PARTY

Another song from Troye Sivan's upcoming new album, "She's The Best" has been released. Utilizing a sample from Madonna's 2000 hit, "Music", "Party" is all about hanging out with some good friends and having a wild soiree. The song, with spoken-word from Sivan over a progressive beat, is a fairly standard house-pop track but it's the music video that actually leaves a real impression. Beginning with narration provided by actor, Sir Ian McKellan, the rousing clip (directed by Gordon von Steiner who did the singer's previous video for the title track) is a queer, medieval-set romp with Sivan as a knight with lust in his heart and ready to tear up the dance floor. This is an expensive looking video and highly sexually charged, helping to elevate this single to make "Party" appear far more intriguing.

NEW SOUNDS

After her massive global breakthrough, "Call Me Maybe" back in 2012, Carly Rae Jepsen has not hit with another major chart topper to date. But that certainly doesn't mean she hasn't released some impressive music since then with seven critically acclaimed studio albums from Jepsen that her hardcore fans have thoroughly embraced. Now the forty-year-old Canadian artist is about to drop her latest, "Day and Night", a twenty-four-track concept album. Separated by two discs, "Day" features live instrumentation and elements of retro psychedelic pop while "Night" will be driven by an intense, dance-pop synth sound. The latest song released, "Don't Leave Me on the Dance Floor" is a 70's disco styled tune inspired by ABBA. The music video is directed by the lauded playwright, Jeremy O. Harris and features actor Alden Ehrenreich.







Ravyn Lenae, who made a splash with her international hit, "Love Me Not" two years ago, has returned with a new album, "Blue Island". This collection pushes back against genre tropes and boundaries to create a bold musical statement that merges R&B and pop in her own distinctive style.





FLO seem to be single-handedly bringing back the vibe of hip-hop/soul girl groups from the '90's and it's very welcome. This British trio, made up of Renée Downer, Stella Quaresma and Jorja Douglas, found great success with their debut album, "Access All Areas" in their native country two years ago but made less of a dent here. FLO have recently released their sophomore album, "Therapy at the Club". They have returned with a more mature sound that feels ready to make a big impression in this country with the help of their latest single, "Cry Ugly".



Rebecca Black received plenty of attention with the release of her song, "Friday" back in 2011 yet not all of it was good. At the time, the ambitious thirteen-year-old Black had her family pay to produce the song and music video. And while it did end up making the Billboard Hot 100 chart and sold decently, "Friday" would end up receiving many negative comments and being derided as "one of the worst songs ever". Undeterred, Black continued on with her pop music career, releasing two studio albums and a couple of EPs since then. Now, the twenty-nine-year-old singer has her third album, "Age of the Exhibitionist" due out in September. Black has certainly developed as an artist and the singles, "Michael" and "Speakerphone" are quite intriguing dance-pop tracks.





And we have the release of the long-rumored duet that teams up the phenomenal pop music goddesses, Madonna and Kylie Minogue. It is a remix of "Love Sensation" from Madonna's latest album, "Confessions II" and while this version is not drastically different from the original track, it's still quite exciting the idea of these two legends together on one song.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

After spending her time emoting musically on the big screen and dazzling audiences with her performance in the two-part film musical, "Wicked", Ariana Grande is returning to her pop music career. "Hate That I Made You Love Me" is the lead single off of her upcoming eighth studio album, "Petal" which is due out at the end of July. Teaming once again with frequent collaborators, Ilya Salmanzadeh, and Max Martin, the song is a bit of a departure for Grande with this synth-pop ballad having a subtle, minimalist vibe. "Hate That I Made You Love Me" deals with her complicated relationship with fame and the public scrutiny that comes with it, especially commentary regarding her appearance and body. The humorous video for the song, directed by Christian Breslauer and features actor, Justin Long, plays like a short film that involves a man who has apparently murdered his wife (played by Grande) and buried her body while he is continuously being haunted by her. Grande has also begun her long awaited Eternal Sunshine Tour on June 6th which will take her through the US and Canada before concluding in September with a ten-date stop at the O2 Arena in England.



June is the month where we celebrate Pride and here is a collection of LGBTQ+ artists who have new music out: for his upcoming sixth studio album, "Adam", Adam Lambert digs into the sounds of '90's electronic and alternative rock with the first single, "Eat U Alive"; free from her label, pop diva, Kim Petras is now independently releasing her music and the latest song is "Brutalist"; the queer Nashville-based country group, the Cowgays (made-up of solo artists, Brooke Eden, Chris Housman, and Adam Mac) have released a campy tune, "Good Hoedown"; the English synth-pop act, La Roux has dropped a new track, "Cabin Fever" from their upcoming album, "Old Flames"; Frankie Grande is currently appearing in the Broadway production of "Titanique" and has delivered a fast-paced "Pride anthem" of the number he does in the show, "I Drove All Night"; David Archuleta has dropped his latest dance-pop tune, "Love For Free" and the electroclash performer, Slayyter has the single, "Dance..." from her second studio album, "Worst Girl in America".

