Wednesday, March 13, 2024

ERIC CARMEN (1949 - 2024)


Eric Carmen
, the musician and songwriter who first found fame as part of pop-rock group, the Raspberries then later going solo to achieve even greater success, has passed away on March 11th at the age of seventy-four. No cause of death has been revealed at this time.

Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, music had played an important part of his life since he was a child, being classically trained to play the piano and the violin. But after discovering rock & roll as a teenager, Carmen taught himself how to play the guitar and joined several rock bands. By the time he attended college, Carmen became certain that his career would involve music. 

In 1970, Carmen joined Wally Bryson on lead guitar, rhythm guitarist, Dave Smalley and Jim Bonfanti on drums to form the Raspberries. After recording some demos, with Carmen performing lead vocals, playing bass and writing many of their originals songs, several record labels became interested and the Raspberries signed with Capital Records. The band's self-titled debut became an instant success with their biggest hit, "Go All the Way" reaching number five on the US pop chart in 1972. The Raspberries would make three more albums but tensions grew within the group, largely over Carmen's creative dominance in the band. With members exiting and new musicians joining, the Raspberries would come to an end in 1975.

Carmen wasted no time and began a solo career. His self-titled debut album was released later that year and contained two big hits; "All By Myself" which made it to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" which just missed reaching the top ten on the chart. Carmen also made the chart writing pop songs for actor-turned-singer, Shaun Cassidy with "That's Rock and Roll" which peaked at number three in 1977 and "Hey Deanie" which hit the top ten the following year.

Carmen co-wrote with Dean Pitchford, "Almost Paradise" for the 1984 film, "Footloose" performed by Ann Wilson of Heart and Mike Reno of Loverboy, reaching number seven on the pop chart. And Carmen's last major charting hits were "Hungry Eyes" for the "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack and "Make Me Lose Control" a single that appeared on his greatest hits collection in 1988. Carmen would release his final album, "I Was Born to Love You" in 2000 and became part of the tour with Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band.





Tuesday, March 5, 2024

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, collectively known as Pet Shop Boys, have been creating music together since 1981. Throughout this time, the British music duo have never strayed too far from their original sound: electronic dance music. Pet Shop Boys have just announced their upcoming fifteenth studio album, "Nevertheless", due out in April. With producer, James Ford, the Boys continue to explore the diverse emotions that makes us human through dance-oriented beats and their sound has expanded to include orchestral string arrangements. The first single, "Loneliness" from the album takes me back to the time of their breakout song, "West End Girls" which will be celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the original dance club version with the song re-recorded two years later and becoming a worldwide pop music smash.



Here is a collection of recent dance songs which includes the latest from Charli XCX (with a wild, crazy music video that I love); the inspired pairing of Sia and Kylie Minogue; another sexual, dance-floor ditty by Kim Petras from her recent EP, "Slut Pop Miami", a sequel to her 2022 release; Olly Alexander of Years & Years just dropped a romantic, beat heavy track and the latest dance anthem from the queer performer, Vincint.











Miley Cyrus has dropped a new song yet it's not actually new. Back in 2013, Cyrus teamed up musician, Pharrell Williams during the recording of her "Bangerz" album where the pop star played with a more musically funky style. An outtake from those sessions, "Doctor (Work It Out)" has just been released. Why is this song seeing the light of day at this particular moment in time? Who knows and who really cares because "Doctor" sounds just as fresh as if it were recorded yesterday. For the music video, Cyrus seems to be channeling  Las Vegas showgirls who stomped on the casino stages like Ann-Margaret and Lola Falana (look 'em up) back in the '70's, right down to the choreography. 



Frankie Goes to Hollywood
burst on to the music scene back in 1983 with the song, "Relax" which not only topped the charts in their native Britain but became an international sensation. But what made this band really stand out beyond their popular music was that they were unapologetically queer, which was not at all common by pop artists to reveal at this time. Two following singles, "Two Tribes" and "The Power of Love" impressively also reached number one on the UK pop chart . Not long after this incredible success, Frankie Goes to Hollywood imploded and went their separate ways in 1987. In the recent film, "All of Us Strangers", filmmaker, Andrew Haigh effectively uses Frankie's ballad, "The Power of Love" to close out his deeply moving dramatic fantasy about loss and acceptance. Haigh has stated that this song was an important part of his music playlist from his youth in the '80's during a time when he was trying  to come to terms with love and his identity as a gay teenager.

Thursday, February 29, 2024

2024 OSCAR NOMINEES FOR BEST ORIGINAL SONG


The Oscars
are just a little over a week away and here is a spotlight on the musical compositions that received nominations in the Best Original Song category. "Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)", from Martin Scorsese's drama, "Killers of the Flower Moon", was written by Osage Nation member, Scott George and created to celebrate their rich heritage and traditions. Two songs from the summer blockbuster, "Barbie" received nominations: previous Oscar-winners, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, who won for their work in the 2018 "A Star is Born" remake, are recognized for their contribution to the soundtrack, "I'm Just Ken" while pop-star, Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas, who both won Oscars for their James Bond theme song, "No Time To Die", are here again for the ballad, "What Was I Made For?". Musician Jon Batiste was honored along with co-writer, Dan Wilson for the song, "It Never Went Away" from the documentary, "American Symphony" that examines a busy year in Batiste's life which he has to balance while his wife, the writer Suleika Jaouad, struggles with leukemia. And Diane Warren has received her fifteenth career nomination (and seventh consecutive) in this category for her song, "The Fire Inside" for actress, Eva Longoria's directorial debut, "Flamin' Hot" which is about the invention of Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

I don't think this is a particularly great year in this category, but the strongest songs are from "Barbie". The best out of the two for me is Eilish's gentle lullaby about the feelings of self-doubt and a search for purpose which the song also recently won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year.

"The Fire Inside" from "Flamin' Hot" (Music and Lyric by Diane Warren)



"I'm Just Ken" from "Barbie" (Music and Lyric by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt)



"It Never Went Away" from "American Symphony" (Music and Lyric by Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson)



"Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)" from "Killers of the Flower Moon" (Music and Lyric by Scott George)



"What Was I Made For?" from "Barbie" (Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell)

Monday, February 12, 2024

BEYONCE GOES COUNTRY


The rumor is true.

After making an appearance with her husband as he accepted the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at this year's Grammys with blonde hair and dressed up in a cowboy hat and bolo tie, buzz started that Beyoncé was up to something. It started with the speculation that she was about drop new music and it would be country & western influenced.

And during one of the biggest sporting events in the country, Beyoncé confirmed this with a commercial during Super Bowl LVIII that "Renaissance Act II" is on the way (March 29th to be exact) and the album will feature country music. The two songs that were released are "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages". There is certainly some twang to these tracks from the vocals and instrumental arrangement, but Beyoncé has clearly put her own soulful spin on them, opening them up to people who say they hate this genre of music. 

I admit I'm not the biggest country music fan, but I am also very intrigued by what Queen Bey has done and really like what I've heard so far.




Sunday, February 4, 2024

TURN THE LIGHTS BACK ON


Billy Joel had been trying to make it into music since his early days as a teenager living in Long Island, NY, playing in several bands and performing solo gigs in bars around town. He got signed to a local label but his debut album in 1971, while displaying his extraordinary gift for songwriting, failed to find an audience. A live recording of a song, "Captain Jack" received some local attention which led to a Columbia Records executive becoming interested in Joel. He was signed to the label, moved to Los Angeles and recorded the album, "Piano Man" in 1973. The title track, a retelling of Joel's experiences during his time as a lounge singer living in LA, reached the top-thirty on the pop chart. And while it appeared Joel was headed towards becoming a major pop artist, his next two albums were only modest sellers, yet his songwriting skills were greatly admired including Barbra Streisand recording a version of his song, "New York State of Mind" in 1977.

Joel's big breakthrough came that same year with "The Stranger". The album had four top-forty singles, winning Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "Just the Way You Are" and selling over ten million copies. This began a long string of hit albums and songs for Joel, with thirty-three top-forty hits (all that he had written) in the U.S., until he released his twelfth studio album, "River of Dreams" in 1993. Feeling disappointed by the lack of successful singles despite all of the hard work he had put in to make the album, Joel became disillusioned by the grind of the pop music business and decided to walk away.

But he didn't leave the music business entirely however with Joel touring extensively over the following years, which included a long-running series of concert tours with Elton John and a residency at Madison Square Garden. And he did record one more album in 2001, "Fantasies & Delusions" but it contained only classical solo piano pieces composed by Joel.

Now Joel has just unexpectedly released a new song, "Turn the Light Back On". This is not really the first pop song he has released since '93 (he had a couple of original tracks in 2007) but this feels like a song that perfectly captures his sound back in his hit-making days. This sentimental ballad is about hoping it's not too late to save a relationship suffering from neglect. A singer's voice will diminish somewhat over time, especially for hard-working, seasoned performers, yet the seventy-four-year old's vocals here are impressively robust and polished. I really love this song and hopefully this could lead to a complete album down the road. But in the meantime, be sure to catch Joel on this year's Grammy Awards show on February 4th where he will premiere "Turn the Lights Back on" with a live performance.

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS


For his first solo work in six years, Justin Timberlake has returned with "Selfish". This song, with production by Cirkut, Louis Bell and Timberlake, is a beat-heavy ballad that has him explaining his obsession with this woman he's interested in and if that makes him selfish, he just can't help it. I'm not sure about the message this is sending, especially in today's climate but perhaps this will be overlooked. This is the first release from his forthcoming sixth studio album, "Everything I Thought It Was" due out in March. Timberlake is in full promo mode, appearing last weekend as the musical guest on "SNL" (and debuting another song, "Sanctified"), hitting the talks shows, performing an intimate show at Irving Plaza in New York City on January 31st (which is also his 43rd birthday) before launching a world tour in April.



