Talk about an uneventful week for music releases! At least there’s nothing that I’m really looking forward to hearing. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to report… there are a few notable albums being released today. So if you’re a fan of the following, I guess today’s your day! As far as hip hop goes, we have new releases from Styles P and WC and in the rock scene, Dave Matthews is releasing a new live album with long-time friend Tim Reynolds. One album that I’m curious to check out is the new album from jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard.

For the most part, if you haven’t gone out and bought the new Common CD yet, go ahead and get that. If you already have it, then save your money for the new Kanye album dropping Sept 11!

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds: Live at Radio City Music Hall

In April 2007, Dave Mathews and Tim Reynolds embarked on a 3 city theater tour, culminating with a performance in the intimate confines of Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Due to the small sized venues and extremely limited number of dates, tickets were practically impossible to get, making this new 2 CD set all the more desirable to the huge Dave Matthews band fanbase. Musically this should be a pretty good set. I was a fan of Dave Matthews back in the 90s when he put out more music than he did live performances. I never got a chance to here him live, but I hear it’s a amazing show. Live at Radio City Music Hall is also being released on DVD and Blu-Ray on Aug 28.

Tracklist:

Disc 1

1. Bartender
2. When the World Ends
3. Stay Or Leave
4. Save Me
5. Crush
6. So Damn Lucky
7. Gravedigger
8. The Maker
9. Old Dirt Hill (Bring That Beat Back)
10. Eh Hee
11. Betrayal
12. Out Of My Hands
13. Still Water
14. Medley: Don’t Drink the Water/This Land Is Your Land

Disc 2

1. Oh
2. Cornbread
3. Crash Into Me
4. Down By the River
5. You Are My Sanity
6. Sister
7. Lie In Our Graves
8. Some Devil
9. Grace Is Gone
10. Dancing Nancies
11. #41
12. Two Step

Styles P: Independence

This is the third album Styles P has released with in the past eight months (including The Ghost Sessions and Time Is Money), yet this Lox/D-Block member has not had a hit since “Good Times” from his 2002 debut Gangster and A Gentleman. Not sure if Styles P is feeling the pressure to get new music out there, but his previous efforts didn’t really deliver quality music. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather prefer a Lox reunion with members Jadakiss and Sheek Louch. Independence featuring guests by Jadakiss, Lupe Fiasco, and Papoose. Jadakiss is on four tracks, with three of them being disses aimed at 50 Cent! I haven’t heard of any talk of a single being released, so we’ll see how well this new album fairs.

Tracklist:

1. So On and So On (featuring Bossman Hog)
2. Ta Dis (featuring I-Rocc)
3. Shrimp and Lobster (featuring G. Dep)
4. Shots Fired (50 Cent Diss!!!) (featuring Jadakiss)
5. Rollie on My Arm (featuring Mitchy Slick & Turf Talk)
6. Go Hard (featuring Scarface)
7. Special (featuring G. Dep)
8. Ms. Jackson (50 Cent Diss!!!) (featuring Jadakiss)
9. On the Block for Life (featuring B-Legit, Clyde Carson & Jadakiss)
10. Breath (featuring Slo-O)
11. Sifer (featuring Lupe Fiasco & Papoose)
12. Problem Child (50 Cent Diss!!!) (featuring Jadakiss)

Terence Blanchard: A Tales of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina)

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans native Terence Blanchard has created an impassioned song cycle, A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina). This 13-track emotional tour-de-force of anger, rage, compassion, melancholy, and beauty features Blanchard’s quintet: pianist Aaron Parks, saxophonist Brice Winston, bassist Derrick Hodge, drummer Kendrick Scott- as well as a 40-member string orchestra.

An important jumpstart for A Tale of God’s Will was director Spike Lee’s decision to document the aftermath of Katrina on film, in what turned out to be the four-hour award-winning HBO documentary, When the Levees Broke, which aired last year. Lee, who has enlisted Blanchard on numerous occasions to score his films, such as Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, and Inside Man, tapped him once again for his documentary. Four of the tracks from the documentary were given new arrangements and expanded rounding out an album of nine new tracks inspired by New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina.

If you listen to jazz, this should be one to check out!

Tracklist:

1. Ghost of Congo Square
2. Levees
3. Wading Through
4. Ashe’
5. In Time of Need
6. Ghost of Betsy
7. The Water
8. Mantra Intro
9. Mantra
10. Over There
11. Ghost of 1927
12. Funeral Dirge
13. Dear Mom

WC: Guilty By Affiliation

Guilty by Affiliation is WC’s third solo album, released on Ice Cube’s independent label, Lench Mob Records. The guest rappers on the album will be Ice Cube, The Game, Snoop Dogg and Butch Cassidy. You may remember WC as being one of the members of Ice Cube’s Westside Connection, along with Mack 10. Not sure if this will be any good or not, but if you enjoy west coast gansta rap, then I’m sure WC is on your checklist. His last CD, Ghetto Heisman, was actually pretty good, but I’d much rather hear another Westside Connection album. Ice Cube’s all over it through, being featured on eight tracks, so all we’re really missing here is Mack 10. Production-wise, there aren’t any A-listers on here. Wish he could have gotten Dre on a beat or two. The first single is scheduled to be “This is Los Angeles”.

Tracklist:

1. This Is Los Angeles (featuring Ice Cube)
2. West Coast Voodoo (featuring The Game)
3. Jack And the Bean Stalk
4. Paranoid (featuring Ice Cube)
5. Guilty By Affiliation (featuring Ice Cube)
6. Dodgeball (featuring Snoop Dogg & Butch Cassidy)
7. Keep It 100 (featuring Ice Cube)
8. Crazy Toones 4 President
9. If You See a Bad B**ch (featuring Ice Cube)
10. Look At Me (featuring Ice Cube)
11. Side D**k
12. 80’s Babies (featuring Ice Cube)
13. Gang Injunctions
14. Addicted To It (featuring Ice Cube)