MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM. . .

COCO JONES

Coco Jones began her career as an actress, appearing as a teen in several programs on the Disney Channel. Throughout this time, she had an interest in making music, releasing a self-titled EP in 2010. Twelve years later, Jones signed with Def Jam Records, releasing another EP, "What I Didn't Tell You". She had a breakout hit with "ICU", earning her five Grammy nominations (winning Best R&B Performance) and the single selling over a million copies.

Although we're still waiting for her debut album to arrive, Jones has delivered a four track EP, "Coco By The Fireplace" that features all-original songs to fill you with holiday cheer. These tracks are smooth and soulful, offering Christmas themed songs on love, empowerment and desire.



CLAY AIKEN

Clay Aiken may have placed second during his time competing on the second season of "American Idol" but he still went on to have a moderately successful music career. He recorded six studio albums and sold over five million records. When his music career cooled down, Aiken would make a move into politics, running as a Democrat for the US House of Representatives in his home state of North Carolina in 2014, winning the primary but losing the election. He tried again nine years later yet failed to win the primary. But he never completely abandoned his love of music. It's been twelve years since his last album and now Aiken has released his second Christmas record, "Christmas Bells Are Ringing". This collection has the now forty-six year old singer delivering his distinctive pop style to versions of classic holiday tunes like "Most Wonderful Time of the Year", "Merry Christmas, Darling" and "Ava Maria".



Last year, Cher released her very first Christmas album which included a disco tune that proved to be very popular. Now she has taken "DJ Play A Christmas Song" up a notch by releasing this as a newly remixed duet with Kelly Clarkson. These two legendary voices are trading verses to make this Christmas dance song even more thrilling.

NEW SOUNDS

SADE 

Sade Adu, the reclusive pop artist who has largely been out of the spotlight since her last album, "Soldier of Love" with her band also called Sade and the world tour that followed to support the record about fourteen years ago. Without her long-time band, she has released a new song that is very important and meaningful to her. In 2016, Adu's only child, now named Izaak, came out as a transgender man. Sade has contributed the song, "Young Lion" that will be a part of the compilation album, "Transa", which features forty-six songs from over one hundred musicians in celebration of the trans community. This moving song, written by Adu with Aaron Taylor Dean and Ben Travers, offers a mother's apology to her son for not offering enough support during his early days of transitioning. "Young Lion" is based on a letter Sade gave to her son on his 21st birthday. And after deciding the message was so important, especially during these fraught times with attacks on the trans community, the song was created to share with the world.



TYLA

Tyla burst on the scene with her breakthrough single, "Water" last year. This Afrobeat track helped build excitement for the debut album by the twenty-two year old South African performer. With her self-titled album released earlier this year, there is now a deluxe edition of the record, simply titled "Tyla +". There are three new track included; the African drum driven, "Shake Ah", the ballad, "Back to You" and the reggae-fused single, "Push 2 Start". The music video for this track delivers a visual vibe of r&b from the beginning of this century, bringing to mind the colorful styles of Rihanna and Beyoncé.



OMAR APOLLO

The pop singer, Omar Apollo makes his acting debut with a supporting role in director Luca Guadagnino's upcoming film, "Queer". Based on the novella by William S. Burroughs, Daniel Craig stars as William Lee, an American living in 1950's Mexico City and becoming infatuated with a younger American, played by Drew Starkey. Apollo appears as a hombre that Lee picks up in a bar and proceeds to have an intimate encounter. The singer has also provided a song for the soundtrack, "Te Maldigo" which is produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. This mournful ballad (which roughly translates to "I curse you") is about damning a former lover for no longer loving him. Guadagino  as directed the music video for this song which is set, much like the film, in a smoky Mexican bar.

QUINCY JONES (1933 -2024)

Quincy Jones, the legendary producer and musical visionary, has passed away on November 3rd at the age of ninety-one. The Chicago-born artist began his career as a jazz arranger and conductor in the 1950's before moving into producing pop music with his first major hit, "It's My Party" for a then-sixteen year old singer, Lesley Gore which went to number one in 1963.

Throughout his extraordinary career, Jones had worked with many of the greatest musical performers of all time with the most notable being, Michael Jackson who he went on to produce his albums, "Off The Wall", "Thriller" and "Bad" which together sold well over one hundred and twenty-five million albums worldwide. Jones also composed numerous musical scores for film and television ("In Cold Blood", "Roots", "The Wiz", "The Color Purple") and was involved in organizing the artists and co-producing the 1985 US charity single, "We Are The World" to help the victims of famine in Ethiopia, raising more than eighty million dollars for the cause.

Jones helped create so much music during his time that it would be extremely difficult to try and cover even a fraction of the recordings he went on to produce. To pay tribute to this musical genius, I will focus here on the studio albums that Jones would release under his own name over the years. Here is just a tiny playlist of my favorites:

2024 GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS

The 2024 Grammy Award nominations have been announced and once again, women are dominating in this year's race which includes, for the very first time, that no men were nominated for "Best Pop Vocal Album". And with eleven nominations, Beyoncé has become the most nominated artist in the history of the Grammys (breaking the tie with her husband, Jay-Z) for her alt-country album, "Cowboy Carter". This album is just one of eight competing for Album of the Year with the other nominees are the flute driven, instrumental album, "New Blue Sun" from André 3000 who has been best known as a hip-hop performer; "Short n’ Sweet", the breakthrough album by the latest pop sensation, Sabrina Carpenter; "Brat", the British pop artist, Charli XCX's first major hit on this side of the Atlantic; fellow Brit, Jacob Collier and his breakout collection of alternative jazz, "Djesse Vol. 4"; "Hit Me Hard and Soft", the latest from the edgy pop artist, Billie Eilish; the alt-pop debut from Chappell Roan, "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess" and last year's winner of this prize, Taylor Swift for her album, "The Tortured Poets Department".

