NEW SOUNDS

MITSKI

An artist that I just recently became aware of is Mitski. I had heard buzz about the indie-rocker with her 2016 album, "Puberty 2" when it appeared on several Best Album of the Year lists but I didn't further investigate. The twenty-eight year old singer-songwriter released her fifth studio album, "Be The Cowboy" back in August and it has received even greater acclaim and appeared on even more year-end Best Album lists. This time I made it my mission to listen and I'm so glad I did.

"Be The Cowboy" is a thrilling collection of quirky sounds and sharp, heartfelt lyrics. With most just barely over two minutes or less, these songs are brief sonic explosions of confessional reflection on love, relationships and disappointment surrounded with a lush production provided by her longtime collaborator Patrick Hyland. This is one album you should check out as soon as possible. Here are two music videos for a couple of tracks:





MESHELL NDGEOCELLO

Another artist who I wasn't aware had released a new album until it appeared on some Album of the Year lists is Meshell Ndegeocello. The fifty year old musician, who has been credited with helping spark the neo-soul movement back in the 1990's, had dropped her twelfth album, "Ventriloquism" back in April.

Don't let that the record only features covers of classic soul and funk songs make you hesitate on giving it a chance. These songs, beginning with Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam's "I Wonder If I Take You Home" and featuring George Clinton's "Atomic Dog", TLC's "Waterfalls", Tina Turner's "Private Dancer" before closing with "Smooth Operator" by Sade, are almost unrecognizable as Ndegeocello brilliantly gives each one a radical reworking with spare, jazzy grooves. This record is truly unexpected and extraordinary.

THIS CHRISTMAS DAY

I think Jessie J, the British pop-soul vocalist, is vastly underrated as a singer and hasn't become nearly as popular here in the US as I think she should. The singer, born Jessica Cornish, has recently released her fifth album but it is unexpectedly a Christmas collection. "This Christmas Day" features many of the familiar holiday classics like "Jingle Bells", "Silent Night", and "White Christmas" yet they are delivered in great jazzy-flavored soul renditions. What is even more impressive is that Jessie J was able to attract several top names to produce the album. That includes David Foster, Babyface (who also provided vocals on their take of "The Christmas Song"), Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins who also co-wrote the title track with Jessie which is the only original song on the album. I think this is one of the better modern Christmas albums out there and you should definitely check it out. Here are a few tracks for you to preview:

A GIFT SUGGESTION

If you are looking for a gift and they are a fan of classic soul music, I have a suggestion that might help you out. Bruce Talamon, a photographer who focused on black entertainers, has recently released a beautiful photo book, "Bruce W. Talamon: Soul. R&B. Funk. Photographs 1972-1982". This breathtaking collection, published by Taschen, features his images which document most of the popular acts of the era who were making influential music, with many of the pictures that have never been seen before.

Talamon, who was one of the very few African-American photojournalists working at the time, took a look back over his forty year career and the roughly five thousand photos he had taken during that time to put this book together. He had made it clear to his editor that he wasn't interest in only showing these performers on stage but also using the more intimate, behind-the-scenes moments with these musical talents.

All of the major players of the day are certainly present like Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Jackson 5, Earth, Wind & Fire, James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic and Aretha to name just a few. But there are also remarkable pictures of performers who had a briefer moment of fame like Billy Paul (who was Talamon's first cover assignment), Thelma Houston, The Dramatics, The Stylistics, and Johnnie Taylor. There is a section of the book devoted to Don Cornelius and his groundbreaking dance television program, "Soul Train" and the 1972 "Wattstax" benefit concert held at the LA Coliseum and featured the hot acts of the day, Isaac Hayes, Albert King, The Bar-Kays and the Staple Singers.

This is an incredible book that would make the perfect gift or perhaps even own yourself.

Bruce W. Talamon: Soul. R&B. Funk. Photographs 1972-1982

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM. . .

JOHN LEGEND

For his very first Christmas album, "A Legendary Christmas", John Legend has incorporated holiday classics with original songs he has co-written. With Raphael Saadiq handling production, Legend puts his spin on "Silver Bells", "Christmas Time Is Here" and "The Christmas Song" while hoping to create a new holiday classic with his songs, "No Place Like Home", "Wrap Me Up In Your Love" and "By Christmas Eve".  Stevie Wonder and Esperanza Spalding drop by on a couple of tracks. If you would like to hear these songs live, be sure to catch Legend on the road to promote the album which he began in November and run through the end of this month. Enjoy the music video for his version of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and a live performance of his original tune, "Bring Me Love" from his television Christmas special which features his wife, Chrissy Teigen:





KATY PERRY

Katy Perry had previously released an original Christmas song about four years ago and she has just released another holiday single. "Cozy Little Christmas" is available exclusively through Amazon Music and Perry (who co-wrote and produced the track with Greg Wells and Ferras Alqaisi) delivers a fun and catchy pop song about not wanting expensive gifts and would be perfectly happy simply snuggling-up with a loved one during the holiday.

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WHITE ALBUM

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the Beatles self-titled ninth studio album which over time has been referred to as "The White Album" due to the plain white cover with only the band's name embossed. In celebration, a new edition of the album has been remastered and fully remixed with a seven-disc, box set featuring plenty of bonus material and demos. This massive project was overseen by producer, Giles Martin, the son of the late Sir George Martin who produced most of the band's music and has been referred to as "the fifth Beatle".

