When any year in music ends with Beyoncé unexpectedly releasing an eponymous album that becomes just as critically acclaimed as any other release that year, the following winter season is sure to carry itself with plenty of anticipation. With new releases expected sometime in 2014 from T.I., U2, Kanye West and more, the winter season of music aims to begin the year off with the anticipated returns of many popular artists.
“High Hopes”
Bruce Springsteen
Columbia Records
Jan. 14
The Boss is back. After 2012’s “Wrecking Ball” garnered the famed New Jersey rock star three Grammy nominations, Springsteen returns with the E Street Band and special guest guitarist Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) for his 18th studio album, “High Hopes.” The album will comprise of what Springsteen considers his best unreleased material of the last decade, and has garnered high amounts of critical attention. It is yet to be seen how well Springsteen’s newest release will stand up to the songwriter’s catalogue of American rock ‘n’ roll classics, but if the album is any bit as good as Springsteen promises it to be, it will start 2014 off with a dynamic, musical charge.
“Mind Over Matter”
Young the Giant
Fueled by Ramen
Jan. 21
Southern California indie rock group Young the Giant made a solid impression in 2010 with its eponymous debut album, including the tracks “My Body,” “Cough Syrup” and “Apartment.” In a few weeks, the band will release its sophomore album, “Mind Over Matter.” The album’s first single, “It’s About Time,” saw the band in a more aggressive and alternative rock-driven mood, perhaps signaling a divergence from the gentler indie rock stylings of the band’s debut album. But for a group like Young the Giant, which was able to reinvent itself after changes in its lineup and name, its second album should be a fuller showcase of the band’s abilities.
“After the Disco”
Broken Bells
Columbia Records
Feb. 4
Another sophomore release this winter comes from Broken Bells, the duo comprised of the Shins’ front man, James Mercer, and producer Brian Burton, known as Danger Mouse. The collaboration, which began in 2009 with an eponymous debut album, was immediately well received, as the band’s sound combined the intricate songwriting prowess of Mercer and the ever-attuned producing skills of Danger Mouse to produce talented tracks such as “The High Road.” Back on the road again in 2014, Broken Bells’ newest release, “After the Disco,” has the opportunity to finally cement Danger Mouse’s uncanny production of Mercer’s baroque songwriting, evident on the album’s first single, “Holding On for Life.”
“Oxymoron”
ScHoolBoy Q
Interscope Records
Feb. 25
One of the most anticipated new hip-hop releases of the new year is the major label debut from ScHoolBoy Q, “Oxymoron.” The second member of hip-hop group Black Hippy to release an album with Interscope Records after Kendrick Lamar’s “good kid, m.A.A.d. city,” ScHoolBoy Q has been working on “Oxymoron” since 2012. After several delays in the album’s release, the highly anticipated “Oxymoron” will hit the scene in late February. “Oxymoron” is set to include numerous high-profile guests, from Lamar to A$AP Rocky to Danny Brown. The album’s lead single, “Collard Greens,” which features a verse from Lamar, has been critically well received and has created more anticipation for ScHoolBoy Q’s major label debut.
“Louder”
Lea Michele
Columbia Records
Feb. 28
After keeping a low profile after the death of boyfriend and “Glee” co-star Cory Monteith, actress-singer Lea Michele will release her long-anticipated debut solo album on Feb. 28. The first single, “Cannonball” was written by artist Sia – one of several artists collaborating with Michele on the album. “Battlefield,” the second single, dropped Dec. 27 to overwhelmingly positive reviews. If it’s any taste of what is yet to come, the album is sure to be a crowd-pleasing collection of songs that are both powerful and full of raw emotion.
“Cheek to Cheek”
Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett
Interscope Records
Mar. 18
Just two months after the release of Lady Gaga’s third studio album, “ARTPOP,” Gaga will be trading in her disco-inspired tunes to collaborate with Tony Bennett on a jazz-inspired swing album. Bennett said he chose to work with Gaga because he admires her work and unique style. Gaga and Bennett previously released the duet “The Lady Is a Tramp” for Bennett’s “Duets II” album in 2011, which was very successful.
“Out Among the Stars”
Johnny Cash
Legacy Recordings
Mar. 25
Long after issuing archival recordings of the famed star’s work, Johnny Cash’s family stumbled upon the tapes that comprise “Out Among The Stars,” the never before released album of songs Cash recorded with producer and Country Music Hall of Fame member Billy Sherrill in the early 1980s. Tracks include duets with both June Carter Cash and Waylon Jennings, and though recorded during what some think were the most difficult years of Cash’s life, the album is said to showcase the prime of his distinctive voice. Cash’s estate plans to debut the posthumous album on Mar. 25, and if it’s any bit as powerful as Cash’s previous work, it will end the year’s first quarter of music on the high note that only an American music legend can bring.