Green Day Is Back! New Alica Keys, Jack White, Tamia

 "OH LOVE"      GREEN DAY
Get ready for Green Day, they're coming back with THREE new CDs in the next few months.   Uno!, Dos!, Tre!  (The drummer's name is Tre Cool so they got a little creative with their Spanglish) will be released every two months with each CD taking a different musical theme.   Uno! is power pop, Billie Joe said it's somewhere between AC/DC and early Beatles.   Dos! will feature garage rock, turn up the amps, and wake your neighbors.   Tre! is described as Epic.   Armstrong told Rolling Stone, "With the first album you're getting in the mood to party. On the second one, you're at the party. And the third album you're cleaning up the mess." LINK 

"NEW DAY"   ALICIA KEYS 

A lot has happened with Alicia since her last CD, she married Swiss Beatz and had her first baby.  Alicia said, "Everything is new, I'm a new person now.  What that's done for me in just giving me a real stability, real connection, grounding, reason, and purpose.  That empowerment and freedom is definitely something that's reflected in the new album." Love the first single, "New Day" with the emotional vocals driven by her husband's bass heavy hip hop beats. 

DAILY MUSIC TRIVIA:  What 80's sitcom included a scene with a young Alicia Keys?  Yesterday:  Erotica CD cases were dipped in Madonna's new perfume

 
"FREEDOM AT 21"   JACK WHITE

Guitar Hero, Jack White, gets Hall Of Fame video producer, Hype Williams, to direct his big budget extravaganza.   The guitar solo during the last 60 seconds is the highlight of the record.  "Blubberbuss", Jack's solo CD, hasn't sold up to White Stripes-like expectations but one of the better rock CDs released this year.  Recently, Jack filmed a documentary, "It Might Get Loud" with guitar legends, Jimmy Page and The Edge.  They discussed their craft, influences, and jammed together.  Any guy watching "Freedom At 21" will love the hottest female motorcycle cop ever and a prison full of voluptuous women.   Look for cameos by Frances Bean Cobain and at the end by Josh Homme from Queens Of The Stone Age.  

"BEAUTIFUL SURPRISE"    TAMIA

Ironic that the song's title and my reaction is identical.  Tamia is back with a new single!   "Beautiful Surprise" is the title track from her new CD set to drop on Aug. 28, 2012.   I first heard her angelic voice on Quincy Jones' Jook Joint CD with "You Put A Move On My Heart".   Tamia looks gorgeous in this brand new breezy video.  Incidentally, that's her longtime husband, NBA's Grant Hill, who she's kissing at the end of the video.   I liked this video so much, I had to watch it back-to-back :)  

Jimmy Page with Paul Rodgers Super Group: New Order, new John Waite, and The Firm

"CEREMONY"  NEW ORDER

Ian Curtis was the talented leader of Joy Division, a band that majorly influenced the New Wave sound of the 1980's.    But Ian was conflicted, dealing with depression, epilepsy, and just before reaching their highest musical moment, Ian committed suicide.   The film "Closer" vividly depicts Ian's life.  The band went on to rename itself, New Order and achieved the success Joy Division never reached.  "Blue Monday", "Bizarre Love Triangle", and "True Faith" all topped the charts.   But "Ceremony" was their first single, written by Ian before his death.  It's punk, electronica, dance music, and a haunting New Wave memory.

                              

"IF YOU EVER GET LONELY"   JOHN WAITE

John Waite, is back with a new CD "Rough and Ready" featuring a familiar retro sound, intelligent lyrics, and John's amazing voice.  John Waite was one of my first concerts on Halloween in Minneapolis.  His career has taken many turns including stints with The Babys, then going solo, fronting the underrated 80's band Bad English, and now back to his solo career.  He has that voice that can make almost anything sound good.   "If Ever" feels like Missing You Volume 2.

"SATISFACTION GUARANTEED"   THE  FIRM

Following the breakup of Led Zeppelin and Bad Company, you had two of the biggest rock stars on the planet looking for a creative outlook.   Guitar virtuoso, Jimmy Page, teamed up with Paul Rodgers for a Super Group collaboration that included the drummer from Manfred Mann.    The Firm didn't play Led Zeppelin or Bad Company songs, they stuck to their new material.    "Satisfaction Guaranteed" was the best of their singles.   The song has a slow building, sensual rock groove, that perfectly utilizes the talents of Page and Rodgers.