While Johnny Cash may be spinning in his grave over Snoop Dogg's free-form rap alongside his vocal samples in the QDT Muzic remix of "I Walk the Line," I think the Man in Black might just dig the rest of Compadre Records' new Johnny Cash Remixed. Given complete access to Cash's original master recordings, a bevy of hip-hop and up-and-coming knob-twisters give 13 of his hits a fresh workout to overall success. Approved by his son, John Carter Cash, the delightfully weird project is highlighted by The Sopranos theme superstars Alabama 3, slipping into "Leave That Junk Alone," Kennedy slapping around "Sugartime," and Australia's Midnight Juggernauts' dark journey through the "Port of Lonely." Not available on CD until next year, DJs and other wax-spinners get an early crack at the album in a two-LP vinyl edition available this coming Tuesday.
The soundtrack to the film adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's Choke gets a digital-only release next week from ATO Records. Featuring Radiohead's "Reckoner," an exclusive song from Blitzen Trapper, and a cover of The Doors' "Crystal Ship" by Nicole Atkins & the Sea, the sexually explosive film also includes the rather fitting "Orgasm Addict" by The Buzzcocks and one of the sexiest bands around, Greg Dulli's Twilight Singers.
Television Alert
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno hosts George Clinton tonight, Hawthorne Heights on Thursday, Dolly Parton on Friday, My Morning Jacket on Monday, and Glen Campbell on Tuesday; The Late Show with David Letterman presents TV on the Radio on Monday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien welcomes Loudon Wainwright III this evening and Southside Johnny on Thursday overnight; Jimmy Kimmel Live's got Good Charlotte on Thursday, Cold War Kids on Friday, and Foals on Tuesday overnight; and the ladies of The View chat up Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics on Thursday.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, September 23
The Action Design - Never Say (Popsmear) featuring former members of Tsunami Bomb, Pipedown, and Calcutta Bazaar
Kevin Ayers - Songs for Insane Times (Harvest/EMI) four-CD box set featuring a previously unreleased concert from 1973
Elvin Bishop - The Blues Roll on (Eclectro Groove) with guests Warren Haynes, George Thorogood, Derek Trucks, and B.B. King
Blitzen Trapper - Furr (Sub Pop) featuring the murder ballad "Black River Killer"
Jackson Browne - Time the Conqueror (Inside Recordings) all new on his own label
Olivia d'Abo - Not TV (Inner Knot) known as a television actress on The Wonder Years, the daughter of Manfred Mann vocalist Mike d'Abo serves up a crisp, cool debut that recalls Concrete Blonde, Kate Bush, and Marti Jones
Will Callery - Rider Comin' in (Feats Records) with a résumé that reads Taj Mahal, Arlo Guthrie, and Ramblin' Jack Elliott, this seasoned singer/songwriter sets the mood for a pensive thunderstorm brewing on the open prairie
Cold War Kids - Loyalty to Loyalty (Downtown/Atlantic)
Alice Cooper - From the Inside and Flush the Fashion (Rhino) reissues from 1978 and 1980, available for the next six months as part of the label's Encore series
Jesse Dee - Bittersweet Batch (7nôt Records) led by a suburban, blue-eyed, retro-soul sensation channeling the happy-sway energy of Otis Redding, Jimmy Hughes, and Gene Allison, this real-deal, old-school R&B gem is worth searching for
The Dirty Heads - Any Port in a Storm (Executive Music Group/Fontana) featuring some of the last work recorded by Billy Preston, this reggae hip-hop groover is soon to be heard in the upcoming Matthew McConaughey film Surfer Dude
Everlast - Love, War, & the Ghost of Whitey Ford (Martyr/Fontana) calling out the haters and hypocrites in "Kill the Emperor," the political new CD from the House of Pain founder features the Iraq War-themed "Letters from the Garden of Stone" and a killer cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues"
Thea Gilmore - Liejacker (Ryko) opening her eighth album with "Old Soul," a stirring duet with Dave McCabe of the Zutons
Golden Smog - Stay Golden, Smog: The Best of Golden Smog (Rhino) boasting a previously unreleased bonus cover of Brian Wilson's "Love & Mercy," this supergroup features members of Wilco, Soul Asylum, the Jayhawks, and Big Star
David Grubbs - An Optimist Notes the Dusk (Drag City) new six-track solo EP from the Gastr del Sol founder
Charlie Haden - Rambling Boy (Decca) surrounded by Petra, Josh, and his other musical offspring, the Haden family legacy continues with guests Pat Metheny, Elvis Costello, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, and Dan Tyminski lending a hand on covers of tunes by Hank Williams, the Carter Family, and the Stanley Brothers
High Places - High Places (Thrill Jockey) percolating in whimsical jitters and a manipulated kitchen sink of sound sources, this easy-tripping duo creates a flickering, undulating jungle of funk for tiny toys
I Heart Lung - Interoceans (Asthmatic Kitty) featuring Wilco's Nels Cline on guitar and electric sitar
Ill Bill - The Hour of Reprisal (Uncle Howie/Fat Beats) with guests Raekwon The Chef, Vinnie Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks, Max Cavalera of Sepultura, Howard Jones of Killswitch Engage, and HR and Darryl Jenifer of Bad Brains
Kings of Leon - Only by Night (RCA)
Lenka - Lenka (Epic) former vocalist for Decoder Ring
Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue (Warner Bros) sophomore solo album from the Rilo Kelly vocalist, with guests Elvis Costello, Zooey Deschanel, Johnathan Rice, and M. Ward
Jessica Lea Mayfield - With Blasphemy, So Heartfelt (Polymer Sounds) featuring various instrumentation and production skills by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys
The Morning Light - The Morning Light (Fearless) on tour now with The Hush Sound and The Cab
Mother Mother - O My Heart (Last Gang) snappy power-pop glistening with catchy hooks and melodic exuberance, this Canadian band's second CD is bolstered by the amazing, stop-motion video for the title track
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist - original motion picture soundtrack (Atlantic) with music by Devendra Banhart, We Are Scientists, The Real Tuesday Weld, Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo, and Vampire Weekend
Old Crow Medicine Show - Tennessee Pusher (Nettwerk) featuring guests Jim Keltner on drums and Benmont Tench on Hammond C3 organ, and a cover of Blind Alfred Reed's "Always Lift Him Up," this fantastic, rootsy return is summed up best by producer Don Was, who calls the band "The Clash of bluegrass music"
Jean-Jacques Perrey - Destination Space (Oglio) at 80 years old, the electronica and Moog pioneer creates an imaginary soundtrack to a starship spaghetti western with Seattle's Dana Countryman
Plain White T's - Big Bad World (Hollywood)
Pussycat Dolls - Doll Domination (Interscope) with guests Missy Elliott and Snoop Dogg; an import-only two-CD "deluxe edition" adds a seven-track CD EP featuring the New Kids on the Block on "Lights, Camera, Action"
The Replacements - Tim, Pleased to Meet Me, Don't Tell a Soul, and All Shook Down (Rhino) remastered reissues, each expanded with as many as a dozen demos and rarities
Uli John Roth - Under a Dark Sky (SPV) the former Scorpions guitarist returns with a robust operatic opus, lifted by an orchestra and choir
Serena-Maneesh - S-M Backwards (Smalltown Supersound) remastered, two-CD collection of early recordings by the Norwegian group, featuring bonus videos
Tracy Shedd - Cigarettes & Smoke Machines (Teenbeat Records) with guest Joey Burns of Calexico
Sing It Loud - Come Around (Epitaph) produced by Josh Cain of Motion City Soundtrack
TV on the Radio - Dear Science (Interscope) on tour this month with The Dirtbombs and Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
McCoy Tyner - Guitars (McCoy Tyner Music/Halfnote) backed by Ron Carter and Jack Dejohnette, with guests Bill Frisell, John Scofield, Derek Trucks, and Béla Fleck
Laura Warshauer - Laura Warshauer (Pink Chariot/Island) looking back in the first single, "Sweet 17"