And with her next album, "Confessions II" due out on July 3rd, Madonna is moving into overdrive to promote this dance music collection. First she was involved with doing some playfully sexy promo on the gay networking app, Grindr and then did a mini concert in the middle of Times Square in NYC. Now, the Queen of Pop has released "Confessions II – The Film". This fourteen minute visual album directed by TORSO features the first six tracks from the upcoming album. The short film made its premiere on June 5th at the Tribeca Festival and was released three days later on YouTube. Filled with wild imagery and many notable famous faces, this dazzling musical film is an impressive reminder of what a powerful and enduring force she is as a visual stylist and performer.

I FEEL SO FREE

It has been six years since she has released new music and Madonna is ready for a return. It has been teased for a few years and her fifteenth studio album is now official with "Confessions On A Dance Floor: Part II" which is due out on July 3rd. This spiritual sequel to the 2005 album has the Queen of Pop reteaming with producer, Stuart Price to create a modern and further exploration into dance music.

The first taste of this record is the song, "I Feel So Free", a deep house track that has Madonna speaking seductively (over a sample of the 1989 acid house song, "French Kiss" by Lil Louis) about being able to fully let loose while dancing. This is a thrilling preview and hopefully we'll get even more in a very short matter of time. In the meanwhile, here is the official visualizer for "I Feel So Free" with the lyrics and Lil Louis' original version of "French Kiss":

BEDTIME STORIES: THE UNTOLD CHAPTER

Madonna has continued digging into her vaults to look back on her musical legacy. To celebrate the release of her sixth studio album, “Bedtime Stories” (which had its thirtieth anniversary last year), "Bedtime Stories: The Untold Chapter" is an EP that features remixes of songs from the album and some tracks that didn’t find their way on the record. 

At the time of the recording of this album, Madonna was interested in leaning more into r&b and hip-hop, enlisting the producers, Babyface, Dallas Austin, Nellee Hooper and Dave Hall to help with her vision. Many demos were recorded, leading to "Bedtime Stories" which became another critical and popular album by the superstar in 1994. The EP includes the demos, "Love Won't Wait", "Let Down Your Guard", "Freedom" and "Right on Time" which didn’t make the final cut on "Bedtime Stories". There are also dance remixed versions of the singles, "Secret" and "Human Nature" as well as the tracks, "Survival" and "Don't Stop".

RANDOM SIGHT + SOUNDS

Following the less than warm reception to her last album, "143", Katy Perry has wasted no time to return with some new music. First performed live during the Lyon, France leg of her Lifetimes Tour earlier this month, "Bandaids" is a pop-rock ballad about dealing with the end of a relationship. This seems to reflect Perry's current state of mind as she's currently experiencing this with her recent break-up with actor, Orlando Bloom. A new album also appears to be on the horizon but no additional information has been revealed to date. The clever music video for "Bandaids", co-directed by Perry and Christian Breslauer, seems inspired by the horror franchise, "Final Destination" with Perry appearing in numerous horrific accidents.



Here are a few new music highlights: the Swedish performer, Zara Larsson has dropped a fresh remix of her dance-pop track, "Midnight Sun" (which helped earn Larsson her first Grammy nomination) that features Muni Long; best known as an actress, Hilary Duff has had some success as a pop singer and after almost ten years returns to music with a new single, "Mature" and an album due out soon; country crooner, Orville Peck recently released an EP, "Appaloosa" that includes this ballad, "Drift Away"; Perfume Genius has the latest single, "Me & Angel" from his seventh album, "Glory" and "FMT" (which stands for "F*ck My Type") is a guitar-driven, r&b ballad by Summer Walker about prioritizing a partner who genuinely chooses her and not settling for unhealthy relationships.

It has been twenty years since the release of "Confessions on a Dance Floor", the tenth studio album by Madonna. And to celebrate this milestone, a Twenty Years Edition has been released. This anniversary collection features the entire original album (seamlessly strung together like a DJ set), B-sides and remixes. It has also been announced that Madonna is not only returning to her long-time label Warner Bros. Records but it has been teased that there is a sequel of sorts to "Confessions" on the way. Not a lot of details on that yet but we should have that to look forward to next year. In the meantime, here are a few tracks from this album.

