New Music Reviews - Home of DJ Willis

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Glasvegas - Glasvegas
“This Scottish quartet’s first album is practically a best-of set — four songs previously appeared as high-buzz indie singles. Glasvegas create wall-of-distortion melodrama that draws on the Jesus and Mary Chain, Sixties girl groups and the Velvet Underground’s rain-dance pulse. It makes for a compelling [...]

Product Information, Audio Previews, Reviews and More On: Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke
“For Phillips “Pip” Brown, the New Zealand-born singer-songwriter known as Ladyhawke, 1985 is not merely a year: It’s a career choice. Ladyhawke — the name comes from a Matthew Broderick fantasy film released in, yep, 1985 — is a retro fetishist, slathering her [...]

The hook is pretty good, but i’m not feelin the rest of the track.  She is a pretty big deal in the U.K., but I can’t see this crossing over to the U.S.   4/10
Click below to listen (not the original video)

Decent for a latin track, but not really my style. N/A
No YouTube Preview Available

Remake of Craig David’s classic hit with Italian Pop Star Nek. Decent, although I have no clue what Nek is saying. 6/10
Click below to listen (not the original video)

Product Information, Audio Previews, Reviews and More On: Femi Kuti - Day by Day
“Man does not live by polyrhythms alone—although Femi Kuti and his 17-piece Positive Force sure make it sound like a pleasing proposition. In the past few years, Kuti studied piano and revisited the trumpet, his original instrument, resulting in a [...]

“This quintet, based in Asheville, N.C., has essentially created the intersection of West African traditional music and American rock. This remarkable, distinctive fusion is captured here in a live recording tracked last Dec. 30-31 at Asheville’s Orange Peel. Opener “Autorail” tells the Toubab story. The song rocks, but Justin Perkins’ kora, the tuning of Drew [...]

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Dir En Grey - Uroboros
“Seven albums on, this Japanese alternative metal quintet keeps pitting the psyche’s primordial ooze against alluring melodies, demonstrating man’s internal conflict between dark and light. The band is at the height of its creative powers on “Uroboros,” a lengthy collection that grows more [...]

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Ricardo Arjona Richard Arjona - Quinto
“This Guatemalan singer/ songwriter has an uncanny knack for marrying sophisticated lyrics with catchy hooks and mass-appeal messages. On his debut for Warner after a lifetime with Sony, Ricardo Arjona also gives his timeless songs a sense of place. The album [...]

Product Information, Audio Previews, Reviews and More On: Il Divo - The Promise
“Opera and ABBA: two great tastes that taste great together? In Il Divo’s hands, definitely. Unlike some in the wildly lucrative pop-classical scene, the four hunks in this baritone-beefcake boy band (originally created by “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell) couldn’t care [...]

Product Information, Audio Previews, Reviews and More On: Various Artists - Beyond the Horizon
“BBC Radio DJ Charlie Gillett offers a generous sampling of outstanding world music on this double-disc set: 34 tunes by 34 artists from 28 countries. It’s an indulgence that comes highly recommended. It’s also difficult to single out extra-special tracks [...]

“Sol y Canto is Rosi and Brian Amador, backed by a group of extraordinary players, including Nando Michelin (piano), Jorge Roeder (contrabass) and Bernardo Monk (saxophone, flute). The act’s sound is acoustic and Latin roots-oriented. Its taste is elemental, and the results are unfailingly inspiring. The Amadors and their cohorts bring a tremendous virtuosity to [...]

Product Information, Audio Previews, Reviews and More On: Travis - Ode To J Smith
“To the “less is more” adage, add the idea that quicker is better—particularly in the case of Travis’ sixth album. The British quartet wrote the exceptional “Ode to J Smith” in just five weeks and recorded it in two. Not [...]

Product Information, Audio Previews, Reviews and More On: Calle 13 - Los De Atras Vienen Conmigo
“On its sophomore album “Residente o Visitante,” Puerto Rican rap duo Calle 13 veered from sophomoric humor to outright perversion, an explosive combination that raised more than one eyebrow. On its follow-up, the jokes remain, but they are [...]

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Aterciopelados - Rio
“The miracle of Aterciopelados is that it backs up its message songs with beautiful, infectious music. The Colombian duo’s latest, “Rio,” is no exception—it’s an antiwar statement and a plea to protect the environment, especially the title track about the polluted Rio Bogotá. But it’s [...]