The 67th annual Grammy Awards will be presented live on Sunday, February 2, 2025 from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The ceremony will also stream on Paramount+. Here is a partial list of this year's nominations:

Album of the Year:

"New Blue Sun" – André 3000
"Cowboy Carter" – Beyoncé
"Short n’ Sweet" – Sabrina Carpenter
"Brat" – Charli XCX
"Djesse Vol. 4" – Jacob Collier
"Hit Me Hard and Soft" – Billie Eilish
"The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess" – Chappell Roan
"The Tortured Poets Department" – Taylor Swift

Record Of The Year:

“Now and Then” - The Beatles
“Texas Hold ‘Em” - Beyoncé
“Espresso”- Sabrina Carpenter
“360” - Charli XCX
“Birds of a Feather” - Billie Eilish
“Not Like Us” - Kendrick Lamar
“Good Luck, Babe!” - Chappell Roan
“Fortnight” - Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone

Song of the Year:

“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” - Sean Cook, Jerrel Jones, Joe Kent, Chibueze Collins Obinna, Nevin Sastry & Mark Williams, songwriters (Shaboozey)
“Birds of a Feather” - Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O'Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
“Die With a Smile” - Dernst Emile II, James Fauntleroy, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars)
“Fortnight” - Jack Antonoff, Austin Post & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone)
“Good Luck, Babe!” - Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Daniel Nigro & Justin Tranter, songwriters (Chappell Roan)
“Not Like Us” - Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar)
“Please Please Please” - Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff & Sabrina Carpenter, songwriters (Sabrina Carpenter)
“Texas Hold ‘Em” - Brian Bates, Beyoncé, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Megan Bülow, Nate Ferraro & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Beyoncé)

Best New Artist:

Benson Boone
Sabrina Carpenter
Doechii
Khruangbin
Raye
Chappell Roan
Shaboozey
Teddy Swims

Best Pop Vocal Album:

“Short n’ Sweet” - Sabrina Carpenter
“Hit Me Hard and Soft” - Billie Eilish
“Eternal Sunshine” - Ariana Grande
“The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” - Chappell Roan
“The Tortured Poets Department” - Taylor Swift

Best Pop Solo Performance:

“Bodyguard” - Beyoncé
“Espresso” - Sabrina Carpenter
“Apple” - Charli XCX
“Birds of a Feather” - Billie Eilish
“Good Luck, Babe!” -Chappell Roan

Best Pop Dup/Group Performance:

“Us” - Gracie Abrams Featuring Taylor Swift
“Levii’s Jeans” - Beyoncé Featuring Post Malone
“Guess” - Charli XCX & Billie Eilish
“The Boy Is Mine” - Ariana Grande, Brandy & Monica
“Die With a Smile” -Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:

"À Fleur De Peau" - Cyrille Aimée
"Visions" - Norah Jones
"Good Together" - Lake Street Dive
"Impossible Dream" - Aaron Lazar
"Christmas Wish" - Gregory Porter

Best Dance/Electronic Album:

“Brat” - Charli XCX
“Three” - Four Tet
“Hyperdrama” - Justice
“Timeless” - Kaytranada
“Telos” - Zedd

Best Dance Pop Recording:

“Make You Mine” - Madison Beer
“Von Dutch” - Charli XCX
“L’Amour de Ma Vie [Over Now Extended Edit]” - Billie Eilish
“Yes, And?” - Ariana Grande
“Got Me Started” - Troye Sivan

Best Dance/Electronic Recording:

“She’s Gone, Dance On” - Disclosure
“Loved” - Four Tet
“Leavemealone” - Fred Again & Baby Keem
“Neverender” - Justice & Tame Impala
“Witchy” - Kaytranada Featuring Childish Gambino

Best R&B Album:

"11:11 (Deluxe)" — Chris Brown
"VANTABLACK" — Lalah Hathaway
"Revenge" — Muni Long
"Algorithm" — Lucky Daye
"Coming Home" — Usher

Best R&B Performance:

“Guidance” — Jhené Aiko
“Residuals” — Chris Brown
“Here We Go (Uh Oh)” — Coco Jones
“Made For Me (Live On BET)” — Muni Long
“Saturn” — SZA

Best Traditional R&B Performance:

“Wet” — Marsha Ambrosius
“Can I Have This Groove” — Kenyon Dixon
“No Lie” — Lalah Hathaway Featuring Michael McDonald
“Make Me Forget” — Muni Long
“That’s You” — Lucky Daye

Best Rap Album:

"Might Delete Later" — J. Cole
"The Auditorium, Vol. 1" — Common & Pete Rock
"Alligator Bites Never Heal" — Doechii
"The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)" — Eminem
"We Don’t Trust You" — Future & Metro Boomin

Best Rap Performance:

