New and Coming Soon From Jewel, Ben Folds, and More

Picking Up the Pieces, by Jewel
Jewel’s newest album, which she is releasing herself on October 16, is meant to be a bookend to her wildly successful debut album, Pieces of You. To that end, the tracks are a mix of new material—including the album’s first single, a collaboration with Dolly Parton titled “My Father’s Daughter”—and songs she’s been playing at concerts for years, but never recorded until now. Since Jewel wanted a “live” feel for this album, all the songs were recorded in one take, with no overdubs or layering, in Nashville’s RCA Studio A, and also during a set at the Standard. Jewel’s return to her folksy, Americana roots is already being welcomed by critics, and for good reason; folk arrangements work best with her unique voice and the emotional resonance of her lyrics.

So There, by Ben Folds
Ben Folds is that rare musician who can get away with a lot of artistic experiments on the strength of his voice and personality; both are quirky, quietly charming, and reflexively likable. His latest creative tangent is chamber pop, and this album sees Folds partnering with New York City-based instrumental group yMusic to see if his pop music vision can be fitted to classical music. Turns out, it can, and very well. The eight songs he recorded with yMusic take full advantage of their masterful playing (and his), without jettisoning Folds’ songwriting gifts; So There‘s sardonic, unpretentious lyrics aren’t as funny as previous albums, but they’re really good. The album’s three ending tracks are a full-blown Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, recorded with the Nashville Symphony with no vocal performance from Folds, who integrates his keyboard into the mix and otherwise lets the music speak for itself.

Paper Gods, by Duran Duran
It’s been nearly 40 years since Duran Duran started playing music together, and over 30 years since their self-titled debut album came out in 1981. One might be tempted to ask how a band that started when the Sex Pistols were playing nightclubs stays relevant in 2015. The answer is by putting out albums like Paper Gods, their fourteenth studio effort. The debut single, “Pressure Off,” features Janelle Monáe as a guest vocalist and proves that the band still has plenty of zing on their collective fastball. The song’s catchy vocal and keyboard hooks are backed up by effortlessly funky guitar, and lets the listener know that, while Duran Duran references their older material, they aren’t resting on any laurels.

Born to Play Guitar, by Buddy Guy
Once described by Eric Clapton as “the best guitar player alive,” Buddy Guy’s upcoming album is also a fitting description of him. Boasting an incredible career that saw him play with (or alongside) nearly every American blues legend worth naming, Guy is still going strong at 73, and Born to Play Guitar is a testament to his past and present. The title track is a slow but passionate example of how good Guy really is; his masterful guitar work and high-pitched, raspy voice carry elements of jazz and soul, with surprising amounts of avant-garde experimentation. Other songs feature cameos from Van Morrison, who joins in on the BB King tribute “Flesh and Bone,” and ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, who contributes to “Wear You Out.”

 I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, by Sinead O’Connor
Pop culture’s enduring memory of Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O’Connor may be the moment she tore up the Pope’s picture on Saturday Night Live, but it’s important not to forget her actual musical achievements. Her second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, was one of the best-selling albums in the world in 1990, and the success of her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” made her a pop superstar. It was nominated for four Grammy awards in 1991, and won the Best Alternative Music Performance category despite O’Connor’s refusal to accept any of the nominations. Still, the upcoming Rhino re-release proves that it’s still as good now as it was then; “Nothing Compares 2 U” is a great take on the original, and her version of “Black Boys on Mopeds” is way better than Chevelle’s.

 J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings Original Soundtrack, by Leonard Rosenman 
We’re all familiar with Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, but not everyone knows about the 1978 animated feature version of Tolkien’s classic trilogy, which had a great soundtrack composed by cinematic powerhouse Leonard Roseman. That double-LP soundtrack is being re-released by Fantasy Records as a special edition collectible set that includes a reproduction of the original gatefold jacket, reproductions of the film’s original marketing and production materials, and the soundtrack itself. Rosenman’s score is as animated and unique as the cartoon it was made for; the mood ranges from jaunty to dark to dreamlike, with a sense of exploration that may very well remind you of Disney’s Fantasia.

 Amadeus Original Soundtrack, by Sir Neville Marriner
Anyone named Neville Marriner is either a sea captain or a cinematic composer; this particular Neville Mariner is the latter, and he composed the soundtrack to the 1984 hit film Amadeus, whose soundtrack is being released on special edition vinyl for the first time by Fantasy Records. Each piece is performed by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, and Neville demanded that Mozart’s pieces be left unchanged from their original compositions, so what you’re getting here is purestrain Mozart. This album was an unexpected success when it was originally released, which speaks to the timelessness of great music and the specific appeal of Mozart’s body of work.