Heart vocalist Ann Wilson returns with Hope & Glory, her debut solo album showcasing a new, serious-minded original and 11 cover selections. More somber and earthy than preachy, the themes in Neil Young's "War of Man," Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," and Jesse Colin Young's "Darkness, Darkness" are stirred by these troubled times. More clouds and thunder come in a spooky-cool run at Pink Floyd's "Goodbye Blue Sky," a down-home front-porch hootenanny of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising" with guest Gretchen Wilson, and a call to "Get Together" with The Youngbloods' summer-of-love hit. Other guests include Elton John on his own "Where to Now Saint Peter," and k.d. lang riding shotgun on the road to Lucinda Williams' "Jackson." Closing out the Zoe Records release, Wilson's new song "Little Problems, Little Lies" was written from the perspective of an American soldier in Iraq, "a-bleedin' in a bombed-out SUV," and succeeds where 90 percent of pop music today fails - asking the listener to slow down a little, breathe deeply, and listen to the words.
Pixies founder Frank Black is back in his Black Francis persona and raising the hairs on the back of my neck with a strong new album fixated on Dutch wild man Herman Brood. Bluefinger is due this coming Tuesday on the Cooking Vinyl label and is a magnificent return to the electrifying riffs and convulsive glee that made the Pixies so great. Black hopes the listener will discover the late painter and musician, whose life of excess prompted the songwriter to resurrect his alter ego and write this album in a few intense, possessed days. One Brood cover makes the set: the pithy "You Can't Break a Heart & Have It." A new five-track mini album of Luxembourg sessions recorded earlier this summer (as Frank Black) is also now available exclusively through iTunes. Three cool covers made the set: Roxy Music's "Re-Make/Re-Model," Tom Waits' "The Black Rider," and The Good, the Bad, & the Queen's "History Songs."
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno presents the Kings of Leon on Thursday and Spoon on Tuesday; The Late Show with David Letterman hosts Arctic Monkeys on Friday, Kayne West on Monday, and Suzanne Vega on Tuesday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien boasts Dinosaur Jr. this evening and Hot Hot Heat on Friday overnight; Jimmy Kimmel Live features Rilo Kiley this evening and Galactic on Thursday overnight; and The Henry Rollins Show on IFC features Steven Tyler of Aerosmith this weekend.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, September 11:
50 Cent - Curtis (Interscope) with guests Justin Timberlake and the Pussycat Dolls' Nicole Scherzinger
Baby Elephant - Turn My Teeth Up! (Defend) wickedly funky trio of Prince Paul, Newkirk, and Bernie Worrell, getting silly with guests David Byrne, Nona Hendryx, DJ Roc Raida, and George Clinton
Eric Bibb - An Evening with Eric Bibb (M.C. Records) live recording from Sydney, Australia, in 2002, featuring a terrific cover of the Reverend Gary Davis' "I Heard the Angels Singing"
The Black Lips - Good Bad Not Evil (Vice) Atlanta's underground garage "flower punk" royalty, lusciously bathed in Music Machine and Lords of the New Church
Carbon/Silicon - "The Magic Suitcase" (Carbon/Silicon) new seven-inch and CD single from punk godfathers Mick Jones of The Clash and Tony James of Generation X
Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True (Hip-O) 48-track, 30th-anniversary reissue packed with outtakes, Pathway Studio demos, and the young band's soundcheck and 18-song concert at The Nashville Rooms from the summer of 1977
Ani DiFranco - Canon (Righteous Babe) 35-song career retrospective, featuring new recordings of five older songs and her new theme song for Lifetime TV's new series State of Mind
Dirty Projectors - Rise Above (Dead Oceans) "reimagining" Black Flag's Damaged album
Downchild - Live at the Palais Royale (Linus) boogie-woogie blues from Canada, featuring phenomenal guitarist Donnie Walsh and two songs that were featured on the 1978 Blues Brothers soundtrack
Drug Rug - Drug Rug (Black & Greene) sunshine-bright power-pop delights from this ticklish boyfriend/girlfriend duo from Boston
The Go! Team - Proof of Youth (Sub Pop) with guest Chuck D on "Flashlight
Fight," and a four-track bonus in the CD's first pressing
Grand National - A Drink & a Quick Decision (Recall) highly anticipated sophomore release with Neil Young's "Old Man" and new remixes in a "deluxe" pressing
Joe Henry - Civilians (Anti) with guests Bill Frisell and Van Dyke Parks
Ha Ha Tonka - Buckle in the Bible Belt (Bloodshot) featuring an eerie four-part harmonic proclamation through the traditional "Hangman," this thrilling Ozarks knee-slapper and head-banger is hot off tour with the Old 97's and the Violent Femmes
Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch, & Fats Kaplin - Kane Welch Kaplin (Compass) sliding into that shadowy-cool Cowboy Junkies vein in "Ain't Gonna Do It," this storytelling trio features a run through the traditional "What Are They Doin' in Heaven Today?"
Monade - Monstre Cosmic (Too Pure) import-only side project from Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier
Mono - Gone (Temporary Residence) CD or three-LP vinyl set collecting rare singles and B sides, including "Memorie dal Futuro," commissioned by Cameron Crowe for his Vinyl Films imprint
Oz Noy - Fuzzy (Magnatude) new jaw-dropping runs from Israel's master guitarist with guests Will Lee on bass and drummer Anton Fig, featuring an interpretation of Prince's "Sometimes It Snows in April" and a snarling stagger through Thelonious Monk's "Evidence"
Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs (Touch & Go) with drummers Chris Prescott of No Knife and Mario Rubalcaba of Rocket from the Crypt
Qui - Love's Miracle (Ipecac) new from former Jesus Lizard frontman David Yow
Johnathan Rice - Further North (Warner Bros.) with songwriting chops far beyond his tender years, this follow-up to 2005's Trouble Is Real features a duet with Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley on "The End of the Affair"
Dave Riley & Bob Corritore - Travelin' the Dirt Door (Blue Witch) modern-day guitar and harmonica bluesmen, proclaiming, "I'm Not Your Junkman"
Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills (Merge) produced by Björn Yttling of Peter Björn & John
Siouxsie Sioux - Mantaray (W14 Records) import-only solo debut from the Banshees' vocalist
Chris Volz - Redemption (Rock Ridge) solo debut from the former member of Flaw and Five.Bolt.Main, with guests Chris Vitali of Orange 9mm and Danny Schuler of Biohazard
The War: A Ken Burns Film - original soundtrack (Sony Legacy) featuring the newly recorded "American Anthem" by Norah Jones, this World War II-era collection is also available in a special box set featuring a series "viewers guide" and extended booklet essay
Kanye West - Graduation (Def Jam) with guest Chris Martin of Coldplay
Bernie Worrell - Improvisczario (Defend/GFM) with guests Prince Paul, Mike Gordon of Phish, Will Calhoun of Living Colour, and Warren Haynes of Gov't Mule, the funky keyboard wiz and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame double-inductee is back with an all-new CD and behind-the-scenes-DVD set
Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth & Collected Works (Domino) three-CD set featuring the 1980 album, rare B sides, and sessions with John Peel
