2019 seemed to highlight the further fragmenting of pop music with the growing emphasis on the song and less on the singer. In this Spotify generation, endless playlists filled with disconnected songs by a variety of artists have increasingly replaced a focused collection of work by a singer/songwriter with specific thoughts on life and love. Even the way music is created has moved back in time to the days when a factory of songwriters and producers put together a track and then find the right singer to fill in the rest. While it has become much more difficult for performers to maintain enduring careers after their initial burst of success, there were certainly some promising new artists who broke out and made fresh, memorable works last year who look like the real deal.
Here are a few more favorite songs that I didn't get chance to share previously throughout last year:
Showing posts with label Ed Sheeran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ed Sheeran. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Saturday, May 27, 2017
YOUR SONG
Americans probably know Rita Ora more for her fashion-forward looks on a red carpet (including her recent appearance at the Met Ball), her acting roles ("Fast & Furious 6", "Fifty Shades of Grey") or for her short stint as the host of the revived "America's Next Top Model" show. However, the twenty-six year old Brit began her career as a singer with her first two singles from her 2012 debut, "Ora", "How We Do (Party)" and "R.I.P." going to number one on the UK pop chart. Although she provided the hook for Iggy Azalea's hit, "Black Widow", Ora's own music didn't get much attention here in the States.
Ora is wanting to change that and has just released a new song entitled "Your Song". This is her first solo single in two years and seems to be the first music from her long delayed follow-up album (although part of that had to do with her successful lawsuit to release herself from contract with Roc Nation Records). The singer has teamed up with a fellow Brit who is quite popular here, Ed Sheeran along with producer, Steve Mac to help write this song. The Sheeran connection is interesting and will certainly get people to pay some attention but I don't think "Your Song" is strong enough to get Ora to stand-out in this tough pop musical landscape.
"Your Song" - Rita Ora (2017) mp3
And as a bonus, here is the video for Ora's 2012 first single, "How We Do (Party)' which I really liked and don't know why it didn't do better here:
Saturday, August 16, 2014
HOT AND FRESH OUT THE KITCHEN
FKA TWIGS - "LP1"
Tahliah Barnett began her professional career as a teenage back-up dancer who appeared in several music videos which earned her the nickname, "Twigs". Now the twenty-six year old Brit has decided to move in front of the mic using the moniker, FKA Twigs which stands for "Formerly Known As". After writing, producing and self-releasing an EP ("EP1") in 2012, Twigs signed with Young Turks Records and released another EP ("EP2") the following year.
Now her full-length debut album, "LP1" is out and creating some serious buzz. Taking elements of classic soul and merging with trip-hop and electronica, the music of FKA Twigs has an ethereal quality despite the hard-hitting beats and quirky rhythms. While she may be too "out there" for the average American listener but I think FKA Twigs brings a much needed freshness to the music scene. See what you think of one of my favorite tracks:
"Give Up" - FKA Twigs (2014)
In the video for the first single, "Two Weeks", FKA Twigs makes me think that she's channeling Aaliyah in the movie, "Queen of The Damned":
ED SHEERAN - 'X"
Ed Sheeran burst on to the scene in 2011 with the acoustic ballad, "The A Team" that reached the top-ten in several countries and earned him a Grammy nomination for "Song of The Year". For his follow-up release, "x" (pronounced "multiply"), the British artist called on top producers, Rick Rubin, Benny Blanco and Pharrell Williams to help expand his sound while still allowing him to keep his guitar in hand. The album is off to a great start with the Williams produced, Justin Timberlake inspired single, "Sing" which has become a world-wide smash, reaching number one in seven countries.
While "x" is a solid production but there's still a whiff of calculation that I find troubling. Sheeran has added current musical trends to some of the songs that seems too much like catering to capture the attention of a pop audience. The problem is that it's doesn't always feel authentic or necessarily a good fit for the talented singer. Anyway, I ain't mad at him because overall, I really like the album. In fact, here is one of the songs that I really like:
"Thinking Out Loud" - Ed Sheeran (2014)
SINEAD O'CONNOR - "I'M NOT BOSSY, I'M THE BOSS"
The one thing you can say about the troubled and controversial artist, Sinéad O'Connor is that she's unafraid to voice her opinion regardless of the outcome. At the height of her fame, she infamously tore up the photo of Pope John Paul II to protest child abuse in the church after a performance on "SNL" in 1992. That act essentially put the brakes on O'Connor's career and never really fully recovered. O'Connor continued to create some interesting music over the years but has garnered little attention from an unforgiving public.
On the cover of her tenth studio album. "I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss" (I love that title), O'Connor appears dolled up like her idea of a modern, young pop star. She is back to form with some well-crafted songs about sex and love that are far more insightful and clever than anything from Miley Cyrus. Listen to the first single:
"Take Me To Church" - Sinéad O'Connor (2014)
SIA - "1000 FORMS OF FEAR"
After putting her own career on hold and becoming a very successful songwriter-for-hire for the last few years, Sia has finally decided to record her own music once again. She saved some interesting material for herself but it's far darker than your standard pop tune. Using that full-bodied drawl of a voice, Sia gives these songs an extra edge. "1000 Forms of Fear" is the Aussie singer's sixth studio recording and her first to reach the top of the U.S. Billboard album chart. The moody first single, "Chandelier" has made it to the top ten across most of the globe.
