Oh, how we love comeback albums. It's an amazing thing when successful musicians release one or two great albums, then go into hiding, never to be heard from until their miraculous comeback release. It's hard to truly know the reasons behind these decisions. Some artists may say fear of failure is the cause; others may find a new calling in life. Whatever the case may be, there are a number of artists out right now who are past due for a comeback.\nIn many ways, the past two years were perfect examples of musicians coming out of hiding. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band reformed to release the politically-charged album, The Rising. Groups from the 1980s like The Cure and the artist Morrissey both released stunning albums this past year, while William "Captain Kirk" Shatner recently brought back his quirky spoken word music with Has Been, which, incidentally, received nothing but praise upon its release.\nWhile the latter group of musicians mentioned are mainly those who were prominent figures 20 years ago, there are a number of examples of recent musicians of the '90s who also made strong comebacks. U2 followed up the mediocre 1997 Pop with 2000's wonderful, Grammy-winning comeback album, All That You Can't Leave Behind. The Red Hot Chili Peppers made a huge comeback with its two hit albums Californication and By the Way.\nAs you can see, this trend is usually very rewarding and exciting for fans everywhere. \nNow while I advocate a strong musical comeback, it is important that your timing is right and that you indeed have a following waiting for you. (I highly doubt there is a fan club waiting for miraculous return of Skee-Lo.) That said, here is a group of noteworthy musicians worthy of a comeback, who hopefully won't keep us waiting any longer.\n1. Lauryn Hill -- The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was by far one of the best records of the '90s. Many say she recorded the album as a way of getting back at her ex-lover and former Fugee member Wyclef Jean (whose solo career was taking off). Whatever the reason may be, Miseducation made her an R&B star. In 2002, Hill released a live "MTV Unplugged No. 2.0" album featuring an all acoustic, fairly dull, set of religious tunes. Lauryn, we all love you and want more.\n2. D'Angelo -- Speaking of R&B, D'Angelo jumped onto the music scene in 1995 with Brown Sugar. However it was his 2000 sophomore release, Voodoo, that really caught our attention. By combining hip/hop rhythms with a soulful voice, D'Angelo, along with the help of artists like Lauryn Hill, helped bring back R&B music during the '90s. While it's true, I may be the only guy who digs his music, I think that he is in many ways a modern day Marvin Gaye (sorry Usher) and is well overdue for a comeback.\n3. The Verve -- Right around the time Radiohead and Oasis were putting out brilliant records, another group from the UK was making a name for itself. The Verve's first album was released in 1993 but it wasn't until its 1997 release, Urban Hymns, that it really shined. The album combined a unique sound with Richard Ashcroft's passionate lyrics and became an instant hit. Since then it has yet to release a follow-up album and seems to be staying on its native island.\n4. Daft Punk -- This French duo of electronic musicians perfected the art of combining Euro-techno beats with '70s and '80s rock to create a peculiar, but interesting, sound. Its first album Homework featured some notable tracks, but it was 2001's Discovery that helped cross them over from dance club-friendly techno musicians to experimental electronic rockers. Since then, the group tours, always hiding their true identities but is still in need of some studio time.\n5. Fiona Apple -- Before Norah Jones hit radios and Starbucks across the country, Fiona Apple was the finest jazz/pop/rock musician out there. Her strong, chilling voice and touching lyrics made her one hell of a musician. During her 1990s career she released two powerful albums, Tidal and When the Pawn…, dated director Paul Thomas Anderson ("Punch-Drunk Love") and became known for her provocative music videos and short temper. Lately she tends to stay out of the spotlight but has a strong fan base yearning for a third album. \n6. Wu-Tang Clan -- OK, this is sort of cheating since all nine of the New York-based rap group are still around, mainly working on solo albums, as well as making television and film appearances. However, wouldn't it be something if the whole gang "reunited" for a comeback album? I believe ODB, or whatever he's going by these days, is out of prison, and so a new album is not entirely out of the question. The crew recently released a live concert album with the whole gang involved, and its greatest hits CD hit the streets late last month.
So there it is. These are all high hopes of mine, and many may not actually play out (Lauryn Hill seems to be in her own world these days), but I do believe it is important to dream. Until then, check out some current comeback albums listed above (I may actually give Shatner's opus a chance), not to mention U2's upcoming album, How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, which hits stores Nov. 23.
