Future Favorite Records?

AUTUMN SOUNDS
by Ben Greenman
The New Yorker, 9/1/08

Upcoming albums, with release dates in ( )…
(I added boldface to the ones I’m looking forward to)

“Acid Tongue” (Warner) Tricky, “Knowle West Boy” (Domino): The king of moody British trip-hop returns with an album that veers between woozy autobiography and dark, stabbing rock (Sept. 9).

George Clinton and the Gangstas of Love, “Radio Friendly” (Shanachie): The funk godfather covers R. & B. standards with a large group of collaborators that includes Sly Stone and Carlos Santana (Sept. 16).

“Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby” (Stiff): Two beloved cult figures parlay a personal partnership into a professional one (Sept. 16).

Jenny Lewis, “Acid Tongue” (Warner): The Rilo Kiley front woman releases her second solo album, with help from Elvis Costello, Zooey Deschanel, Chris Robinson, and others (Sept. 23).

The Pretenders, “Break Up the Concrete” (Artist First): Chrissie Hynde puts together yet another bunch of musicians to play yet another bunch of tough, smart songs, some of which have a country feel (Sept. 23).

Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman, “The Fabled City” (Epic): The legendary rock guitarist (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave) releases a second disk as his folk-for-the-common-man alter ego (Sept. 30).

Todd Rundgren, “Arena” (HiFi): Nearly every Rundgren album has a concept; this one is a return to the pump-your-fist rock of the late seventies and early eighties (Sept. 30).

Bob Dylan, “Tell-Tale Signs” (Columbia): The Bootleg Series continues with a multi-disk set of rarities from the most recent phase of Dylan’s career, which means mainly soundtrack work and outtakes and alternate versions from “Out of Mercy” and “Time Out of Mind” (Oct. 7).

Lambchop, “Ohio (OH)” (Merge): More soulful country-folk from Kurt Wagner and his sprawling ensemble; the lead single is the beautifully abstract “Slipped Dissolved and Loosed” (Oct. 7).

Todd Snider, “Peace Queer” (Aimless): Any Snider release is an event, and this EP is no exception. His brilliant brand of rambling, homespun comedy is in fine form on the title track, and there’s also a moving cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” (Oct. 14).

Lucinda Williams, “Little Honey” (Lost Highway): Williams’s fans once had to wait years between albums; now they’re nearly an annual occurrence. This one features a duet with Elvis Costello and, hand to God, a cover of AC/DC’s “Long Way to the Top” (Oct. 14).

Hank III, “Damn Right, Rebel Proud” (Curb): Hank Williams III looks just like his famous grandfather and raises hell just like his famous father; this album follows his established formula by mixing twisted hardcore and straightforward country (Oct. 21).

Labelle, “Back to Now” (Verve): Everyone knows the R. & B. trio of Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash, if only because of “Lady Marmalade”; they’re reuniting for their first album in more than three decades, with production by Gamble and Huff and Lenny Kravitz (Oct. 21).

Grace Jones, “Hurricane” (Wall of Sound): The dance icon’s first album in nearly two decades comes on the heels of a triumphant performance at the Meltdown Festival (late Oct.).

Missy Elliott, “Block Party” (Atlantic): Elliott’s new album has been leaking out in pieces this year, but it’ll finally arrive in all its glory (Nov. 11).

Taylor Swift, “Fearless” (Big Machine): “Change,” a staple of the Olympics broadcasts, appears on the country star’s sophomore album, along with a dozen other original compositions (Nov. 11).

Big Boi, “Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty” (OutKast): The second solo album from the less eclectic but no less brilliant half of OutKast. Guests include Andre 3000, Raekwon, and Mary J. Blige (Dec.).