Sales Rank:87 List Price: $15.98 Lowest New Price: $9.25 Lowest Used Price: $12.03 Artist(s):
The Fireman and Youth Paul McCartney
Tracks:
Nothing Too Much Just Out of Sight
Two Magpies
Sing the Changes
Travelling Light
Highway
Light From Your Lighthouse
Sun is Shining
Dance 'til We're Hight
Lifelong Passion
Is This Love?
Lovers in a Dream
Universal Here, Everlasting Now
Don't Stop Running
Paul McCartney's 2008 album with producer Youth. Each track written,recorded and sung in the space of one day with Paul McCartney, playing all instruments. 'The album's opener is classic rock and an instant attention grabber. A heavy guitar riff with loud drums and souring vocals, it's like nothing The Fireman have ever done before.' The Fireman are back after a ten-year break. Electric Arguments is their third and brand new studio album and it's not the album people might expect from the mysterious duo.'
Sales Rank:72 List Price: $13.98 Lowest New Price: $5.69 Lowest Used Price: $4.85 Artist(s):
ABBA
Tracks:
Dancing Queen
Knowing Me, Knowing You
Take a Chance on Me
Mamma Mia - ABBA, Anderson, Stig
Lay All Your Love on Me
Super Trouper
I Have a Dream
The Winner Takes It All
Money, Money, Money
S.O.S.
Chiquitita
Fernando
Voulez-Vous
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
Does Your Mother Know
One of Us
The Name of the Game
Thank You for the Music
Waterloo
Anyone looking for the key to Abba's enduring appeal should look no further than "Voulez Vous" and "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" for their answer. There was an innocence to the Swedish quartet, even when they were singing about one-night stands and the invitations to them. Gold establishes that the band, while appreciated as campy, were actually multifaceted in their execution. "S.O.S." has a raw urgency in its chorus, and "Does Your Mother Know" draws its energy from classic '50s rock & roll. Likewise, you don't have to be Priscilla to swoon over "Mamma Mia" or "Dancing Queen." And when it comes to drama, those soaring vocals on "The Winner Takes It All" turn the song into a bitter anthem of every relationship that has ever fallen apart. The much-covered "Lay All Your Love on Me" is practically epic. --Steve Gdula
Sales Rank:79 List Price: $16.98 Lowest New Price: $8.23 Lowest Used Price: $7.75 Artist(s):
Kings of Leon
Tracks:
Closer
Crawl
Sex On Fire
Use Somebody
Manhattan
Revelry
17
Notion
I Want You
Be Somebody
Cold Desert
Kings of Leon return with the release of their highly anticipated fourth album 'Only By The Night' on 22nd September through Columbia Records. 'Only By The Night' is a bold and expansive sonic statement that looks set to solidify Kings of Leon's position as one of the most important international acts of 2008 and beyond. It follows rapidly in the footsteps of the bands previous albums 'Youth And Young Manhood', 'Aha Shake Heartbreak' & 'Because Of The Times', which have quickly established them as one of the most prolific and acclaimed acts around.
Sales Rank:82 List Price: $18.98 Lowest New Price: $8.24 Lowest Used Price: $8.05 Artist(s):
Kid Rock
Tracks:
Rock N Roll Jesus
Amen
All Summer Long
Roll On
So Hott
Sugar
When You Love Someone
New Orleans
Don't Tell Me You Love Me
Blue Jeans And A Rosary
Half Your Age
Rock Is Back. After 22 million records sold in the US and a three year hiatus, Kid Rock is back with the brand new album 'Rock N Roll Jesus'. Kid Rock hustled in the Detroit underground for over ten years before he burst into the mainstream in 1999 with the timeless rock anthem "Bawitdaba." Other hits like "Cowboy" and "American Bad A**" followed while ballads like his "Picture" duet with Sheryl Crow and "Only God Knows Why" helped to propel him forward as one of the greatest artists of our time. His latest offering Rock N Roll Jesus is no exception, running the gamut from hard rock to hip-hop to country and soul. Of the album, which Rock co-produced with Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Goo Goo Dolls, My Chemical Romance), he says: "I am proud of every single song on this record. It works from start to finish."
