NEWSLETTER #26!

NEXT WEEK'S NEW RELEASES!

UPCOMING BIG NEW FALL RELEASES!

TONY AND SAL'S END-OF-SUMMER BEST OF 2006 SO FAR LIST!

CHRISTINA AGUILERA: WHY WE DON'T LIKE HER AND WHY YOU SHOULDN'T EITHER

BRUNO KIRBY R.I.P.

and now... NEXT WEEK'S NEW RELEASES!

VARIOUS ARTISTS - FROM THE BIG APPLE TO THE BIG EASY: THE CONCERT FOR NEW ORLEANS (DVD). On Sept. 20, 2005, Madison Square Garden hosted one of the first benefits for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Featuring such New Orleans greats as Allen Toussaint, Buckwheat Zydeco, Irma Thomas, Dave Bartholemew, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the Neville Brothers, and the Original Meters, as well as pop heavyweights Elton John, Simon & Garfunkel, Lenny Kravitz, John Fogerty, Jimmy Buffett, Cyndi Lauper, and, of course, Elvis Costello and Diana Krall, or as we like to call them, "Elvis n' Di." Two DVDs worth of musical genius, featuring amazing performances by New Orleans giants you may not be familar with, plus inspired sets by the people you know and love. The proceeds from the DVD go entirely to benefit the victims of Katrina, so when you buy it, you're not only getting some great music, you're helping out people in need. What's not to love?

PRINCE - DIAMONDS & PEARLS (DVD). First time on DVD for this collection of video clips and concert footage. All proceeds go to the Assless Pants Foundation.

Another DVD that's already out but we keep forgetting to mention -- THE CLASH - RUDE BOY (DVD). Partly a documentary, partly... not a documentary, this features great live footage of the Clash at the peak of their career. First time on DVD!

DAVID GILMOUR - DAVID GILMOUR & ABOUT FACE (REISSUES). Originally released on Columbia in 1978 and '84, respectively, and long out of print, Pink Floyd guitarist Gilmour gets remastered on Capitol. No bonus tracks, but they're priced to move!

GOV'T MULE - HIGH AND MIGHTY. One of the hardest working men in show business, Warren Haynes releases his band's new studio album, which shies away from the lengthy jams of their live shows and focuses on big, Zeppelin-esque riffs and an AC/DC-like four-on-the-floor beat for most of this tunestack.

SOPHIE B. HAWKINS - LIVE: THE BAD KITTY BOARD MIX. As Sophie herself says, "For me, this CD is about the improvisations, not the songs you already know. Like an instrument of our heart using the breath of our soul to speak, to cry out." Yeah, sounds great, Soph. We'll take a box.

PARIS HILTON - PARIS. There are things worse than the lead single from this heiress-turned-whore, namely the other eleven songs on the record. Whatever. Leave her be. If we had a trillion dollars, we'd probably be making bad records and documenting our oral sex abilities, too.

NOUVELLE VAGUE - BANDE A PART. The French band who takes all your favorite '80s songs, lounges them up, and makes them suitable for playing in all your favorite Upper West Side restaurants is back with more of the same "Boy, this is really cute for five minutes, but really sucks after ten" kind of stuff, although we're curious about their Cramps cover.

PRINCE - ULTIMATE PRINCE (2 CDs). Long delayed after the umpteenth battle between Prince and Warner Bros., this 2 CD retrospective gives you one disc of the obvious hits and another of remixes and B-sides, some of which are making their debut on an officially released CD. Most diehard Prince fans will have all of this material, but for people looking for more than just a 12 track best-of, this set is 4 U!

P.F. SLOAN - SAILOVER. The first studio album in many a year from the legendary songwriter, this new set features some new takes on older Sloan stuff, with special guest appearances by Lucinda Williams, Frank Black, Buddy Miller, and Felix Cavaliere of the Rascals.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - ROGUES GALLERY: PIRATE BALL. Producer Hall Willner, along with an all-star lineup that features Bono, Sting, Nick Cave, Bryan Ferry, Lou Reed, Richard Thompson, Lucinda Williams, and Rufus Wainwright, sing sea chanteys and more about pirates' treasures, the horror of the sea, and barnacle glue.

M. WARD - POST-WAR. Singer-songwriter whose last record, "Transistor Radio," was a critics fave, releases his fifth album with a little help from some friends, most notably Neko Case.

BIG RELEASE OF THE WEEK!

OUTKAST - IDLEWILD. Andre 3000 and Big Boi, the Harvey Keitel and Lorraine Bracco of the hip-hop world, finally release their 3-years-in-the-making followup to the extraordinary "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below," which also doubles as the soundtrack to their upcoming film of the same name. Advance word is that this release is super-hot, and based on the couple of tracks that we've heard, we agree.

ORDER ANY OR ALL OF THESE FINE, FINE CDs AND DVDs by email (HEYNYCD@aol.com) or phone (212-244-3460)! And feel free to order anything we didn't mention, too!

