Dev, The Night The Sun Came Up (Universal Republic Records)
Justin Townes Earle, Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now (Bloodshot) Steve Earle's prodigal son dabbles in soulful, jazz and blues-fused folk music on his fourth record; watch the EPK below.
Lindsay Fuller, You, Anniversary (ATO) The deep, mournful-voiced songstress from Birmingham, Ala., presents an album of songs exploring death, recorded with engineer Ryan Freeland (Ray LaMontagne) and producer Paul Bryan (Aimee Mann).
Gift Of Gab, Next Logical Progression (Quannum) The venerated Oakland emcee, one-half of Blackalicious and member of Quannum Collective, issues a new solo record of bumpin', upbeat, horn-spangled soulful hip-hop. Listen to "Protocol" featuring Samantha Kravitz below and tell me you don't want to get up and dance?
Macy Gray, Covered (429 Records) The R&B songstress with the unique raspy tone offers her own interpretation of rock songs by the likes of Metallica, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Eurythmics and many others.
Chuck Leavell, Back to the Woods (Evergreen Arts) Leavell pays homage to pioneers of early blues piano — among them, Leroy Carr, Little Brother Montgomery, Otis Spann and Ray Charles, with guest appearances by Keith Richards, John Mayer, Danny Barnes and others.
Madonna, MDNA (Interscope) The Queen of Pop finally drops her 12th studio LP (actually released on March 23), and first non-Warner Bros. record since she was signed in 1982.
Marisa Monte, O Que Você Quer Saber De Verdade [What You Really Want To Know] (Blue Note Records)
Georgia Anne Muldrow, Seeds (SomeOthaShip Connect) Madlib produces the debut album from funkadelic songstress Georgia Anne Muldrow. I am intrigued. Listen to the title track from the album below.
Oberhofer, Time Capsules II (Glassnote) The sparkly psychedelic-colorful indie pop debut from a band named for its visionary singer-songwriter, Brad Oberhofer. Listen to "Heart" below.
OSI, Fire Make Thunder (Metal Blade) The fourth undertaking by collaborative duo Jim Matheos (Fates Warning, Arch/Matheos) and Kevin Moore (Chroma Key, former Dream Theater keyboardist).
Races, Year of the Witch (Frenchkiss) Southern California sextet crafts mildly brooding indie rock as led by singer-songwriter Wade Ryff. Check out the video for "Big Broom" below.
Rocket Juice and the Moon, Rocket Juice and the Moon (Honest John's) A super-group featuring Damon Albarn, Flea and Tony Allen with some big name guests — Erykah Badu, Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara, keyboardist Cheick Tidiane Seck, Ghanaian rapper M.anifest and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. The result is described as "exploration and proliferation of kinetic Afro-funk rhythms: organic, exuberant, communal music-making … the liquid pulse of Fela Kuti's classic recordings drives the action through a suite of 18 shape-shifting compositions."
THEESatisfaction, Awe Naturale (Sub Pop) Seattle-based musicians Stasia Irons and Catherine Harris-White are THEESatisfaction, who create "funk-psychedelic feminista sci-fi epics with the warmth and depth of Black Jazz and Sunday morning soul, frosted with icy raps that evoke equal parts Elaine Brown, Ursula Rucker and Q-Tip."
Paul Weller, Sonik Kicks (Yep Roc) The British singer-songwriter who most famously fronted The Jam, Paul Weller issues a follow-up to his Mercury Prize-nominated Wake Up The Nation and his 11th solo album overall; with special guests Noel Gallagher and Graham Coxon. Stay tuned for a review by resident expert, Gabe E.
Mati Zundel, Amazonico Gravitante Zundel is an Argentine producer/songwriter who creates mind-boggling world-fused electronic music that NPR has praised to the high hills. Check out "Señor Montecostes" below.
The last wave of March releases is a big one, with new music dropping this week on both Monday and Tuesday, March 26 and 27. I've included info and links for the ones you want to know about most below, plus some other ones you may not have heard of (but should know), with audio & video for your listening and viewing pleasure. Click here to check out releases that dropped over the past few months ...
Joe Bonamassa, Beacon Theatre - Live From New York (J&R Adventures) A DVD/Blu-ray release that features 19 songs spanning Bonamassa's career performed live, with guests like Beth Hart, John Hiatt and Paul Rodgers joining him on stage for some tunes.
Carter Tutti Void, Transverse (Mute) A unique collaboration from Chris Carter & Cosey Fanni Tutti (Throbbing Gristle) and Nik Void (Factory Floor).
Caveman, CoCo Beware (Fat Possum) The band's debut gets a re-release via Fat Possum, which signed them earlier this year; check out a live performance of "Vampirer/Good Friend" below...
The Chemical Brothers, Don't Think [CD/DVD] (Astralwerks) The visually stunning cinematic presentation of the Chemical Brothers' Fuji Rock concert was released internationally on Feb. 1, and apparently in London, security had to shut down a screening because of crowd surfing. The film is now available via DVD and Blu-Ray; all editions include an additional live concert CD of the show. Check out a preview of the film after the jump along with the rest of this week's new releases...