“Enough (Miami)” — Cardi B
“When The Sun Shines Again” — Common & Pete Rock Featuring Posdnuos
“Nissan Altima” — Doechii
“Houdini” — Eminem
“Like That” — Future & Metro Boomin Featuring Kendrick Lamar
“Yeah Glo!” — GloRilla
“Not Like Us” — Kendrick Lamar

Best Rock Album:

“Happiness Bastards” - The Black Crowes
“Romance” - Fontaines D.C.
“Saviors” - Green Day
“TANGK” - Idles
“Dark Matter” - Pearl Jam
“Hackney Diamonds” - The Rolling Stones
“No Name” - Jack White

Best Rock Performance:

“Now and Then” — The Beatles
“Beautiful People (Stay High)” — The Black Keys
“The American Dream Is Killing Me” — Green Day
“Gift Horse” — IDLES
“Dark Matter” — Pearl Jam
“Broken Man” — St. Vincent

Best Alternative Music Album:

"Wild God" — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
"Charm" — Clairo
"The Collective" — Kim Gordon
"What Now" — Brittany Howard
"All Born Screaming" — St. Vincent

Best Alternative Music Performance:

“Neon Pill” — Cage The Elephant
“Song Of The Lake” — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
“Starburster” — Fontaines D.C.
“Bye Bye” — Kim Gordon
“Flea” — St. Vincent

Best Country Album:

"Cowboy Carter" — Beyoncé
"F-1 Trillion" — Post Malone
"Deeper Well" — Kacey Musgraves
"Higher" — Chris Stapleton
"Whirlwind" — Lainey Wilson

Best Country Solo Performance:

“16 CARRIAGES” — Beyoncé
“I Am Not Okay” — Jelly Roll
“The Architect” — Kacey Musgraves
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” — Shaboozey
“It Takes A Woman” — Chris Stapleton

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:

“Cowboys Cry Too” — Kelsea Ballerini With Noah Kahan
“II MOST WANTED” — Beyoncé Featuring Miley Cyrus
“Break Mine” — Brothers Osborne
“Bigger Houses” — Dan + Shay
“I Had Some Help” — Post Malone Featuring Morgan Wallen

Best Americana Album:

"The Other Side" — T Bone Burnett
"$10 Cowboy" — Charley Crockett
"Trail Of Flowers" — Sierra Ferrell
"Polaroid Lovers" — Sarah Jarosz
"No One Gets Out Alive" — Maggie Rose
"Tigers Blood' — Waxahatchee

Best Folk Album:

"American Patchwork Quartet" — American Patchwork Quartet
"Weird Faith" — Madi Diaz
"Bright Future" — Adrianne Lenker
"All My Friends" — Aoife O’Donovan
"Woodland" — Gillian Welch & David Rawlings

Best Gospel Album:

"Covered Vol. 1" — Melvin Crispell III
"Choirmaster II (Live)" — Ricky Dillard
"Father’s Day" — Kirk Franklin
"Still Karen" — Karen Clark Sheard
"More Than This" — CeCe Winans

Best Jazz Vocal Album:

"Journey In Black" — Christie Dashiell
"Wildflowers Vol. 1" — Kurt Elling & Sullivan Fortner
"A Joyful Holiday" — Samara Joy
"Milton + Esperanza" — Milton Nascimento & Esperanza spalding
"My Ideal" — Catherine Russell & Sean Mason

Best Jazz Performance:

“Walk With Me, Lord (Sound/Spirit)” — The Baylor Project
“Phoenix Reimagined (Live)” — Lakecia Benjamin Featuring Randy Brecker, Jeff “Tain” Watts & John Scofield
“Juno” — Chick Corea & Béla Fleck
“Twinkle Twinkle Little Me” — Samara Joy Featuring Sullivan Fortner
“Little Fears”— Dan Pugach Big Band Featuring Nicole Zuraitis & Troy Roberts

Best Latin Pop Album:

"Funk Generation" — Anitta
"El Viaje" — Luis Fonsi
"GARCÍA" — Kany García
"Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran" — Shakira
"ORQUÍDEAS" — Kali Uchis

Best Comedy Album:

"Armageddon" — Ricky Gervais
"The Dreamer" — Dave Chappelle
"The Prisoner" — Jim Gaffigan
"Someday You’ll Die" — Nikki Glaser
"Where Was I" — Trevor Noah

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television):

"American Fiction" — Laura Karpman, composer
"Challengers" — Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, composers
"The Color Purple" — Kris Bowers, composer
"Dune: Part Two" — Hans Zimmer, composer
"Shōgun" — Nick Chuba, Atticus Ross & Leopold Ross, composers

Best Song Written For Visual Media:

"Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma [From “Twisters: The Album”]" — Jessi Alexander, Luke Combs & Jonathan Singleton, songwriters (Luke Combs)
"Better Place [From “TROLLS Band Together”]" — Amy Allen, Shellback & Justin Timberlake, songwriters (*NSYNC & Justin Timberlake)
"Can’t Catch Me Now [From “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes”]" — Daniel Nigro & Olivia Rodrigo, songwriters (Olivia Rodrigo)
"It Never Went Away [From “American Symphony”]" — Jon Batiste & Dan Wilson, songwriters (Jon Batiste)
"Love Will Survive [From “The Tattooist of Auschwitz”]" — Walter Afanasieff, Charlie Midnight, Kara Talve & Hans Zimmer, songwriters (Barbra Streisand)

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media:

