New stuff (CDs / vinyl)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Black Lips | “Underneath the Rainbow” (collaborators: Tommy Brenneck, Patrick Carney, Ed Rawls; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Vice) |
| Jessi Colter | “Live From Cain’s Ballroom” (her first live album was recorded Sept. 19, 2013, in Tulsa; guests: son Shooter Jennings, David Chernicky; Hear here; Read here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Black Country Rock) |
| Demon Hunter | “Extremist” (producers: guitarist Jeremiah Scott, Aaron Sprinkle; Hear here; Read here; MP3) | (Solid State) |
| Luther Dickinson (of North Mississippi All Stars) | “Rock ‘n Roll Blues” (producer: Dickinson; first single: “Blood ‘n Guts”; Hear here; Read here; LP + MP3) | (New West) |
| Riley Etheridge Jr. | “The Straight and Narrow Way” (producer: Wendell Tilley; guests: Sara Watkins, Erica Falls, Johnny Neel, Dan Dugmore, Jim Keltner; Hear here; MP3) | (Rock Ridge Music) |
| Foster the People | “Supermodel” (producer: Paul Epworth; first single: “Coming of Age”; Hear here; Read here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Columbia) |
| Eliza Gilkyson | “The Nocturne Diaries” (producers: Gilkyson and her son, Cisco Ryder; Hear here; MP3) | (Red House) |
| Hauschka (German pianist-composer) | “Abandoned City” (Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Temporary Residence Ltd.) |
| Engelbert Humperdinck | “Engelbert Calling” (two-disc duets album, featuring collaborations with Elton John, Cliff Richard, Lulu, Il Divo, Willie Nelson, Gene Simmons, Ron Sexsmith, Johnny Mathis, Olivia Newton-John, Smokey Robinson, etc.; Hear here; Read here) | (U.K. – Conehead / Nova Distribution / Universal, March 17) |
| I Am the Avalanche (NYC rock quartet) | “Wolverines” (producer: drummer Brett “The Ratt” Romnes; Hear/read here; MP3) | (I Surrender Records) |
| Enrique Iglesias | “Sex and Love” (producers: The Cataracs, Mark Taylor, Carlos Paucar, RedOne, Marty James, Rome, Metrophonic, etc.; guests: Kylie Minogue, Pitbull, Flo Rida, Marco Antonio Solis, Romeo Santos; Hear here; MP3) | (Universal Republic) |
| Jonathan & Charlotte (“Britain’s Got Talent” finalists) | “Perhaps Love” (released in the U.K. in October 2013; Hear here; MP3) | (Sony Masterworks) |
| Jo Dee Messina | “Me” (first single: “Peace Sign”; Hear here; See here; MP3) | (Dreambound / eOne Music) |
| George Michael | “Symphonica” (his first album since 2004; producers: Michael, the late Phil Ramone; first single: “My Baby Just Cares for Me”; Hear here; MP3; MP3 Deluxe Edition) | (Island) |
| Ronnie Milsap | “Summer Number Seventeen” (includes a reprise of “Lost in the Fifties Tonight [In the Still of the Night]”; Hear here; MP3) | (Legacy Recordings) |
| Kylie Minogue | “Kiss Me Once” (producers: Pharrell Williams, Greg Kurstin, Ariel Rechtshaid, MNEK; first single: “Into the Blue,” written by Ed Sheeran; Hear here; Read here; CD/DVD special edition contains two bonus tracks, “Mr. President” and “Sleeping With the Enemy” and video footage; MP3) | (Warner / Parlophone) |
| John Oates | “Good Road to Follow” (guests: Vince Gill, Ryan Tedder, Hot Chelle Rae, Bekka Bramlett, Wendy Moten, Jerry Douglas; first single: “Stone Cold Love”; Hear here; MP3) | (PS Records / Elektra) |
| Perfect Pussy (Syracuse noise-punks) | “Say Yes to Love” (first single: “Driver”; Hear here; Read here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Captured Tracks) |
| The Pretty Reckless | “Going to Hell” (first single: “Heaven Knows”; Hear here; See here; Vinyl; Deluxe edition; MP3) | (Razor & Tie) |
| Dex Romweber Duo | “Images 13” (first single: “Roll On”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Bloodshot) |
| Ruby The RabbitFoot (Athens, Ga., singer Ruby Kendrick) | “New As Dew” (producers: Kendrick, Nate Nelson; first single: “Ways”; Hear here; See here; LP + MP3) | (Normaltown / New West) |
| Sisyphus (Serengeti, Son Lux and Sufjan Stevens) | “Sisyphus” (Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Joyful Noise Recordings / Asthmatic Kitty) |
