First up is Grammy award winner John Legend on the 7th. Legend is bringing his very special mini-tour to the intimate Black Orchid before he releases his sophomore album, “Once Again” next month. I’ve never seen Legend live but if his performance at this year’s Grammy’s is any indication we are in for a treat.
A few days later, John Mayer and Sheryl Crow are out in Tinley Park for their joint headlining tour. To be honest I don’t really see the connection between the two. Regardless, there is a rumor the two are going to play together each night so it may be worth it just to see what they come up with together. But remember to leave early and avoid the inevitable traffic.
Mariah Carey arrives on the 11th bringing her Adventures of Mimi to the United Center. The tagline for this tour is “The Voice The Hits The Tour” which you can’t argue since the album won 3 Grammy’s and has sold over 10 million worldwide. So love her, hate her or just wish you had her bank account, the Diva is back on top thanks to her alter ego, Mimi.
If Divas aren’t what you are looking for how about the hypnotic sounds of Massive Attack? One of the pioneer’s of trip-hop is back touring on the ill-conceived, “Danny the Dog” soundtrack. Massive Attack has always been a band full of surprises so even though the last album was a let down compared to their “100th Window”, they still put on a great show so be sure to check them out at the Riviera Theater on the 13th.
Slowhand is back at the United Center on the 20th. The last few times Eric Clapton has come through town the shows have been fairly mellow offerings. But from the recent reviews and the setlist it looks like he may finally be back playing like the living legend he is. Let’s hope so and cross our fingers that Buddy Guy is in town who has been known to stop by and jump on stage for a few numbers.
So the Pink Floyd reunion didn’t work out like we all hoped after their wonderful and shocking performance at last years Live 8. Well you can still see the main architect behind it all perform “Dark Side of the Moon” in its entirety, when Roger Waters makes a stop at Tinley Park at the end of the month.
Others shows for your consideration this month is Mars Volta at the Aragon Ballroom, Black Eyed Peas at Northerly Island and Social Distortion playing 3 nights at the House of Blues.
On the cd front, there’s some big name releases this month. First up is the ultimate diva with the bootylicious body ready to take over the world with her second album, “B’Day”. Beyonce is back with the same successful formula that proved she was destined to go solo.
Also dropping on that same day is the ultimate super group Audioslave with their 3rd album, “Revelations”. It’s a quick follow-up to last year’s “Out of Exile” and let’s hope it wasn’t rushed. Chris Cornell has arguably the best voice in Rock-n-Roll today and the band’s not too shabby either. Their first single, “Original Fire”, still has that hard sound but with a little added funk to the mix.
The following week brings us the sexy with Justin Timberlake’s second solo offering, “FutureSex/LoveSounds”. JT reunites with producer Timbaland for more funky dance songs and a couple of ballads for those special evenings at home.
Elton John is back with longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin and a sequel to 1975’s “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy”. On the cover of “The Captain and the Kid” features for the first time both Elton and Bernie. I’m not sure if that is good or bad it’s just something I read. Personally I would have gone with the whimsical cartoon artwork from “Captain Fantastic” but that’s just me. The much anticipated album promises to be much in the tradition of their hits from the 70’s. Let’s hope so they had such an amazing run and it would be wonderful to go back one last time before Elton gets together with Jay-Z on his next album. You think I’m making a joke but that’s what Elton would like to do next.
Janet Jackson also has a new collection of songs on her album, “20 Y.O”. The name of the album is commemorating the 20th anniversary of her breakthrough album, “Control”. She’s already back into shape so let’s hope for no more malfunctions and that the nasty is back as well.
Ludacris has a little help from his friends with the likes of Kayne West and the Neptunes for his fifth album, “Release Therapy”. It’s amazing he even has time to make an album in between the movie roles, having a daughter and dissing on Oprah. Regardless, it’s nice to have him back behind the mic on CD and on the road.
• Random Noise appears monthly, exclusively in Lumino Magazine.
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