Blogs will be blogs. Running a solo gig does have it's disadvantages. The one downside I seem to notice more often than none is the lack of posts that dedicated readers are looking for come the starting of their work week. Music releases have always been a standard for me in the this blog as well because prior to starting AFGM, I was constantly asked what band has a new album coming out and what the newest single was on the radio. So being that I wanted to condense all my music findings into one article every Tuesday, I feel bummed out when I [sometimes] cannot provide that information in a scheduled timely manner.
Everyone that does artistic and/or journalistic knows that sometimes life can get in the way and frankly it would be silly not to assume that. Not that I am making excuses or justification but like every other average Joe in the workforce of the world, we have vacation days, deadlines and other variables that sometimes have us veer away from our passions. But as you can see today, we always seem to get back to what we love to do.
So this week is going to be a great week of a mixture of genres. I am going to have a fun time picking apart the critiques and finding the right time and day to play a couple of these albums (unless you are a fan of going from someone like Sinatra, followed by some Five Finger Death Punch). So if you haven't done so already, be sure to head to your local record store, online retailer, or other legal source to purchase and show some love to the artists. Cheers!
(Frank Sinatra - Duets 20th Anniversary) [Super Deluxe Edition]
Super Deluxe Box Set featuring Duets and Duets II 180-gram heavyweight vinyl records in a gatefold LP jacket, three CDs including Duets and Duets II with bonus and unreleased tracks, a bonus CD of Classic Duets - the rare deleted album of duet performances from Sinatra's ABC TV shows from 1957 to 1960 - along with a DVD featuring interviews, the official EPK and a promo video of "I've Got You Under My Skin" duet with Bono, plus a 20-page LP sized booklet with rare photos and new liner notes, an embossed lithograph, all housed in an elegant 12"x12" box complete with a gold foil-stamped title.
2-CD Deluxe Edition with bonus and unreleased tracks and a 32-page booklet with rare photos and new liner notes.
2-LP Vinyl version of the original Duets and Duets II releases on 180-gram heavyweight vinyl, gatefold jacket.
The Super Deluxe Box Set and 2-CD Deluxe Edition releases will include two never-before-released recordings, "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)" featuring Tom Scott and "Embraceable You" with Tanya Tucker, plus the rare bonus tracks "Fly Me to the Moon" with George Strait, and two versions of "My Way," one recorded with Luciano Pavarotti and the other with Willie Nelson.
In addition to these three anniversary editions, Capitol/Universal Music will also release Best Of Duets, a 14-song, single-disc collection featuring key tracks from both Duets and Duets II and the bonus track "My Way" featuring Luciano Pavarotti. -Contact Music
(Billie Joe + Norah Jones - Foreverly)
Now, in 2013, the US is again mired in anger and anxiety. The decision of Green Day leader Billie Joe Armstrong and angel-voiced Norah Jones to faithfully re-enact this time-stamped document can be seen in this context. While the likes of Bruce Springsteen have returned to America’s vernacular music, this is, I think, the first time a full album has been remade.
Armstrong’s American punk ethos has thrived on noisier protest, but his singing here is a simple joy. Jones has been accused of blandness in the past, but here her voice is a thing of whispered beauty. The surprise is that together their voices blend so well; they read the songs with understated craft, often creating beguiling, timeless duets. The duo are supported by backing that is subdued but expressive.
Foreverly may be a worthy tribute to the Everly brothers, but in reality it is much more. -Irish Times
(Nickelback - The Best Of) [Volume 1]
It is a lengthy musical work, featuring well over one hour of Nickelback's finest hits. There are no previously unreleased songs on this project, however the ones that made the cut are more than noteworthy. All of the lyrics were written by front-man Chad Kroeger and he co-wrote the melodies with his bandmates Ryan Peake, Mike Kroeger and Daniel Adair.
Overall, Nickelback's new CD is a must for any fan of rock music. The audio version of the album on Amazon's official website consists of 19 tracks, so it is definitely worth the bargain for an extremely reasonable price. There are no filler songs on here. This group has come a long way and they have matured vocally, as well as songwriters and as musicians. -Digital Journal
(Eric Clapton's "Crossroads" Guitar Festival 2013)
There wasn’t any downtime in the show lasting nearly five hours. During set changes, a small second stage provided the opportunity for such disparate players as Earl Klugh, slide guitarist Sonny Landrath and Gary Clark Jr. to perform brief solo performances. Artist introductions were delivered by an effusive Dan Aykroyd, who also took the opportunity to don his Blues Brothers sunglasses and, accompanied by Keb Mo on guitar, sing Muddy Waters’ “I Got My Mojo Working.”
Despite the arena’s vast setting, the evening had an intimate air thanks in part to the giant video screens that more often provided video close-ups of the performers’ flying fingers than their faces. “Isn’t this great?” Aykroyd enthused. “It feels like we’re all sitting in a juke joint in Mississippi!” -Hollywood Reporter
(Daughtry - Baptized)
Daughtry’s fourth album Baptized allows the band to stretch out their wings creatively while still sticking to the rock principles that have made singer Chris Daughtry the third best-selling American Idol.
Having several producers on hand for this album may have also added to the unique sound with Claude Kelly (Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears), Martin Johnson (Boys Like Girls), Rock Mafia (Miley Cyrus), Sam Hollander (Train, One Direction) and Idol alum Kara DioGuardi.
With three solid rock albums behind them, you can’t blame Daughtry for branching out their sound on Baptized. Every musician has the right to think outside the box and hopefully fans will take this journey with them. -The Celebrity Cafe
(A Perfect Circle - Three Sixty)
I wasn’t quite sure what Three Sixty was at first, but having been a fan of A Perfect Circle (featuring Maynard James Keenan of Tool and Puscifer, as well as Billy Howerdell of Ashes Divide) ever since their debut album, Mer De Noms (and I can even admit to you that the album didn’t make sense to me the first time I played it), I was immediately thrilled at the chance to review a new release. But Three Sixty is not a new release, per se. It’s a collection of the band’s greatest hits, which I know more than a thing or two about since I know most of these songs by heart. This release also contains “By And Down,” the group’s first brand new song in over a decade.
While I’m sure that most of you are wondering why a certain favored track or two was not featured on the disc, realize that this collection affects what the band felt were their strongest and most memorable numbers. It’s a “greatest hits” release, after all. If you already have all of the band’s albums, then you really don’t need this one, but I certainly won’t say that it wasn’t a great idea to get this material out to people who haven’t been able to hear it yet, or even knew that it existed. With so much effort put into releasing a greatest hits album as well as a live collection of material from A Perfect Circle, I can only assume that Tool might be next on Maynard’s list. -New Noise Magazine
(Apocalyptica & The MDR Symphony Orchestra - Live In Leipzig from Wagner Reloaded)
"We've been asked many times to do this type of project, but this is the first one we got excited about. The mission was to celebrate Wagner, [so] we took elements of his life and used his original music and rearranged it. It was like writing a score for a movie, I had a list of themes and I had to think about the length of scenes and write the music while envisioning APOCALYPTICA performing on a massive stage with the symphony, choir and one-hundred dancers." -Eicca Toppinen
(Five Finger Death Punch - The Wrong Side of Heaven and The Righteous Side of Hell Pt. II)
Pretty much every song Five Finger Death Punch write has the potential to be a single. Their songs are heavy and melodic, tailor-made for rock radio. In addition to ‘Battle Born,’ songs like the in your face“Here To Die,’ the power ballad ‘Cold’ and the emotional ‘My Heart Lied’ all would make great singles.
The deluxe edition of ‘Volume 2‘ includes a second disc. It’s a 15 song live show that features songs from throughout their career, such as ‘Under and Over It,’ ‘Far From Home’ and ‘The Bleeding.’
The bottom line is that if you liked ‘The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1,’ you’ll like ‘The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 2.’ They are like two peas in a pod, or more accurately in Five Finger Death Punch’s case, a left hook and a right cross. -Loudwire
(Korn - The Paradigm Shift) [Super Deluxe Edition]
Super Deluxe Edition of Korn's new album 'The Paradigm Shift' includes:
- Deluxe CD (11 Tracks + 2 Bonus Tracks)
- Reconciliation Documentary DVD
- 2LP Vinyl
- Exclusive 48 Page Photobook Featuring Live and Studio Photos During the Making of the Album
- Custom Skull Usb Stick with Audio and Video
- Exclusive Signed Lithos
- All Housed in Custom Gatefold Box
EPs:
(Ghost/Ghost BC - If You Have Ghost)
Ghost B.C. are among 2013′s biggest buzz bands and with the well-received ‘Infestissumam’ already under their robes, they continue to give fans more with the Dave Grohl produced ‘If You Have Ghost’ EP, which includes four ecectic cover songs and a live version of the new hit ‘Secular Haze.’ The song selection might be unfamiliar to a lot of Ghost’s fans, but offers key insight to how the band developed their trademark sound.
Overall, ‘If You Have Ghost’ is an entertaining listen, especially after you’ve familiarized yourself with the original songs. Cover songs are always a mixed bag of hit or miss, with no middle ground. The same goes for Ghost’s renditions of four songs here, but they’ve done a pretty solid job of making these songs their own while paying tribute to their influences. -Loudwire
CD/DVD/Blu-Ray:
(Rush - Clockwork Angels Tour)
Rather than take a victory tour following the Hall of Fame induction leaning on radio hits like “Closer to the Heart,” Rush resumed the task of supporting fresh work. The group thrilled adventurous fans with seventy minutes of “Clockwork Angels” material, alongside deeper cuts like “The Body Electric.”
With visually compelling steampunk trappings, the new music anchoring the film is among the most powerful Rush has produced. Riffs from “Carnies” and “Headlong Flight” find Lifeson leading the muscular fray, recapturing the primal rock of “Working Man.” “When you strip it down, it becomes heavier,” says Lifeson.
Documenting a first for the prodigious trio, the film includes outside musicians. Rush enlisted eight string players for sparkle and emotional punch during new material and catalog pieces like “YYZ.” “There’s a fine line between strings sounding corny or twee, and sounding integral to some pretty aggressive rock songs,” says Lifeson, who praises the players’ excellence. “They worked so hard every night. I think it came across as something really special.” -Sun Times
(Epica - Retrospect 10th Anniversary)
The DVD shows singer Simone Simons at her best, alongside band mates Mark Jansen, Coen Janssen, Ariën van Weesenbeek, Isaac Delahaye and Rob van der Loo. Together they perform in front of 5000 fans from around the globe, who were treated to a 26 song set that kicked off the night with Introspect, followed by Monopoly On Truth and Sensorium, with Coen Janssen playing the iconic piano tunes.
The DVD has flawless image and audio quality as well as fantastic camera angles, as the show was recorded with 10 HD cameras. It also includes exclusive interviews with all band members and behind-the-scenes footage from the show. -Spotlight Report
(Black Sabbath - Live...Gathered In Their Masses)
The DVD was shot in Melbourne, Australia on April 29 and May 1 of this year, and documents the first time songs off their spectacular comeback album, ’13,’ were ever played live. ’13′ debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (and No. 1 in a dozen other countries), shifting 155,000 copies in the first week alone in the United States.
Black Sabbath have persevered against all odds to make this comeback and ‘Live…Gathered in Their Masses’ will surely serve as a testament to their iron will. Following the departure of Bill Ward over contract disputes, as well as Tony Iommi‘s lymphoma diagnosis, the band has given the fans what they’ve been desiring for so long.
The DVD is available in a multitude of formats, including a DVD standalone, Blu-ray standalone, Blu-ray/CD combo pack with a CD featuring live audio from the show, all packaged in a Blu Ray case, DVD/CD combo pack with a CD featuring live audio from the show, all packaged in an Amaray box, or a Deluxe Box with a Blu-ray disc of live show with exclusive bonus visual extras/two DVD discs/a CD featuring live audio from the show/poster/signed set list/photo booklet/guitar picks/official show “ticket.” -Loudwire
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