RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

For his first solo work in six years, Justin Timberlake has returned with "Selfish". This song, with production by Cirkut, Louis Bell and Timberlake, is a beat-heavy ballad that has him explaining his obsession with this woman he's interested in and if that makes him selfish, he just can't help it. I'm not sure about the message this is sending, especially in today's climate but perhaps this will be overlooked. This is the first release from his forthcoming sixth studio album, "Everything I Thought It Was" due out in March. Timberlake is in full promo mode, appearing last weekend as the musical guest on "SNL" (and debuting another song, "Sanctified"), hitting the talks shows, performing an intimate show at Irving Plaza in New York City on January 31st (which is also his 43rd birthday) before launching a world tour in April.



But fans of Britney Spears seemed to have wanted to have the last word on Timberlake's new song after the singer's revelations about her former boyfriend in her recent memoir. I still don't understand how they did this but the Britney stans managed to have a song also titled "Selfish" from Spears' 2011 album, "Femme Fatale" climb up and eventually reach number one on the US iTunes chart, knocking Timberlake off that spot. It's all silly and petty yet impressive work.

When I heard that actress Kate Hudson was dropping a new pop music single, I admit I was extremely skeptical of the outcome. I knew she could carry a tune after seeing her enjoyable performance in the 2009 filmed version of the Broadway musical, "Nine" yet it still remained questionable to me that the nepo baby of Goldie Hawn was an actual singer. However, after hearing "Talk About Love", I will now admit I was wrong. This pop-rock song, co-written by Hudson, her boyfriend, Daniel Fujikawa and musician/producer, Linda Perry, is pretty good, polished and catchy in a way that's very appealing with Hudson delivering a great vocal. The Oscar-nominated performer plans to release an entire album sometime in the near future and I am now curious to hear more.

I really don't understand the point of this Nicki Minaj/Megan Thee Stallion feud going on but here is the latest song from Megan Thee Stallion, "Hiss" which is delivering all she needs to say at this moment:

Finally, I would like to pay tribute to two gifted musicians we recently lost. The voice behind the Ashford & Simpson penned ode to the Golden State, "California Soul", Marlena Shaw has passed away on January 19th at the age of eighty-one. The New York artist (born Marlina Burgess) began her interest in music as a child through her uncle, Jimmy Burgess, a jazz trumpeter. Helping her develop skills as a vocalist, Marlina would sing with her uncle's band at the Apollo Theater at the age of ten.

Changing her stage name to "Marlena Shaw", she would continue to pursue a career as a singer, performing with several jazz bands before an opportunity came her way during a gig at the Playboy Club in Chicago. Representatives from Chess Records were in the audience and offered her a recording contract. Shaw made two albums for the label with "California Soul" appearing on her second release, "The Spice of Life" in 1969. And while she was not the first or the only artist to cover the song, Shaw's version was the one that made "California Soul" memorable. The track would go on to become popular in the British rare groove music scene, become heavily sampled by hip-hop musicians and used frequently for television commercials. Shaw recorded sixteen albums over the course of her career, largely jazz music but a few that combined blues, soul and some disco.

Melanie, who reached the top of the US pop chart with her composition, "Brand New Key", passed away on January 23rd. The New York singer/ songwriter, born Melanie Safka, was seventy-six with no cause of death revealed to date. She began as part of the counterculture, folk music scene in the village and managed to get signed with Columbia Records. Melanie recorded a couple of singles for them that didn't get much attention and moved on to a lower-profile label, Buddah Records. Two of her songs, "Bobo's Party" and "Beautiful People", became hits in Europe and this helped get Melanie an invite to perform at the 1969 Woodstock music festival, one of only three solo female musicians to perform there. The experience at the fest inspired Melanie to write the song, "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" which features the gospel group, the Edwin Hawkins Singers on backing vocals. This song became a hit in Europe and the US where it reached the top ten on the pop chart in 1970.

Frustrated by her label's controlling demand for new music on their timetable, Melanie, with her producer husband, Peter Schekeryk, formed their own indie label, Neighborhood Records. From her fifth album, "Gather Me" in 1971, "Brand New Key" became the biggest hit of her career, charting across the globe. While not reaching these heights again, Melanie continued to record (releasing twenty-six albums) and tour extensively. She married Schekeryk in 1968 and were together until his passing in 2010. The couple had three children; daughters, Leilah and Jeordie and son, Beau who are all working musicians.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

The US Supreme Court's recent overturning of Roe V. Wade has left many Americans frustrated and angry. This disturbing turn of events has inspired many artists to creatively express their feelings about this decision, some through music. Pink had tweeted strongly worded opinions regarding this reversal of abortion rights, then was told by some online trolls to just "shut-up and sing". So the singer promptly went and did just that, writing "Irrelevant" with Ian Fitchuk who produced the track. This protest song pushes back against people telling her that as a woman or entertainer, her thoughts and opinions are not important and feels she has every right to be heard. The music video for "Irrelevant" visually displays various protests from many different movements, ranging from civil rights, LGBTQ, #MeToo as well as a call to end gun violence.

Billie Eilish was in the middle of her world tour in support of her second album, "Happier Than Ever", performing in Manchester, England when she received word of the Supreme Court's decision. She had debuted a new song, "TV" during the concert, which had been written with her brother, Finneas O'Connell. They had written part of the song earlier and after Roe V. Wade was overturned, "TV" was completed to include their distressed thoughts about what has happened to women's rights. The song was recorded along with another new track, "The 30th" but instead of waiting until the next album, they were promptly released as an EP, "Guitar Songs".



Here is a collection of some new music from some of my favorite artists:

And a tribute to William "Poogie" Hart, the smooth lead vocalist for the soul group, The Delfonics who has passed away on July 14th at the age of seventy-seven. With his brother, Wilbert Hart and Randy Cain, the trio enjoyed their biggest success during the late 1960's and early 1970's with the hit singles, "La-La (Means I Love You)", "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)" and "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)". Founding member "Poogie" Hart (who had co-written many of the band's songs with their producer, Thom Bell, one of the creators of the "Philadelphia soul" sound) had continued performing with The Delfonics over the years, most recently in 2020.

NEW SOUNDS

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

Justin Timberlake provided his voice for a character in the 2016 animated feature, "Trolls" and contributed a smash hit single, "Can't Stop The Feeling!" for the soundtrack. Now for the forthcoming sequel, "Trolls World Tour" (due in U.S. theaters on April 10th), Timberlake is back in the movie and has dropped a new single for the soundtrack. "The Other Side" is a bold, funky pop track that has the singer teaming with SZA (who we are still anxiously awaiting her follow-up to her 2017 debut album). This is a fine return to form after venturing out in to a Southern Americana sound with his last album, "Man of The Woods".



DIXIE CHICKS

After fourteen long years, the country music trio, Dixie Chicks have finally come back together to release new music. With Jack Antonoff on board as producer and co-writer, Natalie Maines and sisters, Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire have re-teamed to deliver "Gaslighter", the first single and title track of their upcoming eighth studio album. This catchy ditty seems to have been clearly inspired by Maines' recent ugly divorce from actor, Adrian Pasdar with implications of lying and emotional abuse. The album, which is due in May, is said to combine the band's early bluegrass music with the more countrified pop sound of their later records.



KATY PERRY

Katy Perry has delivered to us a new song, "Never Worn White". This lovely ballad (co-written with producer, Johan Carlsson) is about never before having the opportunity to wear wedding white but is ready to do so now with the man she truly loves. And if that man was Orlando Bloom, who would say no?  The music video for the song has Perry glowing and looking beautiful covered in flowers and in a long, flowing gown. And there is a message at the end of the clip which Perry reveals that she's has an upcoming joyful delivery.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Country music has been making a big impact on the pop charts lately and that has been reflected with an interesting merging of the sounds. Some recent examples include Maren Morris, a hot new artist with her 2016 debut, “Hero” reaching number one on the country album chart, is a part of an unusual duet with EDM artist, Zedd with the single, “The Middle”. This catchy dance track is not only burning up the international pop charts but it also serves as the song for Target’s spring style campaign. Chris Stapleton, a recent big winner at this year’s Grammys, taking home three awards including Best Country Album, has teamed up with Justin Timberlake on “Say Something”, the second single off his new album, “Man of the Woods”. This guitar-driven track is a nice blend of dance and country. And the least likely artist of them all is dance diva, Kylie Minogue who has just dropped from her upcoming fourteenth studio album, “Golden”, the single, “Dancing” which features an undeniable country twang.

And this year, we’ve sadly had the passing of two important musical artists. Dolores O’Riordan, the dynamic lead vocalist of the Irish alt-rock band, The Cranberries, passed away unexpectedly at the age of forty-six while in London for a recording session. No cause of death has been currently disclosed. In 1990, she became a part of the band initially called “The Cranberry Saw” before becoming The Cranberries. The group’s debut album, “Everybody Else is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?” in 1992 became an instant smash thanks to the singles, “Linger”and “Dreams”. Their follow-up in 1994, “No Need To Argue” featured the hit song, “Zombie” about the 1993 IRA bombing which reached number one in five countries and became The Cranberries ‘ biggest seller. The band took an extended break in 2003 to pursue individual interests before reuniting in 2009 to release an album and world tour. O’Riordan recorded two solo albums during their time apart; “Are You Listening in 2007 and “No Baggage”in 2009.

Dennis Edwards, who joined the legendary Motown r&b group, The Temptations in 1968 as their new front man, died on February 1st, just two days shy before what would have been his seventy-fifth birthday. He first began singing as a child in his father’s Detroit church before later joining the gospel group, The Mighty Clouds of Joy as a teenager. Despite his family's disapproval, Edwards decided to sing secular music professionally and performed with several bands. In 1966, he auditioned for Motown and was put on retainer. His first break came when he joined the Contours later that year. The group opened for the The Temptations on tour with members, Eddie Kendricks and Otis Williams noticing Edwards as they were considering replacing David Ruffin who was becoming increasingly difficult, largely due to his drug abuse. Ruffin was eventually fired and Edwards was brought in as his replacement as lead vocalist. He would continue to perform with The Temptations off and on until 1989. Edwards did pursue a solo career and had a hit single in 1984 with “Don’t Look Any Further”, a duet with Siedah Garrett. Edwards is survived by a daughter, Issa from his brief marriage to Ruth Pointer of the Pointer Sisters and she currently performs with her mother in the group.

2017 OSCAR NOMINEES FOR BEST ORIGINAL SONG

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

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.

MICHAEL JACKSON IS BACK?

I didn't know what to make of the news that the late, great Michael Jackson has a new album coming out. This release, "Xscape" was cobbled together using discarded demos the singer made over the years with several producers taking this material and reworking them in to new songs. My first thoughts were that the idea seemed unnecessary, monetarily motivated and slightly ghoulish. However, after listening to a few tracks, I feel more reassured that this project was truly designed to honor the lasting legacy of the King of Pop and give his deeply devoted fans a fresh opportunity to hear that thrilling voice once again.

The eight-track album, overseen by Epic Records chief executive, "L.A." Reid, features impressive production work from many of the top producers of the day, some of whom previously recorded with Jackson including Timbaland, Dr. Freeze, Stargate, Rodney Jerkins and Babyface. There will also be a deluxe edition available that will feature all the original demo versions of the tracks as well as another take of "Love Never Felt So Good" (co-written by pop legend, Paul Anka) that is a duet with Justin Timberlake.

Listen to a couple of songs and let me know what you think:

"Xscape" - Michael Jackson (2014)

NEW SOUNDS

Three artists, who have been silent for a long period of time, have recently resurfaced with some new music:

DAVID BOWIE

(By the way, this will be the actual cover of the album)

The veteran rocker has quietly announced that he is releasing his first album in ten years, "The New Day" which is scheduled to come out in March. According to Tony Visconti, David Bowie's long time producer, they have been secretly working on this project for the last two years and the songs will be a pretty eclectic mix but will most certainly satisfy fans.

The first single, "Where Are We Now?" may be a melancholy ballad but Visconti promises that Bowie rocks out on the rest of this album. The only bad news out of all of this is that Bowie swears he will not tour but Visconti indicates that he might possibly consent to a single show, depending on his mood.

"Where Are We Now?" - David Bowie

DESTINY'S CHILD

With Beyonce being named the half-time act at this year's Super Bowl, I guess it seemed like the perfect time for her former band, Destiny's Child to re-group. "Nuclear" is the new single for the group which will be a part of a compilation album, "Love Songs" that will out on January 29th. The collection will feature some of Destiny Child's classic romantic songs from their previous albums with the new song (produced by Pharrell Williams) perfectly taking us back to the classic sound of their glory days in the 1990's. Rumor has it that the trio will make their first appearance together since 2004 at the game as well.

It seems odd that Miss B would do this now as she has her own forthcoming solo material on the way later this year. You would think it would be unnecessary competition but perhaps it may also be a way to help keep her name out there throughout 2013.




JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

The biggest surprise is this new song by Justin Timberlake as he had just recently indicated that he was in no hurry to return to music as he wanted to focus on his film career. It has been since 2006 that his last solo venture, "Future Sex/Love Sounds" was released and now it appears he's been secretly working on new material with Timbaland, the producer of that album

The interesting single, "Suit & Tie" is a funky mish-mash of sounds that brings to mind 70's soul and disco but the contribution of Jay Z brings the song up to date. This will most certainly whet the appetite of his music fans before the release of his upcoming album, "The 20/20 Experience" later this year.

"Suit & Tie" - Justin Timberlake featuring Jay Z