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AllMusic Playlist: Donald Byrd
AllMusic Editors look back on the musical life and legacy of trumpeter, composer and educator Donald Byrd, who passed away in February, by picking their favorite songs from his catalog -- and they want your picks, too!
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The Poplist with the Lone Bellow
Playing "Brooklyn Country Music" that's haunted and graceful, The Lone Bellow's self-titled debut is quite impressive. In the latest Poplist, they sent along some video performances that have impressed and inspired them.
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Reintroducing the AllMusic Blog
The AllMusic Blog is back, and better than ever! Check out the new look, featuring bigger and better images, streamlined categories, and a slicker commenting system.
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New Releases Roundup: Week of 2/26/13
Our friends at Celebified give a quick rundown of some of this week's hottest new releases, including the debuts of Johnny Marr and Atoms for Peace, plus the return of 10,000 Maniacs.
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Win Warped Tour alumni CDs
British hip-hop artist Itch will take the stage at Warped Tour this summer, and to celebrate we're giving away a prize pack of his favorite albums by classic artists who've played the fest!
Enter Now -
Nina Simone giveaway
Legendary artist and activist Nina Simone would have turned 80 this month, and her music and message continue to resonate today. We're marking the occasion by giving away a prize pack of her albums.
Enter Now
featured new releases
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- Alice Russell
- To Dust
- Despite better-known peers, this Essex singer is the true blue-eyed soul queen, and To Dust proves it inarguably.
- 10,000 Maniacs
- Music from the Motion…
- 10,000 Maniacs return from a nearly 15-year hiatus without a hitch on the sweet, gentle Music from the Motion Picture.
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- Atoms for Peace
- Amok
- More about sounds than songs, the first Atoms for Peace full-length sounds like a fleshier sequel to Thom Yorke's first solo album.
- Rodney Crowell / Emmyl …
- Old Yellow Moon
- What took so long? These duets showcase the principals bringing out the best in one another and in the material.
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- Johnny Marr
- The Messenger
- Johnny Marr joyously embraces all of his signature strengths as a songwriter and guitarist on his solo debut, The Messenger.
- Steven Wilson
- The Raven That Refused…
- Steven Wilson's third solo album features a crack new band, Alan Parsons, and an excellent set of new compositions.
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- The Mavericks
- In Time
- The Mavericks first new studio album in eight years is not only a return to form for the band, but an extension of it.
- Doldrums
- Lesser Evil
- Over the course of a mesmerizing, disjointed debut, this Montreal producer presents a strange and captivating aural personality all his own.
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- Ivan & Alyosha
- All the Times We Had
- Ivan & Alyosha's All the Times We Had marks the arrival of a great band fully formed.
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- Bilal
- A Love Surreal
- The supernaturally skilled and creative Philadelphian's third retail album, much lighter than his second, might be his apex.
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- Charles Lloyd
- Hagar's Song
- This is an intuitive conversation on jazz and pop standards between two jazz masters, and also offers a major new composition by the saxophonist.
- Mount Moriah
- Miracle Temple
- The second album by Jenks Miller and Heather McEntire offers a gritty, elegiac, Southern Gothic Americana bursting with desire, poetry, and pathos.
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- Mogwai
- Les Revenants
- The band's score for a French TV show where zombies walk the earth and the world doesn't end defies expectations with an intimate, low-key brilliance.
- Sally Shapiro
- Somewhere Else
- Subtle shifts in sound and some new collaborators make this a nice step forward for the Swedish duo.
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- Autre Ne Veut
- Anxiety
- Paradoxically, Anxiety's bold sonics and vulnerability make it some of Autre Ne Veut's most confident-sounding music.
- Shout Out Louds
- Optica
- The band's self-produced fourth album signals a return to a less mopey/more energetic and slightly less polished sound.
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- Wayne Hancock
- Ride
- This set is right in line with what one expects from Wayne Hancock, although it is perhaps a tad more personal.
- Gold Fields
- Black Sun
- The full-length debut from Australia's Gold Fields is dance-oriented mix of '80s new wave-influenced pop.
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- James Hunter / The Jam …
- Minute by Minute
- After five years, the James Hunter Six and producer Gabriel Roth deliver this deft, expressive, wonderful celebration of earthy, gritty retro-soul.
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- Michael Bolton
- Ain't No Mountain High…
- Michael Bolton re-creates the sound of classic Motown on Ain't No Mountain High Enough.
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- The Lovely Bad Things
- The Late Great Whatever
- The band's debut is a crackling pop-punk energy rush powered by a love of the Pixies, Star Wars, and making a racket.
- Vietnam
- An A.merican D.ream
- After a five-year disappearance, this Brooklyn unit returns with their finest album to date, full of street sermons and dark imagery.
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- Joan Armatrading
- Starlight
- The soulful English singer/songwriter offers up an evocative new set of jazz-pop originals.
- Bill Frisell
- Silent Comedy
- This is the guitarist as we've never heard him before on record, improvising live in a studio with electric guitar, effects, and no overdubs.
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- BOY
- Mutual Friends
- BOY's full-length debut is a melodic, introspective album grounded in the group's poignant, female-centric lyrics.
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- Popstrangers
- Antipodes
- The New Zealand trio's first full-length is a surprisingly subtle and moody marriage of melody and noise.
- Etana
- Better Tomorrow
- With the singer backed by her live band, the reigning queen of socially conscious reggae continues to innovate and empower on her excellent third album.
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- The Next Collective
- Cover Art
- The debut from the jazz supergroup features songs by artists from such genres as pop, rock, R&B, and hip-hop.
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- Woodpigeon
- Thumbtacks and Glue
- A ruggedly ornate set of basement chamber pop songs that should please fans of early Sufjan Stevens.
- Chris Duarte / The Chr …
- My Soul Alone
- This set doesn't break much new ground on Chris Duarte's Texas blues template, but it does spotlight his songwriting, and his guitar work shines.
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- Eric Alexander
- Touching
- Jazz tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander delivers his first album of all ballads.
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- Freddie King
- The Complete King Federal…
- The A- & B-sides of Freddie King's classic singles for King and Federal are collected on this excellent two-disc set.
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- Hank Williams
- The Greatest Hits Live,…
- Hank Williams' career was at an end just as the era of live-to-tape concert, radio, and television shows began, but a few performances were preserved.
- Cappadonna
- Eyrth, Wynd & Fyre/Love…
- There's an accomplished album to carve out of it, but the Wu-Tang Clan affiliate's double-disc release is too cumbersome to call classic.
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- Stratovarius
- Nemesis
- Another riveting, ludicrous, ornate, hammy, and explosive set from one of the genre's finest practitioners.
- Hello People
- Fusion
- The second album from this late-'60s concept band fuses various styles of the day for a weird mesh of convoluted but pleasant songs.
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- Les Dominos / Florence …
- François Couperin: Complete…
- These are odd fusions of French and Italian styles that are beautifully animated by the French historical-instrument group Les Dominos and its leader, violinist…
![Listen to the Warm [Deluxe Edition]](http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_170/MI0003/498/MI0003498008.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)
![Sold out at Carnegie Hall [Deluxe Edition]](http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_170/MI0003/484/MI0003484152.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)
recent releases
![Brecker Brothers Band Reunion [CD+DVD]](http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_170/MI0003/485/MI0003485467.jpg?partner=allrovi.com)
staff picks
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History of the Units: The Early Years: 1977-1983
Half pioneering, synth-driven new wave act and half performance art group, The Units challenged as many preconceptions as they could, and this collection showcases the often thrilling results. Songs like "High Pressure Days" and "Warm Moving Bodies" prove they rock as hard as any of their guitar-wielding peers.
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While I generally feel that most albums are too long, Flood is one of the few records with a sprawling track list that's just rock solid from start to finish. Definitely an album I can listen to without even considering skipping to the next track.
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Following 2002's homemade masterwork Light Green Leaves, nomadic songwriter and sometimes Microphones/Devendra Bandhart collaborator Kyle Fields took the mood down a notch on 2004's Magic Wand. Rainy day folk songs drift by under the loving watch of Fields' Will Oldham-esque mumble, revealing subtle truths and tender observations.
