RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Lizzo is back with a new sound and a new look. Following some unpleasant allegations and lawsuits made against her, the singer took some time away from the spotlight. But Lizzo has reemerged fully energized and in fighting shape, having recently achieved significant weight loss although she has made it clear she still continues to advocate for body positivity. And she has new music with the release of the title track off of her upcoming fifth studio album, "Love in Real Life". This rock-inspired song looks back at a time before social media when people connected face-to-face. The music video for "Love in Real Life" was influenced by 90's style and features Lizzo decked out in black leather and doing some moves with back-up dancers that Michael Jackson would envy. And the video for another song,the dance-pop track, "Still Bad" continues where the other clip ended. Lizzo will be hit the road this month for some shows in New York, LA and Minneapolis.





Here are some new songs that I'm feeling which includes "Taste", the latest from Coco Jones which samples Britney Spears' "Toxic";  Haim returns with the sisters getting funky while bemoaning "Relationships"; the Canadian singer, Tate McRae talks about her need for speed with her single, "Sports Car"; Sam Smith returns with a lovely ballad, "Love is a Stillness", rising British artist, Bishop Briggs has dropped a new single with the positivity anthem, "Woman is King" and Lil Nas X is back, embracing the pink, with a new single, "Hotbox".

Roy Ayers, a pioneer of jazz-funk whose music would be one of the most sampled in hip-hop, passed away on March 4th at the age of eight-four. The LA-born Ayers came from a family of musicians and began learning to play the vibraphone at the age of five. After playing with several bands and recording solo projects, he formed his own acid-jazz group in 1972, Roy Ayers Ubiquity, which he chose because "ubiquity" means "a state of being everywhere at the same time". Ayers worked on the soundtrack for the Pam Grier film, "Coffy" and released the 1976 album, "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" which the title track would go on to find great popularity later by being heavily sampled, with the song used at least two hundred times on various recordings. Some of his other music was also sampled and he returned the favor by performing the vibraphone as a session musician for albums of many neo-soul, jazz and hip-hop artists. During his career, Ayers would record thirty studio albums as a solo artist and with his band.

MAYHEM

Lady Gaga has made her little monsters very happy with the release of her latest studio album, "Mayhem".  After her venture into cinema power-ballads and jazz standards, Gaga has returned to her pop music roots, recapturing the dark-edged, dance vibe from her debut seventeen years ago.

With long-time co-creator, Andrew Watt and more recent collaborators, Cirkut and French DJ, Gesaffelstein, Gaga explores subjects that she touched as a aspiring musician on with her first album; drugs, sex and the dance floor. But now as a more mature and established artist, she returns to these ideas with a seasoned yet far from jaded attitude. We have her relationship with fame, still sweating on the dance floor, sly tributes to some of her early musical inspirations and influences (like the Cure, Yaz, Blondie, David Bowie, and Prince) and finally finding true love. Much like the title, "Mayhem" is a chaotic and messy collection and that's exactly what we love from Gaga.

This past Saturday, Gaga was the host and musical guest on "SNL" where she had the opportunity to display her gifts as an all-around entertainer. Here are a few of my favorite tracks from the album:

ANGIE STONE (1961 - 2025)

Angie Stone, the neo-soul singer who expertly merged old school r&b with modern sounds,  has tragically passed away on March 1st. She had been traveling from Alabama to her next concert in Atlanta when becoming involved in a car accident. Stone was sixty-three.

Born Angela Brown in South Carolina, she found her love of music in the church, singing gospel as part of the choir. As a teenager, Brown joined an all-female hip-hop trio, The Sequence with Cheryl Cook and Gwendolyn Chisolm. Signed to Sugar Hill Records, they had a hit with their 1980 single "Funk You Up", reaching number fifteen on the US Billboard Black Singles chart. During this time, she married Rodney Stone, a musician from the hip-hop group, Funky Four Plus One. The Sequence continued to achieve modest success before disbanding five years later.

Stone would join other bands; an electro-funk group, Mantronix, the lead vocalist of the r&b trio, Vertical Hold and soul group, Devox. She began songwriting, working on D'Angelo's first two albums and going on tour with him as well as performing on Lenny Kravitz's "5" album in 1998. This helped lead Stone to the attention of Clive Davis and she was signed to his label, J Records. 

Her solo debut, "Black Diamond" was released in 1999, a collection of hip-hip infused soul that was warmly received and critically acclaimed. Stone would record two more albums for the label before joining a revived Stax Records in 2007. She released her last album, "Love Language" two years ago that featured her version of classic Southern R&B and Philly soul.

Stone was a powerful vocalist who kept the spirit of soul music alive and well. Yet she was also a vital and gifted artist who was not fully recognized for her brilliant contributions to contemporary hip-hop soul.

ROBERTA FLACK (1937 - 2025)

Roberta Flack, one of the premiere vocal stylists to perform in popular music, has sadly passed away on February 24th. She had been in poor health over the last few years, suffering from a stroke and later diagnosed with ALS. Flack was eighty-eight. 

With a voice that was subtle yet resonant and powerfully emotional, Flack seemed to capture attention immediately after deciding to make music her career. After first becoming a school teacher in Washington D.C., the Howard University graduate began venturing out to perform at small clubs around town. This eventually lead to a meeting with executives at Atlantic Records and after a three-hour audition, Flack was signed to the label and her 1969 debut release, "First Take" quickly followed. The album did receive critical acclaim yet not much commercial attention. Her next two releases over the next couple of years, "Chapter Two" and "Quiet Fire" didn't fare much better. 

However Flack earned a fan with actor Clint Eastwood. He was in the process of making his directorial film debut in 1971, "Play Misty For Me" and not only did he use her sensual version of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" from her debut (originally a folk song written by British political singer/songwriter, Ewan MacColl in 1957) but he devoted the entire recording to a memorable sequence in the film. And because of the popularity of "Play Misty For Me", "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" was promptly released as a single, becoming a smash hit in the US, reaching number one for six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Flack would go on to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year for this song.

Flack had befriended fellow label mate, singer Donny Hathaway, recording several songs he had written on her previous albums, and it was suggested that they should record an album together. "Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway" was released in 1972 and the single, "Where Is the Love" became a popular top-five pop hit and earning the duo a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

She went to work on her next solo album and Flack hit number one again the following year with the title track, "Killing Me Softly With His Song". This single would go on to win the singer another Grammy for Record of The Year, making her the only artist at the time to have won this honor consecutively (U2 would later also achieve this feat). The song would find new life again in 1996 when The Fugees gave it a hip-hop beat and took it back to the top of the charts in the U.S. and Britain.

Flack would enjoy more hits with "Feel Like Makin' Love" (another number one pop hit); reteaming with Hathaway on "The Closer I Get to You", "You Are My Heaven" and "Back Together Again"; "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love", a duet with Peabo Bryson and "Set the Night to Music" with Maxi Priest.

Roberta Flack achieved a great amount of success throughout her lengthy career yet she had little interest in fame. Her focus remained always on the music. Never flashy nor ever felt the need to flaunt, what Flack brought with her singular gifts were considerable songs that are intuitive and heartfelt. She was a true original whose musical contributions will continue to endure for many generations to come.

2025 OSCAR NOMINEES FOR BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Less than a week away, the Oscars will be announcing their selection for Best Original Song in a motion picture. The musical-drama, "Emilia Pérez" has two songs in this category and both were written by French pop artist, Camille and Clément Ducol, a film composer and arranger. "El Mal" (which was co-written with the film's director, Jacques Audiard) is a rap-rock song that translates in Spanish as "The Evil" that looks at the hypocrisy of criminals contributing to a nonprofit organization that was founded by Emilia Pérez who was a former male drug dealer. "Mi Camino", performed in the film by actress/pop star, Selena Gomez and means "My Way", explores the inner desires of her character (who is the wife of the drug lord and unaware of his transition) to accept herself completely despite her flaws and poor judgement. Adrian Quesada, a songwriter best known for his work with the alt-soul band, Black Pumas, teamed up with musician, Abraham Alexander to write and perform the song, "Like A Bird" for the acclaimed prison drama, "Sing Sing", based on the real-life, Through the Arts, a rehabilitation program set-up at the Maximum Security Prison. Elton John earned his fifth Oscar nomination (and a two time winner) for "Never Too Late", a song co-written with Brandi Carlile for the documentary,  "Elton John: Never Too Late" on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road concert tour. And this year's Diane Warren nomination is for the unremarkable ballad, "The Journey", her contribution to Tyler Perry's war drama, "The Six Triple Eight" about the little known story of the African-American women who served in the army during World War II. 

In my humble opinion, I believe "El Mal" will be taking home the Oscar this year but we shall see on March 2nd. But in a ridiculous move, it has been decided that none of the five nominated songs will be actually performed on the Oscars telecast. So here is your opportunity to hear these nominated songs together:

"El Mal" from "Emilia Pérez" (Music by Clément Ducol and Camille, Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard)



"The Journey" from "The Six Triple Eight" (Music and Lyric by Diane Warren)



"Like a Bird" from "Sing Sing" (Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada)



"Mi Camino" from "Emilia Pérez" (Music and Lyric by Camille and Clément Ducol)



"Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late" (Music and Lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin)

THE 67TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

While music was the main focus of the 67th annual Grammy Awards, the wildfires that recently devastated the Los Angeles area was a top priority for the ceremony. Throughout the show, fundraising was being done for the California Fire Relief Fund, asking for donations to help. The evening began with the band, Dawes, an LA based, folk rock duo who lost their homes and recording studio in the fires, performing a version of Randy Newman's "I Love LA" with an all-star backing band that included John Legend, St. Vincent, Sheryl Crow, Brad Paisley and Brittany Howard. Later in the show, Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga paid tribute to Los Angeles with their take on the Mamas and the Papas' "California Dreaming". Comedian, Trevor Noah returned for the fifth consecutive time to serve as host and continued to deliver a feel-good mood and light humor to the show.

