NEW SOUNDS

JAMES BLAKE

The British musician, James Blake is probably best known for his innovative work behind the scenes, handling production for a wide number of artists which includes Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean and Beyoncé. But Blake had been making music as a solo performer long before his success as a go-to-producer. After living in Los Angeles for the last ten years, Blake decided to return to his native England. This move helped inspire his latest studio album, "Trying Times" and it is his first recording since departing from Republic Records and joining indie label, Good Boy Records. On the album, Blake reflects on some of the turmoil he had experienced with LA living and settling into a more tranquil state of being back in his home country. Unlike what he has usually done with other artists he had worked with, Blake is able to push even further his disjointed collection of fragmented sounds and beats to transform them into beautifully flowing, hypnotic songs rippling with his expressive, angelic vocals. A brilliantly deconstructed soul record, "Trying Times" takes you on a emotional musical adventure, one that is calmly offbeat and soothingly chaotic.





ELLA LANGLEY

I had become aware of country artist, Ella Langley from her charming single, "You Look Like You Love Me", a duet with Riley Green two years ago. This breakthrough along with a second single, "Weren't for the Wind" from her debut, "Hungover" made this twenty-six year old performer from Alabama one of the biggest new acts in country music of 2025. Now Langley is back with the catchy single, "Choosin' Texas" (co-written and co-produced with Miranda Lambert) that not only went to number one on the country chart but also reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and even became a major hit globally. Her upcoming second studio album, "Dandelion" will be co-executive produced by Langley, Lambert and Ben West and due out on April 10th. Another recently released single, "Be Her" is also moving up the country and pop charts.





DIONNE WARWICK

One of the true living legends of popular music, Dionne Warwick has been making music professionally for an incredible sixty-five years. Now the iconic eighty-five year old artist has announced a new album, "Dwets" (pronounced "duets") and it will officially become her final recording. Warwick's son, Damon Elliott, is producing the album and Diane Warren has written all of the songs for this collection which will most certainly be a heartfelt and celebratory finale to Warwick's amazing recording career. While the complete list of duet partners and the exact release date of "Dwets" will be announced soon, the first single has been released and features actress and singer Cynthia Erivo on the song, "Ocean in the Desert". This lovely ballad is about friendship and support during difficult times. And Warwick, who does plan to slow down after this album, has stated that she will still be around for the occasional live performance.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

The first time I had heard of Durand Bernarr was when I saw the clip of him racing to the stage during this year's Grammys to accept the award for Best Progressive R&B Album and delivering a humorously exuberant speech of joyous gratitude. But I must shamefully admit that I had not heard of Bernarr's album, "Bloom" which won him the prize. So I immediately set about listening to his record and now understand completely why he was the recipient of this honor.  

The Cleveland, Ohio native was surrounded by music, raised by parents who were involved in the business with his mother being a music teacher and vocal coach and his father was an audio engineer. After learning production by working with his father, Bernarr began his professional career posting videos on YouTube and released a mixtape that featured his versions of popular songs of the day in 2009. Another mixtape that was covers of Erykah Badu songs lead to him working with her as a backing vocalist. Bernarr went on to record some EPs and collaborate with various other artists as a featured vocalist or providing background vocals. He received attention with "Wanderlust" in 2022 and "En Route" was Grammy nominated for Best Progressive R&B Album in 2024. Openly queer, Bernarr is an artist to watch who is boldly pushing r&b in exciting new directions.





Taylor Swift has released the music video for her single, "Opalite" which came together following her appearance on the British chat program, "The Graham Norton Show" and features the guests that was on her episode; Karyn White has finally returned to music with "You Gonna Want Me Back" that has the r&b vocalist, who made a splash with her self-titled debut back in 1988, delivering a fresh, midtempo groove; No Na is an Indonesian girl group that is receiving attention on this side of the world thanks to their latest single, "Work" and their energetic music video.

