Ten years ago, Kylie Minogue released her first Christmas album, "Kylie Christmas", a collection of classic and original holiday tunes. Now Aussie pop superstar has just released an update of the album, "Fully Wrapped" which features selections from the original album plus three new tracks.
With "Office Party", Minogue details wanting to a wild, sexy holiday experience like you might have during a celebration at your place of employment. "Hot in December" is a techno-throbbing Christmas love song that will get you ready to get on the dance floor. And the warm and cozy ballad, "This Time of Year" will perfectly get you into the holiday spirit.
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".
Bryan Ferry, the front man of the glam rock outfit, Roxy Music, is still creating music more than fifty years after forming the group, which disbanded in 1983. The now seventy-eight year old musician has announced a career-spanning music collection appropriately entitled, "Retrospective: Selected Recordings" that will feature eighty-one tracks from his solo career and due out in October. Ferry has also released a new song, his first in ten years, and teamed up with Trent Rezner and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails to help create the track. "Star" features vocals by artist, Amelia Barratt and offers a different sonic approach than what we usually hear from the mod rocker with edgy, techno beats. Ferry has promised this is just the beginning with more original music on the way.
Here are a few songs that I am enjoying at the moment: "Taste", the latest from the new pop sensation, Sabrina Carpenter who has just released her sixth studio album, "Short N' Sweet" with the music video for the song inspired by the 1992 dark comedy, "Death Becomes Her" and features actress, Jenna Ortega; Megan Thee Stallion's "Mamushi" is a bilingual hip-hop track that features Japanese rapper, Yuki Chiba; rising dance-soul artist, Jae Stephens has a new song, "Body Favors"; Another remix from Charli XCX from her "Brat" album with "Guess" that has Billie Eilish on board; and the American DJ, the Blessed Madonna has teamed-up with the Australian dance queen, Kylie Minogue for a throbbing new party song, "Edge of Saturday Night".
And I will close by paying tribute to two artists who have recently passed away: Greg Kihn, the rocker who found fame in the 80's with the hit songs, "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)" and "Jeopardy", died on August 13th at the age of seventy-five. Born in Baltimore, Kihn had a dream of becoming a professional musician after seeing the Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show" as a teenager. After spending time learning to write songs and playing guitar with several bands in local bars, Kihn made the move to California to try his luck, landing in Berkeley. In 1976, Kihn was signed to a local record label, Beserkley and recorded three albums that didn't generate much attention.
Four years later, he formed a group called, the Greg Kihn Band but they still struggled to breakthrough. But it was with the 1981 album, "Rockihnroll" and the single, "The Breakup Song" that brought Kihn his first taste of pop music success with the song reaching number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Two years later, Kihn had an even bigger hit with "Jeopardy" which made it to number two on the US pop chart. That would pretty much be the end of Kihn's charting success but he would continue to make music over the following years. He also became a Bay Area morning radio DJ for a classic rock radio station in 1996, holding the job for fifteen years, and went on to write four novels.
Maurice Williams, with his band, The Zodiacs, was the the writer and lead vocalist behind the r&b classic, "Stay". He died on August 5th at the age of eighty-six. Music had been an important part of his life since he was a child through his church where his family members performed. As a teen, he formed a gospel group called Junior Harmonizers. But doo-wop soon captured his attention and the group became the Royal Charms. The band went through several other name changes before settling on "the Zodiacs", taking the name from a short-lived British car.
In 1959, Williams and the Zodiacs recorded several demos in search of a breakthrough and the final song they did was "Stay", written years before by Williams. The song became a smash hit and is the shortest to reach the top spot on the US Billboard Hot 100 at one minute and thirty-six seconds. There were several covers of "Stay" including Jackson Browne's popular live version in 1978. This song would achieve even greater success as being a part of the soundtrack to the 1987 movie, "Dirty Dancing". Williams would continue to record and tour up until his death.
Lady Gaga had released her sixth studio album, "Chromatica" in May 2020, which also happened to be right in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. At the time, it didn't seem like a great plan since she was unable to properly promote or tour for the album. But this record proved to be very helpful during this stressful period of time, offering pulsating dance grooves with the song lyrics providing some much needed themes of unshakable optimism and a pursuit of healing. Gaga was finally able to hit the road two years later with the Chromatica Ball, a twenty-date, all-stadium concert tour that took her across the globe.
