Belle & Sebastian - "The Life Pursuit"
Release Date: Feb. 7
Glasgow's Belle & Sebastian are set to release their seventh album. The sound is a return to 2003's "Dear Catastrophe Waitress," with mellow harmonies finding their origins in 1970s. They still sound bright and have all their wit intact for this return to form.
Beth Orton - "Comfort of Strangers"
Release Date: Feb. 7
Beth Orton's fourth album, produced by Sonic Youth's Jim O'Rourke, features Beth Orton on guitar, piano and harmonica with O'Rourke on bass, piano and marimba. With the production stripped down, the British singer/songwriter's lyrics are the attraction here.
Arctic Monkeys - "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not"
Release Date: Feb. 21
A band born of the Internet generation, the Arctic Monkeys, who made fans by making MP3s available on the Net, have the fastest-selling debut album in British history. They already have two No. 1 singles in the U.K., "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and "When the Sun Goes Down." Not bad for a 20-year-old lead singer.
Ne-Yo - "In My Own Words"
Release Date: Feb. 28
The singer/songwriter, who has written songs for multi-platinum artists such as Mary J. Blige, B2K, Faith Evans and Musiq is ready to release his debut album on Def Jam Recordings. The clean, rich hit singles "Stay" and "So Sick" currently on the radio are returns to the sounds of Prince, Marvin Gaye, The Rat Pack and Stevie Wonder.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
