Dig These Discs :: Seal, Great Big World, Adele, Troye Sivan, Carols For A Cure

Adele jerks those tears for her new album "25," from the very first "Hello." A Great Big World, aka Ian Axel and Chad King, releases their second full-length studio album, after the success of their 2013 single "This Is the New Year" was performed on "Glee." British R&B singer/songwriter Seal kisses your rose but good with his ninth studio album, "7." Aussie youngster Troye Sivan releases his highly-anticipated debut studio album "Blue Neighborhood," a follow-up to his fourth EP "Wild," The casts from Broadway's biggest shows celebrate the holidays with two discs of hits, all to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

"25" (Adele)

British singer/songwriter Adele releases her third studio album, calling it a "make-up record" yearning for her old self. And talk about 'you had me at hello!" Her first single, "Hello" broke the Internet, with 900,000 downloads from iTunes alone. The break is truly catchy, as she sings, "I must have called a thousand times to tell you I'm sorry for everything I've done, but when I call you never seem to be home." But the 11-track album is no one-hit wonder. "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)' is all about reaching out to her ex to let him know she's so over it. "This is my fuck you song; it sounds obvious but I think you only learn to love again when you fall in love again," Adele told The Guardian. "I'm in that place, my love is deep and true with my man and that puts me in a position where I can finally reach out a hand to the ex. Let him know I'm over it." She wants "every piece of you" in "I Miss You," with its excellent bass drum, and hits the low notes in "When We Were Young," remembering how her champion looks "like a movie, you sound like a song, my God, this reminds me of when we were young." When the night keeps you from sleeping, Adele is your "Remedy." She swings it out in "Water Under the Bridge," hating to see the relationship end even though she knows it wasn't a good fit, and gets an olde English vibe as she croons over the "River Lea." There's too much space between them in "Love in the Dark" and Adele's deep fine voice gets a louche island sound in "Million Years Ago." Piano moves "All I Ask" along, and Adele closes out the album with "Sweetest Devotion," looking for him in every face she's known. It may have taken her a few years to get over that writer's block, but we're all glad to see back in action.
(XL Recordings)

"When the Morning Comes" (A Great Big World)

New York singers Ian Axel and Chad King releases their second full-length studio album, after the success of their 2013 single "This Is the New Year" was performed on "Glee." This dirty dozen of tunes strikes the perfect blend of quality singing and pure instrumentation, without all the bells, whistles and Auto-Tune that lesser artists use to disguise their shortcomings. In "All I Want Is Love" the boys look at the concepts of fear and hope, and decided what's really important is loving yourself, singing, "I've been looking in the wrong place, couldn't see what I've always known." "Violets and purples, diamonds and circles," you're his "Kaleidoscope," sing the boys in this anthemic cut. They toast to the moments of beauty and vow to love you 'til the "End of the World." The uptone and quick movement in "Hold Each Other" tell a tale of holding his true love in his arms in a cold world. The rap break is a nice addition. They're lost in a desert night chasing a paradise in "Oasis." Their voices sound simple as they sing, "no matter where we are it feels like home" in the undeniably catchy cut, "Come On." They're young and trying to keep a seven-year love alive in "Won't Stop Running." The boys get to test their vocal range in the piano track "One Step Ahead," singing, "nobody else would have forgave my mistakes, nobody else would have stayed one step ahead of me." They keep it honest with the simple acoustic track "The Future's Right in Front of Me," singing, "I learned my lesson/ it was wrong to look so far ahead." They find good harmony in "When the Morning Comes," as they sing about letting go of what went before. This is a theme throughout much of this album. The classical guitar intro of "Where Does the Time Go" will help you find your chill spot, and as they revisit "Hold Each Other," it will bring your energy levels back up, as they sing, "I miss the words we used to say, I miss the sounds of yesterday, I miss the games we used to play." When the days get short and the nights get a little bit colder, hold A Great Big World a little bit closer!
(Epic Records)

"7" (Seal)

British R&B singer/songwriter Seal kisses your rose but good with his ninth studio album, "7." He got out of the gate like a shot with his September 11 releases, "Every Time I'm With You" and "Do You Ever." Seal followed them up with mid-October drops of "Life on the Dancefloor" and "Padded Cell." All tracks are produced by Trevor Horn and Seal, with help on "Dancefloor" by Jamie Odell. He kicks off his 11 tracks with "Daylight Saving," singing, "It's cold at night when I lie in bed/ I'm not big enough to warm the space beside that you left me." His "Every Time" showcases Seal's amazing, deep voice. "The inspiration was romance, to be quite honest," the singer, 52, told People Magazine. "I tried to think of the one thing that somebody who was in love would want to say to their loved one and also say the thing that they would most love to hear, and I couldn't imagine anything more romantic than: 'Every time I'm with you, I feel wanted.' I felt that that was a very romantic thing to want to say to someone and also to want to hear from your loved one." His dance track, "Life on the Dancefloor" is a suave, and Seal is sexy as he quips, "you're amazing, you complete me... girl you turn me on." His "Padded Cell" has the intensity and keyboards of a '90s cut, and Seal shines in it as he admits, "There's a many different people living inside of me." A similar retro sound arises on the cryptic "Redzone Killer." "Breaking up is harder when you have a higher price to pay," he sings in the slow song, "Do You Ever." He bookends it with another slow cut, "The Big Love Has Died," with beautiful strings and a heartbreaking outcome. He puts the sizzle on the steak with "Monascow," as he prowls Grace Avenue looking for "the only woman that can bring me to my knees." He's back to sad in "Half a Heart," bemoaning his lost love, but has hope for new love in "Let Yourself." Seal finishes up the album exhorting her to "open up your arms and be loved by me," in "Love." His new release is a call to open your heart, despite past pain.
(Warner Bros.)

"Blue Neighbourhood" (Troye Sivan)

Aussie youngster Troye Sivan releases his highly-anticipated debut studio album "Blue Neighborhood," a follow-up to his fourth EP "Wild," which shot straight to number one in his home market, and is topping charts across the world. Sivan distills emotions from his personal experiences and brings them to life through his emotional electro-pop music. His video for "Wild" explores a Romeo & Romeo style same-sex relationship, surrounded by the challenges of everyday life. It's the first in a trilogy of videos. Sivan teams up with today's best new artists, including Alex Hope, Broods, SLUMS, Jia Lih and Tkay Maidza. "Kiss me on the mouth and set me free," he chimes a capella in "Bite," co-created with a superstar lineup of LA-based musicians in Leland, Allie X and Bram Inscore. It is a jarring and sonically frantic ode to Sivan's first experience in gay club culture, but simultaneously about the safety of love and opening your mind to new experiences. "I mean you have fun there, you make yourself vulnerable and give yourself up and kind of hope for the best that the person's not going to fuck you up. It's a bit raunchy and I think it's about that first experience where you're super wide eyed and the floor is sticky," said Sivan. The regret is palpable as he sings about how only "Fools" like him fall for you. New Zealand siblings Broods duet with Sivan on "Ease," singing, "Take me back to the basics and the simple life." "There's a genuine innocence to it because it was written and created by young people. It's raw and honest, and I'm so obsessed with Broods and have been for so long... it's just a dream song to me," Sivan enthused. It's one of the best of the lot. The off-kilter bass jags in "The Quiet" prove an interesting effect, and deep bass adds bad-boy patina to his "DKLA," an anagram for "Don't Keep Love Around," featuring Maidza. The song was reportedly written at 1 a.m. during a week at a wilderness boutique studio. He wants to be sleep next to you in "Talk Me Down" and is skinny dipping up at the islands in "Cool." Betty Who adds harmony to "Heaven." You'll shed a tear over "Lost Boy" and Alex Hope's voice shines in "Blue." Sivan already has 3.5 subscribers on YouTube, with 2.8 million Twitter and 2.5 Million Instagram followers. Billboard has named him one of Music's Hottest Young Stars under 21. Time to watch this star shine.
(TRYXE)

"Broadway's Carols for a Cure Volume 17" (Assorted Artists)

For years, the cast of hit Broadway shows have come together to record holiday hits to benefit Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS. The albums are a cherished holiday keepsake, and this year's two-disc collection is no exception. The 19 songs kick off with the cast of "Beautiful" in the horn-heavy pepper, "Christmas Vacation." The cast of "Hamilton" gets jazzy with their rendition of "Joy to the World," and the sprightly folks at "Elf" are "Happy All the Time," as they sing of Buddy, the world's tallest elf. The "Finding Neverland" crew hails Jesus in a country version of "Go Tell It On the Mountain," and the sad, singing children of "Matilda" get harmony in "A Crunchem Hall Christmas." The cast of "At This Performance..." taps into that beatnik jazz with their funky "We Three Cool Kings." And the classy cast of "The King and I" sing in the New Year with their mash-up of "Auld Lang Syne/River." "The Phantom of the Opera" cast goes classic with "I Saw Three Ships" and "Dames at Sea" takes a look at cynical consumerism in the face of the real meaning of Christmas. And of course, "Chicago" gets sassy as they lower the fourth wall for "Christmas in Fishnets." I don't know where "Kinky Boots" got all the kids to sing their "One Little Christmas Tree," but it's a sprightly track, if you like kids singing. It's a bit of a disconnect from the gay-fabulous high-heeled kicker, to be honest. A better match is the cast of "Fun Home" singing the acoustic hit, "Home's With You." A cascade of bells launches the dour "O Holy Night" by "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder," and "One Star" by "Les Miserables" feathers that cap with a churchy pop track that is unexpectedly, one of the best on the album. The "School of Rock" offers up the worst R&B holiday song ever, "Mary Did You Know?" Fail, and to boot, it's got nothing to do with the show. But the album finishes strongly, with a scat version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" from "Aladdin," (again, no obvious tie-in with the show), the "Amazing Grace" crew with "The First Noel," and "Wicked" with "Ave Maria/I Heard the Bells." The cast of "Something Rotten!" get into the spirit with a customized "12 Days of a Something Rotten Christmas!" with the countdown including "4 Leather Boys" and "a bard with a bulging codpiece." Now that smells like the holidays to me!
(Rock-iT Science Records)