Speaking purely as a writer, I find it interesting that, after all these years of blathering about music, I need a certain…oomph…to begin the actual process of writing!

And so it is that tonight, only moments ago, I grabbed an unmarked CD—I have a lot of them—put it in my player, pressed "play," and, with no idea of what I was about to hear, heard what appeared to be a live audience, fading in and loudly chanting the word "Horslips!"

The CD was a reissue by the Irish rock band of the same name, mind you, from their 1980 live album The Belfast Gigs—but not really knowing that upon first listen, I must say that hearing an enthusiastic crowd chanting what appeared to be the words "horse lips" was stimulating in a very strange way!

Bummer that it was that it was an actual band name instead of the horrifyingly confrontational album opener I'd been hoping for—I was envisioning about 4 or 5 potential less-than-attractive artists, to be polite, about to start their respective sets—for 20

Boy, am I bummed out!

Like most of us, I've been breathlessly anticipating watching the Olympics this year! I'm completely into athletics, I like uniforms, and sometimes cool music is featured! And this year, what with the Olympics being in London and all, word was that the opening ceremonies would include the finest musical tribute of all time!

But unfortunately, as you may have heard, NBC—the television network that's broadcasting the event here this year—decided that rather than boring the USA with dopey music far beyond our ken, they'd replace it all with some idiotic Ryan Seacrest interview and hope we wouldn't notice the difference!

So a word to the wise: If you want to hear the semi-reunited Clash sing "We Represent The Lollipop Guild," Coldplay jamming on Herman's Hermits' "No Milk Today" and Adele dropping jaws worldwide with her unexpected Curved Air medley, check out YouTube for the random BBC feeds kindly posted by sympathetic foreigners who completely feel our pain!

It's a week filled with familiar names! Larry, Bob, Otis, Mike, Linda, Anne Marie and Belinda!

Similarly, many of this week's new releases are by familiar names as well!

I'd like to think it's pure coincidence! After all, if the middle of 2012 brings us a batch of music releases by artists who've been around the block a few times, perhaps have a few gray hairs or, even less tactfully, are dead--what does that say about today's biggest hitmakers?

Could it be that many of them are talentless fops unworthy of any press coverage whatsoever? Could it be that rather than recording albums and making music, today's best and brightest talents are making millions of dollars as computer programmers and entrepreneurs by exploiting the recorded works of other, lesser individuals--directly taking from them whatever small pittances they might make as recording artists until, heartbroken, they begin new careers as short-order cooks who could have once had promising careers but now work the late-night shift at Denny's?

Nope! It's just a crummy week! And hasn't it been hot?

Zac Brown Band: Uncaged (Atlantic) There's no denying that the Zac Brown Band are one of country's music's brightest stars: They're award-winners, they have serious musical chops, they don't worship at the altar of country radio, and, any way you look at it, they rock. This latest set, their third, features an intriguing array of

I don't think I've ever been as invigorated about a week's new album releases as I am right now!

Just think: A new album by the highly charismatic Chris Brown! He's quite famous! The return of Flo Rida! Gosh, all that success even with that horrid stage name! And the return of Asia! Frickin' Asia!

Plus a bunch of great reissued albums that probably came out before you were born!

In the words of one very famous writer,  it's the best of times and the worst of times!

Sadly, that writer is long dead! But we're not!

Chris Brown: Fortune (RCA) I think Chris Brown's been on the receiving end of a bad rap! Sure, he's done some wacky stuff in the past, but clearly he's a changed man! Look at those glasses! Glasses just...I don't know...make the person wearing them look smart or something! And weak! And mild-mannered! He'd never hurt anyone! He