"The Color Purple" — (Various Artists)
"Deadpool & Wolverine" — (Various Artists)
"Maestro: Music By Leonard Bernstein" — London Symphony Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Bradley Cooper
"Saltburn" — (Various Artists)
"Twisters: The Album" — (Various Artists)

Best Music Video:

“Tailor Swif” — A$AP Rocky
“360” — Charli xcx
“Houdini” — Eminem
“Not Like Us” — Kendrick Lamar
“Fortnight” — Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone

Songwriter Of The Year:

Jessi Alexander
Amy Allen
Edgar Barrera
Jessie Jo Dillon
Raye

Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical):

Alissia
Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II
Ian Fitchuk
Mustard
Daniel Nigro

GOT A STORY TO TELL

Thee Sacred Souls are a trio of musicians based in San Diego who have taken the sounds of classic r&b, doo-wop, Chicano soul and Motown and smoothly spun it into their own distinctive style of neo-soul. First formed in 2019 when guitarist/drummer, Alex Garcia and bass player, Sal Samano met and began jamming together. Some time later, Josh Lane would join them as their vocalist. Together, Thee Sacred Souls would write music and began performing locally around the San Diego area. After Bosco Mann, head of the indie soul imprint, Daptone Records which was the home of the vintage soul act, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, caught their performance, he offered them a place at his label.

Their self-titled debut was released in 2022 and it was well received, helping Thee Sacred Souls widen their audience and draw larger crowds at their live shows globally. Now the band has just released their follow-up, "Got a Story to Tell". The album expands their sound even further with original songs created from their personal experiences and vivid imagination. Thee Sacred Souls are now out on the road on a largely sold-out international tour so be sure to catch them when they're in your neighborhood.

2024 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

This year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony will honor the pop music icon, Cher; indie rock fusion outfit, Dave Matthews Band; legendary arena rock group, Foreigner; soul/hip-hop queen, Mary J. Blige; head-banging rocker, Ozzy Osbourne; British guitarist, Peter Frampton and pioneering rap group, A Tribe Called Quest.

The recipients of the Award for Musical Excellence this year will be Jimmy Buffett, the tropical rocker who passed away last year; the classic rock band from Detroit, MC5; Norman Whitfield, an important songwriter and producer for Motown Records and pop music legend, Dionne Warwick. The Musical Influence Award, given to artists that an impact on the evolution of rock and roll, are two blues musicians from England, Alexis Korner and John Mayall and r&b singer and songwriter, "Big Mama" Thornton. And the Ahmet Ertegun Award, which honors a non-performer, will be given to Suzanne de Passe who worked her way up at Motown from being a creative assistant for founder Berry Gordy to helping the label successfully move into television and film as a producer.

To become eligible for entry into the Hall, an artist must have released it's first commercia recording at least twenty-five years prior to the nomination year. The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on October 19th in Cleveland and stream on Disney +.

CHER

When Salvatore Bono, an aspiring musician who went by the name of "Sonny", met a sixteen year old, Cherilyn Sarkisian in 1962, it would change both of their lives significantly. Bono had connected with Phil Spector, who was one of the biggest producers of pop music at the time, and managed to do background vocals on his records, dragging his shy young bride, now going by Cher, along with him. They formed an act, Sonny & Cher and had a number one pop hit, "I Got You Babe" by 1965. More hit songs followed (including several without Sonny) along with a Vegas act and a popular television variety show before their marriage collapsed in 1974.

Newly single, then quickly married to troubled rocker, Greg Allman before separating, Cher continued her music career but struggled to hit the heights she once achieved working with her former husband. She decided to try acting and struggled there too with no one willing to take her seriously. It was director Robert Altman who took a chance by casting her in a play in 1982. More acting work followed and soon Cher would have an Oscar in her hand, winning Best Actress for her performance in the 1987 romantic-comedy, "Moonstruck". At this point, Cher decided to return to music and found great success once again with several hit songs reaching the pop chart. The biggest highlight of her long career in music came in 1998, at the age of fifty-two, with the dance song, "Believe" which was one of the first to utilize Auto-tune to create a vocal effect, topping the pop charts in over twenty-three countries and selling more than eleven million copies. Cher continues to amaze with her unassuming talent and defying the odds, making her easily one of the greatest pop stars of all-time.



DAVE MATTHEWS BAND

The South African born Dave Mathews traveled around in his youth between Cambridge, New York and Johannesburg before ending up as a bartender in Charlottesville, Virginia as a young man. He was an aspiring musician, playing the guitar, writing songs and performing at clubs, when he met local jazz musicians drummer, Carter Beauford and saxophonist, LeRoi Moore. They began to jam together, connecting musically, and started working on the demos of original songs that Matthews wrote. Needing to fill out their sound, they found bass guitar player, Stefan Lessard and Peter Griesar to play keyboards. With the band complete, they needed a name and they became Dave Matthews Band although it is clear to all members that there is no true leader of the group.

In 1994, the band released a live EP, "Recently" which highlighted their singular jazz-rock sound which had drew a wide audience to their shows. This helped get Dave Matthews Band signed to RCA Records and their debut studio album, "Under the Table and Dreaming" followed shortly later that year. The singles, "What Would You Say", "Satellite" and "Ants Marching" all reached the top twenty on the mainsteam rock chart, bringing the band commercial success and greater popularity. Their follow-up album, "Crash" two years later further expanded the band's success with them earning five Grammy nominations and a win for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group for "So Much to Say". Dave Matthews Band have since recorded ten studio albums to date with their latest, "Walk Around the Moon" released last year. But their real claim to fame is that they are a thrilling jam band, changing up the arrangement of each of their songs to create an engaging and unique live show at every stop.



FOREIGNER

Formed in 1976 in New York, British musicians: Mick Jones on guitar, drummer, Dennis Elliott and multi-instrumentalist, Ian McDonald teamed up with Americans, Al Greenwood on keyboards, bass guitarist, Ed Gagliardi and lead vocalist, Lou Gramm to become Foreigner who went on to become one of the world's best selling rock bands with well over eighty million records sold. Their self-titled 1977 debut began their streak of six consecutive, multi-platinum albums throughout the rest of the '70's and 1980's. Some of their popular singles include "Feels Like The First Time", "Cold As Ice", "Urgent", "Hot Blooded", "Double Vision" and "I Want To Know What Love Is" with this gospel inspired, rock ballad becoming an international number one smash.

Gagliardi left the band in 1979 and was replaced by Rick Wills. By 1990, several other members would leave (including singer Gramm) and were replaced but Foreigner's following albums failed to generate the same level of success of their previous work. Since 2003, Jones (who served as co-writer and co-producer for much of Foreigner's music) has been the only founding member still with the band with various other musicians filling in over the years on tour. Gagliardi passed away in 2014 and McDonald died in 2022.



KOOL & THE GANG

Seven high school friends from New Jersey: Robert "Kool" Bell on bass, his brother, Ronald played piano, Robert Mickens on trumpet, saxophonist, Dennis Thomas, Rickey West on keyboards and Charles Smith on guitar came together as a professional band in 1964. They first began playing jazz and soul music under the name, The Jazziacs. The band went through several names changes before settling on "Kool & The Gang". After finally getting a record deal, they released their self titled debut in 1970, an all-instrumental album that brought them some attention. As they released a few more albums, the sound of Kool & The Gang was hard to categorize as they had elements of jazz, rock, soul or just instrumentals on their records. Their first commercial breakthrough came when they added disco to their musical repertoire on their fourth studio album, "Wild and Peaceful" in 1973. The funky dance singles, "Jungle Boogie" and "Hollywood Swinging" both became huge hits on the US soul and pop charts. After this triumph, Kool & The Gang went deeper into dance music yet the results didn't payoff for the band as their records were pretty much ignored.

By 1979, Kool & The Gang decided to make some changes: they brought in a dedicated lead singer, James "J.T." Taylor and committed their next four albums for Brazilian musician, Eumir Deodato to produce. This new direction proved to be a wise move with their album, "Ladies Night", a collection of pop and smooth r&b, becoming a best seller thanks to the singles, "Too Hot" and the title track reaching the top-ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The band's next album, "Celebrate!" became an even bigger hit because of their number one international smash, "Celebration". Other hit songs were "Get Down On It", "Joanna", "Fresh" and "Cherish". Taylor left The Gang in 1987 to attempt a solo career but returned nine years later to record one more album with the group, "State of Affairs". Kool & The Gang are still recording music and on the road touring.



MARY J BLIGE

Born and raised in the Bronx, a seventeen year old Mary J. Blige decided to drop out of high school with a strong-willed determination to start a career in music. After covering an Anita Baker song at a recording booth at a White Plans mall, the cassette tape managed to slowly make its way into the hands of Andre Harrell, the president of Uptown Records. He was impressed and signed Blige to the label in 1989 but was at first only used to perform backing vocals for other artists. By 1992, Mary finally began recording her debut album with a young and eager talent director at Uptown who had just started to produce, Sean Combs.

"What's The 411?" was released later in the year and became notable for smoothly merging classic soul over hip-hop beats. The first single, "You Remind Me" went straight to number one on the US r&b chart, then the next, "Real Love" not only topped the r&b chart but it went to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Three more singles became hits, helping the album go on to sell over three million copies in the US alone. Blige's 1994 follow-up album, "My Life" became an even bigger commercial success and widely praised critically. The singer was more involved in the writing of this record where she revealed through songs personal details of her difficult and traumatic life. Blige, who was quickly dubbed the "Queen of Hip-Hop Soul", continued to rise to the top with several more popular albums and singles. After over thirty years in the business, Blige has gone on become one of the most successful musical artists in pop music history, selling over one hundred million records globally.



OZZY OSBOURNE

Ozzy Osbourne had already been inducted into the Hall of Fame with the heavy metal band he helped form, Black Sabbath back in 2006 and now the British hard rocker has just been selected for his solo work. Back in 1978, Osbourne had begun putting together a possible solo project when he was called back to record the next Black Sabbath album, "Never Say Die!". The recording sessions proved to be prolonged and arduous due to the band members all heavily using drugs. Following the tour to promote the album, Black Sabbath went back to the studio to record another album. The results were even more disastrous and a decision was made by the rest of the members to fire their lead singer, Osbourne because of his excessive substance abuse although he claimed this was unfair since everyone had been indulging in drugs.

Osborne set out to finish his own album, creating a new band called Blizzard of Ozz that featured former members of other well-known rock bands that included bassist, Bob Daisley of Rainbow and Quiet Riot guitarist, Randy Rhoads who both would co-write and co-produce this record. However, the label only credited Osbourne when his solo debut was released in 1980 with the title appearing to be "Blizzard of Ozz", leaving some members unhappy. The album was a modest success during it's initial release but the single, "Crazy Train" has since become a staple on classic rock radio and "Blizzard of Ozz" has now sold two million copies. This would begin a period of immense popularity for Osbourne throughout the rest of the 1980's, '90's and well into the next century. And while he could have very brief moments of sobriety over his long career, Osbourne would misuse alcohol and other drugs for most of his adult life. The now seventy-five year old singer is currently sober and has had some recent health issues but still has been able to get out to occasionally perform.



