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ADHD Brain Balancing Music for Enhanced Focus - Steven Halpern, Ph.D.
A breakthrough album that is specifically focused on serving the needs of the large and growing population of children and adults with ADHD. Halpern's innovative compositions are uniquely suited to help individuals with ADHD function better. This music creates a non-distracting audio ambiance, while it supports enhanced focus and improved behavior.
--MidWest Tapes
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Egypt Station - Paul McCartney
Teaming with Greg Kurstin -- a producer best-known for helming Adele's Grammy-winning 25, but also a musician in his own right, collaborating with Inara George in the savvy retro duo the Bird and the Bee-- is a signal from Paul McCartney that he intends Egypt Station, his 18th solo album, to be a thoroughly modern affair. It is, but not in the way that the glitzy 2013 album New, with its fair share of Mark Ronson productions, was. Kurstin doesn't specialize in gaudiness, he coaxes his collaborators to act like a bright, colorful version of their best selves, which is what he achieves with McCartney here. Apart from "Fuh You" -- a vulgar throwaway novelty recorded with Ryan Tedder -- Egypt Station is a handsome and clever collection where McCartney hits many familiar marks but the difference is, he gets there in a different fashion than before. Perhaps the mini-suites, pleas for peace, rocking boogie, and romantic ballads are the very definition of McCartney's wheelhouse, but he takes some subtle chances here, both in the arrangement and, especially, the lyrics. All the slower songs are peppered with haunting images of darkness creeping at the edges, while McCartney revives the carnality that marked "Press" -- not just on the straightforward "Fuh You" but on "Come on to Me," a considerably better song than the Tedder exercise. Such twists are welcome but what's satisfying about Egypt Station is what's always satisfying about a McCartney record: the hooks and imagination that are so rampant seem effortless. The thing that Kurstin brings to the table is a refinement, letting McCartney's ideas shine incandescently while also revealing that a record this clever isn't tossed off, it's crafted in every respect.
--Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic.com
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Greatest Hits - The Zombies
Fifteen remastered Zombie originals recorded for Decca Records between 1964-1967, including the single version of "She's Not There" (their first release). Subsequent U.S. hits "Tell Her No" and "Time of the Season" are also included. If the other tracks didn't exactly set the charts on fire, there's no filler here and pretty much every one's a winner. For those entranced with the catchy yet melancholic British Invasion sounds of the Hollies and the Pretty Things in the mid-'60s or Badfinger in the late '60s/early '70s, at least one Zombies release is a must. Purists might recommend Odessey and Oracle, their justly celebrated swan song, but it features only one hit, "Time of the Season." Greatest Hits, however, isn't as easy to find as some Zombies comps, notably The Singles A's & B's and Absolutely the Best, which boast superior sound quality, but lacks "Don't Cry for Me" (which sounds like the blueprint for Redd Kross' entire Neurotica release), "I Can't Make Up My Mind," "The Kind of Girl," "It's All Right With Me," and "I Don't Want to Know." The artwork is from the original 1964 Parrot album cover.
-- Kathleen C. Fennessy, AllMusic.com
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Ruby - Macy Gray
After releasing Stripped in 2016, which saw her pay homage to her influences, Macy Gray returns with her tenth studio album. Among the tracks is the new single Sugar Daddy.
-- MidWest Tape
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Traces - Steve Perry
Steve Perry walked away from the music business at the twilight of the 1990s, following the modest success of 1994's For the Love of Strange Medicine and the underwhelming commercial performance of Journey's 1996 album, Trial by Fire. Perry spent the next decade and a half out of the spotlight, quietly re-emerging with an appearance at a 2014 Eels concert in St. Paul, Minnesota. Perry's affinity for Mark Everett's eccentric indie pop outfit came as a surprise, as nothing in either band's music suggested a mutual connection, but as the former Journey singer ramped up the publicity for 2018's Traces, his first solo album in 24 years, his fondness for Everett's songs became plain: the Eels leader explores the depth of grief on many of his songs, and that's an emotion Perry felt deeply at the dawn of the 2010s. Perry revealed to Alex Pappademas in The New York Times that he fell in love with cancer patient Kellie Nash in 2011, staying with her until her death in 2012. Instead of sending Perry into seclusion, his love of Nash revived his creativity, sending him on a path that concluded with the creation of Traces.
