New CD Releases, September 25: Rascal Flatts, Foo Fighters, Melissa Etheridge
Rascal Flatts “Still Feels Good”
The hugely popular country trio releases its fifth studio album. “Still Feels Good” follows 2006’s “Me and My Gang,” which topped The Billboard 200 chart and became the biggest sales debut of the year.
“Still Feels Good” was recorded with award-winning producer Dan Huff and its lead single, “Take Me There,” is already a hit on country radio.
The new album drops during what has already been a mighty big year for the band. In particular, Rascal Flatts has been stacking up the awards this year, so far scoring a pair of People’s Choice honors, Video of the Year at the CMT Music Awards and its fifth consecutive Vocal Group of the Year trophy from the Academy of Country Music. In November, Rascal Flatts will be vying for Vocal Group of the Year and Entertainer of the Year at the 41st Annual Country Music Association Awards.
The country-pop trio is touring in support of “Still Feels Good.” The band, which has been criss-crossing the US since July, now has dates stretching into November.
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Foo Fighters “Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace”
The Grammy-winning Foos are back and ready to rock with “Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace.” The album was produced by Gil Norton, who also was at the controls for 1997’s double-platinum seller “The Colour and the Shape.” (“Colour,” by the way, was recently remastered and reissued as a 10th anniversary deluxe edition with six bonus tracks.)
The album’s lead single, “The Pretender,” premiered on ESPN last month and was featured throughout the network’s coverage of the Summer X-Games. The song is currently making waves on Billboard’s rock and pop charts.
The Foos will support “Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace” with a series of dates. Currently, the band is scheduled to perform a half-dozen club and arena dates along the East Coast next month.
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Melissa Etheridge “The Awakening”
The rock vocalist/guitarist has already had quite the 2007. The big year began when her song “I Need to Wake Up,” a cut featured in former Vice President Al Gore’s Oscar-winning documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in February. She followed that up in the summer with a high-profile set during the Live 8 concerts.
Now, Etheridge returns with her ninth studio album. “The Awakening” was co-produced with David Cole and features Etheridge’s rocking band mates, guitarist Philip Sayce, bassist Mark Browne and drummer Mauricio ëFritz’ Lewak.
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Herbie Hancock “River: The Joni Letters”
The genre-shifting keyboardist/composer, who first came to fame as a sideman for Miles Davis, is ready to follow-up 2005’s “Herbie Hancock: Possibilities.” That previous set was a collection of all-star collaborations, which included work by Phish’s Trey Anastastio, Sting, Annie Lennox, John Mayer, Christina Aguilera, Paul Simon and Carlos Santana.
This time around, Hancock delivers another star-studded affair, which pays tribute to great lyricist Joni Mitchell. This 13-song tribute features appearances by Tina Turner, Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae, Luciana Souza, Leonard Cohen and Mitchell herself.
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Joni Mitchell “Shine”
The Mitchell mania continues with this 10-track set. The collection features many of the great singer/songwriter/guitarist’s best cuts, including “Night of the Iguana,” “Bad Dreams” and, of course, “Big Yellow Taxi.”
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More new releases:
Tony Bennett, “Tony Bennett Sings The Ultimate American Songbook, Vol. 1” (Sony)
Chris Botti, “Italia” (Sony)
David Crowder Band, “Remedy” (Six Step)
Dethklok, “Dethalbum” (Williams Street)
Steve Earle, “Washington Square Serenade” (New West)
Iron & Wine, “The Shepherd’s Dog” (Sub Pop)
Chaka Khan, “Funk This” (Strategic Marketing)
Bettye LaVette, “Scene of the Crime” (Anti)
Raul Malo, “Marshmallow World and Other Holiday Favorites” (New Door)
Meshell Ndegeocello, “The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams” (Emarcy)
Queen Latifah, “Trav’lin’ Light” (Verve)
Jill Scott, “The Real Thing: Words And Sounds Vol. 3” (Hidden Beach)
Stars, “In Our Bedroom After the War” (Arts and Crafts)
Various Artists, “Goin’ Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino” (Vanguard)
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