2011: The Music Year So Far

2010 was quite a year in music for me and 2011 hasn't been too shabby so far. I meant to write a post like this back in early July but it slipped my mind and here we are at the beginning of September! Before I know it, it'll be December and I'll be prepping for a Year In Review post!

So far this year I've seen quite a few excellent concerts. If I had to pick one as "the best so far" I'd have to go with Adele wsg Plan B at the Royal Oak Music Theater a few months back. It was refreshing to catch a truly great opening act in Plan B. If you have never heard of Plan B, you really should take a listen. The latest album is called "The Defamation of Strickland Banks" and it's quite good. You can locate it on any number of streaming sites to give them a try.

Adele was nothing short of fantastic live in concert. Her band was tight, her vocals were amazing and she had an interesting stage presence that you don't see much anymore. During each song, you could tell she was really feeling what she was singing. The most interesting part was when she would really let her attitude fly on a song like "Rumor Has It" but then turn all shy again the most the song was over and the applause started. It was interesting but most of all it was genuine. You could tell that this wasn't some act just to garner more applause (I'm looking at YOU Taylor Swift...).

New music this year has been so so. I was looking forward to the new Beastie Boys album but it let me down in more than a few ways. I've listened to it a couple of times at the most but there's been nothing drawing me back to it. Hands down the best record released so far in 2011 is Wasting Light by Foo Fighters. It's easily their best work and by far the best rock album released this year. That record together with Adele's 21 are probably my two favorite overall releases so far.

We've also lost some immense talent thus far. Jani Lane and Amy Winehouse seem to have both succumbed to their respective demons which is sad for many reasons. I'm sure 2012 will bring the usual bombarding of unreleased material from at least the Winehouse camp. Jani Lane was prepping many new songs for a solo project and I do hope we get to hear those tracks. I don't expect that release to be near as high profile but I certainly hope it gets some attention.

The rest of 2011 holds some cool things for me musically. I'm very much looking forward to the new album "Kicking & Screaming" from Sebastian Bach. A new solo album from Rich Robinson (The Black Crowes) is due in October along with a solo tour that I'll be attending. I'm also excited to report that I'll be seeing the one and only Garth Brooks in concert at the Encore in fabulous Las Vegas on September 23. As soon as I return from Sin City, I'll be writing up a review of the event. I'm also hearing the Guns N' Roses will be starting a US Tour in Miami in the end of October. I would imagine they'll make their way to Detroit by the end of November or the beginning of December. Needless to say, I'll be attending. If you want to check out GN'R live prior to the US Tour, you can see them at www.youtube.com/rockinrio near the beginning of October. They're known for putting on quite a special show each time they've appeared at the Rock In Rio festival and I'm assuming this time won't be any different.

What did I miss? What concerts did YOU see this year that I should've? What new albums did YOU check out that I should? Did you discover or re-discover an artist this year? TELL US ABOUT IT! Log in and leave a comment below, let's get some music discussion going!