Music Releases For December 17th, 2013

What a dud of a week for music!

Let's clear the air though so that were all under the same impression that I was referring to the quantity of music versus the quality.  Even though the quality is what really matters for most music listeners, but there tends to be less quality when you don't have quantitative options to choose from.  So unless you are fans of either Shaggy, After The Burial, Chelsea Grin, or John Mellencamp then you might want to save your dollars for something in the new year.  This is generally a slow type of month in the music world anyways as most musicians want to spend time around their families and friends...not at a mixing booth.

So the usual folks.  Head to a local record store, online retailer, or other legal source to pick up a copy of these albums and/or songs.  Cheers!

(Sly & Robbie Presents: Shaggy - Out of Many, One Music)

Shaggy revisits that vintage vibe, the essence of the so-called “Reggae Revival”. What is that essence?  Strong story-telling in the songwriting, gaining input from so many different artists and producers, the originality of the one-drop, the accent of the guitar, horns, bubbling organ, live drums, deep bass all setting a perfect table for the singer, and in this case more than one singer to provide delectable soul food - comfortably over the riddim. This is a key aspect of the reggae revival, in a climate so desperate for unity, for teamwork amongst varied producers, incorporating varied styles, just like they had when the original art form was created 50 odd years ago and how it thrived to become what it is today on a global scale. 

Overall, Shaggy and Friends, you ‘gwan great, keep up the vibes, the revival is in session, and the listeners are in for a  soul-quenching surprise. -Reggaeville

(After The Burial - Wolves Within)

AFGM: After The Burial Streaming ENTIRE "Wolves Within" Album

AFGM: After The Burial - Wolves Within

It’s extremely saddening that poor production value is a bigger issue now than ever before despite a marked rise in popularity. It’s even more sad that because this album is marred by lazy production, many fans of the band may overlook the often excellent songwriting and return to form that After the Burial have otherwise delivered on Wolves Within, an album that most fans would have been ecstatic over had it been released in place of In Dreams. At least After the Burial have shown that they have not lost their touch, and they can still be relevant in today’s ever changing music scene. -Heavy Blog Is Heavy

Singles:

(Chelsea Grin - Letters)

The first song to surface online from Chelsea Grin’s 2014 release, “Letters” finds the band further pushing their progressive take on modern metal. The beginning of the track hits you like a shotgun blast to the chest, and as the first verse gives way to the refrain, the song evolves into an even bigger, meaner, and nastier offering of rock goodness. By the time the guitar solos begin you find yourself immersed in a world of sound beyond everything that came before in the band’s discography. -Under The Gun

Box Sets:

(John Mellencamp - 1978-2012)

John Mellencamp 1978-2012 is a boxed set collection covering, for the first time, all of the legendary singer/songwriter's principal studio albums. The collection consists of a total of 19 CDs originally released over a recording career that spans 35 years. The set contains a total of 223 tracks and includes such mythic album titles as American Fool, Lonesome Jubilee, Scarecrow, Cuttin' Heads and the more recent Life, Death, Love and Freedom and No Better Than This and the long out of print original soundtrack to the Mellencamp-directed film Falling From Grace. Thirteen of the albums in the collection were RIAA®-certified as Gold, Platinum or Multiplatinum winners while ten of the albums achieved Top Ten status on Billboard's Top 100 Album Chart. The set includes every one of Mellencamp's thirty Billboard Top 100 singles, from 'I Need A Lover' and 'Jack & Diane' to 'Pink Houses' and 'Rain On The Scarecrow,' as well as classics such as 'Paper in Fire,' 'Hurts So Good,' 'Crumblin' Down,' 'Jackie Brown,' 'Small Town,' 'Wild Night,' 'R.O.C.K In The U.S.A.,' 'Our Country' and,  quite literally, all the rest. There are bonus tracks concluding twelve of the albums, sourced from the 2005 re-mastered versions of Mellencamp's Mercury  releases. -Amazon