Brandon's Buzz

The Buzz was down all last week, preventing me from penning a record store report. Fortunately, you didn’t miss much, as last week was a wasteland with regard to new music. And with only one major release of note this coming Tuesday, it looks like more of the same as February draws to a close. Dig in:

Three years ago, a knockout smash called “Stop Me” — a collaboration with Mark Ronson, who was the hot producer du jour, having just shepherded that hot mess Amy Winehouse to global glory — instantly hurled a striking young British lad name of Daniel Merriweather onto the map, and we’ve spent that entire time waiting patiently for him to deliver unto us a full-length project so that we could enjoy his huskily off-center voice over the course of several songs. The wait is finally over, as Daniel’s major-label debut album Love and War finally arrives stateside. Welcome back, Danny; can’t wait to get to know you, sir.

Also noteworthy this week:

• Head on over to Brandon’s Buzz Radio this Tuesday evening (February 23, 10pm EST / 7pm PST) and catch my conversation with the incredible singer/songwriter Matthew Ryan, who discusses the making of his latest album, Dear Lover.

 

• While you’re over at Brandon’s Buzz Radio, might as well take a listen to my recent chat with singer/songwriter Kelley Ryan, who has just released her solo debut record, Twist.

 

• A decade after sweeping the Grammys, Santana‘s legendary comeback album Supernatural has earned a “Legacy Edition” upgrade which includes a handful of unreleased bonus tracks (among them, collaborations with Dave Matthews and Eric Clapton) and an instrumental version of “Smooth,” the classic Rob Thomas-penned smash that originally lifted the album into the ionosphere.

 

• As near as I can tell, she’s no relation to the former “Sunset Beach” star who shares her name; I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether that increases or decreases rising country starlet Sarah Buxton‘s cool factor as I tell you that her debut album drops this week.

 

• He passed away the biggest part of a decade ago, and yet we’re still getting new music from country legend Johnny Cash; the latest album is entitled, ironically enough, American VI: Ain’t No Grave.

 

• On the iTunes exclusive front, don’t miss XOBC, a one-off EP of love songs from the amazing Brandi Carlile, who, on this project, takes Bryan Adams’ decidedly ’80s chestnut “Heaven” and turns it into something approaching virtuosic. (I swear I didn’t just make that up!)

 

• Finally, on the new-to-DVD front:
  • legendary comedian Sinbad returns with his first stand-up special in nearly a decade, Where U Been? (an abridgment of which I just finished watching on Comedy Central).
  • It’s probably the worst movie I’ve seen in at least ten years, but if you think you might enjoy the sight of that human god James Marsden sporting the cutest pair of mutton chop sideburns you’ve ever witnessed, it might be worth checking out The Box. But be warned: I swear to Jesus, I literally can’t remember the last time I saw a motion picture this howlingly awful.

names dropped with reckless abandon: Amy Winehouse, Brandi Carlile, Brandon's Buzz Radio, Bryan Adams, Daniel Merriweather, Dave Matthews, Eric Clapton, James Marsden, Johnny Cash, Kelley Ryan, Mark Ronson, Matthew Ryan, Rob Thomas, Santana, Sarah Buxton, Sinbad