Weekend Music Roundup!

The weekend is here and it's time once again to venture into my ramblings on music that I've been grooving to lately. For this weekend, I decided to review albums from primarily solo artists, though nobody is really a solo artist because there are inevitably a world of musicians involved in the making of any record. Most of these are new releases from some artists that have long been favorites of mine. There is also a classic record on here that I'm sort of shocked to say I'd never listened to before and even more shocked by how much I love it. All in all, this is a list of great stuff, so do yourself a favor and check some of it out. Enjoy.

Pete Doherty and the Puta Madres - Pete Doherty and the Puta Madres: The third solo album from the Libertines and Babyshambles icon is his first release in three years and is already being hailed as his finest work to date. As a big fan of his work, I'm going to reluctantly agree with that assessment, though with so many great albums, it's hard to choose. This is definitely his best solo record. From the first song, it's one of those rare albums that immediate grabbed me, feeling both new and familiar at the same time, creating an instant love affair. Through all of his troubled history, Pete has always been one thing, and that's an incredibly honest, poetic, and clever songwriter. 

Paul and Linda McCartney - RAM: Paul's second solo album, released in 1971 is probably the album really showcases the full extent of his solo talents. The first album is also great, but a good deal of the material existed as Beatles demos. This is post-Beatles work and as much I like to rag on Paul, this is great stuff. There's not a single song on here that is bad in any way and he shows all of the different sides of "Paul" on this record.

Andrew Bird - My Finest Work Yet: The newest album from the indie chamber folk fixture is his first traditional album in three years, and it may be aptly titled. Though it probably won't find that special place in my world that The Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005) shares, this is a great work of intricate songwriting that shows he's still a master of the craft after decades in the business. There are so many amazing tracks on this record, including "Sisphus," "Bloodless," "Olympians," and "Manifest." 

Jenny Lewis - On the Line: The fourth solo album form the Rilo Kiley singer cam out a few months ago. I've always been on the fence about Jenny Lewis's work. Every album has songs that I truly love, and some songs that I don't. The first single from this album, "Red Bull and Hennessy," is one that I love and so I dove into again as I always have. For my money, this is my favorite of her solo records. There's a 70's Stevie Nicks vibe on here that she conquers. I don't love every song, but there wasn't any that I didn't like. In addition to the lead single, "Heads Gonna Roll," "Hollywood Lawn," and the title track are my favorites. 

Neil Young - Songs for Judy: Released last last year, this is a live album recorded in November of '76. It was on my radar when it came out, as anything the Grandfather of Grunge does, but I didn't pick it up until recently. Part of me was reluctant, simply because I have a lot of live Neil albums, but when I looked at the track listing, I saw that there are a bunch of songs on here that aren't the usual Neil live tracks. I'm so glad I did get it because it's easily one of the best Neil concert albums I've heard.