PETER FRAMPTON

The British rock musician and songwriter, Peter Frampton took to music early, self teaching himself how to play the guitar and piano as a child. He played with several bands as a pre-teen and in 1966, Frampton began his professional career at the age of sixteen joining The Herd, a psychedelic pop-rock band. The group rose quickly, achieving three top-twenty hits in the UK before Frampton left to form a new band with Steve Marriott, who was a member of Small Faces, in 1968. Along with Greg Ridley, formerly of Spooky Tooth and drummer, Jerry Shirley from the Apostolic Intervention, they became Humble Pie, moving into blues rock. Their debut album, "As Safe As Yesterday Is" was an instant hit with the single, "Natural Born Bugie" reaching number four on the British pop chart. Humble Pie became modestly successful, with four studio albums and a live release, but by 1971, Frampton decided to leave the band, unhappy with the change of musical direction into harder rock and wanted to move on to a solo career.

Frampton released four albums over the next four years, struggling to attract significant attention to his music. It was not until his 1976 release, "Frampton Comes Alive!", a double album that featured live versions of songs from his previous recordings, that he would achieve a major commercial breakthrough. With the hit singles, "Baby, I Love Your Way", "Show Me the Way", and "Do You Feel Like We Do", Frampton's album would become one of the best selling live albums of all-time at over eight million copies. His follow-up studio album, "I'm In You" proved to continue his success with the title track reaching number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. But at the height of his fame, Frampton suffered in a near-fatal car accident in 1978. He fully recovered, returning to making music yet his subsequent recordings, releasing twenty-two studio and live albums over his career, failed to find great commercial success. In 2019, Frampton was diagnosed with IBM, a progressive muscle disorder that would make performing for him difficult. But he has managed to play guitar on occasion for select events and short tours.



A TRIBE CALLED QUEST

A Tribe Called Quest, a hip-hop outfit from Queens, NY, helped pioneer the merging of jazz influences and eclectic music samples into rap, opening up the sound of this unique genre and pushing hip-hop forward. Two childhood friends, Kamaal Fareed (who went by Q-Tip) and Malik Taylor (who goes by Phife Dawg) performed in rap battles and began making demos in 1985. After meeting rapper, Jarobi White and DJ and co-producer, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, they would become A Tribe Called Quest three years later. They helped form the Native Tongues Collective, a group of fellow New York based, hip-hop artists dedicated to Afrocentric, positive-minded music with members including the Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, Monie Love and Queen Latifah.

After signing with Jive Records, A Tribe Called Quest released their debut album, "People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm" in 1990. The record featured a more playful approach to hip-hop with unexpected beats and unorthodox lyrics. The group was well received by enthusiastic listeners and earned widespread critical acclaim. They followed this with three successful albums: "The Low End Theory" from 1991, "Midnight Marauders" in 1993 and "Beats, Rhymes and Life" three years later. Shortly after the 1998 release of "The Love Movement", A Tribe Called Quest announced their breakup, citing problems with their label and growing tension between Q-Tip and Phife Dawg. Over time, after each released their own solo projects, Q-Tip and Phife managed to settle their differences. They reunited first in 2006 to tour at select music festivals and later began working on new music by 2016. But sadly, Phife Dawg died that year due to complications from diabetes. The surviving members continued to work on the uncompleted project, releasing "We Got It From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service" later that year. A Tribe Called Quest would perform at a number of music fests the following year to promote the album before disbanding once again.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Sophie was an emerging talent who was a visionary pushing the boundaries of what electronic music could achieve by experimenting with sound design and expanding the concept of pop music. But unexpectedly the English musician tragically died from an accidental fall during a vacation in Greece almost four years ago. At the time of her passing, Sophie was working on the follow-up to her acclaimed 2018 debut, "Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides" with the album near completion. Her brother, Benny Long, who had been Sophie's longtime studio engineer, and their two sisters supervised to help finish the project. Simply entitled, "Sophie", the record features friends of the artist who wanted to participate and musicians that Sophie had wanted to collaborate with. This includes German pop star, Kim Petras; US singer/songwriter, Jozzy; performance artist, Signe Pierce who creates music under Big Sister and British visual artist and singer, Hannah Diamond.





Here are a few new songs that I like: the new version of Charli XCX's "Sympathy is a Knife" with Ariana Grande which is featured on the just released remix album, "Brat & It's Completely Different But Also Still Brat"; Jennie, the former member of the K-Pop group, Blackpink who has gone solo, has released a new single, "Mantra"; "You Look Like You Love Me", the country ballad from Ella Langley and Riley Green and an ode to young love and soda, "Diet Pepsi" from Addison Rae.

Kylie Minogue is currently enjoying a second wind after over forty years of making glorious dance-pop music, thanks in part to the song, "Padam Padam", from her "Tension" album last year, becoming her biggest international hit in many years. Now the Australian pop goddess is set to release an album sequel, "Tension II" due out on October 18th. This collection will continue her journey into electronic music with the high energy, first single, "Lights Camera Action" taking us eagerly back to the dance floor. The music video for the song (directed by Minogue's longtime collaborator Sophie Muller) has the singer on a sound stage film set, appearing in various job roles preparing for a production shoot. And Minogue has announced that she going back on the road early next year with the Tension World Tour which will take her across the globe for the first time since 2011.

And I will pay tribute to two musicians we have recently lost: J.D. Souther, one of the singer/songwriters who helped define the LA country-rock sound in the 1970's, died on September 17th at the age of seventy-eight. Born John David Souther on November 2, 1945, he grew up in Texas playing multiple instruments before heading to Los Angeles in the late 1960's. He met Glen Frey in 1969 and they formed a musical duo, Longbranch Pennywhistle and recorded an album. They soon parted ways with Frey joining Linda Ronstadt's backing band and Souther recording a solo album.

After this backing band became The Eagles, Souther would work with the group, co-writng some of their biggest hits which includes "New Kid in Town", "Best of My Love" and "Heartache Tonight". Souther went on to create music for Ronstadt (whom he briefly dated), Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor and Don Henley. He had teamed with Chris Hillman of The Byrds and Richie Furay of Buffalo Sprinfield in 1973 and formed The Souther–Hillman–Furay Band, recording two albums. Souther still continued to do some solo work, recording nine albums, with his biggest hit was in 1979 with "You're Only Lonely", reaching number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Cissy Houston, the mother of the great Whitney Houston, aunt of the pop music legend, Dionne Warwick, cousin to opera vocalist, Leontyne Price and an incredible singer in her own right, passed away on October 7th. The two-time Grammy Award winner was ninety-one and under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease. Houston, born Emily Drinkard, was the last of eight children of a musical family living in Newark, NJ. She began her singing career at the age of eight performing with four of her siblings in a gospel singing group. They became the Drinkard Singers when other family members joined and recorded a live album, "A Joyful Noise" in 1958.

Not long after marrying John Houston, Jr., she moved into secular music and formed a r&b girl group, The Sweet Inspirations with her niece, Dee Dee Warwick. They became popular and well-respected backup vocalists throughout the 1960's, assisting Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Van Morrison, Dusty Springfield, Jimi Hendrix and Elvis Presley with their recordings and tours. The Sweet Inspirations also recorded their own music beginning in 1967, scoring their only top-forty pop hit with "Sweet Inspiration" (which Houston co-wrote), reaching number eighteen on the chart.

Houston left the group in 1969 in order to pursue a solo career and focus more on her family. She recorded ten albums over her career with the 1979 disco song, "Think It Over" crossing over to the Billboard r&b chart and becoming her most significant hit. Houston went back to session work, singing background vocals for many of the top artists of the 1970's and '80's. And she also returned to her musical roots, recording her first solo gospel album, "Face To Face" in 1996. Houston received a Grammy for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album for this recording and won the award again two years later for her follow-up album, "He Leadeth Me".

LADY GAGA: HARLEQUIN

We know that pop music royalty, Lady Gaga has been actively continuing her acting path with a role in "Joker: Folie à Deux", the upcoming sequel to the 2019 Oscar-winning comic-book based film, "Joker", playing Harleen Quinzel, the love interest to the notorious Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) where they are both patients at Arkham State Hospital. Their feelings are expressed through musical numbers performed throughout while the followers of the deranged Fleck attempt to break him out.

But what was unexpected was a companion album from Gaga, "Harlequin" that was just released and features songs performed in the movie. There are Gaga versions of Hollywood musical showtunes ("Good Morning", "That's Entertainment", "If My Friends Could See Me Now") and classic pop songs ("Get Happy", "That's Life", "Close To You"). The record also features two original tracks; "Happy Mistake" and "Folie à Deux" written by the singer and inspired by her character. But Gaga has also made clear that her next studio album is still on the horizon.

"Joker: Folie à Deux" is due in US theaters on October 4, 2024

NEW SOUNDS

FKA TWIGS

After some acting gigs ("Honey Boy", "The Crow") and a mixtape, "Caprisongs" two years ago following her signing with a new label, Atlantic Records, FKA Twigs is back with some fresh music. "Eusexua" is the first single and the title track of the genre-bending, alterative British artist's upcoming third album due out in January. Twigs (born Tahliah Barnett) states that Eusexua is "a state of being and the pinnacle of human experience". This unusually structured song begins with propulsive techno throbs before downshifting in the middle then picking the beat back up slightly to slow down again to the conclusion. The dance-driven music video for "Eusexua" features vivid imagery set in a corporate world where the workers strip away from conformity and liberating themselves of their clothing.



NELLY FURTADO

The Canadian-Portuguese artist, Nelly Furtado has just released "7" which is her seventh studio album and her first in seven years. Over the last four years, Furtado, who had recently been diagnosed with ADHD, wrote over four hundred songs yet managed to whittle them down to the fourteen tracks on the album. "7" continues the now forty-five year old singer's foray into soulful dance music and features contributions from a collection of international artists that includes Swedish performer, Tove Lo; Colombian electro-band, Bomba Estéreo; South African rapper, Blxckie and fellow Canadian musician, Charlotte Day Wilson.





KATY PERRY

Katy Perry announced in February that she was leaving the judging panel of "American Idol" after seven seasons to be able to focus back on her own music career. Now her seventh album, "143" is out and the reception has been lukewarm at best. Much of the critical reactions has been that the record feels outdated and Perry is not moving forward creatively. And while I tend to agree with this assessment of much of the collection, there are still songs that I really like from the album. I actually enjoy the last two singles that were released to date: the dance track, "Lifetimes" and the hip-hop flavored, "I'm His, He's Mine" that features Doechii.

FRANKIE BEVERLY (1946 - 2024)

Frankie Beverly, the smooth lead vocalist and songwriter who found fame with his r&b band, Maze, passed away on September 10th. The charismatic Philly native, with no cause of death revealed to date, was seventy-seven years old. Earlier this year, Beverly had stated he was planning to retire from music and had just concluded his last tour with Maze in July which they performed a final concert in his hometown of Philadelphia.

Born Howard Beverly, his passion for music was first sparked in the church as a young boy singing in the choir. As a teenager, he joined several groups where they performed doo-wop and soul music. He changed his professional name to "Frankie Beverly" in honor of early doo-wop vocalist, Frankie Lymon. The Butlers, a group Beverly was a member, recorded "If That's What You Wanted" in 1967 which caught the attention of local Philly producer Kenny Gamble. He recorded new material with the group and they toured extensively before deciding to relocate to San Francisco. The Butlers became "Raw Soul" and signed to a local label. Although they didn't achieve much commercial success, Raw Soul did get noticed by Marvin Gaye who hired them to be his opening act on tour in 1976. And it was Gaye who suggested they change their band's name to "Maze"

After signing with Capitol Records, they released their debut album, "Maze featuring Frankie Beverly" in 1977. This record would help the band begin to have a very loyal fan base and earn them their first gold record. Maze and Beverly would record six more successful albums on the label with the songs, "Workin' Together", "Southern Girl", "Feel That You're Feelin'", "Running Away" and "Love Is the Key" reaching the top ten on the US r&b singles chart. "Back in Stride", from their 1985 album, "Can't Stop the Love". would become Maze featuring Frankie Beverly's first number one song on the r&b chart. They went on to sign with Warner Bros. Records in 1989 where Maze released their final two albums together which included their other chart-topping single, "Can't Get Over You".

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Bryan Ferry, the front man of the glam rock outfit, Roxy Music, is still creating music more than fifty years after forming the group, which disbanded in 1983. The now seventy-eight year old musician has announced a career-spanning music collection appropriately entitled, "Retrospective: Selected Recordings" that will feature eighty-one tracks from his solo career and due out in October. Ferry has also released a new song, his first in ten years, and teamed up with Trent Rezner and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails to help create the track. "Star" features vocals by artist, Amelia Barratt and offers a different sonic approach than what we usually hear from the mod rocker with edgy, techno beats. Ferry has promised this is just the beginning with more original music on the way.



Here are a few songs that I am enjoying at the moment: "Taste", the latest from the new pop sensation, Sabrina Carpenter who has just released her sixth studio album, "Short N' Sweet" with the music video for the song inspired by the 1992 dark comedy, "Death Becomes Her" and features actress, Jenna Ortega; Megan Thee Stallion's "Mamushi" is a bilingual hip-hop track that features Japanese rapper, Yuki Chiba; rising dance-soul artist, Jae Stephens has a new song, "Body Favors"; Another remix from Charli XCX from her "Brat" album with "Guess" that has Billie Eilish on board; and the American DJ, the Blessed Madonna has teamed-up with the Australian dance queen, Kylie Minogue for a throbbing new party song, "Edge of Saturday Night".

And I will close by paying tribute to two artists who have recently passed away: Greg Kihn, the rocker who found fame in the 80's with the hit songs, "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)" and "Jeopardy", died on August 13th at the age of seventy-five. Born in Baltimore, Kihn had a dream of becoming a professional musician after seeing the Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show" as a teenager. After spending time learning to write songs and playing guitar with several bands in local bars, Kihn made the move to California to try his luck, landing in Berkeley. In 1976, Kihn was signed to a local record label, Beserkley and recorded three albums that didn't generate much attention.

Four years later, he formed a group called, the Greg Kihn Band but they still struggled to breakthrough. But it was with the 1981 album, "Rockihnroll" and the single, "The Breakup Song" that brought Kihn his first taste of pop music success with the song reaching number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Two years later, Kihn had an even bigger hit with "Jeopardy" which made it to number two on the US pop chart. That would pretty much be the end of Kihn's charting success but he would continue to make music over the following years. He also became a Bay Area morning radio DJ for a classic rock radio station in 1996, holding the job for fifteen years, and went on to write four novels.

Maurice Williams, with his band, The Zodiacs, was the the writer and lead vocalist behind the r&b classic, "Stay". He died on August 5th at the age of eighty-six. Music had been an important part of his life since he was a child through his church where his family members performed. As a teen, he formed a gospel group called Junior Harmonizers. But doo-wop soon captured his attention and the group became the Royal Charms. The band went through several other name changes before settling on "the Zodiacs", taking the name from a short-lived British car.

In 1959, Williams and the Zodiacs recorded several demos in search of a breakthrough and the final song they did was "Stay", written years before by Williams. The song became a smash hit and is the shortest to reach the top spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 at one minute and thirty-six seconds. There were several covers of "Stay" including Jackson Browne's popular live version in 1978. This song would achieve even greater success as being a part of the soundtrack to the 1987 movie, "Dirty Dancing". Williams would continue to record and tour up until his death.