The music industry is back in full swing after the traditional post-holiday lull. These are the top new pop music releases among this week's crop of new albums.
1) Various Artists - Grammy Nominees 2006
The release of an album featuring nominees for the current year's Grammy Awards has become an annual January event. The awards are not presented until February 8th, but this is your chance to preview some of the outstanding music vying for awards. Particular artists of note include Kelly Clarkson, Coldplay, Gorillaz, and Rob Thomas.
2) Il Divo - Ancora
The boys of Popera return! Their first album blending pop songs and the vocal stylings of opera landed in the top 5. This time romance is in the air just in time for Valentine's Day. Among the highlights are versions of Mariah Carey's "Hero" and Eric Carmen's evergreen classic "All By Myself."
3) Yellowcard - Lights and Sounds
Warped tour veterans, the pop punk band Yellowcard, return. Their last album Ocean Avenue went platinum and landed inside the top 25 on the album chart.
4) Various Artists - Now That's What I Call Music! The #1's
This is a Now! special edition. If you are a collector of the album series, all of these songs are available on earlier sets, but, if not, these are indeed 20 of the biggest hit songs of the past decade or so in one convenient package.
5) Marty Casey and the Lovehammers - Marty Casey and the Lovehammers
You got to know Chicago's Marty Casey as the runner-up to JD Fortune on Rock Star: INXS. Now Marty Casey and his band the Lovehammers are on tour opening for INXS, and they've just released a new album.
Listen to Marty Casey and the Lovehammers.
6) P.O.D. - Testify
Christian music's metal-rap-reggae masters hook up with producer Glen Ballard, the man behind major hits by Alanis Morissette and Van Halen, and the result is one of their best albums. Their last two albums have reached the top 10, and "Goodbye For Now," the first single from this album, is already a modern rock hit.
7) Duncan Sheik - White Limousine
You may remember Duncan Sheik for his 1996 hit single "Barely Breathing." He has recorded wide ranging experimental pop music since then, but he has not yet returned to the upper reaches of the pop singles chart. This is his first album in 3 1/2 years, and the sound of his songs is crystalline, intimate, and beautiful. Those who purchase the album early receive a DVD with software that will allow you to remix all of the songs on the album.
8) Cat Power - The Greatest
Cat Power is a favorite in indie rock circles. This time she has created some of her most accessible pop music with the assistance of classic Memphis soul musicians.
9) Rosanne Cash - Black Cadillac
Since the release of her last album Rules of Travel, Rosanne Cash has lost her father, mother, and stepmother. This album is a document of her grieving process. It even begins with a recording of the voice of her father, Johnny Cash, saying "Rosanne, c'mon." Rosanne Cash's roots are indeed country, but this album touches on blues and rock as well. It is a quiet, powerful masterpiece.
10) Audio Bullys - Generation
Audio Bullys create slick, modern dance music that often carries an aura of nostalgia. This is particularly evident on Generation in their reworking of Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang (He Shot Me Down)" as "Shot You Down."
