RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Céline Dion's inability to sing properly due to a rare neurological disorder is absolutely one of the great tragedies for pop music. A fascinating yet heartbreaking new documentary (now streaming on Amazon Prime), "I Am: Celine Dion" from filmmaker Irene Taylor has Dion going into great detail about this secret she had kept from the public and her fans for many years. The film not only looks back on her illustrious career but Dion allows the camera to capture her struggles with this illness and her valiant attempt to rehabilitate enough to possibly make a triumphant return to the stage 

The film is broken down into sections: from explaining what her body goes through with Stiff Person Syndrome; her loving yet challenging childhood of being one of fourteen children; having her three sons with the love of her life, René Angélil who began as her manager then her husband before passing away in 2016 and the harrowing moment when Dion goes through a severe seizure. Open, vulnerable and very charming, Dion holds nothing back, revealing herself to be a determined, fierce fighter. There is a soundtrack for the film which highlights her career in song and six music scores by Redi and Ekland Hasa. A new remix of the ballad, "Love Again" also appears on the record which was the title track from the romantic-comedy released last year where Dion made her acting debut playing a heightened version of herself.

Here is a round-up of some new music that has caught my attention: "Aright", the new single from Victoria Monét's debut album, "Jaguar II" with a music video that shows off her incredible dance moves while paying a little visual tribute to Janet Jackson; Mette, a rising actor, dancer and musician, has released a dance-pop single, "Bet"; Another actor/musician is Moses Sumney who has dropped his latest project, an alt-r&b track, "Vintage"; the second album from Omar Apollo, "God Said No" is out now with an interesting video for the recent single, "Done With You" and Bronze Avery has a sexy new video out for his perfect summer song, "Heatwave":











Ariana Grande has a single called, "The Boy is Mine" off her album, "Eternal Sunshine". That title brings to mind to some people the classic '90's r&b duet that featured Brandy and Monica. Grande was very aware of that and cleverly had these two make a brief appearance in the music video for her song. And she has gone one step further by having Brandy and Monica performing on the remix of "The Boy is Mine". Also let's take a look back at "The Boy Is Mine" with Brandy and Monica from 1998:

Françoise Hardy, the French chanteuse and style icon, passed away on June 11th at the age of eighty. Hardy came to fame as a singer of the yé-yé musical wave that emerged in the 1960's. She didn't have a major impact here in America but in France, Hardy was an important and influential figure in pop music and fashion. She recorded over thirty albums during her career, singing not only in her native French but also in English, Italian and German. One of her most popular songs was "Comment te dire adieu (How To Say Goddbye To You)" which was released in 1968. Originally recorded by Margaret Whiting in English two years earlier as "It Hurts To Say Goodbye", Hardy heard an instrumental version of the song and had Serge Gainsbourg write French lyrics. Hardy made a few films, usually playing a singer, which includes cameos in the comedy, "What's New, Pussycat?", Jean-Luc Godard's "Masculin Féminin" and the Hollywood racing drama, "Grand Prix".

NEW SOUNDS

CELINE DION

The grande dame of pop music, Celine Dion, after recently ending her second Las Vegas residency, has quickly decided to get back on the road to see the world instead of the world coming to her. She is preparing to tour in support of her latest album, "Courage" which is her first English language release in seven years and the first without the guidance of her husband and manager, René Angélil who passed away in 2016 after a lengthy battle with cancer. It is not surprising that many of the songs from the album focus on finding strength during difficult challenges and tragic loss. And while she has enlisted the aid of several contemporary musicians, songwriters and producers (which includes Sia, Greg Kurstin, Skylar Grey, StarGate, David Guetta, Eg White and Sam Smith) to help work on the album, Dion has wisely not strayed too far from the sound that has made her career. Be sure to catch Dion on her first world tour (which began in September) in a decade. Here are two of the singles from the album, "Imperfections" and the title track which seems to be the song which deals the most directly with her personal loss:




KESHA

After having her career sidelined due to a long legal battle with her former producer, Dr. Luke over emotional and sexual abuse since 2014, Kesha was finally able to return to music with an album, "Rainbow" in 2017. The record revealed a more serious side to the wild party girl persona and brought her new-found respect and acclaim including her first Grammy nominations. Now the thirty-two year old singer has returned with some more music and it seems like she's ready to get back to having some crazy fun. The first single from Kesha's fourth studio album, "High Road" (due in January) is "Raising Hell" and features the Queen of Bounce, Big Freedia to provide her trademark rap. With a gospel influence thrown in with her familiar pop-EDM sound, Kesha seems to have embraced her past while moving forward musically to create a whole new sound. Here is the music video for "Raising Hell" which plays up the gospel theme with Kesha appearing as a beloved televangelist. But the clip turns dark when her husband is abusive and she decides to bring an end to the abuse permanently. Also listen to the follow-up single, "My Own Dance" where she celebrates her freaky nature:





And we wrap up with a surprising new song from Sam Smith. The performer, who has struggled with gender all of his life, recently has come out as non-binary. Smith has been working on material for their upcoming third album but have been dropping new singles in the meantime. The latest is a cover of the classic Donna Summer anthem, "I Feel Love" and this version pushes their voice to the test. It's certainly not ground breaking or really necessary but it's fun:

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Sugababes have had six number one singles, eighteen top-ten hits and have sold over seven million records. I'm sure many of you that are American might be asking, "Who are Sugababes?" Well, they were a very popular British female pop act formed in 1998 who not only had this incredible success in their native country but also throughout much of the rest of the world with the notable exception of the U.S. where they never charted. There have been singers that have come and gone in this trio but the most popular line-up included Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Heidi Range. With all of the founding members gone by 2011, Sugababes eventually faded away and ended. For American ears, enjoy a brief sample of the best of Sugababes:







Here are a few new songs I'm enjoying right now:









If this new song by Céline Dion called "Ashes" makes you think of her classic love ballad from the movie, "Titanic", well, it's actually intentional. David Leitch, the director of the upcoming sequel to the smash, comedic super-hero movie, "Deadpool", explains that they wanted a highly melodramatic song for the film and approached the singer to perform the track. And she delivers some remarkably beautiful vocals, taking this ballad to incredible heights. It will be interesting to see how this will be used in the movie but I'm sure it will be both moving and hilarious. Leitch also directed the music video which features an interpretive dancing Deadpool. Be sure to check out the very funny ending of this clip:

Finally, one band from the past I've been thinking about recently are Fine Young Cannibals, a British group, lead by the distinctive vocals of Roland Gift, who had worldwide success throughout much of the '80's and had such hits as "She Drives Me Crazy" and "Good Thing" which both reached the top of the U.S. pop chart. Taking their name from a little-seen 1960 Natalie Wood movie, bassist, David Steele and guitarist, Andy Cox had left the ska band, The Beat (The English Beat in the U.S.) and came together with Gift who had departed his ska outfit, Akrlykz in 1984.  The trio released their self-titled debut the following year and found international success with the singles, "Johnny Come Home" and a cover of Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds" . The glaring exception was in America where the group only achieved a cult following. But that all changed with their next album. "The Raw and Cooked" that brought Fine Young Cannibals to everyone's attention in 1989 and the album went on to sell over three million copies worldwide. But by 1992, the group had disbanded and each moved on to other less high-profile musical directions. Let's take a look back to the sounds of Fine Young Cannibals:

IT TAKES TWO, TOO

Here is another collection of some of my favorite songs featuring collaborations between two great musical artists:

"Almost Paradise (Love Theme from "Footloose")" - Ann Wilson & Mike Reno (1984) mp3