Another artist I slept on was Rochelle Jordan and her third studio album, "Through The Wall" released last year. This collection is an explosive mix of funky progressive soul and sleek electronic sounds that will leave you exhilarated as you are dancing through the night. Born in London and raised in Toronto, Jordan has been creating music since 2012, releasing her debut album, "1021" two years later which featured fairly traditional r&b. But it wouldn't be until almost seven years later when she would return with her follow-up, "Play with the Changes" which was due to some health issues and a battle with her former label over her artistic expression. With this album, Jordan was able to experiment further with underground dance and house, finding that she was in her element. A performer who is not sonically aggressive, Jordan prefers to keep her luxurious beats smooth and steady to help elevate the dance floor.

And I will close by paying tribute to Chuck Negron, one of the vocalists of the pop-rock group, Three Dog Night, who passed away on February 2nd at the age of eighty-three. Born and raised in New York, Negron (whose father was nightclub performer, Charles Negron) sang in local vocal groups as a teen. He headed to Los Angeles after being recruited to play basketball at CAL State. His interests soon returned to music and in 1967, Negron, along with fellow singers, Cory Wells and Danny Hutton came together to form a musical group called Redwood, They were briefly signed to the Beach Boys' imprint record label, Brother Records. But during recording sessions, Brian Wilson was producing their demos and not happy with their sound. The rest of the Beach Boys soon wanted him to concentrate on their band's next album so Redwood was dropped. Not long after, these vocalists assembled their own backing band with Ron Morgan on guitar, Floyd Sneed on drums, Joe Schermie on bass, and Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards and became "Three Dog Night" which refers to the practice of using dogs for warmth in the outback with "three dogs" indicating a freezing night. 

Beginning with their 1968 self-titled debut album that featured their first pop hit, "One" which was a cover of Harry Nilsson's song, Three Dog Night went on to have twenty-one top-forty singles including three reaching number one. But legal battles, internal conflicts and drug abuse, the band imploded by 1976. Negron had his own struggles with serious drug addiction, even living for a period on Skid Row in Los Angeles, before seeking recovery and finally getting clean by 1991. He found his way back to music, recording four solo albums including "Negron Generations" from 2017 which featured him with two of his daughters. Here are a couple of Three Dog Night songs that Negron sang lead vocals on:

VERONICA ELECTRONICA

Back in 1998, Madonna released her seventh album, "Ray of Light", a collection that brought the throbbing beats of the underground electronica scene to the pop music landscape. With producer, William Orbit, the superstar boldly experimented with her sound by incorporating her recent embrace of Kabbalah and the practice of Ashtanga yoga with trip-hop and new-age. "Ray of Light" became an incredible worldwide success, with five hit singles and selling over sixteen million copies and finally bringing her some long overdue critical acclaim with a highlight being winning four Grammy Awards including Best Pop Album. 

Not long after the release of this album, Madonna had planned to follow-up with a remix of the album to be called, "Veronica Electronica" which was the name of her alter-ego she had given herself during the "Ray of Light" recording sessions. But the plan was scrapped and the record was put away in the vault although some of these remixes ended up as B-sides to her singles.

Now "Veronica Electronica" has been officially released twenty-six years later. There are seven tracks from "Ray of Light" that have been given the remix treatment by Orbit, BT, Sasha, Club 69 and Victor Calderone. And the album also features an unreleased demo called, "Gone, Gone, Gone", written by Madonna and Rick Nowels.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Sophie was an emerging talent who was a visionary pushing the boundaries of what electronic music could achieve by experimenting with sound design and expanding the concept of pop music. But unexpectedly the English musician tragically died from an accidental fall during a vacation in Greece almost four years ago. At the time of her passing, Sophie was working on the follow-up to her acclaimed 2018 debut, "Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides" with the album near completion. Her brother, Benny Long, who had been Sophie's longtime studio engineer, and their two sisters supervised to help finish the project. Simply entitled, "Sophie", the record features friends of the artist who wanted to participate and musicians that Sophie had wanted to collaborate with. This includes German pop star, Kim Petras; US singer/songwriter, Jozzy; performance artist, Signe Pierce who creates music under Big Sister and British visual artist and singer, Hannah Diamond.





