Quarters for the Jukebox

In the jukebox for this week (based off what’s new; arranged alphabetically by artist name):

• Adele—Chasing Pavements: Admittedly, this came out in January, but it’s new to me. She’s been labeled “the next Amy Winehouse” and BBC tagged her as the top new music talent for 2008. Her voice is good and smoky, but the song is a slow burner.
• Al Green—Lay it Down: Celebration of Al Green’s music produced by The Roots’ ?uestlove and James Poyser, imposed with duets by breathing artists such as John Legend, Anthony Hamilton and Corinne Bailey Rae.
• Band of Heathens—The Band of Heathens: Americana rock out of Austin. The group is the joining of three former solo acts: Ed Jurdi, Colin Brooks and Gordy Quist.
• Chris Sligh—Running Back to You: The portly guy with a bushel of hair from American Idol’s sixth season releases his first solo album, an offering of Christian pop-rock. His voice sounds waaaaay better (with professional production) than I remembered it.
• Cyndi Lauper—Bring Ya to the Brink: Cyndi pretends she’s Madonna.
• Death Cab for Cutie—Narrow Stairs: Poetic “nerd rock,” and a pretty solid album.
• Ice Cube—It Takes a Nation: After listening to this single, it’s hard to picture him in a third rendition of “Are We There Yet?”
• I See Hawks in L.A.—Hallowed Ground: Witty California country-rock.
• The Myriad—With Arrows, With Poise: Seattle alt-rock band has been tabbed by MTV as an up-and-comer. This is their second full-length effort. Think Muse meets The Bravery.
• Pretty Ricky—Cuddle Up: Wha?!? Pretty Ricky singing about cuddling?!? This is the group that made “Grind With Me,” “Juicy” and “Love Like Honey,” right? Either way, there’s still plenty of talk about “freakin’” and “buckets of ice.” The song is a mess.
• Vampire Weekend—Oxford Comma: Re-release of two songs from the “Vampire Weekend” album: a subtle variation of “Oxford Comma” and the “Insane Mix” of “Walcott.”