Brandon's Buzz

The canny scheduling of the year’s most anticipated pop novelty punctuates this week’s (rather muted) action on the new release wall. Take a gander:

What Sony must be praying will make a suitable last-minute stocking stuffer arrives this week with the controversial release of Michael, a collection of ten newly-completed recordings culled from the supposedly deep vaults of the dearly departed King of Pop, Michael Jackson. There is a considerable amount of heat swirling around this record, with more than a few whispers that it’s not actually Michael’s voice on these tracks. And call me naive, but I choose to believe that the current curators of his estate wouldn’t dare risk tarnishing Jackson’s magnificent musical legacy by taking that kind of greedy risk. (Nor do I believe top-flight folks like 50 Cent, Akon, and Lenny Kravitz — all of whom make guest appearances here — would play along with such a ruse.) Having said that, Mike was notoriously prolific and always laying down something on tape; there are said to be hundreds of unreleased Jackson recordings laying around waiting to see the light of day, so you can bet Michael won’t be the last such posthumous release.

Also noteworthy this week:

• Lee got his shot a couple of weeks ago; now, in the most crucial round of American Idol‘s 2010 contest, it’s Crystal Bowersox‘s turn to step forward with her debut album, Farmer’s Daughter, which includes a cover of Buffalo Springfield’s ’60s classic “For What It’s Worth.”

 

• The ferociously gifted Leona Lewis is back with a new CD/DVD combo, The Labyrinth Tour: Live from the O2, recorded last June in London.

 

• Ryan Adams and his band, The Cardinals, return with III/IV, a new double-length collection of outtakes and b-sides recorded during the Easy Tiger sessions.

 

• Among the piping-hot musical chestnuts available this week at iTunes:
  the Almighty Radio Mix of “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me,” Cher‘s show-stopping big moment from the new smash musical Burlesque;
  and Live from Soho, a new concert EP from the divine David Gray.

 

• And finally, believe the hype: it tore out of Sundance last January riding an unexpected wave of buzz and went on to enjoy a massively successful theatrical run last summer, and now, the engrossing (and surprisingly moving) Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work — an raw, riveting, unflinching portrait of a true artist at work and in her element, warts and all — makes its DVD debut this week. I’m being quite sincere when I tell you I can count on one hand the number of films I saw this year that were better than this one.

names dropped with reckless abandon: 50 Cent, Akon, Cher, Crystal Bowersox, David Gray, Joan Rivers, Lee DeWyze, Lenny Kravitz, Leona Lewis, Michael Jackson, Ryan Adams, The Cardinals