Artist: Susan BoyleAlbum: The Gift
Producer: Steve Mac
Label: Syco/Columbia
Release: November 8, 2010
Rating: 6.3 RockRolls
Britain's middle-aged sweetheart is back this fall with another aptly timed release, primed for Christmas wrapping. The Gift is a mix of Christmas, traditional, and classic songs that are drawn together in a cornucopia of nostalgia and ritual. With her second studio album, Susan Boyle is only the third person to have simultaneously topped both the US and UK charts twice in the same year.
Artist: Ke$haAlbum: Cannibal [EP]
Producer: Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, et al.
Label: RCA
Release: November 22, 2010
Rating: 2.9 RockRolls
As a follow up to her first release, Animal, Ke$ha brings us a 9-track EP with Cannibal, which this week was paired with her debut as a two-disc set (Animal + Cannibal). At a stout 32 minutes, the EP almost fills up the time of a normal album, bringing fans anoother disc to add to their collection. An entourage of producers and a mélange of collaborative writers (including Ke$ha's mother), however, make the listener wonder if perhaps too many artists scratch the record.
Artist: PitbullAlbum: Armando
Producer: Phenom
Label: Mr. 305 Inc / J Records
Release: November 9, 2010
Rating: 6.0 RockRolls
Four years in the making, Pitbull has finally released his first Spanish-language album, his fifth studio album overall, to an awaiting fan-base. The Miami-based rapper's self-titled offering is dedicated to his late father whose image is featured on the album cover. A mix of hip-hop, rap, dance, and reggaeton, Armando brings a diverse range of dance tracks to Pitbull's repertoire, many of which will make their way into club playlists (if they aren't there already).
Artist: Elvis CostelloAlbum: National Ransom
Producer: T Bone Burnett
Label: Hear Music
Release: November 2, 2010
Rating: 8.7 RockRolls
When you've been in the music industry for a while, you would imagine it will be difficult to remain as fresh and relevant as when you've started. Each passing year and album brings criticism comparing an artist's direction to "the last album." But for Elvis Costello, after thirty-three studio albums in as many years, this has never really been the case. A master of nearly every popular musical genre, Costello's storied career as a musician, vocalist, and songwriter has traveresed and enchanted the musical roadmap of almost every style imaginable (we're still waiting on that rap crossover). With National Ransom Costello takes us across the breadth of his musical prowess, jumping between styles and emotion in an often dark, but always honest, concept-like album.
Artist: Brian EnoAlbum: Small Craft on a Milk Sea
Producer: Brian Eno
Label: Warp
Release: November 2, 2010
Rating: 8.9 RockRolls
The new Brian Eno album may play more like a film score than a musician's album, but Eno has never admitted to being a 'musician' in the first place. In fact he has labeled himself a 'non-musician', and uses the term 'treatments' to describe his instrumental modifications instead of 'music'. On his newest album 'Small Craft on a Milk Sea' (Eno's first solo album in 5 years, since 2005's 'Another Day on Earth'), Eno collaborates with fellow electronic artists Jon Hopkins and Leo Abrahams to bring dark and dreamy ambient electronic to your ear-holes. Those of you who aren't familiar with Brian Eno; he was in the glam/art rock band Roxy Music, until he left in 1972. Afterwards he was instrumental in the creation of ambient and generative music, and developed a tape-delay system made famous by himself and Robert Fripp of King Crimson.
Artist: ViolensAlbum: Amoral
Producer: Jorge Elbrecht
Label: Static Recital
Release: 2 November 2010
Rating: 8.1 RockRolls
If you've yet to hear NYC-based Violens, you're missing out. Currently on an international tour the trio defies classification, riding the line between the new New Wavers and the old Psychopop shakers. Despite being formed in 2007, Amoral is their first, full-length, studio album (they released their self-titled EP in 2008). Yet even without a large library of music behind them, the group has found plenty of extra studio time remixing The Very Best and MGMT tracks, and after a series of seasonal mixtapes, they find themselves dead-center in the spotlight with their much-anticipated album release.