November 2010 Archives

The Day After That is a song from the Kander & Ebb musical Kiss of the Spiderwoman. In 1993, Broadway and film legend Liza Minnelli recorded the song and donated the proceeds to AIDS research. The single featured three versions of the song in English, Spanish, and French.

That same year she performed the song for thousands of fans in Central Park at the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. In January 1994, she performed it live on The Tonight Show. The song is considered by many to be the definitive anthem for HIV/AIDS from the 1990s era.

The CD included a reproduction of a handwritten note from Liza (above right) that read:

I believe...
   This song is about the war against dispair.
   This song is about the devastating plague
                   we're going through.
   This song is about... hope.
I believe this song is our call to arms.
                           Liza

Liza persuaded a host of stars, muscians and performers to work on the project. It was produced by Phil Ramone, Billy Stritch, Don Sebesky and Liza. The Spanish language version was translated by Gloria Estefan.

The late photographer and make up artist Kevyn Aucoin photographed Liza for the cover. Art direction is credited to Mark Burdett. Aucion worked with Cher, Janet Jackson, Tina Turner, Courtney Love and hundreds of other artists before his death in 2002.

Observed on December 1 each year, World AIDS Day is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the global spread of HIV. The day is observed by holding memorials to honor persons who have died from HIV/AIDS. Government officials and many celebrities also observe the event, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. The red ribbon (right) has become the international symbol for HIV/AIDS awareness.

Over the years, numerous recording artists have dedicted songs to raising funds for the treatment of HIV/AIDS and for research that may lead to a cure. Tomorrow, the AlbumArtExchange Blog will wear a red ribbon and all of the articles will focus on the topic of AIDS.

Tonight, I will begin with something from one of the recording industry's most dedicated HIV/AIDS activists, Annie Lennox.

Sing is the second single from Lennox's 2007 album, Songs of Mass Destruction. The single was released as a charity record to raise money and awareness for the HIV/AIDS organization Treatment Action Campaign. The song was recorded as a collaboration between Lennox and twenty-three prominent female acts and artists.

The participants included Madonna, Anastacia, Isobel Campbell, Dido, Céline Dion, Melissa Etheridge, Fergie, Beth Gibbons, Faith Hill, Angélique Kidjo, Beverley Knight, Gladys Knight, k.d. lang, Sarah McLachlan, Beth Orton, Pink, Bonnie Raitt, Shakira, Shingai Shoniwa, Joss Stone, Sugababes, KT Tunstall, and Martha Wainwright.

For more information or to make a donation, please visit Annie Lennox's Official Website.

The cover art for Sing features a photograph of Lennox wearing a red ribbon and a brief statement explaining why she got involved in AIDS activism.

Below are six album covers that were preselected from among this week's new music releases. They were chosen based on Amazon.com sales rank and for their noteworthy album cover designs. Please vote for the cover that you think is the best of the bunch.

Bryan Adams - Bare Bones		The Black Eyed Peas - The Beginning
Chrisette Michelle - Let Freedom Reign		Glee Cast - Glee The Music Season 2 Vol 4
Various Artists - Burlesque Soundtrack		Take That - Progress

Love Me or Let Me Go, the debut single by teen pop singer Avery was released last week. The music video has been a hit on YouTube for several months, resulting in a recording contract with Universal.

The one thing that struck me about the cover art for the single is that Avery looks much older in the video. She is 16 and the cover art makes her look like she's about 12 or 13. Perhaps that is intentional. I don't know what is up with the dog in the matching outfit. It seems to beg ridicule.

Today, teen pop star Justin Bieber released the music video for his forthcoming single Pray. The single is scheduled to be released on December 14, 2010.

The cover art for the single does not feature a photograph of Bieber. I believe this is the first time a Justin Bieber cover has not included the scowling face of the young artist. Instead, it features an illustration of hands folded in prayer and the word "pray" written several times. I do not have a credit for the artist who created it.

The music video is a montage of Bieber visiting sick kids in hospitals, homeless people and soldiers away from home. I hate to draw this comparison, but it reminds me of the videos that Michael Jackson used to make about his charity work.

According to our AlbumArtExchange Blog poll, the best album cover for the week of November 23, 2010 is Body Talk by Robyn. The cover won with 38% of the vote. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West and the reissue of Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine tied for second with 25% each.

