Wait! Scarlett Johansson...singing Tom Waits?


The Waiting is the Hardest Part: The Most-Anticpated Albums (and One DVD) of 2007
By AMG Staff
http://www.allmusic.com/c...l=61::71XP

Andy Kellman:

Amerie — Because I Love It Amerie helps prove the idiocy in believing a young, attractive female artist must be a puppet guided completely by a label and/or producer. Touch, her second album, involved much more of her input than her first and topped it in every respect. Since "1 Thing" exploded, the singer hasn't slowed down. Last year, she released an excellent mixtape (Because I Love It), and she has said a second volume will appear prior to her third proper album. Because I Love It, projected for a spring release, should include assists from Cee-Lo, Tim & Bob, and DJ Premier. http://www.amerie.net/

Teedra Moses — The Young Lioness
The primary obstacle facing Teedra Moses as she finishes her second album is that it will be very difficult for her to improve upon 2004's Complex Simplicity. It's as close to asking the impossible as it gets. The trade-off is that not nearly enough people have actually heard her, so it's not like she has legions of skeptics waiting to declare a fall-off. Based on a couple leaked tracks, The Young Lioness should at least be good for a healthy dose of top-level songwriting and nuanced productions. If she could only seize a measurable fraction of the ink spent on Beyoncé.... http://www.myspace.com/teedramoses

Timbaland — Timbaland Presents Shock Value
Between Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous" and "Maneater," Justin Timberlake's "My Love" and "SexyBack," and scattered production work for other artists, Timbaland's 2006 was extremely successful. On his fifth album, Timbaland Presents Shock Value (slated for March), the champion producer intends to continue his mainstream dominance with an eclectic list of high-profile collaborators. In addition to Furtado and Timberlake, the album is said to feature Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, Lil Wayne, Björk, Elton John, Fall Out Boy, and even the comedic plod-pop duo She Wants Revenge. http://www.myspace.com/mosleymusic

Keri Hilson
Along with producer Nate "Danjahandz" Hills, Keri Hilson is one of Timbaland's most valuable and talented associates. Signed to Tim's Mosley Music label, Hilson — a singer, songwriter, and arranger — is due to release her first album at some point in the year. She first appeared on Xzibit's "Mean Muggin'" and has made serious R&B fans take notice with a handful of knockout songwriting credits, including Mary J. Blige's "Take Me as I Am" and Omarion's "Ice Box." She also gave one of the standout performances on Diddy's Press Play ("After Love") and livened up Lloyd Banks' "Help." http://www.myspace.com/kerilynnhilson

James Christopher Monger:

The Bee Gees — OdessaReprise/Rhino's immaculate reissues of the Gibb siblings' First, Horizontal, and Idea in 2006 were loaded with enough psychedelic chamber pop firepower to sink a fleet of Yellow Submarines. Logic (a word that rarely applies in "the biz") would dictate that 1969's great velvet monstrosity Odessa is next in line, followed by the quadruple threat of Cucumber Castle, 2 Years On, Trafalgar, and To Whom It May Concern, all of which were the last bastions of "Gibb" sanity before a head-first slide into the world of fog machines, malfunctioning falsettos, and leisure suits surrounding dense forests of chest hair would banish them forever into to the unforgiving wastelands of pop culture parody. http://www.rhino.com/rzin...o?PRID=379

Andrew W.K. — Close Calls with Brick Walls/Young Lord
The music of Andrew Fetterly Wilkes-Krier seemed destined to play out its life as the go-to soundtrack for beer commercials and pre-kickoff sporting events after his I Get Wet follow-up, The Wolf, failed to convince the populace to continue to "Party Hard." So instead of releasing his third record for international consumption, he chose the one country that fully embodied the notion "Party 'til You Puke"...Japan. Leaked tracks have shown a return to the more dance- and pop-oriented sound of the late-'90s demos that got him signed in the first place, and the recent announcement of a second record (Young Lord) also scheduled for a 2007 release signals a brick in the face to the fair-weather audio pundits who wrote him off after "Tear It Up" only managed to "bat it around" a little bit. http://en.wikipedia.org/w...rick_Walls

Marisa Brown:

Wu-Tang Clan
Yeah, there's no ODB, but the Wu has always been good at attracting a talented set of MCs and producers, and when the collective truly puts its heads together, they usually end up with nothing short of genius. Though their new album is still untitled, it's going to be released by Loud Records founder Steve Rifkind's SRC label, which is definitely a good sign. The reunion's been a long time coming; let's hope the wait is worth it. http://www.wutangcorp.com/

Dilla — Ruff Draft
Even though J. Dilla died in 2006, that doesn't mean his music did. While Ruff Draft actually came out in 2003, few people, especially those outside Europe, have been able to get their hands on it. But thanks to the good folks at Stones Throw, in March all the non-cratediggers out there will get a chance to hear the louder side of Jay Dee, who worked on the album as he transitioned into life in California. And for the fortunate ones who already have a vinyl copy, don't worry: the two-CD version of Ruff Draft has previously unreleased bonus tracks on it to make it worth your while. www.myspace.com/jdilla

Dr. Dre — Detox
With almost as much hype surrounding it as a certain Guns N' Roses album, there have been rumors about the release of Detox since the beginning of the millennium. 2007 could be the magic number, though. In December of last year, a clip with Dre and protégé Bishop Knight appeared on the Internet, assuring a September 2007 release. OK, so the chances of it coming out then are probably as good as Axl Rose showing up with Kurt Cobain to promote the new GNR record, but hell, what's wrong with a little naïve faith once in a while? (Answer: Chinese Democracy.) http://www.youtube.com/wa...FmB3szwRJQ

Aesop Rock — None Shall Pass
The backpacker's best friend and second-favorite Jukie, Aesop Rock recently announced that his next full-length, None Shall Pass, should be released sometime in the first half of 2007, presumably after March so as not to interfere with favorite Jukie El-P and the release of his I'll Sleep When You're Dead. Considering Aesop's other news was that he was working on something that is, as he eloquently states on his MySpace blog, "not really an album but it kind of is," we're doing pretty well just getting a title and date-range for None Shall Pass. I'll take it. http://www.myspace.com/aesoprockwins

Spoon
True fact: I dance around my room every night to "The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine." Another true fact: I will continue to do so until Britt Daniel gives me something else to dance to, which will assuredly happen on whatever Spoon ends up calling their sixth record. Until then, I'm going to keep on rehearsing the part of Eddie. http://www.myspace.com/spoon

Heather Phares:

Cornelius — Sensuous
Though it's been released in Japan, Korea, and Australia, Cornelius' first album in over five years still hasn't seen the light of day throughout a good chunk of the world. Based on the songs on his MySpace page, Keigo Oyamada's latest takes the abstract sonics of Point and tweaks and streamlines them even further. "Gum" and "Fit" are tantalizing glimpses of what is sure to be another forward-looking, pointillist pop masterpiece. http://www.myspace.com/co...usofficial

Björk
New music from Björk is generally great news, but the list of collaborators on her upcoming album — and the fact that she'll be touring extensively in support of it for the first time in years — is cause for celebration. Along with longtime partner in sound Mark Bell, Björk is set to mix it up with Antony Hegarty of Antony & the Johnsons, Lightning Bolt drummer Brian Chippendale, kora master Toumani Diabate, drummer Chris Corsano, and the hitmaker of 2006, Timbaland. An Afro-pop, jazz, noise rock, and hip-hop fusion is certainly daring, but in Björk's hands, it'll be ambitious and listenable. http://www.bjork.com/

Pixies
The Pixies' reunion tours were so successful that fans wondered: when would the band make another album? In 2004, based on the one-off single "Bam Thwok" and their excellent cover of "Ain't That Pretty at All" on the Warren Zevon tribute Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon, it seemed like more new work was imminent. Then, in 2006, Frank Black seemed to put the kibosh on the idea, saying that he'd tried, and failed, to write songs in the classic Pixies style. Later that year, however, he confirmed that the band was starting rehearsals for their sixth album in January 2007. Black and the rest of the band's trepidation about reentering the studio is understandable: not only did many of the Pixies' definitive songs come from a burst of inspiration that happened two decades ago, but even the best bands can't always recapture that initial spark when they reunite. Then again, Wire's and Mission of Burma's recent reunions resulted in albums that compared well to their earlier work, so here's hoping the Pixies find inspiration the second time around, too. http://www.myspace.com/pixies

