Fans of soul-master Al Green are in for a treat with his latest release, Lay It Down, produced by ?uestlove of The Roots. Al may not have the shrill range that he once did, but he can still bring it, rest assured. Give a listen to some tracks here, and while you’re at it, check out Synthesis’ Al Green interview from last fall.

I’m not exactly sure what Donkey Style is, but I’ve got a few guesses. Maybe the Brazilian kids in Cansei de Ser Sexy (CSS) can help clue me in. The follow up to their 2006 self-titled release will be called Donkey and is set to hit stores July 21st.

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It’s been 13 years coming, but Connor Oberst will finally be releasing another solo album. The Bright Eyes front man teamed up with long time friend/engineer Andy LeMaster in Tepoztlán, Morelos, México (a mysterious city known for Aztec Magic among other strange phenomenons) to record the self-titled release, set to hit stores August 5th 2008, according to Merge Records…

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The highly touted boys from Brighton are back with their sophomore release, Konk, that hit stores earlier this week, but some are questioning whether the pre-release hype matches the merit. The Kook’s debut release Inside In/Inside Out was exceedingly well received, but reviews for Konk have been mixed. Betty Clarke of The Guardian gave the record 4 out 5 stars saying, “The woolliness of their debut has been replaced with a determined pop sound that dips into hard-edged rock,” but New Music Express was less than optimistic, and rather disappointed:

“What’s clear is that they’ve lost the songwriterly knack they originally wielded with abandon and replaced it with clichés and a foggy palimpsest of what they once had. We recommend they search high and low for that spark of brightness in time for album three.” NME.com

I haven’t picked up the record yet, but if the single is any indication it looks like I’m in store for a watered down version of Inside In/Inside Out. To be honest, when I first heard “Always Where I Need To Be” I thought I was still listening to The Kooks first album. Check out thise video below and decide for yourself.

The Kooks- “Always Where I Need To Be”

Amy Winehouse is back in the headlines, but this time it’s nothing too scandalous, although it probably has the head honchos at Island Records pulling their hair out. Wino was set to take a trip to the Bahamas to begin recording her follow up LP to Back In Black with famed producer Saleem Remi, but backed out at the last second, according to The Sun:

“It was a very expensive trip and it was hoped they would make some decent progress recording the album. But Amy pulled out at the last minute.

The album was planned for late 2008, but her label is now privately admitting it’s unlikely to happen until 2009” The Sun.

In other news, Amy Winehouse has also reportedly developed a new addiction, ironing. The instinctively addicted Wino apparently can’t stop ironing anything she can get her hands on, smoothing out everything from towels to scarves and sheets. I guess we should be thankful that this time around Wino can get her fix without the use of white-lines, prison or needles.

If you’re like me and you’ve been chomping at the bit to hear the new Supergrass record Diamond Hoo Ha, you probably shat a brick today when the band announced it won’t be released in the US until June 10th. Now you could go and illegally pirate it off the internet (it’s been released in the UK for about a week now), but if you’ve got a conscience, and I hope you do, here’s some video to tie you over until it hits stores.

Supergrass- Bad Blood (newest single from the upcoming album)