Fresh Sounds for October 11

Peter Gabriel  New Blood:  As a follow-up to his collaborative covers album, Scratch My Back, Gabriel reworks some of his favorite songs from his solo career with the help of an orchestra. Listeners expecting all his hits will be a bit disappointed. He chose to leave out popular songs like "Sledgehammer" and "Shock The Monkey" in favor of deeper tracks that work in the flow of the overall album. The most interesting tracks, including "Rhythm of the Heat" and "San Jacinto," successfully replace the rhythmic dominance of the originals with sweeping melodies and a fresh emotion.

Martina McBride  Eleven:  Martina McBride hasn't enjoyed the high profile hits or celebrity of contemporaries like Faith Hill and Shania Twain, but she has built a highly successful career and loyal fan base by recording consistently authentic and personal albums. Eleven — yes it is her 11th studio album — may be her most personal to date. Look no farther than the first two singles from the record, "Teenage Daughters" and "I'm Gonna Love You Through It," a song about persevering through cancer and the power of love.
 

Ryan Adams  Ashes & Fire:  After a period when it seemed like he released a new album every few months, Ryan Adams has slowed down. Ashes & Fire is his first album since 2007's critically acclaimed Easy Tiger. The result showcases one of our best songwriters at the top of his game. There are great ballads, including "Dirty Rain" and "Save Me" (featuring vocals by Norah Jones), Adams-signature acoustic melodies like "Come Home" and possibly the most infectious single of his career, "Lucky Now." Worth waiting for.
 

Paul Simon  Graceland:  Hard to believe it's been 25 years since the release of this masterpiece of an album, which introduced African rhythms to Simon's music — and to millions of fans worldwide (it has sold over 14 million copies). This reissue features a remastered version of the original album and a few great outtakes, including an early demo of "Homeless" and a sparse alternate version of "Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes." It all sounds as good as it did back then.