DC December 6 New Release Recap

A surprisingly lean offering of new releases today considering the season -- but we've seen the drop of December releases over the past few years as artists and labels worry about titles (particularly non-A-List) getting lost in the retail crush. Still, a couple of biggies this week -- the posthumous Amy Winehouse collection, the wonderful new album from The Black Keys -- as well as some "great unknowns" such as Great Aunt Ida (Canadian songwriter Ida Nilson), Glass Pear (Jem's folk/poppin' brother Yestyn Griffiths) and fine roots-rockin' Chicago tunesmith (and bandleader) Martha Berner. Also on our list: new music from The Roots, Robin Thicke, Dia Frampton (of The Voice) and Chevelle. Cure fans will also want to check out their new Bestival Live 2011 album. Features, listings and links below...

Amy Winehouse - Lioness: Hidden Treasures (Island/Universal) - Following the tragic passing of Amy Winehouse, this new 12-track memorial collection includes previously unreleased outtakes, interesting covers and alternate versions from the sessions of her two studio albums -- Frank and Back To Black -- as well as a couple of new songs recorded for what was to be her "comeback" third long player...it's sad that four years after the release of the 2.5 million-selling Back To Black that there wasn't more new material to be included in this collection - 2/3 of the songs were recorded in 2006 or earlier -- but that's not to say that Lioness doesn't offer some fascinating (and exceptionally good) material to the Winehouse catalog...more DC

Great Aunt Ida - Nuclearization - Great Aunt Idais one Ida Nilson, a Toronto songwriter who returned to the studio this year after a five year hiatus and now delivers Nuclearization, her third album of modest, melodic (sm)art/pop arriving up north (US TBD). With her girlish, low-voltage vocals and simple straightforward way with a song, it takes a minute or two to settle in on Nilson's particular ingratiating appeal -- what may on the surface appear as slightly twee and precious gets more interesting and detailed the further in you go, even in the course of a single song...more DC

The Black Keys - El Camino (Nonesuch) - Recent Nashville transplants have pretty much redefined and carried the torch for raw, driving and back to basics rock and roll for a decade -- so when Key-man Dan Auerbach says the follow up to 2010's Grammy winning, million-selling Brothers is "raw, driving and back to basics" you know you're in for a white knuckle, tops-down ride...Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton, who co-produced the band's 2008 Attack and Release, is again riding shotgun here...more DC

Martha Berner & The Significant Others - Fool's Fantasy - Long overdue second album from Chicago singer/songwriter -- her first new full-length since 2005 -- finds the indie folk/rocker with a new band and a diverse sound spanning rough and tumble bar-stool rock, Americana and nearly jammy blues workouts in addition to her more sensitive acoustic moments...Significant Other guitarist Scott Fritz also wore the producer's hat for the project, bringing a fuller band sound and some blistering guitar leads...much of Berner's Fantasy is anchored in gritty Grace Potter-styled roots rock but tracks like "Some Stay A While" resonate with a folky, laid back ease...more DC

Glass Pear - Glass Pear (U.K.) - Welsh indie singer/songwriter Yestyn Griffiths returns with a new self-titled full-length, the follow up to his 2010 EP Sweet America and 2009 full length debut Streets of Love...numerous Greys Anatomy-styled TV placements -- and heart-on-sleeve lyricism -- have solidified his "sensitive dude" appeal...Trivia Bit: Griffiths is also the brother of platinum-selling alt/pop-stress Jem...what we've described before as "calmly studied folk/pop, smoothing any rough edges or troubling intensity with a soothing lyrical disposition and velvety production" remains pretty much intact on this new collection...more DC

More DC New Releases:

Chevelle - Hats Off to the Bull
Dia Frampton (The Voice) - RED
Robin Thicke - Love After War
The Cure - Bestival Live 2011
The Grip Weeds - Under the Influence of Christmas
The Roots - Undun