Sales Rank:91 List Price: $18.98 Lowest New Price: $9.40 Lowest Used Price: $8.00 Artist(s):
Sarah McLachlan
Tracks:
Vox
The Path Of Thorns
Into The Fire
Possession
Hold On
Good Enough
Building A Mystery
Sweet Surrender
Adia
Angel
I Will Remember You
Fallen
Stupid
World On Fire
Don't Give Up On Us - New Studio Track
U Want Me 2 Don't U? - New Studio Track
Closer: The Best Of Sarah Mclachlan contains 24 classic tracks personally selected by the artist from her award-winning catalog, as well as two newly recorded and previously unreleased songs, "U Want Me 2" and "Don't Give Up On Us", working with her longtime producer Pierre Marchand. In addition the deluxe two CD set includes an expanded booklet and original art-print from Sarah Mclachlan.
Sales Rank:40 List Price: $18.98 Lowest New Price: $9.96 Lowest Used Price: $9.49 Artist(s):
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
Tracks:
Rich Woman
Killing the Blues
Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us
Polly Come Home
Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)
Through the Morning, Through the Night
Please Read the Letter
Trampled Rose
Fortune Teller
Stick with Me Baby
Nothin'
Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson
Your Long Journey
The musical collaboration of the decade, Raising Sand is the sound of two iconic figures stepping out of their respective comfort zones and letting their instincts lead them across a brave new sonic landscape. Despite hailing from distinctly different backgrounds, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant share a maverick spirit and willingness to extend the boundaries of their respective genres. This spirit, expertly honed by producer T Bone Burnett, has resulted in an album pitched three steps beyond some cosmic collision of early urban blues, spacious West Texas country, and the untapped potential of the folk-rock revolution.
Supported by the unparalleled musicianship of Marc Ribot, Dennis Crouch, Mike Seeger, Jay Bellerose, Norman Blake, Greg Leisz, Patrick Warren, and Riley Baugus, Plant and Krauss -- as both solo and harmony vocalists -- tackle an intriguing selection of songs from such tunesmiths as Tom Waits, Gene Clark, Sam Phillips, Townes Van Zandt, The Everly Broth! ers, and Mel Tillis. Raising Sand finds Robert Plant and Alison Krauss exploring popular music's elemental roots while still sounding effortlessly, breath-takingly contemporary.
The song "Killing the Blues" is featured in the new JC Penney American Living Campaign.
Sales Rank:85 List Price: $18.98 Lowest New Price: $6.98 Lowest Used Price: $4.88 Artist(s):
Demi Lovato
Tracks:
La La Land
Get Back
Trainwreck
Party
On The Line (featuring the Jonas Brothers)
Don't Forget
Gonna Get Caught
Two Worlds Collide
The Middle
Until You're Mine
Believe In Me
With producer Jon Fields at the helm, Demi teamed up with Jonas Brothers to co-write several of the album's 11 songs. It was a natural collaboration, since Demi counts Nick, Joe and Kevin among her best friends. Their inerrant feel for hook-laden rock helped Demi deliver on her vision. "If I were to write the album by myself it would probably have been a little more serious," she notes. "But I didn't want that. I wanted a fun album."
It's hard to imagine anything more musically fun than full-out rockers like "Get Back" and "Gonna Get Caught," both written by Demi with Jonas Brothers. Says Demi, "So many guys cheat and play games. I thought there needed to be a song about a guy getting caught. Nick said, `Can't it have a happy ending?' But I said, `No, no, no!'"
She balances the uptempo tracks with sweeping ballads like "Two Worlds" and "Believe in Me," the latter featuring a message Demi takes seriously. "Being a teenage girl you deal with insecurity," she says. "People think if you're in the spotlight, you're overly confident, but most of us deal with so much criticism, it gets to us. I'm the type of person who wants to take it with a grain of salt."
Demi's vulnerable side comes through on "Until Your Mine" and the title track, a touching ballad (co-written with Jonas Brothers) about a faltering relationship. She explores similar territory in "On the Line," an uptempo duet she co-wrote and sings with Nick Jonas. "We wanted to write a breakup song," Demi says, "and what better way to say it when you're breaking up over the phone than with the title `On the Line.'"
