NEW SOUNDS

KELLY ROWLAND

Kelly Rowland is really on fire right now after releasing another smoking hot single. The former Destiny's Child member and expectant mother has dropped the song, "Crazy", a dance-floor banger about someone who is insanely in love with their significant other.  And while there are moments that brings to mind the musical delivery of Rowland's ex-bandmate, this disco-flavored track is solid and will continue to help take Miss Kelly to the next level. After this and the sensual "Coffee" from earlier this year, I can't wait to hear more.



H.E.R.

Gabriella Wilson or as she is best known professionally as H.E.R. has returned with new music. The Vallejo, CA. born and raised singer has helped make classic r&b popular again with her own style of contemporary soul. The music of H.E.R. has been critically acclaimed, winning the singer Grammy Awards in 2019 for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Album, and found chart success with the singles, "Focus", "Best Part" (with Daniel Caesar) and "Slow Down" (with Skip Marley). Her latest single is "Damage" (that is driven by a distinctive sample from Herb Alpert's 1987 song, "Making Love In The Rain"),  a soulful ballad on the harm that can happen when your lover takes you for granted. No word on when there will be a new record but with several compilations and EPs since 2016, H.E.R. has not officially released a debut album.



LITTLE MIX

Little Mix is one of the best-selling girl groups of all time and while this British quartet has managed to conquer much of the world, they still haven't been able to reach the US. But they might change with their latest single, "Sweet Melody" which is getting some attention here in the States. The song is the third release from their upcoming sixth album, "Confetti" which is due out in November. I don't think "Sweet Melody" is necessarily a major standout from this pop group but you never know what could potentially help Little Mix crossover to this side of the world.

ROISIN MACHINE

With the recent release of her fifth solo album, "Róisín Machine", I am surprised I had not previously put a spotlight on Róisín Murphy, the Irish-born, British-based vocalist. She is a dance floor vet, having been around since the mid-1990's, first as a part of the trip-hop act, Moloko with her former partner, Mark Brydon. They were best known for a dance remix of "Sing It Back" that became an international smash back in 1999. After her romance with Brydon ended in 2003, so did the band but Murphy went on to continue creating music on her own.

Since her debut album, "Ruby Blue" in 2005, Murphy has further experimented with sounds, incorporating avant-pop, bossa nova, jazz and soul styles and samples of odd noises to her dance music. With "Róisín Machine", the forty-seven year old singer has brought dramatic theatricality to her new music, clashing together nu-disco, alt-r&b, electro-pop to create beautifully strange, club-ready tracks. Murphy has always been a true innovator who has never settled, always looking to push the boundaries of what is possible in dance. Here are a few of my favorite songs from the album:

IN MEMORIAM

This continues to be a very sad year as we have lost two more gifted musicians; rock guitarist, Eddie van Halen of the heavy-metal band, Van Halen and pop singer, Johnny Nash. 

Van Halen, who passed away on October 6th at the age of sixty-five after battling throat cancer for the last few years, was considered one of the greatest guitarists in rock, popularizing a technique called tapping which he used both hands on the guitar neck. It is his dynamic guitar solo you hear on Michael Jackson's smash 1982 rock-driven hit, "Beat It" and helped it become one of best-selling singles of all time. Van Halen is most associated with the Frankenstrat, a custom guitar he built from parts and even received patents on ideas related to his guitar inventions.

He was born on January 26, 1955 in Amsterdam, Netherlands to an Indonesian mother and Dutch father who was a jazz musician. The family moved to the US in 1962 and settled in Pasadena, CA. Van Halen, along with his older brother, Alex, were taught to play the piano when they were very young with the hope they would become classical pianists. However, Eddie and Alex gravitated toward rock & roll. Alex went with the drums while Eddie settled on the electric guitar. The boys, who had formed several bands since they were elementary school, decided to become professional musicians during college. 

The van Halen boys met bass guitarist, Michael Anthony and the wildly flamboyant front man, David Lee Roth and they first formed a hard band called, Mammoth. But after another band claimed that name, they agreed to become "Van Halen". They played all along the Sunset strip for a few years before Van Halen was signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1977. The following year, their self-titled debut was released and brought them attention, scoring hits with "Runnin' With The Devil" and their version of the Kinks, "You Really Got Me".  The band would enjoy even greater success and popularity with their subsequent albums until Roth abruptly left Van Halen during the height of their fame in 1985 due to creative differences with Eddie van Halen. But he was replaced with Sammy Hagar and Van Halen would continue to enjoy success, ultimately selling over eighty million albums worldwide.

