BUONO!
Cafe Buono!
(Pony Canyon)
Available on CD and through iTunes Japan

It was probably inevitable for me that Buono!’s debut album was going to be at the top of my list this year. It seemed like every time I went out of the house, I was usually grabbing this CD off of my shelf on my way out of the door. It took me until the band’s second single, “Renai Rider”, to start to become a believer in this particular project (despite the group’s lineage), but once the album had been  given its initial spins on my CD player and iPod it was obvious that Cafe Buono! possesses the best rock-based girlpop to come out since the heyday of the Go-Go’s and Cyndi Lauper. Now, if Miyabi, Airi and Momoko would actually pick up instruments for more than a few seconds like they did at the beginning of their concert this past year, they’d be even more perfect than they already are. 

MORNING MUSUME
Cover You
(Zetima)
Available on CD and through iTunes Japan 
(Reviewed on November 30th, 2008)

They weren’t as busy studio-wise as  they’ve been the past few years, but this album of covers penned by legendary Japanese songwriter Yuu Aku – three of which were made famous by Pink Lady, whose record for consecutive top-10 singles in Japan was long exceeded by Morning Musume a year ago) – makes up for the lack of singles activity and makes one hell of a teaser for the real ninth MoMusu studio album. 

HANK WILLIAMS III
Damn Right Rebel Proud
(Sidewalk/Curb)
Available on CD, 180-gram LP with bonus CD, iTunes, and AmazonMP3

Mike Curb is a moron. When he first signed Shelton Hank Williams, Curb figured that, starting with the infamous 1996 Three Hanks: Men with Broken Hearts album of Hank III and his father Hank Williams Jr. doing posthumous duets with Hank Sr., the foundation would be laid for a series of million-selling pop country albums like III’s formal debut album Rising Outlaw. Then Hank III handed Curb as his follow-ups the more traditional-sounding Lonesome Broke and Driftin’ and the metal/punk “hellbilly” album This Ain’t Country and all hell broke loose. Curb refused to release This Ain’t Country and seemingly gave Lonesome little or no attention becuase it didn’t sound like Tim McGraw. Hank III would be in legal limbo for several years, touring  his ass off both with his own band (doing country, hellbilly, and punk/metal all in the same show) and as bassist with Superjoint Ritual. Eventually, a settlement came and Hank III released his definitive album Straight To Hell in 2006, complete with his already infamous anti-pop-country anthem “Dick In Dixie”, through Curb’s Bruc imprint. Damn Right Rebel Proud is more of the same and then some. III lashes out at Gaylord Entertainment, the Grand Old Opry’s current owners, for not reinstating III’s influential grandfather (“The Grand Old Opry (Ain’t So Grand)”), unleashes some “hellbilly” material for the first time on an official release (“H8 Line” and “Long Hauls and Close Calls”), disses the Bush Adminstration (“If You Can’t Help Your Own”), carries on the “family tradition” in his own way (“Smoke and Wine”, “Six Pack of Beer”), and pays tribute to GG Allin (“Punch, Fight, Fuck”). This definitely isn’t your sister’s country - unless your sister is the type of girl who jumps onstage while  Hank III and his band are playing and flashes her tits at the crowd.