Dig These Discs :: Madonna, Olly Murs, Jimmy Somerville, Ryan Cabrera, AJR

Madge wows us with "Rebel Heart," 19 tracks of pop and electronica that's among her best since "Ray of Light." Olly Murs comes into his own in his fourth studio album. Bronski Beat's openly gay Jimmy Somerville creates a modern-day disco album. Platinum-selling singer/songwriter Ryan Cabrera gives fans a tease from his upcoming fifth full-length album with this five-single EP, "Wake Up Beautiful." And New York City-based band of brothers AJR (Adam, Jack and Ryan Met) drop their first full-length album, "Living Room." Time to dig yourself out of Dig These Discs!

"Rebel Heart" (Madonna)

Madonna drops her 13th studio album this month, after a leak prompted her to drop six singles onto iTunes early, in December 2014. EDGE reported on this sneak-peek around Christmas. She makes up for it here with a colossal 19 tracks, which skirt the line between breakup songs and sexual stunners. Her early releases like "Living For Love" and the reggae-tinged "Unapologetic Bitch" have already stood up to critical dissection. Her new songs are just as strong, and as Billboard notes, they still sound like Madonna, despite 14 producers in 7 teams. She reassures that "everything's gonna be alright" in "Hold Tight." Chance The Rapper (and a sample from Mike Tyson) add frisson to the electro-rap tune "Iconic." "You said it was over, wanted it to end, then you had the nerve to say that we could still be friends," she sings in one of the best tracks, "HeartBreakCity." Her schoolgirl hush marks the clap-track heavy "Body Shop," and she swings wide in the other direction with the salacious "Holy Water," in which she compare her lady juices to papal blessings with the refrain, "bless yourself and genuflect..." and the disqualifier regarding Kanye, "Yeezes loves my pussy best." She even samples lines from her massive hit, "Vogue." The sound here is very circa-"Erotica." She adds the electronic flourishes to "Inside Out" and heavy bass to "Best Night." Although she's a pop queen, Madonna's ballads are generally pretty strong on this album, from the poppy "Joan of Arc" and the maudlin "Wash All Over Me." She vamps in "S.E.X." with its deep bass beat and cringeworthy lyrics like, "I'm an open door/ come inside of me." Her last two tracks are among the best, the well-crafted "Messiah" and the title track, "Rebel Heart," justifying her life to naysayers. And in "Veni Vidi Vici" featuring Nas, she links up her past hits to create the lyrics, "I opened up my heart, I learned the power of goodbye/I saw a ray of light, music saved my life." It's corny, but after more than four decades in the business, who's to say she's not entitled to it. Madge kicks off a 35-city global run in Miami on August 29, before heading to the UK and Europe. No matter where you live, catch her in your town.
(UMG Recordings)

"Homage" (Jimmy Somerville)

Openly gay pop trailblazer Jimmy Somerville of the '80s group Bronski Beat and The Communards pays "Homage" to the disco era with his new album. Scottish-born Somerville rocks the disco vibe in a way it hasn't been rocked since the '70s. Said Somerville, "I've finally made the disco album I always wanted to and never thought I could. The horns, the strings, the bass, the guitar, the drums, the backing vocals and melody... the escape. So open your ears embrace the groove and pay homage to an all too easily derided sound." He kicks off his dozen cuts with "Some Wonder," singing about time running away, in a high falsetto tone, then does it 'my way' with "Strong Enough," singing, "eyes wide open, I like what I see." These are classic disco sounds; you could do the hustle to these tracks. He wants a "Freak" of a man to understand, and reminds his man in "Taken Away" that at least, "it was good when I loved you." "Back To Me" is a fast-moving, swinging song with excellent trumpet flourishes, and slows things down in "The Core." "Scratch the surface; life is raw," Somerville sings in "Travesty," right before the laser sound effects light it up. He sways sexily in "Bright Thing" and croons in "Lights Are Shining." He wraps up the album with "Overload" and "Learned to Talk." If you ever wished that the days of disco would return, your wish has come true.
(Membran)

"Never Been Better" (Olly Murs)

