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.

EDM + POP

EDM (or "electronic dance music") has slowly become a dominant force in pop music over the last few years. At first, these musicians would discover their own vocalists to sing on their dance tracks which in turn created new pop music stars. And as soon as these DJ/producers found amazing success on the charts, established artists began seeking out this talent to help them create their music. Now these EDM artists are attempting to expand their sound, merging with different genres of music to create something fresh.

Calvin Harris was one of the first artists to move successfully from the dance floor to the pop charts. Born Adam Wiles, he began as a DJ in his native Scotland before moving towards creating his own music in his teens. The award-winning Harris has become an international star with his own albums and producing dance-pop tracks for such distinguished acts like Kylie Minogue, Pitbull, Scissor Sisters, Mary J. Blige and Rihanna, who he has helped reach the top of the charts several times with "Where Have You Been", "We Found Love" and with last year's smash, "This is What You Came For". With his latest, "Slide", Harris is actively trying to bring together electronic dance and hip-hop with vocal assistance from Frank Ocean and the Southern-based outfit, Migos, currently riding the charts with their hit, "Bad and Boujee".

"Slide" - Calvin Harris featuring Frank Ocean and Migos (2017) mp3

Stephen Bruner, or as he is professionally known, Thundercat, may not exactly be considered an EDM artist as he has performed and produced wildly eclectic styles of music throughout his career including jazz-fusion, alt-rock, classic R&B, hip-hop and even heavy metal. But the Los Angeles native bass guitarist has an electronic pulse beating through his recently released third studio album, "Drunk", a collection of fragmented, eccentric and musically diverse tracks. One highlight is "Show You The Way", a '70's inspired, funky, slow jam that features vocals from two icons of that era; Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald. This sensual track will fit perfectly on either the dance floor or in the bedroom.

"Show You The Way" - Thundercat featuring Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald (2017) mp3

Finally, we have the Chainsmokers, one of the hottest EDM acts of the last couple of years, who have teamed up with one of the biggest rock groups of the last decade, Coldplay.  On the very catchy, "Something Like Like This", the duo,  Alex Pall and Drew Taggart, bring their throbbing beats that blends nicely with Chris Martin's vocals which gives us the best of both bands. This song will appear on the Chainsmokers' debut studio album, "Memories. . .  Do Not Open"  due out on April 7th and on Coldplay's upcoming EP, "Kaleidoscope" which features leftover tracks from their 2015 album, "A Head Full of Dreams" and is expected in June. Here is a clip of this super-team performing the song live at the recent Brit Awards:

MY FAVORITE MOMENTS IN MUSIC FOR 2011

This is a collection of some of my favorite tunes from 2011. I had posted other songs that I had luved throughout the past year, so these are the best of the rest:

Nicki Minaj - "Super Bass" from "Pink Friday"

Foster The People - "Pumped Up Kicks" from "Torches"

Ledisi - "Pieces of Me" from "Pieces of Me"

Lykke Li - "Get Some" from "Wounded Rhymes"

Jay-Z & Kanye West - "Niggas In Paris" from "Watch The Throne"

Florence + The Machine - "Breaking Down" from "Ceremonials"

Cee-Lo Green featuring Melanie Fiona - "Fool For You" from "The Ladykiller"

Adele - "Rumor Has It " from "21"

Mayer Hawthorne - "Work To Do" from "Impressions - The Covers EP"

Mayer Hawthorne - "No Strings" from "How Do You Do"

Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes - "Look At Me Now" from "F.A.M.E."

El DeBarge featuring Faith Evans - "Lay With You" from "Second Chance"

Coldplay - "Hurts Like Heaven" from "Mylo Xyloto"

Lalah Hathaway - "If You Want To" from "Where It All Begins"

Little Dragon - "Nightlight"  from "Ritual Union"

RIHANNA: THE QUEEN OF POP

There has been no slowing Rihanna down as with her latest single, "We Found Love" is her eleventh number one song on the U.S. Billboard Pop Chart, tying her with Whitney Houston with the most among female artists following Mariah Carey and Madonna.

She has also made the charts working with other artists such as Jay Z, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, David Guetta with her total chart toppers including collaborations with T.I ("Live Your Life") and Eminem ("Love The Way You Lie").

There are two new songs out where Rihanna has added her vocals; the first is not surprising as she is on the title track, "Take Care" from hip-hop artist, Drake's upcoming album. The two team up again after his appearance on her 2010 number one song, "What's My Name?"

"Take Care" - Drake Featuring Rihanna (2011)

The other is more unexpected as Rihanna appears on a track from Coldplay's new album, "Mylo Xyloto". "Princess of China" is a slight shift in direction for the rock band with the song having a funkier edge and being a true stand-out on the record:

"Princess of China" - Coldplay Featuring Rihanna (2011)

This is the gritty and sexy music video for "We Found Love" that follows a young couple's drug-fueled romance. (I think the male lead looks suspiciously like Rihanna's former lover, Chris Brown):