RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

With her ninth studio album, "Visions", Norah Jones dives deeper into the soulful side of her music. Teaming with Leon Michels, a musician and producer who played with several soul bands that includes being a founding member of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings as well as touring with the alt-rock band, the Black Keys, Jones, now a forty-four year old wife to musician, Pete Remm and mother to their two children, has gotten looser and funkier with her sound. Yet fear not, long time jazz era fans of Jones, there are still elements of her smooth musical style on this record that first brought her fame twenty-two years ago.





Some new music I'm feeling right now is the latest single from Tyla with the South African singer's self titled debut has also just been released; the Irish rocker, Hoizer has dropped an EP with a track enjoying Tik Tok popularity; another single from Colombian performer, Shakira has her teaming up with hip-hop artist, Cardi B.; the new single by the reunited '90's boy-band, New Kids on the Block who are now middle-aged men and Lorde's contribution for a tribute album to Talking Heads which celebrates the re-release of the band's amazing 1984 feature film, "Stop Making Sense" which will be released through the movie studio, A24's music label.

Kim Gordon first found success as one of the founding members of the influential alternative rock band, Sonic Youth. After spending thirty years with this experimental band, Gordon parted ways not only with this musical group but with her husband and fellow band member, Thurston Moore in 2011. She has since spent her time creating art, working on a fashion line, doing a little acting and producing for other musical artists.

Gordon had little interest in recording as a solo artist yet when she met producer, Justin Raisen in 2015, he convinced her to forge ahead. Their first project together was "No Home Record" four years later which was well received. This musical duo set about working together again and their latest collaboration has been released. "The Collective", with the title inspired by Jennifer Egan's novel, "The Candy House", is vigorous blending of thrashing guitars and hip-hop beats. The Tik Tok generation has embraced the seventy year old Gordon and a track from the album, "Bye Bye", which describes a list of items she will pack for a trip enhanced by pulsating, noisy beats.

NEW SOUNDS

ANITTA

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.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Normani is back with some new music and she's got Cardi B along for the ride. "Wild Side" is a smooth r&b ballad, backed-up by a sample of the classic 1996 song, "One in a Million" by the legendary Aailyah, that gives off a 90's trip-hop vibe yet still feels very modern. The song is enhanced further by an astonishing music video. With an incredible array of sexy outfits, stunning wild imagery throughout the clip and slick, sensuous choreography by Sean Bankhead, the former Fifth Harmony member finally has the perfect showcase to display her bountiful skills as a musician and performer, certainly helping to enable the artist reach a new level of success.



Speaking of the 1990's, enjoy a sampling of a few hits by r&b girl groups from the era:







Here is a random collection of recent songs and videos I'm digging right now:









And we have Lil Nas X back with his latest song, "Industry Baby". Despite the controversy involving the video for "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" and the promotional "Satan Shoes", Nas is not backing down and pushes the envelope even further with the video for this song. It is set in a men's prison with Nas being sentenced for being gay. What we get is a very queer version of "The Shawshank Redemption" including a semi-censored naked shower dancing scene (which is choreographed by Sean Bankhead) and a guest rap verse by Jack Harlow:

THE SONGS AND SINGERS THAT GOT US THROUGH A YEAR OF ISOLATION

I know I don't need to remind anyone about the challenges we faced as a society last year but thankfully we had plenty of distractions to help get us through that incredibly difficult time. One preoccupation was with music. In the New York Times Magazine's annual Music Issue, they have selected nineteen songs that made a big impact on listeners in 2020. What is explored is not only how the pandemic has affected our relationship to music but how these songs stimulated us, helping to actually bring us closer together while separated.

Click below to read the article:

19 Songs That Matter Right Now

THE 63RD ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

As the latest award show that has attempted to present their regularly scheduled program during the age of the pandemic, The 63rd annual Grammy Awards has come closest to date on delivering an entertaining celebration. It seems clear that the Recording Academy had been paying attention to what other awards had done (following with deeply declining ratings) and decided to step it up. Instead of being inside of their usual location at Downtown LA's, Staples Center, the awards were given out outside across the street from the venue. There were socially-distant tables set up were nominees sat, awaiting to hear the winner of each category. Trevor Noah was serving as host for the first time and while many of his jokes fluttered away in the open air, he was highly enthusiastic, bringing a good energy to the proceedings.

