Spring is Almost Here and March Gave Us Three Great Albums
It's been a long, cold winter. It's been dank and gray and you haven't wanted to be outside. Fret not! Hope is on the horizon. Spring has started to... spring. One of the ways that I brave the winter months is with music and March was a good month for that. Here are three albums that I really enjoyed that were all released in March. I should give a disclaimer. I don't buy every album that everyone releases, so these are out of the March releases that I purchased.
Marina and the Diamonds, "FROOT"
Can someone explain to me why Marina and the Diamonds aren't ruling the American pop charts? In 2012, they released "Electra Heart" which turned out to be the best pop album of that year and this month she released, "FROOT," a contender for best pop album of 2015. "Electra Heart" was a concept album, the songs coming from the perspective of a self-absorbed, social media obsessed pop star.
"FROOT" may be more straightforward, but it still excels. Leading up to the album's release, Marina released a new track including the propulsive title track and the lilting, ballad dedicated to loving yourself above all others, "I'm a Ruin." The album's most powerful track is "Savages" where Marina shines a light on the fact that for all the progress we like to believe we've made, we are still sometimes no better than the our Neanderthal ancestors. There is not a bad track on the album, and I have my fingers crossed that "FROOT" will finally give Marina and the Diamonds the US success they so richly deserve.
Kelly Clarkson, Piece By Piece
"American Idol" may be a shell of it's former self. Long gone are the days where it was a ratings powerhouse. Now, it is fine trying to shove mildly talented teens down our throats, using smoke and mirrors and J.Lo to convince us that they are something special when we all know once the season wraps they will join Caleb Whatshisname and Justin Guarini in the "Where Are They Now? Oh Yeah, No One Cares" file. Even if "Idol" nowadays is a sham, it served it's purpose by unleashing on the world to it's very first winner, Kelly Clarkson.
For her sixth studio album, Kelly really chose songs that showcase that powerhouse voice. It also shows Kelly in a different but great place in life. She's newly married and a new mom and this new attitude is reflected in the bright, upbeat lead single, "Heartbeat Song" and the experimental, EDM influenced, "Take You High." The album drags a bit in the middle but picks up with the retro "Nostalgic" and "Good Goes the Bye." Even the three bonus tracks included on the deluxe edition are winners rather than throwaways tacked on to get more money out of people. Kelly may not be re-inventing the wheel with this, but with another solid album under her belt, she proves that, unlike the show that shot her to stardom, Kelly Clarkson is here to stay.
Madonna, Rebel Heart
It's been a long road to the Material Mom's 13th studio album. She was plagued with leaks that caused her to release the first six tracks off the album in December. Madonna was unfazed. Just like she declares in lead single, "Living For Love," she carried on. The bad news is that the album being leaked over a month before it's actual release may have led to the album's sluggish sales, but let's be real. Madonna is Madonna and even if this is a low selling album, people will still flock and pay top dollar to attend her upcoming tour, so she'll be alright.
Let's focus on the positive. This is her best album since 2005's "Confessions On a Dance Floor" and a solid rebound from 2012's mediocre "MDNA." It could have done with a little trimming, the super deluxe edition clocks in at 25 tracks including 2 remixes. Pseudo ballads like second single, "Ghosttown" and "Joan of Arc" showcase Madonna's voice which has only gotten stronger as she has gotten older. There is the killer acoustic tinged track "Body Shop." This album shows that Madonna doesn't have to cry ageism, talk shit about Michigan or do any other of her normal attention grabbing antics, she just needs to make great music.
So, are there any albums that you picked up in March that you loved. Let me know in the comments.
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