Olly Murs drops his fourth album, "Never Been Better," with help from Steve Robson, Claude Kelly and Wayne Hector. He even teamed up with The Modfather Paul Weller to write a song, "Let Me In," with Olly's vocals over a classic soul guitar setting. Murs' voice has had some time to mature, and the album reflects that. His songwriting is stronger, too. It's like Michael Jackson meets Wham! In the first track, "Did You Miss Me?" An Arabian flourish adds something special. His first single, "Wrapped Up" features Travie McCoy with funk guitar, driving bass and euphoric vocals. In "Beautiful to Me," Murs tells his girl he'll always be there for her, singing, "I don't care what you see, you're beautiful to me." Demi Lovato lends her vocals to "Up," singing, "I'm gonna place a bet on us." He sings about trust in "Seasons" and rocks out bad-ass in "Never Been Better." Piano elevates the ballads "Tomorrow" and "Nothing Without You." It helps move along the regret-laden tune, "Hope You Got What You Came For." "You got me jumping like I'm up and down/I'm inside out again," Murs sings in "Why Do I Love You." Bass drum adds forward movement to "Stick With Me" and Murs adds sass to "Can't Say No," singing, "I can't wait to get you home/so many ways to turn you on." The use of what sounds like a Prince sample rocks the house. His slow cut "Tomorrow" is sad and maudlin, and he wraps up the album with "Let Me In," a song that has vibes of Neil Young. "With every album, you take more risks," said Murs. "It's been two years since 'Right Place, Right Time'... and I think the new record reflects that. I think this is my 'I mean it' album. It's time to come out of my shell and get a bit more serious."
(Columbia Records)

"Wake Up Beautiful" (Ryan Cabrera)

Platinum-selling singer/songwriter Ryan Cabrera gives fans a tease from his upcoming fifth full-length album with this five-single EP, "Wake Up Beautiful." He kicks it off with the fast-moving pop song "House on Fire," with the refrain, "baby we can burn burn burn, faster than the world can turn, 'til we fade away." There's lots of things the kids today love, from a tribal beat to scales to snaps to the occasional busker's exclamation of 'hey!' He calls the album, "organic pop music," crediting his pairing up with producer Justin Gray as the success. The duo wrote and performed the bulk of the album, playing all the instruments themselves. A pared-down acoustic intro makes those buskers' shouts even sweeter in "Sing Along," as they croon like drunk pub patrons, "we get high, we get low, and we all sing along to the same song." A '60s vibe clouds "Forgot How to Fly." Cabrera says, "we've come too far to put our fist down and give it up" in the drums-heavy ballad "All We Have." Cabrera finishes up the EP with "I See Love," a steady pop tune with frenetic piano. These are the songs that young people in car commercials sing around blazing campfires. Are you in?
(Dynamite)

"Living Room" (AJR)

New York City-based band of brothers AJR (Adam, Jack and Ryan Met) drop their first full-length album, "Living Room," and for an album they produced out of their Chelsea apartment, it's pretty excellent! After a kicky overture, they launch into "Infinity," hitting the high notes with the playful lyrics, "cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye/my momma says to pick the best and you are it!" It's a song about going back to childlike innocence. Their original breakout hit "I'm Ready" is there, the song that the boys sent to celebs to make their name known, with the Spongebob Squarepants catch phrase. Their electro samples add fun to "My Calling," as they sing about "a heartbreak and a hundred red balloons." Yodeling brings something unusual to "Thirsty," a song about heading out on your own to do some Thursday drinking. "Pitchfork Kids" is a moody song about falling in love with a hipster, and "Woody Allen" is a trippy song with major bass and electronic distortion. Yep, these kids are New Yorkers. Their poppy "Livin' On Love" is pure boy band stuff, but with breaks of old '50s hits interspersed. They croon in unison in "Big White Bed," with acoustic backing, and in "The Green and the Town," both perfect pub rock songs. They rock out in "The World Is a Marble Heart." In "Big Idea" they're just "a couple of kids with Pro Tools and a mike," but they do anything they want, as the song goes. These brothers don't pull any punches when it comes to music: they'll use any sound that serves them, regardless of genre. And the album is all the better for it.
(Liberator Music/Warner Bros. Records)