The show was done with a mix of live and pre-recorded performances with several special stages built in a circle for the in-person acts, allowing for a minimal crew and less risk of close contact. And with eighteen performances (and an "In Memoriam" presentation) over three hours, there was plenty of music. To be expected, the pre-recorded spots tended to be wildly over-the-top yet the live show's relatively low-key approach to simply having the performers just coming out and sing was surprisingly refreshing.

I'm going to mention just a few of my favorites of the night; I loved the opening of the show where we moved from Harry Styles, the sister trio, Haim, another family act, Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas and the psychedelic soul of Black Pumas, each performing solid versions of their nominated songs. I have to say I was surprisingly impressed by Styles, as I never gave the former boy-band member much thought, delivering a nice, laid-back version of "Watermelon Sugar" dressed like a classic rock god of the '70's, managing to pull off being shirtless under a leather jacket with a feathered boa wrapped around his neck. The '70's were also on the minds of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, together as Silk Sonic, as they gave us soul group chic with matching suits and slick choreography while performing their throwback slowjam "Leave the Door Open". The duo also came back to pay tribute to Little Richard doing respectable rock versions of "Long Tall Sally" and "Good Golly Miss Molly". Also during the tribute to some of the musicians we lost last year, Brittany Howard (accompanied by Coldplay's, Chris Martin who oddly only played piano) delivered an electrifyingly soulful version of the show-tune standard, "You'll Never Walk Alone" in honor of Gerard Marsden, the leader of the '60's rock band, Gerry and the Pacemakers. Lil Baby (with activist, Tamika Mallory and Killer Mike) appeared in a powerful and moving clip for his song, "The Bigger Picture" which showcased the ongoing issue of police brutality against African-Americans.

And there was Beyoncé, making an unexpected appearance while looking incredible in a black leather dress with whimsical gold fingernails on her gloves, as she was recognized as the artist with the most Grammy wins of any gender in history with twenty-eight trophies after receiving Best Music Video for "Brown Skin Girl" and Best Rap Performance for "Savage" with Megan Thee Stallion. And speaking of Megan, the winner of this year's Best New Artist was involved in probably the most mind-blowing performance of the night where she and Cardi B did their scandalous smash hit of last year, "WAP". Trust me, I'm no prude but the idea of doing this song on national television just wasn't appropriate. Since I'm sure many of you know what "WAP" is about, the song had to be heavily censored to the point that it didn't really make much sense, with the ladies spending most of the time on stage dancing than rapping. 

The 2021 Grammys were already mired in controversy long before a single award had been given out. Much like similar charges leveled at the Golden Globes, this was due to many musicians, particularly Black artists, criticizing the process of who receives nominations which are decided upon by secret committees. There have also been questions regarding gender and racial diversity in the award selections as well.

While I don't really believe the Recording Academy is inherently racist or sexist, I do think the voting bloc has remained woefully out of touch with what is considered excellence in contemporary music. I certainly wouldn't consider myself a big fan of The Weeknd but his music (which was highly successful last year) should have been recognized to some degree with at least a nomination or two. With ratings for this year's show slipping to an all-time low, I'm hoping that the Grammys will begin to address these issues, becoming far more transparent and make more of an effort of outreach to younger and diverse artists to become a part of the Academy.

Here is a partial list of winners from the 63rd annual Grammy Awards:

