ALLEE WILLIS (1947 - 2019)

The Grammy-Award winning songwriter, Allee Willis passed away suddenly on December 24th from cardiac arrest. The seventy-two year old Willis had just been inducted in to the Songwriters Hall of Fame last year.

Some of the music this talented writer helped create includes Earth, Wind and Fire's "September" and "Boogie Wonderland"; "Neutron Dance" by the Pointer Sisters (for the "Beverly Hills Cop" soundtrack which she won her first Grammy), "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" by Pet Shop Boys featuring Dusty Springfield and "I'll Be There for You" by The Rembrandts which was used as the theme song for the still-popular sitcom, "Friends". Willis also co-wrote the songs for the Broadway musical of "The Color Purple" and received Tony-Award nominations and a Grammy win for her work.

Born Alta Sherral Willis in Detroit, she would go hang out outside of Motown Records to listen to the artists record their soon-to-be hits as a teenager. Willis went to college to study journalism but moved to New York after graduation and was drawn to singing and songwriting, She did record an album, "Childstar" in 1974 but it failed to get any attention. Not long after, Willis decided to give up performing, move to Los Angeles and focus on being a songwriter.

Willis was hired by A&M Records in 1977 as a writer and her first chance encounter was an introduction to Verdine White, the bass player for Earth, Wind and Fire. Through him, Willis would meet his brother, Maurice, the founder and leader of the band. They worked together writing "September" and this 1978 now-classic became her first hit song. This opened doors for Willis and she would go to work with a wide variety of artists including Rita Coolidge, Crystal Gayle, Sister Sledge, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Patti LaBelle, Cyndi Lauper and Taylor Dayne.

Willis would later become known for her North Hollywood home, designed by William Kesling, where she threw wild parties and filled with pop culture artifacts which helped her become affectionately referred to as "the Queen of Kitsch". In honor of this great talent, here are a few of my favorite songs written by Allee Willis:

POST MALONE: AN APPRECIATION

I have to say that I haven't paid much attention to Post Malone although he is certainly one of the biggest acts in pop music right now. While I know it's not fair or right but I think it has been mostly due to his physical appearance: the face tattoos, the grills on his teeth and his overall look of just rolling fresh out of the gutter. For me, it was all a little off-putting.

But I have to admit that I really like the music of the twenty-four year old performer who was born in New York and raised in Grapevine, TX. From his breakout single, "White Iverson" in 2015 to his latest top-ten hit, "Take What You Want" which features heavy-metal legend, Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott, Malone's easy blend of hip-hop, r&b, country, and indie rock makes him a thrilling and dynamic force in contemporary music.

Born Austin Richard Post, his father had been a disc jockey when he was young and introduced his son to a wide variety of music. Following in his father's footsteps, Post did some DJing before learning to play guitar and joining a heavy-metal band as a teen. After dropping out of college and moving to LA, he joined a group of musicians and producers, drifting towards rap and hip-hop.

This lead to the self-released single on SoundCloud, "White Iverson" (which in part was a reference to basketball player, Allen Iverson) and the single quickly reached a million plays. Record labels came courting with Malone signing with Republic Records and his debut studio album, "Stoney" released in 2016. Several hit singles followed with "Congratulations"(featuring Quavo), his first number one, "Rockstar" (featuring 21 Savage), "Psycho" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign), "Better Now", "Wow" and "Sunflower" from the 2018 animated film, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse". To date, Post Malone has sold an estimated sixty million records in the U.S.

To respectfully honor this artist and publicly acknowledge my poor initial judgement, here is a showcase of the exceptional sounds of Post Malone:

NUMBER ONE FLASHBACK

"Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes reached the top of the U.S. pop chart during this week back in 1979 and would remain there, becoming the last number one song of the decade.

Holmes was born David Goldstein in Northwich, Cheshire, England to an American father and British mother. When he was six, the family moved to the States to Nanuet, New York where David began to pursue music, learning to play several instruments. By the time he was twenty, he had become a sought after session musician where he worked on record production, wrote jingles and songs and scored feature films.

Holmes soon went to work as a solo artist and recorded his debut album, "Widescreen" which was released in 1974. While it was not much of a success, it did catch the attention of Barbra Streisand who asked him to help write and produce some tracks on her 1975 album, "Lazy Afternoon". This lead to Holmes producing for other artists and releasing more solo albums. But his own material continued to fail to chart.

It was not until his fifth studio album, "Partners in Crime" that Holmes had a breakthrough with the single, "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" which would become a worldwide hit. "Escape" is a classic story-song about a man, bored with his marriage, deciding to put out a personal ad in search of a new lover. He proceeds to rattle off a list of what he's searching for including someone who likes that sweet cocktail. And if you have never heard the song, I won't spoil the ending but let's just say that the woman our protagonist meets during the secret rendezvous is someone he knows very well. Holmes had another top-ten hit from the album with, "Him" but that would bring a quick end to his pop music success.

He soon turned his attention to the theater and wrote the book for the musical, "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" in 1985. The play would win Holmes two Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. He continued to create for the stage with original shows, "Say Goodnight, Gracie" and "Accomplice"; a play based on "A Time To Kill and musical versions of "Robin and The 7 Hoods", "The First Wives Club" and "The Nutty Professor".

Enjoy this live version of Rupert Holmes performing his number one smash, "Escape":

YOLA: WALK THROUGH FIRE

One thing I love about the Grammy Awards is that there will be a nomination that will place an overdue spotlight on an extraordinary talent who has released an incredible record that has not gotten all the attention it deserves. This year that performer is Yola, a musician from Bristol, England who received four Grammy noms including Best New Artist. And while many would be quick to assume she was singing r&b or gospel, Yola has actually been nominated for Best Americana Album for her debut release, "Walk Through Fire".

Born Yolanda Quartley, her parents did not approve of her wanting to be musician, preferring their daughter to find a more practical profession. But Yola confidently persevered and went on to join a country soul band, Phantom Lamb as lead vocalist. They recorded their self-titled debut album in 2008 but the band split up not long after their follow-up, "The Pines" in 2012.

Wasting no time, Yola went to work as a solo artist and eventually released an EP, "Orphan Offering" in 2016. This recording showcase brought her plenty of buzz and to the attention of Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. Shocked that no label hadn't already signed her, he offered Yola the opportunity to record on his label, Eye Sound Records. Auerbach went on to co-write and produce "Walk Through Fire", a collection which displays Yola as a distinctive artist of American roots music with soulful songs filled with heartbreak and survival.

She has gained some big-name admirers like Elton John, Kacey Musgraves (who had Yola as an opening act for her on tour) and Brandi Carlile who made her an honorary member of the all-female, country supergroup, The Highwomen. I admit I was not aware of Yola before but I can now say I am a big fan. Here is a little taste of Yola from her Grammy-nominated album with my favorite song, "Faraway Look", a live version of the track, "It Ain't Easier" and an absolutely incredible cover of John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" which is on the deluxe edition of "Walk Through Fire":

50 SONGS FOR A NEW LOS ANGELES

Since I have lived here longer than any other city in my life, Los Angeles is now what I consider home. It has changed quite a bit since I moved here and nothing has been more noticeable than the Hollywood and Downtown areas. When I first arrived, I had visions of a Los Angeles that I had seen in the movies and television. But the city had fallen on rough times by the time I got here with Hollywood filled with dilapidated buildings and hookers standing where movie stars once strolled. And just like what happened with New York City, developers eventually pounced on these rundown areas and have rebuilt them into livable neighborhoods and exciting destinations with new massive buildings continuously rising everyday.

Musicians have always been inspired by the City of Angels, writing songs that would help the world understand the beauty of Los Angeles yet also reveal the darkness that lurks behind the sunshine. The LA Times have put together a playlist of fifty songs which best represents the sound of 21st century Los Angeles. Some are familiar tunes from well-known artists while others are musical musings by more obscure performers. Each song is presented with key lyrics and a little background of the song.

Click below to read the article:

50 Songs For a New L.A.

And here is a small selection from this list that are my favorites:

NEW SOUNDS

CELINE DION

The grande dame of pop music, Celine Dion, after recently ending her second Las Vegas residency, has quickly decided to get back on the road to see the world instead of the world coming to her. She is preparing to tour in support of her latest album, "Courage" which is her first English language release in seven years and the first without the guidance of her husband and manager, René Angélil who passed away in 2016 after a lengthy battle with cancer. It is not surprising that many of the songs from the album focus on finding strength during difficult challenges and tragic loss. And while she has enlisted the aid of several contemporary musicians, songwriters and producers (which includes Sia, Greg Kurstin, Skylar Grey, StarGate, David Guetta, Eg White and Sam Smith) to help work on the album, Dion has wisely not strayed too far from the sound that has made her career. Be sure to catch Dion on her first world tour (which began in September) in a decade. Here are two of the singles from the album, "Imperfections" and the title track which seems to be the song which deals the most directly with her personal loss:




KESHA

After having her career sidelined due to a long legal battle with her former producer, Dr. Luke over emotional and sexual abuse since 2014, Kesha was finally able to return to music with an album, "Rainbow" in 2017. The record revealed a more serious side to the wild party girl persona and brought her new-found respect and acclaim including her first Grammy nominations. Now the thirty-two year old singer has returned with some more music and it seems like she's ready to get back to having some crazy fun. The first single from Kesha's fourth studio album, "High Road" (due in January) is "Raising Hell" and features the Queen of Bounce, Big Freedia to provide her trademark rap. With a gospel influence thrown in with her familiar pop-EDM sound, Kesha seems to have embraced her past while moving forward musically to create a whole new sound. Here is the music video for "Raising Hell" which plays up the gospel theme with Kesha appearing as a beloved televangelist. But the clip turns dark when her husband is abusive and she decides to bring an end to the abuse permanently. Also listen to the follow-up single, "My Own Dance" where she celebrates her freaky nature:





And we wrap up with a surprising new song from Sam Smith. The performer, who has struggled with gender all of his life, recently has come out as non-binary. Smith has been working on material for their upcoming third album but have been dropping new singles in the meantime. The latest is a cover of the classic Donna Summer anthem, "I Feel Love" and this version pushes their voice to the test. It's certainly not ground breaking or really necessary but it's fun: