Inside Music: New This Week

New This Week

Mary J. Blige, Music from 'Nine', Eminem and More

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Dec. 22-28, 2009

By Kurt B. Reighley
Special to MSN Music

Lil Wayne's "Rebirth" has been delayed ... again ... but that doesn't stop Weezy from popping up on two of this week's new titles.

Related: View Lil Wayne photos | Search for more on Lil Wayne

First up, you'll find him on "Relapse: Refill," swapping rhymes with Drake, Kanye West, and Eminem on the hit four-way "Forever," one of seven cuts amended to the expanded edition of Shady's chart-topping full-length from earlier this year. With "Relapse 2" on hold until 2010, this stop-gap should satisfy dedicated fans with additions including "Taking My Ball" (as featured on the new DJ Hero game) and the dizzying "Hell Breaks Loose" featuring Dr. Dre.

Related: View Eminem photos | Search for more on Eminem

With the movie "Precious" popping up on many film critics' year end best-of lists, the timing seems ideal for a new album from Mary J. Blige, who contributed the churchy "I Can See in Color" (co-written with Raphael Saadiq) to its soundtrack. The ninth studio record from the queen of hip-hop soul, "Stronger With Each Tear," features many collaborators from her 2007 hit "Growing Pains," including Tricky Stewart, The-Dream, Stargate, Ne-Yo, Johnta Austin, and Sean Garrett. Also pitching in are T.I., Trey Songz, Jazmine Sullivan, Darkchild, and Polow Da Don. Aside from "Color," the fourteen tunes include the defiantly self-assured "I Am," and the recent club banger "The One," wherein featured guest Drake tosses off a lyrical nod to Wayne ("rockin' out like a White Stripe").

Related: View Mary J. Blige photos | Search for more on Mary J. Blige

A memo from the Department of Nitpicky Details: Why is the new Dave Matthews Band box set called "Europe 2009," when in fact it basically documents just two live dates from that tour? Perhaps "Lucca and London 2009" just seemed too clunky? This four-disc set includes three CDs recorded at the group's July 5 gig at the Piazza Napoleone in Lucca, Italy, an epic set that encompasses both DMB favorites as well as material from their recent #1 album "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King." The DVD component, "Across the Pond," documents the June 26 show from the 02 Academy Brixton in London (plus a few extra tunes). Matthews and friends return to Europe in early 2010, starting with a February 13 show in Stockholm.

Related: View Dave Matthews Band photos | Search for more on Dave Matthews Band

Alt-metal quartet Mudvayne follows up "The New Game" with a self-titled full-length, produced by Jeremy Parker (Slipknot, Evanescence). Maybe the boys didn't put much thought into what to call their fifth album, but they sure burned through brain cells coming up with the packaging: All the album art and text is printed in ink that reacts under black light. (If you don't live near a Spencer Gifts, you can always buy a deluxe edition which comes with one. Honest.) Singer Chad Gray has said that the eleven new songs -- including "Beautiful & Strange" -- are "more retro" sounding than their more recent offerings, while drummer Matt McDonough claims "that this album is the best that the band has recorded since our second album, 'The End of All Things to Come'."

Related: Search for more on Mudvayne

You know who kind of rocks, even though you might not expect her to? Kate Hudson. Playing fashion journalist Stephanie Necrophuros in the motion picture "Nine," the actress rips into "Cinema Italiano" with jazzy gusto. Based on the hit Broadway musical (which was inspired by Fellini's autobiographical masterpiece "8½"), the film also stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, and Sophia Loren -- all of whom are featured on the stellar soundtrack. Admittedly, Loren's turn on "Guarda La Luna" can't touch her 1960 comedic duet with Peter Sellers, "Goodness Gracious Me," but there's a dignified charm to her delivery, pitched somewhere between spoken word and Julie London at her laziest. And kudos to Fergie, who portrays the prostitute Saraghina, for slathering on the cheese for her campy number "Be Italian." Brava!

Related: Search for more on "Nine"

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