Drake, Snow Patrol, Childish Gambino, Rihanna, Howie Dorough top the month's most-anticipated records
Drake
“Take Care” — Nov. 15
Yes, he pushed the release date back from the original Oct. 24 date and he blew off Columbia, and the rest of his scheduled tour stops, due to what Live Nation called “scheduling conflicts.” But if single “Make Me Proud (Feat. Nicki Minaj)” is any indicator, Drake’s upcoming album “Take Care” should be more of the same fast-flowing raps and autotuned choruses — plenty to be excited about for fans of the former “Degrassi” star. Well-known for high-profile collaborations with Minaj, Lil’ Wayne, Rihanna, Eminem and others, the Young Money rapper has said the album will feature a handful of other artists including Rick Ross and former Outkast member Andre 3000. And those of you who bought tickets to his called-off Colonial Life Arena show, don’t despair too terribly; Drake indicated on his blog that the tour isn’t canceled indefinitely. In a post last month, the rapper said the tour would be “moved to when students are back from the Christmas/New Year break so that I can get to more schools.”
Snow Patrol
“Fallen Empires” — Nov. 14
Frontman Gary Lightbody surprised fans and critics alike when announcing in a September interview with BBC Radio 2 that though “Fallen Empires” wasn’t due out for another month, the band had already completed writing on a follow-up album. “We’ve already written the next album,” Lightbody said to the station. “The last track on ‘Fallen Empires’ is going to be ‘Broken Bottles Form A Star (Prelude),’ and that will be the first track on the next album.” The singer went on to say he thinks “Fallen Empires” (due out Nov. 14) is the band’s strongest work so far. “Called Out in the Dark,” one of the album’s singles, features a perfect combination of the same Lightbody crooning that won fans over on “Chasing Cars” and a catchy pop beat that could be right off a Vampire Weekend track. The title track is a departure from the band’s norm; the song is darker and more fast-paced than previous work, with lyrics sung deeply by all the members of the band.
Childish Gambino
“Camp” — Nov. 15
Fans of the NBC comedy “Community” will recognize him immediately — he’s Donald Glover, and he plays Troy Barnes on the show. Glover said he got the name “Childish Gambino” from an online Wu-Tang Clan name generator. But Glover is much more than just your average actor-turned-rapper. At age 28, the multitalented performer has written for “The Daily Show” and “30 Rock” and has already won a Writers Guild of America award for Best Comedic Series Award for his work. His Internet videos with Derrick Comedy created a loyal following, and his foray into music has seen the same results. Glover’s rap persona, like many of his roles, is witty, fun-yet-serious, outside-the-box and relatable. Lines like “I set the game ablaze/ I’m an Arcade Fire,” and “Take the ‘g’ out of your waffle/ All you got left is your ego” are just the tip of the iceberg of puzzles and pop-culture references Glover infuses into every rap. The new album, “Camp” will feature 13 tracks of the comedian/rapper’s flawlessly written raps and is due out Nov. 15.
Rihanna
“Talk That Talk” — Nov. 21
The Barbadian hitmaker, who has enjoyed seemingly non-stop reign of the Billboard charts and Top-40 radio play since her 2005 debut, “Music of the Sun,” featuring hit single “Pon de Replay,” will release another dozen tracks for all of America to get stuck in their heads (see: “Don’t Stop the Music” and “Rude Boy”). The album’s first single, a made-for-dancing, heavily produced pop anthem “We Found Love” could have come from any of Rihanna’s other albums. The song has the same driving beat and energy as her earlier works, and will no doubt receive the same adoration from millions of fans who have “found love in a hopeless place,” as the singer repeats again and again throughout the song. Calvin Harris produced the album, and rapper Jay-Z will reportedly make an appearance on the title track.
Howie Dorough
“Back to Me” — Nov. 15
Don’t recognize the name? Maybe this’ll help — he’s better known as Howie D. And in the ’90s, he was joined by four other guys: Nick Carter, A.J. McLean, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Still don’t know it? The five made up a little group called the Backstreet Boys. And Backstreet’s back, all right. Actually they’ve been back for a while — after an early 2000s hiatus and Richardson’s departure, the Boys released “Unbreakable” (2007) and “This is Us” (2009). Since then Dorough, an Orlando, Fla. native, has gone to work on his first solo album, “Back to Me.” The first single, “100,” is a Pitbull-style Latin pop dance hit with a chorus (“I’m givin’ you 100/ I hope that’s enough”) that’s stuck in your head by the second time you hear the song. It’s a solo act from a Backstreet Boy; nothing more, nothing less. But for those of us who grew up in an era of music dominated by Britney Spears, *NSync and the Spice Girls, it’s a nostalgic throwback, and the album is sure to be the same.