Album of the Year: "Folklore" - Taylor Swift
Record of the Year: "Everything I Wanted" - Billie Eilish
Song of the Year: "I Can’t Breathe" - Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)
Best New Artist: Megan Thee Stallion
Best Pop Vocal Album: "Future Nostalgia" - Dua Lipa
Best Pop Solo Performance: "Watermelon Sugar" - Harry Styles
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: "Rain on Me" - Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande
Best R&B Album: "Bigger Love" - John Legend
Best Progressive R&B Album: "It Is What It Is" - Thundercat
Best R&B Performance: "Black Parade" - Beyoncé
Best Traditional R&B Performance: "Anything for You" - Ledisi
Best R&B Song: "Better Than I Imagine" - Robert Glasper, Meshell Ndegeocello and Gabriella Wilson, songwriters (Robert Glasper featuring H.E.R. & Meshell Ndegeocello)
Best Rap Album: "King’s Disease" - Nas
Best Rap Performance: "Savage" - Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé
Best Rap Song: "Savage" - Beyoncé, Shawn Carter, Brittany Hazzard, Derrick Milano, Terius Nash, Megan Pete, Bobby Session Jr., Jordan Kyle Lanier Thorpe and Anthony White, songwriters (Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé)
Best Country Album: "Wildcard" - Miranda Lambert
Best Country Solo Performance: "When My Amy Prays" - Vince Gill
Best Country Duo/Group Performance: "10,000 Hours" - Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber
Best Country Song: "Crowded Table" - Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby and Lori McKenna, songwriters (The Highwomen)
Best Rock Album: "The New Abnormal" - The Strokes
Best Rock Performance: "Shameika" - Fiona Apple
Best Rock Song: "Stay High" - Brittany Howard, songwriter (Brittany Howard)
Best Alternative Music Album: "Fetch the Bolt Cutters" -Fiona Apple
Best American Roots Performance: "I Remember Everything" - John Prine
Best American Roots Song: "I Remember Everything" - Pat McLaughlin and John Prine, songwriters (John Prine)
Best Metal Performance: "Bum-Rush" - Body Count
Best Latin Pop or Urban Album: "YHLQMDLG" - Bad Bunny
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album: "La Conquista del Espacio" - Fito Paez
Best Song Written for Visual Media: "No Time to Die" from "No Time to Die" - Billie Eilish O'Connell and Finneas Baird O'Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media: "Jo Jo Rabbit"
Best Musical Theater Album: "Jagged Little Pill" - Kathryn Gallagher, Celia Rose Gooding, Lauren Patten and Elizabeth Stanley, principal soloists; Neal Avron, Pete Ganbarg, Tom Kitt, Michael Parker, Craig Rosen and Vivek J. Tiwary, producers (Glen Ballard and Alanis Morissette, lyricists) (Original Broadway Cast)
Best Spoken Word Album: "Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth" - Rachel Maddow
Best Comedy Album: "Black Mitzvah" - Tiffany Haddish
Producer of the Year (non-classical): Andrew Watt

CARDI B: UP

After teaming up with Megan Thee Stallion on "WAP", one of the biggest (and raunchiest) hits of last year, Cardi B has returned with more new music. "Up" finds the Bronx rapper returning back to the streets with a more gritty yet slick sound. 

It's been almost three years since Cardi released her debut album, "Invasion of Privacy" and has only made a few guest appearances on other musician's tracks since then. While this might be a preview of her follow-up album, she has made it clear that she's not rushing to release a new record until she's ready.

The video for "Up" (directed by Tanu Muino) is filled with the colorful, sexy looks, innovative dance moves and outrageous imagery that Cardi B loves.

NEW SOUNDS

Last year, Zedd had a big hit when he teamed-up with rising country star, Maren Morris on "The Middle". This infectious dance track became a worldwide smash and earned three Grammy Award nominations.  Now the DJ and producer has dropped a new single and joined forces with pop superstar, Katy Perry with "365".  While I don't think this song is nearly as catchy as Zedd's previous hit but it does grow on you after a few listens. The music video for "365" is clever mini movie. This impressive clip, directed by Warren Fu, features Perry as a humanoid robot and Zedd as a test subject to see how compatible they could be living together. While the robot falls in love with the human, he doesn't return those affections which leads to a tragic end.