SAL AND TONY'S TOP TEN OF THE YEAR SO FAR!

It's still summertime and most of the big new releases of 2006 haven't even come out yet, but we've found plenty of great records to listen to. Here are our lists:

SAL:
10. TWILIGHT SINGERS - POWDER BURNS.
9. LINDA RONSTADT & ANN SAVOY - ADIEU FALSE HEART.
8. CORRINE BAILEY RAE - CORRINE BAILEY RAE.
7. DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND - WHAT'S GOING ON. (out on 8/29!)
6. RACONTEURS - BROKEN BOY SOLDIERS.
5. BOBBY PREVITE - COALITION OF THE WILLING.
4. JAMES HUNTER - PEOPLE GONNA TALK.
3. ELVIS COSTELLO & ALLEN TOUSSAINT - THE RIVER IN REVERSE.
2. STANTON MOORE - III. (out in September!)
1. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - WE SHALL OVERCOME: THE SEEGER SESSIONS.

TONY:
10. NEKO CASE - FOX CONFESSOR BRINGS THE FLOOD.
9. TWILIGHT SINGERS - POWDER BURNS.
8. FRANK SINATRA, JR. - THAT FACE.
7. ELVIS COSTELLO & ALLEN TOUSSAINT - THE RIVER IN REVERSE.
6. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - WE SHALL OVERCOME: THE SEEGER SESSIONS
5. RACONTEURS - BROKEN BOY SOLDIERS.
4. GNARLS BARKLEY - ST. ELSEWHERE.
3. THE ESSEX GREEN - CANNIBAL SEA.
2. JAMES HUNTER - PEOPLE GONNA TALK.
1. BELLE & SEBASTIAN - THE LIFE PURSUIT.

These lists are subject to change once the following CDs are released:

UPCOMING FALL RELEASES, MANY OF WHICH WILL PROBABLY MAKE OUR TOP TEN LISTS!

BOB DYLAN
THE ROOTS
MOTORHEAD
BLACK CROWES
RAY LAMONTAGNE
AUDIOSLAVE
BEYONCE
DIANA KRALL
BLACK KEYS
JOHN MAYER
MADELINE PEYROUX
SHAWN COLVIN
BOB SEGER
KASABIAN
ELTON JOHN
ROBERT RANDOLPH
SCISSOR SISTERS
LOS LOBOS
LEMONHEADS
TV ON THE RADIO

And that's only through September! So if you missed any of what's on our lists, you'd better start catching up now!

BUY STUFF FROM US ON AMAZON!

AND WHILE YOU'RE AT IT, SELL US YOUR OLD CDs AND DVDs! Call or email!

CHRISTINA AGUILERA - BASICALLY, WE DON'T LIKE HER

First of all, let's clarify something. We're not just being snarky because we think our musical tastes are above appreciating a huge pop star. We were genuinely curious about BACK TO BASICS, especially when Christina kept mentioning in interviews how it was influenced by singers like Billie Holiday and the Andrews Sisters. Love her or hate her, there's no denying she's got a big voice. And love her or hate her, there's no denying that with the exception of one song, called "Candyman," which utilizes a drum machine playing a swing beat while Aguilera sings the melody in three part harmony to the tune of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," nothing on this record sounds like Billie Holiday, the Andrews Sisters, or anything other than Christina Aguilera's other records. Which is fine, but don't call it a jazz record. It's like calling a tuna fish sandwich a hot dog.

It's not the record we hate so much as the marketing behind it, and the people falling for it. It's a decent pop record -- some winners, some clunkers. But if Aguilera is boasting about the influences behind it, cleaning up her act, and dressing like Jo Stafford, why the hell does all of the first disc sound like any generic top 40 song? It only makes us think "What a lousy jazz record." And what gets our goat is that poor, unsuspecting shnooks will fall for the hype, thinking it's an entree into the world of jazz. Imagine how disappointed they'll be if they actually buy a Billie Holiday CD and she's not whooping and growling and yelling and screaming and all the other histrionics that Aguilera employs on all her songs.

In closing -- as usual, without hearing a note of Back To Basics, we automatically hated every second of it, because of the false hype, not to mention Christina's pointing out in every interview how she'd get inspired to record the album by putting on red lipstick. If she really wanted to sing like Billie Holiday, she should've tried shooting heroin. The bottom line is, we listened to the whole thing. It's a C+ pop record, being devoured and loved by people who should know better, and have yet to listen to a single note by Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, or any of the legends that Aguilera cites as inspiration. Hey, we didn't start with the comparisons -- she did.

UNTIL NEXT WEEK, WE LEAVE YOU WITH THIS:

The great character actor BRUNO KIRBY passed away this week at the age of 57. His performances as the young Clemenza in "The Godfather Pt. II" and Billy Crystal's best friend in "When Harry Met Sally" are just two of his many great moments onscreen. And as a not-so-regular customer of NYCD, he was always friendly and respectful. And he loved Harry Nilsson. He will be missed.

Your friends,
Ariel & Gary Cherone