Given this backstory, it's not entirely surprising that Traces is a somber affair, heavy on ballads and reflection. What is surprising is how Traces feels grateful, not mournful. Loss lurks at its edges, with Perry acknowledging the absence of his love, but he's choosing to throw himself into emotions that he avoided, at least on record. Perry doesn't abandon arena rock -- there is no musical evidence of his fondness for Eels -- but that is one of the reasons Traces resonates so strongly: he's working the same anthemic rockers and power ballads that he always has, only infusing them with soul. It helps that his voice shows the slightest hints of age, not reaching the same spectacular heights of his youth and often carrying a vague, appealing raspiness. It's a voice that is etched with experience, which makes it a good fit for Perry's songs of memory, mourning, love, and hope. Much of this deep feeling is disguised by expert studiocraft -- Traces can be enjoyed as a simple adult contemporary record -- but that only heightens the sense of the album's authenticity. Perry is working in the same milieu that he always has, only reaching deep inside and finding a bruised, beating heart -- and its pulse is the reason why Tracesis the most affecting music he's ever made.
--Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic.com
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Si - Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli releases his first album of new material in fourteen years. It's a set of powerful, emotional songs, some featuring interpolations of classical themes, and an all encompassing positive message of the power for good of love, family and music.
-- MidWest Tape
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Desperate Man - Eric Church
Don't take the title Desperate Man too seriously. Eric Church doesn't sound at the end of his rope on his sixth album; he sounds settled in his skin, assured that he doesn't have to try too hard. Which isn't to say he doesn't try on Desperate Man -- quite the opposite, actually. Church may not be working with a grand concept, the way he did on 2015's semi-autobiographical statement of purpose, Mr. Misunderstood, but he does stretch himself musically, threading elements of funk and soul into his signature sinewy outlaw country. Such sounds aren't foreign to Church but he's emphasizing these sounds, naming the album after a thick, swampy collaboration with Ray Wylie Hubbard -- a country maverick he name-checked on "Mr. Misunderstood" -- and front-loading the album with such similar rockers as "The Snake" and "Hangin' Around." Elsewhere, he slides into a simmering Southern soul groove, epitomized by the bluesy "Higher Wire," which dodges clichés due to its spare, echoey production. That's a small touch, but it speaks volumes about what Church is doing with Desperate Man. Instead of going big, the way he did on 2014's burly Outsiders, he's keeping things small, a decision that highlights the many savvy ways he expands American musical traditions even as he adheres to them. Perhaps these variations on themes are subtle, but this confident sense of sonic adventure -- when combined with Church's expert craft -- results in a satisfying album.
--Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic.com
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Fanney Khan
Fanney Khan is a struggling singer who wants to make his daughter a big name in music world.
--MidWest Tapes
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Look Up Child - Lauren Daigle
Not counting the 2016 holiday LP Behold, 2018's Look Up Child is the follow-up to Lauren Daigle's breakout debut, How Can It Be, an album that topped the Billboard Christian chart and crossed over to the Top 30 of the Billboard 200. More stylistically diverse and notably more soulful, Look Up Child not only lives up to the potential of her debut but ups the ante in terms of arrangements, production, and performances. (It also outperformed her debut on the charts, going all the way to number three on the Billboard 200.) As if to re-set expectations, it opens with a dramatic, orchestral glissando before settling into the urgent "Still Rolling Stones," a choral call to faith. In terms of rhythmic diversity, she ventures into reggae on "Your Wings," and the syncopated title track experiments with African-inspired beats and gospel. Seeming to embrace higher volumes -- vocally speaking -- on much of the record, there is plenty of dynamic balladry here, too, including tracks like the choir-backed "You Say" and poignant "Love Like This." Offering respite from the album's frequent swelling climaxes, she offers more delicate interpretations on tracks like "Rebel Heart" and "Inevitable," the only song with solo piano for accompaniment. After 12 original songs, the album closes on a carefree, six-and-a-half-minute version of the traditional hymn "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." Throughout, Look Up Child's nuanced, soul-steeped vocal performances are bound to draw Daigle even more comparisons to Adele -- not the worst burden to have to endure.
--Marcy Donelson, AllMusic.com
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Love is Here to Stay - Tony Bennett & Diana Krall
Tony Bennett and Diana Krall's partnership didn't begin with the 2018 duets album Love Is Here to Stay. Krall popped up on two prior duets albums from Bennett and the pair toured at the dawn of the 2000s, but Love Is Here to Stay marks their first full record together, and it's an elegant affair. Conceived as a tribute to George Gershwin, the album is filled with familiar tunes, but hints of imagination lurk around the edges, such as the revival of "Fascinating Rhythm," the tune Bennettrecorded for his first single in 1949. Nearly 70 years separate that version of "Fascinating Rhythm" from this 2018 rendition, and while Bennett certainly sounds older -- his voice is slightly raspy, he can't hit the high notes the way he used to, nor does he sing with quite as much force -- he still sounds spry and commanding, happily dancing through these cozy melodies, singing with as much rhythm as lyricism. Krall responds in kind, trading staccato phrases that are slyly complementary to Bennett's own. In the Bill Charlap Trio, the pair have empathetic support, keeping the proceedings both light and lush, helping to turn this album into a charming testament to endurance -- endurance of the Gershwin catalog, the collaboration between Krall and Bennett, and, especially, how Tony Bennett can still sound completely committed to songs he's spent decades singing.
--Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic.com
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Burn the Ships - For King & Country
Anthemic CCM pop duo, For KING & COUNTRY, follow up their Grammy-winning 2014 LP Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong., with Burn the Ships, a powerful 11-track album that mixes their signature blend of dynamic rock and electronic pop with classical and choral elements. Led by the bright single, "joy.," brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone explore themes of hope, forgiveness, faith, and new beginnings on their ambitious third album.
--Timothy Monger, AllMusic.com
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Hiding Place - Tori Kelly
On her third full-length album, 2018's Kirk Franklin-produced Hiding Place, singer Tori Kelly pivots away from the secular pop of her platinum-selling 2015 album, Unbreakable Smile, and delivers a joyful set of faith-based songs that balance contemporary gospel soulfulness with warm R&B hooks. Given Kelly's move to a sleek contemporary gospel vibe, her fans who came on board with previous singles like "Dear No One" and "Could've Been Us" might worry that she has sacrificed some of her own personality and acoustic guitar-based style in service of fitting into a specific genre box. Thankfully, while there is an overall tonal shift here, the results feel organic and true to who Kelly, a practicing Christian, seems to be. One of the pleasing aspects of Hiding Place is the organic soundscape Franklin and Kellyachieve, deftly combining Stevie Wonder-esque '70s instrumentation with an ear for the ringing, sleek gospel productions Franklin is known for. Tracks like the opening "Masterpiece," featuring rapper Lecrae, and the buoyant "Sunday" find Franklin framing Kelly's highly resonant voice with vibrant gospel backing vocalists, organ, and crisp bass grooves. Elsewhere, Kelly is joined by Anthony Hamilton's vocal trio, the Hamiltones, on the passionate "Help Us to Love," and displays her knack for earnest, emotive balladry on the thoughtful "Psalm 42." Franklin himself joins her on the uplifting "Never Alone," as does singer Jonathan McReynolds for the laid-back acoustic guitar number "Just as Sure." Certainly, taken as a shift from the world of pop to gospel, there's a sense of genre exploration and discovery here, and Hiding Place is as much a Kirk Franklin production as a Tori Kelly solo album. That said, even when she is singing a song written by Franklin, as with the searching "Questions," in which she ruminates on the challenges of keeping one's faith in the face of tragedy and despair, the sentiments always feel genuine. Ultimately, while the gospel nature of the album will certainly cater to fans of Christian-based pop, the religious messages shouldn't stop Kelly's secular fans from enjoying what she's achieved here.
--Matt Collar, AllMusic.com
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Immortal - Ann Wilson
Ann Wilson of Heart, one of rock's most distinctive and powerful vocalists, releases her new solo album on BMG, marking her debut for the label. The album features ten musically diverse tracks that pay homage to some of the singer's favorite songs and artists, all of whom have passed away in recent years and whose music poignantly lives on.
-- MidWest Tape
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Freegal MusicGet three free mp3 downloads per week and listen to 3 hours of streaming per day with your library card. Available via the Freegal Music app or the Freegal website.
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hooplaSet-up a hoopla account with your library card to use the hoopla app and website to stream music. You can borrow full albums for one week, up to five per month.
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Mercer County Library System 2751 Brunswick Pike Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 Phone: (609) 882-9246 E-mail: nrsupprt@mcl.org |
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