RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Mikaela Straus came out loud and proud last year with her first single, "1950" under her professional moniker, King Princess. This song, about imaging the time when people had to keep their sexuality a secret, brought the now twenty year old Bronx native plenty of attention. This lead to her meeting musician/producer, Mark Ronson who featured her on a track on his latest album, "Late Night Feelings" and signed her to his label, Zelig. Now King Princess has just released her debut studio album, "Cheap Queen". This self-described genderqueer singer-songwriter explores issues facing today's LGBTQ youth and creates pop anthems that will not only speak to them but anyone feeling alone and isolated.





Here is a selection of some new songs that perfectly merges together music and image:









During this year's "Black Girls Rock!" celebration, three of hottest female dance vocalists from the '90's came together to perform their big hits from the era. Check out Robin S. ("Show Me Love"), Crystal Waters ("Gypsy Woman") and CeCe Peniston ("Finally") who take us back and deliver glorious live renditions of their songs.



And we close with some thrilling duets by some great singers. We have Mamas & Papas vocalist, Cass Elliot teaming up with John Denver on a cover of the melancholy ballad, "Leaving On a Jet Plane". Cheryl Lynn and the very missed Luther Vandross delivering some vocal dynamics on their live version of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "If This World Was Mine" during an appearance on "Soul Train".

MY FAVORITE SONGS OF 1981

The year was 1981. After graduating from high school, I had officially become an adult. I was a man-child of eighteen, excited yet apprehensive about of my future. Living in the suburbs and about to attend an art college in the big city of Detroit, I had always wanted to become a great commercial artist. Later in my third year of school, a teacher told me to seriously reconsider my dream of being an artist. Lacking the required self-confidence and being very practical, I eventually decided to drop out of school. This setback forced me to rethink my life plans and hastened my goal to move out of Michigan.

Throughout the disappointments that are inevitable in life, music has always helped me get through and comforted me while I was feeling insecure. The quirky and high-energy sounds of new wave was emerging during this time which I gravitated towards yet this music was not being played on my local radio station. I heard many of these songs on MTV and on a Canadian version called MuchMusic. Here are a few of my favorite songs of this year which covers a wide variety of music of the day:

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

MY TUNE OF THE DAY

This tune was inspired by a recent trip to the grocery store as I was strolling through the aisles, this familiar song was playing in the background  While continuing through the store until making my way to the check-out, I noticed that many people were quietly humming along including the cashier.

The song coming from their lips was "Got To Be Real", the disco classic by Cheryl Lynn. What I found remarkable was that this 1979 tune has managed to endure despite being part of what was once considered a completely forgettable trend in music. Back then, "disco" was considered a very dirty word with people actually rioting in the streets to burn the vinyl discs of the offensive music.

The disco era may have faded out but this sound never truly went away. It has slowly evolved in to Electronic dance or "EDM" and has once again taken over the airwaves but this time people have embraced this music wholeheartedly. I think it might possibility be even more popular than disco ever became.

Back to Ms Lynn, after displaying her gifts on the kitschy talent program, "The Gong Show" (and losing out the grand prize to a juggling act), she was offered a recording contract. This dynamic singer went on to record nine studio albums with this song being her biggest hit. "Got To Be Real" is the perfect vehicle to showcase her dazzling, powerful vocals and distinctive phrasing.

I know you all know the tune but how can you ever get tired of this:

"Got To Be Real" - Cheryl Lynn (1979)

Here is a video of another favorite tune of mine, "Shake It Up Tonight":