It's been five years since rock god, Lenny Kravitz has released new music and has returned with a single and news of an upcoming album. While the title might possibly be in reference to something in "Star Wars" or "Boogie Nights", the song, "TK421" is clearly Kravitz's call to find freedom in spirituality. This dance-rock track is the first delivery from "Blue Electric Light", the musician's twelfth studio release which will be a double album and due out early in the new year. But Kravitz surprises us even further with the music video for "TK421" which has the almost sixty-year-old artist looking ageless, revealing an impressive physique and plenty of skin.
Here are some new songs from Australian pop artist, Troye Sivan (who makes a startling transformation in the music video); fellow Aussie, Sia; indie pop artist from Britain, PinkPantheress; the latest solo single from Alabama Shakes member, Brittany Howard and a dance track that serves as a shout-out to an Italian fashion house.
The British pop singer, Paloma Faith may be far better known in her home country and throughout Europe, but she is someone that should be paid attention to on this side of globe. "How You Leave a Man", the first single from her upcoming sixth studio album, "The Glorification of Sadness" has been released and is inspired by the end of her decade long relationship. This emotional, power ballad about the painful decision to leave an unfaithful husband behind is what the forty-two-year-old artist claims to be one of her most personal yet.
Rudolph Isley, one of the founding members of the celebrated family r&b group, the Isley Brothers, passed away on October 11th at the age of eighty-four. The trio, with his brothers, O'Kelly and Ronald, had their first hit in 1959 with the single, "Shout", the first of many songs they would go on to write. This was followed by another popular song, "Twist and Shout" and the Isley Brothers were lured to Motown Records in 1966. But they managed to only find charting success with the single, "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" which was written by the label's songwriting team, Holland-Dozier-Holland. The brothers chaffed under Motown's controlling creative methods and left the label two years later. The Isleys started their own label, T-Neck Records and altered their sound from smooth soul to funkier r&b, hitting the top-five on the pop and soul charts with "It's Your Thing" in 1969. With younger brothers, Ernie and Marvin and brother-in-law, Chris Jasper joining in 1971, more hits followed for The Isley Brothers with "That Lady", "Fight the Power", "For the Love of You", "Between the Sheets" and soulful covers of rock songs, "Love the One You're With" and "Summer Breeze". O’Kelly Isley passed away from a heart attack in 1986 and Rudolph decided to retire from the group three years later. The Isley Brothers would continue on as a popular musical act but earlier this year, Rudolph sued his brother Ronald with claims that he had sought to cut him out of the trademark for the group. While Ronald was usually the lead singer, Rudolph occasionally provided leading vocals on some songs. Here are a couple of tracks:
In December 1983, the art-rock band, Talking Heads were on tour to promote their latest album, "Speaking in Tongues". Reuniting after a three-year hiatus to create their fifth studio record and enjoying commercial success with their first (and ultimately only) US top-ten hit with "Burning Down the House", the Heads, made up of Jerry Harrison on keyboards and guitar; Tina Weymouth on bass guitar; her husband, Chris Frantz on drums and lead vocalist and songwriter, David Bryne, decided to film their concert for a feature film. Shot over four nights at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood and enlisting relatively new filmmaker, Jonathan Demme to direct, "Stop Making Sense" was created to highlight the band in live performance and its unique sound that merged new-wave, punk, soul and world music.
Now, almost forty years later, "Stop Making Sense" returns to theaters newly restored in 4K and in IMAX. The Heads had sadly disbanded by 1991 but all members reunited for a special screening and conversation with Spike Lee during the premiere at this year's Toronto Film Festival last month for the first time since their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
Now I didn't have the opportunity to see "Stop Making Sense" when it was first released as I was a young man living in the suburbs in Michigan at the time and it did not play anywhere near me. Over the years that followed, I just never had a chance to catch this film, so I was determined to finally see it on the big screen.
And I can now say that all the praise that has been heaped upon "Stop Making Sense" as one of the greatest concert films ever made is no exaggeration. From the beginning with Bryne coming out solo with a guitar and boombox to perform "Psycho Killer" to the entire sweat-drenched band together on the final song, "Crosseyed and Painless", the film presents, at a brisk eighty-eight minutes, a wild, thrilling ride of a show that you truly do not want to see end.
With impressive backing musicians, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir on guitar, percussionist Steve Scales and back-up vocalists Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt on board to help enhance their sound, Talking Heads deliver a lively, highly energetic production with unfussy yet inventive staging that effectively brings fresh vitality to the live versions of their quirky pop songs. There is even a brief moment when Weymouth and Franz's side project, Tom Tom Club get a chance to do their funky hit single from 1981, "Genius of Love" (which has been sampled to death ever since) before Bryne returns to the stage in the infamous big suit while performing "Girlfriend Is Better". Inspired by Kabuki, Bryne has later stated that the point of his wearing this oversized outfit was to make his head look smaller although I'm still not sure why he wanted to do that.
But what I do know is that the response from a new generation of viewers to "Stop Making Sense" has been quite remarkable, with people actually dancing in the aisles at some screenings. Whether you saw the film when it first came out or are a curious, young music lover, do yourself a favor and catch Talking Heads in a movie theater on the biggest screen possible.
.jpg)
