Bob Dylan – Shadows in the Night. (February 3). There are two types of Bob Dylan fans – fawning fanboys who devour every release with devotional, scholarly research and those who reckon he lost the plot somewhere around 1977. But even those in the former camp may struggle to defend Shadows in the Night – a covers album of Bob’s favourite Frank Sinatra standards. Now, Dylan was never much of a crooner, but these days his voice is full-on shot and taking on Ol’ Blue Eyes’ back catalogue seems a mighty foolish endeavour. We’ve only just got over his terrible 2009 festive album, Christmas in the Heart, after all. Still, Dylan says that he is “uncovering”, rather than “covering”, these great tunes – and the early teaser Full Moon & Empty Arms had a pleasant fireside, twilight-Bob glow. – Rob Garratt Mario Anzuoni/ Reuters
Noel Gallagher’s Highflying Birds – Chasing Yesterday. (March 2). Nobody thought the Oasis split of 2009 would last – but if the October break-up of Liam’s Beady Eye set fans’ hearts a-fluttering with hopes that the Gallagher brothers would get back together, the news a month later that Noel was gearing up for a second solo outing quickly dashed them. The first single In the Heat of the Moment is a moody nodder that doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, but it does point to another record of assured, melodic indie-rock, building on the success of 2011’s rather excellent eponymous debut. News that The Smiths’ Johnny Marr guests on the album closer Ballad of the Mighty I only sweetens the pill. – Rob Garratt Bertrand Guay / AFP photo
Madonna – Rebel Heart. (March 10). A new Madonna album is always a major cultural happening, but the internet age has fuelled the buzz ahead of Rebel Heart to unprecedented levels. Set for a March release, the leak last month of more than a dozen unfinished demos prompted the Queen of Pop to suddenly offer six tracks via a free stream a few days later. The result? Preorders for Rebel Heart topped the iTunes chart in more than 35 countries. And what of the music? Aside from a few missteps (cough, Erotica), Madonna’s gift has been adapting seamlessly to the cultural zeitgeist. Rebel Heart seems to be bang-on – the lead track Living for Love sounds distinctly modern, but retains enough classic house to avoid the embarrassment of a 56-year-old woman trying to jump on the EDM bandwagon. Even the tasteless Nicki Minaj hook-up B***h I’m Madonna seems to hover just the right side of tongue in cheek. – Rob Garratt Mario Anzuoni / Reuters
Clarita de Quiroz – Speak. Delete. Repeat. (TBA). Clarita de Quiroz’s Twitter description reads: “Singer/Pianist/Songwriter/Model”. That’s an apt summation. Known primarily, perhaps, as a pretty face for too long, Clarita has for years also been the dexterous pianist tinkling in the background at dozens of corporate events and the confident crooner at far more. Introduced to the airwaves as one-half of the best-selling, now-defunct UAE house duo SickAsSwans, de Quiroz has recently embarked on a solo career in earnest. The album was originally set for release last year, with a title of Beautiful Losers, but we’ve had to make do with the recent teaser singles Broken and Addicted, which hint at an assured collection of piano-based pop songs and ballads ahead. But that’s only half the story – Clarita is consummate performer, and it will be the heart-tugging voice and delicate key-work which is likely to distinguish this release. – Rob Garratt Rich-Joseph Facun / The National
Coldplay – A Head Full of Dreams. (Late 2015). The British superstars will release what could be their swansong this year. Speaking to the BBC last month, the singer Chris Martin described the forthcoming album as their last. “We haven’t told anyone this, but we’re making an album called A Head Full of Dreams. We’re right in the middle of it,” he said. “I have to think of it as the final thing we’re doing. Otherwise we wouldn’t put everything into it.” If this is indeed the end of Coldplay, then it will be a pity. The four piece have moved away from their U2-aping opuses of early albums to create more interesting sounds of late. The silver lining for long-term fans, however, is that, unlike last year’s release Ghost Stories, the group intend to hit the road and tour the new songs. – Saeed Saeed Jim Dyson / Getty Images
Fleetwood Mac – TBA. (TBA). The rockers are firing on all creative cylinders this year as they prepare for another world tour and a final album. The singer and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham told the radio station PBS that a sense of finality surrounds the latest batch of songs. “If you want to think of this [tour] as the beginning of the last act, that’s how it feels,” he says. If this is the final album, it will be a fitting send-off as it will include the keyboardist Christine McVie, who returned to the group in October after a 15-year absence. – Saeed Saeed Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP
Kanye West - TBA. (TBA). Yeezy gave us all a new year’s gift on Thursday by releasing Only One, the first single from his new album. The emotional track is an ode to his late mother and features Paul McCartney on backing vocals and piano. It’s the first clue as to what we can expect from West’s seventh album, on which he reportedly moves away from the abrasive style of 2013’s Yeezus. West’s co-writer, the rapper Malik Yusef, enigmatically described the songs to Rolling Stone magazine as being “like a pair of Timberlands – like how Timberlands are not quite leather and not quite suede”. – Saeed Saeed Ferdy Damman / EPA
Kendrick Lamar – TBA. (TBA). With his second album, 2012’s Good kid, m.A.A.d. city, embraced by everyone from mainstream hip-hop fans to hipsters, the Los Angeles rapper’s follow-up is the most eagerly awaited rap album of the year. The 27-year-old perhaps knows this, as he and the super-producer Dr Dre have been working hard in the studio, recording more than 40 songs. In November, Lamar released the single I, a soulful tune boasting self-empowering lyrics over a funky sample of The Isley Brothers’ That Lady. – Saeed Saeed Christopher Polk / Getty Images / AFP
Metallica - TBA. (TBA). Metallica’s 2008 album Death Magnetic was a triumphant return to form and the metal titans have been touring on the back of the album ever since. Playtime is over now. The boys have decamped to a studio and are working again with Death Magnetic’s producer Rick Rubin for what would be their 10th studio album. Speaking to the website Rock Cellar recently, the bassist Rob Trujillo said he was satisfied with the recording process so far: “I’m really happy with what’s happening instrumentally,” he said. “Writing a Metallica song is a journey and a process, and it takes time. But that’s what’s special about it. Metallica like to nurture a song, nurture an arrangement.” – Saeed Saeed Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
Lorde – TBA. (TBA). Here’s a crazy fact – Lorde only hit adulthood a few weeks ago, turning 18 in November. She was 16 when Royals invaded every radio in every corner of the globe and had just recently turned 17 when her album Pure Heroine found itself on every 2013 end-of-year album list, even topping The New York Times’ critics picks. So there’s a fair amount of hype around her second effort – about which precious little is known. Two years is a long time in the life of a teenager, so we’re not expecting her to retread too many past glories. For her part, the singer has promised something that sounds “totally different”. With so much of her appeal stemming from the refreshingly, suburban honesty of Lorde’s music, the question is, can lightning strike twice? – Rob Garratt Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)
Rihanna – #R8. (TBA). Another case of internet-hype meltdown was sparked when online vendors began offering a pre-order of RiRi’s latest, despite the absence of a cover, name or release date. Hopes of a sudden pre-Christmas debut proved optimistic but it’s clearly coming soon. Details are still scant – perhaps RiRi’s security is a wee bit tighter than Madge’s? – with just a few seconds of the album teased on Instagram late last month, from which you could make out very little. The working title of the album is #R8 – that hashtag so 2012 – but who knows if that will stick. The rumours have been fuelled by the American DJ Skee, who described the album as “a little edgier than typical Rihanna”, and said the producer Stargate was “in the mix”. David Guetta, meanwhile, added himself to the mix, saying that he had recorded a couple of tunes with Rihanna for a “second” soundtrack album. Could there be an #R9 on the cards this year, too? – Rob Garratt Christopher Pike / The National
Music fans have lots to look forward to in the coming year, with plenty of big albums due to be released. We’ve been waiting on some of them for a very long time, while in the case of one mega-selling band, we have the bittersweet delight of awaiting their final release. Here’s a list of a few of the releases we are most looking forward to in 2015.
artslife@thenational.ae