Hot CDs for your winter collection


With the winter chill in the air, The Beat raided the local music stores in the search for the perfect music for the cold months ahead, and boy oh boy, did we find some cool stuff! Check out these CDs! From Kwaito to rock, to slow mode to upligting rock - it's all here!

Various - The Avengers
Just like the movie, which features the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow, the soundtrack to the movie is a killer compilation! Soundgarden’s new song ‘Live To Rise’ is featured in the end credits to the highly anticipated movie. With over 21 million records sold worldwide, Soundgarden redefined rock music for a whole generation and had a revolutionary impact on the course of musical history. Soundgarden stated, "When the opportunity arose to write an original song for Marvel's Avengers Assemble film came our way, we thought it could be a cool match. We are excited to release our new song 'Live To Rise,' which is also the only new song in the film." The collection showcase a diverse range of artists, which include Rise Against, Papa Roach, Bush and Kasabian.

Rufus Wainwright - Out Of The Game
Rufus Wainwright returns to the pop foray with his eagerly anticipated new album, Out of the Game. Produced by the celebrated Mark Ronson, this is the seventh studio album from one of the most accomplished, contemporary singer-songwriters today. A labour of love for both Wainwright and Mark, Rufus calls Out of the Game, “the most pop album I’ve ever made,” while Mark recently stated, “it’s the best work of my career.” Recorded in New York in the fall of 2011, the twelve songs are hook-laden, memorably arranged tracks reminiscent of Rufus’ early work, following 2010’s more quietly intimate outing, Songs For Lulu. From the up tempo opening chords of the title track and first single, to the gospel tinged rock of ‘Jericho,’ through the beauty of ‘Sometimes You Need’ and the emotional pull of ‘Candles,’ this new disc ranks alongside Rufus Wainwright’s very best.

Tokollo - Heist   
It has often been said that kwaito is dead... it is indeed true that there are less credible kwaito artists than before. But there is one talented artist you can never go wrong with. Some say that he is a legend, some say he is true to the game, while some refers to him as the kwaito warrior. Whatever you may call him, one thing is for sure, Tokollo aka Magesh is one kwaito artist who has stayed focused to the game – against all odds. This new release demonstrates a diverse mix of sounds spiced up with Tokollo’s powerful rhymes that need no hardcore music fanatic to digest. Conceptually, the album showcases versatility by drawing influences from old school kwaito sounds, up tempo beat touch, current musical melodies and the unmistakable urban contemporary sound.

Norah Jones - Little Broken Hearts
“Little Broken Hearts,” like most of Jones’s past work, is a laid-back affair, and the songs all deal with heartbreak of one sort or another. Norah takes us through vignettes of grief, acceptance and release within a breakup. It’s a stunningly dark album that covers betrayal, debilitating hurt, shame, the desire for revenge, and, ultimately, the ability to walk away, bowed but not broken. The moody production footprint of Brian Burton, aka Danger Mouse, is felt on such songs as “Say Goodbye” and the take-no-prisoners title track, where she’s out to recover emotional losses. On “Take It Back” and “4 Broken Hearts” Jones goes back and forth between blaming a lover and herself for their relationship’s demise. The pace picks up on “After the Fall,” but the mood stays dark and mellow.

Counting Crows - Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did On Our Summer Vacation)
In the years since their debut, Counting Crows have vacillated between writing radio-friendly pop and jarring, electric rock that doesn’t fit with Top 40 or Modern Rock. On this album, they find a happy medium through the use of other people’s songs. This is the Crows doing what they do best: even when the lyrics are depressing, the songs have an uplifting immediacy to them. Some of the 15 songs are little-known, but the Crows give the songs a perfect Crows twist enough for newbie’s to enjoy the music.

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