The winning cover was created by Australian artist Lucy McRae. McRae's blog features several photographs that show exactly how the paper sculpture that surrounds Robyn was constructed. It took over two days to create the seven-layered pixel simulation.

When I first saw the cover, I wasn't sure if it was real or created in Photoshop. However, it is clear from the photograph of Robyn posing in the hanging pieces of paper (right) that it is not a digital creation.

McCrae's blog is worth checking out. There are several articles and videos that showcase her work.

As usual, check back this evening to vote on the best album cover from this week's new music releases. This week we have covers by Black Eyed Peas, Take That and four other notable artists.

Today, the number of high quality album covers in the AAX gallery reached a new milestone. Site owner Scott posted the 125,000th cover at 9:10 a.m.

The cover is It Doesn't Have to Be (ebx 1.5) from the Erasure box set Erasure 1. or EBX 1. The set was released by Mute Records in 1999.

Thank you to all of the AAX users who have contributed to this achievement. The gallery has grown from only 50,000 covers in August 2009 and will soon hit the 150,000 mark.

AAX moderator Aequi tipped me about this unique handwritten press release from Coldplay about their forthcoming holiday single, Christmas Lights. According to the release, the single will be released on December 1, 2010.

The band's website also revealed the cover art for the single with an animated version. The actual cover has not yet been added to the AAX gallery. A music video for the song is currently in production. I will post an update when the cover and music video are available.

Since country music legend Willie Nelson was arrested this morning for allegedly possessing six ounces of marijuana, I thought it would be a good time to write about the cover art for his 2005 album Countryman.

In case you haven't heard, Nelson was arrested at a Border Patrol checkpoint in Texas as his tour bus was traveling from California to Austin. He was booked into the Hudspeth County Jail on a $2,500 bond and a released. Nelson has a worked for the legalization of marijuana for several years and is a defiant advocate for use of the drug.

While not surprising in anyway considering Nelson's history and position regarding pot, the cover art for Countryman was controversial. Nelson's first reggae album, it was released on  August 2, 2005 by the Lost Highway label with an illustration of a marijuana leaf designed by art director Craig Allen.

As is often the case with controversial cover art, an alternate cover was also created for the album. On the alternate cover, the marijuana leaf has been replaced with a palm tree. Those who shop exclusively at large chain stores may not even be aware that the marijuana-themed cover exists. The palm tree seems to have been created to look somewhat sad and lonely.

Peep This (1994)

Best Night of My Life (2011)

The Superions just tweeted that their single Fruitcake is the Free Song of the Day from Amazon.com. The song is from their new holiday album Destination Christmas.

The single comes with low quality artwork. So, you may want to snag one of the high resolution covers from the AAX gallery.

Posted by: zeefritz

My friend and regular AlbumArtExchange contributor Lindy read my recent article about the cover of the forthcoming album by rapper Sheek Louch and had a major déjà vu moment. In fact, I think this crosses over from déjà vu and into blatant ripoff territory.

The cover for Sheek Louch's Donnie G: Don Gorilla is identical to the cover for the 2009 release Welcome to the Jungle by reggaeton artist Franco "El Gorila". Welcome to the Jungle debuted at #17 on the U.S. Billboard Top Latin Albums and peaked at the #5 position. So, while it may be unfamiliar to those who do not listen to Spanish language albums, it was a major hit.

I won't get into the controversial subject matter related to these album covers. However, I find it amazing that one artist would choose to ape another in such a blatant manner (sorry I couldn't resist the bad pun).

Sheek Louch - Donnie G: Don Gorilla (2010)

Fans of actor and comedian Adam Sandler remember that his 1993 comedy album They're All Gonna Laugh at You! includes his holiday classic, The Thanksgiving Song.

I usually give a bit of background information about the album and cover, but I've got to hurry over to the folks' place for Thanksgiving dinner. So, all I have time to share about this album is that art direction is credited to Linda Cobb and Conan O'Brian contributed to it. Enjoy the song and the holiday!

The cover for singer-songwriter Keyshia Cole's forthcoming album has been revealed. Calling All Hearts is scheduled to be released on December 21, 2010.

The cover features a photograph of Cole in profile and with her face reflected in an antique mirror. Her lips are painted bright blue, with the shape of a red heart on her upper lip. Coles appears to be quite bored by the experience. Frankly, the feeling is mutual. It looks like she has been sucking on an ice cube to help cure a nasty herpes sore.

American hip hop group Black Eyed Peas have released the music video for their single The Time (Dirty Bit). The song is the first single from group's sixth studio album The Beginning, which is scheduled to be released on November 26, 2010.

The single samples (I've Had) The Time of My Life, which was originally performed by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing.

Below are six album covers that were preselected from among this week's new music releases. They were chosen based on Amazon.com sales rank and for their noteworthy album cover designs. Please vote for the cover that you think is the best of the bunch.

Ke$ha - Cannibal		Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
My Chemical Romance - Danger Days		Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine
Nicky Minaj - Pink Friday		Robyn - Body Talk

To promote the upcoming release of their first album of new material in 16 years, British post-punk band Gang of Four is offering a free download of a three-track EP. The EP features 320 kbps MP3 and high resolution artwork (below). The album, titled Content, will be released next year.

To get the download, all you have to do is submit your email address using the widget below.

According to our Album Art Exchange Blog poll, the best album cover for the week of November 16, 2010 is Loud by Rihanna. The cover won a tight race with 35% of the vote. In second place with 31% was ...Featuring Norah Jones. A Christmas Cornucopia by Annie Lennox came in third with 27%.

Ciarra Pardo is credited with art direction and design for this album cover. Pardo also worked on Rihanna's previous album, Rated R. I do not care for either album cover. Both appear to be the product of an immature talent.

Check back later this evening to vote on the best cover from among this week's new music releases. It looks as if it will be the most difficult choice this year, with covers from Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Nine Inch Nails, and three other top artists.

The Human League : Dare (gatefold inner), originally uploaded by See Gee.

Here is a clever sleeveface photo using the inner gatefold of the Dare album. I think is is quite appropriate for today.

Dare is the third studio album by British pop band The Human League. It was released in the UK in October 1981 and subsequently in the U.S. under the title Dare! the following year.

The most striking thing about the cover art for Dare is the cropped face of the band's vocalist Phil Oakey. Oakey's lipstick and eye makeup resulted in many who were unfamiliar with the band to assume that the photo was that of a woman. I recall two college buddies arguing about the "chick on the cover" when the album was released. Many people were not convinced that Oakey was a man until they saw the music video for the single Don't You Want Me on MTV.

Unlike Gary Numan, David Bowie and other singers who wore makeup, Phil Oakey was quite a bit prettier. His look was more subtle and less theatrical.

The cover was designed by the band's director of visuals Philip Adrian Wright and graphic designer Ken Ansell. The artwork has been reproduced several times for reissues of the album.

Next Tuesday, British electronic music group Human League will release their first new single in over 10 years. Night People is the first single from the group's forthcoming album Credo, which is scheduled to be released in March 2011.

The single will feature remixes from Cerrone, Mylo, Emperor Machine and Villa. The music video for the song will be released on the same day. Let's hope the album cover is more interesting than that of the single.

If you want to participate in the AAX Album Cones meme, submit your 1000 x 1000 pixel image along with the AAX links to the original cover image in the AAX gallery (if possible) via e-mail to blog@albumartexchange.com. You must also include your name or AAX forum username. You can also upload your images to Flickr and submit them to the Album Cones Flickr Group.

I will publish Album Cones as I receive them. I will not guarantee that your image will be published (but I'm not going to be too picky).

Pop singer Kylie Minogue has released the music video for her forthcoming single Better Than Today. The single will be released as a two-part CD on December 14, 2010. It is the third single from her current album Aphrodite.

The latest in the Harry Potter series was released in theaters today. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is the first part of the seventh and final installment of the films.

The soundtrack for the film was composed by Alexandre Desplat. It is available as a standard version (right) and as a limited edition box set (below) that includes:

• Individually numbered Certificate of Authenticity
• PremierCell Presentation of high quality film photography with attachable easel
• 7 inch double sided picture Vinyl Disc with score from the movie
• DVD with 5.1 audio mix of Alexandre Desplat s score and a 7 minute video featurette of the scoring session
• Movie Poster
• Orchestral Sheet Music from recording session at Abbey Road Studios signed by Alexandre Desplat
• Soundtrack on CD
• 2nd CD with additional score

The box set will be released on December 21, 2010 and is currently available for preorder though Amazon.com. It is priced at under $80. Warner Bros. has posted a special trailer for the soundtrack on YouTube. You can check it out below.

