With a new calendar year comes a year of new album releases, and the potential is quite electric. Every genre seems to have contenders for greatness in 2008, which means this year could be interesting for other reasons than Nov. 4.
So, what?s on the plate for ?08? Read on for a list of the year?s most anticipated albums.
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10. 50 Cent, Before I Self Destruct, March
The title of this new 50 Cent record originates from what the rapper told VH1 ?could potentially happen? to him. There are also rumors, partially spreading from 50 Cent, that Self Destruct could be his final album. Having said that, Fitty is going out with a bang: He has already told MTV the disc will be ?more aggressive and darker? and ?hands down [?] the best record of that time period.?
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9. The B-52?s, Funplex, March
How can there be a most-anticipated albums list without the B-52?s on it? Releasing their first record since 1992, they are set to make the airwaves fun again. According to guitarist Keith Strickland, Funplex is ?loud, sexy rock and roll for your pleasure zones, with the beat pumped up to hot pink.? Sounds like reason enough to tune in.
8. Weezer, TBD, Spring
After the rather disappointing Make Believe, Weezer has nowhere to go but up. With Rick Rubin behind the boards here, there is hope that Weezer can turn out another great set of songs. Those searching for three-minute pop ditties, however, should look elsewhere. Frontman Cuomo says the new songs are ?dark and deep and beautiful? and are ?long songs.? Also new ground for Weezer: Other band members write and (gasp!) sing. ?It?s really exciting,? says Cuomo. Indeed, it is.
7. Rakim, The Seventh Seal, TBD
Considered by some to be best rapper in history, Rakim is poised to release his third solo album this spring. Although his newest doesn?t feature Eric B. (with whom he recorded the seminal Paid in Full), Rakim can still put words to a beat and reference Ingmar Bergman. Rakim agrees with Nas (and this writer) that hip-hop is practically dead and needs to be saved. Perhaps Rakim?s supreme command of the rhyme will revive the stumbling genre.
6. Children of Bodom, Blooddrunk, April
With Blooddrunk, this Finnish band?s sixth studio album and first since 2005?s Are You Dead Yet?, Children of Bodom finally has the chance to achieve the popularity in the U.S. that they already have around the world. The new song ?Tie My Rope? already shows the band taking a step away from the powermetal-heavy Dead toward a more thrash-y sound. The one downside: Bodom has release dates in Europe but not yet in the States.
5. The Raconteurs, TBD, TBD
Although this album is only expected ?sometime [this] year,?
it is still on my most anticipated list for 2008 simply because this Jack White band is vastly underrated compared to the other band that he fronts, which just also happens to be vastly overrated. 2006?s Broken Boy Soldiers is better than any White Stripes album, save White Blood Cells, of course. White told Billboard that the Raconteurs? new record is ?very different? than Soldiers, and, provided it is not like the Stripes? Icky Thump, it should be worth your time.
4. Usher, TBD, Spring
How does one follow up the biggest song of 2004? If anyone can do it, soulful R&B man Usher can. New song ?Dat Girl Right There,?
featuring Ludacris, is a great start with its fantastic synth hook and superb beat. With household-name producers like Kanye West and Timbaland, expect big things from this superhuman performer in ?08.
3. The Roots, Rising Down, April
Simply stated, any record put out by this Philly group is greatly anticipated, and it even seems impossible for them to make a bad record, disregarding certain moments from The Tipping Point. Unfortunately, little is known about the group?s forthcoming album except that, according to an interview drummer ?uestlove?had with Billboard, it contains ?a lot of synthesizer.? No matter the sound, Black Thought always commits himself as a fantastic emcee and will no doubt shine again come spring.?
2. Metallica, TBD, Spring
The biggest question in rock will be answered this spring:
Can the most popular metal band ever make a comeback from one of the worst albums of the new millennium? It is not as if following up the turd that is St. Anger is hard in terms of songwriting, but their newest is under a lot of pressure to live up to classics like Master of Puppets and Ride the Lightning. Uber-producer Rick Rubin has stepped in for Bob Rock, the band?s collaborator since Metallica, and has convinced the band to return to their ?80s heyday records. Rubin has saved the careers of everyone from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Johnny Cash. Can he do the same for these ?Frisco boys?
1. Nas, Nigger, February
The most improbable album title in history, perhaps ironically, is also one of the most talked about since its announcement. Def Jam, though, has stated firmly that it stands behind the album?s controversial title, while others (namely Al Sharpton) have condemned it. While I have had issues with Nas?s recent output, I have to admit this will be worth checking out purely for the title. And with a sample lyric like, ?Racist neighbors flinchin?/ They don’t know if I?m a rob them/ Or if I?m Russell Simmons?, this album will not be a private affair. But is Nas prepared to have the title overshadow his rhymes?
There you have it, the albums with the best chance of not sucking in this ?commercialized music? era. Based upon this list, I actually have hope that 2008?s music might not be anywhere near as depressing as the 2007 releases.
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Steve Lampiris is a senior majoring in political science. If you think he missed an album, or that Chinese Democracy will actually drop in 2008, send him an e-mail [email protected].?
