RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

For his first solo work in six years, Justin Timberlake has returned with "Selfish". This song, with production by Cirkut, Louis Bell and Timberlake, is a beat-heavy ballad that has him explaining his obsession with this woman he's interested in and if that makes him selfish, he just can't help it. I'm not sure about the message this is sending, especially in today's climate but perhaps this will be overlooked. This is the first release from his forthcoming sixth studio album, "Everything I Thought It Was" due out in March. Timberlake is in full promo mode, appearing last weekend as the musical guest on "SNL" (and debuting another song, "Sanctified"), hitting the talks shows, performing an intimate show at Irving Plaza in New York City on January 31st (which is also his 43rd birthday) before launching a world tour in April.



But fans of Britney Spears seemed to have wanted to have the last word on Timberlake's new song after the singer's revelations about her former boyfriend in her recent memoir. I still don't understand how they did this but the Britney stans managed to have a song also titled "Selfish" from Spears' 2011 album, "Femme Fatale" climb up and eventually reach number one on the US iTunes chart, knocking Timberlake off that spot. It's all silly and petty yet impressive work.

When I heard that actress Kate Hudson was dropping a new pop music single, I admit I was extremely skeptical of the outcome. I knew she could carry a tune after seeing her enjoyable performance in the 2009 filmed version of the Broadway musical, "Nine" yet it still remained questionable to me that the nepo baby of Goldie Hawn was an actual singer. However, after hearing "Talk About Love", I will now admit I was wrong. This pop-rock song, co-written by Hudson, her boyfriend, Daniel Fujikawa and musician/producer, Linda Perry, is pretty good, polished and catchy in a way that's very appealing with Hudson delivering a great vocal. The Oscar-nominated performer plans to release an entire album sometime in the near future and I am now curious to hear more.

I really don't understand the point of this Nicki Minaj/Megan Thee Stallion feud going on but here is the latest song from Megan Thee Stallion, "Hiss" which is delivering all she needs to say at this moment:

Finally, I would like to pay tribute to two gifted musicians we recently lost. The voice behind the Ashford & Simpson penned ode to the Golden State, "California Soul", Marlena Shaw has passed away on January 19th at the age of eighty-one. The New York artist (born Marlina Burgess) began her interest in music as a child through her uncle, Jimmy Burgess, a jazz trumpeter. Helping her develop skills as a vocalist, Marlina would sing with her uncle's band at the Apollo Theater at the age of ten.

Changing her stage name to "Marlena Shaw", she would continue to pursue a career as a singer, performing with several jazz bands before an opportunity came her way during a gig at the Playboy Club in Chicago. Representatives from Chess Records were in the audience and offered her a recording contract. Shaw made two albums for the label with "California Soul" appearing on her second release, "The Spice of Life" in 1969. And while she was not the first or the only artist to cover the song, Shaw's version was the one that made "California Soul" memorable. The track would go on to become popular in the British rare groove music scene, become heavily sampled by hip-hop musicians and used frequently for television commercials. Shaw recorded sixteen albums over the course of her career, largely jazz music but a few that combined blues, soul and some disco.

Melanie, who reached the top of the US pop chart with her composition, "Brand New Key", passed away on January 23rd. The New York singer/ songwriter, born Melanie Safka, was seventy-six with no cause of death revealed to date. She began as part of the counterculture, folk music scene in the village and managed to get signed with Columbia Records. Melanie recorded a couple of singles for them that didn't get much attention and moved on to a lower-profile label, Buddah Records. Two of her songs, "Bobo's Party" and "Beautiful People", became hits in Europe and this helped get Melanie an invite to perform at the 1969 Woodstock music festival, one of only three solo female musicians to perform there. The experience at the fest inspired Melanie to write the song, "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" which features the gospel group, the Edwin Hawkins Singers on backing vocals. This song became a hit in Europe and the US where it reached the top ten on the pop chart in 1970.

Frustrated by her label's controlling demand for new music on their timetable, Melanie, with her producer husband, Peter Schekeryk, formed their own indie label, Neighborhood Records. From her fifth album, "Gather Me" in 1971, "Brand New Key" became the biggest hit of her career, charting across the globe. While not reaching these heights again, Melanie continued to record (releasing twenty-six albums) and tour extensively. She married Schekeryk in 1968 and were together until his passing in 2010. The couple had three children; daughters, Leilah and Jeordie and son, Beau who are all working musicians.