While the album marked a creative high point for the Beatles, the tension between the band members intensified during the recording sessions leading to many arguments and disagreements (particularly between the main writing team, Paul McCartney and John Lennon) with even happy-go-lucky drummer, Ringo Starr briefly quitting the group. The band did manage to record a couple more albums before finally calling it quits by 1970.

The Beatles had enjoyed critical and commercial success with their last album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and had all embarked on a transcendental meditation course in India in order to recharge and clear their heads. During the retreat, Lennon and McCartney began working together in relative calm to write material for the band's next record.

But by the time the group returned to Abbey Road Studios in London to begin recording, all of the peace and calm they had experienced had quickly evaporated. With their long-time producer,  Martin no longer able to have a steady, guiding influence over the band, their creative problems escalated. Another concern was the presence of Yoko Ono who was Lennon's new creative and love partner at the time. Since the band did not usually invite wives or girlfriends to be present during recording sessions, Ono was considered an unwelcome distraction as she always remained by her man's side.

The Beatles finally finished the album and released it on November 22, 1968. While it did have a working title of "A Doll's House", the thirty song, double-album was just simply called "The Beatles". Despite all of the drama that went in to it's creation, this wildly diverse record is considered the band's greatest achievement and features some of their most classic songs like "Dear Prudence", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Back in the U.S.S.R." "Happiness is a Warm Gun" and "Helter Skelter". Here are a few of my favorite songs from the album:

2018 GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS

After being delayed a few days due to the funeral of former President, George H. W. Bush, the 2018 Grammy Award nominations have finally been unveiled and it appears that the Recording Academy seems to have caught up to the 21st century. The organization for years has tended to nominate critically-acclaimed, veteran artists who were long past their prime while pretty much ignoring exciting, contemporary musicians for top honors.

Kendrick Lamar, one of the most innovative and accomplished artists creating music today, leads with eight Grammy nominations for his curated soundtrack of what became the top-grossing movie of the year, "Black Panther". Drake, who has been very vocal about feeling that the Grammys have been long out-of-touch, follows with seven noms for his smash album, "Scorpion". And after female artists were barely recognized last year with Lorde as the only woman to receive an Album of The Year nomination, there are five in this category this time with hip-hop breakout, Cardi B (receiving five noms), alt-rocker, Brandi Carlile (with six nominations), country artist, Kacey Musgraves, r&b newcomer, H.E.R (who got five total nominations). and psychedelic soul performer, Janelle Monáe. Rapper, Post Malone and his popular album, "Beerbongs & Bentleys" rounds out the category.

Now if it seems like there are a lot more nominees this time, you are correct. In a call for diversity, the Academy decided to expand the four general fields of Album, Record, Song and Best New Artist of The Year from five to eight. I really don't understand the logic behind this move as there is still only going to be one winner and I think you can be diverse without crowding these categories. Besides, someone deserving is always going to be left out for recognition.

The 61st annual Grammy Awards will be presented on February 10th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Here is a partial list of the 2018 Grammy Award nominations. Please click below to see the complete list of the nominations:

Grammy.com

Album of the Year:

"Invasion Of Privacy" - Cardi B
"By the Way, I Forgive You" - Brandi Carlile
"Scorpion" - Drake
"H.E.R." - H.E.R.
"Beerbongs & Bentleys" - Post Malone
"Dirty Computer" - Janelle Monáe
"Golden Hour" - Kacey Musgraves
"Black Panther: The Album, Music From and Inspired By" - Various Artists

Record of the Year:

"I Like It" - Cardi B
"The Joke" - Brandi Carlile
"This Is America" - Childish Gambino
"God's Plan" - Drake
"Shallow" - Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
"All the Stars" - Kendrick Lamar & SZA
"Rockstar" - Post Malone Featuring 21 Savage
"The Middle" - Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey

Song of the Year:

"All the Stars" - Kendrick Duckworth, Solana Rowe, Al Shuckburgh, Mark Spears & Anthony Tiffith, songwriters - (Kendrick Lamar & SZA)
"Boo'd Up" - Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai & Dijon McFarlane, songwriters - (Ella Mai)
"God's Plan" - Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron LaTour, Matthew Samuels & Noah Shebib, songwriters - (Drake)
"In My Blood" - Teddy Geiger, Scott Harris, Shawn Mendes & Geoffrey Warburton, songwriters - (Shawn Mendes)
"The Joke" - Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters - (Brandi Carlile)
"The Middle" - Sarah Aarons, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Marcus Lomax, Kyle Trewartha, Michael Trewartha & Anton Zaslavski, songwriters - (Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey)
"Shallow" -Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters - (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper)
"This is America" -Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters - (Childish Gambino)

Best New Artist:

Chloe x Hale
Luke Combs
Greta van Fleet
H.E.R.
Dua Lipa
Margo Price
Bebe Rexha
Jorja Smith

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:

"Love Is Here To Stay" - Tony Bennett & Diana Krall
"My Way" - Willie Nelson
"Nat "King" Cole & Me" - Gregory Porter
"Standards" - Seal
"The Music...The Mem'ries...The Magic!" - Barbra Streisand

Best Pop Vocal Album:

"Camila" - Camila Cabello
"Meaning Of Life" - Kelly Clarkson
"Sweetner" - Ariana Grande
"Shawn Mendes" - Shawn Mendes
"Beautiful Trauma" - Pink
"Reputation" - Taylor Swift

Best Pop Solo Performance:

"Colors" - Beck
"Havana (Live)" - Camila Cabello
"God Is A Woman" - Ariana Grande
"Joanne (Where Do You Think You're Goin'?)" - Lady Gaga
"Better Now" - Post Malone

