This year, the astronomical fall begins on Sept. 23 (at 4:21 a.m. EDT, to be exact) and ends Dec. 21. In those two months before winter, there’s the usual slew of new music releases on the horizon.
Get those iTunes and Amazon gift cards ready: This is Pauseandplay.com’s Fall Music Preview. Here are just a few of the highlights … click on the dates for expanded listings.
Sept. 25, 2015
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap | “The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern” (a mix of new originals and classic American tunes; Hear here; Read here; MP3) | (RPM / Columbia) |
| The Dead Weather (Jack White, Alison Mosshart, Dean Fertita and Jack Lawrence) | “Dodge and Burn” (new single: “I Feel Love [Every Million Miles]”; Hear here; See here; MP3) | (Third Man) |
| Disclosure | “Caracal” (guests: Gregory Porter, Nao, Lion Babe, Kwabs; first single: “Holding On”; Hear here; MP3; MP3 Deluxe Edition) | (PMR / Island) |
| Don Henley | “Cass County” (guests: Mick Jagger, Dolly Parton, Miranda Lambert, Merle Haggard, Vince Gill, Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, Lucinda Williams; Hear here; Read here; MP3; MP3 Deluxe Edition) | (Capitol) |
| New Order | “Music Complete” (their first album in 10 years; producers: New Order, Tom Rowlands, Stuart Price; guests: Brandon Flowers, Iggy Pop Elly Jackson of La Roux; Hear here; MP3) | (Mute) |
ALSO: Shawn Colvin … Julio Iglesias … Kaskade … Los Lobos … Parkway Drive … Skylar Stecker
Oct. 2, 2015
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Avicii | “Stories” (guests: Jon Bon Jovi, Billie Joe Armstrong, Chris Martin, Wyclef Jean, Serj Tankian, Matisyahu, etc.; new single: “For a Better Day”; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (PRMD / Island) |
| Collective Soul | “See What You Started By Continuing” (their first album in six years; first single: “This”; Hear/read here; MP3) | (Vanguard) |
| Janet Jackson | “Unbreakable” (her first album in seven years; producers: Jackson, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis; guests: Missy Elliott, J. Cole; first single: “No Sleeep”; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (Rhythm Nation / BMG) |
| Joe Jackson | “Fast Forward” (his first album of original material in seven years; recorded in four cities: New York, Amsterdam, Berlin and New Orleans; guests: Bill Frisell, Regina Carter, Brian Blade, Graham Maby, Mitchell Sink, Tindersticks drummer Earl Harvin, Stanton Moore, Robert Mercurio, Jeff Raines, etc.; first single: “Fast Forward”; Hear here; See here; Read here; MP3) | (Work Song / Caroline) |
| Sevendust | “Kill the Flaw” (producers: Sevendust; first single: “Thank You”; See here; MP3) | (7Bros.) |
| Squeeze | “Cradle to the Grave” (their 14th studio album, featuring the first collection of new songs from Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook since 1998; producers: Tilbrook, Laurie Latham; Hear here; Read here) | (U.K. – Virgin EMI) |
ALSO: Queensrÿche … The Selecter … Wavves … EODM (Eagles of Death Metal) … Editors
Oct. 9, 2015
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Selena Gomez | “Revival” (first single: “Good For You”; Hear here; See here; MP3; MP3 Deluxe Edition, with three extra tracks; iTunes) | (Interscope) |
| Toby Keith | “35 mph Town” (producers: Keith, Bobby Pinson; first single: “Drunk Americans”; Hear here) | (Show Dog Nashville / Universal) |
| Jana Kramer | “thirty one” (first single: “I Got the Boy”; Hear here; Read here; MP3) | (Elektra Nashville) |