Here are a few new songs that I like: the new version of Charli XCX's "Sympathy is a Knife" with Ariana Grande which is featured on the just released remix album, "Brat & It's Completely Different But Also Still Brat"; Jennie, the former member of the K-Pop group, Blackpink who has gone solo, has released a new single, "Mantra"; "You Look Like You Love Me", the country ballad from Ella Langley and Riley Green and an ode to young love and soda, "Diet Pepsi" from Addison Rae.

Kylie Minogue is currently enjoying a second wind after over forty years of making glorious dance-pop music, thanks in part to the song, "Padam Padam", from her "Tension" album last year, becoming her biggest international hit in many years. Now the Australian pop goddess is set to release an album sequel, "Tension II" due out on October 18th. This collection will continue her journey into electronic music with the high energy, first single, "Lights Camera Action" taking us eagerly back to the dance floor. The music video for the song (directed by Minogue's longtime collaborator Sophie Muller) has the singer on a sound stage film set, appearing in various job roles preparing for a production shoot. And Minogue has announced that she going back on the road early next year with the Tension World Tour which will take her across the globe for the first time since 2011.

And I will pay tribute to two musicians we have recently lost: J.D. Souther, one of the singer/songwriters who helped define the LA country-rock sound in the 1970's, died on September 17th at the age of seventy-eight. Born John David Souther on November 2, 1945, he grew up in Texas playing multiple instruments before heading to Los Angeles in the late 1960's. He met Glen Frey in 1969 and they formed a musical duo, Longbranch Pennywhistle and recorded an album. They soon parted ways with Frey joining Linda Ronstadt's backing band and Souther recording a solo album.

After this backing band became The Eagles, Souther would work with the group, co-writng some of their biggest hits which includes "New Kid in Town", "Best of My Love" and "Heartache Tonight". Souther went on to create music for Ronstadt (whom he briefly dated), Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor and Don Henley. He had teamed with Chris Hillman of The Byrds and Richie Furay of Buffalo Sprinfield in 1973 and formed The Souther–Hillman–Furay Band, recording two albums. Souther still continued to do some solo work, recording nine albums, with his biggest hit was in 1979 with "You're Only Lonely", reaching number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Cissy Houston, the mother of the great Whitney Houston, aunt of the pop music legend, Dionne Warwick, cousin to opera vocalist, Leontyne Price and an incredible singer in her own right, passed away on October 7th. The two-time Grammy Award winner was ninety-one and under hospice care for Alzheimer’s disease. Houston, born Emily Drinkard, was the last of eight children of a musical family living in Newark, NJ. She began her singing career at the age of eight performing with four of her siblings in a gospel singing group. They became the Drinkard Singers when other family members joined and recorded a live album, "A Joyful Noise" in 1958.

Not long after marrying John Houston, Jr., she moved into secular music and formed a r&b girl group, The Sweet Inspirations with her niece, Dee Dee Warwick. They became popular and well-respected backup vocalists throughout the 1960's, assisting Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Van Morrison, Dusty Springfield, Jimi Hendrix and Elvis Presley with their recordings and tours. The Sweet Inspirations also recorded their own music beginning in 1967, scoring their only top-forty pop hit with "Sweet Inspiration" (which Houston co-wrote), reaching number eighteen on the chart.

Houston left the group in 1969 in order to pursue a solo career and focus more on her family. She recorded ten albums over her career with the 1979 disco song, "Think It Over" crossing over to the Billboard r&b chart and becoming her most significant hit. Houston went back to session work, singing background vocals for many of the top artists of the 1970's and '80's. And she also returned to her musical roots, recording her first solo gospel album, "Face To Face" in 1996. Houston received a Grammy for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album for this recording and won the award again two years later for her follow-up album, "He Leadeth Me".

HOT AND FRESH OUT THE KITCHEN

"Used To Be Young" is the latest single from Miley Cyrus. This is a bonus track on the reissued digital copy of her album, "Endless Summer Vacation" and first premiered on her recently updated documentary concert special, "Endless Summer Vacation: Continued (Backyard Sessions)". The introspective ballad (co-written by Cyrus with Gregory Aldae Hein and co-producer, Michael Pollack) addresses her wild behavior in the past, summing it up to her simply being young. The music video for the song is uncluttered and direct with Cyrus going through a flood of emotions while performing the song.