He met actress Valerie Bertinelli, a star of the popular sitcom, "One Day at a Time", at a Van Halen concert in 1980, married a year later and had a son, Wolfgang, who later followed in his father's footsteps as a musician, even joining Van Halen to replace bass guitarist, Anthony in 2006. The couple separated in 2001 before divorcing in 2007. Van Halen would marry actress, Janie Liszewski in 2009.

Best known for the 1972 pop hit, "I Can See Clearly Now", Johnny Nash passed away on October 6th at the age of eighty. The Houston, TX born and raised performer died in his hometown after a period of failing health. He was born on August 19, 1940 and sang in the choir of his Baptist church as a child. Nash began performing professionally in 1953 on a local TV variety show and then later on Arthur Godfrey's radio and television programs. 

Nash was signed to ABC Records and was groomed to rival pop idol, Johnny Mathis. His first charting success was a cover of "A Very Special Love" (a song that Doris Day originally made popular) in 1958. He would achieve some popularity, appearing in films and charting in the top-five of the r&b chart with the ballad, "Let's Move and Groove Together" in 1965. Later that year, Nash moved to Jamaica, embracing the island country and the music. After meeting Bob Marley and members of his band, the Wailing Wailers, Nash decided to try to bring the rocksteady sound to America. He succeeded with the singles, "Hold Me Tight" and a cover of Marley's "Stir It Up" charting in the US and the UK. 

Nash's biggest hit song, "I Can See Clearly Now", which he wrote, featured a reggae-influenced beat. This single reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, sold over a million copies and has been covered countless times by a variety of artists. Following this success, Nash would continue to perform over the years with his biggest follow-up hit was the single, "Tears On My Pillow" (not a cover of the Little Anthony and the Imperials hit 1958 song) reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart in 1975.

MAC DAVIS (1942 - 2020)

It was a little surprising that the country-pop musician, Mac Davis passed away on the same day as Helen Reddy, who both enjoyed popularity throughout the 1970's, and at the exact same age of seventy-eight. The other connections these two singers had was the very first record Reddy released was a version of Davis' "I Believe In Music" and both had an eponymous variety show on television during the height of their fame. Davis died due to complications from heart surgery on September 29th.

He was born Morris Mac Davis on January 21, 1942 in Lubbock, TX and grew up with his sister and father who was divorced from their mother. Davis described him as "very strict and very religious". After he finished high school, Davis moved to Atlanta where his mother lived, largely to get out of Lubbock. It was here that he began to pursue music and formed a rock band called the Zots. They recorded a couple of singles that didn't get much attention.

Davis then got a job as a regional manager at Vee Jay Records, home to soul, jazz and blues artists. He later went to Liberty Records where he would begin songwriting and became a session player, most notably for Nancy Sinatra. Some of the songs Davis wrote were recorded by several artists and include "Memories", "Don't Cry Daddy", "Watching Scotty Grow", "Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife" and two that became big hits for Elvis Presley, "A Little Less Conversation" and "In the Ghetto".

He soon decided to pursue a country music career as a performer and record his own material. After signing with Columbia Records in 1970, Davis released two albums before the title track of his third, "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me" became a breakthrough and crossover hit in 1972, reaching number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Davis would enjoy further success in music, with several charting songs and winning the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year award in 1974, In addition to his variety show, Davis appeared on several television specials and series. He made his film debut in the football comedy-drama, "North Dallas Forty" with Nick Nolte in 1979 and also appeared in "Cheaper To Keep Her" and "The Sting II", an ill-advised sequel to the popular film.

Davis was married three times; He first married Fran Cook when he was twenty-one in 1963. They had a son, Joel a year later and the couple separated in 1968. Davis met Sarah Barg when she was sixteen and they waited two years before getting married in 1971. She left Davis for fellow musician, Glen Campbell in 1976 but left him shortly before giving birth to his child. Davis married twenty-four year old nurse, Lise Gerard in 1982 and they had two children, Noah and Cody.