And finally, Ace Frehley, the lead guitarist of the costumed rock band, Kiss, passed away on October 16th at the age of seventy-four. Born Paul Frehley on April 27, 1951 in The Bronx, he received a guitar as a Christmas present when he was twelve, teaching himself how to play the instrument. He had gotten involved in street gangs around this time, which is when he got the nickname "Ace" but began to lose interest when music became more of a priority. Frehley began playing in local bands during high school and later got a job as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix. He drifted from several bands and worked many odds jobs to make a living before he saw an ad in The Village Voice looking for a guitarist. 

When he went in to audition, he met rhythm guitarist, Paul Stanley, bass guitar player, Gene Simmons and drummer, Peter Criss. He was hired and they became Kiss in 1973. The band decided to paint their faces and create stage personas for live performances with Frehley becoming "Space Ace". They released their self-titled debut the next year and while there was no hit single, the record went gold on the strength of promoting the album and touring. With a frenzied style of guitar playing, Frehley became one of the popular rock players during the 1970's.

In 1978, each member of Kiss released a self-titled solo album with Frehley having a hit single "New York Groove", a cover of a 1975 song by the British glam-rock band, Hello, reaching number thirteen on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. After Criss was voted out of the band in 1980, Frehley became frustrated by the musical direction of Kiss and was always outvoted as the replacement drummer had no vote. Two years later, Frehley would quit Kiss. Forming his own band, Frehley's Comet in 1984, he returned to his preferred heavy metal rock and enjoyed a brief time of success. In 1996, all four original members of Kiss reunited to tour and record an album, "Psycho Circus" before disbanding again by 2002. Frehley would go on to continue his solo career, with his latest album, "10,000 Volts" released last year, until his health had begun to decline recently.

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

On the verge of beginning her highly anticipated Celebration Tour which celebrates forty-plus years of making music, Madonna has been busy teaming up with several contemporary musicians for some new music that has all just been released. First, the Queen of Pop appears on "Popular", a song by Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye and also features Playboi Carti for the soundtrack of the buzzy new HBO series, "The Idol" which stars Tesfaye and Lily-Rose Depp. Madonna lends her voice for three songs on the new album by Christine and the Queens, "Paranoïa, Angels, True Love". And finally, there is "Vulgar" which Madonna collaborates with Sam Smith on a boldly unapologetic yet disappointingly routine dance track that proudly  proclaims the merits of being fearlessly outspoken.







June is Pride month and what better soundtrack for this celebration than getting your hands on "NOW! That's What I Call Proud!", the latest installment in the compilation album series, "NOW! That's What I Call Music!". What makes this edition stand out is that all the artists involved are out and proud: We have the legendary trailblazers (Elton John, k.d. Lang, Melissa Ethridge, George Michael) and the next generation who were able to begin their careers openly because of these pioneers (Sam Smith, Troye Sivan, Hayley Kiyoko, Lil Nas X). Here are a few of the classic songs on this collection:

Best known for the recording of "The Girl From Ipanema", the Brazilian singer, Astrud Gilberto has passed away at eighty-three on June 5th. This song would become an international hit, helping to popularize bossa nova, reaching the top five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and winning the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1965. Astrud Weinert married musician, João Gilberto, who would later be known as the "Father of Bossa Nova", in 1959. João teamed up with American jazz musician, Stan Getz and released the album, "Getz/Gilberto" in 1963. "The Girl From Ipanema" was first recorded for the album as a duet between Gilberto, singing in Portuguese, and his wife performing in English. An edited version of the song with just Astrud was released, becoming very popular and went on to sell over a million copies. Infidelity would bring an end to the marriage of the Gilbertos by 1964 but Astrud continued her career, releasing a self-titled debut album the following year. Gilberto went on to record fifteen studio albums with songs in various languages which impressively included Spanish, German, Italian, French and Japanese. And although she never officially retired, Gilberto said she was taking some time off after the release of her 2002 album. "Jungle" which would become her final recording.

And Cynthia Weil, one half of the songwriting team with her husband, Barry Mann based at the famous Brill Building who together helped shaped the sound of rock & roll throughout the 1960's with many popular songs, died at the age of eighty-two on June 1st. Born in New York City, Weil had studied to be an actor and dancer but not long after marrying Mann in 1961, she discovered her skill at writing pop songs. "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration", "On Broadway", "Walking in The Rain", "Just a Little Lovin' (Early in the Morning)" and "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" are just a few of the early hits that were written by this songwriting duo. The couple would write as individuals, with other partners as well as team up together with other songwriters. Other popular songs Weil would later be involved in creating included "Just Once", "Never Gonna Let You Go"," He's So Shy", "Here You Come Again", "All I Need To Know" and "Somewhere Out There" for the animated film, "An American Tail" which won the team (along with co-writer, James Horner) the 1986 Song of The Year Grammy Award. With her husband, Weil was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.

