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New Music Friday: An Updated Outing For Mavis Staples, Yoko Ono, And More

By Michael Cerio

It appears some people still release albums the old-fashioned way. This week there's no mysterious upload leaks or fashion show streams to concern yourself with. Without the car crash landings of albums from artists like Rihanna and Kanye, it's back to business as usual – especially for a few old-fashioned artists.

Stars from every decade get a reboot with this week's new releases, from enduring figures like Mavis Staples and Yoko Ono, to reborn cultural touchstones like Rick Springfield, to more momentarily ubiquitous acts like Sister Hazel, Amy Lee, and Wolfmother.

Today's music marquee reads like a music history quizzo round. Here's what's old but new for this week's New Music Friday.

Mavis Staples – Livin' On A High Note

Everything this month has been coming up Mavis. Not only did she pick up a Grammy on Monday for Best American Roots Performance, there's also a documentary about her life hitting HBO on February 29th, and today she releases the warm and inviting Livin' On A High Note. The 76-year-old singer is the opposite of retired, teaming with folk singer M Ward on production duties for a cozy collection of authentic soul. High Note sidesteps the staleness of so many late career albums by bringing in an array of writers like Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, Ben Harper, and Aloe Blacc to craft custom-built songs for Staples gospel voice. That voice that has so many years buried between the bars, but is as dynamic and enticing as ever on Livin' On A High Note.

Yoko Ono – Yes, I'm A Witch Too

Yes, I'm A Witch Too is a second set of remixed tunes from the curious catalog of Yoko Ono. Yes, the future is weird. These are Ono songs reimagined as everything from haunting house jams to fuzzed out atmospheric indie rock. For instance, Death Cab For Cutie busts open the old Postal Service laptop for their take on "Forgive Me My Love", while Peter Bjorn And John serve up "Mrs. Lennon" with some blues rock and chamber pop. Moby, Portugal. The Man, and son Sean Lennon also have their hands in the mix for this strange and occasionally interesting outing.

Wolfmother – Victorious

Ten years ago, Australian rockers Wolfmother debuted with a callback to the towering riffs of 70's rock and the howling vocals to match. Songs like "Woman" and "The Joker And The Thief" were powerhouses off their debut album. Fast-forward a decade and lead singer Andrew Stockdale is the lone remaining original member as the band heads out on the road to celebrate their album's anniversary. He's also rounded up some blokes for this new effort called Victorious. Here Stockdale's voice sits a step back behind a wall of riffs that aren't quite up to his 2006 standards. On Victorious, Stockdale and company appear to have lost a little off their fastball, but a few times along the way they still connect in a classic Wolfmother way.

Also out today is Rocket Science from the aforementioned Rick Springfield. For his 18th studio effort, Rocket Science is classic Springfield – pop rock with big hooks, this time with some modern flourishes and a touch of tailgate-inspired country.

Then there's Sister Hazel, whose 1997 hit "All For You" is currently playing in at least seven CVS's across the country at this very moment. After almost twenty years of trying to find their way back to the top of the charts, they have decided to go full country on their latest Lighter In The Dark. They get an assist from someone who's been there before, recovering blowfish and country superstar Darius Rucker.

Finally, do you remember Evanescence? "Bring Me To Life"? Wake me up! Amy Lee was the classically trained lead singer of that Grammy winning band, and is out today with a set of covers called Recover, Vol. 1. Come for her spooky take on U2's "With Or Without You", and stay for her beautiful rendition of Zeppelin's "Going To California".

Yeah, yeah, yeah – sure there's great new music out today that's a little more current. Ra Ra Riot, BJ The Chicago Kid, and Wild Nothing to name a few. But isn't this more fun?

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