It has been ten years since Ariana Grande's debut studio album, "Yours Truly" that helped turn this teen actress into a pop music icon. Now a re-issue of the album has been released and this 10th anniversary edition features the original twelve tracks and new versions of six songs, recorded live at the Soho House in London. There is also a Spanglish take of Grande's breakout single, "The Way" with the late Mac Miller.

After briefly deciding to step away from music following the disappointing reception of her 2021 third album, "The End of an Era", Iggy Azalea has made a comeback with a new single. "Money Come", produced by Tricky Stewart and features a sample of K7’s "Come Baby Come", has the Aussie rapper's distinctive style and swagger back in action. The video for the song has Azalea acting as a CEO, going through an office building filled with men and transforming them into powerful women. She has also surprisingly teamed up with OnlyFans to help her in promoting the upcoming fourth album.

NEW SOUNDS

BEYONCE

While we have been anxiously awaiting for the return of new music by Beyoncé, what we have received is a song for the soundtrack of "King Richard", an upcoming bio-pic on the story of how a determined Richard Williams (played by Will Smith) helped his daughters, Venus and Serena become two of the greatest players in tennis. After watching an early screening of the film, the singer was moved and inspired by their story, offering to contribute the song, "Be Alive" which she co-wrote and produced with Dixson. This power-ballad contains uplifting words of empowerment with a beautiful, emotional vocal that only Beyoncé can deliver. This is a wonderful treat until she decides to release a complete album.



MITSKI

It's been three years since Mitski broke out with her fifth studio album, "Be The Cowboy", a thrilling collection of art-pop that found it's way on several best albums of 2018 lists. Now the Japanese-American artist, born Mitsuki Laycock, has released a new single, "The Only Heartbreaker", a delicious slice of '80's inspired synth-pop that the performer has made sound simultaneously retro and fresh. This is the second song from her upcoming album, "Laurel Hell" (due out in February and once again produced by her longtime collaborator, Patrick Hyland) with most of the tracks written by Mitski not long after her last album release yet completed during the lockdown last year. Be sure to catch Mitski on the road as she plans for an extensive tour throughout North America and Europe to support the album shortly after it's release.



U2

And about three years have passed since we last heard from the Irish rock band, U2 however, there isn't an album arriving. It's a new song that's part of the soundtrack to the sequel of the 2016 animated film, "Sing" due out in theaters on Christmas day. And I'm sure you might be wondering why U2 is involved with this movie? It turns out that Bono, the lead vocalist of the band, will be lending his voice to a new character, Clay Calloway, a famous rock star lion who is now a recluse with the koala, Buster Moon (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) and his crew of singing animals trying to lure him out to help them with their quest to start a new show in a flashy theater. The song, "Your Song Saved My Life" is a moving ballad that I'm sure will play an important part of the story. Other classic U2 songs ("Where the Streets Have No Name", "I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For", "Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of") will find there way in to the movie, covered by the harmonizing critters in this CGI-animated jukebox musical.

DAFT PUNK (1993 - 2021)

Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homen-Christo, who together are known to the world as the disguised EDM duo, Daft Punk, have officially announced the end of their musical partnership on February 22nd. This innovative band lead the movement that successfully brought dance music to the pop charts. Although it had been since 2013 that the French musicians had released their worldwide breakthrough fourth album, "Random Access Memories" which went on to receive five Grammy Awards including Album of the Year, the news is still unexpected and quite surprising.

The two became friends while attending the Lycée Carnot school in Paris. They recorded demos and later formed a rock band with Bangalter playing bass and de Homen-Christo on guitar. After abandoning the band, the duo moved towards experimenting with synthesisers and drum machines. This lead them to create an instrumental, acid house track called, "Da Funk" in 1995, receiving attention from Virgin Records who signed them to the label with Daft Punk being born.

At first, the duo made live appearances without costumes while touring for their debut album, "Homework". But the men were not interested in fame or being photographed. They started to wear face masks while performing and doing publicity. With their success, Daft Punk eventually moved to more elaborate costumes, with them wearing robotic suits and helmets.