The music video for the forthcoming single Take 'Em Up by DJ and electonic musician Shit Robot (a.k.a. Marcus Lambkin) has been posted on YouTube. The song is from his debut album From the Cradle to the Rave, which was released on September 21, 2010.

The song features vocals by Nancy Whang who known for her work with The Juan MacLean and LCD Soundsystem. The video uses psychedelic effects applied to clips of Whang wandering around a neighborhood in Brooklyn. It is actually much more entertaining than it may sound. The single is currently available as a free download from RCRD LBL.

The cover art for the album features a "robot" face constructed from sound equipment. I have seen versions of the cover with the "Shit Robot" name applied with a bright green sticker. The cover art is credited to Timothy Saccenti. Saccenti's website is definitely worth checking out.

I do not know much about Aeroplane other than they are an electronic music duo from Belgium. I just discovered their EP Superstar (below). The EP was released back in September and includes three tracks, a radio edit, an extended remix, and a great version of the song featuring Chromeo that is in rotation on my iPod.

The cover art for the EP gives the viewer absolutely no idea that the song is a very cool retro disco dance number. Aeroplane's album We Can't Fly was released shortly after the Superstar EP. It has very similar artwork. I think it is supposed to be the view from the window of an airplane.

The artwork for the iTunes Free Single of the Week is actually worth writing about this time. The single All I Want is from What Separates Me from You (right), the latest album from American rock band A Day to Remember. The album was released yesterday by Victory Records.

The cover art for the single (below) ties in with the the image of a man trapped in an hourglass that appears on the album. I really like it when this kind of attention to detail can be seen in a project.

The cover for All I Want is a continuation of the story told in the illustration on the album. It appears that the man trapped in the hourglass has managed to break out of the trap, but the results are not good. His seemingly lifeless hand lies in a pile of sand and broken glass. I guess he should have stayed inside.

The art direction for the album is credited to the band's lead vocalist, Jeremy McKinnon. Two illustrators are credited, Mike Cordata and Rob Dobie. I am sorry I do not have the time to do more research.

Below are six album covers that were preselected from this week's new music releases. They were chosen based on Amazon.com sales rank and for their noteworthy album cover designs. Please vote for the cover that you think is the best of the bunch.

Annie Lennox - A Christmas Cornucopia		James Blunt - Some Kind of Trouble
Kid Rock - Born Free		Norah Jones - ...Featuring Norah Jones
P!nk - Greatest Hits...So Far!!!		Rihanna - Loud

The cover for Adam Lambert's forthcoming album Acoustic Live! was revealed online today. The album is scheduled to be released on December 6, 2010.

The cover features a black and white photograph of Lambert with red, white and blue graphics. The pop star is shirtless, wearing several necklaces and making a peace sign. It is a cover that will certainly draw comparisons to the photograph of Jim Morrison that was used on the cover of album The Best of The Doors (right).

Unlike the cover featuring Morrison, Lambert's cover fails due to lack of simplicity. Compare the two covers and it is obvious that Lambert had the potential to have a stunning album cover. What he ended up with is too busy and borders on the tacky side. It would be better if several of the elements were eliminated. I would begin with the rows of stars. Then, limit the number of necklaces to two or three.

According to our AlbumArtExchange Blog poll, the best album cover for the week of November 9, 2010 is for Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager by Kid Cudi. The cover won with 44% of the vote. Four Stars by The Greenhornes was a distant second with 20% and 7 Sinners by Helloween and Ø (Disambiguation) by Underoath tied for third with 12% each.

Art direction for the winning album is credited to Scott Mescudi, who is Kid Cudi. When recording artists are credited with art direction on a project, it either means that he or she is multi-talented and has skills as a graphic designer or an enormous ego.

More often than not, the recording artist scribbled something on a napkin and a real art director turned it into the design used for the album cover. I do not know if that is the case here. There are many recording artists with excellent skills in the graphic arts. The photography is credited to Pamela Littky.

