Every month, Queens Library's expert staff will bring you the best of what's new in our collection. Check out these music recommendations for June:
Dolly Parton - Blue Smoke
Dolly Parton is country music’s most successful woman of all time. Blue Smoke is her 42nd album and it’s a mix of gospel, mountain music, bluegrass and even a little rock-n-roll. After half a century in entertainment, Dolly Parton is still selling out concert halls worldwide. Take a listen to the title track here!
Catherine Russell - Bring It Back
Catherine Russell should be no stranger to New York jazz enthusiasts. Her father worked with Louis Armstrong as a band leader and arranger while her mother had a 70 year career as a professional vocalist and guitar player. Ms. Russell’s 5th album plays like a history of jazz without sounding like a museum piece. All of the numbers feel fresh, earthy and honest. Hear a sampler of the album here!
Enrique Iglesias - Sex and Love
Enrique Iglesias’ 10th studio album is a bilingual treat of dance floor tunes and soulful ballads. Although his earliest fans are a bit critical of his commercial acclaim, anyone who enjoys anthemic beats and slow Latin grooves will find a lot to like with this CD. Guest artists include Pitbull, Kylie Minogue and Flo Rida. Listen to the Spanish language single Bailando here!
Nick Cannon - White People Party Music
Whether you know him as a comedian, DJ, TV host or Mariah Carey’s husband you can now add EDM artist to Nick Cannon’s list of talents. His new controversially named album can be a bit confusing to those who want to know if he is being serious or satirical, but the ravers will just dance. It doesn’t matter if you think it’s silly, that’s just part of the fun. Judge for yourself with the video for Me Sexy here!
Kaiser Chiefs - Education, Education, Education and War
Cynical, snarky and sarcastic, the Kaiser Chiefs are back in action. The court jesters of British rock have released their fifth album and if you liked the first four, you’ll be in for a treat that gets better with every listen. If you plan on watching the World Cup, this is recommended for background rally music when England takes on their opponents. Be careful though, hooliganism may result. Hear the track Misery Company here!
August Alsina - Testimony
The debut album from New Orleans native August Alsina is a mix of R&B and rap with a healthy dose of soul. It is gritty, honest music that draws you in and lets you hear his story without too many production tricks or vocal calisthenics. The fact that he sings more than raps has given him the label of “crooner”, but that’s a good thing. Get to know August Alsina in the part of his mini docu-series My Testimony here!
The Black Keys - Turn Blue
Following the critical and commercial success of their last album El Camino, the Black Keys return with Turn Blue. It is their eighth studio album and fourth collaboration with Danger Mouse. The songs on this album get a bit more psychedelic and soulful than their usual stripped down arena rock, but it is a direction that suits the band well. They set out to make “headphones music” and succeeded quite well. Watch the video for the first single Fever here!
Santana - Corazon Carlos Santana is getting more experimental and, surprisingly, his 37th record is being described as his first Latin album. No matter how you describe it, the guitar work is what keeps the music interesting and fresh, not the language of the lyrics. The songs are a mix of covers and originals and there is even an update of Santana’s standard hit Oye Como Va. There are guest vocalists from Pitbull (does he ever rest?) to Ziggy Marley and the mix of styles keeps the album from bogging down in jam band territory. Listen to the song Indy here!
