Work got absolutely nutty at the beginning of March, so the record store reports temporarily had to fall by the wayside. And now it’s freakin’ May, and A has begun to axe me if we’re ever gonna get another one. But better late than never, yes? Herewith, a quick recap of the brilliance which has populated the new release wall over the past couple of months:
- Her comeback single “A Little Bit Stronger” is a slow-burning smash this spring at country radio, and now country sweetheart Sara Evans returns with her latest full-length effort Stronger
, which also contains a cover of Rod Stewart’s 1989 gem “My Heart Can’t Tell You No.”
- The amazing Augustana
are back with a strong new self-titled
release, the tantalizingly fine lead single from which popped up in
Honey from the Hive earlier this week.
(more…)
names dropped with reckless abandon: "American Idol", "Dallas", "Friday Night Lights", "Glee", "Life Unexpected", A, Adam Lambert, Adele, Alexi Murdoch, Alison Krauss, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Art Garfunkel, Avril Lavigne, Beady Eye, Billy Currington, Billy Joel, Bob Schneider, Brett Dennen, Britney Spears, Carrie Underwood, Cat Stevens, Christopher Cross, Daniel Merriweather, Darius Rucker, Darren Criss, Daughtry, Dave Grohl, Dirty Vegas, Duran Duran, Elton John, Emmylou Harris, Explosions in the Sky, Fantasia, Fitz and the Tantrums, Florence + the Machine, Foo Fighters, Garth Brooks, George Michael, Grace Potter, Green Day, James Blake, Jennifer Hudson, Jewel, Joe Cocker, John Legend, John Mayer, John Mellencamp, Josh Kelley, Josh Turner, Joshua Radin, Justin Timberlake, k.d. lang, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Kelly Clarkson, Kings of Leon, Lady Antebellum, Leon Russell, Liam Gallagher, Lynda Carter, Mat Kearney, Matt Wertz, Michael Jackson, Mumford and Sons, Naomi Judd, Natalie Maines, Nirvana, Oasis, Panic at the Disco, Patti Smith, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Pearl Jam, Pete Yorn, Peter Gabriel, R.E.M., Radiohead, Ray LaMontagne, Richard Ashcroft, Robert Plant, Rod Stewart, Sara Evans, Sherry Ann, Simon and Garfunkel, Steve Earle, The Airborne Toxic Event, The Beach Boys, The Judds, The Strokes, The Verve, Tony Bennett, U2, William Fitzsimmons, Wynonna Judd, Yellowcard
posted in tuesdays in the record store with brandon | Comments Off on the slightest bit of finesse
might’ve made a little less mess
(or: march & april 2011 —
a (super-sized) thumbnail sketch)
Stevie Nicks — “Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream)”
(from In Your Dreams
) — 
The first reviews on Nicks’ explosive comeback effort — her first original solo album in a decade — have been positively rapturous. (Even Rolling Stone‘s divinely discerning aficionado Rob Sheffield is duly impressed.) I say Dreams flails around for the first four or five tracks in search of its fate, but really stumbles into its own distinct groove starting with this stunner, a tremendously satisfying swath of supernatural romance that lands squarely in Nicks’ sweet spot. (I didn’t even need to read any of the dozens of interviews Nicks has given about this new record to recognize at once that this tune was inspired largely by the Twilight film series, which proves those movies aren’t made just for twelve-year-old tweens.)
names dropped with reckless abandon: Rob Sheffield, Stevie Nicks
posted in sweet you rock and sweet you roll | Comments Off on some call her strange lady
(or: may 5’s honey from the hive)
) — 