As it has been stated before on previous Grammys, some of the highlights on the show were moments you would not see anywhere else. Surprisingly for the very first time, all the nominees for Best New Artist performed live on the show with the psychedelic rock trio, Khruangbin, pop vocalists, Benson Boone, Raye and Teddy Swims, hip-hop country artist, Shaboozey and rising rapper, Doechii (who put on an amazing set and won Best Rap Album, for her mixtape, "Alligator Bites Never Heal" earlier), with each displaying exactly why they were nominated. Fellow nominees in this category, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan had their own big production showcases as they were two of the biggest acts from last year. And Charli XCX brought the rave scene to the Grammys with a kinetic performance of "Von Dutch" and "Guess".

A starry tribute to the late Quincy Jones, who passed away last year at ninety-one, with Will Smith providing commentary of the legendary producer who began in jazz and expanded to pop music with Cynthia Erivo along with Herbie Hancock doing a sensational version of "Fly Me To the Moon"; country singer, Lainey Wilson and jazz musician, Jacob Collier teamed up to perform the jump blues number, "Let the Good Times Roll"; Stevie Wonder played harmonica accompanied by Hancock on "Bluesette" and leads a version of "We Are The World" with backing by Los Angeles students who lost their school in the fires and Janelle Monáe throwing down with a thrilling version of Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough".

The Recording Academy President, Harvey Mason Jr. came out to speak on the changes the Grammys have done to diversify and expand the group after The Weeknd had publicly criticized the awards for the lack of transparency in the award selection process and stated he would boycott the ceremony. And to prove that he accepted the efforts made to improve the Grammys, The Weeknd came out to perform his new song, "Cry For Me", followed by "Timeless" along with rapper Playboi Carti.

Female artists dominated the nominations this year so it's no surprise that they walked away with a majority of awards handed out. And it was these musicians that made some important and memorable statements about the vulnerable and marginalized during their moment in the spotlight. During her acceptance speech for winning Best New Artist, Chappell Roan took the opportunity to call out record labels to support developing artists with livable wages and health care, explaining the struggles she went through having no skills to fall back on after being dropped from her label. Lady Gaga continued her unwavering support of the trans community when she received Best Pop Duo or Group with Bruno Mars. Alicia Keys was the recipient of this year's Dr. Dre Global Impact Award,  delivering a moving speech that drove home the point of the importance of female creatives being recognized for their contributions (and name checked several) and to fight back against shutting down the diversity in music, proclaiming rightly that DEI is not a threat but a gift.

The only male artist who received a major award was Kendrick Lamar for his popular diss track targeting his former friend, Canadian rapper Drake, "Not Like Us" who took home Song of the Year and Record of the Year and winning a total of five Grammys.

And Beyoncé, presented by members of the Los Angeles Fire Department, finally received Album of the Year for her country music concept album, "Cowboy Carter".  After being snubbed by the Country Music Association, she was visibly stunned to receive the Best Country Album award earlier in the evening. So by the time of the final award of the night, Beyoncé, who became only the fourth Black female to receive this prize, appeared to be a bit overwhelmed yet managed to thank the fire fighters, acknowledge one of the first yet slighted African-American country singers, Linda Martell, slyly implying that the prize was long overdue and encouraged artists to keep pushing forward. And while I wouldn't say that "Cowboy Carter" was my favorite out of her eight solo studio albums to date, Beyoncé continues to boldly experiment, not willing to settle for the expected and unafraid to be a little weird. This alone makes "Cowboy Carter" the album of the year.

Here is a partial list of the winners from the 2025 Grammys:

Album of the Year: "Cowboy Carter" – Beyoncé
Record of the Year: "Not Like Us" — Kendrick Lamar
Song of the Year: "Not Like Us" – Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar)
Best New Artist: Chappell Roan
Best Pop Vocal Album: "Short n' Sweet" — Sabrina Carpenter
Best Pop Solo Performance: "Espresso" — Sabrina Carpenter
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: "Die with a Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: "Visions" — Norah Jones
Best Dance/Electronic Album: "Brat" — Charli XCX
Best Dance/Electronic Recording: "Neverender" — Justice & Tame Impala
Best Dance Pop Recording: "Von Dutch" — Charli XCX
Best Rap Album: "Alligator Bites Never Heal" — Doechii
Best Rap Performance: "Not Like Us" — Kendrick Lamar
Best Melodic Rap Performance: "3" — Rapsody Featuring Erykah Badu
Best Rap Song: "Not Like Us" — Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar)
Best R&B Album: "11:11 (Deluxe)" — Chris Brown
Best Progressive R&B Album: "So Glad to Know You" — Avery*Sunshine and "Why Lawd?" — NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge) (Tie)
Best R&B Performance: "Made For Me (Live On BET)" — Muni Long
Best Traditional R&B Performance: "That's You" — Lucky Daye
Best R&B Song: "Saturn" — Rob Bisel, Cian Ducrot, Carter Lang, Solána Rowe, Jared Solomon & Scott Zhang, songwriters (SZA)
Best Rock Album: "Hackney Diamonds" — The Rolling Stones
Best Rock Performance: "Now and Then" — The Beatles
Best Rock Song: "Broken Man" — Annie Clark, songwriter (St. Vincent)
Best Alternative Music Album: "All Born Screaming" — St. Vincent
Best Alternative Music Performance: "Flea" — St. Vincent
Best Gospel Album: "More Than This" — CeCe Winans
Best Country Album: "Cowboy Carter" — Beyoncé
Best Country Solo Performance: "It Takes A Woman" — Chris Stapleton
Best Country Duo/Group Performance: "II MOST WANTED" — Beyoncé Featuring Miley Cyrus
Best Country Song: "The Architect" — Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
Best Latin Pop Album: "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran" — Shakira
Best Jazz Album: "A Joyful Holiday" — Samara Joy
Best Comedy Album: "The Dreamer" — Dave Chappelle
Best Musical Theater Album: "Hell’s Kitchen (Original Broadway Cast)" 

Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording: "Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration" — Jimmy Carter
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media: "Maestro: Music By Leonard Bernstein"
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television): "Dune: Part Two" — Hans Zimmer, composer
Best Song Written For Visual Media: "It Never Went Away" [From "American Symphony"] — Jon Batiste & Dan Wilson, songwriters (Jon Batiste)
Best Music Video: "Not Like Us" — Kendrick Lamar
Best Music Film: "American Symphony" 

Songwriter of the Year (Non-Classical): Amy Allen
Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical): Daniel Nigro

MARIANNE FAITHFULL (1946 - 2025)

Marianne Faithfull, the British pop chanteuse who found fame in the 1960's before succumbing to drug addiction then recovering and making a comeback in the late '70's, has passed away on January 30th at the age of seventy-eight. She began her career with a melodic, high-registered voice but after contracting severe laryngitis along with years of drug abuse, Faithfull was left with a singing voice that was lower pitched and raspy. The singer had suffered from numerous ailments throughout her life and recently contracted COVID-19 in 2020, causing pneumonia and was hospitalized for three weeks. After recovering, she continued to struggle with breathing issues and memory loss.

The London born Faithfull began performing folk music in bars and cafes. But her career would shift considerably after attending a party for the Rolling Stones in 1964. She met the Stones producer, Andrew Loog Oldham there and, taken in by the beauty and presence of this eighteen year old, offered her a chance to record. Oldham gave her a new song that he, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards had written and "As Tears Go By" would become a top-ten pop hit in the UK (the Stones would record their own hit version a year later) for Faithfull. She would follow this with several more popular singles in Britain. 

In 1965, Faithfull met artist, John Dunbar which was quickly followed by them getting married and having a son, Nicholas not long after. But a love affair with Jagger began the following year with Faithfull leaving her husband and child behind. The beautiful, glamourous couple best represented the free spirit of the mod '60's. Faithfull would continue to make music and would appear in several films including "The Girl on a Motorcycle" and "Hamlet". But by the time their relationship had ended five years later, Faithfull was homeless and addicted to heroin.

After getting herself clean and sober, Faithfull attempted a musical comeback. She released a country album, "Dreamin' My Dreams" in 1976 which didn't get much notice. But four years later, Faithfull teamed up with musician Barry Reynolds who helped produce some demos with her. The results got the attention of Chris Blackwell who signed her to his record label, Island Records. "Broken English" was released in 1979 with Faithfull's voice noticeably different sounding yet still very emotive. The album, which was a collection of new wave with elements of punk and reggae, received critical acclaim and giving Faithfull a first nomination of a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

Faithfull would continue on with her music career, experimenting with sounds, recording albums that featured jazz, blues, standards, modern rock. She even re-recorded her first hit "As Tears Go By" in 1987 which was a more wistful and weathered version. Faithfull recorded twenty-one albums during her career with her last in 2021, "She Walks in Beauty" where she collaborated with Australian multi-instrumentalist, Warren Ellis. They had started this project of British romantic poetry set to music the year before but had to wait until Faithfull recovered from COVID to complete.