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New Release Round-Up 09-11-20
American Head is the best and most consistent studio album from The Flaming Lips since the release of their most successful brace of albums The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots. Similar to those albums, the 13 songs on American Head are classically structured and features the same sonic and production qualities. Kacey Musgraves (a fan who covers “Do You Realize” in her live set) is featured on “God And The Policeman”.
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Marilyn Manson - WE ARE CHAOS - Loma Vista
As chaos envelopes the world, Marilyn Manson penned the perfect prescription. The aptly titled WE ARE CHAOS was written/produced by Manson & Shooter Jennings. Rock & roll icon and painter, Manson continues to infiltrate fashion, film, and music, leaving his fingerprints on modern culture. "Making this record, I had to think to myself: Tame your crazy, stitch your suit, try to pretend that you are not an animal. But I knew that mankind is the worst of them all.”
The whole story could’ve been written in the stars… Astrology tells us a “Saturn Return” happens when the planet Saturn revolves back to the same position it held upon our birth. It typically takes almost thirty years. However, in the case of Delta Spirit, it took a little less than fifteen. The enduring California rock quintet—Matthew Logan Vasquez [vocals], Kelly Winrich [multi-instrumentalist, vocals], Will McLaren [guitar], Jon Jameson [bass], and Brandon Young [drums]—realign on their fifth full-length and first album since 2014, What Is There. As much as it reflects their journey thus far, it also ushers them into new territory as both musicians and, most importantly, friends. In the end, Delta Spirit not only return, but move forward together on What Is There.
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Medium Rarities is the first rarities collection from Mastodon covering their entire career. The compilation features one brand new song – “Fallen Torches”. It also includes a bevy of classic covers, soundtrack contributions, instrumentals, B-sides, and live recordings on one complete package for the very first time. Among an eclectic array of covers, the musicians tackle “A Commotion” by Feist, “A Spoonful Weighs A Ton” by The Flaming Lips, “Atlanta” by Butthole Surfers, and “Orion” by Metallica. It also features soundtrack cuts such as “White Walker”[from the Game of Thrones inspired mix tape] and the soundtrack song “Cut You Up With A Linoleum Knife” [Aqua Teen Hunger Force]. Meanwhile, they get under the hood with instrumental versions of “Asleep in the Deep,” “Toe To Toes,” “Jaguar God,” and “Halloween.”
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Produced by Alex Newport (Death Cab For Cutie, At The Drive In), Yellow Coat is a masterpiece of heartbreak, equal parts lost Sixties AM hits, folk-pop beauty and dark night of the soul music. Taking inspiration from Van Gogh's Dear Theo along with John Steinbeck's A Life in Letters, and stamped with the honesty and intimacy of something not meant to be heard, yellow coat is the product of Matt Costa penning letters to himself about the end of a relationship that lasted almost a decade. While Yellow Coat may have started as an album about heartbreak, its sense of sadness, continued hope and perseverance also feels completely universal right now. "My songs have always been something that transcends a feeling into something that is healing," Costa adds. "I hope listeners and fans find these songs as personal and honest as they are to me."
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Elizabeth Cook is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter from Wildwood, FL- the New York Times lauds her "a sharp and surprising country singer". A veteran SiriusXM Outlaw Country Radio DJ, Cook has hosted her own show, Apron Strings, for over 10 years. She's also a favorite of David Letterman, the host of an upcoming TV show on Circle Network called Upstream, and a frequent guest star on Adult Swim's long-running hit cartoon series "Squidbillies".
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Steinway artist & composer, Chad Lawson's solo work has a relaxed, meditative feel that draws on both the sonorities of classical music and the freeform nature of jazz improv. You Finally Knew, his debut solo piano album for Decca US, was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and features ten pieces he wrote to inspire listeners to take time every day to consciously be still for mental clarity and overall wellness of being.
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ALSO OUT THIS WEEK
Brothertiger - Paradise Lost
PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love
PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love - Demos
Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart [Picture Disc Vinyl Single]
The Pineapple Thief - Versions Of The Truth
Reba McEntire - Rumor Has It: 30th Anniversary Edition
Everything Everything - Re-Animator
Stray Cats - Rocked This Town: From LA To London
Logic - No Pressure
Skillet - Victorious: The Aftermath [Deluxe Edition]
Suzanne Vega - An Evening Of New York Songs And Stories
Artemis - Artemis
Various Artists - Reggae Gold 2020
& More .....
For more information on these and other releases out this week, check out our New Releases charts by week section.
What's New 9-4-20
On the band’s first album as a paired down trio, their signature psychedelic blues riffs, relentless drums, melodic bass lines and non-linear lyrics are all present. You also have tape loops coinciding with unplugged minimalism. It’s their heaviest album marked by their broadest atmospheres, intimate and pummeling.
The follow up to 2013's Purgatory/Paradise is an outpouring of modal guitars, reverbed shapes, echoey drums and driving bass set behind Kristen Hersh's well-thumbed notebook of storylines. A ten-song opus of suitably wrought tales set against a wall of sound that's at once calm and ethereal before building into glorious cacophonous crescendos.
Blending folk intimacy, country grit, and alt-rock muscle, Dandelion is an ode to survival in the face of struggle, a full-throated tribute to the power of hope and the unbreakable bonds of family fueled by raw, honest storytelling and lush, cinematic arrangements, expanding the homespun craftsmanship of the Nashville duo.
An extraordinary tribute album to one of rock's great composers, Marc Bolan, AngelHeaded is a collection of major stars (including Elton John, U2, Joan Jett, Nick Cave, and Peaches) reinterpreting and reimagining some of Marc Bolan and T.Rex’s greatest tracks including “Jeepster,” “Bang A Gong (Get It On),” and “Ride A White Swan.”
Bach's monumental "Goldberg Variations" stands as a work of unique, brilliant artistry in piano literature. Lang Lang first began exploring the masterpiece 20 years ago, now presenting this album as the outcome of a personal, emotional journey. A new stage in Lang Lang's artistic development, it's a project of a lifetime. Alongside studio recordings is a 1-take from a recital at iconic St Thomas Church.
Tomplicated Records release the eagerly anticipated second record from 21 year old singer/songwriter Declan McKenna. This 10 song follow up to 2017's What Do You Think About The Car? includes the hit singles “Beautiful Faces,” “The Key To Life On Earth,” “Daniel,” “You're Still A Child,” and latest single “Be An Astronaut”.
With his debut album turning five on 4th September, Rex Orange County has announced that he’ll be releasing his first record on vinyl for the very first time. “I remember being 16, mid-way through my final years of school and feeling like I had a lot I wanted to say,” Rex says of the album. “I didn’t have a strong intention with the release of Bcos, I just felt determined to make something and put it out into the world. But with it came the idea and belief to pursue music as a career.
What's New 8-28-20
S&M2 was recorded in San Francisco over two nights in September 2019 with the San Francisco Symphony to commemorate the 20th anniversary of S&M. Features 20 songs from the two-night event, with many Metallica fan favorites and two unique classical songs chosen by San Francisco Symphony Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas.
The Waterfall II completes The Waterfall, My Morning Jacket's acclaimed 2015 record. Originally intended to be a sprawling triple album, the band were advised to hold back and keep some of it on the shelf. Until now! Frontman Jim James says, "this is simply the second half of a long snapshot of life for me as a writer… and the life of us as a band as we lived and worked.”
Produced by Shaun Morgan and engineered and mixed by Matt Hyde (Deftones, AFI), their new album Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum, (which translates to “If you want peace, prepare for war”) features Shaun Morgan’s aggressive, highly melodic songwriting, some of the most expressive, politically charged music he’s ever made.
A spectrum of talented artists are featured, on the duo’s newest album, including for the first time, rappers. Appearances from Mick Jenkins, ChannelTres, Amine and slowthai sit comfortably alongside legendary Common; with the inimitable Kelis and powerhouse team, Kehlani and Syd.
Multi-Platinum, GRAMMY-winning megastar Toni Braxton releases her latest album, Spell My Name, via Island Records August 28th. Includes hit single, "Do It" as well as a new version with Missy Elliot, and fan-favorite "Dance"
Molly Tuttle finds solace in revisiting favorite songs from throughout her life in an attempt to “remind myself why I love music.” The result is 10 tracks that cross the musical spectrum and the decades, from FKA Twigs to Cat Stevens, from Rancid to Karen Dalton- all united by Tuttle’s clear, true voice, astonishing range and incredible musicianship
As Mortal makes exceedingly clear though its preposterously fantastic trans-dimensional death metal, 2017’s Blood Offerings was not a blueprint, but a blasting cap; the malicious maelstrom it released was not a squall, but a paradigm-scrambling superstorm. Blood Offerings was Necrot creating an opening into another world, Mortal is them walking through it.
On his sophomore album, Nashville-based artist Ruston Kelly now documents his experience in maintaining sobriety, and finally facing the demons that led him to drug abuse in the first place. But while Kelly recounts that journey with an unvarnished honesty, his grace and conviction as an artist ultimately turn Shape & Destroy into a work of unlikely transcendence.
Got To Be Tough is a reminder that through Toots’ creative veins run all the roots and shoots of the Black Diaspora. Blues, soul, RnB, funk, jazz, reggae, African griots – Toots honors, embodies and owns them. Throwing down an authoritative guide: how to survive and thrive among our earth challenges.
Bless Your Heart is fueled by “road-forged camaraderie and telepathic musical intensity, vibrantly reflecting the individual and collective experiences of these seven, all drawing inspiration from the band’s symbolic hometown, a place Devon Allman calls ‘the United States of Americana’.”
Ordinary Madness was completed mere days before the US shutdown, its cathartic song-craft and themes of shared troubles couldn't chime better with a period in which our souls and spirits are under fire from tumultuous global events. Trout comes armed with a boundary-exploring new studio album that bring his fans even closer.
On PVRIS' highly-anticipated third studio album Use Me, frontwoman, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Lynn Gunn steps into a new chapter, as she owns her role as PVRIS’ leader and sole architect. The result is 11 pop conjurations of glitchy beat-craft, airy guitars, and spell-binding vocals.
Grammy award-winning singing sensation Gregory Porter’s 6th studio album, All Rise, is a heart-felt, joyful celebration of the evolution of his art to something even more emphatic, emotive, intimate, and universal. Along with producer Troy Miller (Laura Mvula, Jamie Cullum, Emili Sandé), Gregory takes us higher than ever with this uplifting album.
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter J.S. Ondara reveals Folk N Roll Vol 1: Tales of Isolation, a new collection of songs written in direct response to the current global pandemic. The album was composed and produced by Ondara while in lockdown in Minneapolis over the course of a week, and came out of Ondara’s deep need to create as a form of therapy during this incredibly uncertain time.
The five-time Grammy-nominee and Blues Hall of Fame inductee releases a new album that features songs primarily popularized by women who were the “bridge she came across on.” From Dinah Washington’s "Drinking Again," Nina Simone’s "I Hold No Grudge," Billie Holiday’s "Strange Fruit," Nancy Wilson’s "Save Your Love For Me" and more, they are all delivered in LaVette’s rich and raspy tone and a touch of the blues.
New Release Round-Up 09-04-20
All Them Witches have built a career out of playing music that can not be pigeonholed into one specific genre. Nothing as the Ideal was recorded in Studio 2 at the world famous Abbey Road with the help of longtime mixing engineer Mikey Allred. The history and vibe of that setting laid the groundwork for what was to come. The band’s signature psychedelic blues riffs, relentless drums, melodic bass lines and non-linear lyrics are all present. The resulting album is a thought provoking head banger that is the band’s most cohesive album to date.
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Another prized jewel in The Rolling Stones' unmatched catalogue is restored to its full glory. This limited edition Deluxe vinyl box set features the new stereo album mix, sourced from the original session files + Rarities & Alternative mixes including three previously unreleased tracks, Scarlet, All The Rage & Criss Cross. Mastered at half speed by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios, London. Also included is The Brussels Affair, recorded live at the Forest National Arena in October 1973 and pressed on 180g vinyl.
Also Available: Remastered Catalogue + Living In A Ghost Town
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On the cusp of releasing his first-ever solo album, Every Feeling On A Loop (ANTI-Records), songwriter Josiah Johnson is aware he wasn’t supposed to be here. Just five years ago when he took a leave of absence from the acclaimed indie-folk band, The Head and the Heart, the question was less where Johnson’s star would take him and more whether his struggles with addiction would end his music career. But then, he wasn’t supposed to be there, either. Prior to co-founding the band, Johnson studied math and computer science in graduate school. But the magic of song led him to an open mic that changed his life. At Seattle’s Conor Byrne Pub, Johnson sparked collaborations with fellow musicians who would eventually form The Head and the Heart. The group’s rise was rapid. They built a loyal fanbase and zigzagged the globe, with sold-out shows at historic venues from The Fillmore to Red Rocks and festival appearances at Coachella and Lollapalooza. Their 2011 self-titled debut went on to receive RIAA Gold certification, followed by 2013’s Let’s Be Still, which landed on Billboard’s Top 10 Albums Chart. On Every Feeling on a Loop, lush musical arrangements and harmonies support Johnson’s baritone crooning. At times, the songs sound like prayers. At others, his exuberance feels like the euphoria he’d always sought, this time hard-earned and wiser. He says he feels like a new person making it, charting his journey out of the dark into the wide awake of the morning, using the magic that was his all along.
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One of the first bands to overtly combine death metal with atmospheric keyboards, Nocturnus' debut album introduced more technical and progressive elements into the traditional death metal formula without losing any of the brutality. The audio for this vinyl is taken from the original tapes in Full Dynamic Range, allowing the music's nuances to shine through and giving the album a more immersive and dynamic sound than ever before.
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Zakk Sabbath is the Black Sabbath tribute band featuring guitarist/vocalist Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne), bassist Blasko (Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie) and drummer Joey Castillo (Danzig, Queens of the Stone Age), who have been constantly gigging since 2014 with their take on the Birmingham four's early songs. Legendarily recorded in a single day in October 1969, Black Sabbath's self-titled debut was released on a Friday the 13th in 1970, and the world was never the same. "We recorded a live EP and were wondering what we could do next as a cover band, so the 50th album anniversary came just at the right time", explains Blasko regarding Zakk Sabbath's decision to go studio. "Compared to 'Paranoid', which is almost like a best-of record, the bulk of the material on 'Black Sabbath' is deep-cut, really experimental stuff that was never thoroughly explored, so that was a challenge, not to forget that we wanted to meet our own high standards." Describing the DIY process as "very productive," the three respectfully added their own flair to make for a slightly different flavor, also revisiting various live renditions and "extending a solo here or slowing things down because that's what they tended to do on stage." Titled "Vertigo", Zakk Sabbath's ode to the masters won't be available digitally, "to make the release feel authentic to the time when vinyl ruled the earth. It was such a cool time for those of us that grew up during that time. The fan experience with the physical product is irreplaceable with digital and streaming. We wanted to capture that authenticity." The songs were faithfully recorded in the spirit of the original - live in the studio and with a film crew documenting the process - culminating in a new celebration of the greatest heavy metal band of all time and the record that started it all. Gatefold LP incl. Padded inner sleeve and special vinyl mastering, ltd. Yellow Vinyl
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Between You And Me is the fourth album by the indie trio San Cisco, from Fremantle in Western Australia, town of sun-baked sandstone and sea breezes. It's an album two years and at least one sadly remembered love affair in the making. Between You and Me finds the childhood friends' open-hearted/ good times chemistry distilled to it's essence. Nearly 10 years since those first EPs, ARIA nominations and early US and UK inroads, San Cisco have made their most painstaking album sound effortless.
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ALSO OUT THIS WEEK
Various Artists - AngelHeaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex [2LP]
Declan McKenna - Zeros
Grant-Lee Phillips - Lightning, Show Us Your Stuff
Hardy - A Rock
Aesop Rock - Float
Various Artists - Two Tone - The Albums [8 CD Box Set]
Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac: 1969-1974
Sara Evans - Copy That
Rex Orange County - Bcos U Will Never B Free
Tennessee Jet - The Country
Pop Smoke - Meet The Woo 2
Stryper - Even The Devil Believes
Lang Lang - Bach: Goldberg Variations
Gouge Away - Consider / Wave Of Mutilation [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition Vinyl Single]
Throwing Muses - Sun Racket
& More .....
For more information on these and other releases out this week, check out our New Releases charts by week section.
New Release Round-Up 08-28-20
The Waterfall II completes The Waterfall, My Morning Jacket’s acclaimed 2015 record. Originally intended to be a sprawling triple album, the band were advised to hold back and keep some of it on the shelf. Until now! Frontman Jim James says, "this is simply the second half of a long snapshot of life for me as a writer in the years leading up to 2014, and the life of us as a band as we lived and worked in the epic country in and around Stinson Beach, CA during these recording sessions."
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“I allowed myself to support a narrative I thought I had to support of PVRIS being a band,” Lynn confesses. “I didn’t really have a role model for this. Coming from a ‘band culture,’ it’s about how the group is always greater than the sum of its parts, and you’re not supposed to take credit, even if you do everything. There’s no template or role model for really owning it as a woman. I wanted to make everyone else happy and uphold an image I thought we had to. Growing up, I learned I don’t have to do that anymore. I’m finally allowing myself to take credit. I’ve got the full support and encouragement of my bandmates. PVRIS is a unit and very much a team, but the heart and soul of the vision and music always has sourced from me. I’m just saying it now. I fulfilled my own vision of what a role model should be.” Writing and recording all of 2019, she found the perfect collaborator to bring this to life in JT Daly [K. Flay]. With Lynn writing, cooking up beats, playing guitar, drums, and bass, and singing, he amplified and augmented her vision and versatility in the studio. PVRIS set the foundation for the new era with recent EP, Hallucinations, spawning lead single and title track “Hallucinations,” which clocked 10 million total streams in a few months’ time, as well as fan favorites, “Old Wounds” and “Death of Me.”
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Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Ondara, reveals Folk N’ Roll Vol. 1: Tales Of Isolation, a new collection of songs written in direct response to the current global pandemic. The album was composed and produced by Ondara while in lockdown in Minneapolis over the course of a week and came out of Ondara’s deep need to create as a form of therapy during this incredibly uncertain time. FNRV1: Tales of Isolation is the follow up to Ondara’s critically acclaimed 2019 debut Tales of America.
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From the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada and recently seen on Austin City Limits, Colter Wall sings songs of the great West. Heralded by icon Steve Earle and touted as a favorite of celebrity Jason Mamoa, the music of Colter Wall has graced the silver screen many times, in films such as Peanut Butter Falcon, Hell or High Water, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MO and Deadwood. Characterized by his distinct, gritty baritone, Colter Wall’s career has been marked with critical praise from his breakout EP, Imaginary Appalachia to his debut and sophomore records produced by Dave Cobb. Whether headlining music festivals in Norway, or playing legendary stages like Newport Folk Festival, Colter Wall continues to garner attention from the world. On his third full-length release, fans will hear Colter Wall in the producer’s chair.
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The third studio album from From Ashes to New. The title track, "Panic," gained over 1.5 million streams and over 1 million video views in a little over a month. The band has also had 3 Top 10 Active Rock Singles and over 225 million streams to date. If there is a central theme on Panic, it's that in order to rise above any obstacles you have to trust in yourself. "Even though you feel voiceless, you're not, but we understand if you feel that way because we feel that way too," frontman Matt Brandyberry explains. As fans have come to expect since the band formed seven years ago, this empowering message is delivered via the band's unique blend of metal, hip-hop, rock and electronica.
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Multi-Platinum, GRAMMY-winning megastar Toni Braxton releases her latest album, Spell My Name, via Island Records this week. Includes hit single, “Do It” as well as a new version with Missy Elliot, and fan-favorite “Dance”. Braxton has sold over 67 million records throughout her career over the past three decades.
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Gregory Porter, the world’s best-selling contemporary Jazz/Soul artist with over 3 million worldwide album sales returns with All Rise, his sixth studio album. The album marks a return to Porter’s beloved original songwriting – heart-on-sleeve lyrics imbued with everyday philosophy and real-life detail, set to a stirring mix of jazz, soul, blues and gospel. Produce by Troy Miller (Laura Mvula, Jamie Cullum, Emili Sande), the set also represents the evolution of Porter’s art to something even more emphatic, emotive, intimate, and universal too. After 2017’s Nat King Cole & Me, Porter knew two things: one, he’d bring in an orchestra for his next LP, and two, the music is medicine. In the spirit of that latter revelation, ALL RISE brims with songs about irrepressible love, plus a little protest, because the road to healing is bumpy. Since his world-beating 2013 Blue Note debut, ‘Liquid Spirit’, which won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album, Gregory hasn't let down his legion of fans, whether collaborating with Disclosure on ‘Holding On’, releasing his dance hit ‘Liquid Spirit – Claptone Remix’ which became one of the most popular tracks in Ibiza, scoring another Grammy for ‘Take Me to the Alley’ (2016), or telling his life story through Cole's songbook. Porter is still surprised by his runaway success, but he has a theory: "I was soothed by my voice as a child and I think that's the same thing others get from it. I'm trying to heal myself with these songs." Not only has Gregory made chart history by bringing jazz back to the masses, graced the iconic Pyramid Stage and the world’s most prestigious gig venues, performed for the Queen, appeared on the biggest TV shows as well as presented his own series (‘Gregory Porter’s Popular Voices’ on BBC Four), 2019 saw the singer launch and host his own podcast, ‘The Hang’, featuring such distinguished guests as Annie Lennox and Jeff Goldblum.
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Rick Wakeman, best known as keyboard player in progressive rock band Yes, releases The Red Planet - a serious return to "Wakeman Prog". Harking back to Wakeman's critically acclaimed 1973 debut The Six Wives of Henry VIII, The Red Planet features eight newly composed pieces based around a central subject matter. Rick's blown the dust off his favorite analog keyboards and along with his latest keys has used the same formula he devised when making his debut album and the equally legendary Criminal Record. Upon being asked about the expectations of his prog fans, that they are hoping he will have shoved the "Prog Fader" up to 11, he replied, "That could be a problem... as it's already at 14!!!"
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Blackbirds features songs primarily popularized by women who were the “bridge she came across on.” The album finds Bettye LaVette in top form with powerful renditions of songs that touched her personally. From Dinah Washington’s “Drinking Again,” Nina Simone’s “I Hold No Grudge” and more, they are all delivered in LaVette’s rich & raspy tone. Blackbirds honors LaVette’s heritage as an R&B singer and the women who came before her. LaVette A&R’d and sequenced the record herself – her first true curation.
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ALSO OUT THIS WEEK
Katy Perry - Smile
Metallica - S&M2
Angel Olsen - Whole New Mess
The Avett Brothers - The Third Gleam
Elliott Smith - Elliott Smith: Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition
Dan Penn - Living On Mercy
Various Artists - AngelHeaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex [Indie Exclusive Limited Edition White 2LP]
Mac DeMarco - Here Comes The Cowboy Demos
Phish - The Story Of The Ghost
The Pack A.D. - It Was Fun While It Lasted
Seether - Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum
Needtobreathe - Out Of Body
Ruston Kelly - Shape & Destroy
Molly Tuttle - …but i'd rather be with you
Disclosure - ENERGY
The Weeknd - After Hours
Dashboard Confessional - Swiss Army Romance
Jason Mraz - Look For The Good
Ledisi - The Wild Card
TOMORROW X TOGETHER - The Dream Chapter: ETERNITY [Starboard Version]
Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song
& More .....
For more information on these and other releases out this week, check out our New Releases charts by week section.