| Skrillex | “Recess” (producers: Skrillex, Kill the Noise, KillaGraham, Alvin Risk, Mike Will Made It, Diplo; guests: Ragga Twins, Fatman Scoop, Alvin Risk, Chance the Rapper, etc.; new single: “Coast Is Clear”; Hear here; MP3) | (OWSLA / Big Beat / Atlantic) |
| Taking Back Sunday | “Happiness Is” (producers: Marc Jacob Hudson, Mike Sapone; first single: “Flicker, Fade”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Hopeless) |
| Paul Taylor | “Tenacity” (producer: Dino Esposito; guests: Jeff Lorber, Jonathan Fritzen; Hear here; MP3) | (Peak / eOne Music) |
| The War on Drugs (aka Adam Granduciel) | “Lost in the Dream” (first single: “Red Eyes”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Secretly Canadian) |
| Various artists | “Muppets Most Wanted [Film soundtrack]” (opens March 21; stars Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tina Fey, with cameos by Diddy, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Ross Lynch, Usher, etc.; See here; MP3) | (Disney) |
More Releases for the Week of March 18, 2014
New stuff (MP3s)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Broken Gold (Austin, Texas-based band led by Riverboat Gamblers’ Ian MacDougall) | “Residency at Hundo Beach [MP3]” (six-song EP; Hear here) | (End Sounds) |
| Martin Lorentzson | “Together [MP3]” (producer: Carl Granberg; guests: Pell Hillstrom, Jaime Salazar, Emmi Sandberg, Bebe Riesenfors, Fredrik NIlsson, Patrik Lorentzsonr, Mats Bengtssonerik; first single: “Together”; ReverbNation) | (Bamalama Recordings, March 22) |
“I wanted to develop as a songwriter and improve my skills through the help of others,” Lorentzson tells P&P. “I also wanted my songs to go places they usually don’t go. So I collaborated with people I’ve never met and worked with before and wrote eight new songs. I’m kind of proud of what we accomplished. Together.”
| The Mouth of Ghosts (London-based trip-hop quintet) | “You Will Go Again from Me EP [MP3]” (six-song EP; Hear here; See here) | (The Mouth of Ghosts, March 16) |
| Ray Price (the Country Music Hall of Famer died in December 2013) | “Beauty Is … [MP3]” (three-song EP, his final recordings; the full 12-song album is available at Walmart and Cracker Barrel stores; guest: Vince Gill; Read here) | (Amerimonte LLC, March 16) |
| Ian Roberts | “Come Outside and Play [MP3]” (four-song EP; producer: Tristan Ivemy; first single: “Sweetlove Butterfly”; P&P Feature; Hear here; See here; CD) | (Our Little Label, March 17) |
“Others are saying it’s fresh and new, that I have a unique sound but that my songs still sound familiar,” Roberts tells P&P. “Of course, it’s lovely to hear that, I just think that I write songs with melody, I write the kind of songs that I want to hear. It’s my debut EP so I have many dreams.”
Reissues (CDs / vinyl)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| The Butterfield Blues Band | “East-West [Hybrid SACD – DSD]” (1966 album; remastered) | (Audio Fidelity) |
| Belinda Carlisle | “The Collection [CD/DVD]” (contains a new song, “Goodbye Just Go”) | (U.K. – DMG TV, March 17) |
| Eric Clapton | “Behind the Sun [Hybrid SACD – DSD]” (1985 album; remastered) | (Audio Fidelity) |
| The Everly Brothers | “The Very Best of the Everly Brothers” | (U.K. – Rhino, March 17) |
| The Exploited | “The Massacre” (1990 album; remastered), “Beat the Bastards” (1990 album; remastered), “Fuck the System” (2003 album; remastered) | (Nuclear Blast America) |
| Amy Grant | “Time Again … Live” (recorded April 11-12, 2006, at Bass Hall in Fort Worth, Texas; MP3) | (Amy Grant / UMe) |
| Groove Armada | “Northern Star: 15th Anniversary Edition” (1998 album; remastered, with a second CD of eight bonus tracks) | (Tummy Touch) |
| Jim Messina | “Messina” (CD Deluxe Vinyl Replica; 1981 album; remastered) | (Culture Factory USA) |
| Esther Phillips | “Baby I’m for Real! 4 Classic Albums 1971-1974” (two-CD set includes 1971’s “From a Whisper to a Scream,” 1972’s “Alone Again, Naturally,” 1973’s “Black-Eyed Blues” and 1974’s “Performance”; remastered; Read here) | (Raven) |
| Poco | “Ghost Town” (CD Deluxe Vinyl Replica; 1982 album; remastered) | (Culture Factory USA) |
| Elvis Presley | “Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis: Legacy Edition” (1974 album; remastered; contains all concert tracks not included on the original vinyl; a second disc contains a previously unreleased mono “test run” of the entire concert, recorded at Richmond Coliseum two days earlier on March 18, 1974; Read here; MP3) | (RCA / Legacy) |
| Todd Rundgren | “A Wizard, A True Star [180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl]” (1973 album; remastered; two LPs) | (Friday Music) |
| Saxon | “The Complete Studio Album Collection 1979-1988 [Box set]” (10 CDs) | (Rhino) |
| The Stranglers | “Feline” (CD Deluxe Vinyl Replica; 1983 album; remastered), “Aural Sculpture” (CD Deluxe Vinyl Replica; 1984 album; remastered), “Dreamtime” (CD Deluxe Vinyl Replica; 1986 album; remastered), “All Live and All of the Night” (CD Deluxe Vinyl Replica; 1988 album; remastered) | (Culture Factory USA) |
| Donna Summer | “I Remember Yesterday” (CD Deluxe Vinyl Replica; 1977 album; remastered), “She Works Hard for the Money” (CD Deluxe Vinyl Replica; 1983 album; remastered) | (Culture Factory USA) |
| UFO | “The Complete Studio Albums 1974-1986 [Box set]” (10 CDs) | (Rhino) |
| Various artists | “Step Inside My Soul: Rare ’70s and Modern Soul” (18 songs; Read here) | (Cree) |
| The Velvet Underground | “Live at the Boston Tea Party: December 12th 1968” (two CDs; Hear here) | (Keyhole) |
| Barry White | “Can’t Get Enough [Vinyl]” (1974 album; remastered) | (Audio Fidelity) |
More Releases for the Week of March 18, 2014
Reissues (MP3s)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| David Ruffin | “My Whole World Ended [MP3]” (1969 album), “David Ruffin [MP3]” (1973 album) | (Motown / UMe) |
| Village People | “Cruisin’ [MP3]” (1978 album; includes “Y.M.C.A.”) | (Mercury / UMe) |
DVD/Blu-ray
| Artist: | Title: | Label/studio: |
| Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, et al | “American Hustle [DVD]” (2013 film; See here; Blu-ray + DVD) | (Sony Pictures) |
| Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, et al | “Frozen [DVD]” (2013 film; See here; Blu-ray + DVD) | (Walt Disney) |
| Judy Collins | “Judy Collins: Live In Ireland [DVD]” (See here; CD) | (Cleopatra) |
| Idris Elba, Naomie Harris | “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom [DVD]” (2013 film; See here; Blu-ray) | (Anchor Bay) |
| Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs | “The Dukes of September [DVD]” (filmed in November 2012 and aired on PBS’ “Great Performances”; See here; Blu-ray) | (429) |
| Stephen Hawking | “A Brief History of Time (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray + DVD]” (1991 documentary, directed by Errol Morris, with music by Philip Glass; See here) | (Criterion Collection) |
| Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks | “Saving Mr. Banks [DVD]” (2013 film; See here; Blu-ray + DVD) | (Walt Disney) |
More DVD/Blu-ray Releases for the Week of March 18, 2014
Music books
| Subject/ Author(s): | Title: | Publisher: |
| Alex Chilton | “A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton, From Box Tops to Big Star to Backdoor Man [Hardcover]” (author: Holly George-Warren; Kindle) | (Viking Adult, March 20) |
| Kurt Cobain | “Here We Are Now: The Lasting Impact of Kurt Cobain [Hardcover]” (author: Charles R. Cross; Kindle) | (It Books) |
| David Roberts | “Rock Atlas USA: The Musical Landscape of America [Paperback]” (a guide to 650 music locations across the U.S.) | (Clarksdale) |
More Book Releases for the Week of March 18, 2014
Other music-related items
| Brand: | Title: | Manufacturer: |
| Amazon | Easter Gift Cards | (Amazon) |
| ASUS | Chromebox (Read here) | (ASUS, March 18) |
| Audio-Technica | Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBL Professional Headphones (Read here) | (Audio-Technica, March 19) |
| Fugoo | Fugoo Sport Bluetooth Wireless Speaker (Read here) | (Fugoo, March 21) |
| Samsung | Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 (Read here) | (Samsung, March 20) |