NEW SOUNDS

CORINNE BAILEY RAE

I have just became aware that the British alt-r&b artist, Corinne Bailey Rae had released her fourth studio album, "Black Rainbows" last September. I consider myself a fan since her debut back in 2006 but had lost touch of the performer largely because there has been such significant gaps between new material and Rae's subsequent music didn't receive nearly enough promotion on this side of the Atlantic.  

What brought my attention to this music was Rae's latest single and video for the song, "He Will Follow You With His Eyes" which examines the complicated beauty standards that Black women are expected to endure in order to attract a mate. For this album (which is her first in seven years), Rae was inspired by a visit to a museum exhibition on Black history at the Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago.  The songs came together from there with her thoughtfully offering her examination on the Black experience and the music ranges wildly from experimental jazz, garage rock and futuristic soul. "Black Rainbows" is a fascinating and insightful collection and worth a listen.





TORI KELLY

Tori Kelly has been making music professionally for a while, since her debut album, "Unbreakable Smile" back in 2015. After failing to get far during her time competing on "American Idol" almost fourteen years ago, Kelly took that opportunity to work on her craft, independently releasing music before signing to a major label and recording three studio albums, to impressively become an amazing musician.

Now just signed to a new label, Epic Records, Kelly is embarking on a new era with her image and sound. Gone is the bottle blonde tresses, now appearing with something closer to her natural color and Kelly has shifted her new music to honor the Y2K r&b and pop she listened to while growing up. With her fifth album simply titled, "Tori", the thirty-one year old performer takes us on a nostalgic trip back to the time of bucket hats, biker shorts (without a bike in sight), grunge rock and hip-hop flavored pop sung by boy bands were all the rage. The new single from the album, "Thing U Do" (which features a sample of Suzanne Vega's 1990 hit, "Tom's Diner") is a smooth throwback that still sounds fresh and modern.



And Dua Lipa is inching closer to releasing her next music collection. This latest single, "Illusion" released arrived with the announcement that her third album, "Radical Optimism" will be available on May 3rd. "Illusion" is another classic dance song from the artist that features French house music elements. The video was shot in Barcelona at the Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc, the same venue used for swimming during the 1992 Summer Olympics. And be sure to check out "Saturday Night Live" on May 4th when Lipa will be the host and musical guest on the comedy skit program

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

5 Star were a British pop-soul group who were largely popular in their native country during the mid 1980's. This family act began as teens, comprised of siblings Stedman, Lorraine, Denise, Doris and Delroy Pearson, that was clearly modeled after the Jackson 5 with their father, Buster Pearson, a former session musician, managing them. Although I didn't really hear their music on the radio in this country, I became familiar with 5 Star from their music videos I caught on the Canadian version of MTV, MuchMusic.

Their breakout single, "All Fall Down" reached the UK top-twenty in 1985 and that was followed by the hits, "System Addict", "Can't Wait Another Minute", "Rain or Shine", "Love Take Over" and "Let Me Be the One" which would be their biggest success in the US, peaking at number two on the Hot R&B chart. 5 Star went on to win the BRIT Award for Best British Group in 1987. But by 1989, 5 Star saw their songs failing to chart and after getting dropped by their record label, the group informally disbanded in 1995. If you are a fan or have never heard of their music, here's a small sample of the catchy songs and slick moves from 5 Star for your enjoyment:







Here are a few recent releases I'm enjoying at the moment:







I was surprised to hear a cover of "Put Your Records On", first performed by singer/songwriter, Corinne Bailey Rae back in 2006, from Ritt Momney. This Utah-based act (which is a play on the Republican Senator's name) was an indie-rock band but is now just Jack Rutter after the other members left to become Mormon missionaries. Feeling depressed while stuck in quarantine at his parents' house, Rutter decided to record Bailey's joyous hit as a way create some sense of happiness for himself. TikTok helped this unlikely cover get some attention, becoming a viral hit and eventually helped this re-imagined song chart across the globe.



And Ms Rae gave her blessing to Rutter's version of her song. Here is a bonus of Corrine Bailey Rae performing "Put Your Records On" live:



And to close this out, here are two of the biggest names of 1960's British soul, Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield, teaming up together on his 1970 television variety show with a cover of "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", originally recorded by Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Two British alt-soul vocalist are making their long-awaited return to the music scene. First, we have Laura Mvula, who dazzled us with her 2013 debut album, "Sing To The Moon", back with the follow-up release, "The Dreaming Room". Following the first single, "Overcome" that featured Nile Rodgers, the latest is "Phenomenal Woman" which is inspired by the poem by the late, great Maya Angelou. I love the video for the song which is a colorful, dance-filled celebration of women filmed in Cape Town, South Africa:

It's been about five years since we last heard from Corinne Bailey Rae. After having to cope with the tragic loss of her musician husband, Jason Rae in 2008, the thirty-seven year old singer found love again with another musician, Steve Brown whom she married in 2013. That is reflected on her third album, "The Heart Speaks in Whispers" which finds Rae (who co-wrote and produced much of the album with Brown) in a more upbeat, groove-oriented vibe than on her last release, "The Sea" in 2010. There are certainly moving songs about love to be found here as well. Check out this great video for the single, "Green Aphrodisiac" which features the singer performing interpretive dance with two impressive male dancers. Now, I'm not sure if Rae is actually singing about weed here but have a listen and see what you think:

Sean Combs has taken back the name "Puff Daddy" for his upcoming "Bad Boy Family Reunion" tour. It reunites many of the artists that recorded on Combs' Bad Boy label in the '90's all on one stage. Expect to see such rap and hip-hop greats like Mase, Faith Evans, Mario Winans, 112, Total and Lil' Kim in addition to a musical tribute to the legendary Notorious B.I.G.

