Country legend George Strait, Hugh Laurie of "House" fame, Lindsey Buckingham of "Rumours" fame, Miranda Lambert's side gig Pistol Annies, Hank Williams III and the Rapture all have new CDs arriving this week. Also, Brian Wilson, Ringo Starr and Stevie Nicks are just three of the artists featured on "Listen to Me: Buddy Holly." Here's a look at those titles and more.
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George Strait, "Here For a Good Time" (MCA Nashville)
This is the country star's 39th studio album, following the 2009 chart-topper "Twang." Strait co-wrote seven of the album's 11 tracks with his son, Bubba, and Dean Dillon, a frequent collaborator. He also co-produced the album with Tony Brown (a long-time friend who moved into producing after touring with Elvis Presley and Emmylou Harris), recording at Shrimpboat Sound Studio in Key West, Fla., the same studio where Strait's last three releases were recorded. The title track is still climbing the Billboard Country Songs chart, No. 11 with a bullet after 12 weeks on the chart.
Hugh Laurie, "Let Them Talk" (Warner)
Yes,Hugh Laurie, the doctor from "House." He plays piano on the show, right? And he's actually good. It seems Laurie's a bit of a blues buff, leading MusicOMH, a UK-based pop-culture website, to note in its four-star review, "White, middle-class, Oxbridge educated and fabulously rich, Hugh Laurie isn't exactly the kind of chap you'd expect to be knocking out 12-bar laments about poverty and deprivation" before concluding with, "No embarrassing side-project, 'Let Them Talk' turns out to showcase heartfelt and sensitively handled musicianship from one of our finest all-round entertainers." Irma Thomas, Dr. John and Tom Jones guest.
Lindsey Buckingham, "Seeds We Sow" (Buckingham)
This is Buckingham's third solo album in six years and his first since leaving Warner Bros. for the DIY route. The Fleetwood Mac guitarist told Billboard , "This might be the best work I've ever done. I think it's an excellent representation of what I do. It shows a certain maturity and musicianship and I just feel like I have a lot of tools in my musical vocabulary from which to draw that are again the product of the choices I've made." The album finds him covering one of the Rolling Stones' lesser-known classics, "She Smiled Sweetly" from "Between the Buttons."
Pistol Annies, "Hell on Heels" (Sony Nashville)
This all-girl country trio is a side gig for Miranda Lambert, who told Billboard , "It's another great outlet. I've made a niche for myself in my solo career as a little bit of a rocker chick. With this project my country roots really come out. We're three country girls who are writing about real life situations." Those other girls, for the record, are Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. The Onion A.V. Club awarded the album a B-plus in a review that ended with, "At a lean 30 minutes, 'Hell On Heels' is too slight to deliver completely on the trio's promise, but the sense of fun and sisterly affection that pervades the album makes it a winning opening salvo from an intriguing new group."
Hank 3, "Attention Deficit Domination," "Cattle Callin'," "Ghost to a Ghost/Gutter Town" (Hank 3/Megaforce)
It only seems like Hank Williams III is releasing three album in a single day. "Ghost to a Ghost/Gutter Town" is a two-record set, so it's actually four albums in a single day. "Attention Deficit Domination" is a doom-rock album on which the country maverick handled every instrument himself. "Cattle Callin' " is more of a speed-metal project with actual cattle callin' samples. And "Ghost to a Ghost/Gutter Town" is more the kind of record you're supposed to make when your grandfather's name is Hank Williams, with a guest appearance by the great if not extremely country Tom Waits.
James Taylor, "Sweet Baby James" (Audio Fidelity)
This is a limited-edition 24KT gold CD pressing of Taylor's landmark second album, which hit the streets in 1970 and sent him tearing up the charts with "Fire and Rain," which peaked at No. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100. Rolling Stone placed the album at No. 103 in its latest list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, saying the album "secured his place as the patriarch of the 1970s singer-songwriter scene."
Tom Russell, "Mesabi" (Shout! Factory)
Tucson's own Calexico, Brian Wilson's psychedelic writing partner Van Dyke Parks, Sir Douglas Quintet organ player Augie Meyers and Lucinda Williams guest on Russell's latest effort. Paste magazine streamed the title track earlier this summer, weighing in with, "On 'Mesabi,' a well-proportioned blend of horns injects a welcomed jolt of emotion into its chorus of guitars, successfully reminding us that just because he's amassed a loyal audience, Russell isn't interested in sticking to a cookie-cutter formula."
The Rapture, "In the Grace of Your Love" (DFA)
These New York City dance-punk veterans haven't put an album out in five years. And lead single "How Deep Is Your Love" got the comeback drive off to a promising start. As for the album? Alternative Press was wildly unimpressed. But Slant magazine went four stars, saying they've "never sounded so confident in what they're doing," while MusicOMH concluded with "The Rapture still do dance-punk, but they've made space for more funk and soul rhythms. And thankfully, they've left more room than ever before for out-and-out dance invention; and it's here that they reach the kinds of echelons that their name hints at, making it a record whose basslines the ears will regularly crave."
Various Artists, "Listen to Me: Buddy Holly" (Verve Forecast)
Another Buddy Holly tribute album? Why not. This one features Brian Wilson, Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne, Chris Isaak, Linda Ronstadt, Lyle Lovett, Zooey Deschanel and Eric Idle, among others, kicking off with Stevie Nicks on the oft-covered "Not Fade Away." Rolling Stone gave it three stars, saying "The loveliest moment is Brian Wilson's 'Listen to Me,' which envelops Holly's tune in billowing harmony vocals."
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