Mariah Carey – The Rarities (Album)

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The Rarities is the upcoming eighth compilation album by American singer-songwriter and producer Mariah Carey, scheduled to be released on October 2, 2020, by Columbia and Legacy Records. It will be issued as part of “#MC30”, a promotional campaign marking the 30th anniversary of Carey’s self-titled debut studio album, Mariah Carey (1990), and will coincide with her memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey (2020). Featuring previously unreleased material “with personal relevance and meaning” to Carey—some of which are discussed in her memoir—the album will also include a second disc consisting of audio from her March 7, 1996, live performance at the Tokyo Dome during her Daydream World Tour. A Blu-ray disc featuring enhanced video footage from the concert will be released exclusively in Japan.

The album’s lead single, “Save the Day”, was released on August 21, 2020. On September 18, 2020, Carey’s cover of Irene Cara’s “Out Here on My Own” was released as the album’s second promotional single.

Tracklist:

1. “Here We Go Around Again” (1990)
2. “Can You Hear Me” (1991)
3. “Do You Think of Me” (1993)
4. “Everything Fades Away” (1993)
5. “All I Live For” (1993)
6. “One Night” (1995)
7. “Slipping Away” (1996)
8. “Out Here on My Own” (2000)
9. “Loverboy” (2001 – Firecracker Original Version)
10. “I Pray” (2005)
11. “Cool on You” (2007)
12. “Mesmerized” (2012)
13. “Lullaby of Birdland” (2014 – Live)
14. “Save the Day” (2020 – with Ms. Lauryn Hill)
15. “Close My Eyes” (2020 – Acoustic)

OVERALL RATING

4½ stars

Melanie C – Melanie C (Album)

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Melanie C is the eighth studio album by English recording artist Melanie C. It is due to be released on 2 October 2020 by Red Girl Media. The album was preceded by the singles “Who I Am”, “Blame It on Me”, “In and Out of Love” and “Fearless”, the latter of which features vocalist Nadia Rose.

Chisholm started recording the album in 2019 after being inspired by her reunion with the Spice Girls and their Spice World – 2019 Tour after the year “felt like a real celebration”. She said the experience had “actually been quite inspiring for this album” as she “reflected” during her time on stage. Chisholm teamed up with drag collective Sink the Pink to release the single “High Heels” and embark on a world tour of LGBTQ Pride events. Although the single does not feature on Melanie C, it launched a new sound for the singer, with her embarking on a new dance-based route rather than her previous alternative pop recordings. Chisholm elaborated on her inspiration for the album: “I had this song going into the Spice shows where I was nervous about being Sporty again. But singing those songs in rehearsals I realised I am here, she is within me. It made me reflect on my life and inform this album. I wanted to make an album that really acknowledged that. I felt it was time to embrace everything about myself, Sporty, Melanie, mum, girlfriend, cleaner, cook, therapist. And I wanted it to be empowering and fun […] This [album] is different because I have massive new changes behind the scenes, new management. Not many people survived the cull. Importantly new A&R, and I was introduced to lots of new artists, songwriters and producers, it really feels like a new chapter.”

On 3 August 2020, Chisholm told BBC Music: “Obviously, I’m making a pop-dance record and I’m a mature artist, so I have to accept that some radio stations are not going to be playing me anymore. That’s something to overcome. But I want people to enjoy this album, I want people to dance to it, I want people to be empowered by it. And when coronavirus has done one, I want to get out there and perform it live.”

Chisholm announced plans to embark on a tour of Europe to promote the album in May 2021.

Tracklist:

1. “Who I Am”
2. “Blame It on Me”
3. “Good Enough”
4. “Escape”
5. “Overload”
6. “Fearless” (featuring Nadia Rose)
7. “Here I Am”
8. “Nowhere to Run”
9. “In and Out of Love”
10. “End of Everything”

Melanie C physical disc two:

1. “Self Love”
2. “Into You”
3. “Touch Me”
4. “Who I Am” (Joe Goddard remix)
5. “Blame It on Me” (PBH & Jack remix)
6. “High Heels” (featuring Sink the Pink) (Moto Blanco remix)

OVERALL RATING

4½ stars

ERII (Erii Yamazaki) – 恋ゴコロ (Single)

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In September 2019, she established her own record label Cherii Records to release songs under the artist name “Erii.” She released her first single as Erii, “Cherii♡” in October of the same year, the second single “Remember me?” in November. “Koigokoro” will be her third single from the label.

“Koigokoro” is also a tie-up song with the forthcoming LINE manga “Isekai Konkatsu – Maou wo Taoshita Arasaa Onna Senshi ga Konkatu wo Hajimemashita” (Marriage activity in a different world – The female warrior who is over 30 and defeated the demon king starts a marriage activity) that will start serialization this fall. The cover illustration of the CD single’s manga edition is drawn by the manga’s illustrator, and a character inspired by Yamazaki herself will appear in the story.

Tracklist:

1.恋ゴコロ

2.I miss you

OVERALL RATING

3½ stars

Anya Marina – Queen of the Night (Album)

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Last year, singer/songwriter Anya Marina released her hilarious web series Indie-pendant Woman, where she plays an idiot version of herself trying to make it in the music industry as an independent artist. Awards for the series followed, even opening for comedian Nikki Glaser on a tour earlier this cut short by the COVID lockdown. While yes, she’s very funny, Marina also makes beautiful music all her own, with the overstuffed Queen of the Night.

Made up of songs compiled over the last handful of years, as well as some covers, the fourteen tracks of Queen might be a bit more than necessary, as the record is sweet and touching throughout. The growing, soaring emotion of the titular opener could be a contemporary pop hit (think Florence & The Machine), but then later Marina spins around and turns Taylor Swift’s “The Man” into a stripped, tragic, and intimate piece. There are many moments where Marina is wry, such as the relaxed “Last Word” and kiss-off “Pretty Vacant”, but others where she plays her swing-sway more straight-up, like the wonderful “Broken Bottles” and her cover of Solomon Burke’s classic “Ain’t Misbehavin’”

Release Date: 25 Sep 2020

Tracklist:

01.Queen of the Night
02.Last Word
03.Broken Bottles
04.Me and My Phone
05.Can’t Nobody Love You
06.Pretty Vacant
07.Lucky Star
08.Just Calling
09.Nothing
10.Creeps
11.The Man
12.16 Letters
13.Ain’t Misbehavin’
14.Love the Most

OVERALL RATING

4 stars

Nakajima Megumi – Character Song Collection “Full Of Love!!” (Album)

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Megumi Nakajima brings the first character song album with 18 songs in total! Cover artwork newly illustrated by chamooi.

Release Date: September 30, 2020

Tracklist:

1 アイモ
2 星間飛行
3 ライオン -ランカver.-
4 放課後オーバーフロウ
5 ホシキラ
6 COSMOS
7 素顔でフォーリンラブ
8 遠く君へ
9 未来の栞
10 ずっと一緒
11 恋のパズルを解いて
12 Pharaoh★Love
13 いにしえの歌 (キラキラVer.)
14 PEACE & LUCK
15 SINCERELY
16 Another Letter
17 ドデカ・ラブ
18 恋のジングル

OVERALL RATING

4 stars

MACO – Natsukaze (夏風邪; Summer Cold) (Digital Single)

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 “Natsukaze (夏風邪; Summer Cold)” is the digital single by the singer MACO.

Release Date: 2020.09.25

Tracklist:

01. 夏風邪

OVERALL RATING

4 stars

JUJU – Kanade / LA･LA･LA LOVE SONG (奏（かなで）; Playing an Instrument) (Single)

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“Kanade / LA･LA･LA LOVE SONG” is the 40th single released by JUJU. Both tracks are covers of the Sukima Switch and Toshinobu Kubota songs of the same names, respectively.

Released Date: 2020.09.30

Tracklist:

1.Kanade (奏（かなで）)
2.LA･LA･LA LOVE SONG
3.Kanade -Instrumental-
4.LA･LA･LA LOVE SONG -Instrumental-

OVERALL RATING

4 stars

Natalie Grant – No Stranger (Album)

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Natalie Grant released her 10th studio album, No Stranger, last week. The album is Grant’s first full-length project in five years, following her 2015 chart-topping release, Be One.

In celebration of the release of No Stranger, Grant went live on her Facebook page last week as part of a special album release event and performed a free in-studio concert with her husband/producer Bernie Herms on piano and a live string ensemble.

In addition to introducing new music, Grant, along with Dare To Be partner Charlotte Gambill, will host “Dare To Be Live,” a first-of-its-kind livestream event, on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. CT. Fans can purchase tickets and get more information at daretobe.com.

With strings recorded live at London’s famed Air Studios, No Stranger is a labor of love between Grant and her husband, writer/producer Bernie Herms, who produced the record, helmed all the orchestral arrangements, and co-wrote half of the album’s tracks. The lush, timely collection includes Grant’s new radio single, “Face To Face,” as well as her Dove-nominated collaboration with Steven Malcolm, “Even Louder,” and worship anthem “My Weapon.” Moreover, for No Stranger, Grant chose to put her powerful vocal stamp on Casting Crowns’ hit, “Praise You In This Storm,” which Herms originally penned with Casting Crowns front man Mark Hall. Last week, the five-time GMA Female Vocalist of the Year released a cinematic music video—also featuring her husband—for her version of the track.

Tracklist:

1.Face To Face
2.My Weapon
3.Do It Through Me
4.Praise You In This Storm
5.Who Else
6.Isn’t He (Jesus Is)
7.Even Louder (feat. Steven Malcolm & Mr. Talkbox)
8.No Stranger
9.Presence Of The King (feat. Fleurie)
10.My Weapon (Sacred Version)
11.Amen (So Be It)

OVERALL RATING

4½ stars

Emma Vander – Prototype (EP)

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“Prototype” is the EP by the singer Emma Vander.

Release Date: 2020

Tracklist:

01. Intro
02. Un sens
03. Danse
04. I Am
05. Real Thing
06. Laissez-moi
07. Pour y croire

OVERALL RATING

3½ stars

YOUHA – ISLAND (Digital Single)

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“ISLAND” is the digital single by the singer YOUHA.

Release Date: 2020.09.29

Tracklist:

01. ISLAND

OVERALL RATING

4 stars