While Sia may have resumed her singing, she has no desire to promote her music in the conventional fashion. No picture of Sia is on the album, she will not appear in any videos and has gone as far as performing live with her back to the audience. This may come across as a bit extreme but it does put the focus back on the music where it actually belongs.
"Big Girls Cry" - Sia (2014)
Nicki Minaj has received plenty of attention for the second single, "Anaconda" from her next release, "The Pinkprint" but it's been more for the cover art than for the actual song. Minaj has left little to the imagination, as she displays the inspiration for the tune and I say, "If you got it, flaunt it".
Sampling the 1992 Sir Mix-A-Lot track, "Baby Got Back", the song is classic Nicki Minaj and burning up the charts:
Kimbra is back with a new song, "90's music" from the soon-to-drop second CD, "The Golden Echo". The video is wild and colorful ode to that decade which includes some of the clothes and dance moves:
Finally, this is my current favorite music video. I don't know anything about this artist, Kiesza but this slick vid for the song, "Hideaway" is a seemingly non-stop dance routine that covers pretty much every dance move that has ever been created:
Tahliah Barnett began her professional career as a teenage back-up dancer who appeared in several music videos which earned her the nickname, "Twigs". Now the twenty-six year old Brit has decided to move in front of the mic using the moniker, FKA Twigs which stands for "Formerly Known As". After writing, producing and self-releasing an EP ("EP1") in 2012, Twigs signed with Young Turks Records and released another EP ("EP2") the following year.
Now her full-length debut album, "LP1" is out and creating some serious buzz. Taking elements of classic soul and merging with trip-hop and electronica, the music of FKA Twigs has an ethereal quality despite the hard-hitting beats and quirky rhythms. While she may be too "out there" for the average American listener but I think FKA Twigs brings a much needed freshness to the music scene. See what you think of one of my favorite tracks:
"Give Up" - FKA Twigs (2014)
In the video for the first single, "Two Weeks", FKA Twigs makes me think that she's channeling Aaliyah in the movie, "Queen of The Damned":
ED SHEERAN - 'X"
Ed Sheeran burst on to the scene in 2011 with the acoustic ballad, "The A Team" that reached the top-ten in several countries and earned him a Grammy nomination for "Song of The Year". For his follow-up release, "x" (pronounced "multiply"), the British artist called on top producers, Rick Rubin, Benny Blanco and Pharrell Williams to help expand his sound while still allowing him to keep his guitar in hand. The album is off to a great start with the Williams produced, Justin Timberlake inspired single, "Sing" which has become a world-wide smash, reaching number one in seven countries.
While "x" is a solid production but there's still a whiff of calculation that I find troubling. Sheeran has added current musical trends to some of the songs that seems too much like catering to capture the attention of a pop audience. The problem is that it's doesn't always feel authentic or necessarily a good fit for the talented singer. Anyway, I ain't mad at him because overall, I really like the album. In fact, here is one of the songs that I really like:
"Thinking Out Loud" - Ed Sheeran (2014)
SINEAD O'CONNOR - "I'M NOT BOSSY, I'M THE BOSS"
The one thing you can say about the troubled and controversial artist, Sinéad O'Connor is that she's unafraid to voice her opinion regardless of the outcome. At the height of her fame, she infamously tore up the photo of Pope John Paul II to protest child abuse in the church after a performance on "SNL" in 1992. That act essentially put the brakes on O'Connor's career and never really fully recovered. O'Connor continued to create some interesting music over the years but has garnered little attention from an unforgiving public.
On the cover of her tenth studio album. "I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss" (I love that title), O'Connor appears dolled up like her idea of a modern, young pop star. She is back to form with some well-crafted songs about sex and love that are far more insightful and clever than anything from Miley Cyrus. Listen to the first single:
"Take Me To Church" - Sinéad O'Connor (2014)
SIA - "1000 FORMS OF FEAR"
After putting her own career on hold and becoming a very successful songwriter-for-hire for the last few years, Sia has finally decided to record her own music once again. She saved some interesting material for herself but it's far darker than your standard pop tune. Using that full-bodied drawl of a voice, Sia gives these songs an extra edge. "1000 Forms of Fear" is the Aussie singer's sixth studio recording and her first to reach the top of the U.S. Billboard album chart. The moody first single, "Chandelier" has made it to the top ten across most of the globe.
While Sia may have resumed her singing, she has no desire to promote her music in the conventional fashion. No picture of Sia is on the album, she will not appear in any videos and has gone as far as performing live with her back to the audience. This may come across as a bit extreme but it does put the focus back on the music where it actually belongs.
"Big Girls Cry" - Sia (2014)
Nicki Minaj has received plenty of attention for the second single, "Anaconda" from her next release, "The Pinkprint" but it's been more for the cover art than for the actual song. Minaj has left little to the imagination, as she displays the inspiration for the tune and I say, "If you got it, flaunt it".
Sampling the 1992 Sir Mix-A-Lot track, "Baby Got Back", the song is classic Nicki Minaj and burning up the charts:
Kimbra is back with a new song, "90's music" from the soon-to-drop second CD, "The Golden Echo". The video is wild and colorful ode to that decade which includes some of the clothes and dance moves:
Finally, this is my current favorite music video. I don't know anything about this artist, Kiesza but this slick vid for the song, "Hideaway" is a seemingly non-stop dance routine that covers pretty much every dance move that has ever been created:
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