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

"Fall in Line" - Christina Aguilera Featuring Demi Lovato
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" - Backstreet Boys
"'S Wonderful" - Tony Bennett & Diana Krall
"Shallow" - Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
"Girls Like You" - Maroon 5 Featuring Cardi B
"Say Something" - Justin Timberlake Featuring Chris Stapleton
"The Middle" - Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey

Best Rock Album:

"Rainer Fog" - Alice In Chains
"Mania" Fall Out Boy
"Prequelle" - Ghost
"From the Fires" - Greta Van Fleet
"Pacific Daydream" - Weezer

Best Alternative Music Album:

"Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino" - Arctic Monkeys
"Colors" - Beck
"Utopia" - Bjork
"American Utopia" - David Byrne
"Masseduction" - St. Vincent

Best Urban Contemporary Album:

"Everything Is Love" - The Carters
"The Kids Are Alright" - Chloe x Halle
"Chris Dave And The Drumhedz" - Chris Dave And The Drumhedz
"War & Leisure" - Miguel
"Ventriloquism" - Meshell Ndegeocello

Best R&B Album:

"Sex & Cigarettes" - Toni Braxton
"Good Thing" - Leon Bridges
"Honestly" - Lalah Hathaway
"H.E.R." - H.E.R.
"Gumbo Unplugged (Live)" - PJ Morton

Best Rap Album:

"Invasion of Privacy" - Cardi B
"Swimming" - Mac Miller
"Victory Lap" - Nipsey Hussle
"Daytona" - Pusha T
"Astroworld" - Travis Scott

Best Country Album:

"Unapologetically" - Kelsea Ballerini
"Port Saint Joe" - Brothers Osborne
"Girl Going Nowhere" - Ashley McBryde
"Golden Hour" - Kacey Musgraves
"From A Room: Volume 2" - Chris Stapleton

Best Dance/Electronic Album:

"Singularity" -Jon Hopkins
"Woman Worldwide" - Justice
"Treehouse" - Sofi Tukker
"Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides" - Sophie
"Lune Rouge" - TOKiMONSTA

Best Comedy Album:

"Annihilation" - Patton Oswalt
"Equanimity & The Bird Revelation" - Dave Chappelle
"Noble Ape" - Jim Gaffigan
"Standup For Drummers" - Fred Armisen
"Tamborine" - Chris Rock

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media:

"Call Me By Your Name"
"Deadpool 2"
"The Greatest Showman"
"Lady Bird"
"Stranger Things"

Producer of the Year - (Non-Classical):

Boi-1da
Larry Klein
Linda Perry
Kanye West
Pharrell Williams

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

I'm sure nobody out there thought for a minute that the unlikely coupling of pop superstar, Ariana Grande and "Saturday Night Live" comedian, Pete Davidson (who got engaged after only four months) would actually end with them walking down the aisle. And while there are no wedding bells in their future, a song was inspired by their short-lived relationship. "Thank U, Next" is Grande's latest single she co-wrote that acknowledges her time with Davidson along with some of her other previous relationships. This track, which debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number one, will be the title track from the twenty-five year old singer's upcoming fifth studio album which will probably be out early next year. Enjoy a live performance of the song on the Ellen DeGeneres show which Grande does a little tribute to the closing number from the comedy, "The First Wives Club". Also, here is the music video for the third single from her 2018 album, "Sweetener", "Breathin" which reached the top-ten on the charts:





Mariah Carey has just dropped her fifteenth album, "Caution" and after listening to the record, it's very hard to tell her new music apart from Ariana Grande. Ms Carey has been around a little longer than Ms Grande (who clearly been inspired by the timeless singer) and while each has their own style and musical flavor, they both share in seductive vocals gliding over slick '90's r&b infused with hip-hop beats. Here are a couple of tracks from Carey's latest that wouldn't sound much different if Grande gave them a go:





And we have some new music from a couple of veteran acts. The classic disco group, Chic is back with their first new album in twenty-six years, "It's About Time". The surviving founding member, writer/producer, Nile Rodgers has put together what he calls "a new Chic experience". This features an interesting mix of guest performers that includes Lady Gaga, Hailee Steinfeld, jazz composer, Philippe Saisse, Emeli Sandé and Elton John with a collection of modern dance tracks that are just as diverse.



Neneh Cherry has just recently released her fifth studio album, "Broken Politics". This timely collection, produced by British musician, Four Tet, addresses our current political climate with meditative songs to encourage hope and activism. "Shot Gun Shack" is a song that focuses on the troubling gun violence in our society:

THE BIG UNKNOWN

This year has been very good for fans of the cherished yet elusive artist, Sade. First, the singer and her same-named band made a surprise return earlier in March with a contribution to the soundtrack for the Ava DuVernay's fantasy film, "A Wrinkle in Time".  Now, Sade has delivered an unexpected song for the soundtrack for the just released Steve McQueen-directed heist-thriller, "Widows" which stars Viola Davis. "The Big Unknown" is a moving ballad about loss and survival that plays in to the film's themes. As it's been eight years since Sade's last studio album, there is news from the band that they are currently working on a new record. So until we can get our hands on that, here is another great single to groove to in the meantime:

LM5

Little Mix, the British female pop/soul quartet, is probably one of world's most popular girl-groups that almost no one has ever heard of in America. They are hoping to change that with the upcoming release of their fifth album, "LM5".

The group, made up of Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Perrie Edwards, was formed in 2011 on the UK version of the talent-competition program, "The X-Factor". They had each auditioned as solo acts but failed to make the final cut. They were given a second chance to come back and teamed-up to become "Rhythmix". The ladies worked their way up the competition before eventually winning that season's contest. The group decided to change their name to "Little Mix" so not to be confused with a British children's music charity that had shared their original name.

