and Pete Rock (not to mention Yeezy himself), Throne has hip-hop album of the year written all over it. It’s currently only available digitally, but a physical edition arrives at […]
New Release Report
New Release Report 7/26/11: R&B Overload…and Rabbits
It’s got to be tough living in someone’s shadow, especially when you’ve got talent of your own. Kelly Rowland has spent the last fifteen years (for better or for worse) being perceived as “the other chick in Destiny’s Child”. That does her kind of a disservice-seeing as a) she’s fine as hell (prettier than Beyonce, IMHO) and she’s got a pretty voice, even if the material she’s given is often terrible. Her solo career has really never gotten off the […]
New Release Report 7/19/11: In Bleuphoria
Want some soul? We got it. Want some hip-hop from Brooklyn by way of the West Indies featuring one of the TvoTR guys? We got it. Want completely generic but catchy pop/rock? We got that too? Welcome to this week’s new releases… Rahsaan Patterson-Bleuphoria For his fifth studio album, the criminally underrated soul singer has decided to call in some reinforcements. Not that he needs them, but Bleuphoria features the talents of Shanice Wilson, Faith Evans, Lalah Hathaway and Jody […]
New Release Report 7/12/11: Colbieblakeubus-lime. With Rome.
Bored out of your skull from the lack of releases that made it onto record store shelves last week? Me too. However, never fear: this week brings a veritable cornucopia of new music, including four albums that could all vie for the top spot on the charts. Do you like Colbie Caillat? I don’t. Even her name annoys me. There’s something about the whole cutesy vibe she has that drives me up a tree. She’s just too…perky. And happy. But […]
New Release Report 7/5/11: Banging the Doldrums
music / New Release Report / New Releases / news / Pop Music / rock music / soul music / Uncategorized
Well, if you’re looking for a record-release bonanza to follow your gluttonous intake of grilled goods yesterday…you might want to look elsewhere. The release schedule for July 5th is incredibly light. I suppose everyone’s taking a break at the midway point of the year. Ain’t nothing wrong with that, right? If anyone has anything to say about the fact that I quoted Fall Out Boy in the title of today’s column, the comments area is below. At any rate, this […]
New Release Report 6/28/11: B-Day?
The biggest news of the week is the release of Beyonce’s imaginatively-titled fourth album, 4. Or is it? The fact that it leaked three weeks ago and the response to it has been muted (both critically and commercially-in the form of track sales) has to alarm Camp Knowles. Might this be the album that cracks B’s golden bubble? Maybe, maybe not. It can’t be good when 1/3 of your album has already made it onto iTunes with minimal reaction. However, […]
New Release Report 6/21/11: “The Light of” Jill Scott & More!
BIG release week-for me anyway. There are at least four albums that will make their way into our grubby little paws by the end of the day Tuesday, representing a pretty wide range of genres. Here they are: Jill Scott The Light of the Sun-The Philly soul songstress has to make a solid album to avenge for the taste of mediocrity that lingers in my mouth after her last effort, The Real Thing. With a new label and a new […]
New Release Report 6/7/11: Potpourri
While the music industry is still dealing with post-Gaga fumes, let’s see what the first full week of June has as far as releases are concerned. British outfit The Arctic Monkeys have managed to cultivate a solid cult, many of whom are salivating (no pun intended…you’ll see what I mean in about three seconds) for their new album, Suck it & See (album title of the year, I tell ya). They’re some cheeky bastards. They’re joined on the release docket […]
New Release Report 5/23/11: A Day Early for Gaga
It’s here, ladies and gentlemen. The anticipation has been building up since the beginning of the year, and now Lady Gaga’s Born This Way is available for you to take home. The music industry has been so hot to get this album out that they’ve pushed all releases for the week (which would normally be on Tuesday May 24th) to Monday the 23rd. Yup, folks, you can begin your work week with Stefani Germanotta and all of her dance-pop anthemry […]