Demi's inner rocker girl comes roaring back on "Party" and "LA LA Land," a droll take on SoCal life and all its attending artifice. Showing her songwriting skills Demi wrote "Trainwreck" all by herself. She wraps the album with "The Middle," a strikingly mature song about finding balance in love and life.
Sales Rank:80 List Price: $19.98 Lowest New Price: $7.57 Lowest Used Price: $4.13 Artist(s):
Sugarland
Tracks:
All I Want To Do
It Happens
We Run
Joey
Love
Genevieve
Already Gone
Keep You
Take Me As I Am
What I'd Give
Steve Earle
Very Last Country Song
Fall Into Me
Operation: Working Vacation
Wishing
Life In A Northern Town (Live)
Come on Get Higher (Live)
When Sugarland releases their third album Love On The Inside July 22 it'll be all about the fans. Lead members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush wanted to deliver more than the average album to their loyal supporters. Together they created a Deluxe Fan Edition that will include 17 tracks (12 regular and 5 bonus) in special packaging with an expanded CD booklet, as well as access to download exclusive music video and "behind the scenes making of the album" footage.
Sugarland premiered the album's debut single "All I Want To Do" live on the Academy of Country Music awards. The single will be available at Amazon MP3 starting 6/24.
Sugarland Photos
Sugarland: Love on the Inside Cut by Cut
"All I Want To Do" The duo’s intent here was to have a lot of swing to the lead single of this album. To funk it up a bit, and keep it very hooky. Musically, this number’s somewhere between Bonnie Raitt and Jack Johnson, with some Marvin Gaye and Van Halen thrown in. "I love the flirty sound," says Jennifer Nettles. "We just always want to bring different energies, and we got to play on the lighter side this time." If you listen close, the easy percussion from Matt Chamberlain gives the song its sexy heartbeat.
"It Happens" Sometimes, you just gotta let go. That’s what this gritty little tune’s all about, says the duo. "We always say we should take the music seriously, but not ourselves," Nettles says. When the guitar comes in at the top, you know this is going to be a little more 80s pop than down-home country. Think "Walking on Sunshine". Because this tune wraps it all up with some very advisable lyrics: "Let go, laughing". And Nettles thinks the ironies, like getting in a fender bender with your ex and his new girl, shows listeners what a grand sense of humor the universe has. It’s a very uptempo way to look at a world that’s out of your control.
"We Run" New love. Young love. Green love. There’s an excitement to that experience that Sugarland has captured in this intoxicating bluegrassy rocker. Nettles admits this grew from a seed of an idea that Bush had, since he grew up playing mountain music in Tennessee. And this song lends itself to that Appalachian sound, that driving four-on-the-floor beat. You can’t really describe that feeling, so the duo chose to show it rather than tell it. The imagery--of pockets of dirt and reckless weather on the breath--convey how beautiful, messy and powerful love can be.
"Joey" Teenage love doesn’t always have a happy ending. Especially when a tear-jerker like Bill Anderson has pen in hand. He helped Nettles and Bush craft this modern take on the traditional teen tragedy, and yet much more alternative influences went into the vocals. "We ended up with a haunting wail in the chorus and this R.E.M. background vocal," says Bush of the melancholy music. "It’s simple and dark." The rich texture of this song is built around all those "what ifs" that run through your mind as you explore regret. "Nothing mitigates loss," says Nettles "But everyone has regrets, so we can all relate."
"Love" Nettles’ powerhouse pipes take center stage in this ballad. And that strength comes though in the form of questions, about how you can possibly define love. Is it the face of a child? Kindness in the eyes of a stranger? In a hotel room in Washington D.C., when Sugarland was chasing down the theme of the whole album, the topic of love came up. "No way could you ever narrow it down," Nettles says of their writing time with Tim Owens ("Settlin’"). There’s love lost, love found, new and old loves. So this tune gets right in the middle, and makes some reaches musically. Bush’s powerful voice is featured for the second half of this song. "When we were writing the back half, Jen said ‘I want you to sing these words I wrote just for you,’" recalls Bush. "I will always feel special singing those words."
