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.

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.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM. . .

CHER

Leave it to the one and only Cher to make us realize that the world doesn't have a proper Christmas disco song. The legendary pop icon has released "DJ Play a Christmas Song" with this dance track just one of the songs from her very first holiday album, appropreiately titled, "Christmas". And just like she has done throughout her extraordinary career of seven decades, this collection features various genres of music she has dabbled in throughout her recording career. The album is a perfect mix of new songs and Christmas covers with special appearances by Michael Bublé, Tyga, Cyndi Lauper and Stevie Wonder who lend their support on several songs. And there is a cover of the Christmas classic, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" which is now a duet with the song's original singer, Darlene Love.  The two singers have known each other since the beginning of their professional careers when a teenage Cher performed backing vocals on Love's 1963 version.

BRANDY

Now signed to Motown Records, the gifted actor and singer, Brandy has released her very first Christmas album as her debut on the legendary music label. "Christmas With Brandy" is a perfect mix of original compositions (all co-wriiten by Brandy) and holiday classics, all done in her signature style of smooth, soulful vocals. Brandy is making this record a true family affair with the addition of her twenty-one year old daughter, Sy'Rai, a rising singer in her own right, who appears on the original track, "Christmas Gift" in a rousing duet. And be sure to check out Brandy as an actress in the Netflix holiday comedy, "Best. Christmas. Ever.", available to stream now.

RUPAUL

The legacy of RuPaul has grown considerable since his first album, "Super Model of the World" way back in 1993. From the groundbreaking reality competition television show, "RuPaul's Drag Race", expanding continuiously with international spin-offs to once the face of major cosmetics campaign to a co-host of a morning radio show to hosting a game show to receiving a Tony Award for "Best Musical" as a producer to writing an upcoming memoir, RuPaul has achieved many amazing accomplishments that some might have thought would be impossible for a drag queen. Now the new "Essential Christmas" is essentially a greatest hits from RuPaul's previous three holiday-themed albums. But there is one new song, "Baby Doll", another fun, beat-driven Christmas tune.



And finally, here is a brand-new music video of Brenda Lee's classic holiday tune, "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree". This lively clip features Lee performing in a family setting during the Christmas holiday with appearances by country music stars, Trisha Yearwood and Tanya Tucker. But the biggest news is that the now seventy-nine year old vocalist has finally reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Rocking", sixty-five years after first recording this song at the incredible age of thirteen.

NEW SOUNDS

COLDPLAY

The newest single from the British rock group, Coldplay is "Higher Power". The band, made up of lead guitarist, Jonny Buckland, bassist, Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and vocalist and pianist, Chris Martin, teamed-up with the renowned Swedish producer of pop, Max Martin to work with them on the track. And while the song might seem to have a religious angle, "Higher Power" was actually inspired by intergalactic ideas involving astronauts and the possibilities of life outside of our planet. The music video features hologram aliens dancing along with the band and was first transmitted to astronaut, Thomas Pesquet aboard the International Space Station to view before anyone on Earth. "Higher Power" is the first release from Coldplay's upcoming ninth studio album with no title or release date available at this time.



NICKI MINAJ

Nicki Minaj released her third mixtape, "Beam Me Up Scotty" in 2009, becoming a game changer for the aspiring hip-hop performer. After deciding she was spending more time on her image than her music, Minaj went to work to change that, focusing on the songs and enlisting guest appearances from some big names in the game: Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane and Drake to name just a few. And this plan worked out quite well for the artist, receiving critical acclaim and a song, "I Get Crazy" reaching the top-forty on the Hip-Hop and R&B charts. Minaj's debut album, "Pink Friday" soon followed and the rest is history.

Now to celebrate this breakthrough, "Beam Me Up Scotty" has been re-released, rearranged and contains three new tracks. Two of those songs, "Seeing Green" (which uses a sample of Heather Headley's "In My Mind" and features Lil Wayne and Drake) and "Fractions" have been getting some play.





P!NK

One musical artist who defies categorization is P!nk. The now forty-one year old performer has been making music since 2000, beginning with her successful R&B-influenced pop debut album, "Can't Take Me Home". After pushing back against her label trying to mold her in the image of a "pop princess" and wanting to take creative control of her sound, she teamed-up with 4 Non Blondes singer, Linda Perry and released the pop-rock follow-up, "Missundaztood" which made her a star on her own terms. Since then P!nk has covered alt-rock, folk and country with her distinctive soulful and gritty voice.

