August 25th – New Music Tuesday featuring Arctic Monkeys & Willie Nelson
A relatively quiet week on the new music front is highlighted by alt rockers Arctic Monkeys, pop songstress Colbie Caillat, Jewish rapper Matisyahu and country classic Willie Nelson. We’ll link to these albums and some reviews below.
Arctic Monkeys : Humbug
Arctic Monkeys have captivated the post-Britpop scene since their 2006 debut, but Humbug finds the group justifying the hype by shifting its best qualities into different, equally dazzling shapes. – Billboard
Buy now on
or Amazon
More reviews at metacritic.com
Willie Nelson : American Classic
Its sound is lustrous, its personnel impeccable. What’s missing is the sense of conviction that Mr. Nelson brings to his strongest work. – The New York Times
Buy now on
or Amazon
More reviews at metacritic.com
Colbie Caillat : Breakthrough
Caillat has a fine voice — clear and ringing, with a hint of a rasp — and she can write hooks. (She co-composed every song here.) But the simpering puppy love grows wearying over 12 tracks, especially because Caillat fails to convince as a romantic heroine. She sounds too goofy — too bubbly and tingly — to be lovelorn. – Rolling Stone
Buy now on
or Amazon
Read the full review at rollingstone.com
Matisyahu : Light
On bright pleasures like the New Wave-y “We Will Walk,” Light comes close to becoming an attention-holding pop album. But it’s dragged into earnest tedium by good-natured platitudes (“I must find a road that leads where nobody goes”) and hippie-soul moments like “Thunder,” on which Matisyeezy sounds like a self-serious indie rapper with a major vegan bent.. – Rolling Stone
Buy now on
or Amazon
Read the full review at rollingstone.com