Dethklok — DethAlbum
Some of 2006's most enjoyable music came from a band that barely exists outside of the realm of Flash animation. In the world of the Adult Swim show Metalocalypse, Dethklok is the world's most popular band, the world's 12th largest economy and climbing, and has charisma powerful enough to awaken Finnish lake trolls and possibly bring about the apocalypse. In our world, Dethklok is the brainchild of comedian/musician Brendon Small (also responsible for the equally funny but very different show Home Movies), who performs every note of the band's music, from Swkisgaar Skwigelf's blazing guitar solos to Nathan Explosion's death metal/Cookie Monster-style vocals. Heavy and funny at the same time, Dethklok's music is rooted in respect for the styles that inspired it, but also answers such questions as what would a death metal birthday song sound like? The anthem "Thunderhorse" has already invaded Guitar Hero II, and a full-length album — which is rumored to include previously unheard songs as well as those featured on the show — is in the works, promising more darkness and brutality for summer 2007. http://www.myspace.com/dethklok

David Jeffries:

Stephen Marley — Mind Control
Stephen Marley played supportive roles with his brothers Ziggy and Damian, playing in Zig's band and working in the producer's chair for Damian's massive Welcome to Jamrock album. Add just a bit more Stephen and the Jamrock album could have been a collaborative effort rather than a solo one, and seeing how it was such a smashing success, there's no reason not to believe that Stephen's "soon come" Mind Control is going to be anything less than stunning. Further evidence arrived early last year when a four-track promo EP made the rounds, promoting an album that at that time was called Got Music. The EP was a solid mix of R&B influence with a roots foundation, suggesting Stephen's output might have more of a live band feel than Damian's, but late in the year the quirky "Traffic Jam" single took things in an entirely different direction. With Stephen's raggamuffin vocals over the funky stylings of a human beatbox, "Traffic Jam" is the product of studio trickery and smart ideas, the kind of Jamrock-style rule-breaker that's putting this wave of Marley children at the front of contemporary reggae. As Ziggy settles into an independent label/jam-band lifestyle, his younger brothers are becoming high-profile innovators, taking father Bob's Tuff Gong empire into uncharted territory. Damian aced it; now it's Stephen's chance to show and prove. http://www.myspace.com/stephenmarley

Guns N' Roses — Chinese Democracy
"This is not a promise, a lie or a guarantee, but we do wish to announce a tentative release date of March 6." That's what Axl Rose said just last December in "letter to the fans" on Guns N' Roses' homepage. GNR's troubled Chinese Democracy has seemed as impossible as the Beach Boys' SMiLE or the next My Bloody Valentine album for about a decade now, but it's really, really supposed to happen this March, and love 'em or hate 'em, you've got to admit you're at least a little curious. A Nine Inch Nails-influenced full-length that found Axl indulging a serious industrial jones was scrapped. Then the oddball supergroup came along and GNR Mach 2 morphed into an excessive hodgepodge that looked nothing like that band Slash and Duff were in. There was a former Replacement (Tommy Stinson), a Primus drummer (Bryan "Brain" Mantia), and for a brief, magical moment, the eccentric guitarist Buckethead. A less interesting eccentric named Bumblefoot recently replaced the KFC-loving virtuoso, and Chinese Democracy is consequently a little less enticing. Still, it's a fascinating band, filled with strong, divergent personalities backing a loose cannon of the highest order. Canceled shows and missed release dates have tried fans' patience, but more than anything, Rose ran away with the GNR name and turned the sleazy Sunset Strip crew into something Bill Laswell could have dreamed up. It doesn't get much riskier than this. http://www.myspace.com/gunsnroses

Stephen Thomas Erlewine:

Guns N' Roses — Chinese Democracy
Like anybody who has listened to rock music in the last 15 years, of course I'm curious about what the hell Chinese Democracy actually is — and my curiosity is naturally tempered by skepticism, whether it's doubts about what the music will sound like or whether it really exists or not. But even if it's horrible, it will no doubt be fascinating — as it damn well should be after a 15-year wait.