With her thrift store attire and neon colored hair with one side of her scalp shaved off, most people didn't know what to make of Cyndi Lauper when she first appeared in the music scene. But once she revealed that formidable voice with her 1983 debut album, "Girls Just want To Have Fun", Lauper would become greatly admired for her style and talent.
Since the success of the dance-punk title track (which has since gone on to become a girl-power anthem) and the follow-up single, "Time After Time", a moving ballad that became her first number one hit, Lauper has continued to astonish with not only her music but even some acting appearances, winning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series in 1995 and a Tony Award for writing the original score for the musical, "Kinky Boots".
The now seventy year old artist is the focus of a new documentary, "Let the Canary Sing" from filmmaker, Alison Ellwood that began airing on Paramount+ on June 4th. The film explores her emerging from a scrappy New York performer to a quirky pop music star to an outspoken activist who has been a long-time ally to the LGBTQ+ communities, aggressively pushing for greater inclusion and acceptance.
Lauper has just announced she's about to embark on The Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour to begin this fall, stating she wanted to properly thank her fans for sticking by her all these years while still in good shape.
KYLIE MINOGUE
Kylie Minogue has been a major worldwide pop star since the late '80's who has gone on to sell well over eighty million records. But it's taken until last year with her dance hit, "Padam Padam" for Minogue to be truly appreciated here in the US with the Australian singer winning her first Grammy Award for the song. To help celebrate Pride month, you will be able to catch the live concert special, "An Audience With Kylie" on Hulu beginning on June 5th. This show was performed at the legendary Royal Albert Hall in London back in December, with an audience that included some star-studded attendees, where she performed her greatest hits and songs from her latest album, "Tension". Here is a clip of Minogue performing live from the program one of my all-time favorites from her, "Love At First Sight".
And Minogue is also featured on the just released single from the masked country artist, Orville Peck. Slightly changing musical directions, Peck has also brought in dance music DJ, Diplo on the track, "Midnight Ride" a dance song that still has some twang, which will be featured on his upcoming duets album, "Stampede". The single made it's premiere live by Peck and Minogue during her set at Outloud Festival at WeHo Pride last weekend.
Last month, the Australian pop princess, Kylie Minogue made some noise with not only a thrilling new song, "Padam Padam" but also announced the release of her upcoming fourteenth studio album, "Tension". This single continues on a dance floor vibe she began with her upbeat 2020 release, "Disco" but the hypnotic "Padam Padam", which is essentially the sound of a beating heart, has shifted to a darker yet still enjoyable electro-pop sound. And the response has been euphoric with "Padam Padam" getting Minogue back high on the charts in the UK and her home country while generating plenty of heat in dance clubs across the globe. The video, shot in LA and directed by veteran music video director, Sophie Muller, was released the same day as the song with the clip featuring Minogue looking incredible in a red Mugler catsuit with an army of dancers moving beside her. You will not be able to get your hands on "Tension" until September but enjoy this first sampling in the meantime.
I was surprised to learn that the legendary French chanteuse, Edith Piaf had a song called "Padam Padam" she recorded back in 1951. Piaf's ballad, written for her by long-time collaborators, Henri Contet and Norbert Glanzberg, was about how certain sounds evoke the memory of a former lover. Maybe someone will be adventurous and make a dance remix of this version? Anyway, have a listen to this "Padam Padam" by a truly extraordinary singer.
DOLLY PARTON
After initially declining the nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, feeling like she didn't deserve the honor, country music superstar Dolly Parton graciously accepted the award last year. But she still felt like she had to earn her spot in the Hall, so Parton premiered a new rock song, "Rockstar" during the ceremony. This lead to her deciding to record an entire rock album named after the song she wrote. Parton went into the studio and ended up with thirty songs for the album. Most of the tracks are covers with an incredible line-up of musicians who have lent their support.
There is Sting on the cover of his "Every Breath You Take" which he first made famous in 1981 with his band, The Police; Steve Perry joining Parton on the hit by his former band, Journey with "Open Arms"; Pink and Brandi Carlile rocking out on the Stones',"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"; Debbie Harry providing vocals on a cover of Blondie's "Heart of Glass"; Lizzo is on board with Led Zepplin's "Stairway to Heaven" and most impressive of all, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Peter Frampton and Mick Fleetwood all together with Parton for their version of the Beatles' classic, "Let It Be". This is just a small number of the recordings which includes solo performances by Parton on Prince's "Purple Rain" and Queen's, "We Are the Champions". Now "Rockstar" will not be out until November but Parton has released another single which is also an original song written by the country music legend, "World On Fire". Here is a live performance from the 58th annual American Country Music Awards which she recently co-hosted with Garth Brooks.
Kylie Minogue had released the album, "Disco" late in 2020, in part, to serve as inspiration to get people back on the dance floor after spending most of the year in isolation. And this fifteenth studio album has gone on to become one of Minogue's most popular, leading to a sequel of sorts with "Disco: Guest List Edition" which includes remixes of the singles from the album and new dance songs with duets featuring Jessie Ware, Years & Years and the disco legend, Gloria Gaynor. The music video for the latest single, "Can't Stop Writing Songs About You" with Gaynor has just been released, with these two dancing queens helping to bring a disco to life.
Here is a highlight of some interesting songs that I love :
If you may recall, New Kids of the Block (which is probably not a great name for a group whose members are now in their fifties) was a pop boy-band, made up of Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood, who were wildly popular in the late '80's and early '90's with such songs as "You Got It (The Right Stuff)", "Step by Step" and "Hangin' Tough" before disbanding in 1994. They first reunited fourteen years later and have continued to come together over the years to tour. Now NKOTB plans to hit the road this summer with another Mixtape Tour that will include other musical acts that were popular during their time; Salt-N-Pepa, Rick Astley, and En Vogue. And to help get people in the mood, the band has released a new song and video, "Bring Back the Time" that features their tour mates. This fun clip has the musicians spoofing music videos of different artists from the height of the MTV era. Let's see how many of these you will remember:
And the former member of the British boy-band, One Direction, Harry Styles has just dropped some new music. After the incredible success of his first two solo albums, fans have been anxiously waiting to hear what he will do next and Styles does not disappoint. The twenty-eight year old musician has been greatly inspired by the music from the past and with "As It Was", he delivers an '80's new wave vibe. Written by Styles with Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson (who also co-produced), the song is an introspective look at change and a feeling of loneliness. "As It Was" broke Spotify’s single-day streaming record by a male artist with 16.1 million streams in its first 24 hours. This is the first track off of Styles' upcoming album, "Harry's House" due out in May.
Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith made up the English pop-rock band, Tears For Fears who found fame in the mid-1980's most notably with the songs, "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". After working together for ten years, the duo ended their musical relationship with a nasty split in 1991. While Orzabal kept Tears for Fears going as a one-man project (releasing a couple of albums) and Smith made his own solo album, the men would make amends in 2000. The reunited Tears For Fears released another album together, "Everybody Loves a Happy Ending" in 2004. And while Orzabal and Smith would tour occasionally over the ensuing years, there was no new music. That has changed as Tears For Fears have released a song, "The Tipping Point" which is the working title of their upcoming seventh studio album due out in February. The sixty year old musicians have been working on this project over the last ten years and the haunting, mid-tempo ballad deals with Orzabal's struggles with grief over the tragic loss of his wife, Caroline who died in 2017 after thirty-five years of marriage.
Please enjoy this collection of videos of new music by a few LGBTQ artists (and one long-time ally):
Kelis is back with a new single, "Midnight Snacks", the latest song by the artist that follows a theme on the art of eating. Following her 2014 album, "Food", a cookbook and a Netflix series on cooking with Cannabis, the forty-two year old performer is going in on what do when you have cravings late at night. And I'm pretty sure she's referring to food. . .
And for his thirty-second studio album, Elton John has released "The Lockdown Sessions", a duets collection that was recorded largely during the pandemic lockdown after the seventy-four year old performer was forced to put the brakes on his final tour, Farewell Yellow Brick Road. This is an impressive line-up of musicians who have participated on this album; we have John's musical peers like Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks and the late Glen Campbell. There are contemporary performers Miley Cyrus, Rina Sawayama, Charlie Puth and Olly Alexander of Years & Years on board. And we have Young Thug, Nicki Minaj and Lil Nas X to bring some hip-hop to the record. "The Lockdown Sessions" features covers and new material with the first single, "Cold Heart", a duet with Dua Lipa and remixed by by the Australian dance music trio, Pnau who combines elements of John's singles "Rocket Man", "Sacrifice" and "Kiss the Bride" on the track.
There is no doubt that 2020 was a very challenging year. But thankfully we had music to help soothe us throughout these turbulent last twelve months. One of the highlights was the resurgence of dance music which has always brought joy and comfort during difficult times. This music was certainly important during the AIDS crisis and it's not surprising that dance is the direction that people gravitated towards this year, even though you couldn't get anywhere near a dance floor.
There were several great albums released; Lady Gaga's "Chromatica", Jessie Ware's "What's Your Pleasure", Dua Lipa's "Future Nostalgia", Charli XCX's quarantine-created album, "how i’m feeling now" and Kylie Minogue's aptly titled, "Disco" to name just a few that unabashedly made dance a central part of their sound.
Vulture has assembled twenty-one of the best dance songs from 2020 that looked back on classic disco for inspiration and delivered fresh, reflective sounds that briefly assisted in helping us forget about all of the troubles happening in the world.
While Taylor Swift had planned to spend the summer on a worldwide tour to promote her last album, "Lover" released last year, a nasty virus got in the way of her concert plans. With plenty of time on her hands (much like the rest of us), the singer spent the last few months creating new music and what came out of that is her eighth studio album, "Folklore". This collection does not feature the inflated, synth-pop production of her previous records. Yet it is also not a clear return to her early country music roots.
The album offers something a little different; low-key and mature songs that look at our complicated, turbulent times that plays best to her strengths which is vivid songwriting. Swift uses classic folklore, which are stories that blur the lines between truth and fiction, to create songs that are far less self-referential than her music in the past. I must admit I've never been a huge fan of Swift's (more of an admirer) but I must say that I really enjoyed "Folklore" and think this is the thirty-year old superstar's strongest album to date.
And clearly many others seem to agree. "Folklore" has broken streaming records with Swift having the biggest opening day for an album by a female artist on Spotify and the album has sold 1.3 million copies globally on its first day on July 24th. Swift has stated that the album "started with imagery" so the videos are just as important to express her ideas as the music for "Folklore". She even got behind the camera to direct the clip for the first single, "Cardigan".
KYLIE MINOGUE
After dipping her toes in to some down-home, country-pop with her last album, "Golden" in 2018, Kylie Minogue seems ready to get back to what she's best known for; dance-flavored, pop music. And the title of her upcoming fifteenth studio album says it all: "Disco". The fifty-two year old, down-under pop diva has just dropped the first single, "Say Something" and it is definitely a shimmering dance floor banger. The song (co-written by Minogue with Ash Howes and producers, Jonathan Green and Richard "Biff" Stannard) is about the never-ending quest for love and is just what we need to hear right now. Minogue worked on the album (due out on November 6th) while in quarantine and even learned how to record and engineer her vocals on her own using music software in order to help get the record completed.
And here are a few videos of new music I'm enjoying right now:
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.
It seems every musician and their mama has released a Christmas album at some point in their careers. So here is a spotlight on the latest to musically deck them halls and make everything jolly.
KYLIE MINOGUE
For her first Christmas album, appropriately tilted, "Kylie Christmas", Kylie Minogue has put her own special spin to some holiday classics in addition to original material. Minogue has support by an interesting mix of musical talent including duets with Iggy Pop ("Christmas Wrapping"), the new host of "The Late Late Show", James Corden, (a cover of Yaz's "Only You"), her fellow pop-singer sister, Dannii ("100 Degrees" on the Deluxe Edition) and through the magic of technology, Frank Sinatra ("Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"). Here is the music video for a new tune, "Every Day's Like Christmas" which was written by Chris Martin of Coldplay and produced by the hot Norwegian production team, Stargate:
ARIANA GRANDE
Oneof today's hottest pop artists, Ariana Grande has just dropped a holiday EP, "Christmas & Chill" that features six original songs. Recorded in a week in her home studio, the twenty-two year old vocalist has made an impressive collection of slo-jam Christmas tunes delivered with a modern r&b flavor. These songs are so good you'll want to listen to them anytime of the year. Check out a couple of tracks to help get you in the holiday spirit:
Sharon Jones and her Dap-Kings has brought their retro-soul sound to celebrate the holiday season. With "It's a Holiday Soul Party", the band not only gives those familiar Christmas songs their own brand of funky polish but also delivers a grooving tune explaining the eight days of Hanukkah. There is some rocking new material as well including the touching "Ain't No Chimneys in the Projects" and "World of Love" which is a moving plea for peace over the holidays. Enjoy this video of Sharon & The Dap-Kings doing an amazing version of "White Christmas" like you've never heard before:
2015 is off to a great start with some exciting new music hitting the airwaves.
Paul McCartney has certainly been busy. First, the former Beatle plays piano on Kanye West's surprise single, "Only One", a touching ballad about his late mother and new-born daughter. Now, both Sir Paul and Mr. West appear on the just-dropped new song from Rihanna. "FourFiveSeconds" displays an unexpected acoustic sound from the pop superstar. I'm not sure how her fans will respond but I think it's a great creative move:
"Only One" - Kanye West featuring Paul McCartney (2015)
"FourFiveSeconds" - Rihanna featuring Kanye West & Paul McCartney (2015)
Thanks to Daft Punk's tribute to him on their Grammy-winning album, "Random Access Memories", the legendary producer, Giorgio Moroder has decided to stage a comeback. At the age of seventy-four, the man responsible for helping usher in the era of disco music has assembled some of today's hottest vocalists including Britney Spears, Sia, Mikky Ekko and Charli XCX for his first new album of dance music in thirty years. Listen to the sizzling single from the upcoming, "74 Is The New 24", "Right Here, Right Now" which features Kylie Minogue:
Here is the video for the title track from Giorgio's new album:
D'Angelo quietly released his third studio album, "Black Messiah" after a fourteen year absence from the music scene last December. It has received a lot of love from critics and fans alike. The reclusive singer plans to embark on short European tour beginning in February with his band, The Vanguard. Listen to "Sugah Daddy", the track that was given away as a free download a few days before the album's release:
"Sugah Daddy" - D'Angelo (2014)
I'd been wondering what had happened to Stephanie Mills? The theater veteran and popular recording artist hadn't been heard from in quite a while but made a very welcome return at last year's BET Awards performing a stirring rendition of her hit, "Home" that she first sang when she starred as Dorothy on Broadway in "The Wiz" many years ago. She's one of my all-time favorite singers. Enjoy a few of her lesser known songs that I love:
"You Can Get Over" - Stephanie Mills (1979)
"Try My Love" - Stephanie Mills (1980)
"Keep Away Girls" - Stephanie Mills (1982)
Finally, here's a new music video I love from Danish electronic band, Kadie Elder:
There was quite a bit of good music during 2014 and it all helped motivate, inspire and excite me each and every day. I happily shared some of my favorites here throughout the year, so these are the rest of my best:
"Rather Be " - Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne
"Don't Tell 'Em" - Jeremih featuring YG
"2On" - Tinashe featuring ScHoolboy Q
"Am I Wrong" - Nico & Vinz
"I Don't Mind" - Usher featuring Juicy J
"Water Fountain" - Tune-Yards
"Cool Kids" - Echosmith
"I Was Gonna Cancel (Steph Seroussi Family Remix)" - Kylie Minogue
"Love Me Harder" - Ariana Grande featuring The Weeknd
In 2011, George Michael embarked on a tour that traveled throughout Europe with an symphonic orchestra. Those performances were captured on his newest CD, "Symphonica" which is his first live recording and only the sixth solo album released over his thirty years in music. Co-produced by the late Phil Ramone, the songs are mostly from his last two studio albums, "Songs From the Last Century" and "Patience" and they are given a lush makeover with Mr Michael sounding better than ever.
Here is one of the new songs written by George Michael for the tour:
"Through" - George Michael (2014)
KYLIE MINOGUE
Kylie Minogue has never gotten much love here in the U.S. during her twenty-five year music career but the rest of the world is still crazy for Kylie. Now under new management with Jay-Z's Roc Nation, Kylie is trying once again to win America over with her twelfth musical offering, "Kiss Me Once". She's opening up her more funky side and received some help from current hit-makers, Sia and Pharrell Williams. If you already dig the pop styling of Ms Minogue, then you will most certainly be in heaven as the record offers plenty of the great dance beats she is known for however it may not be enough to convert over any new fans. Be on the lookout for Kylie's world tour beginning later this year.
Listen to the first official single, "Into The Blue" which has managed to reach the top of the U.S. dance chart:
"Into The Blue" - Kylie Minogue (2014)
Take a look at the video for another tune from the album, "Sexercise" (co-written by Sia) and it should be no surprise, considering the title, that it is overtly sexual:
The latest song from Lady Gaga, "G.U.Y." is nothing special but it does have a music video that's a wild, over-the-top extravaganza that only she can pull off:
"I Luh Ya Papi" is another mediocore song from Jennifer Lopez but it's enhanced greatly by a hot video. This very sexy clip puts a female spin on those 90's hip-hop music videos that featured cars, boats and flowing champagne but instead of ladies in tiny bikinis we now have scantily-clad gentlemen:
Summer is offically here which means the airwaves are filled with the steamy sounds that go perfectly with this hot and sticky weather.
This is a collection of music and music videos (classic jams or brand-spanking new) that I'm digging right now that I would like to share with you now. I hope you enjoy and have a great day:
Not much needs to be said about this video for hip-hop artist, Cazwell's latest ditty except sexy. . . and hilarious.
"Celebrate" - Mika (2012)
"Good Time" - Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen (2012)
Celebrating twenty-five years of making music, pop princess, Kylie Minogue is releasing, "The Best of Kylie Minogue" which features twenty-one of her hit songs selected by her hardcore fans. Although, for some crazy reason, she never acheived major chart success here in the United States but I guarantee you will love all of these perfect pop songs.
Enjoy this video for Kylie's twenty-fifth anniversary single, "Timebomb" but strangely, it's not included in this new release:
Nineteen year-old, L.A.based artist, Sky Ferreira first burst on to the scene in 2009 with the electro-pop singles, "One" and "Obsession". Now, she has decided to move away from that sound and in the direction of rocking pop. The new single, "Red Lips" is a cool example of what we should expect from Ferreira's forthcoming CD which should be out before the end of the year. This erotically charged video is directed by the notorious photographer, Terry Richardson:
Kelis is not afraid to experiment with different sounds and with her last four albums, she has featured r&b, pop and hip hop but now with the release of her fifth, "Flesh Tone (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Version)" she is using dance and electronica. She enlisted the help of producers and DJ's like David Guetta, Benny Benassi and Will.i.am. to collaborate on this record which features songs that will stimulate your mind and your body.
It's off to a great start with the first single, "Acapella" already topping the US dance charts. She will be on tour called All Hearts with Robyn this summer, so be sure to check them out.
Here is another song that I really like:
Scream And Shout - Kelis
SCISSOR SISTERS - NIGHT WORK
Jake Shears, Ana Mantronic, Randy Real, Del Marquis and Babydaddy are the Scissor Sisters and they are back with their third album, "Night Work". They have returned to their roots of dark and moody music for the dance floor that is still sexy and fun.
While the Scissor Sisters have topped the charts in Europe, they haven't been able to achieve that success in the U.S.but this record looks like it could be their best opportunity yet. They are well known for their wild live shows, so catch them while they tour across America.
She first came on the scene as a teenager in 1997 with, "Robyn Is Here" and had a couple of top ten hits here in the US. Although she was still making music after that, she didn't reappear here until over ten years later with an U.S. edition of her album, "Robyn [Explicit]" in 2008.
I saw her on tour when she was promoting her last CD and she really puts on a great show, so by all means see her in concert with Kelis when they come to your city.
Enjoy this song off of the album:
Fembot - Robyn
KYLIE MINOGUE - APHRODITE
This Australian singer/actress has been making music since 1987 and has remained a world wide sensation ever since. She has just released her eleventh CD, "Aphrodite" which features more of the high energy, dance-pop music that we love from her.
Although she has had a few top ten hits here in the U.S. over the years, she is still much more well known elsewhere in the world, considering she has sold over sixty million albums but hopefully this latest record will change that in this country.
Here is a taste of what she does best:
Get Outta My Way - Kylie Minogue
I'm also including the sexy and provocative music video for the first single, "All The Lovers":
"Release Me" is only The Like's second studio album but they have been around since 2001, having released several independent EPs in the meantime. This all-female alternative rock band has teamed up with producer Mark Ronson, which together they have given this new record a retro rock-pop vibe.
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". They have returned to their roots of dark and moody music for the dance floor that is still sexy and fun.
", the first of a planned trilogy of albums she plans to release this year.
" and had a couple of top ten hits here in the US. Although she was still making music after that, she didn't reappear here until over ten years later with an U.S. edition of her album, "
" in 2008.
" which features more of the high energy, dance-pop music that we love from her.
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" is only The Like's second studio album but they have been around since 2001, having released several independent EPs in the meantime. This all-female alternative rock band has teamed up with producer Mark Ronson, which together they have given this new record a retro rock-pop vibe.
