New Releases, Sept. 26: Evanescence, The Killers, George Strait
Evanescence “The Open Door”
The Goth-rockers return with the follow-up to their multi-platinum debut, 2003’s “Fallen.” That previous work spawned two major hits, “Bring Me to Life” and “My Immortal,” and earned the group two Grammy awards, for Best New Artist and Best Hard Rock Performance.
The first single from “The Open Door” is “Call Me When You’re Sober.” The song’s lyrics reportedly stem from vocalist Amy Lee’s now-defunct relationship with Seether frontman Shaun Morgan–who, perhaps not coincidentally, recently announced that he was heading into rehab.
Two days after the release of “The Open Door,” the band will launch a North American club and theater tour. The trek kicks off on Oct. 5 in Toronto, and is scheduled to make stops in 17 cities by the time it wraps up on the West Coast in late October.
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The Killers “Sam’s Town”
Having rocketed to stardom on the back of their 2004 debut, “Hot Fuss,” which featured the mega-single “Somebody Told Me,” The Killers return with the sophomore outing “Sam’s Town.”
The new disc features the cut “When You Were Young,” which was released as a single last month. A few days after the disc hits shelves, the group will embark on a month-long tour that includes two-night stands in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City. So far, shows are lined up through Oct. 28, when the band will give a hometown performance at the Vegoose festival in Las Vegas.
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George Strait “It Just Comes Natural”
Strait is one of the most popular artists in country music history, claiming sales of more than 62 million albums and topping the country chart with 53 different singles.
The cowboy looks for his winning ways to continue with the release of his 34th album, the appropriately named “It Just Comes Natural.” So far, so good; the set’s first single, “Give It Away,” is already a major hit.
Among the album’s other tracks are the ballad “That’s My Kind of Woman” (co-written by frequent Strait collaborator Dean Dillon), “She Told Me So” (a Bobby Braddock song), the title track (penned by Marv Green and Jim Collins) and “One Foot in Front of the Other” (by Lee Roy Parnell and Cris Moore). Three of Strait’s trademark cowboy tunes can be found among the set’s 15 tracks: “I Ain’t Her Cowboy Anymore,” “How ‘Bout them Cowgirls” and the Guy Clark-penned “Texas Cookin’.”
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Beck “The Information”
Having wowed fans and critics alike with his last album, 2005’s “Guero,” Beck is back with his eagerly anticipated new disc, “The Information.”
The 15-song set was recorded with producer Nigel Godrich, who also worked with Beck on “Mutations” and “Sea Change.” The package also includes a DVD featuring “homemade” videos for each track that were shot in the studio during recording sessions for the record.
So far, Beck is booked to play six shows in support of the new disc, a run currently scheduled to conclude Oct. 23 in Philadelphia.
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Lindsey Buckingham “Under the Skin”
Here’s one that classic rock fans have been waiting for: Fleetwood Mac vocalist/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham finally returns with his first solo album in 14 years. Buckingham will also hit the road to back the disc, kicking off a 22-city trek on Oct. 6 in Atlanta.
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More new releases:
Jim Brickman, “Escape” (SLG)
Sarah Brightman, “Diva: The Singles Collection” (Angel)
Ray Charles, Count Basie Orchestra, “Ray Sings, Basie Swings” (Concord)
The Decemberists, “The Crane Wife” (Capitol)
The Hold Steady, “Boys and Girls in America” (Vagrant)
Jet, “Shine On” (Atlantic)
Gladys Knight, “Before Me” (Verve)
Amos Lee, “Supply And Demand” (Blue Note)
Sean Lennon, “Friendly Fire” (Capitol)
Los Straitjackets, “Twist Party” (Yep Roc)
Sarah McLachlan, “Mirrorball: The Complete Concert” (Sony)
Monica, “The Makings of Me” (J-Records)
Rodrigo y Gabriela, “Rodrigo y Gabriela” (ATO)
Skillet, “Comatose” (Atlantic)
Robin Thicke, “The Evolution of Robin Thicke” (Interscope)
Chris Young, “Chris Young” (RCA)
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