India.Arie, Afroman, Thelonious Monk: New Album Releases, 6-27-2006

Best likely sounding all new release this week has to be India.Arie. She's about something. India.Arie Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship appears to be a breakup-themed album.

Thelonious Monk The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings contains two hours worth of Thelonious backed up by John Coltrane. A man needs to hear something like that.

Also, Rhino has a couple of groovy sounding collections. There's a CD of various old recordings of Burt Bacharach in What the World Needs Now Is Burt & Hal. Besides the obvious Dionne Warwick, this includes everyone from Ella Fitzgerald to Frankie Valli.

Rhino has a new fat box set to file under "if you loved me, you'd buy me this." Rockin' Bones: 1950s Punk and Rockabilly anchors the more obvious raw stuff from Elvis and Jerry Lee and Buddy Holly and Link Wray among 101 songs, a third of which have apparently never been released on CD before.

Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases, courtesy AMG:

India.Arie Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship Universal
Neo-Soul, Contemporary R&B

Ray Cash Cash on Delivery Sony Urban Music/Columbia
Hardcore Rap, Hip-Hop

Dashboard Confessional Dusk and Summer Vagrant
Emo, Singer/Songwriter, Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock

Brad Mehldau Trio House on Hill Nonesuch
Post-Bop, Modern Creative

Afroman Still Drunk'n'High Siccness.net
Underground Rap, Comedy Rap, Alternative Rap

Balun Something Comes Our Way Brilliante
Indie Electronic

Billy Talent II Atlantic
Punk Revival, Post-Hardcore, Emo

Bjork Surrounded Rhino
Alternative Pop/Rock, Experimental Rock, Experimental, Electronica, Alternative Dance, Trip-Hop, Club/Dance

Catch Twenty Two Permanent Revolution Victory
Third Wave Ska Revival, Punk-Pop, Ska-Punk

John Cerminaro A Life of Music NSS Music
Classical, Post-Romantic and Contemporary Music for Horn and Orchestra

DJ Spooky DJ Spooky Presents: 50,000 Volts of Trojan Records Trojan
Roots Reggae, DJ, Dub

Dr. Dre Death Row's Greatest Hits: The Chronicles Death Row
West Coast Rap, G-Funk, Gangsta Rap

Tha Dogg Pound Cali Iz Active Doggy Style
G-Funk, West Coast Rap, Gangsta Rap

Fats Domino Fat Man's Frenzy Rev-Ola
New Orleans R&B, Rock & Roll, R&B, Piano Blues

The Fallout Trust In Case of the Flood At Large
Alternative Pop/Rock

Four Tet DJ Kicks K7
Experimental Techno, Electronica, Post-Rock/Experimental

Michael Franks Rendezvous in Rio Koch
Smooth Jazz, Crossover Jazz

John Lee Hooker, Jr. Cold as Ice Telarc
Urban Blues, Detroit Blues, Jump Blues

Lostprophets Liberation Transmission Columbia
Post-Grunge, Alternative Metal, Hard Rock

Brad Mehldau/Renee Fleming Love Sublime Nonesuch
Classical Crossover, Opera, Progressive Jazz

Ronnie Milsap My Life RCA
Contemporary Country

Thelonious Monk The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings Riverside
Hard Bop

Tim O'Reagan Tim O'Reagan [Lost Highway] Lost Highway
Chamber Pop, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative Country-Rock

Rick Oliver Continual Battle of Thoughts Fly
Alternative Pop/Rock

Roland Pontinen Pianorama: Cinematic Music Played by Roland Pöntinen Bis
Film Music for Piano

Clark Rundell Experiments on a March Chandos
Symphonic Band Music

Tenebrae Joby Talbot: Path of Miracles [Hybrid SACD] Signum UK
Contemporary Choral Music

Roger Woodward Takemitsu: Corona; For Away: Piano Distance; Undisturbed Rest Explore
Contemporary Piano Music

Original Soundtrack A Scanner Darkly [Original Soundtrack] Lakeshore S
Original Score

John Ottman Superman Returns [Original Score] Warner Bros./Rhino
Original Score, Film Music

Grant Lee Phillips Nineteeneighties Zoe
Americana, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Singer/Songwriter

Planningtorock Have It All Chicks on Speed
Indie Electronic, Electronica

Pure Prairie League All in Good Time Drifter's Church
Soft Rock, Country-Rock, Pop/Rock

Julie Roberts Men & Mascara Mercury
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Contemporary Country

Shawnna Block Music Def Jam
Hardcore Rap, Southern Rap

Various Artists Blues for Dootsie: The Blue and Dootone Sides Ace
West Coast Blues, Jump Blues

Various Artists Rockin' Bones: 1950s Punk and Rockabilly Rhino
Rockabilly, Rock & Roll

Various Artists What the World Needs Now Is Burt & Hal Rhino
Pop, Uptown Soul, Soul

Hank Williams, Jr. That's How They Do It in Dixie: The Essential Collection Curb
Outlaw Country, Southern Rock