With their follow-up album, "Discovery" in 2001, Daft Punk's music moved towards a slicker electro-pop sound, utilizing autotune and vocoded vocals on their songs. And the album was an incredible success on the dance charts across the globe with the singles, "One More Time", "Digital Love", "Face to Face" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (which would later be sampled by Kanye West for his 2007 hit song "Stronger").

The announcement of their end came inventively with an eight minute video clip. In the film directed by Warren Fu, the pair appear wearing their robot personas walking in the desert. One stops moving suddenly, then the other returns to flip a timer-switch on him that causes his destruction.



And to pay tribute to Daft Punk and their influential sound, here is a highlight of some of my favorite tracks from the band:

SOPHIE (1986 - 2021)

Sophie Xeon, the influential Scottish musician and producer who reshaped pop music with her blend of avant-garde electronica, has sadly passed away today at the age of thirty-four following a tragic accident. The Grammy-nominated artist, who created her own music and worked on production for Charli XCX, Kim Petras, Vince Staples, Nicki Minaj and Madonna, died in the early morning after a fall off a balcony in her home in Athens, Greece.

After receiving a keyboard as a birthday gift, Sophie began to create new music as a child, realizing at that time she wanted to become a producer. As a young adult, she joined the band, Motherland and worked with the record label and art collective, PC Music. Deciding to remain fairly anonymous early in her career by concealing her identity in interviews, Sophie came forward as a trans woman, appearing publicly for the first time in the music video of her song, "It's Okay To Cry" in 2017. This was followed by the release her debut album, "Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides", a critically acclaimed work that earned a Grammy nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album and ignited a passionate fanbase. Sophie's career was just beginning and the world has sadly lost a bold musical visionary far too soon.

ROISIN MACHINE

With the recent release of her fifth solo album, "Róisín Machine", I am surprised I had not previously put a spotlight on Róisín Murphy, the Irish-born, British-based vocalist. She is a dance floor vet, having been around since the mid-1990's, first as a part of the trip-hop act, Moloko with her former partner, Mark Brydon. They were best known for a dance remix of "Sing It Back" that became an international smash back in 1999. After her romance with Brydon ended in 2003, so did the band but Murphy went on to continue creating music on her own.

Since her debut album, "Ruby Blue" in 2005, Murphy has further experimented with sounds, incorporating avant-pop, bossa nova, jazz and soul styles and samples of odd noises to her dance music. With "Róisín Machine", the forty-seven year old singer has brought dramatic theatricality to her new music, clashing together nu-disco, alt-r&b, electro-pop to create beautifully strange, club-ready tracks. Murphy has always been a true innovator who has never settled, always looking to push the boundaries of what is possible in dance. Here are a few of my favorite songs from the album:

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Ezra Miller is best known as an actor and delivering memorable performances in such films as "We Need to Talk About Kevin", "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them". But he has also been a part of the indie queer band, Sons of an Illustrious Father since 2011 as a vocalist and drummer. With Lilah Larson and Josh Aubin, the group just dropped a cover of the Pussycat Dolls' hit, "Don't Cha" with Miller providing the vocals to flip the gender perspective. Their version is much darker than the original and, in many ways, far more interesting. Check out the music video of Sons of an Illustrious Father in action:



Lana Del Rey recently dropped some new music with little fanfare. "Doin' Time" is a cover of Sublime's 1997 song which uses a line from the Gershwin classic, "Summertime" in the hook but that is all it has in common with that tune. She brings a decidedly SoCal vibe to the track which makes it all her own. I really love this tune and let's hope we get some more music from Ms Del Rey very soon.

And we have Léon, who was recently in LA to promote her debut self-titled album which came out in March. Born Lotta Lindgren, this twenty-six year old Swedish vocalist comes from a musical family (Her mother is a cellist and her father is a composer and conductor) and has been performing since she was a child. With a great love for classic soul, Léon sang with several r&b and hip-hop groups as a teenager before deciding to become a solo artist. She released her first EP, "Treasure" in 2015 which brought her some attention and released two more in 2017.  I have to say I am shocked she hasn't really blown up yet. I realize much of it has to do with luck and timing but I think Léon has what it takes to easily become the next big pop sensation from Sweden. Time will tell but in the meantime, here are the music videos for a couple of her singles, "You and I" and "Baby Don't Talk" to see for yourself:

ULTIMATUM

After their breakthrough of moving successfully from the dance floor to the pop charts back in 2012, Disclosure, the British EDM duo made up of the Lawrence brothers, Guy and Howard, began a whirlwind of recording, remixing, production and touring the globe. By early 2017, the brothers decided to take a much-needed break from the scene.