The British songstress, Jessie Ware has been quiet for a while since the release of third album, "Glasshouse" back in 2017. But she dropped a single, "Overtime" late last year and Ms Ware has made 2019 much better with another new single. Released on Valentine's Day eve, "Adore You" is a sensual, groove-based love song which was co-written by Ware and Joe Mount of the English electro band, Metronomy who also produced the track. I'm loving this record and hoping this is going to finally lead to a new album. Here are both of Ms Ware's recent tracks for your enjoyment:





Bruno Mars invited hot new artist, Cardi B to spice up a remix of his single, "Finesse" and this collaboration produced one of the biggest singles of 2018. Now, this duo has wisely teamed-up again for a new song by Cardi B. "Please Me" is another old-school flavored jam that is drenched with sexual energy. Mars is along to provide the smooth hook where he begs for a taste of what Cardi has to offer. And the music video perfectly adds to the '90's bump-n-grind vibe.

2018 GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS

After being delayed a few days due to the funeral of former President, George H. W. Bush, the 2018 Grammy Award nominations have finally been unveiled and it appears that the Recording Academy seems to have caught up to the 21st century. The organization for years has tended to nominate critically-acclaimed, veteran artists who were long past their prime while pretty much ignoring exciting, contemporary musicians for top honors.

Kendrick Lamar, one of the most innovative and accomplished artists creating music today, leads with eight Grammy nominations for his curated soundtrack of what became the top-grossing movie of the year, "Black Panther". Drake, who has been very vocal about feeling that the Grammys have been long out-of-touch, follows with seven noms for his smash album, "Scorpion". And after female artists were barely recognized last year with Lorde as the only woman to receive an Album of The Year nomination, there are five in this category this time with hip-hop breakout, Cardi B (receiving five noms), alt-rocker, Brandi Carlile (with six nominations), country artist, Kacey Musgraves, r&b newcomer, H.E.R (who got five total nominations). and psychedelic soul performer, Janelle Monáe. Rapper, Post Malone and his popular album, "Beerbongs & Bentleys" rounds out the category.

Now if it seems like there are a lot more nominees this time, you are correct. In a call for diversity, the Academy decided to expand the four general fields of Album, Record, Song and Best New Artist of The Year from five to eight. I really don't understand the logic behind this move as there is still only going to be one winner and I think you can be diverse without crowding these categories. Besides, someone deserving is always going to be left out for recognition.

The 61st annual Grammy Awards will be presented on February 10th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Here is a partial list of the 2018 Grammy Award nominations. Please click below to see the complete list of the nominations:

Grammy.com

Album of the Year:

"Invasion Of Privacy" - Cardi B
"By the Way, I Forgive You" - Brandi Carlile
"Scorpion" - Drake
"H.E.R." - H.E.R.
"Beerbongs & Bentleys" - Post Malone
"Dirty Computer" - Janelle Monáe
"Golden Hour" - Kacey Musgraves
"Black Panther: The Album, Music From and Inspired By" - Various Artists

Record of the Year:

"I Like It" - Cardi B
"The Joke" - Brandi Carlile
"This Is America" - Childish Gambino
"God's Plan" - Drake
"Shallow" - Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
"All the Stars" - Kendrick Lamar & SZA
"Rockstar" - Post Malone Featuring 21 Savage
"The Middle" - Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey

Song of the Year:

"All the Stars" - Kendrick Duckworth, Solana Rowe, Al Shuckburgh, Mark Spears & Anthony Tiffith, songwriters - (Kendrick Lamar & SZA)
"Boo'd Up" - Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai & Dijon McFarlane, songwriters - (Ella Mai)
"God's Plan" - Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron LaTour, Matthew Samuels & Noah Shebib, songwriters - (Drake)
"In My Blood" - Teddy Geiger, Scott Harris, Shawn Mendes & Geoffrey Warburton, songwriters - (Shawn Mendes)
"The Joke" - Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters - (Brandi Carlile)
"The Middle" - Sarah Aarons, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Marcus Lomax, Kyle Trewartha, Michael Trewartha & Anton Zaslavski, songwriters - (Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey)
"Shallow" -Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters - (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper)
"This is America" -Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters - (Childish Gambino)

Best New Artist:

Chloe x Hale
Luke Combs
Greta van Fleet
H.E.R.
Dua Lipa
Margo Price
Bebe Rexha
Jorja Smith

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:

"Love Is Here To Stay" - Tony Bennett & Diana Krall
"My Way" - Willie Nelson
"Nat "King" Cole & Me" - Gregory Porter
"Standards" - Seal
"The Music...The Mem'ries...The Magic!" - Barbra Streisand

Best Pop Vocal Album:

"Camila" - Camila Cabello
"Meaning Of Life" - Kelly Clarkson
"Sweetner" - Ariana Grande
"Shawn Mendes" - Shawn Mendes
"Beautiful Trauma" - Pink
"Reputation" - Taylor Swift

Best Pop Solo Performance:

"Colors" - Beck
"Havana (Live)" - Camila Cabello
"God Is A Woman" - Ariana Grande
"Joanne (Where Do You Think You're Goin'?)" - Lady Gaga
"Better Now" - Post Malone

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

"Fall in Line" - Christina Aguilera Featuring Demi Lovato
"Don't Go Breaking My Heart" - Backstreet Boys
"'S Wonderful" - Tony Bennett & Diana Krall
"Shallow" - Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
"Girls Like You" - Maroon 5 Featuring Cardi B
"Say Something" - Justin Timberlake Featuring Chris Stapleton
"The Middle" - Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey

Best Rock Album:

"Rainer Fog" - Alice In Chains
"Mania" Fall Out Boy
"Prequelle" - Ghost
"From the Fires" - Greta Van Fleet
"Pacific Daydream" - Weezer

Best Alternative Music Album:

"Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino" - Arctic Monkeys
"Colors" - Beck
"Utopia" - Bjork
"American Utopia" - David Byrne
"Masseduction" - St. Vincent

Best Urban Contemporary Album:

"Everything Is Love" - The Carters
"The Kids Are Alright" - Chloe x Halle
"Chris Dave And The Drumhedz" - Chris Dave And The Drumhedz
"War & Leisure" - Miguel
"Ventriloquism" - Meshell Ndegeocello

Best R&B Album:

"Sex & Cigarettes" - Toni Braxton
"Good Thing" - Leon Bridges
"Honestly" - Lalah Hathaway
"H.E.R." - H.E.R.
"Gumbo Unplugged (Live)" - PJ Morton

Best Rap Album:

"Invasion of Privacy" - Cardi B
"Swimming" - Mac Miller
"Victory Lap" - Nipsey Hussle
"Daytona" - Pusha T
"Astroworld" - Travis Scott

Best Country Album:

"Unapologetically" - Kelsea Ballerini
"Port Saint Joe" - Brothers Osborne
"Girl Going Nowhere" - Ashley McBryde
"Golden Hour" - Kacey Musgraves
"From A Room: Volume 2" - Chris Stapleton

Best Dance/Electronic Album:

"Singularity" -Jon Hopkins
"Woman Worldwide" - Justice
"Treehouse" - Sofi Tukker
"Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides" - Sophie
"Lune Rouge" - TOKiMONSTA

Best Comedy Album:

"Annihilation" - Patton Oswalt
"Equanimity & The Bird Revelation" - Dave Chappelle
"Noble Ape" - Jim Gaffigan
"Standup For Drummers" - Fred Armisen
"Tamborine" - Chris Rock

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media:

"Call Me By Your Name"
"Deadpool 2"
"The Greatest Showman"
"Lady Bird"
"Stranger Things"

Producer of the Year - (Non-Classical):

Boi-1da
Larry Klein
Linda Perry
Kanye West
Pharrell Williams

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Calvin Harris is on fire this year and seems like he's unable to make a wrong move. After some great collaborations with Dua Lipa and Sam Smith, the DJ turned producer has just dropped two new tracks with former Fifth Harmony member, Normani. One is "Checklist" that features WizKid and has a dance hall beat while "Slow Down" is a mid-tempo dance floor banger. They are both great songs and will definitely help give Normani an even bigger profile after her top-ten hit duet with Khalid with "Love Lies":





Here is some Chaka Khan, past and present. First, we go back to 1986 with "Love of a Lifetime", a song written and produced for her by Scritti Politti, a hot British band at the time who was best known for the hit, "Perfect Way". This song was a not a big success but I loved it. In the music video, what I find notable is Chaka's neon-colored hair which was long before it became trendy like today. And we have a new song, "Keep Reachin'", a funky jam for the recent Netflix documentary on Quincy Jones. Mark Ronson produced the track and together with Chaka's soaring vocals, it features the spirit of the legendary music maker.





