WEST END GIRL

The British pop star, Lily Allen has just released her latest album, "West End Girl", her first in seven years, which chronicles the demise of her marriage, expressing the bitterness and anger through each song. Allen's last album, "No Shame" sprang from the dissolution of her first marriage where she revealed that she suffered from an identity crisis and dealt with her issues with substance abuse. 

Brutally honest and vividly detailed, Allen holds nothing back in "West End Girl", describing all the rage and disappointment she had experienced during her marriage to actor, David Harbour, best known for his work in the Netflix series, "Stranger Things", while trying to move forward with her life.

Recorded in Los Angeles over sixteen days, the title of the album comes from her moving to New York with her new spouse and then going back to the UK after getting a role in a West End play when he proceeds to request an open marriage over the telephone. Allen admits she went into this situation with her eyes wide open yet felt was misled and lied to by her husband who she claims had his own agenda. While the songs are based on facts, she states they are still fictionalized accounts of events and circumstances. "West End Girl" brilliantly captures pain and despair in a way that is still filled with wit and style. Allen plans to tour next year where she will perform the album in it's entirety. 

THE B-52S + DEVO: COSMIC DE-EVOLUTION TOUR

I think the music of the 1980's was the greatest of all time. Okay, perhaps I'm being a bit hyperbolic. But this was the era of my formative years as a teen moving into adulthood with this exhilarating music helping by providing a soundtrack to my budding life. This is why I was looking forward to the B-52s and Devo coming together as part of the Cosmic De-Evolution tour with a two night stop at the Hollywood Bowl which I caught on October 19th. I had never seen either of these bands before and excited to see them. Yet I must admit I was also somewhat apprehensive since it's been about forty years since these bands had made regular appearances on the music charts. But I'm happy to report that I was not disappointed for a single moment during their performances. While they may be moving a little bit slower now, Devo and The B-52s were giving their all and ready to party hardy.

The B-52s came out first, launching into the title track of their fifth album, "Cosmic Thing". Formed in Athens, GA in 1976, the band embraced it's queerness from the beginning with their delightfully oddball songs and kitschy fashion sense. Now down to the three original members: Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson who all provide vocals and percussion (Keith Strickland, who played drums, guitar and keyboards, retired from touring in 2012 and Cindy's brother, Ricky died of AIDS-related illness in 1985), the band was still in great form with their sound filled out by Tracy Wormworth on bass, Ken Maiuri and John Andrews on guitars and drummer, Sterling Campbell.

The band covered their quirky songs that didn't really rise up the pop charts but helped create a rabid cult following like "Party Out of Bounds", "Dance This Mess Around", "Private Idaho" and "Rock Lobster". The B-52s did achieve commercial fame with their "Cosmic Thing" album in 1989 where "Love Shack" reached number three on the US pop chart. Another top-ten hit from the album was "Roam" which is highlighted by the soaring harmonies of Wilson and Pierson, a nice contrast to the shout/sing style of Schneider. Still in dynamic vocal form, the women had another opportunity to show off their melodic skills with "52 Girls" from their debut album.

Devo was early to embrace music videos (years before MTV arrived) to enhance their songs, using visual images to express their social worldview with surrealist humor, and the group projected outlandish imagery on screens behind them throughout their performance. This new wave band from Akron, OH, taking their name from from the concept of "de-evolution" which involves the idea that mankind reverts back instead of moving forward, first came together with two sets of brothers: Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, Gerald and Bob Casale and Alan Myers (who passed away in 2013). Devo had disbanded in 1991 but came back together five years later with the Mothersbaugh brothers and Gerald Casale still together on the road performing (Bob died in 2014). On stage, Devo went through many of their best known songs: "Peek-A-Boo!", "That's Good", "Jocko Homo", "Freedom of Choice" with adept precision while placing their biggest pop hit, "Whip It" unceremoniously in the middle of the set.

Lene Lovitch, a prominent figure in the early new wave scene, was the special guest who kicked off the concert, bringing her unique brand of art-rock to the stage. Although born in the Motor City, she moved to London as a teen, soaking up the early punk movement that would influence her explosive musical sound and eccentric style when she began her career. Never gaining more than a cult following in her home country, Lovitch reached the top three on the UK Singles Chart with "Lucky Number" in 1979. The now seventy-six year old performer remains a magnetic presence, delivering a massive dose of wild, quirky energy to her opening set.

The Cosmic De-Evolution tour was certainly a fun, nostalgic musical trip back in time with the crowd made up of the expected fans who were around during the height of each of these band's fame. Yet I was pleasantly surprised to see that the audience also had plenty of Gen Z and younger filling the seats at the Bowl, fully apreciating and enjoying music that was made long before they were born.

NEW SOUNDS

Here is a collection of new sounds that I want to highlight:

Following her venture into hard rock, Demi Lovato has returned to music with an upcoming dance-pop collection, "It's Not That Deep" which is due out on October 24th. The latest single is "Kiss", a fun, throbbing techno-pop track.



The British art-pop stylist and actress, FKA Twigs had released her well-received third album, "Eusexua" earlier this year. On the horizon is a sequel to this collection entitled, "Eusexua Afterglow" which originally was going to be a deluxe edition of the previous album but will now be a follow-up of new music. The first single, "Cheap Motel" which is accompanied by a seven minute music video that is much like a short film.



Born in Ethiopia and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, the alt-r&b artist, Alemeda has been creating music since 2020. She began with a hyper-hip-hop sound before moving towards soulful indie rock,. The twenty-five year old performer (born Rahema Alameda) is preparing to release another EP, "But What The Hell Do I Know" with the first single, "Beat A B!tch Up" features an appearance by her label-mate, Doechii.



The popular, Chicago-based DJ, Honey Dijon has moved further in creating her own music and has released a new song. "The Nightlife" is an expected sultry club-banger but features r&b vocalist, Chlöe Bailey performing on the track with her first major venture to the dance floor.



Haim has just released a deluxe edition to their most recent album, "I Quit" that features three new songs. One of those songs, "Tie You Down" is a collaboration with indie rocker, Bon Iver.

D'ANGELO (1974 - 2025)

D'Angelo, one of the pioneers of the neo-soul movement during the 1990's, has sadly passed away on October 14 at the age of fifty-one. His family announced that he had been privately battling pancreatic cancer. 

Inspired by classic soul, rock, gospel and Prince, D'Angelo took these influences and filtered them through to masterfully create a bold new sound; familiar yet fresh and progressive. Along with Maxwell, Erykah Badu, Angie Stone and Lauryn Hill, D'Angelo helped expand the possibilities of soul music with his assured vision and commanding artistry.

He was born Michael Eugene Archer in South Richmond, Virginia on February 11, 1974. He began displaying his musical abilities at a very early age, teaching himself how to play the piano. He performed with a variety of different singing groups throughout his teenage years. With his band, Michael Archer and Precise, they went to New York City for the chance to perform during Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater. To their surprise, they won three consecutive times which came with a cash prize. After returning to Richmond, Archer dropped out of school and went back to New York alone to start his career in music.

Once he arrived, he took on the stage name "D'Angelo" (which in Italian means "of the angel") and began writing and producing. He worked with the r&b super-group, Black Men United (that featured vocalists, Brian McKnight, Usher, Boyz II Men and Raphael Saadiq) and co-created the song, "U Will Know" with his brother, Luther for the soundtrack of the film, "Jason's Lyric" in 1993. This hit single, which reached number five on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart, lead to D'Angelo being signed to EMI Records as a solo artist. His debut, "Brown Sugar" was released in 1995 and became a certified platinum album in a year thanks to the hit singles, "Lady", a cover of Smokey Robinson's 1979 hit, "Cruisin" and the title track.

After touring to support the album, D'Angelo had wanted to begin work on his next project but was suffering from writer's block. During this time, he worked on covers for soundtrack albums and was featured on "Nothing Even Matters", a duet with Lauryn Hill from her debut solo album, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill".

D'Angelo eventually managed to overcome the block and his next album, "Voodoo" was released in 2000. The long-awaited record was well-received, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, and critically acclaimed with the singles, "Devil's Pie", a cover of Roberta Flack's, "Feel Like Makin' Love" and "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" which was highlighted by the sensuous music video that featured just the singer chiseled and nude.

Following the tour for this album, D'Angelo began to suffer from some personal demons and became more uncomfortable with his fame that he withdrew from public life. He would enter rehab a few years later following a car accident and an arrest for drug possession. There were rumors for some time that he was working on new music (with some new songs performed live when he had went on tour) but it would be almost fifteen years before his third studio album, "Black Messiah" would be released. This recording was met with wide critical praise and won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. D'Angelo went on the road for a world tour to promote the album with plans for "a companion piece album" to "Black Messiah" to be out soon. Yet sadly, nothing materialized with D'Angelo's last recording was "I Want You Forever" with Jay-Z for the soundtrack of the 2024 film, "The Book of Clarence".