P!nk recently received the 2021 Billboard Music Award for Top Touring Artist and performed live on the show a brief concert of a few of her hits. The singer has just released a new backstage concert documentary, "All I Know So Far" from her 2019 tour of Europe. And there is a companion live album which features a new title track song. "All I Know So Far" (co-written with Justin Paul and Benj Pasek with production by Greg Kurstin) was inspired to offer loving words of advice to her nine year old daughter, Willow. The music video for the song is a short film that features P!nk's family (including husband, Carey Hart and son, Jameson), actress, Judith Light and the one and only, Cher.



And the mother and daughter have already reached the pop charts together with "Cover Me With Sunshine", a song released in February they shared as a duet that found success across the globe.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

John Prine, the Grammy Award-winning, Americana singer/songwriter sadly lost his battle against COVID-19 and passed away from complications on April 7th at the age of seventy-three. He was certainly a brave fighter, having previously battled against throat and lung cancer while also having heart issues. Prine received the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Grammys after years of writing wonderful songs filled with humor and thoughtful insights on the human condition. I have to admit I had never heard any of Prine's recordings but I am familiar with his songs. Two of my favorites are Bonnie Raitt's 1974 cover of his "Angel From Montgomery", a song about a married, middle-aged woman looking for an "angel" to help her escape from a life of desolation. The other is "Hello In There", a heartbreaking tune about aging that Bette Midler recorded for her debut album back in 1972.





Here are a few unexpected pairings that provide some wild musical duets I found as I traveled down a YouTube rabbit hole that I would like to share:









And finally here is Finneas, the recent winner of the Grammy Award for Producer of The Year (for his work on his sister, Billie Eilish's album) who is showing off his skills as a performer. The single, "Let's Fall In Love For The Night", from his debut EP, "Blood Harmony" which was released last year, now has a music video that was recently released. This fun and whimsical clip perfectly enhances the song, giving off a vibe that makes it feel like it would fit right in place with the movie, "La La Land":

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Fresh off his Oscar win for co-writing with Lady Gaga, "Shallow" from the musical-drama, "A Star Is Born", Mark Ronson has returned to creating his own music. "Late Night Feelings" is the British producer/musician's fifth album and he has rounded-up an eclectic group of all female artists to contribute to the project. Some of the talent includes Alicia Keys, Camila Cabello, Angel Olsen and Miley Cyrus who was a part of the first single, "Nothing Breaks Like a Heart", a country-disco track released late last year. The latest single is the title song and features the Swedish vocalist, Lykke Li. It is a shimmering dance track that is elevated by Li's sensual delivery. Look at to the music video for the track and here is Ronson and Cyrus live on "SNL" performing their song:





The one and only Cher was on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon last week which spent the entire show paying tribute and honoring her amazing career. The musical based on her life, "The Cher Show" was recently on Broadway and the three actresses who played her plus the real deal came together to perform one of Cher's biggest hits, "If I Could Turn Back Time". It is an epic battle of the Chers and I'm sure I don't have to tell you who is the victor. Take a look:



I wasn't aware that "country rap" was actually a thing but Lil Nas X, at one point, impressively had his twangy trap tune, "Old Town Road" on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Country and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop song charts all at the same time. However, Billboard removed the song from the country chart due to it "not having enough elements of today's country music". This move has ignited a serious conversation about what exactly makes something "country music" and how much did race play a part in this decision to remove the song from the chart? Anyway, Miley's daddy, Billy Ray Cyrus loved the song and teamed-up with Lil Nas X for a remix of the track. Have a listen:

Finally I had heard a song on the radio which I thought was a new Adele single. During further investigation, I was surprised to discover that this song, "You Say" was actually from contemporary Christian singer, Lauren Daigle. This song became her third number one on the Hot Christian Songs chart and Daigle's first crossover pop hit. While I do really like the song and admire the inspirational message, it still bothers me how Ms Daigle copies much of Adele's vocal style and production on this record. I guess that's nothing new in the music business but this is just a little too blatant for my taste. Have a listen and judge for yourself:

CHER HAS BECOME A "DANCING QUEEN"

After finally returning to the big screen this summer with the hit musical sequel, "Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again", the Oscar-winner, Cher was inspired to return to what started her career; music. She had been a fan of ABBA's music (and saw the "Mamma Mia" stage show three times) and decided to make her new album a collection of the Swedish group's greatest hits.

"Dancing Queen" will be Cher's twenty-sixth (!) studio album and is due out on September 28th. The record features her versions of such classic ABBA tunes like "The Name of The Game", "The Winner Takes It All", "One of Us", "Fernando" (which she performed in the movie) and, of course, the title track. The first taste of the record is Cher's covers of "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" and "SOS". If you are a fan of this legendary performer, then you are in for a treat:





And as a bonus here is a mash-up by Alex Simpson of Cher's song and Madonna's 2005 tune, "Hung-Up" which used a sample of ABBA's original track.

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:

WOMAN'S WORLD

Guess who tried to quietly leak new music?

On Thanksgiving, Cher put a link on her website to listen to her first new material in twelve years and is now surprised that it is all over the web. Apparently, she wanted to complete the music video before officially releasing the track but now the song, "Woman's World" is being put out earlier than planned. This throbbing dance tune (co-written by Paul Oakenfold) is the title cut from the album due out in January.

Unfortunately, I can't say I'm really feeling Cher's new song as it's much too generic for my taste but I remain optimistic as rumor has it that both Lady Gaga and Pink have contributed songs for the forthcoming album.

Have a listen:

"Woman's World" - Cher

FOCUS ON: CHER

When people hear the name Cher, the first thing that immediately comes to mind is the big, outspoken personality with the outrageous stage costumes that only a drag queen could truly love. Unfortunately, that tends to overshadow all of her amazing accomplishments as an humanitarian, actress and singer. While her singing may be an acquired taste for some, Cher knows how to use that deep, husky voice to create some unique and magical moments in music for the last sixty years. What I truly admire about her is that whenever she seemed completely down and out, Cher has always been able to rise back to the top in an unbelievably spectacular fashion. She has done this multiple times and while that takes a certain amount of luck but also great talent that isn't always appreciated.

She was born Cherilyn Sarkisian in El Centro, CA. in 1946. Her parents divorced when she was a child and her mother, Georgia Holt remarried Gilbert LaPiere who adopted Cherilyn. When she was sixteen, Cherilyn met Salvatore Bono, who went by the name of "Sonny". Although he was eleven years older, the two became friends and eventually lovers before the couple married in 1964. Sonny worked as an assistant for record producer, Phil Spector and he dreamed of becoming a recording artist himself but he also saw the potential in the shy teenager. The couple sang background on several of Spector's hit songs and soon set out to get their own record deal.

They signed with Reprise Records under the name "Caesar & Cleo" and recorded several singles. After many failed to get any radio play, their first taste of success came with a song that Sonny wrote and produced, "Baby, Don't Go" in 1964 but under the new name, "Sonny & Cher". This single was a local hit in Los Angeles but their true breakthrough came with another Bono composition, "I Got You Babe" the following year. This song became a number one smash and soon they became a top act around the world. The duo would have six top-ten U.S. pop hits and also made appearances on all of the major television variety programs of the day. Cher released solo material as well with the hits, "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) and the the theme song from the film, "Alfie", both in 1966. In 1967, Bono got them a film, "Good Times" which co-starred George Sanders. The movie was a flop and it's only remembered today as the directorial debut of William Friedkin who would have better much luck with the films, "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist".

By 1968, their recording career had cooled off, so Bono took them to Las Vegas where they created an act that portrayed Cher as a wise-cracking wife and he happily took being the butt of her jokes. They became one of the hottest shows on the strip which lead to a television special, "The Nitty Gritty Hour". The program did well and they were soon offered their own variety show, "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour". It began as a summer replacement before becoming a regular series in the fall of 1971. This show was a successful top ten hit and during this time, Cher became a hot solo recording artist with three number one singles, "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves", "Half-Breed" and "Dark Lady". The series ran for four years but the marriage came to a bitter end by 1974 and so did the show. Each attempted to do their own variety show but neither was a great success. Sonny and Cher managed to patch up their differences and re-teamed for a new program, "The Sonny & Cher Show" in 1976 as an unmarried couple but the magic was gone and this show was cancelled by the following year.

Cher tried to continue her recording career but she just had a series of largely, unsuccessful albums. She had a brief peak with her disco album and had her first top ten hit in years with the title track, "Take Me Home" in 1979. After her 1982 album, "I Paralyze" failed to connect with audiences, despite heavy promotion, Cher decided to focus on working on an acting career.

She had much difficulty being taken seriously as an actress until director, Robert Altman gave Cher her first big break by casting her in the Broadway play, "Come Back To The Five And Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean" in 1982. She also performed in the filmed version of the play later that year which inspired director, Mike Nichols to hire her for a supporting part in his film, "Silkwood" that starred Meryl Streep. Cher received her first Academy Award nomination for this role which lead her to many other film roles until Cher won the Oscar for Best Actress for the romantic comedy, "Moonstruck" in 1987.

After her great achievement in film, Cher was ready to return to music as she signs with Geffen Records and releases a self-titled rock album later in '87. "I Found Someone" (written by Michael Bolton) placed Cher back in to the top ten and with the help of the follow-up single, "We All Sleep Alone", the album would sell over seven million copies worldwide. Cher releases two more highly successful, platinum albums; "Heart of Stone" (1989) and "Love Hurts" (1991) before she has to take some time off to recover from chronic fatigue syndrome.

She made occasional cameo film appearances before signing with WEA Records and releasing, "It's A Man's World" in 1995. It was mostly a rock cover album and had minor success only in Europe but it would be the next album that would become Cher's biggest commercial hit ever in her long career. "Believe" came out in 1998 and featured a collection of high-energy dance tracks. The title song became a massive smash, reaching number one in twenty-three countries and was the best selling record of that year. With the success of two other singles; "All Or Nothing" and "Strong Enough", the album went on to sell over twenty million copies and won a Grammy Award for "Best Dance Recording".

Cher followed-up with another dance album, "Living Proof" in 2002 and while it was no where near as successful as "Believe" but the world tour to support this new record was. It was billed as "Living Proof: The Farewell Tour" and it was supposed to be Cher's last time to perform live in front of audiences as well as a tribute to her many years in show business. The tour began in June 2002 and didn't end until April 2005 as it covered Europe, Asia and North America with a total of 3.2 million people attending these concerts.

Recently, Cher returned to the big screen in 2010 with, "Burlesque" that co-starred singer, Christina Aguilera making her film debut. The film's soundtrack featured a ballad performed by Cher, "You Haven't Seen The Last of Me" (written by Diane Warren) that won the Golden Globe for "Best Original Song". This song was also remixed in to a dance tune and went to number one on the U.S. dance chart. There are rumors that Cher is working on new music and may even go on tour to support the record.

Cher has recorded twenty-five solo studio albums, she is the only female recording artist to have a number one single on the Billboard charts over each of the past six decades and has sold over one hundred million albums.

Cher has been married twice; She was married to Sonny Bono for thirteen years before divorcing in 1975. They had a daughter, Chasity who recently went through gender reassignment in 2010 and is now a man named Chaz Bono. Sonny Bono passed away in 1998 during a skiing accident.

Shortly after her divorce from Bono, Cher met and quickly married blues-rock musician, Gregg Allman. This union lasted two years before ending in 1979. The couple have a son, Elijah Blue who is a rock guitarist and has his own band as well as touring with his mother.

Here are a just a few of my favorite Cher singles:

"All I Really Want To Do" - Cher (1965)

"Half-Breed" - Cher (1973)

"Dark Lady" - Cher (1974)

"Take Me Home" - Cher (1979)

"I Found Someone" - Cher (1987)

"Song For The Lonely" -  Cher (2002)

Sonny & Cher perform their first hit, "I Got You Babe" on the British program, "Top of The Pops" in 1965:



Here is Cher performing "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves" live on "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour":



This is the music video for "If I Could Turn Back Time" from 1989 that actually got banned on MTV because people were uncomfortable with seeing too much of Cher's tattooed ass. Although it seems like a complete overreaction now but the outfit she's wearing is still a little too much (even by today's standards):