The NOW franchise of pop hit collections leads off this week's collection of new albums in stores.
1. Various Artists - NOW That's What I Call Music! 43
Courtesy Capitol
The NOW! franchise marches onward. It looks like this set will hit #1 on the album chart. It will be the first from the series to do so since NOW! 37 back in early 2011. It will be the 16th in the series to top the chart. The first that did so was NOW! 4 more than a decade ago in 2000.
2. Elle Varner - Perfectly Imperfect
Courtesy RCA
23 year old R&B singer Elle Varner has been the subject of significant music industry buzz since her signing to RCA Records in 2009. Two of her singles have reached the top 20 on the R&B singles chart. "Refill" reached #10 earlier this year. Perfectly Imperfect is her debut full-length album.
3. David Archuleta - BEGIN
Courtesy Highway
BEGIN is the first album from David Archuleta after he announced he will be going on hiatus to do missionary work. It is his final collection recorded before the hiatus. The album includes nine cover versions and one new song, "Broken," written by David Archuleta himself.
4. John Mayer - The Complete 2012 Performances
Courtesy Columbia
This collection of four acoustic versions of songs from John Mayer's recent Born and Raised and one new song is being sold exclusively on iTunes. Three of John Mayer's last four studio albums all hit #1 on the album chart.
5. Sixpence None the Richer - Lost In Transition
Courtesy Sixpence
It has been ten years since the last studio album from the group Sixpence None the Richer. The group is best known for their self-titled platinum certified 1997 album and the #2 pop hit "Kiss Me."
6. Redd Kross - Researching the Blues
Courtesy Merge
Rock band Redd Kross have been releasing music for more than 30 years. The future of the band came into question in 1999 after the death of guitarist Eddie Kurdziel. The group began performing live again in 2006. Researching the Blues is the first new studio album by Redd Kross since 1997.
7. Antony and the Johnsons - Cut the World
Courtesy Secretly Canadian
Antony and the Johnsons are an experimental pop group that earned a chart breakthrough after their album I Am a Bird won the 2005 Mercury Prize. Cut the World is the second live album from the group.
8. 10 Years - Minus the Machine
Courtesy Pale Horse
Alternative metal band 10 Years reached the top 20 of the album chart with their last two studio albums. Minus the Machine is being released on the group's own independent label Palehorse which the group says allows them to make music with "no boundaries." The first single from the album is titled "Backlash."
9. Various Artists - We Walk the Line: A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash
Courtesy Legacy
We Walk the Line is a CD and DVD of the 80th birthday concert honoring the memory of Johnny Cash in Austin, Texas on April 20, 2012. The all-star lineup celebrated the music, life and legacy of Johnny Cash.
10. Marcus Miller - Renaissance
Courtesy Concord Jazz
Marcus Miller is one of the top jazz bass players. Before he began recording on his own he was a member of the Saturday Night Live house band. He has been recording solo albums since 1982. Marcus Miller's album M2 won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz album.
