RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

The musical sounds of FKA Twigs have always been ethereal and progressive, merging smooth r&b with hard-edged electronic beats. The British artist, born Tahliah Barnett, has been working on a follow-up to her critically acclaimed second studio album, "Magdalene" from 2019 but the pandemic and some acting (she appeared in "Honey Boy", the drama written by actor, Shia LaBeouf that was based on his life as a child actor) created some delay. But now FKA Twigs has released two new songs; "Tears in the Club", a sensuous alt-soul track that features The Weeknd and "Measure of a Man" for the soundtrack of the upcoming film, "The King’s Man" which includes a rap interlude by Central Cee. "Tears" is the first track from her upcoming EP, "Capri Sun" due out early next year. The music video for the song features surreal imagery and slick choreography by Sean Bankhead. And "Measure of a Man" moves in a different direction, delivering the dramatic flair of a James Bond theme song.

For her eighth studio album, Alicia Keys has created a concept album called "Keys". This two-disc collection features on one side, "Originals" which Keys says features her "classic side" while the other, "Unlocked" has another "sonic experience" with some of the same songs. Keys co-wrote and produced the ten originals songs, then enlisted some top writers/producers like Mike Will Made It, Sia, Raphael Saadiq and husband, Swizz Beatz along with appearances by a few musical collaborators, Khalid, Lil Wayne, Pusha T, Swae Lee and Brandi Carlile to work on the other side. There are also six additional songs found on both sides. This an ambitious and exciting work by a incredibly gifted performer. Here is a short clip that visually highlights songs from the album and the "original" single, "Best of Me" which contains a sample of "Cherish The Day" by Sade.





Words can not properly express how much I miss Whitney Houston who I think remains one of the greatest vocalists ever in pop music. With the Christmas holiday approaching, here is a rare, live rendition of Houston's version of "Do You Hear What I Here" to help put you in the proper spirit. She originally recorded this song in 1987 for the first "A Very Special Christmas", a compilation album by the hottest pop stars of the day with the proceeds to benefit the Special Olympics. Houston made an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" in 1990 and performed this song.