This celebration of the 20th anniversary of Bad Boy Entertainment will begin in late August and run through October. In case you may have forgotten, here are just a few of the hits made by some of these performers:

"Crush On You" - Lil' Kim featuring Lil' Cease and The Notorious B.I.G. (1996) mp3





"I Don't Wanna Know" - Mario Winans featuring Enya and P. Diddy (2004) mp3

Finally here is our Miss Janet with the last video from her sensational album, "Unbreakable" that was released shortly before she took some take off to have a child. "Dammn Baby" is classic Janet Jackson as she shows the world she's one hot mama that still got the moves:

THE INFLUENCE OF PRINCE

The world is still reeling from the shocking loss of the musical genius, Prince. He was a consistent creative force with an inimitable talent and boundless energy. With an impressive body of work that ranged from politically charged anthems, tender love ballads, funky dance tunes and raunchy sex ditties, it's no surprise that other artists were attracted to his material.

Here are some of the amazing covers of songs written by the Purple One or they were created by him for that specific performer. There is even a hit song by Stevie Nicks that was inspired simply by his presence in the recording studio.

"When You Were Mine" - Cyndi Lauper (1983) mp3

"Sugar Walls" - Sheena Easton (1984) mp3

"Do Me Baby" - Meli'sa Morgan (1985) mp3







"Yo Mister" - Patti Labelle (1989) mp3

"Nothing Compares 2 U" - Sinéad O’Connor (1990) mp3

"Round and Round" - Tevin Campbell (1990) mp3

"I Wanna Be Your Lover" - Corinne Bailey Rae (2011) mp3

MY FAVORITE MOMENTS IN MUSIC OF 2010

I was planning on rambling on about what a great year 2010 was in music but I have decided to simply just let the songs speak for themselves (although I can't resist making a comment or two here and there).

So, let's go back and hear (and see) just a few of my favorite songs from the past twelve months:

Mavis Staples - "Wrote A Song For Everyone" from "You Are Not Alone"

Miami Horror - "Holidays" from "Illumination"

Katy Perry - "California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg)" from "Teenage Dream [Explicit]"

Kanye West - "Lost In The World [Explicit]" from "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy [Explicit]"

Hot Chip - "One Life Stand" from "One Life Stand"

Cee-Lo Green - "Fuck You" from "The Lady Killer [Explicit]"

Erykah Badu - "Get MuNNY" from " New Amerykah Part Two: Return Of The Ankh"

Here is the controversial music video for the first single off of the album, "Window Seat" that worked up a lot of people. It is a great art piece which was shot in Dallas in the location where President Kennedy was assassinated but is caused Ms Badu to be charged with disorderly conduct and fined $500 dollars. It just shows how people are more freaked out about the human body than by violence:



Lady Antebellum - "Need You Now" from "Need You Now [+digital booklet]"


Sade - "Soldier of Love" from "Soldier of Love"

Broken Bells - "The Ghost Inside" from "Broken Bells"

Goldfrapp - "Believer" from "Head First [+Digital Booklet]"

Nikki Minaj - "Your Love" from "Pink Friday [Explicit]"

Gorillaz - "Rhinestone Eyes" from "Plastic Beach"

Bruno Mars - "Just The Way You Are" from "Doo-Wops & Hooligans"

Janelle Monae - "Wondaland" from "The ArchAndroid"

Florence + The Machine - "Dog Days Are Over" from "Lungs"

Mark Ronson & The Business Intl - "You Gave Me Nothing" from "Record Collection [Explicit]"

Corinne Bailey Rae - "Closer" from "The Sea"

The Knocks - "Dancing With The DJ"

Karen Elson - "The Ghost Who Walks" from "The Ghost Who Walks"

Cut Copy - "Take Me Over" from "Zonoscope"

Robyn - "Body Talk" trilogy

This project was, for the most part, criminally ignore on the pop charts in the U.S and these songs should have been played on the radio. Shame on U.S radio programmers!

Robyn - "Dancing On My Own" from "Body Talk Pt 1"

Robyn - "Hang With Me" from "Body Talk Pt. 2 [Explicit]"

Robyn - "Stars 4-Ever" from "Body Talk Pt. 3"

Rihanna had a very good year with four singles hitting the top ten, with three of those going all the way to number one. I really like all of the songs but I love the music video for the song, "Rude Boy". It's got a great wild and colorful look plus it pays a brief homage to the outrageous Miss Grace Jones and artist Keith Haring: