New music

I've been stocking up on new music since getting back. I finally got around to getting the new Madvillain album, Madvillainy, which is a collaboration between MF Doom and Madlib. I had first heard Madlib on his Shades of Blue album, where he was given the keys to the Blue Note records store. I was a little disappointed with the record, probably because I was expecting remixes of the hard bop sides. I've been relistening to Shades of Blue after checking out the Madvillain, however, to see what I was missing. I've also been listening to Quasimoto's The Unseen to round out the roots and influences, Q being a Madlib sideproject and character. I've also been spinning the new Prince album in preparation for seeing him in a month. The album starts in a funky groove and then mixes it up from there. I really only like about half of it, but I do like that half. And it's more than I can say for some of his other recent albums. Soon he'll be per4ming his hits 4 the last time with me in the audience. I can't wait! I picked up Loretta Lynn's Van Lear Rose after reading some good reviews. Produced by Jack White of the White Stripes, it sounds just like what one might expect, with the 60 year old Lynn singing sometimes over a country-fied garage groove, sometimes over more traditionally country arrangements. Rounding out this bunch would be the Street's new album A Grand Don't Come For Free. A single story spun out over its running time, I'm really into the spare beats and his casual flow. It makes me want to go back and listen to his first album, which I couldn't get into when it came out. I must have not been ready for it yet.