New Releases: ODB, Staind, Tommy Lee, Pennywise, Proof, Chimaira, Hootie & The Blowfish
Ol' Glory: Ol' Dirty Bastard may be gone, but in this post-Tupac world, that doesn't mean he can't still make some moves. A Son Unique is not only his first release on Def Jam, it's also the first to attribute the music to "ODB," not "Ol' Dirty Bastard," on the album art. Songs include a cover of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" with Macy Gray, "Intoxicated" and "Skrilla."
Five -- And Still Alive: Bewildered by the title of Staind's Chapter V? Time to hit the bins. While many thought 2001's Break the Cycle was their debut, and those who looked a little deeper unearthed 1999's Dysfunction, Tormented, an independent album from 1996, actually began the band's cycle. Chapter V might sound like a turning of the page, but Aaron Lewis seems as tormented as ever with "Cross to Bear," "Runaway" and "King of All Excuses."
A Motley Crew: Tommy Lee's invited some major -- and majorly bizarre -- guests to his TommyLand: The Ride, including Nick Carter, Good Charlotte and Slash, but by releasing the record through a tiny Michigan-based distributor, sales could be a challenge. Then again, Lee has drawn plenty of attention in the past by slipping out his stuff through, uh, less traditional means. Songs include "Makin' Me Crazy" with Dirty Harry, "Sister Mary" and "The Butler."
The Search Is Over: More than three years after it was first announced, D12's Proof is finally dishing up Searching for Jerry Garcia, a follow-up to 2002's Electric Cool Aid: Acid Testing EP. He's tweaked the original concept, which was for each song to be named after a musician or icon ("Janis Joplin," "Billie Holiday," etc.), although he did retain "Kurt Kobain." He's also padded the LP with some red-hot guests: 50 Cent ("Forgive Me"), D12 ("Pimplikeness"), Obie Trice ("72nd & Central") and Nate Dogg ("Sammy Da Bull").
Chopped & Served: Swishahouse Records owner Mike "5000" Watts is fine-tuning his chopped-and-screwed skills for retouched versions of Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz's Crunk Juice and the Ying Yang Twins' U.S.A. (United State of Atlanta).
Stones Galore: Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ron Wood roll onto Tim Ries' The Rolling Stones Project and contribute to the album design; Wood also surfaces on the Jones Gang's Any Day Now, a record he also did the cover art for; and a reissue of the Blasters' 4-11-44 includes a bonus video of "Daddy Rollin' Stone."
Around the World in Six Albums: We Will Take You With Us (Epica), Made in China (Juliana Hatfield), East/West (Bill Frisell), Underneath a Brooklyn Moon (JC Hopkins Biggish Band), Let Me Come Home (Limbeck).
Song Titles Of The Week:
"There's a Coldest Day in Every Year" (Cursive's The Difference Between Houses and Homes: Lost Songs and Loose Ends 1995-2001)
"Twelve Years on Tour and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt" (Suicide Machines' War Profiteering Is Killing Us All)
"Women Turn on Your TV" (Kool Keith's Lost Masters: Volume 2)
Other Notables:
Backandtotheleft - Obsolete (Metropolis): The Seattle band's moniker is a tip to the famous "magic bullet" line quoted by JFK conspiracy theorists, hence joining the ranks of Dead Kennedys, Texas Is the Reason (whose own "Back and to the Left" came out in 1996), Kennedy, Bay of Pigs and Jackie O Mother------.
Chimaira - Chimaira (Roadrunner): Hardcore heroes Chimaira pay tribute to a fallen comrade, Dimebag Darrell, on "Nothing Remains," one of 10 tracks featured on their self-titled fourth record. "Lazarus" is another tribute, this time to a friend who committed suicide, while "Left for Dead" and "Comatose" deepen the somber mood.
Tremolo - Love Is the Greatest Revenge (Flagship): The Bay Area band is putting its money where its mouth is -- literally. The benevolent bunch -- which has been heard on numerous MTV shows -- is donating 50 percent of the proceeds from its debut to the Love>Revenge Fund, a site that, through online voting, allows fans to decide where the trust fund money should go to.
Various Artists - Def Jazz (Verve): Yup, you guessed it: a collection of smooth-jazz versions of rap faves commemorating the 20th anniversary of Russell's baby. Unlike the ever-present Pickin' On tributes, however, this endeavor brings in veritable talent like Roy Hargrove and Gerald Albright -- and tosses in a version of "Bring the Pain" with flute and Moog to boot.
Out Tuesday, August 9:
Read: [article id="1498924"]"Tommy Lee Parties With Good Charlotte, Slash And, Er, Nick Carter on Tommyland"[/article]
Read: [article id="1500202"]"ODB Album Preview: Star-Studded A Son Unique Is Radio Ready"[/article]
Read: [article id="1459202"]"D12's Proof Readying Solo LP With 'Kurt Cobain' On It"[/article]
[article id="1506637"]Read: "Staind Pushing Hard To Put Grey Days Behind Them"[/article]
Notable Reissues:
DVDs:
Read: [article id="1502680"]"Ashanti's Muppet Co-Stars Pull Back The Curtain On 'Wizard' "[/article]
Coming Attractions:
August 16:
Read: [article id="1500413"]"Click Five Winning Over Soccer Moms On Ashlee Simpson Tour"[/article]
August 23:
August 30:
Read: [article id="1504991"]"Death Cab For Cutie Living Up To The 'Death' Part On Next LP"[/article]
Read: [article id="1507001"]" 'Can He Do It Again?' -- Kanye West Says New LP Backs Up His Bragging"[/article]