As usual, check back this evening to vote for the best album cover from among this week's new music releases. This will be a week of difficult choices. There are album covers from Rihanna, P!nk, Annie Lennox and a couple of surprises.

Apple's "exciting announcement" this morning about finally obtaining The Beatles catalog was spoiled by the Wall Street Journal yesterday. Today, the Apple homepage features a large portrait of the band.

The question that Album Art Exchange users will be asking is, "What does the album art look like?" Below is the artwork that came with the iTunes version of A Hard Day's Night that I purchased this morning.

Compared to most iTunes artwork, this cover is very good quality. The typography has been sharpened to make it look good in the 600 x 600 size. It appears to be the same artwork that was distributed with the most recent remasters.

I am anxious to see what the iTunes LP versions look like. However, I already own everything by The Beatles that iTunes has to offer on CD. If anyone buys one of the iTunes LPs and would like to share an opinion with the AAX blog, it would be appreciated.

This is perhaps one of the most obvious déjà vu moments ever. The cover for the single Like Magic by Operator Please is almost identical to the cover for the album Bleed American by Jimmy Eats World.

Today, Apple posted a teaser for an "exciting announcement" about iTunes on their homepage. This has caused a flurry of speculation about what could be in store for iTunes users.

Could it be that iTunes will be launching a streaming music or TV rental service? Perhaps they have expanded their stores to include international music releases. I think it could be telling that the announcement comes on New Music Tuesday, the day when new releases are made available in the United States.

I guess we will all have to wait until tomorrow to find out.

The cover art for the forthcoming Virgin/EMI release The Best of N.E.R.D was revealed today via news release. The album is scheduled to be released on January 11, 2011.

The album is a collection of 16 of the band's top singles, album cuts, b-sides and alternate mixes. N.E.R.D was formed in 2001 by The Neptunes' pop and hip-hop production partners Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo with Shae Haley.

The cover features a variation of the N.E.R.D "brain logo" that was designed by American contemporary artist , graphic designer, and illustrator Shepard Fairey. Fairey has designed several album covers over the past few years for artists such as the Black Eyed Peas and Stone Temple Pilots. He gained worldwide fame for his Barack Obama "Hope" poster that was used during the 2008 election.

The music video for the new single Together by Pet Shop Boys has been posted on YouTube. Remixes will be available in the U.S. on December 7, 2010 as a two part CD set. The remixes will also be available as digital downloads.

The forthcoming third single from the second studio album by electronic band Crystal Castles (right) is Not in Love featuring The Cure's Robert Smith. The single is scheduled to be released on November 22, 2010.

Fans of The Cure are certain to like this track. A version of Not in Love also appears on the album (referred to as Crystal Castles II), but it does not feature the vocals of Robert Smith.

The cover art for the single is a detail of the creepy graveyard photograph used for the album. It is a tightly cropped close up of the zombie-looking girl's face. The image has also had a video effect applied to it. It reminds me of when the scenes in Dawn of the Dead cut to people watching news coverage of the zombie invasion on TV.

Studio Parris Wakefield is a graphic design studio that has produced creative work in the areas of music, fashion and interiors. Creative director Howard Wakefield has worked with legendary graphic designer Peter Saville for many years. Clients have included New Order and EMI.

Recently, Sarah Parris contacted the AlbumArtExchange Blog to let us know about the work the the studio has done for an impressive new Joy Division box set called "+ -" and the story behind the project's unique cover image. The design for the cover of the set and the various singles included in it can be viewed on the Studio Parris Wakefield website.

Designing Joy Division + -

We have been working on the design of the new Joy Division box set '+-'. Now we are able to share with you the story behind the imagery.

In Peter Saville's book 'Estate 1-27' Michael Bracewell describes Saville's work with Factory Records and in particular Joy Division as the '...muniments of a crematorium in deep space.' Thus inspiring Saville to look towards the infinite qualities of the universe to capture the essence of a collection of Joy Division singles.

Tasked with the brief of 'deep space and nebulae', Howard Wakefield researched through the collection of Nasa imagery at SpaceImages. While tempted with a nebula called Factory, its name was too good to be true, for it didn't compare with the more expansive deep blue nebula of Hubble NGC 346 SMC. Peter Saville was keen to see how it could be transformed from being purely documentary, so suggested an inverted, monochrome version.