Happy Mondays
It's almost been 15 years since the Happy Mondays released an album, too, but not as many people have noticed their absence. Still, they're set to make a big comeback this year, which will also prove to be interesting even if it's not any good, since it's hard to picture how Shaun Ryder and Bez will face their fearsome forties (they're almost certain not to do it gracefully). http://www.myspace.com/ha...ndaysmusic

Stooges, Dinosaur Jr., and Metallica
The Stooges and Dinosaur Jr. are both set to capitalize on their successful reunion tours with new studio albums this year, too, both of which are bound to be worth a listen, as will Metallica's new album. Anybody who watched Some Kind of Monster will agree that it's good for the band to part ways with producer Bob Rock, and even those (like myself) who haven't been crazy about recent Rick Rubin productions will have to admit that having him produce the new Metallica could result in great things.
Stooges: http://www.billboard.com/...1002345336
Dinosaur Jr.: http://www.billboard.com/...1003221569
Metallica: http://www.metallica.com/...item=14828

Kelly Clarkson
Also having the potential to be great: Kelly Clarkson's third album, which will have bass by indie rock legend Mike Watt, an odd pairing that makes no sense on paper yet somehow fits because, after all, it's hard to imagine two musicians as universally liked as Kelly and Watt. Perhaps you don't care for their music, but they're both impossible to dislike and perhaps they'll create some real sparks in the studio, even if the tracks are ProTooled to death. http://www.myspace.com/kellyclarkson

Scarlett Johansson — Scarlett Sings Tom Waits
And certainly they're not nearly as odd a couple as Scarlett Johansson and Tom Waits — not that Justin Timberlake's new flame has teamed with Waits for a collaboration, but Scarlett is scheduled to release Scarlett Johansson Sings Tom Waits later this year. Chances are, this will be a set of sleepy torch songs, but there is an outside chance that this will be a truly bizarre vanity project — perhaps not as weird as Joe Pesci's Vincent Laguardia Gambini Sings Just for You, but few things are — and that's why I'm awaiting its release. http://www.foxnews.com/st...01,00.html

Sly & the Family Stone
About ten years ago Epic/Legacy initiated a Sly & the Family Stone reissue campaign that went no further than the first three albums, never getting around to Stand! or There's a Riot Goin' On or Fresh — which was kind of like a Beatles reissue campaign that overlooked Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, and the white album. Thankfully, this spring Legacy finally launches another Sly reissue program, this one encompassing all the albums from A Whole New Thing to Small Talk, which has never hit CD in the States, and they're all remastered with additional bonus tracks. This is a long overdue set of reissues — and now that they're finally coming out, that leaves just the catalogs of Bruce Springsteen and the Beatles on my wish list of reissues. http://www.billboard.com/...1003528000

Beatles
As a matter of fact, rumor has it that the Beatles catalog will indeed be remastered and reissued this year — something that is sorely needed, not just for sonic reasons but for visual ones as well. (Why on earth did the Revolver disc have the beautiful back-cover photo cut up in quarters? Why were none of the back covers replicated, for that matter?) Word has it that the catalog has been remastered and is set to go — perhaps first as an iTunes exclusive, where it would be available for download for three months before reaching CD. While I have no interest in buying downloads of the albums, if this story is true I certainly don't mind waiting three months for new CDs. After all, it's been 20 years since they came out on compact disc, so what's another few weeks? http://www.therockradio.c...t-for.html

Stiff Records
In the meantime, I'll busy myself with the new U.K.-only Stiff reissue program, which is currently set to unroll sometime in February with reissues of Rachel Sweet's Fool Around, Tracey Ullman's You Broke My Heart in Seventeen Places, a Dirty Looks two-fer, Any Trouble's Where Are All the Nice Girls, and best of all, Big Smash from Wreckless Eric, which has never been on CD before and is coming out as a double-disc set — and considering how "Whole Wide World" stole the show in Stranger Than Fiction, the timing for this reissue couldn't be better. http://www.stiff-records.com/



Tim Sendra:

WKRP in Cincinnati: Season One
I was right in the middle of marking off my cubicle with masking tape à la Les Nessman when I ran across this incredible news. Who cares about music when something as amazing as the release of a WKRP in Cincinnati DVD is on the horizon? That's right, babies. Long thought to be shelved forever due to legal and financial issues surrounding the use of the original songs, the first season of WKRP in Cincinnati is finally going to be in stores on April 3. Unlike the hack job Nick at Night perpetrated when they ran the series back in the late '90s (they used generic "rock" songs as replacements and even changed some dialogue using soundalike actors), the producers of the DVD used what original tunes they could and replaced the others with time-specific tracks that work. Add to that the inspired patter and attitude of early Dr. Johnny Fever, the perfect idiocy of the big guy Arthur Carlson, and the unheralded foxiness of Bailey Quarters, and you have one of the finest half-hours of the 1970s. Just in case you were wondering what ever became of me on April 3, I'll be parked on my couch watching WKRP. In the immoral words of the good Dr. Fever, "Booger!" http://en.wikipedia.org/w...Cincinnati

the only thing on the list i'm drooly about is the new bjork album, and ESPECIALLY the tour. this year i'm all about being a bjork fammy fam.

if a new pixies studio album comes out EVER, i'll be shocked.

and andrew w.k. can be fun sometimes. i liked the bloody nose album.

I didn't know Scarlett Johansson sang.

JackieBlue said:

She doesn't sing. They sing...

gotta get my mitts on the WKRP fuckin Les "Chee Chee rawdragweeez" les its Chi Chi Rodriguez.. Mr.Rawdragweeez... Lmao gotta love Nesseman
[Edited 1/26/07 5:51am]

IAintTheOne said:

i loved his invisible office walls.

It's all about the new Crowded House record for me. That being said, the next batch of Cure reissues would be nice. On the DVD tip, I'm just waiting for the final season of NewsRadio.

AlexdeParis said:

OOOH, absolutely, i'm looking forward to the 'disintegration' reissue!

i'm not thrilled with anything the cure did post-disintegration up until 'bloodflowers', but i'm sure i'll get all the reissues just because i'm a hopeless completist like that.

Anx said:

They haven't been announced yet, have they?

AlexdeParis said:

nope, not that i know of.

Ummm, what about NIN?

So much hip-hop!!!

G R E A T ! ! !

AlexdeParis said:

Is it new. I thought it was their farwell concert.

I am sorta looking to Bjork. Other than that....eh

superspaceboy said:

Farewell to the World was already released (November overseas and last week here in America). Lead singer Neil Finn had been recording a new solo album with bassist Nick Seymour, but they just announced they are reforming the band (with Mark Hart) and it will be a Crowded House album (titled "Time on Earth").

AlexdeParis said:

Cool. I miss them.

superspaceboy said:

Neil was great on his own and with Tim in the Finn Brothers, but nothing beats Crowded House!

Yeah the Beatles releases are long long overdue at this point, forget about making them available for download, at this point Beatle fans want the artwork and better sound not a freakin download, enough with this iTunes bullshit already, just what we need some moron dowloading "Nowhere man" for 99 cents. The Crowded House will be new, they just signed on for a world tour this year, so im really anxious about that and of course AMERIE this girl has been putting out mix tapes all over the place and now putting out a full cd of material that wasnt even on those tapes is amazing, when you hear it, you'll be saying, wow so this is where Beyonce stole the song from.
[Edited 1/26/07 10:52am]

I didn't think there would be anything to look forward to but the Pixies will do a new album...Yes! I didn't know that they recorded stuff recently, too. I'll check that out!

JackieBlue said:

That album will really test my fanaticism.

VinnyM27 said:

the article said they were scheduled to go into the studio this month. all indications i heard last year was that they went their separate ways again after the tour ended. i don't know which i hope is the truth.

Anx said:

So I'm looking forward to nothing this year....

It's time for Erasure Re-Issues!!!!

VinnyM27 said:

Isn't the Madonna CD/DVD coming out next week?

Marilyn Manson "Eat Me , Drink Me"
Courtney Love "Dirty Girls Get Clean"
NIN

sextonseven said:

Confessions tour

superspaceboy said:

Now there's a duo I never liked alot. I only liked their hits compilations and their Nightbird and Other People's Songs albums...

They seem like a bargin bin and campiest version of early depeche mode with the worse of PSB!

I read this. Good stuff!

Anx said:

We're gonna fam out together.