Album of the Week: Chris Stapleton – Starting Over

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday. Listen in @tunein at https://tunein.com/radio/New-Zealand-Net-Radio-s305138/

Tom Petty collaborator Benmont Tench joins country musician Chris Stapleton for the title track of this varied album. His first album in three years, described by Rolling Stone as a “cozy-campfire roots record”. It can rock too – we look forward to playing it for you this week.

Album of the Week: Split Enz – True Colours

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday. Listen in @tunein at https://tunein.com/radio/New-Zealand-Net-Radio-s305138/

Split Enz (legendary Kiwi band of the 1970s and early 80s) keyboardist Eddie Rayner already remastered this essential album in the mid 1990s. To celebrate its 40th anniversary this year he gave it a complete remix. His own keyboard work came to a peak on this album with impressive synth work. This album was the band’s first major commercial success – this excellent article on Audioculture gives the full story. We look forward to listening to this glistening 40th anniversary mix this week of an album that sounds fresh today.

Album of the Week: Bruce Springsteen – Letter to You

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday. Listen in @tunein at https://tunein.com/radio/New-Zealand-Net-Radio-s305138/

Bruce Springsteen has joined up with the E Street Band for the first time since 2009 for their first ‘live in the studio’ recording i.e. with a minimum of overdubs. This collection of songs was written and recorded quickly (over a matter of days) and represents a return to Bruce’s classic sound of the mid 1970s. This is a milestone release that allows Bruce to return to the past rather than reinvent, and is very personal and reflective on this point in his life, especially in the songs “One Minute You’re Here” and “I’ll See You In My Dreams” which deal with loss. Stephen Erlewine at Allmusic describes it as “a celebration of what it means to be alive in the moment”.

Album of the Week: No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday. Listen in @tunein at https://tunein.com/radio/New-Zealand-Net-Radio-s305138/

No Doubt’s third album turns 25. It was a bit of a slow burner in the charts, taking months to reach the top of the Billboard 200, but contains a number of cracking singles. This was one of the signature albums of the mid 1990s. “Just a Girl” and “Spiderwebs” along with “Don’t Speak” were massive radio songs.

Album of the Week: Keith Urban – THE SPEED OF NOW Part 1

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday. Listen in @tunein at https://tunein.com/radio/New-Zealand-Net-Radio-s305138/

Its always exciting when Whangarei boy and Country superstar Keith Urban releases a new album. His country with pop and other contemporary nuances is fresh and gripping. He told Apple Music his main influences are Johnny Cash and Top 40 – he lives this again in this album.

Album of the Week: The Killers – Imploding The Mirage

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday. Listen in @tunein at https://tunein.com/radio/New-Zealand-Net-Radio-s305138/

On their sixth album The Killers don’t try going off on a tangent – they stick to the bombastic rock and melodies they were known for in their early years of the 2000s. Good decision – when an album is filled with great songs there is no need for reinvention, and the addition of new collaborators such as Weyes Blood and k.d.lang keeps things fresh. This will be on many ‘albums of the year’ lists.

Hard to choose this week’s album with great new work from Erasure and Bright Eyes amongst others. Hopefully we can feature them in coming weeks.

Album of the Week: Whitney – Candid

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday. Listen in @tunein at https://tunein.com/radio/New-Zealand-Net-Radio-s305138/

The third album from this Chicago band, PopMatters says “There’s slow-burn R&B, rootsy Americana, and slightly-askew pop, all of it connected by the songs’ reliance on melodic hook”.

Album Of The Week: The Naked and Famous – Recover

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday. Listen in @tunein at https://tunein.com/radio/New-Zealand-Net-Radio-s305138/

Auckland duo The Naked and Famous have produced a contemporary album with pop flourishes combined with personal reflection in the lyrics. Lots of earworms in here.

Album of the Week: HAIM – Women In Music Pt. III

New Zealand Net Radio plays a song from our irregularly updated #albumoftheweek every hour from 9am to 12pm Monday to Friday. Listen in @tunein at https://tunein.com/radio/New-Zealand-Net-Radio-s305138/

Los Angeles band HAIM have received a lot of praise for this third album, which steps things up again in terms of production and complexity.