Continue reading...

According to another recent article on the SPW blog, the title "+ -" was inspired by a detail of the neon sculpture Plus en Min by Jan van Munster. The image was featured on the sleeve of the single Atmosphere, which was part of the 1988 Joy Division compilation Substance. Titling the 2010 box set of remastered singles "+ -" is an acknowledgement of the popular 1988 release, which includes the same track list.

Earlier today, pop singer Jesse McCartney revealed the cover for his forthcoming album Have It All via Twitter. The high resolution image was posted on Twitpic with the caption "Here it is people..." The album is scheduled to be released on December 28, 2010. It is McCartney's fourth studio album.

While rooftop portraits are fairly common on album covers, this one features a very dramatic sky and the wind blowing McCartney's hair. I think that makes it a bit better than the typical rooftop scene.

The cover is definitely a cut above the similar cover used for Nick Jonas' solo debut album (above right) that was released early this year. I was not able to find a credit for the photographer of the McCartney cover.

The debut single from Internet sensation Greyson Chance is scheduled to be released on December 14, 2010. The song is called Waiting Outside the Lines.

Chance was offered a recording contract shortly after the video of him playing piano and singing Lady Gaga's Paparazzi went viral on YouTube. A music video for the single is currently in production.

The alien invasion movie Skyline was released to theaters today. The film stars Eric Balfour and Scotty Thompson as a couple who experience an invasion by space ships and deadly beams of light during a visit to Los Angeles. So far, the reviews have been mixed.

The soundtrack for the film is scheduled to be released on November 16, 2010. The music is by Matthew Margeson, who has worked as a music arranger and composer on films such as Kick-Ass, The Expendables, and Angels and Demons.

The artwork for the album shows two alien machines descending from the sky amid tall buildings. I think that it is a better image than the one being used for the theatrical release poster (right).

Having once lived in L.A., I do not think that the clips I have seen really do not think the film portrays the city. It has more of a New York City feel to me. Los Angeles doesn't really have much of a skyline and very few people live in luxury high rise apartments.

Check this out! Tim Burton and Danny Elfman are releasing a limited edition box set of 16 albums. The set will include 13 original scores composed by Elfman for Burton's films, three additional CDs of demos, work tapes and other previously unreleased material, a hardcover book with over 250 pages of illustrated notes, a DVD, and a custom-designed working zoetrope box.

The set will be available on December 28, 2010 in a limited edition of 1,000. Each will include a certificate of authenticity. The retail price for the set is around $500. It can be preordered through Amazon.com or a special website.

The artwork for the set is comprised of original drawings by Burton. Watch the promotional video below to get a better look at the artwork and the scale of the box. It really is big enough to fit a human head into!

Earlier today, I wrote about the cover art for R&B singer-songwriter Keri Hilson's single Pretty Girl Rock, which is anything but pretty. Hilson has just revealed the artwork for the corresponding album No Boys Allowed. The album is scheduled to be released on December 21, 2010.

Sadly, the album cover is not much better than what was used for Hilson's latest single. Hilson is featured in a black and white photograph that definitely shows off her beautiful eyes. However, she appears to be in a toilet stall and has confused her lipstick for a cigarette. Her body is also criss-crossed with yellow caution tape that reads "No Boys Allowed" instead of warning people about the pee on the floor.

Hilson is pushing 30 and the naughty Britney schoolgirl look just doesn't work for a woman her age (Katy Perry can barely get away with it). And haven't we seen enough album covers with a female singer posing on a toilet? The entire concept is a hodgepodge of Parisian hooker, crime scene, and 1980s Madonna. I feel like I'm getting an STD just looking at it.

The music video for the first single from Susan Boyle's holiday album The Gift (right) has been posted on YouTube. Lou Reed's Perfect Day may seem like an odd choice for a holiday album, but you just have to listen to this track to realize that it is a true masterpiece.

It has been reported that Reed helped conceptualize the video, which is dark and brooding and increases the impact of the bittersweet lyrics. This is has much of a pleasant surprise from Boyle as her cover of Wild Horses. At this point, I would like to see Snoop Dogg fulfill his fantasy of recording a track with Boyle doing vocals.