Now Disclosure has quietly dropped some new music. "Ultimatum" is a choppy beat-driven track and features the vocals of West African singer/actress, Fatoumata Diawara. This is a teaser of the band’s upcoming third album as they are still in the process of putting it together and we won’t see it until sometime next year. While “Ultimatum” is not nearly as memorable as some of their previous work, it’s still a really nice appetizer.

AVICII (1989 - 2018)

Avicii, the Swedish-born DJ, musician and producer who successfully crossed over from the dance floor to the pop charts, has tragically passed away today at the age of only twenty-eight. No cause of death as been given at this time but the artist born as Tim Bergling had health issues over the past few years after being diagnosed with acute pancreatitis due to excessive alcohol use. He had his gallbladder and appendix removed in 2014 and had stopped performing live to help with his recovery.

Bergling, born in Stockholm to Klas Bergling and actress Anki Lidén, had gotten attention early as a musician with "Seek Bromance", an EDM song he wrote and produced under the name "Tim/Berg" in 2010. The vocal version of this track reached the top 20 in several countries including the UK where it peaked at number two. The following year as Avicii, he released the dance single, "Levels" (which samples Etta James' classic "Something's Got A Hold On Me") that became a worldwide smash hit and has remained one of his best-known songs. This lead to this young artist becoming a highly sought-after writer, producer and re-mixer.

In 2013, Avicii released his debut album, "True" and the lead single, "Wake Me Up" became an even bigger hit. With Aloe Blacc providing vocals and recorded with live instruments, the track blends elements of EDM, soul and country music and reached number one in over twenty countries. Avicii released a successful follow-up album, "Stories" in 2015 and an EP, "Avīci (01)" in 2017. He also participated last year in a documentary, "Avicii: True Stories" by Levan Tsikurishvili that explored his immediate success, health complications and the intensity of fame.

To pay tribute to this gifted artist we have lost way too soon, here are a few notable tracks by Avicii:

HALF-LIGHT

When he was a member of the art-rock quartet, Vampire Weekend, Rostam Batmanglij was a major driving force behind the band as he was a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer and producer of much of their material. The group (featuring bass guitarist Chris Baio, drummer Chris Tomson and guitarist, songwriter and lead vocalist Ezra Koenig) were together since their college days at Columbia University and released three critically-acclaimed albums with their third, "Modern Vampires of the City" winning them a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2014.

During his time with the band, Batmanglij teamed with Wes Miles of the indie rock band, Ra Ra Riot in 2006 for a side project called Discovery that explored electronic and alt-r&b sounds but after Vampire Weekend's last release, he began to further experiment musically. Batmanglij did some work for a film, teaming up with Charli XCX and Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran on a song for the soundtrack of "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1", writing original music for a play by Kenneth Lonergan called "This Is Our Youth" in 2014, writing and producing tracks for Carly Rae Jepsen's well-received 2015 album, "E•MO•TION", producing the Frank Ocean's track, "Ivy" from his follow-up 2016 album, "Blonde" and worked on songs for recent releases from Haim and Solange.

All this activity may have led him to decide on leaving Vampire Weekend in January 2016 although his departure was amicable and open to working with them in the future. Now, going professionally by his first name, Rostam, he is ready to use his own voice to express himself and released his first solo album in September, "Half-Light". For his own music, Rostam further pushes conventional pop structures, using complex musical textures to create moody and emotional songs. Here are two tracks that best represents the inventive, dreamlike atmosphere on the album:

WELCOME BACK

BLONDIE

Blondie began as a scrappy New York punk band in the mid-'70's before "Heart of Glass", their worldwide smash rock/disco hybrid, transformed them in to a slightly glossier pop-rock outfit yet they managed to maintain their rebellious spirit. The group, with a line-up at the time that featured Nigel Harrison on bass guitar, Jimmy Destri on keyboards, Frank Infante on guitar, Clem Burke on drummer, Chris Stein on guitar and his girlfriend at the time, Debbie Harry who was the official voice and unofficial face of the band, enjoyed mainstream success for a few years before jealousy, in-fighting and Stein's near-fatal illness drove them apart by 1982.

