For the annualNew York Times magazine music issue, the focus is on twenty-five songs that matter right now. People are well known to be notoriously fickle; a hot song can swiftly become an inescapable earworm that reaches the top of the global pop charts by a compelling, newly discovered artist who is considered "the real deal". But that song and the performer can just as quickly be easily forgotten by a mass audience in a matter of a year. Sometimes even less.
The songs that have been selected for this issue which range from wildly popular ("Truth Hurts", "Hot Girl Summer", "Old Town Road") to far more obscure ("Ricky", "Stupid Horse", "953") all have something in common. Each track is from musicians who are less concerned about mainstream success (which some of them still have managed to find) and much more centered on creating fresh, bold sounds which clearly express their unique vision. I think it's safe to say that many of these artists will be around for quite awhile.
With this year's edition, you will not only be able to read about these songs but you can now listen to them at the same time. All you will need to do is open Google Lens on your phone, pointing your camera at each tune in this issue and you will be able to hear the music as well as see video and animation. Or you can also click below for the NYT music issue interactive experience online:
Since I have lived here longer than any other city in my life, Los Angeles is now what I consider home. It has changed quite a bit since I moved here and nothing has been more noticeable than the Hollywood and Downtown areas. When I first arrived, I had visions of a Los Angeles that I had seen in the movies and television. But the city had fallen on rough times by the time I got here with Hollywood filled with dilapidated buildings and hookers standing where movie stars once strolled. And just like what happened with New York City, developers eventually pounced on these rundown areas and have rebuilt them into livable neighborhoods and exciting destinations with new massive buildings continuously rising everyday.
Musicians have always been inspired by the City of Angels, writing songs that would help the world understand the beauty of Los Angeles yet also reveal the darkness that lurks behind the sunshine. The LA Times have put together a playlist of fifty songs which best represents the sound of 21st century Los Angeles. Some are familiar tunes from well-known artists while others are musical musings by more obscure performers. Each song is presented with key lyrics and a little background of the song.
When we hear a song, it can transport us back to certain time or place in our lives. That is most certainly true with a tune that came out during the hot months of summer. Good Housekeeping has looked back to those key songs of summer from every year since 1960. And I have included a few of my favorites from this list for your listening pleasure: Click below to read the article:
I had read a interesting article recently in the Los Angeles Times about the difficulties of a new generation of Black female singers being able to cross over to the pop charts. It really made me take notice and realize how true this has become. Female soul singers have regularly appeared on pop radio for decades and there was a high point back in the '90's when there were a large number of solo artists (Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige) and vocal groups (TLC, SWV, Destiny's Child) who found major success on both the r&b and pop charts. But by the mid-2000's, a large number of these female performers seemed to fall out of favor as male-dominated hip-hop took over the charts.
What is making it particularly difficult for these new singers to crossover is that while they're using classic soul as their foundation, each one is taking their own individual approach by creating what would be considered alternative soul music, which merges electronic dance, rock and hip-hop, and doesn't easily fit in today's narrow pop music scene. As I love a great female voice, I'm going to do my little part and put a spotlight on a few of these very talented vocalists featured in this article.
If you want to read the story, please click below:
Jhené Aiko, the twenty-nine year old, L.A. native, began her music career as a teen by providing backing vocals for the r&b boy-band, B2K in 2002. Due to her association with this act, she was able to get signed to Sony Records and recorded an album but the label would not released it. Following this disappointment, Aiko decided to go back to school to finish her education. When she made her return to music, Aiko did so on her terms by releasing a mixtape, "Sailing Soul(s)" in 2011 which features an impressive roster of musicians lending support including Miguel, Drake and Kanye West. This lead to her opening for Nas, Lauryn Hill and Drake before getting signed to ARTium Records. Aiko released an EP in 2013, "Sail Out" which featured the single, "The Worst" that peaked at number four on the U.S. Adult R&B chart and was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Song. The following year, Aiko finally has her debut album released. "Souled Out" is an alt-r&b concept album about a woman's journey to enlightenment and received plenty of critical praise. Now her follow-up album, "Trip" just came out last month without any advanced notice. Not only will Aiko be on a headlining tour to support the album through the end of the year but in January she will go on the road with Lana Del Rey with her LA To The Moon tour. Take a look at the video for the first single from the new album, "While We're Young":
SZA
Born Solána Rowe, SZA (with her stage name inspired from RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan) started her career in music purely as a lark. After dropping out of college without a future career plan, Rowe was inspired to write a few songs one day. She later recorded them with a friend and eventually decided that this was something that she seriously wanted to pursue. SZA self-released her first EP, "See SZA Run" in 2012 which was met with critical acclaim with music critics describing her sound as a fascinating mix of Beyoncé and Björk. She would release two more well-received mixtapes that led to her writing songs for other artists like Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé and Rihanna before signing to a major label, RCA Records and releasing her debut studio album, "Ctrl" (pronounced "control") this past June. The first single, "Drew Barrymore" was named after the actress and inspired by her role in one of her early films, "Poison Ivy". You can hear SZA now on pop radio due to her recent collaboration with Maroon 5 on the rising hit, "What Lovers Do" which just reached the top-twenty. She also has just dropped another single from her album, "The Weekend" which is riding high on the r&b and pop charts.