This is certainly going to be the top-selling holiday album of 2010. The more traditional tracks are wonderful, too.

The iTunes Free Single of the Week is Pretty Girl Rock by R&B singer-songwriter Keri Hilson. It is the second single to be released from Hilson's forthcoming album No Boys Allowed. The album is scheduled to be released on December 21, 2010.

The artwork for the single is the photograph that has been used for the promotional image for the album (right). The photo shows Hilson sulking in a graffiti-covered alley wearing clothes that look like they came out of a Goodwill grab bag. Her hair and make up are horrible. It takes a lot of ineptitude to make a gorgeous woman like Keri Hilson look so bad. The hunched pose and the styling are as terrible as the tacky location.

Maybe it is just me, but I think a single called "Pretty Girl Rock" should feature a girl looking pretty on the cover. Instead, we get more of Hilson's armpits than we really need to see and very little of her pretty eyes. I guess this is an attempt to make Hilson look more "hood" than high fashion. However, at 27 she's a bit past being able to pull off the street kid look.

Below are six album covers that were preselected from among this week's new music releases. They were chosen based on Amazon.com sales rank and for their noteworthy album cover designs. Please vote for the album cover that you think is the best of the bunch.

The Greenhornes - Four Stars		Helloween - 7 Sinners
Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon II		Reba - All the Women I Am
Susan Boyle - The Gift		Underoath - Ø (Disambiguation)

Frequent David Guetta collaborator Chris Willis has just released a music video for his single Louder (Put Your Hands Up). The remixes have been playing in clubs for a couple of months and one is featured on the forthcoming dance compilation Clubland 18 (right), which is scheduled to be released in the U.S. on November 16, 2010.

I've been listening to the remixes on my iPod for a couple of weeks. It is a great song to listen to while working out and I am sure it gets people out on the dance floor. It is exactly what one would expect from a dance track.

However, the music video is really something else. It is like a cross between Britney Spears' schoolgirl routine and Janet Jackson's industrial dance choreography. Enjoy!

The winner of our recent AlbumArtExchange Blog poll to determine the best album cover for the week of November 2, 2010 was Elvis Costello's National Ransom. The cover won with 34% of the vote. The self-titled album by AfroCubism came in second with 28% and Weezer's Death to False Metal was a distant third with 14%.

The cover for National Ransom is an illustration by American cartoonist and illustrator Tony Millionaire (a.k.a. Scott Richardson). Millionaire is known for his syndicated comic strip Maakies and the Sock Monkey series of comics and picture books. He also created the album cover for Costello's previous album, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane.

As usual, check back this evening to vote on the best album cover from this week's set of new music releases. There will be covers featuring Susan Boyle, Kid Cudi, and a few surprises.

The cover for the forthcoming Glee compilation album was revealed via news release today. Glee Season Two The Music Volume 4 is scheduled to be released on November 30, 2010.

The album cover features a photos collage of the cast members in their "slushie wars" poses. Slushies have replaced the "L" hand gesture as the emblem for season two.

American Idol runner up Crystal Bowersox revealed the cover for her forthcoming album on her official Twitter account today. Farmer's Daughter is scheduled to be released on December 14, 2010.

Bowersox also tweeted comments about the dog shown in the photograph and the shirt she wore. I just want to know if there was a toothless albino playing a banjo on that porch.

The Key of Awesome is a weekly musical comedy show on YouTube that spoofs celebrities, pop-culture and Internet memes. The show features Mark Douglas and other performers.

The latest parody is music video and digital single that pokes fun at pop singer Ke$ha's We R Who We R. When I first saw the cover art for Ke$ha: Trying 2 Hard in the AAX gallery, I thought that it was an actual Ke$ha single. Perhaps it was the gold glitter and the tacky cartoon font that had me fooled.

If you want to participate in the AAX Album Cones meme, submit your 1000 x 1000 pixel image along with the AAX links to the original cover image in the AAX gallery (if possible) via e-mail to blog@albumartexchange.com. You must also include your name or AAX forum username. You can also upload your images to Flickr and submit them to the Album Cones Flickr Group.

I will publish Album Cones as I receive them. I will not guarantee that your image will be published (but I'm not going to be too picky).

Various Artists - Love on a Summer Afternoon: Songs of Sam Davis (2010)

The TV show Glee is set to have yet another number one single with their cover of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream featuring new cast member Darren Criss.

Criss is a 23 year old actor and singer-songwriter who also has a solo EP called Human (right) available on iTunes and Amazon.com. I am sure that the EP will experience a sales boost from from the Glee single.

The scene featuring Criss leading a prep school acapella group in the performance of Teenage Dream was leaked online a couple of days ago. The episode is titled Never Been Kissed and there has been speculation as to who may be doing the kissing. The episodes center's around the show's gay teen character Kurt.

The cover art for the single is a variation of the "slushie" cover that has been used for season two singles. Like the hand making the "L" for loser from last year, the image is getting a bit tired.

When I wrote about the cover art for the recently released Weezer album Death to False Metal a few weeks ago, I did not speculate about the meaning behind its idyllic farm scene. Since then, I have received several messages from readers informing me that the illustration is a parody of those that appear in the Jehovah's Witness publication Watchtower (right).

I have yet to find a statement from the band that confirms this. However, all one has to do is compare the cover to several Watchtower illustrations and it is obvious that this is the case.

The album is a compilation of rare and unreleased tracks recorded by the band over the years. The problem with this kind of album cover is that it can result in rumors that the band is secretly promoting a religion. A couple of the people who contacted me wrote that they would no longer support the band. One person went so far as to claim that both the Watchtower illustrations and the album cover contain subliminal images designed to "brainwash" those who study them.

Those who are familiar with Weezer know that there is little chance that this album cover is some kind of secret religious conspiracy. It seems likely to me that the cover is a parody aimed at the promise of Heaven in general rather than the Jehovah's Witnesses in particular. And fans thought that the Hurley cover was controversial!

Paper Roses (1973)

Posted by: blee

I Can Do This (2010)

Posted by: zeefritz

Singer and songwriter Lucy Schwartz has just released the music video for Graveyard. The song appears on Schwartz' new album Life in Letters, which is currently available though iTunes and Amazon.com. (The iTunes version has three bonus tracks.)

The video is very good. However, I really just want to rave about the album cover a bit. It features an underwater photograph by Mallory Morrison. Morrison specializes in this kind of underwater photography and her work is some of the best of this genre that I have seen.

There are several other photographs by Morrison on Schwartz' official website (above right). I imagine that it must have been difficult to pick one for the album cover. They are all fantastic.

The DreamWorks animated feature Megamind was released in the United States in Digital 3D, IMAX 3D and 2D today. The film features the voices of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross and Brad Pitt.

The soundtrack was released on Tuesday by Lakeshore Records. It includes original music by Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe as well as songs by George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Minnie Riperton, and Elvis Presley.

An album of newly completed recordings from Michael Jackson is scheduled to be released on December 14, 2010 by Epic Records in conjunction with the estate of the late pop singer. A single from the album called Breaking News will debut on michaeljackson.com tomorrow.

The cover for MICHAEL was created by painter Kadir Nelson in 2009. The oil painting features key moments and important people in Jackson's life. Nelson is known for his works that focus on African American subjects. He recently painted a scene that commemorates Negro Leagues Baseball for a U.S. postage stamp series.

The music video for Mariah Carey's Christmas single Oh Santa! has been posted on YouTube. It is available as a digital single and on Carey's holiday album Merry Christmas II You, which was released today.

The cover art for the single featured Carey in a short, sequined red dress and performing on a stage of paper snowflake cutouts.

According to our AlbumArtExchange Blog poll, the best album cover for the week of October 26, 2010 is The Very Very Best of Crowded House. This cover won with 42% of the vote. Taylor Swift's Speak Now was second with 21% and there was a tie for third between Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger by Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl and Gold Panda's Lucky Shiner, which both received 17% of the votes cast.

The illustration used on the winning cover is credited to Sharon Chai. Chai has created several other album covers, including Crowded House's Time on Earth, Sarah Blasko's As Day Follows Night, and The Butterfly Effect's Imago.

Check back this evening to see which album covers were preselected for this week's poll. This week may represent one of the most diverse collections of artistic styles yet.