John Mayer, Hoodie Allen show variety in their sounds
John Mayer: Paradise Valley
John Mayer has gone through a classic array of acoustic artist genres.
He’s covered the sensitive guitar player, stepped it up a notch with some rock sounds on “Continuum,” gone on to jazz and found his way to earthy, country acoustic with “Born and Raised.”
As much as he’s been criticized for some of his antics in the past — criticizing Jessica Simpson and dating Taylor Swift — there is no doubt that John Mayer has honed his skills, and his newest album, “Paradise Valley” certainly shows them off.
The album shows a little more of his country side, but it combines all of his past musical forays into one lyrically soothing album.
He even surprised listeners with a duet with pop sensation Katy Perry, which somehow fit in with his acoustic-style voice.
Luke Bryan:Crash My Party
For the country music lover, Luke Bryan’s latest is everything you want.
Although similar to his past albums, Bryan includes some easier sounds, as in his songs “Drink a Beer” and “Goodbye Girl,” which still stem from his country roots, but are more low key than his previous work.
The popular single “That’s My Kind of Night” is the Bryan audiences expect to hear and play loudly on gameday. There’s nothing groundbreaking about this album, but there’s nothing bad about it either.
Hoody Allen:Americoustic
It seemed that Hoodie Allen’s rapping career was over shortly after it started, and he was often compared to other “hipster” rappers, like Mac Miller, but his EP gives a refreshing, new sound to the hip-hop scene.
All the songs on this album but one are acoustic versions of past songs and display his talents as a singer more than as a rapper.
The EP’s popular single “Same as Before” also strays from his typical sound, adding rock into the mix.
Lady Gaga: Artpop
Release date: Nov. 11
Lady Gaga’s single “Applause” has already neared the top of the charts, and her upcoming album surely will too. She uses the same electro-pop music style, but still continues to make music unlike anyone else. It’s likely some of the songs will be a bit too reminiscent of her previous work, but at the end of the day, we will all be singing along.
Panic! At the Disco: Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!
Release date: Oct. 8
As Panic! At the Disco’s first album release since 2011, there’s hope that this album might gain the same attention as their first, “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.” The first two singles released on the album, “Miss Jackson” and “This is Gospel,” sound just like the Panic! fans know and love but show that they are bringing a little more attitude to their songs. If the rest of the album is as catchy as these singles, the band’s revival might finally happen.
Sheryl Crow: Feels Like Home
Release date: Sept. 10
This favorite 90s acoustic rocker has officially gone country. Sheryl Crow’s single “Best of Times” has everything from American pride to her newfound Southern accent. Her career-long fans may not be too impressed with the change, and it’s still uncertain if the country community will accept her as an artist as well. Hopefully her legendary voice and guitar skills will be enough to make another great album.
Big Sean: Hall of Fame
Release date: Sept. 10
Best known for his song “Dance,” Big Sean is changing his style a bit for his new album. His single “Fire” sounds similar to an early Kanye West track and displays his musical talents more than past releases did. Many tracks on the album are collaborations with artists like Kid Cudi, Nicki Minaj and Nas, all unique artists in hip-hop. These collaborations should