SEVYN STREETER
Amber Streeter knew she wanted to be a professional singer ever since she was a little girl. She sang in church and talent shows (including tying for first place while competing on "Showtime at The Apollo") before becoming part of the teen girl-group, TG4 (which was short for "tom girls four") at the age of fifteen and signing her first recording contract. The group opened for other youth-oriented r&b acts like B2K, Immature and Lil' Bow Wow but their music never made an impact on the charts. Soon TG4 disbanded and Streeter would join another girl-group, RichGirl in 2007. This group managed to open for Beyoncé on tour but their promotional singles failed to take off. By 2011, RichGirl was done and Streeter was on her own again but her career would begin a major shift after meeting r&b bad boy, Chris Brown. She signed to his label, changed her name to "Sevyn"and sang on Brown's 2012 album, "Fortune". Later that year, Streeter dropped her own singles, "It Won't Stop" and "Next" which brought her plenty of attention as a solo artist with them reaching the top-twenty on the r&b and hip-hop charts. This year, the determined thirty-one year old Streeter released her first album, "Girl Disrupted" with the singles, "My Love For You", "Before I Do" and "Fallen" serving as perfect representations of her brand of passionate and sensual modern soul. Check out the video for the ballad, "Fallen" that features Ty Dolla $ign and Cam Wallace:
It's a pretty bold move to try and identify what direction popular music is heading but for the New York Times Magazine's annual music issue, they have selected twenty-five songs that may possibly let us in on that idea. Not all of these songs are new, as some are a few years old or have been remixed to address our modern times but what many of these songs appear to share in common is a search for identity and where do we fit in this complicated and increasingly isolated planet.
I know this will sound like a really scratched record but there is no denying that this current state of political turmoil has made that question even more relevant and will effect the type of music that will come from artists in the future. Songs that reflect unease, desperation, sadness, outrage and anger will certainly be a more common occurrence as the divisive actions of this administration continues to unfold. Time will tell but in the meantime, check out these innovative and powerful songs.
With the show just a few weeks away, the Oscars have announced who will be performing the nominees for Best Original Song during the telecast. This year, all the songs will be represented on the program with Lin-Manuel Miranda, the writer of "How Far I'll Go" from the Disney animated film, "Moana", performing the song along with the voice of the title character, Auli'i Cravalho. "The Empty Chair" from the documentary, "Jim: The James Foley Story" will be sung by writer, Sting. Justin Timberlake will do his inescapable pop hit, "Can't Stop The Feeling" he co-wrote for the animated film,"Trolls". And Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling will be spared embarrassing themselves in front of their peers by trying to sing live in front of them. Oscar-winner John Legend, who actually makes his living as a singer but made an acting appearance in the film, will perform the two songs nominated from the musical "La La Land", " "City of Stars" and "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)".
And who do I think will take the prize? Well, if it's a "La La Land" sweep as predicted, then " City of Stars" would be the best bet. If not, then perhaps Justin's feel-good "Trolls" song might sneak in there for the win. My personal choice would actually be "City of Stars" as it's a lovely, well-written, Hollywood-styled ballad that will stand the test of time.
But I guess we will have to tune in on February 26th to see who really wins during the 89th Annual Academy Awards. Here are the five nominees for your listening pleasure:
"Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" from "La La Land", Music by Justin Hurwitz; Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
"Can’t Stop the Feeling" from "Trolls", Music and Lyric by Justin Timberlake, Max Martin and Karl Johan Schuster
"City of Stars" from"La La Land", Music by Justin Hurwitz; Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
"The Empty Chair" from "Jim: The James Foley Story", Music and Lyric by J. Ralph and Sting
"How Far I'll Go" from "Moana", Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda
I really try to avoid making my political views public but the election of that vile man to the highest office in the country has made me realize I cannot and must not remain silent. I think he's completely unfit for President, I do not support most of his outrageous agenda and I strongly believe he is not concerned about the best interests of a majority of the people he's supposed to be representing. I know I am not alone in this point of view just from the incredible number of people out in the streets protesting the day after the inauguration. Many artists have been inspired to create music to peacefully protest this new administration and to inform them we will not be ignored or pushed around.
I am sharing a few of my favorite songs from a variety of different musicians who are all very concerned about not only the future of this nation but of the entire planet.
Also be sure to check out the Our First 100 Days Campaign which will release a protest song every day over the first one hundred of this presidency. Click below to make a donation to get a subscription with proceeds going to a variety of charities to aide in their fight against the sure-to-be damaging policies of this administration.
I have occasionally read Marc Myers' articles in the Wall Street Journal regarding the history and background of some of the early pop songs in the rock & roll era. They are fascinatingly detailed and researched with one regular feature, Anatomy of a Song, covering how these songs came together from the composers, producers and recording artists involved. This has lead to a compilation of these articles in a book entitled,"Anatomy of a Song: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R&B, and Pop". These memorable songs range from 1952 to 1991 and explores the evolution of popular music.
Some of the songs covered range from classic rock ("Light My Fire" by the Doors, "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks), punk rock ("(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes by Elvis Costello, "London Calling" by the Clash), Motown ("Please Mr. Postman" by The Marvelettes, "Reach Out I'll Be There" by the Four Tops), iconic artists ("Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley, "Street Fighting Man" by the Rolling Stones), Soul ("(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding, "Shout" by The Isley Brothers), pop ("Chapel of Love" by the Dixie Cups, "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper) and country ("Fist City" by Loretta Lynn, "Big City" by Merle Haggard). This would make the perfect gift for that music lover in your life. I have included a few of my favorite songs in the book for your listening pleasure:
