The Most Anticipated Album Releases for Fall/Winter 2017
BY ALEXANDRA COOK ONLINE CONTRIBUTOR
I think we can all agree that it’s been a good year for new music releases. Katy Perry’s Witness, Justin Bieber’s collaboration with David Guetta for “2U”, the much anticipated Khalid’s American Teen, Drake’s More Life, Brett Eldridge’s self-titled 2nd album studio release, and so many more. With all this being said this is only half of 2017’s new music releases, with many more to come before the year is up. Today I’m bringing to you 2017’s fall/winter most anticipated album releases. If you are a lover of new music and check iTunes/Spotify’s new music releases every Friday then this is the article for you!Now putting this together I tried to think of a logical way to sort the albums by genre, release date, etc and decided to go by release date. I promise there is an album in here for every music lover so please have a scroll through and I hope you’re as pleasantly surprised by some of these releases as I discovered.September 8th (So soon WOO!) Thomas Rhett- Life Changes 
For all my fellow country lovers out there, HOW excited are you for Thomas Rhett’s SECOND studio album release!? If you thought Crash and Burn was an album full of bangers and cute songs dedicated to his wife ("Die a Happy Man" had us all in tears and you can’t even deny it), then Life Changes is guaranteed to surpass your expectations. With his debut singles “Sixteen,” “Grave,” “Unforgettable,”, and last but not least “Life Changes,” Thomas has painted us a picture of his crazy wonderful life with his family. Delving into his love story beginning in high school with “Sixteen” and bringing us up to speed with his two new children and their stories with “Life Changes”, this album is already pulling at our heartstrings with our fave Thomas Rhett smooth country twang. Jack Johnson- All the Light Above it Too 
Jack Johnson is one of the music industry’s most beloved artists of our time. Whether the classic “Banana Pancakes” comes on, “Better Together” or “Upside Down” he always has a song that you or your friends are guaranteed to know. His smooth voice blends in perfectly with the acoustic sound he’s famous for, creating a warm blanket around your soul for those days you need a pick-me-up or are just in the mood to be happy. Jack has been producing music for over 15 years, with this album being his 7th studio album release. “Sunsets for Somebody Else” leads the pre-release debut with his classic well-known Hawaiian-vibe ukulele sound and “My Mind is for Sale” brings in a bit of electric guitar combined with a hollow xylophone sound giving us a peaceful, island relaxation feeling that would suit perfectly for a day of studying. Jack has never ceased to amaze us with his talents and silky smooth voice and I can’t imagine this new album would be any different! September 22nd, 2017 Macklemore- Gemini
If you mention “Thrift Shop” to anyone and it doesn’t ring a bell then they’ve been living under a rock the past 5 years because Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s “Thrift Shop” has hands-down been one of the songs of century. This song skyrocketed Macklemore to fame in 2012, with a following of chart toppers being produced after, such as “Can’t Hold Us,” and “Same Love” which was barrier-breaking for the LGBTQ community in the music industry baring such a brutally honest and heartfelt music video encouraging all to break the ignorant stereotypes surrounding the issue and educate oneself on the community. Since “The Heist”, Macklemore has released singles and collabs with others but no full album which brings us here to Gemini. The album’s pre-release debut singles include “Marmalade” and “Glorious” bringing us back the familiar electric piano sound that Macklemore’s voice blends so well with. Each of these tunes bring us a bubbly and catchy vibe with an easy chorus to sing-along with, hyping us up for Macklemore’s much anticipated 2nd studio album release. The Killers- Wonderful Wonderful 
Two words: MR. BRIGHTSIDE!!! If you go to Ale House or MOD at The Brooklyn every week then you know who the Killers are and are just as obsessed as I am. The Killers are our modern day rock n’ roll gods with a touch of edgy alternative to slow things down a bit. You may think “Mr. Brightside” is the only song you know by them, but I guarantee you are a huge fan of “When We Were Young,” “Somebody Told Me," and “All These Things That I’ve Done” . These songs are absolute staples for any party where the goal is to get everybody singing along because you KNOW everybody knows the words even if they may not know who sings it. Wonderful Wonderful will be The Killers' 5th studio album release, with “Run for Cover,” “The Man,” and “Wonderful Wonderful” leading the way as the debut singles. “Run for Cover” is an upbeat dance song that will have everybody up and stomping around the dance floor and “The Man” slows it down to a more techno/electronic vibe that brings us back to the beloved 90’s techno era. So far, this album is setting the tone for a brand new album full of killer tunes just like our fave cult classics listed above. September 29th, 2017 Miley Cyrus- Younger Now 
Where do I even begin with Miley? Do I even have to do an introduction? Miley has been producing various different types of music now for 10 years with some of our favourites being Hannah Montana’s “Best of Both Worlds,” “If We Were a Movie,” “Ice Cream Freeze,” and so many more. Miley as herself has hit us with some classic bangers that will never go down in history such as “7 Things,” “The Climb,” “Party in the USA,” “Can’t Be Tamed,” “Bangerz,” “Wrecking Ball,” “Pablow the Blowfish” (Miley Cyrus & her Dead Petz could have its own 6 page article about itself), and most recently “Malibu” and “Younger Now”. Miley has ranged from teeny-bopper pop, to alternative rock, to pop, to high-on-drugs tripping (Dead Petz doesn’t even have a real genre), which brings us to her settling down now as a more of a beachy, hippie, soul rock vibe. Younger Now will be Miley’s 6th studio album release, already have huge success with the debut singles “Malibu,” “Imagine,” and “Younger Now”. Undeniably, despite Miley’s intense mid-life crisis the past two years, her voice has never waivered as anything less than extraordinary. With her light and airy country twang as the basis of her voice, Miley’s range is nothing short of impressive. Many fans, including myself, are eager to hear the new, healthier, and happy Miley in this new release which we’ve been waiting, arguably, for the past 4 years. Demi Lovato- Tell Me You Love Me 
Demi Lovato has also been in the music game as long as Miley, getting her start on Family Channel’s Camp Rock and bringing us our tween anthem of the decade “This Is Me”. I don’t think there wasn’t one 12-year-old who did not think that song was written for her, leading to Demi’s first extremely successful solo album release in 2008 with the hits “La la Land” and “Get Back”. Next we have “Here We Go Again” from Demi’s 2nd solo album then “Skyscraper” where we have the first look into what it is like for a young girl being raised in the entertainment industry. Demi’s 3rd album Unbroken acknowledges her mental health and how she has been able to overcome the issues she’s had with body image, haters, and drug abuse. Her next 2 albums discuss similar issues with “Heart Attack,” “Neon Lights,” “Confident,” and “Cool for the Summer” becoming anthems for girls growing up needing the encouragement the lyrics provide for overcoming fears and staying true to yourself. Tell Me you Love Me is Demi’s 6th studio album, with her at a point where she is finally writing about being truly happy and not giving a s*** about what haters think anymore. “Sorry not Sorry” is the debut single and is a girl power anthem that all girls should be listening to. I can’t wait to hear Demi kicking butt in the other new releases, because at this point we can expect nothing less from her and her incredible voice. October 14th, 2017 Weezer- Pacific Daydream
Weezer brings us back to the early 90’s, where their debut single “Buddy Holly” quickly shot to the top of charts as one of Rock’s new beloved anthems. Weezer has a distinct old-school feel with the electric guitar and drums being the main focus of their sound. Weezer focuses more on the music than the lyrics (catch my drift?) with their songs “Pork and Beans” and “Beverly Hills” becoming another few chart toppers that rule our throwback playlists. If you’re in the mood for some good ol’ rock n’ roll then Weezer is the band for you. Pacific Daydream will be their 11th album release (if you’re not impressed then shame on you). The debut single “Mexican Fender” brings us our favourite electric guitar sound with an added unique tinkling bell to finish off the chorus as the debut single. “Feels Like Summer” gives us a bit of a new sound, piquing my interest in seeing how the rest of the album sound is, while still giving us the classic feel-good Weezer vibes reminding us why we love Rivers Cuomo voice so much. There’s no denying the talent Weezer has, as nowadays bands are not as popular as solo artists usually are. Weezer is a classic sign of the times for alternative rock, giving me LIFE with the continuous renewal of their incredible music.
November 10th, 2017 Taylor Swift- Reputation 
I’m sure you’ve all been waiting to see if this was going to make the list and of COURSE I had to get my two words in about this album. Taylor has been shooting out chart toppers since she was 14 years old. “Teardrops on My Guitar,” “Picture to Burn,” “Fifteen,” “Love Story,” “Speak Now,” “Haunted,” “Mine,” “Red,” “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “Bad Blood,” “Shake it Off,” and “Blank Space” are honestly only a FEW of Taylor Swift’s most well known hits, with dozens of others making the top 100 Billboard list as well. Taylor, much like Miley, has also switched between genre’s beginning as a Country artist and expanding to Pop. With the release of “Look What You Made Me Do” and “Ready for it?” as the debut singles for her 6th studio album release, fans are wondering if she will be dipping her toes into rap on this latest album. I personally am a much bigger fan of the older Taylor Swift who did not revolve her life around gaining fame and writing songs to specifically call certain people out to make money off of it, so this album so far for me has been a bust. The new singles do not have that classic feel-good TSwift vibe that we all crave when we have a heartbreak and longing for revenge. It is hard to fit them in a genre because of the tone of the songs, and I am curious to see what this new album will produce. *all images courtesy of iTunes