Tori Amos, the Lemonheads, Janet Jackson
By MATT ASHARE | September 26, 2006
Scissor Sisters |
A five-CD boxset is more Tori Amos than you might want in one place, unless you’re a real Tori fan, in which case there can never be enough. Regardless, A Piano (Rhino) includes an overview of Amos’ career, as well as a few tempting rarities like the unedited version of “Crucify.” And I had no idea that the “Crucify” I’ve been listening to all these years was an edit. Apparently someone at Arista Nashville wasn’t paying attention to the release schedule over at Virgin because both Janet Jackson and Alan Jackson have new ones on the shelves. Alan’s poetic Like Red on a Rose (Arista Nashville) was produced by Alison Krauss, which should confuse the hell out of all the alt-country folks who love Krauss and can’t stand Jackson. And Janet’s has about as many producers as it does tracks. . . that’s a bit of an exaggeration. She drew on the usual suspects — Jermaine Dupri, Johnta Austin, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis — to lay down the grooves on 20 Y.O. (Virgin). And the limited edition two-disc version comes with a DVD featuring the making of a video, a photo shoot, and other behind the scenes excitement. But no nipples. Sorry: that was a cheap shot.
It’s been ten years since Evan Dando recorded an album with a real band, but he’s dusted off his old Lemonheads moniker for a disc that promises to be tight as hell. That’s because the notoriously lazy Dando managed to convince Descendents no-bullshit (but plenty of fart jokes) drummer/songwriter/producer Bill Stevenson (along with his pall Karl Alvarez) to whip him into fighting shape. Ah, to be a fly on the wall in the studio session for the new The Lemonheads (Vagrant), with its cameos by J Mascis and Garth Hudson…
Ludacris is back, and he’s got producer Pharrell Williams on board and a guest cameo by R. Kelly to make sure he’s competing with Janet for the top spot in Billboard this week. Mary J. Blige’s guest spot on Release Therapy (Def Jam) ain’t half bad either. But Luda sounds so serious this time around — guess that’s part of getting older, if not wiser.
And nobody’s more psyched than Scissor Sisters about the two high profile guests they grabbed for the new Ta-Dah (Universal). That would be both Elton John, who co-wrote the first single (“I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’”), and Bryan Ferry, who shows up somewhere on this electro-pop dance-party confection. Actually, Elton John may be more psyched, but he’s got his own new album to worry about.
Related:
Forward into the past!, Hints of Halloween, Neo-new-what?, More 
- Forward into the past!
Could it be just a coincidence that as I sit here writing this, a grizzled Bob Seger is gearing up for the release of Face the Promise , the Detroit rocker’s first proper studio album in, oh, forever and a day? The Lemonheads, "No Backbone" (mp3)
- Hints of Halloween
I’ve always thought of the Scissor Sisters as the best UK band to come out of the States, a sort of Frankie Goes to Hollywood with better songs and a broader musical palette that embraces everything from Pink Floydian textural excursions to Ziggy Stardust glam guitars.
- Neo-new-what?
The real album of the year is a disc that probably didn’t cross many people’s paths in 2006, a Rhino comp titled Future Retro that pairs various DJs/electronicists (Richard X, Tiga, the Crystal Method) with classic new-wave tracks by the Cure, Echo & the Bunnymen, Depeche Mode, and New Order.
- On the racks: June 27, 2006
. . . and all sorts of guest stars.
- Ludacris
Even the most discerning Southern-rap connoisseur would be hard pressed to tell the minor players apart
- The Big Hurt: More bad news in brief
Police pulled over Snoop Dogg’s tour bus and — gasp! — smelled marijuana!
- Billboard's Rap Songs chart
In the immortal words of O.D.B., "Rappenin' is what's happenin'."
- Send in the clowns
The New York Post got to resurrect its priceless "Wacko Jacko" headline. Barbara Walters scored Super Bowl-level ratings without having to lift a pretty little finger. And Michael Jackson, well, no matter how you slice it, he got screwed royally.
- The Big Hurt: Billboard Top Hip-Hop and R and B songs
This week, a jolly traipse through one of Billboard 's most artistically fecund charts: "Top Hip-Hop and R&B Songs." What wonders await?
- Lil Mama
There must be a name for the phenomenon of a child actor aging too quickly on the set of a film, right?
- The Big Hurt: Dialing up Billboard’s Ringtones Chart
We may scoff at the very idea of Billboard ’s ignominious Ringtones chart, but mobile phones are one of only three viable revenue channels musicians have left these days (the other two being commercial licensing and crooked charities).
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Music Features
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, Celebrity News, Entertainment, Terry Lewis, Music Stars, Hip-Hop and Rap, Music, Mary J. Blige, Elton John, Ludacris, Alison Krauss, Less