THE 50 BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARIES OF ALL TIME

Music has always played an important part in cinema since the very beginning of the industry. The early films were silent but were accompanied by a pianist or even, in some large cities, a small orchestra in theaters. When recorded, synchronized sound began in 1927, it was a game-charger for the movies and the first sound feature film released, "The Jazz Singer" was, not surprisingly, a musical.

Over time, documentaries were made about music and the gifted artists who created these sounds. In recent years, this has exploded with a large number of movies about musicians, well-known, obscure or forgotten, in all genres have been filling cinemas and streaming channels.

Vulture has put together a list of fifty of what they consider to be the best music documentaries of all time. First putting these selections together in 2015, they have updated this listing to include recent releases. These movies (which include a few concert films) are all important and fascinating documents. There are films which deeply explore what has made many of these popular musicians so vital; highlight professionals who had assisted singers and musicians with their careers and reveal talented artists who never had a real opportunity to shine in their lifetime yet remain highly influential.

Click below to read the article:

The 50 Best Music Documentaries of All-Time

NEW SOUNDS

For her first foray back to music since her emancipation from a fourteen year long involuntary conservatorship, Britney Spears has come back in a major way with a duet with Sir Elton John. It has been seven years since her well-received ninth studio album, "Glory" that Spears released any new recorded music, largely due to her recent refusal to continue her career while under complete control by her father. "Hold Me Closer" is a dance-pop song that combines elements of John's songs, "Tiny Dancer", "The One" and "Don't Go Breaking My Heart". John's husband, David Furnish actually suggested this collaboration and it certainly was an inspired idea. While it's wonderful how John has been very supportive in helping Spears get her footing back into music, the song feels like tiny, baby steps forward from both singers. The pop princess and the veteran musician's wispy, over-processed vocals are heavily buried in the dance mix and "Hold Me Closer" is far too similar to John's previous remixed hit with Dua Lipa, "Cold Heart" from last year. It's great that Spears is feeling comfortable to resume her career and this should give her the encouragement to continue but "Hold Me Closer" remains a disappointing endeavor, lacking the fireworks you would have expected from this team-up.



CHAKA KHAN

Chaka Khan has dropped a new song, "Woman Like Me" and it's a very welcome return by this legendary r&b performer. The edgy ballad (produced by Gregg Pagani who also co-wrote it with Francesca Richard and Jeffrey Anderson) is a stirring anthem on female empowerment, a powerful reminder to men that women should mean more to them than just a sexy plaything, deserving their complete admiration and respect. Khan, who has been dazzling us with her sassy, sultry voice since the the mid '70's, first with the funk band, Rufus before venturing out as a solo artist, just signed a deal with SRG-ILS Group to release her music so hopefully a new album is on the horizon.



LOLAHOL

If Lolahol looks familiar, she probably should. She is Lourdes Leon, the oldest child of pop superstar, Madonna who is following her mother into music. Released through her own record label Chemical X, "Lock & Key" is Lolahol's debut single, a dance-club ready tune with Leon providing breathy, sensual vocals. The music video for the song features Lolahol traveling through New York City and moving seductively on the beach that will certainly make her mother proud. And while the twenty-five year old artist doesn't necessarily plan on making music her career, also having interests in modeling and dance, she is curious to see where this will take her.

2021 VMAS

It was forty years ago this year that MTV was launched and delivered to the world the music video, a perfect blend of energized visuals with hard-driving music that completely changed how we were exposed to new songs. I was drawn to the channel immediately as it combined my great love of cinema and music and I would spend as much time as I possibly could watching my MTV. There is no denying MTV helped create pop stars, aiding these musicians by promoting their songs through the rotation of their videos which also defined these performers with a distinctive image. Sure, some of these artists probably would have been fine without the music channel but there is no doubt that many were able to achieve incredible global success with the far-reaching assistance of MTV.

The 2021 Video Music Awards celebrates the legacy of MTV and while the channel doesn't really show these clips anymore, they still enthusiastically honor the artistry behind the music video. Held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Doja Cat was this year's host and while she might be one of the hottest pop acts at the moment, the singer didn't leave much of an impact. As a host, she was barely on stage, didn't say anything meaningful and never made much of an impression beyond her progressively weird outfits (which included some sort of worm-like contraption and a literal chair on her head). Even Madonna, who showed up just to kick off the show, was able to make more of a significant impression in her brief appearance where the still rebellious sixty-three year old highlighted her completely covered yet fully exposed, oddly enhanced backside.

And the Queen of Pop was just one of several musical artists from MTV's glory days that appeared throughout the evening to present awards. There was Madonna's "rival", Cyndi Lauper; Tommy Lee of the metal band, Motley Crew; AJ McLean of Backstreet Boys, Lance Bass of N'Sync and Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees who represented the "Boy Band" era and the still very witty, David Lee Roth of Van Halen. Busta Rhymes appeared on the show (along with his hype-man, Spliff Star) to do a melody of many of his hits from the '90's and '00's but the hip-hop legend was largely out-of-breath and low-energy.

Even though Nicki Minaj and Lorde (due to a "change in production elements") decided to drop out at the last moment, there were still plenty of big names that turned up live on stage. Some highlights included Justin Bieber appearing with The Kid Laroi to do their hit, "Stay" and then Biebs did his newest single, "Ghosts"; Ed Sheeran took to a stage at the Brooklyn Bridge Park to deliver his latest single, "Shivers"; lovebirds, Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes appeared separately to perform their songs, "Don't Go Yet" and "Summer of Love" respectively; and our host, Doja Cat had to get on stage, doing a mash-up of "Been Like This" and "You Right" while soaring high above the audience in the air. A few of my favorite appearances included a fierce Chlöe performing (without her sister, Halle) her first solo song, "Have Mercy"; Normani bringing her hit, "Wild Life" to life with a sizzling performance; Kacey Musgraves brought a touch of country-pop while encircled by a ring of fire with the title track of her new album, "Star-Crossed" and the always welcome, Alicia Keys delivering a new song and a tribute to New York City with "Empire State of Mind". And Global Icon Award winners, Foo Fighters did a roaring set of their songs that reminded us that rock & roll is far from dead.

As for the awards, Lil Nas X and Olivia Rodrigo were the big winners of the night, each receiving three awards with Rodrigo winning Song of the Year for "Drivers License" and Best New Artist while Nas took the big Video of the Year award for his controversial clip, "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)". These young entertainers each had a moment on the show to make their presence felt with big, splashy production numbers surrounded by a small army of dancers. But this was were their inexperience as live performers came in to sharp focus. Nas and Rodrigo both looked slightly uncomfortable on stage while struggling to stand out from their massive productions.

This points out a glaring problem with some of today's musicians who manage to get a hit record yet never paid any dues by learning to perform their music in front of an audience. Lil Nas X and Ms Rodrigo are appealing pop stars and have made some great records but are they artists that will still be around in ten years? Five years? No one really knows as talent alone is not necessarily enough to keep people interested. Yet I think the era of "American Idol" insta-pop-stars has done a great disservice to young singers who think skipping much of the long, hard work involved and jumping straight to fame is enough to maintain a career.

NEW SOUNDS

I have always had a take or leave attitude towards Miley Cyrus, usually leave in most cases. However with the recently dropped single from the twenty-seven year old performer, "Midnight Sky", I really loved the song after the first listen. This sparkling dance-pop track utilizes classic disco (and samples "Edge of Seventeen" from Stevie Nicks) to tell a story about finding inner strength and self-love through challenging times. This is the first single from "She is Miley Cyrus", the long-delayed seventh studio album from the singer which had been postponed due to some personal struggles including her marriage and separation with actor, Liam Hemsworth and the shutdown of the world due to the Coronavirus. There is no exact release date yet for the album.



While Dua Lipa's latest album, "Future Nostalgia" was already dance-floor ready, the British singer decided to take it up another notch. And that has lead to "Club Future Nostalgia", a remix collection of songs from the record that takes them in some interesting new directions. This mixtape forges 1990's house with 2020 pop music and a splash of 1980's soul. The first single released is "Levitating" which was remixed by the DJ, The Blessed Madonna and features Missy Elliott and the Queen of Pop, Madonna. It's been revealed that Mark Ronson will take on the song, "Physical" with Gwen Stefani but no additional info on other tracks has been made available at this time. But the album will be out on August 28th.



Alicia Keys has released another song from her forthcoming album simply called, "Alicia". "So Gone" is a guitar-driven ballad that teams the singer with the young alt-r&b artist, Khalid which results in a thrilling meeting of classic and contemporary soul. I love the music video which features actress, Sasha Lane. The clip, which takes place at a prom with Keys and Khalid as the live entertainment, humorously looks at our youth's obsession with their phones and creating social media content instead of interacting with the people right next to them.



Finally we have another generational musical pairing but this time in country music. The rising alt-country artist from Canada, Orville Peck comes together with fellow Canadian, the legendary, Shaina Twain on the new song, "Legends Never Die". This is the latest track from Peck's recently released EP, "Show Pony" which pays tribute to the style of country music he grew-up listening to and also features a cover of Bobbie Gentry's 1970 classic, "Fancy". The music video cleverly uses social distancing with Peck and Twain performing the song at a drive-in. I love seeing these two over-the-top performers, who never fitted comfortably in the traditional country music format, come together on this great track.

