T.I.'s latest record, King Uncaged, was supposed to be released today, but as with so many anticipated rap albums, its release was delayed. So what are we left with for new releases this week? A whole lot of rough and forgettable discs, but none of them rougher or more forgettable than Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin, in which the former Beach Boy overhauls the composer's most famous compositions in the style of surf-pop, barbershop doo-wop and occasionally yacht rock. The showier the arrangements, the more embarrassing they are, and this is a Brian Wilson album, so they're all plenty showy. "Summertime," "Someone to Watch Over Me," "I Got Rhythm" and "Rhapsody in Blue" are among the classics molested.
Enjoy this Morgan Freeman-narrated YouTube trailer for the album:
Also this week:
* John Mellencamp releases No Better Than This, throwback sessions of folk, blues and rockabilly which the Heartland rocker recorded on simple, vintage equipment at three musically historic locations: Sun Studio in Memphis, the First African Baptist Church in Savannah and at the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio (the site of Robert Johnson's first recordings). T Bone Burnett produces, as he always does with albums like these.
* Country singer Trace Adkins has a new one called Cowboy's Back in Town.
* Modern-day Joe Cocker Ray LaMontangne shares his latest, God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise, which he recorded in a barn on his property in rural Massachusetts.
* Iron Maiden celebrates its 15th album, The Final Frontier, the rare new album from a classic hard-rock band that isn't only available at Wal-Mart.
* Reunited hard-alternative rockers the Toadies intended their latest album, Feeler, to be released in 1997, but their label shelved it. If the prospect of a rejected Toadies album excites you, you're in for a treat.
* And speaking of hard-alternative rockers, Filter has a new one, The Trouble With Angels, which promises "Richard Patrick's strongest, most aggressive songwriting yet."
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