Little Mix's first single, "Wings" debuted on the UK pop chart at number one in 2012 and their album, "DNA" soon followed, peaking at number three on the British album chart. This began their world-wide success with three more platinum albums and chart-topping singles like "Black Magic", "Cannonball" and "Shout Out to My Ex".

With "LM5". the group continues with their powerful vocals and solid harmonies. It seems like this new music should definitely catch the attention of American ears, The first official single, "Woman Like Me" features a reggae-infused pop vibe and Nicki Minaj providing a rap verse. The song has charted across the globe and reached number two in their native country.

Take a look at the recent live performance on the 2018 MTV EMAs of Little Mix with Nicki Minaj performing together "Woman Like Me" and Minaj's latest, "Good Form". And here are two other songs, "Joan of Arc" and the ballad, "Told You So" that have been released to promote the album.







And as a bonus, here is the music video for their first hit, "Wings":

NUMBER ONE FLASHBACK

During this week back in 1978, "You Needed Me" by Canadian singer, Anne Murray topped the U.S. pop chart. While this touching ballad was hardly her first appearance in America as she had reached the country chart several times and had a top-ten pop hit previously with "Songbird" in 1970, this was seen as a comeback for Murray and the song became the biggest hit of her career, even making it to the top-forty in the UK and the Netherlands.

Murray was born and raised in the coal-mining town of Springhill, Nova Scotia. As a young girl, she became interested in music, learning the piano and taking singing lessons. She performed in talent shows at high school but went to college and studied physical education. After graduation, Murray later taught PE at a high school for a year.

In 1966, Murray was encouraged to audition for a part in a CBC variety program, "Singalong Jubilee" and won a spot on the show. Brian Ahern, the musical director of the series, took an interest in the career of the young singer and together they went to Toronto to record her first album.

The album, "What About Me" was released in 1968 and became a modest success in Canada. But it was Murray's second album, "This Way is My Way" the following year with the top-ten single, "Snowbird" that helped propel her to international acclaim. Other hits followed that appeared on both the pop and country charts including "Danny's Song", "Cotton Jenny", "Shadows In The Moonlight", "Walk Right Back" and covers of the Beatles' "You Won't See Me" and the Monkees' "Daydream Believer".

Murray would go on to receive a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "You Needed Me". She has been cited as being an important musical artist who helped pave the way for other female Canadian singers like k.d. lang, Céline Dion and Shania Twain to achieve pop success on a global scale. Murray pretty much retired back in 2008 when she released her last studio album, "Duets: Friends & Legends" and went on a Coast to Coast: One Last Time world tour to support the record and say farewell to her fans.

Here is Anne Murray performing live her number one hit on a Johnny Cash television Christmas special:

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Calvin Harris is on fire this year and seems like he's unable to make a wrong move. After some great collaborations with Dua Lipa and Sam Smith, the DJ turned producer has just dropped two new tracks with former Fifth Harmony member, Normani. One is "Checklist" that features WizKid and has a dance hall beat while "Slow Down" is a mid-tempo dance floor banger. They are both great songs and will definitely help give Normani an even bigger profile after her top-ten hit duet with Khalid with "Love Lies":





Here is some Chaka Khan, past and present. First, we go back to 1986 with "Love of a Lifetime", a song written and produced for her by Scritti Politti, a hot British band at the time who was best known for the hit, "Perfect Way". This song was a not a big success but I loved it. In the music video, what I find notable is Chaka's neon-colored hair which was long before it became trendy like today. And we have a new song, "Keep Reachin'", a funky jam for the recent Netflix documentary on Quincy Jones. Mark Ronson produced the track and together with Chaka's soaring vocals, it features the spirit of the legendary music maker.





Here is the newest single, "Money" by the hottest artist in hip-hop/rap right now, Cardi B and a couple of music videos that I find interesting:







Finally, we close with that '80's boy band, Duran Duran, who managed to deliver plenty of style and substance. When this British band first began, they were much closer aligned musically with the new-wave/new romantic scene before the 1982 album "Rio" and the music video for their smash, "Hungry Like The Wolf" helped pushed them in to the mainstream. While I liked their more commercial sound, I really enjoyed their early records. Let's look back on two of my favorite Duran Duran songs, "Planet Earth" and "Girls On Film" from 1981 with both of the music videos featuring adventurous and sensual imagery that would became a staple of the MTV generation:

TAKE TWO: TRACY CHAPMAN

Thirty years ago, Tracy Chapman seemed to come out of nowhere and exploded in to the pop music scene with just her voice, guitar and the moving single, "Fast Car". She found immediate success and may have enjoyed her moment in the spotlight but that was not what motivated her. Throughout her remarkable career, the singer/songwriter was never flashy or chased trends and preferred to use her music to speak on social issues and political activism.

Chapman began her musical career busking and playing her guitar in coffeehouses in the Cambridge area while attending Tuffs University. She met Charles Koppelman, who ran a music publishing business, through his son, Brian who was a fellow student at Tuffs, and helped get Chapman signed to Electra Records in 1987.

She released her self-titled debut album the following year with the single, "Fast Car" becoming an international hit and reaching the top-ten on the U.S. pop chart. With the help of the additional singles, "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" and "Baby Can I Hold You", the album went on to sell twenty million copies worldwide and received seven Grammy nominations and wining three awards including Best New Artist.