Each member went on to explore their own musical endeavors, including Harry's moderately successful solo career, before the original five band members of Blondie (which includes Gary Valentine on bass before he was replaced by Harrison in 1977) came back together first for a few live performances in 1997, an international tour the following year and then a new album, "No Exit" in 1999 although Valentine had left the band again before the recording of it.

Now down to Harry, Stein and Burke (with Leigh Foxx on bass, Matt Katz-Bohen on piano and Tommy Kessler on guitar filling out the rest of the band), Blondie has kept plugging away ever since and are preparing to release their eleventh studio album, "Pollinator" in May.  The first single, "Fun" features the early propulsive energy of the band while feeling quite modern.



DEPECHE MODE

The members of the British band, Depeche Mode dabbled in rock and acoustic before moving on to exploring synthesisers in the early '80's. The quartet, consisting of Martin Gore, Vince Clarke, Andy Fletcher and Dave Gahan, helped usher in the new wave-synthpop scene in England and reached the top twenty on the UK chart with "New Life", "Dreaming Of Me" and "Just Can't Get Enough" from their debut album, "Speak & Spell" in 1981. Due to his apparent discomfort with their pop success, Clarke left Depeche Mode although he quickly went and formed Yazoo ("Yaz" in the U.S.) with Alison Moyet and later Erasure with Andy Bell. Clarke was replaced with Alan Wilder in 1982 and he remained with the band until 1995.

The sound of Depeche Mode has evolved over the years with the utilizing of more guitars and offering songs with far weightier subjects. The trio have just released their fourteenth album, "Spirit" and are speaking on these politically charged times. The first single, "Where's The Revolution" pretty much says it all. The band has returned to filmmaker, Anton Corbijn to create the video for the song.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

After her New Year's Eve performance fiasco, Mariah Carey seems eager to put that out of people's minds with some new music. Clearly inspired by her recent break-up with former fiance, billionaire James Packer, "I Don't" is a bitter "her" side of the story backed up with an old-school r&b beat with YG adding a rap for a modern touch. I'm really digging the song but the cartoon sexuality in the music video is just too much. The forty-six year old mother of two directed this clip and it simply features endless shots of herself in ridiculously revealing outfits gyrating and flipping her hair seductively. I know the over-the-top, sexy diva image has always been her thing but it's getting a little sad now. "I Don't" is the first of several singles that will be released throughout the year with an album that will likely happen depending on how well these songs do.



And here is a far more classier Carey paying loving tribute to the recently departed George Michael with an incredible live version of his ballad, "One More Try":



Here is a collection of some dynamic music videos of recent songs I've been digging:

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:

HOT AND FRESH OUT THE KITCHEN

BEYONCE - "LEMONADE"

With her sixth studio album, "Lemonade", Beyoncé continues to form her own path on how she will present her music to the world. First, on April 23rd, she released an hour-long HBO film that presented all of the new songs together as a "visual album" which featured striking imagery and poetic interludes covering many subjects involving race, gender and marriage. Shortly after the television premiere, the album was released exclusively for on-line streaming on Tidal (which she's a co-owner) before it became available to everyone two days later.

The title of the album references that old saying that when life serves you lemons, you gotta make some lemonade and that's exactly what the multiple Grammy winner has done. Without ever being specific, Beyoncé seems to have used some difficult times in her marriage as well as her parent's acrimonious break-up to create a searing collection of songs involving betrayal, anger, revenge, hope and ultimately, forgiveness. The music blurs and twists together many genres, perfectly complementing the lyrics with edgy and offbeat sounds. "Lemonade" is far from comfortable, easily digestible pop music. The album makes a bold statement and I think it's the singer's strongest work to date.



PET SHOP BOYS - "SUPER"

I can't believe it's been thirty years since Pet Shop Boys released their debut album, "Please". The record featured the now classic tunes "Suburbia", "Love Comes Quickly", "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" and still my favorite track from them, "West End Girls".  There is no doubt that their early sound can be attributed to the current popularity of electronic dance music. Now, the boys, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, are back with their thirteenth album. "Super". With production duties once again handled by Stuart Price, the band dives deeper in to pure electronica yet retain much of their pop sensibilities. The first single, "The Pop Kids" takes a nostalgic look back at the dance scene in the '90's when they first started out. This song also became Pet Shop Boys' eleventh number one song on the U.S. Dance Club chart.

"The Pop Kids" - Pet Shop Boys (2016) mp3

Tegan and Sara, those formerly alt-rocking Canadian twins, continue to move in an eletropop direction. With their eight album, "Love You To Death" due out in June, the ladies may be seeking commercial success but only want it on their terms and the single, "Boyfriend" clearly indicates that. The song involves a love triangle with a confused girl caught between a boy and another girl.

"Boyfriend" - Tegan and Sara (2016) mp3

After taking some time off to have her second child, Alicia Keys is finally back with some new music since 2012's "Girl On Fire". The first single, "In Common" is a smooth dance hall-flavored track that should easily put the artist back on the charts. For the music video directed by Pierre Debusschere, Keys is lovely and fresh-faced in this slick black& white clip featuring energetic dancers in a pseudo-cityscape.



Finally, Justin Timberlake is not only lending his voice to the upcoming animated film, "Trolls" (due out later this fall) but he has also just released a song for the soundtrack. "Can't Stop The Feeling", co-written and produced by pop wizard, Max Martin, has already reached the the top of the charts in seven countries including the U.S. The song feels very similar to "Happy", another catchy, feel-good song for an animated film that swept the globe. Even the music video, directed by film maker Mark Romanek, features average people dancing and singing along to the song.

WELCOME BACK

LITTLE BOOTS

Victoria Hesketh or as she's better known Little Boots has ruled the dance floors in recent years with her brand of modern disco anthems. She originally began her music career in college planning on becoming a jazz vocalist before moving in a completely different direction by joining an all-female electronic band, Dead Disco. The new record from the English songstress is called, "Working Girl" and she has worked it out with a another round of shimmering dance-pop tunes. By the way, Hesketh shares her nickname with the depraved Roman emperor, Julius Caesar which in Latin is "Caligula". Be prepared to break a sweat with Little Boots' first single, "Better In The Morning":

"Better In The Morning" - Little Boots (2015) mp3

THE BIRD AND THE BEE

With their jazz-influenced, electro-beat sound, I'm surprised that The Bird and The Bee are not more of a major pop act. They been making music together since 2006 and it's been five years since the L.A. based duo released their excellent tribute album to Hall & Oates but they are both quite busy with their own individual music careers. The vocalist, Inara George is not only a member of Merrick and The Living Sisters but the mother of three children while Greg Kurstin is a very in-demand producer who has worked with top pop artists, Sia, Kelly Clarkson, Beck, Pink and Katy Perry, to name just a few.

The wait is over and their fourth studio release, "Recreational Love" is now out. George's soft and dreamy vocals and Kursin's sophisticated production brings us another smooth album of pop songs with funky beats drifting through. Their sound has never been hard-edged or overly slick which has made it challenging for The Bird and The Bee to get much attention in the current state of pop radio. But they continue to offer a pleasing and refreshing break from the routine. Listen to the first single from the new release:

"Will You Dance" - The Bird and The Bee (2015) mp3


JILL SCOTT

Jill Scott has spent the last few years putting most of her energy in to an acting career but this vocal dynamo has thankfully decided to get back to her musical roots. As a part of the neo-soul movement in the 1990's, the Philly-raised singer merged together classic soul with hip-hop and spoken word. Unlike her contemporaries of that era like Maxwell, D'Angelo and Lauryn Hill, Scott is the only one was has consistently maintained a presence in music. With her latest release, "Woman", Scott delivers another collection of fiery love songs and reflective views on relationships. The first single, "Fool's Gold" is a perfect example of what Jill Scott does best:

"Fool's Gold" - Jill Scott (2015) mp3