NEW SOUNDS

MADONNA

One of the biggest pop stars of all-time is back with new music. After teasing with video clips and images since the beginning of the year, Madonna has finally dropped the first single from her upcoming fourteenth studio album called "Madame X". This Latin pop tune, "Medellín" features Colombian singer, Maluma and takes it's title from the city in Colombia where he was born. A second single, "I Rise" has followed and it's an uplifting anthem about surviving and rising up against adversity. Emma González, the gun control activist and survivor of the Parkland high school shooting, is heard with a spoken intro on the track and the song is also being dedicated to the LGBTQ communities in celebration of the the 50th anniversary of Pride. Be on the look out for two more song releases from the Queen of Pop with "Future" featuring Quavo on May 17th and "Dark Ballet" on June 7th before the album is out on June 14th. Have a listen to the two songs with Madonna and Maluma performing live on the recent Billboard Music Awards and the clip for "I Rise":





TAYLOR SWIFT

And the current Princess of Pop, Taylor Swift has also just dropped some new music. Swift had been teasing the release of the song on her social media since April 13th and "Me!" was finally delivered on April 26th along with the music video Swift co-directed with Dave Meyers. The song is a bubbly confection that features Brendon Urie, the lead singer of Panic! at the Disco and the video is a explosion of vivid color and wild visual wonderment. The video for "Me!" has broken the record for the most views by a female artist in the first twenty-four hours with 65.2 million viewers and the fastest video to reach 100 million views in seventy-nine hours. But the song hardly seems worthy of all this fuss and if it had been released by any artist other than Swift, nobody would have paid any attention due to the weak and juvenile lyrics. "Me!" is a surprisingly underwhelming effort by the twenty-five year old pop superstar. No word on a release date of an upcoming album but let's hope it more promising than this first single:

CHER HAS BECOME A "DANCING QUEEN"

After finally returning to the big screen this summer with the hit musical sequel, "Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again", the Oscar-winner, Cher was inspired to return to what started her career; music. She had been a fan of ABBA's music (and saw the "Mamma Mia" stage show three times) and decided to make her new album a collection of the Swedish group's greatest hits.

"Dancing Queen" will be Cher's twenty-sixth (!) studio album and is due out on September 28th. The record features her versions of such classic ABBA tunes like "The Name of The Game", "The Winner Takes It All", "One of Us", "Fernando" (which she performed in the movie) and, of course, the title track. The first taste of the record is Cher's covers of "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" and "SOS". If you are a fan of this legendary performer, then you are in for a treat:





And as a bonus here is a mash-up by Alex Simpson of Cher's song and Madonna's 2005 tune, "Hung-Up" which used a sample of ABBA's original track.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADONNA

It's hard to believe it but today the legendary pop superstar, Madonna has turned sixty. I am old enough to remember when she first came on the scene with the single, "Everybody" back in 1982 and many people thought she was a black singer. I danced in the clubs to her next single, "Burning Up" which came out the following year and it's still one of my favorites from the singer. Then her self-titled album finally came out in 1983 and I was completely hooked. It was a perfect blend of dance, pop and a little bit of soul. From that moment on, I became a life-long fan.

Provocative, controversial and boldly sexual, Madonna was unlike any female pop singer that came before her. From the very beginning of her career, she challenged conventional views of femininity and sexuality while forcing people to confront their fears and biases on these once taboo subjects. And her timing was perfect as she came of age during the rise of MTV and the music video. Madonna cleverly used this format to visually express divergent ideas, create many memorable personas and enhance her dance-pop songs.

No matter your opinion of this singer, there is no denying her wide-ranging influence and impact on our culture and pop music. Ultimately, Madonna has not only become one of the most successful female singers in history with over three hundred million records sold worldwide but she is considered fourth as one of the best-selling musical acts of all time.

And to celebrate this major milestone in her life, Madonna has started a month-long fundraiser to help orphans and children in Malawi. If you would like to donate, you can go directly to her Facebook page to give with the proceeds going to Madonna's Raising Malawi foundation.

Click below to donate:

Raise Malawi in Honor of Madonna's Birthday

And I'm going to honor this iconic singer by highlighting some of my favorite moments in her long, varied career:

BITCH, I'M MADONNA

I think it's the weakest track off of Madonna's "Rebel Heart" but "Bitch, I'm Madonna" is the latest single to be released. What is probably going to bring this song much desired attention is the music video, directed by Jonas Åkerlund who has worked with the artist many times including the clip for "Ray of Light" which won them a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video .

Shot to look like one single take at the Standard Hotel in New York, the video's setting is like a wild and crazy party that Madonna is throwing with many of her famous friends in attendance. The guests feature some of the biggest female names in pop music right now like Katy Perry, Rita Ora, Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj who also performs on the song. Other more unexpected appearances include Chris Rock, fashion designer, Alexander Wang, model, Jon Kortajarena, producer/DJ, Diplo (who co-wrote and produced the track) and what would a celebrity party be without Kanye West.

This all-star video hasn't changed my opinion about the song but it does make it more interesting. It's fun, colorful and attention-grabbing but still may not succeed in getting her new music some radio play. Pop radio should play music that is inventive and inspired but it's shameful that they seriously won't play Madonna only because of her age. The excellent first single, "Livin' For Love" definitely deserved to be played on the air. But this ridiculous mindset does explain the unadventurous nature of most of what is making it on the radio. Anyway, check out the video:



Here's a video bonus of the title song from the album that gave Madonna some long and hard-earned critical respect:

THE 57TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

Sam Smith, the soulful Brit pop vocalist, was the undisputed champ at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. He took home four of the six trophies he was up for including Record of The Year and Best New Artist. Smith performed his award-winning tune, "Stay With Me" on the telecast Sunday night as a moving duet with Mary J. Blige.

Alt-rocker, Beck was the unexpected victor of the Album of The Year prize for "Morning Phase". No one was more surprised than Kanye West, who got on stage briefly during the presentation of Beck's award, seeming to think it would be funny to protest the win like he did to Taylor Swift at the MTV Music Awards.

For the fourth consecutive year, LL Cool J hosted the show but this time, he kept the talk to a minimum to allow the music to speak for it's self. There were twenty-three numbers over the course of the program and at almost four hours, it might seem like music overload. However, there were really no clunkers (although the ballads performed by Ariana Grande and Adam Levine of Maroon 5 with his former "Voice" judge, Gwen Stefani bordered on snoozy) and the show kicked off with the fiery first appearance on the Grammys by heavy-metal legends, AC/DC. I know they're not every one's taste but I thought they were great as they performed the title track from their latest album, "Rock or Bust" and their classic, "Highway To Hell".

Other highlights included Usher's uncomplicated but moving version of Stevie Wonder's "If It's Magic" (with the artist himself popping up at the end on harmonica), the oddball team of Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney performing their hot single, "FourFiveSeconds", Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett serving up a little jazz from their Grammy-winning record and the thrilling return of Electric Light Orchestra.

My favorite moments on the Grammys have been the pairing of veteran artists with new musicians. While not everyone appreciated their efforts, I enjoyed what Tom Jones and Jessie J. did with "You Lost That Lovin' Feeling" during their tribute to the songwriters, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Irish rocker, Hozier was delivering his Grammy-nominated hit, "Take Me To Church" but it was Annie Lennox who joined him and took it home. The duo continued with a fierce rendition of the "Screaming" Jay Hawkins song, "I Put a Spell On You" from her nominated album, "Nostalgia" with Lennox bringing down the house.

Finally, what would the Grammys be without a little spectacle? First, Madonna showed the world she's still got it with a high-energy performance of her new single, "Living For Love" which featured a herd of male dancers wearing elaborate bull masks and concluded with the pop artist being lifted up in to the air.

While I thought Sia's latest recreation of the music video for her live performance of "Chandelier" was entertaining (and included teen dancer, Maddie Ziegler and comedian, Kristen Wiig), I, for one, am tired of seeing the Aussie vocalist singing to a wall. Enough with the silly recluse act. Anyway, it was another great celebration of music.

Here is a partial list of the winners from the 2015 Grammys. For the complete list, click below:

Grammy.com

ALBUM OF THE YEAR: "Morning Phase" - Beck
RECORD OF THE YEAR: "Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)" - Sam Smith
SONG OF THE YEAR: "Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)" - James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith, songwriters
BEST NEW ARTIST: Sam Smith
BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE: "Happy (Live)" - Pharrell Williams
BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE: "Say Something" - A Great Big World With Christina Aguilera
BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM: "Cheek To Cheek" - Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM: "In The Lonely Hour" - Sam Smith
BEST DANCE RECORDING: "Rather Be" - Clean Bandit Featuring Jess Glynne
BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE: "Lazaretto" - Jack White
BEST ROCK ALBUM: "Ryan Adams" -Ryan Adams
BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM: "St. Vincent" -St. Vincent
BEST R&B PERFORMANCE: "Drunk In Love" -Beyoncé Featuring Jay Z
BEST R&B ALBUM: "Love, Marriage & Divorce" - Toni Braxton & Babyface
BEST RAP PERFORMANCE: "I" - Kendrick Lamar
BEST RAP ALBUM: "The Marshall Mathers LP2" - Eminem
BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE: "Something In The Water" - Carrie Underwood
BEST COUNTRY ALBUM: "Platinum" - Miranda Lambert
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR (NON-CLASSICAL): Max Martin

REBEL HEART

The arrival of new music from the true Queen of Pop, Madonna has certainly been a crazy situation. First, someone hacked in to her computer and released virtually all of the songs from her forthcoming thirteenth studio album (completed tracks and demos) for all the world to hear. Madonna was quite upset and rightfully so but misguidedly compared the act to being "raped artistically ".

So she decided to take control of this bad situation by pre-releasing her new album, "Rebel Heart" with six songs available now on Itunes. This went on to cause quite a frenzy for her new work which went on to top the Itunes Album charts in over forty countries. There hasn't been this much excitement for a new Madonna record in quite awhile.

What do I think about "Rebel Heart"? Let me begin with my negative thoughts: I absolutely hate the album cover. It's just so . . . ridiculous. As for the songs themselves? It's a vast improvement over her half-baked last release, "MDNA".  This new material offers more thoughts and ideas of a mature woman instead of trying so hard to cater to the tween crowd. So far, Madonna has collaborated with popular EDM producers, Diplo and Avicii in addition to having Kanye West and Nicki Minaj back on board to help deliver a contemporary sound. What I've heard so far I've really enjoyed. These tunes manage to move the artist forward while offering glimmers of the Madonna of yore.

More songs from "Rebel Heart" are planned to be dropped on February 9th before giving the complete album a proper worldwide release on March 10th. Here are three of the songs that I particularly like including the first official single, "Living For Love":

"Living For Love" - Madonna (2014)

"Ghosttown" - Madonna (2014)

"Illuminati" - Madonna (2014)

THE 28 BEST MUSIC VIDEOS BY DAVID FINCHER

David Fincher is the man of the moment due to his critically acclaimed, box-office hit, "Gone Girl". What people may not realize (or remember) is that Mr. Fincher began his career directing commericals and most notably, music videos. To date, he's made over fifty clips with his most recent being Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie" which won Fincher a Grammy Award last year for Best Music Video.

New York Magazine has complied a list ranking the Oscar-nominated director's best work in music videos. Click below to read:

28 David Fincher Music Videos, Ranked

Here are a few of my personal favorites from the director:

2014 MTV MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS

Back in 1984, I saw the very first MTV Music Video Award program. Bette Midler and Dan Aykroyd hosted the show at Radio City Music Hall during the height of popularity for videos. The irreverent show was notable for the first major live appearance of rising star, Madonna who premiered her latest single, "Like A Virgin" in a shocking performance (certainly at that time) that ended with her writhing on stage in a wedding dress. The evening was capped with The Cars taking home the first Video of The Year Award for the innovative clip of "You Might Think".

I've watched all of the following presentations and this marks the thirtieth year. The MTV award show has always been a hit or miss affair with at least some sort of controversial event occurring during the telecast. While music videos are barely even played on MTV now, the awards are still quite popular although it's much harder to cover the show's only purpose which is for performers to showcase their new songs and presenters to plug upcoming projects.

Ariana Grande, Jessie J and Nicki Minaj kicked off the show with each performing a selection from their forthcoming albums before coming together to do "Bang Bang", the uninspired hit they all appear on. With the exception of Sam Smith delivering a moving rendition of "Stay With Me", all of other musicians were lackluster or unmemorable which included Iggy Azalea, Maroon 5, Usher and new pop princess, Taylor Swift.

After being completely dismayed by the generic girl-group, Fifth Harmony beating out the amazing Sam Smith for the Artist To Watch Award and Miley Cyrus sending some apparent former homeless youth up to accept her award for Video of The Year with a speech that seemed to mock the situation, I was ready to turn off this nonsense. However, it was Queen Bee that saved the show from being a complete disaster at the very end. Accepting the Michael Jackson Vanguard Award, Beyoncé put all the other performers to shame as she easily displayed why she deserved this honor. The dazzling vocalist went on to deliver a thrilling set as she performed a medley of all of the songs from her recent million-selling, self-titled album. With their baby, Blue Ivy in his arms, Jay Z presented his overwhelmed wife with the award which also served to show the world that they are a solid and united family. Time will reveal how accurate this may actually be but it was still quite a touching and moving moment. If you missed it, take a look:

Get More: 2014 VMA, Artists.MTV, Beyonce, MTV VMA Video Vanguard (Medley), Music, More Music Videos

Let's flashback to Madonna's virgin appearance on the award show thirty years ago:



Finally, here is the 1984 MTV Video of the Year: