It's an eclectic collection this week.
1) Dixie Chicks - Taking the Long Way
Fed up with being ostracized by the country music community due to their political views, the Dixie Chicks veer more strongly into rock and pop than ever before.
2) Various Artists - American Idol Season 5 Encores
This year's American Idol album featuring all 12 of the finalists with what the album producers perceive as their best moments.
3) Angels and Airwaves - We Don't Need to Whisper
The latest project from blink-182's Tom DeLonge. Angels and Airwaves add art-rock flourishes to the pop melodies and growing political concerns on the last work by blink-182.
4) The Wreckers - Stand Still, Look Pretty
Michelle Branch, half of the duo now known as the Wreckers, is heading in the opposite direction from the Dixie Chicks. She is gradually relocating from her former adult alternative pop identity to straightforward country rock.
5) Def Leppard - Yeah!
A collection of covers turns out to be the best Def Leppard album in many years.
6) Less Than Jake - In With the Out Crowd
The title pretty much says it all. Ska-punk isn't the most popular genre right now, but Less Than Jake are one of the most accomplished bands in the eyes of their loyal circle of admirers.
7) Huey Lewis & the News - Greatest Hits
This is the best compilation of the work of Huey Lewis and the News yet. Be prepared for flashbacks galore.
8) Johnny Cash - Personal File
Trolling through recordings left behind when a legend dies doesn't always yield listenable material. However, this album is just as riveting as some of Cash's very best work.
9) Slaid Cleaves - Unsung
Nominally, this music falls into the loose category of Americana, but it is best to think of it as simply a singer and his songs.
10) Ditty Bops - Moon Over the Freeway
Dipping into a wide realm of genres, the Ditty Bops are primarily out to make music that sounds good and sounds fun.