"Easy Lover" -  Phil Collins & Philip Bailey (1984) mp3

"If This World Were Mine" - Cheryl Lynn & Luther Vandross (1982) mp3

"How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye" - Dionne Warwick & Luther Vandross (1983) mp3

"Endless Love" Mariah Carey & Luther Vandross (1994) mp3

"The Closer I Get To You" - Beyoncé & Luther Vandross (2003) mp3

"You & I" - Crystal Gayle & Eddie Rabbitt (1982) mp3

"Let It Be Me" - Jerry Butler & Betty Everett (1964) mp3

"I'm Your Angel" - Céline Dion & R. Kelly (1998) mp3

"Tramp" - Otis Redding & Carla Thomas (1967) mp3

NEW SOUNDS

Although it wasn't really planned (I swear!) but this one is all about the ladies. I offer a few samples from an eclectic mix of female musicians who will warm up the upcoming chilly season with some exciting new music:

Tamar Braxton - "The One" (2013)

Yuna - "Falling" (2013)

Amel Larrieux - "Afraid" (2013)


Celine Dion has returned to recorded music with a new song, "Loved Me Back To Life". It's been six years since her last English-language album and this will also be the title of the forthcoming release due in November. This tune feels very contemporary and fits perfectly in the current pop landscape :

"Loved Me Back To Life" - Celine Dion (2013)

"Wild" - Jessie J (2013)

"Strange Warnings" - Rose Elinor Dougall (2013)

Here is a remix by Chromeo & Oliver of one of my all-time favorite songs by Donna Summer. "Love Is In Control" has been worked over and given a modern spin while maintaining the spirit of the original (which is what all good remixes should do). There has even been a new music video made which incorporates clips of the video created for the original version featuring the Queen of Disco, which I had never seen before:



Cher's comeback single, "Woman's World" now has a music video. While I'm still not much of a fan of the tune but I am really digging this vid which is wild, wacky and typically Cher. This ageless performer has shown these younger girls (Hello, Miley) how to be outrageous and a little out there without having to try so hard:

THE FIRST TIME: PART SIX

CELINE DION -"UNISON" (1990)

Celine Dion was born in 1968 in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada. She was the youngest of fourteen children and while the family was poor, it was happy home filled with song. The children would sing regularly in their family's piano bar. At a very young age, Celine knew there was only one thing she wanted to do: become a performer.

When she was twelve, Celine composed a song with her mother and her brother. She recorded it and her brother got it in to the hands of record producer, Rene Angelil. He was moved to tears by the sound of her voice and decided at that moment to make her a star.

Mr. Angelil mortgaged his home to help pay for the recording of Celine's first record, "Le Vox Du Bon Dieu (The Voice of the Good God)". It became a number one hit in Quebec and helped make her a local star. She went on to make fourteen French-language albums and her fame spread across the rest of the world. After seeing Michael Jackson perform in 1988, Celine told Rene that she wanted to achieve his kind of success. Mr. Angelil knew that in order for that to happen, changes needed to be made so he gave the young Celine an image makeover and English lessons.

Two years later, Celine completed her first English-language album, "Unison". There were two singles released, which didn't go anywhere before the third song, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now?" was the breakthrough and managed to reach number four on the American pop charts.The album sold over three million worldwide.

Celine Dion soon did actually become an international music sensation, selling over two hundred million records across the globe. In 2002, she staged a very successful stage show at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas that ran for five years and accumulating a total gross of $400 million dollars.

Celine and her manager, Rene Angelil fell in love and despite a twenty-six year age difference, married in 1994. They have a son, Rene-Charles who is nine and she currently pregnant and due to deliver twins this November.

This song was her first U.S. hit single:

Where Does My Heart Beat Now - Celine Dion 


DEPECHE MODE - "SPEAK AND SPELL" (1981)

This English electronic band was formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex and originally consisted of keyboardist, Andrew Flecher, Martin Gore on keyboards, vocals and guitar, Vince Clark on keyboards and main songwriter and Dave Gahan on lead vocals. They had all played in a variety of different bands as teenagers before coming together. The band's name, Depeche Mode came from a French fashion magazine and translates to: "hurried fashion".

While playing at a gig, the band was approached by Daniel Miller, a musician who was interested in having them record a single for his new music label, Mute. The song they would record, "Dreaming Of Me (2006 Remaster)" became a modest hit, reaching number 57 on the UK charts in 1981. This led to another single, "New Life" which went up to number 11 on the charts.

The next single, "Just Can't Get Enough" was the band's breakthrough. The song went top ten in the UK and was a hit in Australia, Sweden and the U.S. Depeche Mode made their first music video for this song and released their first album,"Speak & Spell [digital version]" shortly after.

While touring to promote the album, Vince Clark became unhappy with the direction the band was heading in and decided to leave Depeche Mode. He would later team up with singer, Alison Moyet and form the band, Yazoo (Yaz in the U.S.), then leave that band and create Erasure with vocalist, Andy Bell.

Alan Wilder joined the band in 1982 as a replacement keyboardist and Martin Gore became the songwriter for the group.

Despite Mr. Clark's departure, Depeche Mode managed to continue making hit recordings and became one of the most successful electronic bands in history. Wilder left the band in 1995 and Depeche Mode have continued as a trio.

Depeche Mode have completed twelve albums to date with "Sounds Of The Universe" being released last year. The band has sold over one hundred million records.

This was their first hit chart topper:

Just Can't Get Enough - Depeche Mode 


RICK JAMES - "COME GET IT!" (1978)

He was born James Johnson, Jr. in Buffalo, New York in 1948. He was one of eight children and his abusive father would later abandon the family when James was seven. His mother did the best she could but as a teenager, James would cut classes and got involved in petty crimes. James soon dropped out of school before he was sixteen and joined the US Naval Reserve to avoid the draft.

James went AWOL from the Naval Reserve in 1964 because it was interfering with his music ambitions. He went to Toronto, Canada, joined the band, the Mynah Birds and stated calling himself, "Big Jimmy". The band went through a few personnel changes and would later audition for Motown records. Motown was interested and the Mynah Birds (that now included future rock legend, Neil Young) began recording an album but their manager stole the band's advance money. The group fired their manager and he went and reported James to the US Naval Reserve. The album was never completed.

After serving some time in the brig, James returned to Motown in 1968, under an assumed name as a songwriter and producer. Later that year, he moved to Los Angeles where he either formed or joined a variety of different bands. He did a few recordings with some of these groups but not much came from any of them.

In 1977, James returned to Motown and worked with the groups, Hot Lips and the Stone City Band. Finally in 1978, he released his first solo album as "Rick James" with, "Come Get It" that included the Stone City Band for the Motown-Gordy label. It features the smash singles, "You And I" that hit number one on the R&B chart as well as number thirteen on the pop charts and "Mary Jane", the thinly veiled homage to his love of marijuana that went to number five on the R&B charts.

Rick James would continue with a string of hit songs over the years that include his signature 1981 classic, "Super Freak" that would be heavily sampled by others artists with the most famous being MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" in 1990.

He would also be involved with discovering R&B singer, Teena Marie, creating the group, the Mary Jane Girls, producing an album for comedian, Eddie Murphy and working with Motown legends, the Temptations and Smokey Robinson.

Rick James's music career soon came apart by several bizarre incidents, that were most likely the result of his severe drug abuse issues that include an assault on a record producer and in 1993, holding a young girl hostage for six days with his then wife which led to him serving two years in prison for the crime.

In 1997, Rick James attempted a comeback but he would suffer a mild stroke while performing in Colorado. He would continue to try and revive his career during the following few years but on August 6, 2004, he was found dead due to a heart attack.

Rick James released twelve albums during his career and sold a total of ten million copies.

This is the song that Rick James finally hit the charts with:

You And I - Rick James