Twostepcub's New Albums Roundup 2/19/23...
It's time for my weekly new albums roundup, where I take a look at the
big albums on this week's American and British albums charts, along with
my choices of the new records I think you should check out. To catch up
on this week's singles round, you can click here.
This week's top ten on the Billboard 200 sees the return of one of the biggest selling singers of all times.
Billboard 200 debut: #10
Billboard Current Albums Sales debut: #2
Official British Albums Chart debut: #1
Choice cut: "Best Friend"
Six years after she made her triumphant return after a fifteen-year lapse with Now, which saw her recovering from almost losing her voice as well as her husband/svengali Mutt Lange, Twain proves she still has a fanbase in America with her latest, which despite Billboard placing this on the album chart is by no way anything but a pop album a la Taylor Swift's initial forays. It's a bit overpolished at times, especially in the striving for TikTok dance relevance in album opener "Giddy Up!", but does reveal more in more stripped down songs like this one.
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Billboard 200 debut: #58
Billboard Current Albums Sales debut: #32
Official British Albums Chart debut: #2
Choice cut: "Escapism"
By far my pick of the albums released this week, it's so refreshing to see an artist like RAYE break free from the record company tassles and make the record that reflects what she wants to put across and be so successful with the results. "Escapism" is such a great record of the despair in being swallowed by youth culture, but there are so many other worthy tracks here like "Ice Cream Man", "Black Mascara", and the title track. It's a club record without being shiny and clean, instead it's grimy, exposed, and real.
Billboard Current Albums Sales debut: #34
Choice cut: "Xanadu"
Hard rock supergroup of veteran troubadours Winery Dogs return with their third disc of simple and punchy songs for the car singalong.
Billboard Current Albums Sales debut: #65
Official British Albums Chart debut: #7
Choice cut: "I Saw"
This is not an easy album for passive listening, but oh the fourth disc from the Scottish trio is so rewarding to those who stop and pay attention. Collecting and melding styles from across the musical spectrum from hip-hop to rock to classical paired with emotionally inciting lyrics makes this a true gem from across the pond.
Official British Albums Chart debut: #30
Choice cut: "Can I Call You"
This moody collaborative affair between Blur's guitarist Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall of the Pipettes gives me the same vibe that the late David Bowie's Blackstar did, and that's a compliment to its complex songcraft and production that grabs your ears in the headphones.
and here's some albums that didn't make the sales charts but worth a listen...
Choice cut: "Stories Going Around"
A companion EP from the alt-rock band's last album from 2020, this set has three versions of that previous disc's "So Much Love" in different languages and styles, as well as this 2-year-old gem.
Choice cut: "Gemini"
Talking about follow-up companion albums, this collection from the alt-hip-hop/rock fusion group surpasses its predecessor, with a joy that pervades all the diverse tracks and collaborators, especially this bubbly banger with toaster Ninja.
Choice cut: "Beautiful"
Sean Dickson, who back in the day graced us with the top-40 pop nugget "Divine Thing", and has since rebranded as club DJ HiFi Sean, had vocalist David McAlmont on his previous album Ft., and now has done a full album with the singer. He proves his scope is much more than clubfillers, which are still her (see "All In The World"), but delivers beautiful introspective songs like this.
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