Discerning music fans are in luck! Legendary songstress Joni Mitchell, Britpop pioneers Blur, rising hard rock greats Greta Van Fleet and celebrated singer-songwriter Arthur Alexander have returned with highly-anticipated new albums.
Artist: Joni Mitchell
Title: Joni Mitchell At Newport — Featuring the Joni Jam (Rhino Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlile, Dawes
Tell me more: On July 24, 2022, Joni Mitchell surprised the Newport Folk Festival audience when she gave a surprise performance, her first in 20 years; that appearance also marked the singer-songwriter's return to the Newport stage for the first time since 1969! Now that already-legendary appearance will be released by Rhino Records as a live album on Friday, July 28, 2023 (Joni Mitchell At Newport — Featuring the Joni Jam). Supported by an illustrious group of guest musicians, Mitchell — who had suffered a brain aneurysm rupture in March 2015 and had been undergoing physical therapy and rehabilitation leading up to her 2022 performance — participated in a set of her own material and covers. The audio recording captured as part of a set billed as "Brandi Carlile and Friends" a year ago is poignant and historic. From Brandi Carlile's heartfelt introduction and the rousing opener "Big Yellow Taxi" to the joyful close (the inviting sing-along "The Circle Game"), the magic on the recording is genuinely palpable. A melancholic take on "Both Sides Now," stunning piano-anchored "A Case of You," the electric guitar-anchored instrumental "Just Like This Train" featuring Mitchell's distinctive fret work and literate "Amelia" (the latter featuring vocal interplay with Dawes singer Taylor Goldsmith) are early highlights on the title. Other standouts including the buoyant "Carey," luxurious "Come In From The Cold" and moving "Shine." Among the guests who appear on the live recording with Mitchell include guitarist Tim Hanseroth (guitar, dulcimer), Celisse (guitar, vocals), Ben Lusher (piano), Marcus Mumford (percussion, vocals) and Rick Whitfield (guitar). Co-produced by Carlile and Mitchell, Joni Mitchell At Newport will be released on audio CD, 2-LP black vinyl, on digital and streaming services as well as Dolby Atmos on July 28. Information: JoniMitchell.com.
Title: Joni Mitchell At Newport — Featuring the Joni Jam (Rhino Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlile, Dawes
Tell me more: On July 24, 2022, Joni Mitchell surprised the Newport Folk Festival audience when she gave a surprise performance, her first in 20 years; that appearance also marked the singer-songwriter's return to the Newport stage for the first time since 1969! Now that already-legendary appearance will be released by Rhino Records as a live album on Friday, July 28, 2023 (Joni Mitchell At Newport — Featuring the Joni Jam). Supported by an illustrious group of guest musicians, Mitchell — who had suffered a brain aneurysm rupture in March 2015 and had been undergoing physical therapy and rehabilitation leading up to her 2022 performance — participated in a set of her own material and covers. The audio recording captured as part of a set billed as "Brandi Carlile and Friends" a year ago is poignant and historic. From Brandi Carlile's heartfelt introduction and the rousing opener "Big Yellow Taxi" to the joyful close (the inviting sing-along "The Circle Game"), the magic on the recording is genuinely palpable. A melancholic take on "Both Sides Now," stunning piano-anchored "A Case of You," the electric guitar-anchored instrumental "Just Like This Train" featuring Mitchell's distinctive fret work and literate "Amelia" (the latter featuring vocal interplay with Dawes singer Taylor Goldsmith) are early highlights on the title. Other standouts including the buoyant "Carey," luxurious "Come In From The Cold" and moving "Shine." Among the guests who appear on the live recording with Mitchell include guitarist Tim Hanseroth (guitar, dulcimer), Celisse (guitar, vocals), Ben Lusher (piano), Marcus Mumford (percussion, vocals) and Rick Whitfield (guitar). Co-produced by Carlile and Mitchell, Joni Mitchell At Newport will be released on audio CD, 2-LP black vinyl, on digital and streaming services as well as Dolby Atmos on July 28. Information: JoniMitchell.com.
Artist: Blur
Title: The Ballad of Darren (Warner Records/Parlophone)
You might like if you enjoy: Blur, Beck, David Bowie
Tell me more: The Ballad of Darren is the ninth studio album from Blur, and marks the Britpop favorite's first new studio album since 2015's The Magic Whip. The new album finds the English outfit (singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree) using stellar songcraft as they explore midlife with incredible depth and confessional candor. The diverse track listing is filled with originals that entice with a single listen; the inclusion of experimental touches layered atop melodic rock works its wonders magically on the disc. The reflective opener "The Ballad," infectious "The Narcissist" with its explosive finale, edgy "St. Charles Square," wistful "Russian Strings," Baroque pop sortie "The Everglades (For Leonard)" and melancholy-draped "The Heights" are among the amazing songs on this eagerly-awaited return. The Ballad of Darren is available on streaming services, as well as via audio CD and vinyl. Blur will also perform The Ballad of Darren in its entirety via a global livestream event on Tuesday, July 25. Information: blur.co.uk.
Title: Starcatcher (Lave Music)
You might like if you enjoy: Led Zeppelin, Heart
Tell me more: Listening to Greta Van Fleet's third album Starcatcher is to hear how a talented young quartet from Frankenmuth, Michigan have rekindled and captured the magic of '70s rock with an otherworldly and masterful touch. The new 10-track album Starcatcher provides a joyful listen while the outfit explores the duality of fantasy versus reality and the dramatic divide between light and darkness. "We wanted to introduce characters and motifs and these ideas that would come about here and there throughout our careers through this world," notes band drummer Danny Wagner in press notes related to the album's release on July 21. Singer Josh Kiszka has a distinctive tenor able to reach incredible heights while also bringing an ardent vocal artistry only enhanced by the collective virtuoso chops of guitarist Jake Kiszka, bassist/keyboardist Sam Kiszka and Wagner. The acoustic power ballad "Farewell For Now," the fiery rocker "The Falling Sky," soaring "Sacred The Thread," riff rocker "Frozen Light" and ambitious "Meeting The Master" are among the great cuts on the album. Recorded at RCA Studios in Nashville, Greta Van Fleet utilized a large recording room to capture the pure energy of their concert performances. Information: gretavanfleet.com.
Title: One Life (Is All You Got) (Big Stir Records)
You might like if you enjoy: The Knack, Cheap Trick, Sorrows
Tell me more: Steppin' Out! marks the glorious return of singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Arthur Alexander, a true musical great who got his start as a "rebel rocker in Soviet-era Poland" before helping elevate power pop in New York City as a member of Sorrows and the Poppees. Steppin' Out! is a joyful listen across its 13 tracks, somehow capturing elements of pop and rock greats from the '60s, '70s and '80s and using those elements to forge Alexander's own signature sound. The album opens with the hard charging single "Woman," a 2 and a half minute blast that blends the best of '60s garage rock and Cheap Trick-styled power pop. The album's strengths continue via a decidedly far-flung mix of great songs; the lovely "It's Not Love Anymore #2" mines '60s rock while showcasing Alexander's original voice as a singer and songwriter — that track is bolstered by Brian Connie's sharp harmonica work and how that plays out amidst the dazzling guitar work of Kevin Keller and Alexander. The modern rocker "(She's A) Red Hot Lover," bewitching "Ashes," crunchy "Why Can't You Come," synth pop gem "A Little Too Much," shimmering "Silver Cloud" and melodic folk rocker "Fly Away" are among the many other fantastic songs on the 13-track album. The album is available on vinyl (in separate black and red versions), as well as via audio CD and on all streaming services. Information: bigstirrecords.com.
Robert Kinsler
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