Ten years ago, if you had a new release week like the one that's on tap for next week, retailers and fans alike would be pretty excited. Now, the general response is, "That's great, but I'm really busy. Between finding adorable pictures of kittens on the Internet and watching that episode of Dancing With The Stars that I Tivo'd last month, I've just got no time for music." But if you're one of the few who still care, here's a handy guide to some of next week's new CD releases.
Prince - "Planet Earth" The early press on the new Prince release is the usual overhype. 'What Prince fans have been waiting for ... Back to the classic sound ... He's baaaaack." We're Prince fans. We know a lot of Prince fans. And we speak for all rational Prince fans when we say, this is NOT what we've been waiting for. What we're waiting for is for Prince to stop playing those shows where he charges 100 people $3,121 each to see him at the local Red Lobster, where they can shake his hand and get all-you-can-eat shrimp. "Planet Earth" isn't bad, but it's the kind of stuff Prince used to be able to make up off the top of his head while he was shopping for heels at the Mall Of America.
Prefab Sprout - "Steve McQueen" (Legacy Edition) - The somewhat-eagerly awaited 22nd anniversary (?!) edition of this much-beloved album features eight re-recorded acoustic versions of hits like "Appetite" and "When Love Breaks Down," as well as other songs we used to be vaguely familiar with back in the '80s. It's a good album and all, but is a 22nd anniversary reissue with eight acoustic tracks at a $25 list price going to provide a dying industry with that much-needed shot in the arm?
Two separate albums which are being released to little or no fanfare, but really deserve some attention, are the new one from blues master, Corey Harris, and Ben Jaffe's love letter to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and his father's legendary club of the same name.
Corey Harris is mostly known as a blues artist, but he's well versed in everything from Caribbean music to African rhythms. On "Zion Crossroads," he ties it altogether with a beautiful collection of songs that could easily be one of the best reggae records of the last several years. The Preservation Hall release, "Made in New Orleans," is a lavish box set featuring master takes from tapes that Jaffe salvaged after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. There's also a DVD featuring rare concert footage and television appearances. A great, career-spanning collection of this wonderful and historic group of musicians.
Neither of these releases will get the attention they deserve. Harris is not giving away his CD at any of his concerts, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band are still too busy cleaning the mold off their trumpets to go on any publicity junkets. So hunt down these records and listen to some great music, instead of buying something because it's sitting right next to the biscotti at Starbucks.
Aside from these four highlights, or lowlights, depending on your taste or lack of it, some other new releases include the first album of new material in six years from the Queen of NYC, Suzanne Vega; a two-CD collection of hits and remixes from Shirley Manson and her band of old guys that she calls Garbage, and a killer new collection of country covers from the Mavericks' Raul Malo, one of the best voices in music today.
So don't use that tired old "There's nothing good out there" line. There's plenty ... if you want it.