But fans of Britney Spears seemed to have wanted to have the last word on Timberlake's new song after the singer's revelations about her former boyfriend in her recent memoir. I still don't understand how they did this but the Britney stans managed to have a song also titled "Selfish" from Spears' 2011 album, "Femme Fatale" climb up and eventually reach number one on the US iTunes chart, knocking Timberlake off that spot. It's all silly and petty yet impressive work.


When I heard that actress Kate Hudson was dropping a new pop music single, I admit I was extremely skeptical of the outcome. I knew she could carry a tune after seeing her enjoyable performance in the 2009 filmed version of the Broadway musical, "Nine" yet it still remained questionable to me that the nepo baby of Goldie Hawn was an actual singer. However, after hearing "Talk About Love", I will now admit I was wrong. This pop-rock song, co-written by Hudson, her boyfriend, Daniel Fujikawa and musician/producer, Linda Perry, is pretty good, polished and catchy in a way that's very appealing with Hudson delivering a great vocal. The Oscar-nominated performer plans to release an entire album sometime in the near future and I am now curious to hear more.



I really don't understand the point of this Nicki Minaj/Megan Thee Stallion feud going on but here is the latest song from Megan Thee Stallion, "Hiss" which is delivering all she needs to say at this moment:



Finally, I would like to pay tribute to two gifted musicians we recently lost. The voice behind the Ashford & Simpson penned ode to the Golden State, "California Soul", Marlena Shaw has passed away on January 19th at the age of eighty-one. The New York artist (born Marlina Burgess) began her interest in music as a child through her uncle, Jimmy Burgess, a jazz trumpeter. Helping her develop skills as a vocalist, Marlina would sing with her uncle's band at the Apollo Theater at the age of ten.

Changing her stage name to "Marlena Shaw", she would continue to pursue a career as a singer, performing with several jazz bands before an opportunity came her way during a gig at the Playboy Club in Chicago. Representatives from Chess Records were in the audience and offered her a recording contract. Shaw made two albums for the label with "California Soul" appearing on her second release, "The Spice of Life" in 1969. And while she was not the first or the only artist to cover the song, Shaw's version was the one that made "California Soul" memorable. The track would go on to become popular in the British rare groove music scene, become heavily sampled by hip-hop musicians and used frequently for television commercials. Shaw recorded sixteen albums over the course of her career, largely jazz music but a few that combined blues, soul and some disco.





Melanie
, who reached the top of the US pop chart with her composition, "Brand New Key", passed away on January 23rd. The New York singer/ songwriter, born Melanie Safka, was seventy-six with no cause of death revealed to date. She began as part of the counterculture, folk music scene in the village and managed to get signed with Columbia Records. Melanie recorded a couple of singles for them that didn't get much attention and moved on to a lower-profile label, Buddah Records. Two of her songs, "Bobo's Party" and "Beautiful People", became hits in Europe and this helped get Melanie an invite to perform at the 1969 Woodstock music festival, one of only three solo female musicians to perform there. The experience at the fest inspired Melanie to write the song, "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" which features the gospel group, the Edwin Hawkins Singers on backing vocals. This song became a hit in Europe and the US where it reached the top ten on the pop chart in 1970.

Frustrated by her label's controlling demand for new music on their timetable, Melanie, with her producer husband, Peter Schekeryk, formed their own indie label, Neighborhood Records. From her fifth album, "Gather Me" in 1971, "Brand New Key" became the biggest hit of her career, charting across the globe. While not reaching these heights again, Melanie continued to record (releasing twenty-six albums) and tour extensively. She married Schekeryk in 1968 and were together until his passing in 2010. The couple had three children; daughters, Leilah and Jeordie and son, Beau who are all working musicians.



Friday, January 26, 2024

MY FAVORITE SONGS OF 2023

This past year in music, it reminded me of a time when I was a strange, awkward teen listening to AM radio in the 1970's. Back then it was common for stations to play all genres of music, tossed together indiscriminately, where it would create the ultimate pop music playlist. Over time, music became much more segregated but largely thanks to TikTok, we had a jumble of various sounds finding their way into our ears; classic soul, hip-hop, country, dance-pop, world music, Latin-pop, a bit of jazz and older music which were tunes that didn't receive much attention when initially released or songs that were popular years ago but have been rediscovered by a new generation. I really love this trend of as I don't believe that most people only listen to one style of music. The possibilities of discovery are endless, making this new year exciting and full of promise.

Here are a few songs that I loved that I didn't get an opportunity to share throughout the year:

































ERIC CARMEN (1949 - 2024)

Eric Carmen , the musician and songwriter who first found fame as part of pop-rock group, the Raspberries then later going solo to achieve ...