Welcome to HNGN's weekly top picks, where we cull the best and brightest releases in music, fashion, tech and pop culture. Come back each week for more of-the-moment goodness.
MUSIC
Annie Lennox: Nostalgia (Island)
Annie Lennox is known for her originality, but she also has a fondness and flair for reimagining the songs of others. The Scottish singer's new release "Nostalgia" is her third album of cover songs, and this time she employs jazz interpretations to perform American classics like "Summertime," "Georgia On My Mind" and Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell On You." Watch the video for "I Put a Spell On You" here:
Cold War Kids: Hold My Home (Downtown/V2)
The California indie rock outfit's fifth album "Hold My Home" finds the band "accomplishing many of the things they've strived for on their previous albums," according to an AllMusic review. Check out a video for Cold War Kids' r&b-infused "All This Could Be Yours" here:
Billy Idol: Kings & Queens of the Underground (BFI Records)
British punkish hard rocker Billy Idol returns for his seventh album, released concurrently with his new memoirs, "Dancing With Myself." "Kings & Queens of the Underground" is Idol's first album of new material since 2005's "Devil's Playground."
Bush: Man On The Run (Zuma Rock Records)
Gavin Rossdale and company celebrate the 20th anniversary of their smash debut "Sixteen Stone" with a new album "Man On The Run," their second since reforming after an eight-year hiatus. See Bush in all of their alt-rock glory in the video for "The Only Way Out" here:
Aretha Franklin Sings The Great Diva Classics (RCA)
Like Annie Lennox, the Queen of Soul focuses her new release on classic songs by other singers. The theme of Franklin's 38th album, released last week, is songs made famous by female singers, like Alicia Keys' "No One" and Adele's "Rollin' In The Deep."
DVDs/BLU-RAY RELEASES
The Purge: Anarchy (Universal Pictures)
The mayhem continues in the sequel to the 2013 sleeper hit "The Purge." Another group of citizens will have to survive the 12-hour "Purge" when all crime is legalized.
Special features on the Blu-Ray edition include deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes featurette and a Digital HD copy with UltraViolet.
