Now that the Super Bowl has come and gone, it’s time to focus on what’s important. The Academy Awards. The weather still sucks in Nashville, so the smart move is to cozy up on the couch and prepare for the one award show that guarantees to run over. While you prepare for your Oscar party, for one or bore of the long, really long speeches, listen to some of the great music out this week instead.
Various Artists Birds of Prey: The Album
I long for the days when big movies had original big soundtracks. The Bodyguard, Titanic, and Batman are three soundtracks that quickly come to mind to remind me of a time when the soundtrack was an important part of a movie’s marketing and success. Even compilation soundtracks like ones for Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, and Guardians of the Galaxy have helped boost ticket sales for a movie.
Warner Bros’ Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn hits theaters this weekend and the original motion picture soundtrack to the film is out as well. The DC comic based film starring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and features Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the other members of the Birds of Prey team.
Harley Quinn finds herself on her own after her and The Joker split to eventually join a rebellious group of women to battle the sadistic Roman Sionis and his goons. The soundtrack, like the members of Birds of Prey, is all female and list some up and comers in the pop and hip-hop genres.
Doja Cat starts the album off on the right foot with “Boss Bitch.” “I’m the whole damn cake and the cherry on top,” is just the type of lyric needed to start off a soundtrack for a movie so drenched in girl-power.
The soundtrack features a number of collaborations next including WHIPPED CREAM featuring Baby Goth, Megan Thee Stallion and Normani and Saweetie with GALXARA. Charlotte Lawrence, the daughter of Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence, contributes “Joke’s On You” to the album.
Grammy nominee Halsey joins the misfit group of ladies on the album with “Experiment On Me” and is also joined by K.Flay, Jucee Froot, Sofi Tukker, Lauren Jauregui, Summer Walker and ADONA. Black Canary herself, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, contributes her cover of “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World”
Green Day Father of All…
Upon first listen to Green Day’s latest effort, it’s hard not to think you’re listening to a Black Keys, Jack White mash-up. The band has been struggling with relevancy since 2004’s American Idiot and Father of All… is a step in the right direction to reclaim their spot a top the pop-punk throne.
2020 is beginning to look like the year rock makes a heavy return to mainstream radio. With My Chemical Romance already making waves this year with their reunion, it’s only fitting that Green Day returns to make some noise. That noise clocks in at 26 minutes making it the shortest Green Day album to date.
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong says the band is inspired and excited about their new “dirty and messy” sound as their 13th album is set to be released. Armstrong switched up his vocal style on the album trading in his screams for a falsetto.
The album is not an entire miss as “I Was a Teenage Teenager” and “Meet Me On The Roof” are the clear standouts on the album. You can catch Green Day’s Hella Mega Tour with Fall Out Boy and Weezer in Atlanta on August 8th at Suntrust Park. @GreenDay
Trixie Mattel Barbara
If you only caught a glimpse of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars and never once heard Trixie Mattel sing and then listened to her latest release, Barbara, the voice you hear is not one you would be expecting to hear. Trixie Mattel is a prime example of the old saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ as she has many chapters. Comedian, YouTube star, makeup expert and folk star are a few of the layers that make up Mattel and her new album takes her music in a new direction.
Opening track “Malibu” departs from her country roots and delivers a laid back surfer vibe. The sound may be different from past albums but the catchy melodies are very much still there. Barbara serves up plenty of the campy themes that fans have come to adore.
The album closes with her cover of the Lavender County classic “I Can’t Shake The Stranger Out Of You” and as different as it is from a lot of the album, it’s fitting as the closer as it shows she is very respectful of the people who came before her.
Trixie Mattel is currently on tour and will be at Variety Playhouse in Atlanta on March 6th. @trixiemattel
Oh Wonder No One Else Can Wear Your Crown
Brit alt-pop duo Oh Wonder returns with their third album this week. The uplifting album is full of joy and motivation. The songs on the album often shine light you already have that has been dulled by others. No One Else Can Wear Your Crown is that ice cream cone of an album one needs sometimes.
The melodies of Anthony West and Josephine Vander Gucht are the stars of the album. The sweetness of their vocals when accentuated by the instrumentals is when the album really meshes. The album fully comes together in the stripped back, honest moments on songs “How It Goes” and “Nothing But You.”
Often sounding like a Chainsmokers and Halsey album, Oh Wonder deliver an album about the importance of self-acceptance and empowerment while asking and answering some of life’s most important questions.
Oh Wonder is touring the US starting March 30th in Atlanta. @OhWonderMusic
Also check out the other great albums out this week:
- Stone Temple Pilots Perdida
- Nada Surf Never Not Together
- Envy The Fallen Crimson
- Sepultura Quadra
- Wednesday I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone
- LaRoux Supervision
- Frazey Ford U Kin B the Sun
- Cadillac Three Country Fuzz
- Fat Tony and Taydex Wake Up
- Richard Marx Limitless
Steven McCash is the Music Columnist for SoBros Network. He is the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music, in addition to the occasional live show review. Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
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