Street Date March 19: “Now! 9,” Jay-Z and R. Kelly

[B]Also in stores:[EB] Jimmy Buffett, Megadeth, “Blade II,” ODB, Super Furry Animals, Custom, “Brewed in Texas,” and more.

[B]Also in stores:[EB] Jimmy Buffett, Megadeth, “Blade II,” ODB, Super Furry Animals, Custom, “Brewed in Texas,” and more.

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[B]Various artists - “Now That’s What I Call Music! Vol. 9"[EB] (Universal)



The “Now!” franchise shows no signs of slowing, as evidenced by the series’ ninth installment. No deep thinking here; 20 tracks, all previously released, chart-topping hits. Songs include Britney Spears’ “I’m a Slave 4 U,” Shakira’s “Ain’t It Funny,” Aerosmith’s “Just Push Play,” U2’s “Stuck in a Moment,” plus additional hits from ‘NSync, Nelly Furtado, Lenny Kravitz, Jennifer Lopez and others.



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[B]R.Kelly and Jay-Z - “The Best of Both Worlds” [EB](Jive/Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Records)



Rapper Jay-Z and singer R. Kelly recorded this album of duets in both New York and Chicago over the course of several months. Produced by R. Kelly and Trackmasters, the album was originally set for a March 26 release, but was moved up due to widespread circulation of bootleg copies. Island Def Jam, home to Jay-Z, is promoting and marketing “The Best of Both Worlds” in the U.S. and Canada, while Jive, home to R. Kelly, is handling things abroad. Fans can register to win an autographed copy of the CD and other prizes via a contest hosted on R. Kelly’s official [L=http://getmusic.com/microsites/rkelly/]website[EL].



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Jimmy Buffett - “Far Side of the World"[eb] (Mailboat)



“Far Side of the World,” produced by Russ Titleman (Eric Clapton, James Taylor), is Buffett’s first studio album since 1999’s “Beach House on the Moon,” and his first studio album for his self-run label, Mailboat Records. Many of the songs are said to be inspired by Buffett’s December 2000 trip to Africa. Footage of the album’s recording sessions and a home video of the African trip are among the multimedia computer files that are included on the CD.



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[B]Megadeth - “Rude Awakening"[EB] (Sanctuary)



The latest from these metal vets is the group’s first official live release, recorded during its tour behind last year’s “The World Needs a Hero.” A companion DVD/VHS release is due to follow on April 9. You can find the track listing and cover art for “Rude Awakening” at the band’s official [L=http://megadeth.com/]website[EL].



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[B]Various artists - “Blade II"[EB] (Immortal)



The soundtrack for the forthcoming “Blade” sequel features the pairing of numerous hip-hop and electronica notables. Such pairings include Eve and Fatboy Slim, Ice Cube and Paul Oakenfold, Cypress Hill and Roni Size, Redman and Gorillaz, and Bubba Sparxxx and the Crystal Method. Samples of all of the album’s tracks can be previewed at the soundtrack’s official [L=http://www.blade2soundtrack.com/]website[EL].



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[B]Ol’ Dirty Bastard - “The Trials and Tribulations of Russell Jones"[EB] (D3)



Incarcerated Wu-Tang Clan member Ol’ Dirty Bastard, whose real name is Russell Jones, recorded his third album while he was on the lam from a court-ordered stay at a drug-treatment facility in California. The album features guest appearances by Mack 10, Insane Clown Posse, Big Syke, C-Murder, Too Short, Sunz of Man and E-40.



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[B]Super Furry Animals - “Rings Around the World"[EB] (XL/Beggars Banquet)



Epic released this album in the United Kingdom last July. Concurrent with its U.S. release is a “Rings Around the World” DVD, featuring 18 music videos, according to Super Furry Animals’ official [L=http://www.superfurry.com/homepage/Home.htm]website[EL]. The Welsh band, whose style is described by AllMusicGuide.com as “fusing together a number of disparate musical genres ... creating a shimmering, melodic, irreverent and willfully artsy rock & roll,” is slated to appear on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” on April 23.

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[B]Custom - “Fast"[EB] (ARTISTdirect)



The debut album from Custom--which is also the first album release from ARTISTdirect Records--features the hit single, “Hey Mister,” which has been a popular track on alternative rock radio stations since last fall. The track remains in the Top 20 on rock radio charts five months after its release. Custom opens a headlining club tour in late March, and will also mix in a series of radio festival shows.



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[B]Various artists - “Brewed in Texas"[EB] (Compadre)



This album features the single “One Bud Wiser” from John Rich (former member of Lonestar) and 19 other country songs about the joys of beer and other alcoholic beverages. Also included are previously unreleased songs from Texas-based artists Hayes Carll, Cooder Graw, Cross Canadian Ragweed and John Evans. Kevin Fowler. Jason Boland and Clay Blaker team with Seth James on the Merle Haggard classic “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink.”



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Other new releases:[eb]

2 Skinnee J’s - “Volumizer” (Volcano)

All About Eve - “Fairy Light Nights - Live Acoustic” (AlmaFame)

Allergic to Whores - “The Lipstick Murders” (Sound Pollution)

Aspera - “Birds Fly” (Suicide Squeeze)

Brick Layer Cake - “Whatchamacallit” (Touch & Go)

Cherokee - “Soul Parade” (Arista)

Chicago Underground Duo - “Axis and Alignment” (Thrill Jockey)

The Code - “Alert Aware Involved” (A-F)

Comet Gain - “Realistes” (Kill Rock Stars)

Corey - “I’m Just Corey” (Motown)

Dead and Gone - “The Beautician” (GSL)

Dieselboy - “Project Human” (Systems)

Dave Douglas - “The Infinite” (RCA)

East River Pipe - “Shining Hours in a Can” (Merge)

The Epoxies - “The Epoxies” (Dirtnap)

Five Pointe O - “Untitled” (Roadrunner)

The Flashing Astonishers - “On Involuntary Bliss” (New Red)

Flogging Molly - “Drunken Lullabies” (Side One Dummy)

Gas Huffer - “The Rest of Us” (Estrus)

Gravity Kills - “Superstarved” (Sanctuary)

Darren Hayes - “Spin” (Columbia)

Hella - “Hold Your Horse Is” (5 Rue Christine)

Joi - “Star Kitty’s Revenge” (Universal)

Justin Sane - “Life, Love and the Pursuit of Justice” (A-F)

Katastropy Wife - “Amusia” (AlmaFame)

Angélique Kidjo - “Black Ivory Soul” (Columbia)

Kill-a-Watts - “Electrorock” (Rip Off)

Sander Kleinenberg - “Essential Mix” (Rhino)

Glenn Lewis - “World Outside My Window” (Epic)

Mary Lorson & Saint Low - “Tricks for Dawn” (Cooking Vinyl)

Lumin - “Hadra” (Hearts of Space)

Timo Maas - “Loud” (Kinetic)

Christy McWilson - “Bed of Roses” (HighTone)

My Morning Jacket/Songs: Ohia - “Split” (Jade Tree)

Need New Body - “Need New Body” (File 13)

Playgroup - “Playgroup” (Astralwerks)

The Plus Ones - “It’s a Calling” (Asian Man)

Pro-Pain - “Shreds of Dignity” (Spitfire)

The Riffs - “Dead in Dream” (TKO)

Eileen Rose - “Long Shot Novena” (Sanctuary)

The Rum Diary - “Noise Prints” (New Red)

Calvin Russell - “Rebel Radio” (Free Falls Entertainment)

Schatzi - “50 Reasons to Explode” (Mammoth)

Simple Plan - “No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls” (Lava/Atlantic)

Simply Jeff - “Phonomental Music Presents: Next Step” (Brooklyn Music)

Six Parts Seven - “Things Shaped in Passing” (Suicide Squeeze)

The Soledad Brothers - “Steal Your Soul & Dare Your Spirit to Move” (Estrus)

The Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited - “Jet Sound Inc.” (Dionysus)

Thought Riot - “Shattered Mirror Syndrome” (A-F)

Thunderpuss - “Thunderpuss” (Tommy Boy)

Trial by Fire - “Ringing in the Dawn” (Jade Tree)

Various artists - “Leaves from the Tree: A Tribute to the Music of Peter Gabriel” (Vitamin)

Various artists - “Miguel Migs: Nude Tempo 001” (Naked/Astralwerks)

Various artists - “No Categories 5” (Ubiquity)

Various artists - “Replay: A Tribute to Moby” (Cleopatra)

Various artists - “Secret Ellington” (True Life Jazz)

The Volta Sound - “My All American Girl” (Orange Sky)

West Coast Bad Boyz - “Poppin’ Collars” (No Limit)

Windsor for the Derby - “Earnest Powers” (Emperor Jones)

Yes - “Talk” (Spitfire)



Soundtracks and scores:[eb]

“Dragonfly" (Varèse Sarabande)

“Frailty" (OFC)

“George Washington” (Emperor Jones)

“Globe Trekker” (RCA)

“Green Dragon” (Varèse Sarabande)

“Kissing Jessica Stein” (Verve)

Posted by on 03/20 at 11:00 PM

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