There was a time in pop music when there were songwriters and singers and the two very rarely mixed. But by the end of the 1960's, with rock & roll beginning to dominate the radio, musicians began to insist on writing and performing their own material, offering perspectives that were far more personal and culturally relevant than what came out of those songwriting factories which were written largely so that anybody could sing them. And even if the singer had not written the song, their passionate recorded performance would make a profound connection between the artist and the song. This was also a time when the radio was not nearly as segregated; pop music actually included rock, country, soul and the occasionally novelty song.
Jim Farber of Parade magazine has gone back exactly fifty years ago to list some song highlights from the year 1972, detailing the stories behind some of these hits which have managed to endure throughout the following decades.
After releasing several hypnotically seductive pop-dance singles, which included "One", "Obsession" and "Sex Rules", the anticipation level for an album from Sky Ferreira was set on high. And when that debut album, "Night Time, My Time" finally appeared in 2013, it did not disappoint but the sound had unexpectedly shifted, with elements of indie rock and '80's new-wave tossed in the mix. The album was rapturously received with several critics groups proclaiming Ferreira's work to be one of the best of that year. But then record label drama, with the LA-born singer pushing back wanting more control over her music and career, would cause an unplanned delay over a proper follow-up album.
A single, "Downhill Lullaby" had been released in 2019 and it was another departure for Ferreira; a dark and eerie ballad driven by strings with the long-delayed second album called "Masochism" soon to follow. But creative complications and a pandemic would postpone this album.
Now another single has just been released and that follow-up album looks even more promising. With "Don't Forget", Ferreira (teaming-up again with Jorge Elbrecht and Tamaryn Brown who had worked with her on "Lullaby") has delivered a booming dance track that doesn't feel out of place from her earlier work except there is clearer sense of artistic maturity from the now twenty-nine year old performer. And in case you may have missed it, have a listen to "Downhill Lullaby":
Anitta, the trilingual pop star from Brazil, is poised to make her mark on the international stage with her fifth album, "Versions of Me". With one of the top American pop-music producers, Ryan Tedder on board as executive producer, the twenty-nine year old performer born Larissa de Macedo Machado covers a variety of sounds, ranging from reggaetón, alt r&b and electro-pop, to create songs that will certainly appeal to a world-wide audience.
This adventurous collection expertly displays Anitta's skill and versatility, moving comfortably to take us on a musical journey from Brazilian funk to Spanish reggae to English-language pop. To aid Anitta on her quest for pop-music domination, she has enlisted several guest artists from the worlds of hip-hop and r&b to appear on the album which includes Saweetie, Ty Dolla Sign, YG, Khalid and Cardi B.
And the album art of "Versions of Me", which features the singer in different stages before and after several plastic surgery procedures, has sparked a bit of controversy yet Anitta embraces the image, stating that while her face may have been altered, her insides remain the same.
ROSALIA
Another musician setting out to conquer the world is Rosalía. This Spanish pop artist's work is far more offbeat, merging flamenco, pop and reggaetón together in unexpected ways. Rosalia Tobella began her career in music formed in traditional flamenco, studying at the Catalonia College of Music as a teen. In 2016, she met musician and producer, Raul Refree who caught her during a live performance in Barcelona. Rosalía was signed to Universal Music with she and Refree going to work on her debut, "Los Ángeles", a concept album that featured death as it's central theme and used several forms of classic flamenco music. The album was well received and for the 2018 follow-up, "El Mal Querer", Rosalía teamed-up with musician, El Guincho on an album that was far more experimental in sound and concept yet helped take her to the next level of major success in Latin pop music.
Now for her third album, "Motomami", Rosalía has crafted what she says is her most personal album to date. Using reggaetón as a musical base, the singer mixes in unexpected musical elements like electro-beats, avant-jazz and rap while lyrically expressing themes involving love, sexuality and heartbreak. And while Rosalía has found great success with this album as a crossover artist, she has achieved this on her terms, not feeling compelled to perform her music in English. Even The Weeknd, who provides vocals on the track, "La Fama" sings in Spanish.
It has been over thirty-five years since Tom Cruise appeared in the action-drama, "Top Gun" which helped turn him into a major movie-star. Now there is a very long awaited sequel on the horizon with "Top Gun: Maverick" finally due to reach theaters on May 27th after the pandemic delayed the release by two years. And an unlikely artist has contributed a love ballad for the soundtrack of the film: Lady Gaga. "Hold My Hand" (co-written and produced by Gaga and Bloodpop along with additional production assistance by Benjamin Rice) is a rock driven track that initially brings to mind a classic power ballad of the '80s yet this is undeniably an offbeat, emotionally powerful Lady Gaga song. The video drives the nostalgic vibe even further home with Gaga, in her version of military drag, performing the song while clips from the upcoming movie that show us the now-Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell today, are played.
Baz Luhrmann, the filmmaker behind the colorfully vibrant works, "Romeo + Juliet", "The Great Gatsby" and "Moulin Rouge!", is delivering a movie based on the life of the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley with "Elvis" which is due in theaters on June 24th. The movie doesn't appear to be your typical bio-pic and much like what he did with the soundtracks for his previous films, there will be contemporary artists performing classic songs by Presley and music inspired by the musician. One of the songs recently released is "Vegas" by Doja Cat. Using a sample of Big Mama Thornton's 1952 hit song, "Hound Dog" (which Presley would later cover in 1956 and make even more popular), Doja Cat delivers a rap/hip-hop flavored track that has her taking down a lover who proves not to be worth her time. This great tune makes me curious to hear what else that will be on this soundtrack.
Sam Smith has quietly reemerged with a new song, "Love Me More". The British artist teamed with their frequent collaborators, Stargate and Jimmy Napes (who co-wrote and produced the track) on a song that explores the difficult challenges they had experienced throughout their life and career, never feeling completely worthy and adequate as a person or performer. But Smith has finally learned to accept himself and the song is an empowering anthem about making the effort in loving yourself more.
Smith has stated that it has taken them a lifetime to be able to express this type of joy and honesty in their music. "Love Me More" feels like an exciting new chapter in Smith's musical expression as a queer artist.
