Lenny Kravitz recorded his new album Black And White America in near solitude in the Bahamas, an experience he says brought him closer to God. Well, there are copious references to the Man upstairs in the lyrics of what must be his most stylistically diverse album yet.
UK Trip Hop/Electronic duo Lamb haven’t released an album of new material in eight years. In that time, each developed their creative sides on solo work or side projects.
Last year, Ben Harper teamed up with Dhani Harrison and Joseph Arthur in the supergroup A Fistful of Mercy, a beautiful folky affair. He retreats into solo mode on possibly his best album yet, Give Till It’s Gone.
Destroyed continues along the path taken on Moby’s last album “Wait For Me” but with dark and light hues sharply contrasted this time. It was apparently recorded while Moby was touring and suffering from insomnia at night.
Rapper Lupe Fiasco takes some artistic liberty in naming his third CD Lasers which is an acronym for “love always shines every time, remember to smile.” It is the follow-up to 2007′s 4 Grammy nominated Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool and follows a protracted period of wrangling with his label resulting in a darker angrier record.
The Joy Formidable are a Welsh trio and their debut The Big Roar is like a sonic assault, from “The Everchanging Spectrum Of A Lie” which opens with dischordant beats giving way to a Garbage-style affair with tumbling and trilling guitars, to the Garage Rock of “The Magnifying Glass.” Lead vocalist Ritzy Bryan even channels Shirley Manson in places.
Cage The Elephant came to my attention thanks to Amazon’s recommendation. Opening cut “Always Something” is a skittery/quivery rocker with a nice spoken/rapped section and a whiff of UK Indie band Libertines so I was surprised when I looked up the band and discovered they are from the US. Lead vocalist Matt Shultz recalls Pete Doherty so much on this ultra catchy track.
Endlessly finds Duffy hooking up with the legendary Albert Hammond (understandably), Stuart Price (surprisingly), and Hip Hop collective The Roots on rhythm section. The result is a subtle tweak to her retro Pop/Soul sound, opening with the upbeat synth-driven “My Boy” which still sounds very sixties. Still keeping the tempo up are the ultra catchy “Keeping My Baby” (a song on single motherhood), the funky horn-peppered “Well Well Well” (with nice stop/start effects), the synth/string-swathed “Lovestruck” (Stuart Price’s electronics on display), and the bouncy “Girl”.
Canadian duo Ash Koley comprisies lead singer Ash Koley & songwriter & instrumentalist Phil Deschambault. Their debut "Inventions" is a New Wave/Pop album.
CLICK FOR MOREMark Ronson's new album "Record Collection" sees him largely eschewing the horn-rich retro Soul sound of his last CD "Version." The sound this time around is more electronic with a heavy Hip Hop influence.
CLICK FOR MOREUK Trip Hop artist Tricky's new CD "Mixed Race" is a musical journey of sorts as the 10 tracks take one through various styles; Hip Hop, Blues, Dub, Trip Hop & Dance. The songs are brief and the album runs just 30 minutes.
CLICK FOR MORE"Airtight's Revenge" is thus a highly anticipated release and now signed to a smaller Indie label, he's given free rein to experiment, and experiment he does. The album finds him mining that breezy hippy retro Soul sound.
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