| Duncan Sheik | “Legerdemain” (his first album of original material since 2009; first single: “Photograph”; Hear here; MP3) | (Kobalt Music) |
| Jake Shimabukuro | “Travels” (Hear here; MP3) | (eOne Music) |
| Ann Wilson | “The Ann Wilson Thing! – #1” (EP; Hear here) | (Rounder) |
| The Zombies | “Still Got That Hunger” (their U.S. “Odyssey & Oracle 2015 Tour” opens Sept. 30 in Dallas and ends Oct. 27 in San Francisco; producer: Chris Potter; Hear here; Read here) | (The End) |
ALSO: John Grant … Little May … Cord Lund … Jon McLaughlin … New Found Glory
Oct. 16, 2015
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Bryan Adams | “Get Up!” (producer: Jeff Lynne; first single: “Brand New Day”; Hear here; MP3) | (UMe) |
| Coheed and Cambria | “The Color Before the Sun” (first single: “You Got Spirit, Kid”; Hear here; See here; MP3) | (300 Entertainment) |
| Kidz Bop Kids | “Kidz Bop 30” (15 covers) | (Razor & Tie) |
| Demi Lovato | “Confident” (producers: Max Martin, Ali Payami, Ilya Salmanzadeh; guests: Iggy Azalea, Sirah; first single: “Cool for the Summer”; Hear here; MP3; MP3 Deluxe Edition) | (Hollywood / Island / Safehouse) |
| Pentatonix | “Pentatonix” (guest: Jason Derulo; first single: “Can’t Sleep Love”; Hear here; Deluxe Edition; MP3; MP3 Deluxe Edition, with four bonus tracks) | (RCA) |
| The Brian Setzer Orchestra | “Rockin’ Rudolph” (their first Christmas album in 10 years; producer: Peter Collins; Hear here; MP3) | (Surfdog) |
ALSO: Deerhunter … !!! (chk chk chk) … The Charlie Daniels Band … EL VY … Here We Go Magic
Oct. 23, 2015
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Andrea Bocelli | “Cinema” (covers of film songs; guests: Ariana Grande, Nicole Scherzinger, Veronica Berti; first single: “Nelle Tue Mani (Now We Are Free),” from the film “Gladiator”; See here; MP3; MP3 Deluxe Edition, with three extra tracks) | (Verve) |
| Vanessa Carlton | “Liberman” (the album is named for her her grandfather’s original surname; first single: “Willows”; Hear here; See here; Read here; Deluxe Edition) | (Dine Alone Music) |
| 5 Seconds of Summer | “Sounds Good Feels Good” (producer: John Feldmann; first single: “She’s Kinda Hot”; Hear here; See here; Deluxe Edition; MP3; MP3 Deluxe Edition) | (Capitol) |
| Joanna Newsom | “Divers” (her first album in five years; producers: Steve Albini, Noah Georgeson; first single: “Sapokanikan”; See here; MP3) | (Drag City) |
| Rod Stewart | “Another Country” (first single: “Love Is”: Hear here; See here; MP3; MP3 Deluxe Edition) | (Capitol) |
| Carrie Underwood | “Storyteller” (producer: Jay Joyce; first single: “Smoke Break”; Hear here) | (19 Recordings / Arista Nashville) |
ALSO: The Cox Family … Band of Merrymakers … Half Moon Run … Shawn Mullins … Killing Joke
Oct. 30, 2015
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | “It’s a Holiday Soul Party” (Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Daptone) |
| Nigel Kennedy (British violinist and violist) | “Vivaldi: The New Four Seasons” (Hear here; MP3) | (Sony Classical) |
| Steve Martin & Edie Brickell | “So Familiar” (producer: Peter Asher; guests: Mike Einziger, Béla Fleck; first single: “Won’t Go Back”; Hear here; MP3) | (Rounder) |
| The Neighbourhood | “Wiped Out!” (first single: “R.I.P. 2 My Youth”; Hear here; MP3) | (The Revolve Group / Columbia) |
| Various artists | “NOW That’s What I Call Music! 56” | (NOW Music) |
| Various artists | “We Love Disney” (covers of Disney songs by Ariana Grande, Ne-Yo, Jessie J, Jason Derulo, Gwen Stefani, Jhene Aiko, Fall Out Boy, Tori Kelly, Kacey Musgraves, Rascal Flatts, etc.; producer: David Foster; Hear here; Deluxe Edition) | (Verve / Walt Disney) |
ALSO: Lalah Hathaway … GEMS … Escape the Fate … Beach Slang … Drive-By Truckers
Nov. 6, 2015
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Coasts (Bristol, England, rock band) | “Coasts” (producers: Mike Spencer, Mark Crew, Elliot James, Fraser T. Smith, Duncan Mills, James Rushent; Hear here; Deluxe Edition, with six extra tracks; MP3; MP3 Deluxe Edition) | (Capitol) |
| Steve Forbert | “Compromised” (his 16th studio album; producers: Forbert, John Simon; Hear here) | (Rock Ridge Music / ADA) |
| MC Lars | “The Zombie Dinosaur LP” (producers: Lars, Jim Greer, Damondrick “D.J.” Jack; guests: Watsky, Kool Keith, Spose, Roger Lima of Less than Jake, STZA Crack of Leftöver Crack, Brian Mazzaferri of I Fight Dragons; Hear here) | (Horris) |
| Natalie Merchant | “Paradise Is There: The New Tigerlily Recordings” (all-new recordings revisiting her 1995 solo debut album, “Tigerlily”; accompanied by a documentary DVD containing live performances, archival footage and interviews; Hear here; MP3) | (Nonesuch) |
| Charlie Puth | “Nine Track Mind” (guests: Meghan Trainor, Shy Carter; new single: “One Call Away”; Hear here; See here; iTunes) | (Artist Partner Group / Atlantic) |
| Billy Sherwood (currently the bass player for Yes) | “Citizen” (Hear here; see related reissue below) | (Frontiers) |
Nov. 13, 2015
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Dan Baird & Homemade Sin | “Get Loud” (Hear here; MP3) | (Jerkin Crocus Promotions) |
| Justin Bieber | (title TBA; first single: “What Do You Mean?”; Hear here) | (RBMG / Def Jam) |
| Girlschool | “Guilty As Sin” (producer: Chris Tsangarides; first single: “Come the Revolution”; Hear here) | (UDR Music) |
| Chris Isaak | “First Comes the Night” (his first album of new material in six years; producers: Paul Worley, Mark Needham; Hear here) | (Vanguard) |
| Little Mix (British girl group won U.K. “X Factor” in 2011) | “Get Weird” (first single: “Black Magic”; Hear here; Deluxe Edition; MP3; MP3 Deluxe Edition) | (Syco Music / Columbia) |
| Trans-Siberian Orchestra | “Letters From the Labyrinth” (their first full-length album since 2009’s “Night Castle”; Hear here) | (Lava / Republic) |
| Chris Young | “I’m Comin’ Over” (producers: Young, Corey Crowder; guest: Cassadee Pope; first single: “I’m Comin’ Over”; Hear here; Read here) | (RCA Nashville) |
Nov. 20, 2015
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Blue October | “Things We Do at Night – Live From Texas” (recorded Nov. 28-29, 2014, at House of Blues in Dallas; Vinyl; Blu-ray) | (Up/Down / Brando) |
| Grateful Dead | “Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of Grateful Dead” (July 5, 2015, concert at Chicago’s Soldier Field, marking the original members’ last-ever performance together; Box set, four CDs, two DVDs; DVD; Blu-ray) | (Rhino) |
Nov. 27, 2015
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets | “The Quality Holiday Revue (Live)” (See here; MP3) | (Yep Roc) |
Dec. 11, 2015
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Kevin Gates | “Islah” (first single: “La Familia”; Hear here; See here; MP3) | (Bread Winners Association/Atlantic) |
Dec. 18, 2015
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| John Williams | “Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)” (J.J. Abrams-directed film opens Dec. 18; See here) | (Walt Disney) |