New CDs in stores today are coming from a tested alt-rock veteran, a superstar trance DJ, and one of “American Idol’s” most wronged contestants.
Billy Corgan, “The Future Embrace” (Warner Brothers) This is Corgan’s first solo record since disbanding The Smashing Pumpkins more than five years ago. While early reviews are saying this new record resembles a break-up album, with its romantic wistfulness, it’s hard to tell who the subject is – a person or a band. Either way, it sounds as if Corgan’s really stepping out with this effort.
DJ Tiesto, “In Search of Sunrise, Vol. 4” (B.H. Songbird) Inspired by Tiesto’s Latin American travels, this mix CD is the Dutch DJ’s tribute to electronic music in the purest of venues, the outdoors. He rocks one of his own tracks in this two-disc set, the excellent “UR,” alongside joints from Grayarea and Gabriel & Dresden.”
Bo Bice, “Inside Your Heaven/Vehicle” (RCA) Yes, it’s only a CD single, and fans will just have to wait for the full-length album from this “American Idol” runner-up, but the contestants from the hit Fox show have actually brought the single back from the grave, having shown the form as a valuable vehicle for delivering TV-born music. Bice’s popularity will likely catapult this single to the top of the charts.
– Ricardo Baca
