New Albums - Page 99

Prog-metal band Between the Buried and Me have returned with Automata I, the first of a two-part concept album. The band explores the idea of being able to view the dreams of others. “What if dreams could be broadcast for the purpose of entertainment?” asks vocalist Tommy Rogers. “Could you consume the innermost thoughts of another person on screen? If...

The mighty Judas Priest has returned with Firepower, their 18th studio album and the first to be produced by Tom Allom since 1988’s Ram It Down. Of course, it also features the thunderous bass lines of Ian Hill. Hill is the only original member of the band in the current lineup and has been on every record. In a new...

A mainstay of the rock and metal community, Marco Mendoza has been the anchor for artists like Neal Schon, Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and currently The Dead Daisies. Now he’s released Viva La Rock, his first solo album in eight years. Described as “big, bad, and beautiful,” the album reflects Mendoza’s personality with a range of styles including rock, blues, funk,...

The trio of Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette – referred to as the “Standards trio” – has been prolific in their recordings. Now a new album taken from a 1998 performance promises to be at the top of the heap. After The Fall was recorded in Newark, New Jersey following Jarrett’s two-year hiatus from the stage. “I was...

The Breeders, fronted by former Pixies bassist Kim Deal, have returned with their first new album in a decade. All Nerve is also the return of the band’s classic Last Splash lineup with Deal on guitar and vocals, Jim Macpherson on drums, Kelley Deal on lead guitar and vocals, and Josephine Wiggs laying down the bass. Rallying the old members...

Last year, bassist Shane Cooper launched a new project called Mabuta. The South African band is billed as a jazz quintet, but their mix of jazz, world music, and electronica blend into something that is hard to pin down as one genre. That’s evident by their debut recording, Welcome To This World, which is available now. The Johannesburg-based band consists...

Singer/bassist/songwriter Danielle Nicole’s new album Cry No More is a step in a new direction. The 14-song collection is her most personal yet while adding new elements to her style. Of course, the former Trampled Under Foot bassist is still steeped in the blues. “I’m definitely taking more chances now,” she says. “I grew up playing the blues, and the...

After honing his craft with some of the top jazz musicians in the world, bassist Corcoran Holt has released his debut solo album called The Mecca. Holt, who is a regular with sax legend Kenny Garrett’s band, dishes out a mix of original songs and standards with unshakeable bass lines. Besides a solid foundation, Holt offers thoughtful solos throughout the...

As a former member of both Oscar Peterson’s and Ray Brown’s bands, jazz drummer Jeff Hamilton knows how to make the piano trio format work. That’s evident in his latest release, Live From San Pedro. The album features pianist Tamir Hendelman and bassist Christoph Luty, who Hamilton writes “is known for his big, natural sound, melodic bass lines and solos,...

Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand has returned with their fifth studio album, Always Ascending. The album, anchored by bassist Bob Hardy, is the first to feature their newest member Julian Corrie, who took the place of Nick McCarthy. Always Ascending offers a fresh feel thanks in part to the lineup change as well as the band taking their time...

Ray Brown was a master jazz bassist that could carry entire songs, with or without chordal instruments. One of his most notable recordings of the latter situation has just been reissued on vinyl for its 60th anniversary. Sonny Rollins’s Way Out West features the trio Brown on bass, Rollins on sax, and Shelly Manne on drums. It was taken from...

The Wood Brothers have returned with their sixth album entitled One Drop of Truth. The 10-song album deviates from their previous efforts by presenting each song as its own masterpiece, diving into a variety of styles and influences. “Often, when you’re making an album in the traditional way, there will be a unifying concept, whether that be in the approach...