New Music Tuesday!!! (2/26)

Welcome back to my own private hell, that is, listening to the latest releases and giving you honest to goodness reviews, based on the entire albums and not just the singles! We here at Dirtydirtdirt do the work for you! So enjoy the ado.... and begin -

LADIES WEEK!!!!

>So, we've all been waiting and wondering what JANET JACKSON has been up to lately, right? ....(*crickets...crickets*).... Right? (....tumbleweeds blow by my keyboard...) Me neither. She, however has been recording (and presumably other things*) with boyfriend/munchkin Jermaine Dupree, the album "DISCIPLINE". The first single "Feedback" is our first taste of what happens when you lock Janet and JD in a studio for a spell, and while I really have nothing bad to say about the track, it's pretty much standard studio Janet, across the board. Nothing special. Sure, most of it would sound better in a club, but how often are you clubbing it these days? (I'm not talking to you Maloof brothers!!) It doesn't hit like "Rhythm Nation 1814" did, back in the day, and it doesn't have the same kind of 'umph' that "Velvet Rope" did. Does anyone remember another Janet Jackson album besides those two? Nah, me neither. I like Ms. Jackson, (because I'm nasty), but this album is just average to me.
+1.7 Wardrobe Malfunctioning Stars
>ERYKAH BADU finally has an album coming out, and while I am almost convinced that Ms. Badu is literally almost completely crazy now, most great musicians are, so this should be a fun ride. And she does not disappoint, once again. The whole album is a fun, funky, trippy ride, and the closed thing to a complete "album", since the late 1960s. I applaud her efforts and give this album my coveted PICK O'THE WEEK! Sidebar - Her video for 'Honey', is the greatest thing to grace BET in years!
+3.9 AfroStars
>It's always seemed to me, that both the music and the physical being of Mrs. DOLLY PARTON has seemed, how do I say this... Fake, I guess? I mean, she's an earnest, hard working country grrl, who's always overcome adversity... but I like her as a cartoon figure, and a character, and not really a singer. That out of the way, she's a hell of a talent, an American treasure, and the reason why Al-Queda hates our freedoms. I have no take on her new album " Backwoods Barbie". If you like her, I'm sure you'll think it's great. And it can't be worse that most of the crap out there now anyways. Ehh. Sidebar - If you want a glimpse into what Jessica Simpson would look like if she had more/any talent, look no further. It's like looking into a time machine!
+1.2 Bleach Blonde Stars
>MISSY HIGGINS, who's no relation to Bryan Huggins, is next on our all-star line-up of ladies. Anyone who's ever watched an episode of any Grey's Anatomy, or seen a movie with Zach Braff, or watched ANY sappy TV show on the CW, knows the sound of music on this album. Higgins is no new comer to this trend, and has helped out many-a-show end their season, episode, or whatever, with her blend of downbeat, introspective, piano-driven harmonies... and you would expect me to say something bad about this, right? We'll, truth is, I like the little Aussie. I like her voice, I like her message, and I like the fact that she writes all of her own songs. So, for you Missy Higgins, and your new album " On a Clear Night", you win. A good review from me. : )
+3.6 Earnest, Non-Lipsynching Stars