Listen Up! AKA New Music Tuesday

Pork here.

It’s a week where I am full of confessions. First, I’m not able to properly review any of the numerous, notable releases landing in stores today because I simply haven’t had the albums to do so. That being said, the next few days will find me happily ingesting new albums by Tracy Chapman (always a cherished occasion), Grace Jones, Seal and (here comes Confession #2) David Archuleta. Yes, Pork is an Archie . . . er, Arch Angel . . . or whatever people who swoon over Lil’ Davey want to call themselves. (Stay tuned for more in-depth analysis of David’s self-titled debut and Tracy Chapman’s Our Bright Future.)

One confession I’m not afraid to declare is my lack of excitement about one of today’s hottest acts, T-Pain. No matter how many words he can cleverly misspell or how many top 10 hits he stamps with his vocoded signature, I couldn’t be less interested in hearing Thr33 Ringz, his new full length which will most likely be this week’s biggest seller as millions seem to be captivated by this hip-hop clown with the midas touch. T-Pain’s not my cup of "T," and I’m not going to front that he is. I’ll just hope that he and his circus of crunk fall off the map soon so the R&B/Hip-Hop genre recover . . . like it has from reggaeton.

After the jump, Grace Jones, Seal, and, you guessed it, Vanilla Ice! Plus, The List of all new releases for Tuesday, November 11, 2008.

Enough with what doesn’t make my blood rush. It’s time to put some Grace in your face . . . and ears. Grace Jones storms back with a full-fledged Hurricane, her first album in nearly 2 decades. Get a taste of “Corporate Cannibal”, the lead single and video, and you’re likely to be as captivated and hungry for more as I was. Riding the perfect balance of sexy and scary, Grace quickly reminds you that it’s “[her] rules, you fools” with a delivery so slinky and distinct that you must submit to this “man-eating machine.” I can’t wait to see what else Grace has got on her plate. Check out “Corporate Cannibal” in today’s Media Bar as the featured Music Video of the Day.

I haven’t heard Seal’s Soul, but I must say that the idea of him spinning his vocal abilities all over some legendary soul classics is a no-brainer that has the potential to be a smash. I must say I’m more than a bit worried about his decision to give the production responsibilities to David Foster, famous for (over)producing Celine Dion, Michael Bolton and Barbra Streisand. This is supposed to be a soul classics record. Hell, it’s called Soul! I’ve got my fingers crossed that his bombastic, slick production won’t shellac the sessions with schmaltz and suck the soul out of Seal’s groove.

Proving that real cover-album dreams can come true, Vanilla Ice Is Back! gives you no less than 9 covers of “hip hop classics” (think “Baby Got Back” and “Jump Around”) by Mr. Van Winkle himself along with 4 “Ice Ice Baby” revisits. White hot.

(Take a little time and enjoy . . . ) The List:

All New Music Releases - November 11th, 2008

David Archuleta – David Archuleta
Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise – Out of the Wilderness
Tracy Chapman – Our Bright Future
Deborah Cox – The Promise
Enya – And Winter Came
Grace Jones – Hurricane
Live – Live at the Paradiso (DVD/CD)
The Police – The Police: Certifiable (DVD/CD)
Musiq Soulchild – On My Radio
Seal – Soul
Smashing Pumpkins – If All Goes Wrong (DVD)*
Taylor Swift – Fearless
T-Pain – Thr33 Ringz
Vanilla Ice – Vanilla Ice Is Back! Hip Hop Classics
Butch Walker – Sycamore Meadows
Various Artists – Now That’s What I Call Music! 29
Various Artists – Zack and Miri Make a Porno(Soundtrack)

Greatest Hits, Box Sets, Re-Issues and Re-Masters by: Abba, Christina Aguilera, Patti Austin, Bad Company, Natasha Bedingfiled, Bee Gees, Big Mountain, Boney M., Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, Dio, Hilary Duff, Aretha Franklin, Genesis, Enrique Iglesias, Jurssic 5, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin*, New Order* (5 Collector’s Edition Re-Issues!), The Osmonds, Gilda Radner, Cliff Richard, Carly Simon, Sister Sledge, The Smiths*.

Look any closer and you’ll find new music from Billy Bob Thornton and Kevin Costner. Yes, you read that correctly. Consider yourself warned.

* = acceptable Christmas presents for Pork.