New releases: Sept. 27, 2005

My to-do list:
Clean bathtub.
Go to grocery store.
Call mom.
Finally remove three-month-old nail polish from toenails.
Mail bills.

Ryan Adams' to-do list:
Tour.
Write an amazing song.
Yell at that guy who got me mixed up with Brian Adams.
Do drugs.
Walk the dog. Do I have a dog? Check on that.
Fire and/or run off someone from the band.
Rant on Jim DeRogatis' voice mail.
Release CD.
Date good-looking C-lister.
Write another amazing song.
Release CD.
Take shower.
More drugs.
Release CD.
Find where I left my shoes last night.

Looks like Mr. Adams is making good progress on his to-do list (wish I could say the same). Tuesday brings yet another new CD from the lad, only the second of three releases slated for this year. What remains to be seen is whether quantity equals quality. Last time Ryan Adams had a creative spree, in 2003, I wasn't impressed. "Rock N Roll" and the two "Love is Hell" EPs left me pretty cold. Worth having, I suppose, but not nearly as solid as "Heartbreaker" or "Gold." But then again, "Cold Roses," the first in his 2005 gush, was, um, pretty friggin' good. So if Tuesday's "Jacksonville City Nights" measures up, I'm all for the man forgoing sleep and showering so he can put out CDs.

Especially when he's such a sweetie about it and puts bonus tracks on his Japan version of "Jacksonville City Nights." Oh yes, that's right my friends: In addition to it coming out a day early here (really almost two days early if you count the time difference), "Jacksonville City Nights" in Japan will contain some extra tracks. I don't know what the bonus tracks will be or how many the Japanese version of the CD will have, but you can bet I'll let you know. And if I get all gloaty about it, just remember that you will have paid, what, $15 or so for your copy, and mine will be more like $25. So these bonus tracks ... Ryan, are you reading this? ... they'd better be good, buddy.

The good stuff coming out Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2005:
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals -- Jacksonville City Nights (Lost Highway/Universal Japan)
Junior Brown -- Live at the Continental Club: The Austin Experience (Telarc)
Tab Benoit -- Voice of the Wetlands (Rykodisc)
This CD, which I'm sure was recorded and conceived before Hurricane Katrina, was supposed to be fundraiser for a nonprofit called "Voice of the Wetlands," which seeks to battle cultural and coastal erosion in Louisiana. Eeesh. Now the folks at VOW have switched gears, of course, pledging to donate the proceeds to the state's hurricane victims instead. What a sad irony: If the original need (saving wetlands) had been more of a priority across the board, perhaps the revised one (saving people) wouldn't be quite so dire.
Cherryholmes -- Cherryholmes (Skaggs Family)
Sheryl Crow -- Wildflower (A&M)
Freddy Fender/Flaco Jimenez -- Dos Amigos (Back Porch)
Buddy Guy -- Bring 'em In (Jive)
Wynonna Judd -- Her Story: Scenes From A Lifetime (Curb)
A companion CD to a written memoir of the same title. I can't tell if this wrap-up means she's retiring or just needs a little injection in the ol' bank account until the next project. Oh, snap!
Lori McKenna -- Bittertown (Signature Sounds)
David Wilcox/Nance Pettit -- Out Beyond Ideas (What Are?)
Husband-and-wife team recordings of songs "drawn from the unifying words of ancient mystics from many of the world's major faith traditions," according to the project's Web site. It's a benefit for the work of a group called Partners in Conflict and Partners in Peacebuilding that uses diplomacy to resolve social conflicts. Sounds groovy.
Gretchen Wilson -- All Jacked Up (Sony)
Neil Young -- Prairie Wind (Reprise/WEA)
Big Star -- In Space (Rykodisc)
Bruce Cockburn (instrumental) -- Speechless (Rounder)

Anything I missed? Hit the comments!