While her follow-up albums didn't reach these same commercial heights, Chapman did maintain a very devoted fan base with all of her records selling very well with them either going Gold or Platinum. She did find pop success again in 1995 with the blues number, "Give Me One Reason" which reached number three on the pop chart and won her a Grammy for Best Rock Song.

Chapman released her last album to date in 2008 with "Our Bright Future" but she still pops up from time to time to perform at charity events for Make Poverty History, amfAR, and AIDS/LifeCycle which are causes that are important to her. Here are two of my favorite songs by the amazing Tracy Chapman:

NEW SOUNDS

PAUL MCCARTNEY

"Egypt Station" is Paul McCartney's eighteenth solo studio album and his first featuring new music since his 2005 record, "Chaos and the Creation in the Backyard". The seventy-six year old music legend has created a solid collection of songs that takes us on a journey through different musical moods. With production assistance from current pop hit makers. Greg Kurstin and Ryan Tedder, McCartney delivers a gentle piano ballad, a Bossa Nova inspired tune, some hard rocking garage band jams and songs that offer an interesting mix of eclectic sounds. Here is the video for the first single, "Fuh You":



PAUL SIMON

That other iconic singer/songwriter named "Paul", Paul Simon also has a new album out. With "In The Blue Light", Simon is reexamining his past work and giving some of his lesser known songs a make-over. Starting with "One Man's Ceiling is Another Man's Floor" from his 1973 album, "There Goes Rhymin' Simon" and ending with "Questions For the Angels" from "So Beautiful or So What" from 2011, the seventy-six year old has given these songs new arrangements and even some reworked lyrics. Many of the songs have been stripped down to focus on the words and melody, creating a reflective and melancholy mood. Listen to one of my favorite tracks from the album, "One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor":

And we have Barbra Streisand who has been pretty vocal about her feelings regarding this current Presidential administration. After her last few albums featured classic show tunes and famous duet partners, this legendary vocalist has been inspired to make the rare move to write songs for her upcoming album. "Walls", Streisand's thirty-sixth album, is due in November and will feature mostly original songs with three she was involved with co-writing. The record is designed to explore her social concerns and offer optimism during these troubling times. The first single, "Don't Lie To Me" is one her original compositions that directly takes aim at the President and his controversial policies. Ms Streisand directed the music video for the song and it is not subtle on exactly what she's trying to say with the song:

THE 100 BEST ACTING PERFORMANCES BY MUSICIANS

While Lady Gaga has been receiving heaps of critical praise and audience love for her dramatic performance in the latest version of "A Star Is Born" which opened in theaters today, she is hardly the first pop singer to venture in to acting. It seems like a natural progression as singers express many complex emotions through song, so it would appear obvious that they should be able to do the same as an actor. And while some musicians have made an easy and impressive transition but for others, it is not necessarily a comfortable fit.

Billboard Magazine has decided to look back on one hundred different musicians throughout history who have moved from the concert stage to the silver screen and ranked them from the least successful to an outstanding achievement. The rules applied to compiling this list was that they had to begin their careers as a musician, they could not be playing themselves and only one performance per artist. This line-up is wide-ranging and features one-time acting appearances (Britney Spears, Erykah Badu, Eminem, Björk) to second careers (LL Cool J, Childish Gambino (a.k.a. Donald Glover), Mandy Moore, Kris Kristofferson) to Oscar winners (Frank Sinatra, Jennifer Hudson, Barbra Streisand, Cher).

Click below to read:

The 100 Best Acting Performances By Musicians

MARTY BALIN (1942 - 2018)

Marty Balin, the co-founder and vocalist of the classic rock band, Jefferson Airplane and later a part of the revamped Jefferson Starship, has passed away on September 27th at the age of seventy-six.

He was born Martyn Buchwald in Cincinnati, Ohio but his family moved to San Francisco when he was a teen. He changed his name to "Marty Balin" after he began his professional music career when he was twenty and was later a part of a folk music group, The Town Criers. Balin met fellow folk musician Paul Kantner in 1965 and they eventually found other musicians, blues guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, drummer, Jerry Peloquin, acoustic bassist, Bob Harvey and vocalist Signe Toly Anderson to form their own group.

They called themselves, "Jefferson Airplane" (based on the name of a friend of Kaukonen's dog) and admiring the success of the Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel and the Beatles, this band moved away from folk and towards a pop-rock sound. As they began to play around the bay area, several band members left and were replaced until Jefferson Airplane's second album in 1967, "Surrealistic Pillow". The line-up (now considered the classic) featured Kantner, Kaukonen, bassist Jack Casady, drummer Spencer Dryden and Grace Slick who shared vocal duties with Balin. The album featured two top-ten hits, "Somebody To Love" and "White Rabbit" and sold over a million copies.

