NEW SOUNDS

Since the very beginning of her career, Janelle Monae has been proudly queer, long before she even came out publicly as pansexual and non-binary. And with her fourth studio album, "The Age of Pleasure", the singer now feels liberated to express her music even more openly. This collection delivers feel-good vibes with songs threaded with reggae and Afro-beats that focus on the sensual pleasures of the mind and flesh. Even Monae's image has loosened up. Gone are the little, black & white suits and in their place is the singer in skimpy clothing, revealing much more of her beautiful satin skin than we had ever seen before from the artist. This includes the music video for the single, "Lipstick Lover" which shows a lot of female skin and has even been age-restricted on Youtube.

The lawsuit involving pop star, Kesha against her former producer, Dr. Luke, which had begun in 2014, has been quietly settled just a few days ago. Her fifth studio album, "Gag Order" had been released last month with the title making a not-so veiled reference to her on-going legal battle which left her unable to comment publicly. Much like her previous album, "High Road", this record touches on the depression and emotional trauma she has been going through these past few years due to this case. And the songs reflect her overcoming these difficulties with the return of a lighter musical mood, with experimental art-pop and bouncy, electronic beats she was known for in her early days. Kesha plans to hit the road in October to promote the album which I'm sure she will be able to approach from a clearer state-of-mind.





Here are some recent new sounds from Doja Cat, Gwen Stefani, Lana Del Rey, Carly Rae Jepsen and Jaz Elise:

After years of releasing singles, EPs, making numerous featured artist appearances and a studio album that was scrapped then leaked, Kim Petras has finally released her official debut album. With "Feed The Beast", the Grammy Award winner has dropped a mixed-bag of a collection that exhibits the varied styles of dance-pop music she has been creating since 2017. The album features some previously heard tracks like the disco-pop ditty, "Coconuts"; "Unholy", the worldwide smash hit with Sam Smith that won them a Grammy this year; "Brrr" and "Alone" that samples "Better Off Alone" by Alice Deejay and has Nicki Minaj providing her trademark sassy rap. But the rest of "Feed The Beast" feels surprisingly safe and generic, even with her long-time producer, the problematic Dr. Luke having a heavy hand on the project, lacking the powerful magic that made so many of her previous songs so fascinating and fun.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

After spending time making holiday music, mentoring aspiring singers on "The Voice" and dabbling in country-pop with her fiancé, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani is returning to her musical roots with the sounds of her band, No Doubt. The singer has just dropped a new song called, "Let Me Reintroduce Myself". This self-referential track, set to a ska beat, announces that this is not a comeback for Stefani but simply about reminding people she's still around. And while it's a clever idea, I don't think the song is strong enough to get Stefani comfortably back on the charts. But perhaps it still might introduce her to a new generation of fans. Check it out and judge for yourself:

Aluna Francis is one half of the British electronic duo, AlunaGeorge with George Reid who burst on to the scene in the US with a remix by DJ Snake of the single, "You Know You Like It" in 2014. After working with Reid for over ten years, Francis decided to take a break and create music on her own. Aluna has released her debut solo album, "Renaissance" and this collection dives deeper in to the roots of dance music, reaching back to African rhythms, funk, early 80's house and garage music. Aluna explores the history and contributions of Black artists in the genre and how dance is much more than EDM. It's an interesting album, filled with unexpected beats and sounds working very well together.





Here are a few new Christmas videos for your holiday enjoyment:







And finally in the category of "If It ain't broke, remake it", Todrick Hall has reworked his hit COVID-inspired tune and video, "Mask, Gloves, Soap, Scrubs" in to a holiday-themed new version entitled, "Bells, Bows, Gifts, Trees". Sure, it's a little lazy but still quite fun and clever. And the video will put you in a good mood and deliver a some much needed Christmas spirit.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM. . .

It seems to be that you if you are a professional musician with any significant popularity, your career is not complete without a Christmas album. So here are three of the latest who have added to the endless glut of music for the holidays:

SIA

The one pop singer I thought would be the absolutely last to ever record a Christmas album would be Sia. Yet, here it is but "Everyday Is Christmas" is hardly a conventional holiday offering. First, the entire album features all original songs co-written and produced with her longtime collaborator Greg Kurstin. And the songs are not what would be anywhere near traditional yet they are fun, quirky and sometimes moving holiday-themed pop songs. Here is the lyric video for the single, "Santa's Coming For Us" which features a few familiar faces:



FANTASIA

With her album, "Christmas After Midnight", Fantasia has made a record for grown-folks during the holidays. This collection features some of the r&b vocalist's favorite Christmas songs and done is her very distinctive style. Some of the highlights include "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)", a moving version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and a duet with CeeLo Green on their take of "Baby, It's Cold Outside". Have a listen to her sassy cover of James Brown's "Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto":


GWEN STEFANI

For her first holiday album, "You Make It Feel Like Christmas", Gwen Stefani has six original songs on her collection which she also has co-written. The title track is a duet with her country musician beau, Blake Shelton and just like their relationship, the song merges their respective musical genres. The rest of the album features her versions of familiar Christmas classics including "Santa Baby"," White Christmas" and WHAM'!s "Last Christmas". Enjoy the lyric video of Gwen and Blake's Christmas duet:

NEW SOUNDS

GWEN STEFANI

After releasing two poorly received singles earlier this year, Gwen Stefani decided to scrap the music she had been working on for her third solo album and start fresh. That appears to be a very wise move. The singer just dropped a new song, "Used To Love You" and it's a step in the right direction. This touching ballad hits pretty close to home for Stefani is going through a divorce from former Bush front man, Gavin Rossdale after almost thirteen years of marriage. It's been said that great art can come from personal tragedy and this amazing track, co-written with Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter (of Semi Precious Weapons), and producer, J.R. Rotem, is admittedly inspired by this break-up.

"Used To Love You" - Gwen Stefani (2015) mp3

ARIANA GRANDE

In a very short period of time, Ariana Grande has gone from an adorable Nickelodeon TV star to a major player in the pop music scene. The twenty-two year old is prepping her next album (tentatively titled, "Moonlight") and has released the first single, "Focus". With production by Swedish superstar producer, Max Martin, Grande has delivered another slick club banger that is elevated by her soaring vocals. That's also the problem here as the song feels far too similar to her previous work (particularly her hit, "Problem"), lacking unexpected thrills to get thoroughly excited over. Hear the song through the music video (featuring her new platinum locks) and judge for yourself:



MIIKE SNOW

Miike Snow, an electropop collective featuring American musician, Andrew Wyatt and Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg of the Swedish production team, Bloodshy & Avant, first came on the scene with the catchy tune, "Animal" back in 2009. While their third album together isn't due out until sometime next year, the trio has delivered a hot track, "Heart Is Full" that offers a fresh new sound from the band. Using fragmented beats and staccato music samples, the song manages to feels oddly familiar yet highly innovative. It makes me curious to hear else what they have in store for us.

"Heart Is Full" - Miike Snow (2015) mp3

NEW SOUNDS

BEYONCE

Beyoncé has just released a Platinum Edition of her recent, best-selling self-titled fifth album. In addition to a reissue of the original CD and DVD of music videos, this now includes another CD featuring two new songs, "7/11" and "Ring Off" and four previously-released remixes plus a DVD of live performances from The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour. This is probably more for the hardcore fan of the singer as the two new cuts, while pretty good, is not worth investing in if you already own the previous album.

Listen to "Ring Off" which seems to be about her mother, Tina Knowles. The song focuses on the painful end of her marriage while Beyoncé encourages her beautiful mama to remove that wedding ring and move on with her life.

"Ring Off" - Beyoncé (2014)

This video for the other new track, "7/11" is crazy but I love it:



IGGY AZALEA

This year, Iggy Azalea has become one of the biggest names in hip-hop pop thanks to her worldwide hits, "Fancy" and "Black Widow". A reissue of her debut, "The New Classic" is now out and called "Reclassified". It features six tracks from the first album and five new songs. The Australian rapper has gotten assistance on some of the tunes from Ellie Goulding ("Heavy Crown"), Danish electro-pop artist, MØ (the first single, "Beg For It") and Jennifer Hudson ("Trouble"). While it took me some time to warm up to Azalea and appreciate her music, I still don't see her as a great talent with a long career ahead of her.

Anyway, listen to my favorite track from "Reclassified":

"Trouble" - Iggy Azalea featuring Jennifer Hudson (2014)

Gwen Stefani disappointed with the lackluster first new music from her upcoming CD but has turned things around with the follow-up release. "Spark The Fire", co-written and produced by her fellow "Voice" judge, Pharrell Williams, is the type of high-energy track that we expect from the singer although it may be just a bit too similar to "Hollaback Girl" for it's own good. Check out the colorful video for the song that is on emoji overdrive:



I loved the new song "Uptown Funk" from Brit producer Mark Ronson as soon as I first heard it. With sizzling, funky horns, a touch of 1980's era Prince and Bruno Mars serving some James Brown inspired vocals, this jam is a modern classic. Here's the music video for this tune:



Finally, here is the video for the next single from my new fav, Sam Smith. "Like I Can" is a slick, black & white clip of Smith and his buddies roaming New York, looking sharp in tuxedos. Simple but effective:

GWEN STEFANI IS BACK

After laying low for a number of years, Gwen Stefani has finally reemerged. First, she became a judge on the popular music competition show, "The Voice" and now she has dropped some new music.

"Baby Don't Lie" is the first single from her upcoming third solo release and co-written with hot producers, Benny Blanco, Ryan Tedder and Noel Zancannella. Despite all this star-power, the song is surprisingly generic and uninspired. It's not necessarily bad but if her name wasn't attached, I doubt any one would pay any attention to this run-of-the -mill track. However, I haven't lost faith in Ms Stefani and I'm sure she will provide far more interesting music down the road. Listen and judge for yourself:



"Baby Don't Lie" - Gwen Stefani (2014)