How many days of this beautiful weather do we have left? I know you don’t want to think about it, so just enjoy the blue skies, warm sunshine, and the crisp breeze on your skin. Happy Friday, and welcome to my Release Radar, where I run down all of the new releases handpicked for me by a Spotify algorithm.

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This Dream Of You, Diana Krall’s fifteenth studio album, is out today. The sultry songstress returns with “Autumn In New York.” It’s sparse and beautiful and just what we needed for the fall season. I can’t wait to dig into this!

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The other big surprise was the new music by The Shins. “The Great Divide” is their latest and greatest. I really like it, but I feel like it’s missing a band feel. James Mercer’s voice is the product, but he needs real representation.

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Public Enemy returns with a new album, What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down? where they revamp a few old tunes and record a couple of new ones.

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But it was this song that blew my mind as a kid. There’s a tone of anger, a depth of being distraught for far too long, that belies Chuck D’s baritone on “Public Enemy No. 1.” The Beastie Boys and Run-DMC, along with Chuck and Flavor, revive this track from ’87, updating it for 2020 with a history lesson. As the track begins, Mike D and Ad-Rock remember the time in ’85 when Rick Rubin gave them Public Enemy’s demo and they drove around the country listening to it on repeat. It brings back a lot of good memories.

“Well I’m all in, put it up on the board/Another rapper shot down from the mouth that roared
1-2-3 down for the count/The result of my lyrics, oh yes, no doubt.” – Chuck D

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I have to be honest and say I was underwhelmed by Toad’s new single, it just sounds like so many other songs from their past. I don’t want them reliving Fear, I want them to create new sounds.

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I liked Satellite Party’s new single with Perry Ferrell back at the helm. It’s anti-establishment at its heart, feeling like protest music.

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Do the Posies return with what might be some of their best music, ever? I did not see this coming, and it’s a welcome addition to this fall’s playlists.

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Your Jazz Cut Of The Week is by one of our regular players, Jack Jezzro. “Someday My Prince Will Come” is the perfect song to unwind to. It sets you up for relaxation and a clear head.

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