music ‘=’ Ed Sheeran Atlantic ‘=’ - the fourth instalment in Sheeran’s symbol album series”is Ed’s most accomplished work yet; the evolution of an artist who continues to tread new ground. A body of songs that were made over a four-year period following his seminal ‘÷’ (Divide) album era, thematically, ‘=’ finds Ed taking stock of his life and the people in it, as he explores the varying degrees of love (“The Joker And The Queen,” “First Times,” “2step,”) loss (“Visiting Hours’), resilience (“Can’t Stop The Rain”) and fatherhood (“Sandman,” ‘Leave Your Life”), while also processing his reality and career (“Tides”). Sonically, ‘=’ encapsulates Ed’s versatile musical palette, spanning signature, guitar-led tracks and world-class balladry to weightier, euphoric production moments, as first showcased on the album’s lead single “Bad Habits,’ released earlier this summer. Springtime In New York: The Bootleg Series Vol. 16 1980-1985 Bob Dylan Sony Legacy The latest chapter in Columbia/Legacy’s highly acclaimed Bob Dylan Bootleg Series shines fresh light on the provocative new musical directions Dylan was taking as a songwriter and a recording artist from 1980 through 1985. In the early 1980s, while the music industry was grappling with the arrival of new trends and technology, from MTV to compact discs to digital recording, Bob Dylan was writing and recording new songs for a new decade, creating an essential new chapters in his studio catalog. Bob Dylan Springtime In New York (1980-1985) celebrates the rich creative period surrounding Dylan’s classic albums Shot Of Love, Infidels, and Empire Burlesque with previously unreleased outtakes, alternate takes, rehearsal recordings, live performances and more. 22
ICON | OCTOBER 2021 | ICONDV.COM
Tattoo You (2021 Remaster) [2 CD] The Rolling Stones Polydor/Interscope Tattoo You is a new deluxe remastered edi-
tion of the chart-topping, multiplatinum album. The 2CD edition of the album includes the newly remastered album alongside Lost & Found, a brand new collection of nine previously unreleased songs from the period of the album’s original release, newly completed and enhanced with additional vocals and guitar by the band. Among these, “Living In The Heart Of Love” is a quintessential Stones rock workout with all of the group on top form, complete with urgent guitar licks and fine piano detail. Other highlights of Lost & Found include a killer version of “Shame, Shame, Shame,” first recorded in 1963 by one of the band’s blues heroes, Jimmy Reed. Bernstein: Candide Marin Alsop, London Symphony Orchestra LSO Live Marin Alsop leads the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in a new recording of Bernstein’s riotous satirical operetta, Candide. Made almost three decades after the composer’s own iconic recording with the Orchestra, Alsop’s new version was captured during celebratory concerts marking Bernstein’s centenary year, and features an outstanding array of soloists, including Leonardo Capalbo (Candide), Jane Archibald (Cun gonde), Anne Sofie von Otter (The Old Lady) and Sir Thomas Allen (Dr Pangloss, Narrator). With lyrical contributions from acerbic writers Richard Wilbur, Dorothy Parker and a young Stephen Sondheim, Candide marries raucous humor with the extraordinary genius of Leonard Bernstein. Northeast Corridor: Steely Dan Live! Steely Dan UMe The first live Steely Dan album in more than 25 years, Northeast Corridor: Steely Dan Live!, was recorded across tour dates at New York City’s Beacon Theatre, The Met
Philadelphia, & more, and showcases selections from Steely Dan’s extraordinary catalog of slinky grooves, sleek subversive lyrics, and infectious hits. My Bluegrass Heart Béla Fleck BMG Over the last four decades, Béla Fleck has made a point of boldly going where no banjo player has gone before, a musical journey that has earned him 15 Grammys in nine different fields, including Country, Pop, Jazz, Instrumental, Classical and World Music. But his roots are in bluegrass, and that’s where he returns with his first bluegrass tour in 24 years, My Bluegrass Heart. My Bluegrass Heart is the third chapter of a trilogy that began in 1988. The project features a who’s who of some of the greatest instrumentalists in bluegrass music’s history alongside some of the best of the new generation of players: mandolinists Sam Bush, Sierra Hull, and Chris Thile; fiddlers Michael Cleveland and Stuart Duncan; celebrated multi-instrumentalist é Justin Moses, bassists Edgar Meyer and Mark Schatz, and the amazing Bryan Sutton and Molly Tuttle on guitar. Voice Of Nature: The Anthropocene Renée Fleming & Yannick Nezét-Ségui Decca Renee Fleming explores how music’s relationship with nature can be relevant for the age of humans. Looking back to the Romantic era and looking forward with new commissions from Nico Muhly, Caroline Shaw and Kevin Puts. Renee Fleming said, “The music on the album begins in a time almost two centuries ago, when people had a profound connection to the beauty of nature. Now we have reached a moment when we see all too clearly the effects of our own activity, and the fragility of our environment.” n
