SEVEN IN SEVEN
Welcome to Seven in Seven, where each week in this space we typically take a look at shows coming to the region over the next week. And while venue doors are slowly opening again, due to the current pandemic they aren’t quite there yet. That doesn’t mean the music stops, and new releases are coming out weekly from artists you know and love and some waiting to be discovered. Each week we’ll be looking at six of the best hitting shelves and streaming services and one can’t miss show in the region.
Whether your musical tastes are rock and roll, jazz, heavy metal, R&B, singer-songwriter or indie, there’ll always be something to check out. Here’s what’s on the docket for the week of Sept. 10:
Show of the week Valerie June The Keswick Theatre, 8 p.m. Saturday
Tennessee-born and raised Valerie June released her latest LP, “The Moon and Stars,” earlier this year to rave reviews across the board. The singer/songwriter’s music is a tapestry of folk, soul, gospel, country, blues, psychedelia and timebending symphonic pop, all flowing into one another with perfect synchronicity. Now, she’s finally bringing a few live shows to the East Coast, including to the Keswick Theatre, Glenside. What makes this show unique is that it, along with the one in Boston the night before, will be livestreamed under the banner “Shows for Dreamers.” June says in a statement, “I’ll be performing songs from my new album, a few special older songs, some new covers I’ve been working on and reading poetry from the stage.”
Tickets can be purchased via valeriejune.com for both the live and stream version of the gigs.
New releases 1 Ray Charles — “True Genius”
“True Genius” is the ultimate Ray Charles collection in box set format, featuring 90of the greatest songs from his legendary career. The newly remastered, limited-edition set includes all of the icon’s biggest hits and arrives in tandem with the celebration of what would have been his 90th birthday year. The six-CD physical box set includes a special bonus disc of eight previously unreleased tracks recorded live in Stockholm in 1972. The digital release marks the first time this incredible collection of Charles’ most important works will be widely available on streaming platforms, bringing classic hits such as “Hit the Road Jack,” “Crying Time,” “America the Beautiful,” “A Song for You,” “Unchain My Heart” and many more back to streaming after more than a decade.
Kacey Musgraves — “star-crossed”
Six-time Grammy Awardwinning singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves returns with her highly anticipated fourth studio album, “starcrossed,” which is being released at the same time as “star-crossed: the film.” Directed by Bardia Zeinali, the latter stars Musgraves and will be streamed exclusively via Paramount+ on the same day. The title track written by Musgraves, Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk along with the film’s trailer are both out now. This is the first album of new material from the singer-songwriter since releasing her groundbreaking and critically acclaimed album “Golden Hour” in 2018. The 15-song collection,
structured as a modern-day tragedy in three acts, tells an extremely personal journey of heartache and healing and displays Musgraves’ continued growth as one of the finest singer-songwriters of our time.
Iron Maiden — “Senjutsu”
“Senjutsu,” loosely translated as “tactics and strategy,” is the 17th album by metal legends Iron Maiden. At a running time of 82 minutes, the LP, like their 2015 record, “The Book of Souls,” will be a two-CD/ triple-vinyl affair. Maiden actually recorded the music during a break in their last tour, so they were fresh and firing on all cylinders, but then the pandemic messed everything up in terms of it getting released in a timely manner. Now it, and the band, are ready to be unleashed.
The Vaccines — “Back in Love City”
A modern-day pleasure island — equal parts utopia and dystopia — “Back in Love City” was born from the Vaccines’ fascination with emotions as commodities and the desperation for human connection at a time when there is very little. The result is the group’s most euphoric, visceral and visionary work to date. It’s a record that sees the fivepiece assert themselves as one of Britain’s most vital guitar bands, with 13 songs set against the fictional metropolis of the album’s title.
Seth Lee Jones — “Flathead”
A third-generation guitar player and a skilled master of stringed instruments in general, Seth Lee Jones was born into a musical family in Tulsa, Okla., moving to Los
Angeles at 15 years old. He later studied classical and jazz at LA Valley College and graduated from Hollywood’s Musicians Institute at the top of his class. Jones returned to his hometown in 2010 when the lure of affordable housing and an inspiring local music scene proved irresistible, and released “Live at the Colony,” and here really delivers the blues rock on “Flathead.”
Inglorious — “Heroine”
Up and coming British hard rockers Inglorious have done something special with their latest release, “Heroine,” which is a tribute to the various outstanding female musicians who have influenced the band either musically and/or vocally. From putting their own hard rock imprint on pop hits from Whitney Houston, Miley Cyrus, Avril Lavigne and Christina Aguilera to taking on timeless classic rock songs by Tina Turner, Heart and Joan Jett, as well as contemporary rock by the likes of Evanescence, Alanis Morissette and Halestorm, Inglorious showcase their versatility with the song selections for this covers LP.