New CD Releases, November 25th: Guns N’ Roses, Kanye West, The Killers, Barry Manilow, Ludacris and more!
Guns N’ Roses “Chinese Democracy” (Geffen)
At long last, Guns N’ Roses fulfills its promise of a sixth studio album. Some fans, quite understandably, had come to believe this moment might never arrive. Ten years in the making, “Chinese Democracy” stands with The Beach Boys’ “Smile” among the most famously delayed albums in rock history.
This GN’R is hardly the group that first set out, back in 1998, to make this record. Notably, vocalist Axl Rose is the only original member left in the band.
The 14-track set is the group’s first studio album since 1993’s “The Spaghetti Incident?,” and its first to feature original material since 1991’s “Use Your Illusion I and II.” The first two singles from the record are the title track and the tune “Better.”
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Kanye West “808s & Heartbreak” (Island Def Jam)
The 10-time Grammy winner returns with his fourth studio album. The eagerly anticipated “808s & Heartbreak,” set for release on Nov. 24, follows last year’s chart-topping “Graduation.”
The first single from “808s & Heartbreak” is the tune “Love Lockdown,” which West premiered onstage at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. The second single is “Heartless,” a song performed for the first time at the ONE Campaign concert during the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO.
The album’s title is a reference to the Roland TR-808, a programmable drum machine that West reportedly used in constructing the majority of the record’s tracks.
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The Killers “Day & Age” (Island Def Jam)
The popular modern-rock troupe is ready to unveil its third studio album of new material. “Day & Age” follows 2004’s “Hot Fuss” and 2006’s “Sam’s Town,” as well as last year’s collection of studio outtakes and b-sides “Sawdust.”
The Killers collaborated with Scottish electronic-music whiz Stuart Price (Madonna, Missy Elliot) on “Day & Age.” The first single from the album is the tune “Human.”
The group has a few performances lined up for December, but it plans to wait until the new year to really start supporting “Day & Age” on the road. The band’s 14-city headlining trek is set to kick off Jan. 17 in Denver, CO.
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Barry Manilow “The Greatest Songs of the Eighties” (Arista)
The popular crooner releases the fourth installment in his decade-specific series. “The Greatest Songs of the Eighties” features Manilow covering 12 smash hits from the ’80s, including Journey’s “Open Arms,” the Kenny Rogers/Dolly Parton number “Island in the Stream” (performed as a duet with Reba McEntire), Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You” and Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)”
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Ludacris “Theater of the Mind” (Island Def Jam)
“Theater of the Mind,” which follows 2006’s “Release Therapy,” features a bevy of guest stars, including Lil Wayne, Jamie Foxx, The Game, T.I., Chris Brown, Nas, Jay-Z, Chris Rock, Common, T-Pain and Spike Lee. Besides recording the album, Ludacris remains busy with other projects–notably, he stars in the recent films “Max Payne” and “RocknRolla.”
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More new releases:
Jon Anderson, “3 Ships: 22nd Anniversary Edition” (Opio)
Jeff Beck, “Performing this Week…Live at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club” (Eagle)
Rivers Cuomo, “Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo” (Geffen)
Doris Day, “Christmas” (Collector’s Choice)
Fireman, “Electric Arguments” (ATO)
Hall & Oates, “Live at the Troubadour” (Shout)
Linkin Park, “Road to Revolution: Live at Milton Keynes” (Warner Bros.)
Liza Minnelli, “The Complete A&M Recordings” (Collector’s Choice)
Paramore, “The Final Riot!” (Fueled by Ramen)
R.E.M., “Murmur: Deluxe Edition” (A&M)
Return to Forever, “Returns” (Eagle)
White Zombie, “Let Sleeping Corpses Lie” (Geffen)
Soundtracks and scores:
“Gears of War 2” (Sumthing Else)
“13” (Ghostlight)
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