RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Fresh off his Oscar win for co-writing with Lady Gaga, "Shallow" from the musical-drama, "A Star Is Born", Mark Ronson has returned to creating his own music. "Late Night Feelings" is the British producer/musician's fifth album and he has rounded-up an eclectic group of all female artists to contribute to the project. Some of the talent includes Alicia Keys, Camila Cabello, Angel Olsen and Miley Cyrus who was a part of the first single, "Nothing Breaks Like a Heart", a country-disco track released late last year. The latest single is the title song and features the Swedish vocalist, Lykke Li. It is a shimmering dance track that is elevated by Li's sensual delivery. Look at to the music video for the track and here is Ronson and Cyrus live on "SNL" performing their song:





The one and only Cher was on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon last week which spent the entire show paying tribute and honoring her amazing career. The musical based on her life, "The Cher Show" was recently on Broadway and the three actresses who played her plus the real deal came together to perform one of Cher's biggest hits, "If I Could Turn Back Time". It is an epic battle of the Chers and I'm sure I don't have to tell you who is the victor. Take a look:



I wasn't aware that "country rap" was actually a thing but Lil Nas X, at one point, impressively had his twangy trap tune, "Old Town Road" on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Country and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop song charts all at the same time. However, Billboard removed the song from the country chart due to it "not having enough elements of today's country music". This move has ignited a serious conversation about what exactly makes something "country music" and how much did race play a part in this decision to remove the song from the chart? Anyway, Miley's daddy, Billy Ray Cyrus loved the song and teamed-up with Lil Nas X for a remix of the track. Have a listen:

Finally I had heard a song on the radio which I thought was a new Adele single. During further investigation, I was surprised to discover that this song, "You Say" was actually from contemporary Christian singer, Lauren Daigle. This song became her third number one on the Hot Christian Songs chart and Daigle's first crossover pop hit. While I do really like the song and admire the inspirational message, it still bothers me how Ms Daigle copies much of Adele's vocal style and production on this record. I guess that's nothing new in the music business but this is just a little too blatant for my taste. Have a listen and judge for yourself:

SO SAD SO SEXY

The title of Lykke Li’s fourth album, “so sad so sexy” perfectly describes her music. The Swedish singer/songwriter has always crafted dark and moody songs yet there is an undeniable sensuality that manages to drift through her material. After the release of “I Never Learn” in 2014, she took the last few years off and went in to seclusion while facing personal loss and career exhaustion.

Now living in Los Angeles and creatively revitalized, Li has taken some of the difficult experiences during her time away to reflect and reveal through this new music. She has further expanded her alt-pop sound through adventurous collaborations with diverse producers like Skrillex, Rostam and Ali Payami while including hip-hop and even rap (with a guest verse provided by Aminé) on the record. "so sad so sexy" is a strong collection and a welcome return from a vital artist. Check out the music videos for two tracks from the album that offer very different vibes:

HOT AND FRESH OUT THE KITCHEN

LILY ALLEN - "SHEEZUS"

The teenage Lily Allen was considered just cheeky when she released her debut, "Alright, Still" back in 2006 but now with her third album, "Sheezus",  Allen has become a full-grown bad-ass. This witty Brit has always had a strong opinion on a variety of issues and never been afraid to give it voice. The title track (which is a nod to the title of Kanye West's last album) not only takes aim at the current pop princesses but the state of popular music in general while "Hard Out Here" focuses on the pressures of being a female in the male-dominated entertainment industry. Allen has once again teamed-up with Greg Kurstin, one of the main producer/co-writer of her previous works and together bring to life her quirky version of pop music.

"Air Balloon" - Lily Allen (2014)

The video for "Hard Out Here"  has some controversy surrounding  it due to the use of scantily-clad black dancers. There were accusations of exploitation and racism but Allen remained defiant and unapologetic as this clip was intended as a statement on the images of women in entertainment:




LYKKE LI - "I NEVER LEARN"

The busy Greg Kurstin also lent a helping hand to the latest from Lykke Li.  "I Never Learn" is the third album from the Swedish artist and Li has stated that this is the final chapter of a musical trilogy.  The writing of this record was inspired by the demise of a relationship with the spare songs feeling like raw, deeply emotional confessionals. With each album, Li has grown more confident in her quiet yet dramatic voice to surround it with minimal accompaniment.

"Gunshot" - Lykke Li (2014)

CHROMEO - 'WHITE WOMEN"

Dave 1 (David Macklovitch) and P-Thugg (Patrick Gemayel) make up the Canadian electrofunk duo, Chromeo and they are back with their fourth release, "White Women". The title was inspired by photographer, Helmut Newton and they describe this album's sound as "Larry David funk" because all the songs have a kind of neurotic funky groove to them. Beyoncé's baby sister, Solange, Toro y Moi and Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig all add their voices to a few tracks.

"Jealous (I Ain't With It)" - Chromeo (2014)

After providing songs for the films, "The Great Gatsby" and the upcoming, "Maleficent", Lana Del Rey is finally preparing to release the follow-up to her debut, "Born To Die". Due out in June, "Ultraviolence" is produced by The Black Keys', Dan Auerbach and the first single, "West Coast" is a sleepy ballad with a surf-rock feel. The music video adds an eerie energy to the song as Del Rey is seen frolicking on a sunny beach with an assumed lover but later rides around at night in a convertible with an older man:

HOT AND FRESH OUT THE KITCHEN

"OH LAND" - OH LAND

I first became aware of Nanna Oland Fabricius or as she is known professionally, Oh Land by seeing the music video of her single, "Sun Of A Gun" on the NewNowNext Music channel and I loved her sunny pop sound.

This Danish musician began as a ballet dancer but an injury put an end to her career and she turned to music. Oh Land has just released her second recording, the self titled, "Oh Land" and her first here in the U.S.

Here is my favorite song from the CD:

"We Turn It Up" -  Oh Land

Enjoy the quirky video for "Sun Of A Gun" where Oh Land got to utilize her dancing abilities:



"ALL YOU NEED IS NOW" - DURAN DURAN

Duran Duran has returned to the music scene with four out of the five original members along with their thirteenth album, "All You Need Is Now".

The record was produced by Grammy Award-winner, Mark Ronson and he has stated that he wanted to bring the band back to their more avant-garde style of their first couple of albums. He has done that but also brought Duran Duran right in to the present.

This is a great track from the new release:

"Girl Panic!" - Duran Duran

"LATE NIGHTS & EARLY MORNINGS" - MARSHA AMBROSIUS

Marsha Ambrosius began her music career as one half of the British r&b/hip-hop duo, Floetry along with Natalie Stewart. After releasing two successful albums, "Floetic" (2002) and "Flo'Ology" (2005), the group separated. Ms Ambrosius was briefly signed to Dr. Dre's label, Aftermath Entertainment but left in 2009.  She worked as a singer and songwriter with a variety of r&b and hip-hop artists, including Alicia Keys, The Game and Jamie Foxx  before signing with Clive Davis and his, J Records.

Her first solo project, "Late Nights & Early Mornings" has just been released and it has not only topped the R&B charts but it debuted at number two on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart. I really enjoyed her work with Floetry but I'm not at all impressed with her new album. It's too ballad-heavy with a collection of fairly standard r&b songs that I had difficulty telling apart.

This is the first single from the album:

"Hope She Cheats On You (With A Basketball Player)" - Marsha Ambrosius

"WOUNDED RHYMES" - LYKKE LI

"Wounded Rhymes"  marks the second  collection of music by the Swedish songstress, Lykke Li. The album was written and recorded while she lived in Echo Park (my neighborhood), outside of Los Angeles.

Although, Lykke Li was surrounded by California sunshine, the record still maintains a dark and moody feel that is occasionally colored by classic pop styling. She continues to expand her musical sound while sticking to the themes of the sadness, pain and anger that can come from sex and love. While not everything worked for me on the album but, I find Lykke Li to be one of the most compelling and fascinating artists making music today.

This is one of the tracks that I liked from the new album:

"Love Out Of Lust" - Lykke Li

I love this video for the first single, "Get Some":



"LIGHTS" - ELLIE GOULDING

This twenty-four year old British singer/songwriter released her first album, "Lights" in 2010 in her home country where it debuted at number one and sold almost over 40,000 copies in it's first week. The record had four hit singles and by the end of the year, the album was re-released as "Bright Lights" with six new tracks including her version of the Elton John classic, "Your Song" which went to number two on the UK pop charts.

Finally, the U.S. edition of "Lights" has just came out that includes songs from both of the previous albums. This version is full of some great pop songs but she might get lost in the shuffle with this recent wave of British female vocalists invading these shores.

"Starry Eyed" is a fun track from the album::

"Starry Eyed" - Ellie Goulding