The band enjoyed great success and popularity until excessive drug-use and ego-clashing caused Balin to leave the band in 1971. Jefferson Airplane officially came to an end in 1973. Kantner and Slick went on to form a new band called "Jefferson Starship" in 1974. They eventually got Balin to join the following year and the band had hits with "Miracles", "With Your Love" and "Count on Me". Balin eventually decided to leave the band again by 1978 and embark on a solo career.  He recorded several solo albums and had a top-ten hit with "Hearts" in 1981. Balin, as a member of Jefferson Airplane, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016. In honor of this gifted artist, here are two my favorites songs performed by Marty Balin:

GTFO

Mariah Carey has dropped a provocative new promo single called, "GTFO". If you don't know what that stands for, let's just say it's an impolite way of telling somebody to leave. With hot alt-r&b producers, Dvsn on board, Carey delivers another one of her trademark slinky ballads but the beats and the language are clearly of the moment. I'm really loving this slow-jam and think it puts the singer back on the right track. In the music video for the song directed by Sarah McColgan, the clip only features Carey, in a variety of sexy lingerie, still trying way too hard to be sultry and seductive. Have a listen:

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Steve Perry was the dynamic voice behind the popular 70's rock group, Journey who had such memorable hits like "Open Arms", "Who's Cryin' Now", "Any Way You Want It" and one of their most famous, "Don't Stop Believin'". But by 1998, Perry, who had suffered a hip injury and burned out by the pressures of fame,  decided to walk away from the band and music. Now after almost twenty-five years, Perry will be releasing his third solo album, "Traces" which is due out in October. He actually began work on this project back in 2015 and has co-written all of the songs. With two singles released, "No Erasin'" and "No More Cryin'", the sixty-nine year old singer's voice may no longer have the power of his younger days but the passion and deep emotion is still there.



And here is a bonus of two of my favorite songs that features the incredible voice of Steve Perry:





Here are a couple of recent songs I'm digging right now:






Two more great performers from the past have released new material. Janet Jackson dropped a surprise song, "Made For Now" that has a lively Afrocentric beat. It was inspired by her desire to put out a much needed dance tune about love and positivity and features reggaeton performer, Daddy Yankee to deliver a Latin flavor.



British blue-eyed soul singer, Lisa Stansfield is also back with new music. Her eighth studio album, "Deeper" was already released in Europe earlier this year and the fifty-two year old vocalist went on a successful tour to support the record. I'm excited to learn that Stansfield plans on hitting the road for a North American leg of her tour which should begin next month. The second single, "Never Ever" is a shimmering slice of disco heaven that is highlighted by Stansfield's sensuous voice.



And we finally have a proper tribute to Aretha Franklin which was performed during the recent BET Black Girls Rock telecast. Ledisi, Jazmine Sullivan, Cynthia Ervio, Stephanie Mills, Yolanda Adams and Fantasia are the powerhouse talent that showed respect to the Queen:

DAVID BYRNE: AMERICAN UTOPIA TOUR

While Talking Heads were definitely a band, it was David Byrne who was actually the musical and creative director behind the group. With his former alt-rock band now just a footnote in his career, Byrne has continued to create in his own name and after releasing his seventh solo album, "American Utopia", the sixty-six year old performer is on the road to promote the record.

I caught the L.A. show on August 25th at the Shrine Auditorium (thanks to a dear friend who had an extra ticket) and it was an incredible merging of art performance and rock concert. The stage was completely bare and surrounded by a curtain of long, individual strings. With just a table and chair placed out before the start, Bryne emerged solo with a song from the new album, "Here" where he sat holding a human brain as an unusual visual aide.

He was soon joined by his two highly-energetic background singers/dancers who literally moved throughout the entire show. The rest of the band featuring ten musicians eventually appear, all wearing the same identical gray suits and barefoot like Bryne, while each carrying their own instruments (including drums and percussion) and moving along wirelessly throughout the stage.

After a performance of the British electro-duo, X-Press 2's "Lazy" where Bryne was a guest vocalist, he launched in to some Talking Heads songs with "I, Zimbra" and "Slippery People". I thought for sure he would keep his former band's material to a minimum but I was quite surprised for throughout the night Byrne did quite a few including "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)", "Blind",  "The Great Curve", "Once In a Lifetime" and "Burning Down The House".

I knew there would obviously be plenty of middle-aged Heads fans but it was nice to see just as many millennials in attendance. Byrne was in great voice and, still utilizing his signature nerdy dance moves, effortlessly kept pace with his younger band as they filled the auditorium with vibrant sounds and positive energy.

Politics did manage to find it's way in to the show but the approach was subtle and low-key. Bryne, who has an organization on tour with him to help people register to vote at each stop, stressed the importance of making change happen not only nationally but at a local level. And during the encore, Bryne does an artist approved, altered cover of Janelle Monáe's "Hell You Talmbout" which shouts out the recent names of people of color that were questionably killed during police interactions.

With the world in such turmoil and conflict, Byrne has stated that the album and the tour was inspired to promote optimism and offer some comfort through song in these trying times. I can honestly say that he has achieved his goal with a concert that featured vivid style, unparalleled creativity and great music.

CHER HAS BECOME A "DANCING QUEEN"

After finally returning to the big screen this summer with the hit musical sequel, "Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again", the Oscar-winner, Cher was inspired to return to what started her career; music. She had been a fan of ABBA's music (and saw the "Mamma Mia" stage show three times) and decided to make her new album a collection of the Swedish group's greatest hits.

"Dancing Queen" will be Cher's twenty-sixth (!) studio album and is due out on September 28th. The record features her versions of such classic ABBA tunes like "The Name of The Game", "The Winner Takes It All", "One of Us", "Fernando" (which she performed in the movie) and, of course, the title track. The first taste of the record is Cher's covers of "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" and "SOS". If you are a fan of this legendary performer, then you are in for a treat:





And as a bonus here is a mash-up by Alex Simpson of Cher's song and Madonna's 2005 tune, "Hung-Up" which used a sample of ABBA's original track.

COVERED BY ARETHA

One of the many amazing gifts of Aretha Franklin was her ability to transform a familiar song that had previously been a popular hit and make it completely fresh and new. Early in her career, she covered plenty of classic standards and certainly put her stamp on them. But it wasn't until Franklin gained more creative control of her records that she was able to take her version of a well-known song in exciting and unexpected directions.

The Queen of Soul's first breakout hit was in 1967 with a re-imaging of Otis Redding's top-five r&b hit, "Respect". While his take was about a hard-working man coming home to his family and finally getting the attention he feels he deserves,  she made it about a woman who demanded to receive R-E-S-P-E-C-T from her man. Aretha's version not only became a powerful feminist anthem but used as inspiration during the civil rights movement.

Here are just a few examples of what Aretha could do with somebody else's song:

MTV VIDEO OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS RANKED

As the music video has lost most of its luster and relevance, the MTV Video Music Awards have generally done pretty much the same. At one time, the show was the place to go for water-cooler moments (do people still actually chat by water dispensers?) and incredible live performances by the hottest artists of the day. Now, it seems to struggle to get popular musicians to attend and the ones that do hardly create memorable musical moments. And while MTV claimed to have something “special” planned to honor Aretha Franklin during this year’s show, the best they came up with was to have Madonna go onstage and tell this long-winded story (which ended up having very little to do with the Queen of Soul. And I won’t even get in to what the singer was wearing) before presenting the Video of the Year Award, then it’s quite clear that the VMA’s glory days are long gone.

Vulture has decided to look back at all of the previous thirty-four winners of MTV’s Video of The Year Award and ranked them from worst to best. Looking over this list, I’m kinda shocked by some of these actual winners of this prize. Many of these videos were barely impressive when they won and have hardly stood up to the test of time (yes, I’m taking about you “Money For Nothing”).

Anyway, Click below for the entire list but I have included my personal favorites here:

Every VMA Video of The Year Award Ranked

ARETHA FRANKLIN (1942 - 2018)

It is no exaggeration to say that the entire world is grieving over the loss of one of popular music’s greatest singers, Aretha Franklin, dubbed "the Queen of Soul" relativity early in her career, who passed away on August 16th at the age of seventy-six. It was apparent that she had not been well over the last few years but had declined to reveal any possible illness. It has since been stated that Franklin had been suffering from pancreatic cancer and had passed away from complications.

While the church was a very important part of her life as she was the daughter of Detroit minister C. L. Franklin and her first professional recordings were gospel music when she was a teenager, Franklin had interest in many genres of music. People were always aware of her magnificent gift as a vocalist and knew she was destined for greatness. Franklin first signed with Columbia Records in 1960 (which her father and manager at the time approved after turning down Berry Gordy and his Motown label as he felt it was not established long enough) and they tried to mold her like other popular singers of the day. And while she found some success at the label, it always seemed like she was unable to reach her full potential.

That would all change six years later when Franklin decided to leave Columbia and move to Atlantic Records which would allow her more creative control. Franklin was finally able to sing how she felt and record the songs how she wanted. And the public responded to her music in a major way. Franklin was an immediate success and would go throughout her amazing career to amass seventeen top-ten pop singles, twenty number-one r&b singles, eighteen Grammy Awards (including the first eight awards given in the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance from 1968 to 1975), the first female inducted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, a Kennedy Center honoree in 1994, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005, sold seventy-five million records worldwide and was ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as the Number One Greatest Singer of All-Time.

Not only was Franklin a tremendously talented vocalist but was actively involved in the civil rights movement where she toured with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and would sing at his 1968 funeral. Franklin also sang at the U.S. Presidential inaugurations for Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

Aretha was one of my all-time favorite singers. She could, and did, sing all kinds of music while making them clearly her own with her glorious voice filled with passion and fire. Aretha Franklin was truly an influential, one-of-a-kind artist who changed popular music forever. And in honor of this gifted performer, here are a few of my favorite musical moments by Ms Franklin:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADONNA

It's hard to believe it but today the legendary pop superstar, Madonna has turned sixty. I am old enough to remember when she first came on the scene with the single, "Everybody" back in 1982 and many people thought she was a black singer. I danced in the clubs to her next single, "Burning Up" which came out the following year and it's still one of my favorites from the singer. Then her self-titled album finally came out in 1983 and I was completely hooked. It was a perfect blend of dance, pop and a little bit of soul. From that moment on, I became a life-long fan.

Provocative, controversial and boldly sexual, Madonna was unlike any female pop singer that came before her. From the very beginning of her career, she challenged conventional views of femininity and sexuality while forcing people to confront their fears and biases on these once taboo subjects. And her timing was perfect as she came of age during the rise of MTV and the music video. Madonna cleverly used this format to visually express divergent ideas, create many memorable personas and enhance her dance-pop songs.

No matter your opinion of this singer, there is no denying her wide-ranging influence and impact on our culture and pop music. Ultimately, Madonna has not only become one of the most successful female singers in history with over three hundred million records sold worldwide but she is considered fourth as one of the best-selling musical acts of all time.

And to celebrate this major milestone in her life, Madonna has started a month-long fundraiser to help orphans and children in Malawi. If you would like to donate, you can go directly to her Facebook page to give with the proceeds going to Madonna's Raising Malawi foundation.

Click below to donate:

Raise Malawi in Honor of Madonna's Birthday

And I'm going to honor this iconic singer by highlighting some of my favorite moments in her long, varied career:

TAKE TWO: MINNIE RIPERTON

Minnie Riperton had an unusual voice for pop music. With her four-octave coloratura soprano, this singer brought colorful sounds that you didn't ordinarily hear in pop or r&b songs. This was most notable in the biggest hit of her career, "Loving You" where you hear her hit notes so high that you didn't think were humanly possible. While she is no longer with us, Riperton has been remembered as one of the great vocal stylists.

Born in Chicago, Riperton was the youngest of eight children and she embraced the arts at an early age. She began with ballet and modern dance before being encouraged to explore her musical abilities. Riperton trained with a voice coach and with her impressive vocal gift seemed poised for a career in opera. However, she was more interested in singing soul and rock.

Riperton’s first professional opportunity began when she became part of a girl group, The Gems in Chicago. While their attempts at having a big hit record never materialized, The Gems did find some success as session singers with their notable role was providing background vocals on Fontella Bass’ hit, "Rescue Me" in 1965. During this time, Riperton met producer, Billy Davis and he helped guide and produced singles with her that found minor local success. Riperton later joined a rock-soul outfit called Rotary Connection in 1966, recording several albums and touring with them until 1969. She recorded her first solo album with her husband, Richard Rudolph, a writer and producer in 1970 but "Come To My Garden" failed to receive much attention.

Soon Riperton was a mother of two and spending more time with her family than on her career. But a few demos found their way to Epic Records and they soon had her recording her next album. "Perfect Angel" was released in 1974 and brought the singer some new found fame. With fan, Stevie Wonder on board to play, write and produce a few tracks (but secretly at the time due to the concern that his label, Motown might not allow his participation), the album became an international success with the help of the last single, "Loving You". This beautiful ballad reached the top of the U.S. pop chart in 1975.

However, not long after reaching this highlight of her career, the singer received some tragic news. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and received a radical mastectomy in 1976. After bravely going public with her illness, Riperton continued recording and touring and became a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. She released her fifth studio album, "Minnie" in May 1979 but sadly, Riperton lost her battle with cancer and passed away two months later on July 12th at the age of thirty-one. She is survived by Rudolph and their children, Marc and Maya, who many know as an actress and comedian as a former cast member on "Saturday Night Live".

The spirit of Minnie Riperton is still very much alive with her wonderful music to enjoy and to remember her gifts as an artist. Here are two of favorite songs from this glorious songbird:

MISSING U ROBYN

She had been teasing us since last week but Robyn, the cherished Euro-pop singer, has finally reemerged with new music after eight long years. "Missing U" is well worth the wait and features everything you expect from the Swedish vocalist; melancholy lyrics surrounded by a driving beat. There are no unexpected sounds or big-name guest performers here and that's perfectly fine.

Robyn has stated there is an album on the horizon and hopefully this year we will hear it but no clear word on a release date. So we have to settle for this one glorious track in the meantime. Check out the lyric video:

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

I have said that I've never been a huge country music fan but I can say that I have become a big fan of Kacey Musgraves. The twenty-nine year old singer from Mineola, TX. hardly does what would be considered "traditional" country as she embraces classic pop, alt-rock, electronica and even a little disco which has been slyly blended in to her sound. Since the beginning of her career, Musgraves has never played it safe as she has fearlessly tackled subjects like drug-use, one-night stands and same-sex love in her songs which is hardly standard country music fare.

I had heard a lot of good buzz about her fourth studio album, "Golden Hour" that was released back in March but only recently took the time to actually listen to it. And I'm so upset I didn't get to enjoy this incredible record sooner. Musgraves met her future husband, Rustin Kelly while writing the album and the budding romance is reflected in "Golden Hour". The track, "Butterflies" was written with Kelly in mind and the rest of the album is filled with more love songs than usual for the singer. Here are the music videos for a couple of Musgraves' singles:





Here are a few new songs I'm digging right now:











And we close with the latest single from Ariana Grande. While I think "God Is a Woman"(which will be on her upcoming third album, "Sweetener") is okay, it's the music video for the song that I find absolutely breathtaking. The clip is directed by music video veteran, Dave Meyers and incorporates vibrant visual imagery of the cosmos and mythology with Grande interacting with it. And if that female voice sounds familiar during the spoken monologue, it should. It is none other than the Queen of Pop, Madonna who recites a slightly revised part of the bible verse that was spoken by Jules in "Pulp Fiction":

CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS

One musician I’m currently intrigued with is Christine and the Queens. And while the name may sound like a band, it is actually only Héloïse Letissier who writes and performs her material. Although I just recently became aware of her, she has been making music in her native France since 2011.

Letissier began studying theater at the prestigious École normale supérieure de Lyon before deciding to pursue music. Inspired by the fabulous drag queens she watched perform, she eventually came up with the name "Christine and the Queens" and her dynamic performances involved elements of theater, dance and song.

After releasing several EPs, her debut album, "Chaleur Humaine (Human Warmth)" was released in 2014. The album was a hit in France and Christine won the 2014 Victoires de la Musique for Best Female Artist. The record was reworked with English-language versions of the songs and released as a self-titled album the following year. This version found great success in English-speaking, European countries with it reaching number two in the U.K. and hitting the top-spot on the Irish Album chart.

Christine and the Queens' album did make it stateside and while it received some buzz, it didn't really have a major impact here. Perhaps that may change as Letissier is preparing to release her follow-up album. The first single comes in French as "Damn, dis-moi" and English as "Girlfriend" and features American musician, Dâm-Funk. In either language, it's a great funky pop tune and should bring her some serious attention here. Another single, "Doesn't Matter" has recently dropped and comes in French and English. The album, "Chris" is due out in September. Check out the music videos for these songs which features fantastic visual imagery and slick dance moves:





And as a bonus, here is Christine and the Queens on BBC Radio One performing live an interesting cover of Beyoncé's "Sorry" back in 2016. Michael Jackson was another major influence of Letissier and you can see that in her moves here: