RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

I am feeling some comfort in the synthpop sounds from the 1980's right now and here are a few of my favorites that take me back to the seemingly simplier, calmer days of my youth:

With marital woes, financial problems, personal health issues and a popular reality show involving her family drama, Toni Braxton has had many distractions over the years that has prevented her from creating the smooth r&b that first brought her fame and acclaim. In 2018, the singer finally returned to music with "Sex & Cigarettes" (her first in eight years) and the album received a rapturous response which was in part due to the hit single, "Long As I Live". The song reached number one on the US Adult R&B Songs chart and earned Braxton three Grammy Award nominations including Best R&B Album. Now the fifty-two year old vocalist is back with an upcoming album and a second single is now out, simply called "Dance". The track (set to a disco beat) is another classic Braxton staple about catching a cheating partner but instead of being upset, will simply dance her troubles away. The music video has Braxton impressively keeping up with her back-up dancers and there is even a remix of "Dance" from Dave Audé that pushes the throbbing beat even further. Braxton's tenth studio album, "Spell My Name"  is due out at the end of the month.

And here are a couple of recent songs from two artists I enjoy who also happen to bring an openly queer perspective to their music; Orville Peck, the mysterious country artist does a twangy cover of Bronski Beat's 1984 gay anthem, "Smalltown Boy" that retains the original's moving power. The British nu-disco performer who goes by the inventive moniker, Bright Light, Bright Light (real name, Rod Thomas) has the song, "I Used To Be Cool" with the video offering a decidedly different take on summer romance.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

The previously announced charity single which teams Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber together in song has finally been released. As a thank-you to all of the healthcare workers, paramedics, police officers and firefighters serving on the front lines during this global pandemic, "Stuck With U" was created. The video for this romantic ballad features plenty of homemade clips submitted by fans and celebrity figures as well as footage from Bieber with the wife, Hailey Baldwin and Grande with her current flame, Dalton Gomez near the end. The proceeds from the purchase or stream of "Stuck With U" will go towards the First Responder's Children’s Foundation and at least $0.80 is going directly to the fund to help with grants and scholarships for children of these essential workers.



Here are a few new songs out now that I like and would like to share:

ZZ Top, the Southern rock band from Houston, TX, reached the height of their fame during the 1980's after changing their image and musical direction from their early beginnings in the '70's. After many successful years of extensive touring yet feeling creatively drained, the band (made up of founder, Billy Gibbons on lead vocals and guitar, Dusty Hill on bass and Frank Beard on drums) decided to introduce synthesizers and elements of Nu-Wave music that was popular at the time in to their blues rock sound. With their eighth studio album, "Eliminator" in 1983, ZZ Top crossed over to the pop-charts with the help of the singles, "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man", "TV Dinners" and "Legs" to find international success. And the music videos for these songs certainly added to the band's appeal which where released during the reign of MTV. These fun, story-driven clips featured fast cars, sexy girls and spinning furry guitars which perfectly represent the 1980's in all of it's delightfully gaudy, neon-colored glory. Here are a couple of ZZ Top's most popular songs to relive this moment in pop history: