Another music must-have!

I have been a fan of Annie Lennox for fifteen years now, yet nothing she has released in the last fifteen years managed to rekindle the same passion I felt for her debut album, DIVA. (One of my 5 vaorite songs of all time is from that album, "Cold") And yet, I respect her so much as an artist that I buy everything she puts out without listening to it first, and usually there are some songs that I do end up really liking.
Her newest album, Songs of Mass Destruction, came out earlier this month, and for the first time in fifteen years, I'm blown away and just can't stop listening to it. It is not a happy album, which usually would deter me from it, but there are such amazing soundscapes in it that I just get lost in its beauty. The standout tracks to me are the two most atmospheric songs that take me to another place for about 4 and a half minutes each. The first, "Colored Bedspread", is sexy yet not vulgar, mature yet not risque, exploration of the tmie spent in the bedroom. Its beat, initally reminiscent of her Eurythmics hit "Sweet Dreams" is actually much more primitive and sensual and the vocals change from understated rhythmic pulses to soaring surges of passion.
My other favorite is "Big Sky" which evokes the kind of thunderstorm that has always made me come alive, and compares it to a tumultuous relationship. The picture painted by this song may only exist in my head, but I would challenge anyone to listen to this song without being wrapped up in its big sweeps and beautiful vocals.
Some of the tracks, like "Ghosts In My Machine," "Love Is Blind," and "Womankind" are really fun upbeat songs (even if their lyrical content isn't always without despair); "Sing" is an anthem that features 22 other vocalists including Madonna, Melissa Etheridge, Celine Dion, Joss Stone, Dido, KT Tunstall, Anastacia, and more; "Lost" is haunting and gorgeous, and if you buy the album from Barnes and Noble online you can get two bonus tracks that are really worth it (an acoustic version of the first single "Dark Road" that is even more beautiful than the original, and a stomper that I really do enjoy called "Don't Take Me Down.")

here are some you-tube links to explore further:
COLOURED BEDSPREAD fan-made video
Snippets of 5 songs from the album
My favorite song ever, COLD, performed live in 1992 and in 2007
DARK ROAD performed acoustically (on the Martha Stewart show!!)