It’s not often two incredible artists come together to create something really special. If you’re thinking, “But wait! Miley Cyrus and Justin Beiber collaborate on stage all the time!”, you have obviously been inhaling paint fumes for the past few hours and need some time to come down off your dumb statement high. It’s ok, we’ll wait.
Now if you’re looking for a REAL artist collaboration (I’m looking at you imaginary guy from the first paragraph), look no further than the brand new album release Wake Up! from John Legend & The Roots. It’s a full on mixture of funk, hip-hop, soul, reggae, R&B – pretty much every genre ever created ever. Of course you might be thinking that too much of a good thing could in fact be a bad thing. Ye of little faith. You like John Legend right? You like The Roots right?? Then it’s not even a question of IF you are going to enjoy this album, it’s WHEN.
The first single is titled “Wake Up Everybody” and includes appearances by Melanie Fiona and rapper Common. I know, it sounds to good to be true. But if there’s anything life has taught me, it’s that it usually is especially when you find out it’s a pyramid scheme. This case is different though.
Buy Wake Up!:
We here at FreshScouts have always been a fan of The Killers. Granted, we say this under the realization that their music has definitely gone to a higher level (namely the top of the charts.) But we really loved this band when they were first gaining traction around 2004-ish with the release of Hot Fuss. Since then, they have come a long way and have had a successful career. But how do they make it even more successful? Well I’m sure your first guess wouldn’t be to split the band up. Ok, they aren’t splitting the band up for good, but Killers’ lead singer Brandon Flowers has decided to release his first ever compilation of solo tracks in his album Flamingo.
Perhaps you’ve heard the first single without even knowing it. Perhaps you already love his solo stuff subconsciously. Perhaps you even thought it was The Killers. If you’re anything like me, any or all of these deceived you. But be afraid not. I mean, afraid not be you. Or afraid be not to you. Just don’t fret, because this is a super solid side project that is only a minor detour from what is rumored to be yet another release from The Killers in 2012.
“Crossfire” is the first single from the album with other notable tracks like “Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts” and “Was It Something I Said?” following close behind. If you’re looking for a very Killers-esque sound from their front-man, this album is one to check out. Even if you are just mildly a Killers fan, you’ll find this album to be like a gateway drug to other Killers’ projects. The first one’s free.
Check out the video for the single “Crossfire”:
Buy the album:
“I’m looking for some old-timey material. You see, people can’t seem to get enough of it.”
So says the blind, kooky disc jockey from the classic film “O Brother Where Art Thou,” after which the Soggy Bottom Boys blow the roof off the little radio station with a young Robert Johnson fiddling away on the gee-tar.
- What a good-lookin’ group.
In 2010, we still haven’t quite outgrown old-timey material, and The SteelDrivers are—in the words of George Everett McGill—“silly with it.”
This Nashville bluegrass group made some noise in 2008 with their self-titled debut album, when the track “Blue Side of the Mountain” got nominated for a Grammy. But now they’re back for a second go-round with a record called “Reckless,” which is about as modern and mainstream as bluegrass gets.
While we’re a Chicago-based company, there’s no denying the fact that both Tank and I came from somewhat rural roots. The residue of a country music up-bringing still lingers in our veins, and anything with a banjo, fiddle, and soulful lead singer still gets the ol’ heart beating and the ol’ toes tappin’.
If you’ve got any affinity for bluegrass, it’s impossible to pick out any single track that’s not 100% agreeable, but our favorites include “The Reckless Side of Me,” “Peacemaker,” and “You Put a Hurt On Me.” It’s a good mix of upbeat and slowdown; country, bluegrass, and blues.
It’s delightfully old-timey, and constant sorrow will be yours if you don’t grab “Reckless” on your way home from work today.
So we haven’t posted anything super hardcore in a while. I’m talking about the type of stuff that makes you feel like you just got punched in the face by pure awesome. The kind of music that makes you run faster and jump higher. The stuff that was made by the business end of a kick-ass stick. Well guess what? You’ve just been served. 10 Years has that kick-ass stick.
Figure 1.1
Their new release Feeding the Wolves not only has a manly name, but a manly album cover (see Figure 1.1). Historically I’ve found that if an album has an awesome cover, an awesome name and an awesome artist behind it, you are destined to have something worth its weight in gold. Don’t believe me? Tell that to Michael Jackson’s Thriller or Guns N Roses’ Appetite for Destruction. Yeah, I didn’t think so.
The entire album is a hard-hitting mix of heavy guitar and steel-laden vocals to match. The tracks rarely miss a beat, taking breaks only to show their softer side with powerful ballads (that are not-so-much ballads, I just can’t think of another word to describe them.)
10 Years is currently on the tail-end of the Carnival of Madness tour with the likes of Shinedown, Chevelle, Sevendust, and Puddle of Mudd. But not to worry, they will be headed back out on the road with numerous upcoming tour dates to support the release of their new album.
Buy Feed the Wolves:
We here at FreshScouts loves us some JJ Grey. We’ve been following his albums since his first release with Alligator records in 2007, have been to numerous festivals to see his amazing headlining southern blues shows, and have essentially been stalking his whereabouts online (in a completely non-creepy way.) So of course, when we saw he was coming out with a new album in August, we were ready. We set up shop outside our local record store and slept there for weeks waiting for the arrival of Georgia Warhorse. After numerous scuffles with the locals and run-ins with the law, we realized that waiting outside a record store weeks before an album comes out is NOT a good idea. You live an you learn I guess.
But the waiting was worth it. JJ Grey & Mofro’s latest release is a soulful blend of down-home raspy vocals, heart-wrenching organ licks and some serious slide guitar. I’ve always said that this man’s albums never do justice to his live shows, but this album definitely gets closer with its more intimate moments. Of course, there may be none more intimate than the track “Slow, Hot & Sweaty”, but I’ll let you be the judge of that.
JJ Grey & Mofro have come a long way since Country Ghetto, but one thing I appreciate is that even though their sound has continued to evolve, they have not strayed away from their original style. They continue to be the same gritty blues band they were 3 years ago (and before.) They form the industry instead of the other way around. Props JJ Grey. Props.
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