"Genevieve" Nettles said that Bush had the whole first verse worked out. That verse--and his pure, sweet mandolin work--were inspiring enough. But when the idea for some three-part harmony came up, it only made this dirge of a country heartache even better. Nettles says it reminded her of some of the southern Baptist hymns she grew up on, and likes that the story’s not clear cut. "It’s a beautiful thing when we get to play characters that are complicated." There’s a mystery of who this character is that is coping with such a dramatic loss. It’s a little twisted. But that creates an even stronger pull into the lyrics.
"Already Gone" A waltz-time lope? On a country album? Writing with Bobby Pinson ("Want To"), the duo was determined to do a song in six-eight. And to keep it very personal. "This is the story of coming of age, literally and emotionally," says Nettles. And it’s such a healing tale, about a woman who is growing up, leaving home, falling in love and saying goodbye.
"Keep You" Is it possible to write an emotional song about being numb? It’s like writing a song about being loud by being quiet, Nettles and Bush think. That irony, blended with a bittersweet epiphany of knowing it’s time to walk away, make this one of the most contemporary done-me-wrong songs of our time. "Subtlety and nuance make all the difference in this song. Painting emotions with broad strokes is easy, but this time we’re using a toothbrush to dig through the finer emotions," says Nettles, comparing the duo to archeologists. And the vocal range she plays with throughout keep this song on the edgier side, because of the way she explodes into huge notes that few singers can even attempt.
"Take Me As I Am" When the curtain opens, there’s a woman in a hotel room at night. As the song unravels, so does the mystery of why she’s there. In this character-driven narrative, with a Pat Benatar influence and some solid electric guitar work, the empowering message is clear. When you reach that point, when you are comfortable in your own skin, the line about "I’m not perfect, but I’m worth it" makes all the sense in the world. This could very well be the anthem of the unsung heroes who walk among us every day. "This is a very grown-up place to get to in your life," Nettles explains.
"What I’d Give" Written with Kenny Chesney’s long-time lead guitarist Clayton Mitchell, this one builds a lingering story around some Faces era guitar and mandolin stylings. The kind that Sugarland thinks make for a story of their own. Usually in country, the song ends when the bow is tied off neatly with a lyric. But after the last lyric ends, they still had more to say musically. Nettles vocals are sultrier than they’ve ever been, and she likes the romantic implications of the lyrics. And both she and Bush agree that if you aren’t making out halfway into this six-minute yearning, then you aren’t ever going to be.
"Steve Earle" If you know anything about Steve Earle, this song will thrill you with its comic pining for his songwriting. If you don’t know him, it’ll certainly pique your curiosity. Both Nettles and Bush share a fondness for Earle’s brand of country. It taught them that country was still viable, and gave them confidence to reimagine the sound. And when the duo found out what a shameless romantic Earle was, they had to set all his comings and goings to music. This upbeat barn burner fueled by a big pedal steel, is a playful way to process a painful subject. Nettles looks at it this way: "There comes a point in life of a troubadour when the character can become heroic. Even legendary."
"Very Last Country Song" Aptly named, the last song on the album is a look at what would happen if nothing ever went wrong again. "If life stayed the way it was, if those conditions weren’t in our lives, then this would literally be the last country song," says Nettles. Everything is as it should be was the impetus and inspiration behind this song. Co-writer Tim Owens told the duo that someone had once asked him why country music was always so sad. Owens’ answer was that if bad things never happened, then what would we have to write about? The ethereal tones underneath this song stay quiet enough so the insight into the human condition can be felt. Like when you can hear Nettles smile as she sings the verse that looks back on the unexpected joy of an unexpected child.
Sales Rank:88 List Price: $34.98 Lowest New Price: $17.48 Lowest Used Price: $17.99 Artist(s):
The Beatles
Tracks:
Better known as the "White Album," this was meant to be the record that brought them back to earth after three years of studio experimentation. Instead, it took them all over the place, continuing to burst the envelope of pop music. Lennon and McCartney were still at the height of their powers, with Lennon in particular growing into one of rock's towering figures. But even McCartney could still rock, and the amazement on "Helter Skelter" was that he had vocal cords at the end. From Beach Boys knock-offs to reggae and to the unknown ("Revolution #9"), this has it all. Some records have legend written all over them; this is one. --Chris Nickson