Features / The Weekend Stream

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. We’ve got a trove of new songs from old (and not-so-old) favorites to kick off your post-Record Store Day festivities, plus a load of rare, out-of-print and expanded titles across genres from country, jazz, prog and beyond.

Madonna, “I Feel So Free” (Warner) (Apple / Amazon)

Just over two decades after her triumphant Confessions on a Dance Floor – and seven years after her last studio album, 2019’s Madame X – Madonna returns to the disco with that album’s producer Stuart Price for July’s Confessions II. “I Feel So Free” is the album’s lead track but reportedly not its lead single; that honor may go to “Bring Your Love,” a collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter that the pair just debuted last night at Carpenter’s headlining set at Coachella.

Massive Attack & Tom Waits, “Boots on the Ground” (PIAS) (Apple / Amazon)

Talk about breaking the silence: U.K. trip-hoppers Massive Attack haven’t released anything since 2020’s politically-sharpened Eutopia EP, released in the summer of the COVID-19 lockdown and available only as a triplicate of music videos. As for iconoclastic vocalist Waits, he’s been largely out of the game since 2011’s Bad As Me, released the same year he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. (Waits has continued to appear in films, while Massive Attack made headlines in 2025 for removing their catalogue from Spotify in protest of the streamer’s investment in A.I. military defense systems.) The song was apparently recorded years ago, but the accompanying video, focusing on anti-ICE protests and homeless veterans, prove their focus is no less sharp now than when it was assembled. A physical, eco-friendly 12″ will be released, with all proceeds benefitting the American Civil Liberties Union and the US Immigrant Defense Project.

Olivia Rodrigo, “drop dead” (Geffen) (Apple / Amazon)

One of the most exciting mainstream pop singers of the last decade, Olivia Rodrigo combines sticky-sweet melodies and emotionally raw lyrics with a fun punk and alt-rock musical aesthetic. She’s launched nine singles into the U.S. Top 20 since 2021, including chart-toppers “drivers license,” “good 4 u” and “vampire,” and has netted three Grammy Awards including Best New Artist. Her third album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, hits stores in June, and lead single “drop dead” features an infectious melody assisted by some bright synths and strings (along with a namecheck of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” a fitting flourish for the girl who brought Robert Smith out as a special guest at Glastonbury last year).

Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra feat. Cynthia Erivo, “If I Only Had a Brain” (Decca) (Apple / Amazon)

When not making idiosyncratic appearances on film – most recently the crafty Wizard of Oz in the two-part adaptation of the Broadway juggernaut Wicked – Jeff Goldblum leads his jazz combo, the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, through light, jazzy standards with him accompanying various vocalists on piano (while even singing a bit himself). Night Blooms, the orchestra’s fourth album, arrives this June and features a new take on the Oz favorite “If I Only Had a Brain,” a duet with Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo, who portrayed Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West.

Celine Dion, “Dansons” (Columbia) (Apple / Amazon)

Encore! For the first time in seven years (and four since her diagnosis with the rare neurological disease stiff-person syndrome), Celine Dion has a new original song. (Her last single was a triumphant cover of Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour,” which she sang at the close of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.) “Dansons,” a ballad sung in French, reunites the Canadian pop icon with writer/producer Jean-Jacques Goldman, with whom she first worked on 1995’s D’eux, the bestselling French-language album in history. Her distinctive voice has thankfully lost none of its sparkle – which will certainly please the lucky fans attending her arena residency in Paris this fall, her first extended concert run since her illness came to light.

Lana Del Rey, “First Light” (Polydor/Interscope) (Apple / Amazon)

Consider this, Mr. Bond: a new theme song for Ian Fleming’s legendary British spy James Bond 007, but no film in sight? The series is still figuring out its footing after Eon Productions relinquished control of the series (which they had since 1962; producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman are now on board, with Dune director Denis Villaneuve helming the next film). In the meantime, franchise owner Amazon MGM are prepping 007 First Light, an original video game set to release in May – and its title tune is performed by Lana Del Rey, whose last pitch at a theme for the series was rejected in 2015. (It became “24” off her album Honeymoon, the title a reference to SPECTRE being the 24th Bond film.) This time, she had some considerable help: “First Light” was produced by David Arnold, composer of five Bond scores between 1997 and 2008.

Linda Perry, “Balboa Park” (Kill Rock Stars) (Apple / Amazon)

A rare presence as a singer outside of her ’90s band 4 Non Blondes (they of the deathless jam “What’s Up?”), Linda Perry has been far better known in recent decades as a songwriter and producer, penning the early ’00s “Get the Party Started” by P!nk and Christina Aguilera’s torchy “Beautiful.” Now, she’s coming back next month with a new album, Let It Die Here, which features this new cut, “Balboa Park,” as well as her own version of “Beautiful.”

Peter Gabriel, “Till Your Mind is Shining (Bright-Side Mix)” (Real World) (Apple / Amazon)

Peter Gabriel’s self-described poppiest track from forthcoming o\i now has its brighter mix by Mark “Spike” Stent available, as per the schedule of the full moon.

Bob Weir, Heaven Help the Fool / Bobby & The Midnites (Rhino)

Heaven: Apple / Amazon
Midnites: Apple / Amazon

Rhino honors the late, great Bob Weir with a digital delivery of the second and third solo works from the Grateful Dead legend. 1978’s Heaven Help the Fool was a slick rock affair with a ton of great session players (from David Foster and Waddy Wachtel to members of Toto and Elton John’s band), while the more country-rock Bobby & The Midnites (1981) was made by a formal band, consisting of then-Dead keyboardist Brent Mydland, latter-day Steppenwolf guitarist Bobby Cochran (son of Eddie), Matt Kelly of Kingfish on harmonica, and fusion icons Alphonso Johnson (ex-Weather Report bassist) and Billy Cobham (Miles Davis’ drummer through the early ’70s).

Chet Baker Quintet, Smokin’ with the Chet Baker Quintet / Groovin’ with the Chet Baker Quintet (Prestige)

Smokin’: Apple / Amazon
Groovin’: Apple / Amazon

In 1965, attempting to bounce back from drug troubles that were starting to plague his career earlier that decade, Chet Baker recorded a stunning burst of material over the course of a week, with himself trading trumpet for flugelhorn and a quintet that included George Coleman on tenor sax, Kirk Lightsey on piano, bassist Herman Wright and drummer Roy Brooks. These sessions became no less than five albums for Prestige Records released that same year, starting with Smokin’ and Groovin’.

Joy Lynn White, Wild Love (The Remixes) (Columbia Nashville) (Apple / Amazon)

A fiery ’90s country singer best known for originating two songs later popularized by country trio The Chicks (“Tonight the Heartache’s on Me” and “Cold Day in July,” Joy Lynn White made an unusual bid for chart crossover with the title track to sophomore album Wild Love, which had several dance mixes commissioned that make their digital debuts courtesy of SuperVisible Multi Media.

Summer Cannibals, Full of It (10 Year Anniversary Edition) (Kill Rock Stars) (Apple / Amazon)

A newly expanded version of the third album by the pivotal Portland, OR rockers (led by singer/guitarist Jessica Boudreaux). Full of It was also released on vinyl this month, with the four bonus tracks available on download card.

The Raconteurs, Help Me Stranger (with Track-by-Track Commentary) (Third Man/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon)

The third (and, to date, most recent) full-length from the Jack White-led supergroup (featuring The Greenhornes’ Jack Lawrence on bass – later a member of The Dead Weather with White – and drummer Patrick Keeler, plus singer/songwriter/guitarist Brendan Benson) was issued in 2019 and has been redelivered by Third Man’s recent catalogue minder Legacy Recordings, including some rare band commentary tracks.

Ray Barretto, The Message (Remastered 2026) (Fania/Craft) (Apple / Amazon)

Another newly remastered Fania album from conga player and bandleader Ray Barretto, originally released in 1971.

Ben Vereen, Ben Vereen (Buddah) (Apple / Amazon)

Three years after winning a Tony Award for Pippin, Ben Vereen’s second album included a pair of Stevie Wonder covers (“Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours,” “You and I”) and the catchy single “Stop Your Half Steppin’ Ma Ma.”

Ian Matthews, Go for Broke (Columbia) (Apple / Amazon)

What’s in a name? Fairport Convention co-founder Matthews was born Ian MacDonald, but took his mother’s maiden name to avoid being confused for Ian McDonald of King Crimson; then in 1989 added an extra “i” into his name. A version of 1976’s Go for Broke, his first for Columbia Records and featuring takes on Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” and Daryl Hall & John Oates’ “When the Morning Comes,” is available digitally (with a copyright credit to the artist himself), but a version has just been delivered by Sony Music under “Ian Matthews,” as he was known as the time.

Tom Jans, Dark Blonde (Columbia) (Apple / Amazon)

Best known for writing the song “Loving Arms,” a minor hit for both Dobie Gray as well as Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge, Tom Jans was a solo artist of minor note throughout the ’70s, releasing little after 1976’s Dark Blonde, his fourth album and second for Columbia. He died of a drug overdose in 1984.

Eclipse, Eclipse / Concert, Concert (CBS)

Eclipse: Apple / Amazon
Concert: Apple / Amazon

What are the odds that Sony would backfill not one, but two little-known, unrelated prog groups from Quebec in the same week? 1976’s Eclipse was spearheaded by Aut’chose co-founder, keyboardist and guitarist Pierre Gauther and released in 1976, while 1980’s one-off Concert was masterminded in part by two former members of the group Opus 5.

Andre Kostelanetz & His Orchestra, Dance with Me (Columbia) (Apple / Amazon)

A late period release from the Russian-born easy listening conductor, Dance with Me offers a wild mix of standards (“Stardust,” “All the Things You Are,” “Have You Met Miss Jones?”) with a couple of orchestral takes on then-popular disco tracks like Van McCoy’s “The Hustle.”

PASSINGS

Country music has no shortage of great lessons, but there are few greater than this couplet from “The Gambler”: “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em / Know when to walk away and know when to run…” The tune, penned by Don Schlitz (1952-2026), was recorded all over Nashville (including versions by Bobby Bare and Johnny Cash) before it ended up with Kenny Rogers, whose warm delivery made it not only top the country charts but became a Top 20 pop hit. (Rogers even starred in a series of TV movies and miniseries as a character based on the song, released between 1980 and 1994.) But “The Gambler” wasn’t the only of Schlitz’s hits: his pen contributed mightily to more than 20 country No. 1s including Randy Travis’ “Forever and Ever, Amen” and Keith Whitley’s “When You Say Nothing At All” (also a U.K. No. 1 for Ronan Keating). A member of the Grand Ole Opry since 2022, Joe caught him there last year, and will remember him like you may: terrific, good-humored and one heck of a songwriter.

A versatile and long-lasting singer whose voice appeared on tens of thousands of recordings, Asha Bhosle (1933-2026) crossed over like few others in her genre. She rose to prominence as a playback singer of Indian films, singing songs for countless actresses to lip-sync. She recorded as extensively under her own name, blending genres and styles within India’s musical traditions and earning acclaim from fans across multiple generations and continents. She even spurred a chart-topping hit about her, Cornershop’s “Brimful of Asha.”

For more than 50 years, Moya Brennan (1952-2026) galvanized listeners as the voice of Irish folk group Clannad, whose genre-blending experiments defined Celtic for generations, attracting a spate of non-Irish collaborators from Bruce Hornsby to Steve Perry and Paul Young. Moya, the eldest of nine, founded Clannad with her brothers Ciarán and Pól, and younger sisters include pop singer Brídín and New Age icon Enya – handily making the Brennans the most successful musical family Ireland has ever heard.