New CD Releases, May 22: Ozzy Osbourne, Maroon 5, Joan Osborne
Ozzy Osbourne “Black Rain”
If you want to attend this year’s Ozzfest, you might want to get a copy of tour founder Ozzy Osbourne’s latest CD.
As previously announced, tickets for Ozzfest will be free. That, of course, brings up the issue of how those tickets will be distributed. Osbourne, a master at marketing, is enticing fans to purchase “Black Rain” by including Ozzfest tickets with the CD.
Specially marked, limited-edition copies of the set include a code that fans can use to obtain two Ozzfest tickets via tour-promoter Live Nation’s website.
If you need another reason to buy the disc, “Black Rain” is Osbourne’s first studio set of all-new material in six years.
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Maroon 5 “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long”
The melodic pop-rock band is back with a proper studio follow-up to its multi-platinum debut, 2002’s “Songs About Jane.” The first single from the album is “Makes Me Wonder.”
Maroon 5 worked on “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long” in a Hollywood mansion reputed to have once been owned by legendary magician Harry Houdini. Some of Houdini’s magic apparently has carried over to the recording: it’s already a top-seller thanks to blistering Internet pre-sales.
The group will first support the album with a short tour of small venues, beginning May 30 in Boston and continuing through a June 11 date in New York. After that, a longer trek through arena-sized venues is expected.
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Joan Osborne “Breakfast in Bed”
Everybody’s doing it–going all retro and recording albums of oldies-but-goodies, that is. Osborne is the latest to jump on the bandwagon with her new set, “Breakfast in Bed.”
The bluesy vocalist, who recently collaborated with members of The Dead, has chosen to cover such songs as Hall and Oates’ “Sara Smile” and Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine.”
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The Used “Lies for the Liars”
The Used called upon the talents of producer John Feldmannn (The Matches, Story of the Year) to help with its third release, “Lies for the Liars,” the studio follow-up to 2004’s gold-certified “In Love and Death.” The group’s previous release was “Berth,” a CD/DVD combo recorded and shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, during its last headlining tour.
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The Bravery “The Sun and the Moon”
The Bravery will attempt to lick the sophomore jinx with the release of its second album. “The Sun and the Moon,” which features production work by Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Bob Dylan), follows the band’s self-titled 2005 debut.
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More new releases:
Tim Armstrong, “A Poet’s Life” (Hellcat)
Battles, “Mirrored” (Warped)
The Beach Boys, “The Warmth of the Sun” (Capitol)
Michael Brecker, “Pilgrimage” (Heads Up)
Jeff Buckley, “So Real: Songs from Jeff Buckley” (Sony)
Barbara Cook, “No One is Alone” (DRG)
Chick Corea, Bela Fleck, “The Enchantment” (Stretch)
Hillsong United, “All of the Above” (Integrity)
Candye Kane, “Guitar’d and Feathered” (Ruf)
The National, “Boxer” (Beggars Banquet)
Sonata Arctica, “Unia” (Nuclear Blast)
U.S.D.A., Young Jeezy, “Young Jeezy Presents U.S.D.A.: Cold Summer” (Def Jam)
Various Artists, “Crucial Acoustic Blues” (Alligator)
Various Artists, “Crucial Rockin’ Blues” (Alligator)
Various Artists, “More Crucial Guitar Blues” (Alligator)
Soundtracks and scores:
“La Vie en Rose: La Mome” (EMI)
“Once” (Columbia)
“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (Disney)
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