12 March Albums Worth Roaring About

By JC Villamere. 3 Mar 2020 1:46 PM

You know how they say that the month of March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb? Yeah? OK, good, because we referenced that whole thing in the title re: roaring (lion-like). New Pearl Jam? Roar! New Jessie Reyez? Roar! New Niall Horan? Roar! There are 12 of these. Roar! We lost our voice days ago. Roar! Please don’t let our work be in vain. Roar! Read on. Roar!

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Niall Horan
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This is Niall Horan. He used to be in One Direction. That doesn’t matter anymore because this Irish singer-songwriter is a big solo star. When One Direction split, people were pretty optimistic about Harry’s fortunes but the other lads were question marks. Now Horan has become one of only four Irish artists ever to hit #1 on the US Hot 100, joining U2, Sinéad O'Connor, and Hozier. And he’s ready to release his second album. 'Heartbreak Weather' is out March 13 and the new single, "No Judgement", is out now.
Dana Gavanski
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Gavanski was born in Vancouver and now she splits her time among Montreal, Toronto, and the U.K. Gavanski’s life sounds very cosmopolitan and glamorous. But did you know that cosmopolitan, glamorous people go through breakups just like the rest of us? They do. And one of them even wrote a song about it. (She did.) Her single, “Good Instead of Bad”, is “about reflecting on the end of a relationship and how quickly things change,” she says in a statement. “The desire to make up for everything that wasn’t done or wasn’t done right. The muddiness of breaking up and not knowing if it’s the right decision. Not saying the right things, not being able to express the complexity of what we’re feeling. Things change and that’s that - not being able to turn back and undo a bad move. It’s an attempt to see from the other’s perspective and understand how hard it is for them as well.” You can go ahead and call her debut record, ‘Yesterday Is Gone’, a breakup record. It’s out March 27.
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
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These guys love to release EPs. They’re dropping EPs on the constant. Witness: They just released the 'This Is the Place' EP in September. Last June, they dropped 'Black Star Dancing'. They released 'Wait and Return' on March 1 of last year. And the new EP, 'Blue Moon Rising', is out March 6. That’s, like, five a year. That’s fantastic. It includes their recent single, “Wandering Star”.
Charlotte Cornfield
Kate Dockeray via Killbeat Music
‘Tis the month for EPs! This Canadian singer-songwriter is getting in on the action with her new four-song release, 'In My Corner'. It features two original tracks and two covers, including Lucinda Williams’ “Fruits Of My Labour”. “When I first heard this song, I was so struck by the poetry of it,” says Cornfield in a statement. “Each verse is its own stanza, and the music just lifts the words to the fore. At first I just wanted memorize the lyrics, which was a beautiful exercise in and of itself, but I loved singing it so much that I started doing it at my live shows. It felt natural to record it. I feel like this song really represents where I’m at in life right now: resolved in some ways, moving on, just trying to enjoy it.”
Jessie Reyez
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
On March 27, this Canadian R&B superstar-to-be will release ‘Before Love Came To Kill Us’. Is it an EP? No. It’s her full-length debut. But it is a followup to her widely acclaimed EPs 'Kiddo' and 'Being Human In Public'. Also out March 27 is ‘Are You in Love?’ from Basia Bulat. It’s the followup to the Canadian singer-songwriter’s album ‘Good Advice’, which came out in 2016 (wait — can we believe that came out four years ago?). It was produced by My Morning Jacket's Jim James.
Mandy Moore
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Can you believe this uber-talented singer/actress almost walked away from Hollywood? Now, the star of “This is Us” is releasing her first album in 10 years. ‘Silver Landings’, her seventh record, comes out on March 6.
Also out March 6 is ‘Heavy Light’ from the Toronto-based experimental pop project U.S. Girls. It’s the followup to their critically acclaimed 2018 breakthrough album, ‘In a Poem Unlimited’.
Alicia Keys

The two-time Grammy host’s new record is simply called ‘Alicia’ and it’s out March 20. This classically trained pianist hasn’t just hosted the Grammy Awards, she’s won a whopping 15 of them — plus seven BET awards and nine Billboard Awards, but who’s counting? Not us. We’re letter people, not number people. We are also concert people, which is super-duper good because Keys has two Canadian concerts planned on her 2020 tour. She’ll play Toronto and Vancouver in August.
Gordon Lightfoot
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
This guy has been a solo act since he left his square-dancing gig at CBC back when broadcasts were in black and white. His new record, out March 20, is called ‘Solo’. So either Lightfoot really wants to emphasize his solo-ness or it’s an ode to Solo cups (often red in colour). We’re betting on the first scenario. Get excited because this is his first record of new music since 2004 and this guy knows how to write a song. Remember “Sundown”, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” and “If You Could Read My Mind”? He has been awarded the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, Canada’s highest honour in the performing arts, as well as being named a Companion of the Order of Canada. His songs have been recorded by big-time folks like Elvis, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, Eric Clapton and the Tragically Hip. Put this sucker on pre-order ASAP.
Also out March 20 is ‘Kelsea’ by country hit-maker Kelsea Ballerini. It’s her third record and it’s the followup to 2017’s ‘Unapologetically’, which included the #1 hits “Legends” and “Miss Me More”.
Adam Lambert
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Critics are lauding the ‘American Idol’ runner-up's fourth record, ‘Velvet’. Billboard calls it “his best work yet.” ABC News says, “Lambert is at the top of his game, toggling effortlessly among dance club thump, guitar-driven rock, '70s funk and power-ballad drama.” Lambert himself describes it modestly as “thirteen slinky numbers to catch a vibe to.” You can call it your own when it comes out on March 21.
Pearl Jam
Kevin Kane/WireImage for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
'Gigaton', the grunge veterans' 11th record, drops March 27. “Making this record was a long journey,” explains lead guitarist Mike McCready in a statement. “It was emotionally dark and confusing at times but also an exciting and experimental road map to musical redemption. Collaborating with my bandmates on 'Gigaton' ultimately gave me greater love, awareness and knowledge of the need for human connection in these times." Their tour hits Toronto this month and then they'll play Ottawa, Quebec City, and Hamilton. Canadians know it's a weird, wonderful glitch in the system when a band play both Toronto and Hamilton but did you know that Canadian photographer, filmmaker, and marine biologist Paul Nicklen’s photo “Ice Waterfall” is featured on the record's cover? It is. Make your own "Even Flow" puns at will.
The Weeknd
The Canadian Press/AP, Invision, Richard Shotwell
Six! SIX! That’s how many Canadian shows this Toronto-born Grammy winner has planned for his big new tour to support his upcoming record. Sorry, we got ahead of ourselves: this spooky R&B superstar is releasing ‘After Hours’ on March 20. Then he’s going to embark on the "After Hours" tour in June and he’s playing Edmonton! He’s playing Winnipeg! God bless you, the Weeknd, for your Canadian tour stops and your fashion-forward hair shapes. You are what the future is made of. Roar.

12 March Albums Worth Roaring About

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