Here is the newest single, "Money" by the hottest artist in hip-hop/rap right now, Cardi B and a couple of music videos that I find interesting:







Finally, we close with that '80's boy band, Duran Duran, who managed to deliver plenty of style and substance. When this British band first began, they were much closer aligned musically with the new-wave/new romantic scene before the 1982 album "Rio" and the music video for their smash, "Hungry Like The Wolf" helped pushed them in to the mainstream. While I liked their more commercial sound, I really enjoyed their early records. Let's look back on two of my favorite Duran Duran songs, "Planet Earth" and "Girls On Film" from 1981 with both of the music videos featuring adventurous and sensual imagery that would became a staple of the MTV generation:

25 SONGS THAT TELL US WHERE MUSIC IS GOING

With each generation, pop music has reflected the mood, attitude and spirit of the times while in the process, provide the perfect soundtrack to their memories. For their annual music issue, New York Times magazine has once again selected 25 songs they think best tell us where music is heading. These songs represent topics and sounds that ideally express the current state of the world and perhaps, shaping what's to come. Some of these tunes come from well-established artists (Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift) and cult figures (Lana Del Rey, Tracey Thorn, Perfume Genius) but most are emerging musicians who have already sparked interest (Camila Cabello, SZA, Cardi B) and those who are sure to eventually do so (Young Fathers, Big Shaq, DJ Taye). Their songs cover subjects that are hardly new: love and loss; success and failure; feminism and femininity; addiction and recovery. But they communicate their ideas in a way that is darker, gaudier and just plain weirder then people may be used to hearing, making these tunes all the more thrilling.

Here are a few of my favorites from the songs selected but click below to read the article:

25 Songs That Tell Us Where Music Is Going

HOT AND FRESH OUT THE KITCHEN

One of the first big songs of the new year is a remix of "Finesse" by Bruno Mars. This single is off his 2016 album, "24K Magic" and has gotten a boost by one of the breakout stars of 2017, Cardi B who kicks off the track with her trademark sassy rap. The song pays homage to the new-jack sound of the late '80's and the music video gives props to the '90's comedy show "In Living Color", in particular to "the fly-girls", the young women who danced in between skits. People are responding well to this version of the song and has already reached the U.S. top-forty in it's first week on the charts.

For his latest single, "Family Feud", Jay-Z has called on some major talent to put together the music video. He has gotten Ava DuVernay to direct this clip and the musician co-wrote the story with her. It begins in the future of 2444 with a dramatic family feud ending in death before going back to 2050 with the U.S. now run by an all-female government who are in the process of rewriting the Constitution. We continue back until we reach our current year with Jay-Z walking his daughter, Blue Ivy through a church. The father/rapper begins the song which he confesses his infidelities and wants to keep his family together. His wife, Beyoncé appears on the track and in the video, dressed as some type of glamorous high priestess, listening patiently to what her husband has to say. And there are plenty of famous faces scattered throughout the video including Thandie Newton, Michael B. Jordan, Mindy Kaling, David Oyelowo, Niecy Nash, Trevante Rhodes, Constance Wu and Jessica Chastain.

MY FAVORITE MOMENTS IN MUSIC IN 2017

2017 has come to a close and it was another year of some great music. I've always shared the tunes that I've loved and enjoyed throughout the year but time didn't permit me to get to everything. So to end 2017 properly, here's a round-up of a few of my favorite songs and videos from the previous year I didn't get a chance to share:



"HUMBLE" - Kendrick Lamar (2017) mp3

"High" - Ledisi (2017) mp3

"Stay" - Zedd featuring Alessia Cara (2017) mp3

"Feel It Still" - Portugal. The Man (2017) mp3



"Shining" - DJ Khaled featuring Beyoncé and Jay Z (2017) mp3

"Sorry Not Sorry" - Demi Lovato (2017) mp3











"Now or Never" - Halsey (2017) mp3