RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

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.

JAM & LEWIS - VOL. ONE

You may not immediately recognize the names of "Jimmy Jam" Harris and Terry Lewis but you definitely know their music:

"Saturday Love" by Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal

"Human" by the Human League

"Just Be Good To Me" by the S.O.S. Band

"If It Isn't Love" by New Edition

"U Remind Me" by Usher

"Tender Love" by Force MD's

"Encore" by Cheryl Lynn

And almost the entire discography of Janet Jackson. This is just a very small number of songs this dynamic duo has co-written and produced since 1983. They have worked with a wildly diverse group of musicians during that time which includes Rod Stewart, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Bryan Adams, Chaka Khan, Boyz II Men, Sting, Yolanda Adams, Herb Alpert, Patti Austin, Earth Wind & Fire and The Spice Girls.

These long-time friends, who first met in college, would join as musicians with the Minneapolis-based funk band called Flyte Tyme. After connecting with Prince and Morris Day joining as lead singer, the group evolved in to the Time and released their self-titled debut album in 1981. This band enjoyed great success before the duo, who had begun to produce other acts on the side, missed a concert while stranded in Atlanta during a snow storm. Harris and Lewis would end up leaving the Time, after either quitting or were fired (depending on who you ask) in 1983. The song they had produced during that time for the S.O.S. Band, "Just Be Good To Me" would become a smash hit and helped launch the production careers of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

Now after years of being in the background, Jam & Lewis have released their very first album under their own names. "Jam & Lewis Volume One" features an impressive line-up of artists that they have worked with previously (Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Usher) and for the first time (Toni Braxton, Babyface, Charlie Wilson, formerly of the Gap Band). And former Time members, Morris Day and Jerome Benton even show up along with The Roots on the track, "Babylove". This is a great collection of classic r&b by this influential team and I can't wait to hear the next volume.

SAVE THE DAY: THIRTY YEARS OF MARIAH CAREY

In celebration of the thirty years since the release of her self-titled debut album, Mariah Carey will be releasing "The Rarities", a collection of previously unreleased songs that hold personal relevance and meaning to the singer. One of the first songs recently dropped is "Save The Day", a track recorded fifteen years ago and features a duet with the now elusive vocalist, Miss Lauryn Hill. While the song (which features a sample of "Killing Me Softly", the popular cover by Hill's former band, the Fugees) is a thrilling collaboration and features these divas at the height of their powers, I understand perfectly why it was not release before. This recording is lacking in those magical moments that would have been expected by such a team-up of two big-name artists. 

The album will also feature live performances of some of her classic songs recorded during a concert at the Tokyo Dome back in the '90s. "The Rarities" will be released on October 2nd, just a few days after the long-awaited memoir, "The Meaning of Mariah Carey" on September 29th. Have a listen to "Save The Day" and see what you think:

SONGS FOR A PANDEMIC

This Coronavirus pandemic, creating a frightening global disruption and forcing us to isolate from each other, has left many of us feeling lonely, frustrated and very scared. But human beings are resilient and we will get through this although it most certainly will be challenging. I want to do my little part and have put together a collection of songs that I hope will inspire anyone when they are feeling incredibly down, offering hope and encouragement during those dark times. Please stay strong, stay safe and remember that this too shall pass.

THE 25 SONGS THAT MATTER RIGHT NOW

For the New York Times magazine's 2019 Music Issue, the focus is on songs that are making a statement right now. The previous issues tried to predict which direction music was heading and now it's about twenty-five current pop songs which explore wistful intimacy, address troubling issues in our society and attempt to ignite conversation about our turbulent times. These diverse artists here, who range from well-known (Bruce Springsteen, Ariana Grande, Weezer) to not-as-well-known (Parquet Courts, Tierra Whack, Sons of Kemet), express their ideas and feelings in a variety of interesting styles and reactions.

Click below to read the article:

The 25 Songs That Matter Right Now

And here are a few songs from this list that I particularly like:

ALL 58 BEST NEW ARTIST GRAMMY WINNERS

Out of all the categories of the Grammy Awards, the one that remains the most questionable, divisive and maligned is Best New Artist. While many of the winners did go on to have enduring and admired careers like Sade, The Carpenters, Mariah Carey, Tom Jones, Bette Midler, Adele and The Beatles, there are just as many artists who won this award that never repeated their initial success and the winning of this Grammy was the highlight of their careers.  Anyone remember The Swingle Singers, Bruce Hornsby and the Range, Starland Vocal Band, Marc Cohn, Debby Boone, Evanescence and Milli Vanilli, who actually had their award rescinded after it was discovered that the duo did not sing a note on their album. The Wrap does a run-down of all the Grammy winners of this prize and the other nominees in the category. Some of the surprising losers include Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Kanye West, The Eagles, Elvis Costello, Green Day and Luther Vandross.

Click below to read the article:

The 58 Grammy Best New Artist Winners

And here are a few of my favorite songs from some of the winners of Best New Artist:

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

I'm sure nobody out there thought for a minute that the unlikely coupling of pop superstar, Ariana Grande and "Saturday Night Live" comedian, Pete Davidson (who got engaged after only four months) would actually end with them walking down the aisle. And while there are no wedding bells in their future, a song was inspired by their short-lived relationship. "Thank U, Next" is Grande's latest single she co-wrote that acknowledges her time with Davidson along with some of her other previous relationships. This track, which debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number one, will be the title track from the twenty-five year old singer's upcoming fifth studio album which will probably be out early next year. Enjoy a live performance of the song on the Ellen DeGeneres show which Grande does a little tribute to the closing number from the comedy, "The First Wives Club". Also, here is the music video for the third single from her 2018 album, "Sweetener", "Breathin" which reached the top-ten on the charts:





Mariah Carey has just dropped her fifteenth album, "Caution" and after listening to the record, it's very hard to tell her new music apart from Ariana Grande. Ms Carey has been around a little longer than Ms Grande (who clearly been inspired by the timeless singer) and while each has their own style and musical flavor, they both share in seductive vocals gliding over slick '90's r&b infused with hip-hop beats. Here are a couple of tracks from Carey's latest that wouldn't sound much different if Grande gave them a go:





And we have some new music from a couple of veteran acts. The classic disco group, Chic is back with their first new album in twenty-six years, "It's About Time". The surviving founding member, writer/producer, Nile Rodgers has put together what he calls "a new Chic experience". This features an interesting mix of guest performers that includes Lady Gaga, Hailee Steinfeld, jazz composer, Philippe Saisse, Emeli Sandé and Elton John with a collection of modern dance tracks that are just as diverse.



Neneh Cherry has just recently released her fifth studio album, "Broken Politics". This timely collection, produced by British musician, Four Tet, addresses our current political climate with meditative songs to encourage hope and activism. "Shot Gun Shack" is a song that focuses on the troubling gun violence in our society:

GTFO

Mariah Carey has dropped a provocative new promo single called, "GTFO". If you don't know what that stands for, let's just say it's an impolite way of telling somebody to leave. With hot alt-r&b producers, Dvsn on board, Carey delivers another one of her trademark slinky ballads but the beats and the language are clearly of the moment. I'm really loving this slow-jam and think it puts the singer back on the right track. In the music video for the song directed by Sarah McColgan, the clip only features Carey, in a variety of sexy lingerie, still trying way too hard to be sultry and seductive. Have a listen:

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

After her New Year's Eve performance fiasco, Mariah Carey seems eager to put that out of people's minds with some new music. Clearly inspired by her recent break-up with former fiance, billionaire James Packer, "I Don't" is a bitter "her" side of the story backed up with an old-school r&b beat with YG adding a rap for a modern touch. I'm really digging the song but the cartoon sexuality in the music video is just too much. The forty-six year old mother of two directed this clip and it simply features endless shots of herself in ridiculously revealing outfits gyrating and flipping her hair seductively. I know the over-the-top, sexy diva image has always been her thing but it's getting a little sad now. "I Don't" is the first of several singles that will be released throughout the year with an album that will likely happen depending on how well these songs do.



And here is a far more classier Carey paying loving tribute to the recently departed George Michael with an incredible live version of his ballad, "One More Try":



Here is a collection of some dynamic music videos of recent songs I've been digging:

NUMBER ONE FLASHBACK

Number One Flashback takes a look back on U.S. chart-toppers from the past. Today, we're going back exactly ten years ago this week when "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey topped the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. This quiet storm ballad, which remained at this position for fourteen non-consecutive weeks, brought the singer back after a series of career setbacks.

After her last few albums on Columbia Records sold poorly, Carey decided to leave the label to join Virgin Records with a contract worth one hundred million dollars in 2001. However, shortly after the announcement, she was hospitalized due to physical and emotional exhaustion. This delayed the release of her film debut, "Glitter" and the soundtrack album which both became critical and commercial flops. This lead to Virgin dropping Carey from the label and buying out her record contract.

Carey rebounded by signing with Island Records but her first release on the label, "Charmbracelet" in 2002 also failed to generate much interest. In 2005, the singer's tenth album, "The Emancipation of Mimi" came out and brought with it a major career resurgence. The album moved her even further in to hip-hop and with slick production from Jermaine Dupri, The Neptunes and Kanye West along with appearances by Nelly and Snoop Dogg, the record became one of Mariah Carey's biggest sellers at twelve million copies sold worldwide with seven hit singles released. This is one of my all-time favorite albums so let's go back and listen to the number-one song that gave shout-outs to Babyface and the late, great Bobby Womack:

"We Belong Together" - Mariah Carey (2005) mp3

IT TAKES TWO, TOO

Here is another collection of some of my favorite songs featuring collaborations between two great musical artists:

"Almost Paradise (Love Theme from "Footloose")" - Ann Wilson & Mike Reno (1984) mp3

"Easy Lover" -  Phil Collins & Philip Bailey (1984) mp3

"If This World Were Mine" - Cheryl Lynn & Luther Vandross (1982) mp3

"How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye" - Dionne Warwick & Luther Vandross (1983) mp3

"Endless Love" Mariah Carey & Luther Vandross (1994) mp3

"The Closer I Get To You" - Beyoncé & Luther Vandross (2003) mp3

"You & I" - Crystal Gayle & Eddie Rabbitt (1982) mp3

"Let It Be Me" - Jerry Butler & Betty Everett (1964) mp3

"I'm Your Angel" - Céline Dion & R. Kelly (1998) mp3

"Tramp" - Otis Redding & Carla Thomas (1967) mp3

MARIAH CAREY IS "TRIUMPHANT"

The newly appointed "American Idol" judge, Mariah Carey has just dropped a new track entitled, "Triumphant (Get'Em)".

The tune is produced by Jermaine Dupri and features raps by Rick Ross and Mick Mill but I'm not sure why this is considered a new song for Ms Carey as she seems to be only simply providing the hook. This song isn't particularly memorable and not a good sign for her upcoming album.

Have a listen:

"Triumphant (Get'Em)" - Mariah Carey (2012)

THE FIRST TIME: PART EIGHT

MARIAH CAREY - "MARIAH CAREY" (1990)

Named after the song, "They Call The Wind Mariah" from the musical, "Paint Your Wagon", Mariah Carey was the youngest of three children born and raised in Long Island, New York. She is of multi-racial descent ( Irish, Venezuelan and African-American) which caused her some difficulties growing up. After Mariah's parents split up, the family struggled as her mother had to work several jobs to keep food on the table.

Mariah would sing around the house as a young child and her mother, who was a former opera singer, would teach her daughter how to properly use her voice.

After Mariah finished high school, she worked as a local demo singer, wrote songs and went to beauty school before becoming a back-up singer for artist, Brenda K. Starr.

Mariah attended a party with Brenda and met Columbia Records executive, Tommy Mottola. Brenda gave him Mariah's demo tape and he listened to it after the party and was very impressed. Mr. Mottola tracked down Mariah and signed her to a record contract.

Her self-titled debut, "Mariah Carey" was released in 1990 and she co-wrote all of the songs on the album. It would reach number one on the Billboard Top 200 Album Charts, thanks to her first hit single, "Vision Of Love" which also hit number one for four weeks. There were three more singles released that also went straight to number one on the pop charts and it would become the best selling album in 1991. Mariah would receive two Grammy Awards including Best New Artist of 1990.

While Mariah's first album was more pop oriented with lite r&b, she wanted to move even more towards a solid r&b/ hip-hop sound, so her next album, "Emotions" was released in late 1991. Although it had three top ten singles, it was not nearly as successful as her debut and she also suffered from a critical backlash. She was being accused of being nothing more than a studio creation because she did not tour to support her albums but the truth was that she lacked confidence and suffered from a little stage fright. She did manage to perform for a small audience for an MTV Unplugged program in 1992. That live show was released as an EP and had a number one song with a cover of The Jackson 5 hit, "I'll Be There". Mariah eventually did do several major tours around the globe.

Mariah Carey would enjoy more hit singles and albums and achieve international success. She has had twenty-seven top ten hits in the U.S to date.and has eighteen number one singles, second only to The Beatles, and she has sold well over two hundred million units.

Mariah became romantically involved with Tommy Mottola and they wed in 1993 but the marriage ended in 1997 due, in part, to Mr. Mottola's controlling nature. In 2008, while shooting a music video for a song off her album, "E=MC²", Mariah met actor Nick Cannon and after a brief romance, they were married  in the Bahamas. Mariah is expecting her first child in the spring of 2011.

This is the first number one song for Mariah Carey:



WHAM! - "MAKE IT BIG" (1984)

George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley met as teenagers while they attended Bushey Meads School in Hertfordshire, England. They joined a SKA band called The Executive but formed Wham! after that band disbanded. George held the majority of the responsibilities of the band; singing, writing and producing while Andrew played guitar but more importantly was Wham!'s spokesman and handled their image.

Wham! released their first single, "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do?)" in 1982, which was one of the first singles by a British band that featured rap but the song did not chart. Later that year, they put out their second single, "Young Guns (Go For It!)" but this song also stalled. It was a last minute appearance, after another band dropped out, on the BBC television program, "Top Of The Pops" that changed things for the band. After audiences, (mostly teenage girls) got a look at the boys and their performance, "Young Guns" moved up the UK pop charts and peaking at number three. "Wham Rap!" was re-released and went top ten as well as additional singles, "Bad Boys" and "Club Tropicana". Their debut album, "Fantastic" went straight to number one by 1983.

This was just the beginning, as Wham! had the rest of the world to conquer. Wham! used the music video to their advantage with the singles off of the first album, which featured the boys as black leather-wearing toughs but for the video of the first single off of their new album, "Make It Big",  Andrew had them soften their look and appear more playful while George took care of creating a catchy tune. The song, "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" went straight to number one all over the world and Wham! became a global sensation. The next single, "Careless Whisper" was released as a "George Michael" solo song, which also went to number one. The two other hit singles, "Everything She Wants" and "Freedom" were released as Wham!. and also hit the top ten.

After all of the fame and fortune, George now wanted to be taken seriously as an artist and distance himself from Wham!'s teenage fan base and move more towards a sophisticated audience. In 1986, the duo announced that Wham! would be splitting up after their next album, "Music From the Edge of Heaven". Wham! staged a grand finale concert at Wembley Stadium on June 28, 1986 that was attended by 73,000 fans. After five years together, Wham! sold over twenty millions records.

Andrew Ridgeley only made a one solo album, "Son of Albert" in 1990 that was a commercial and critical flop while George Michael went on to have a somewhat successful solo music career.

The first Wham! single. . .This is the Brit-rap at it's best:



Andrew talks George into getting blonde highlights and wearing over-sized t-shirts and tiny shorts and this music video helped launch Wham! to world wide success:



CYNDI LAUPER - "SHE'S SO UNUSUAL" (1983)

Born and raised in Queens, New York, Cyndi Lauper was exposed to wide spectrum of different musical genres as a child. At the age of twelve, Cyndi learned how to play the guitar and soon started writing songs. Cyndi also began expressing herself by dying her hair in wild colors and wearing extreme fashions but her mother encouraged her to express her creativity and individuality. At seventeen, Cyndi left home to study art but ended up traveling through Canada and eventually ended up in Vermont where she took art classes.

She soon returned to New York and decided to pursue singing. She performed with a variety of cover bands but disliked doing other artist's songs. In 1977, Cyndi damaged her vocal cords and was told she would never be able to sing again. Cyndi worked with a vocal coach who helped her regain her voice and taught her exercises to help protect it.

In 1978, She met sax player, John Turi and they formed a new-wave rock band called, Blue Angel. The band recorded a few demos but many people who heard them only wanted to sign Cyndi to a record deal but she held out for the band. Polydor Records eventually signed the band and they released their self-titled debut, "Blue Angel" in 1980. Despite some critical acclaim, the album was not a commercial success and Blue Angel soon disbanded.

Cyndi continued singing in local clubs and met David Wolff, who became her manager and he got her signed with Portrait Records. Cyndi worked with studio musicians on her album and in 1983, "She's So Unusual" was completed. The album was an immediate hit, thanks to the first single, "Girls Just Want To Have Fun". The song was originally written and recorded by Robert Hazard and was done from a male point of view. Cyndi altered the lyrics slightly to change it to a female perspective and the song went to number two on the U.S. pop charts. "She's So Unusual" had a total of four top ten singles, was nominated for six Grammy Awards, winning two, including Best New Artist and would go on to sell a total of sixteen million copies across the globe.

Cyndi would go on to have a successful recording career, releasing eleven studio albums to date which include different genres of music; pop standards ("At Last" 2003), acoustic ("The Body Acoustic" 2005), electronic dance ("Bring Ya To The Brink [Explicit]" 2008) and her latest, the blues, "Memphis Blues" which she just received a 2010 Grammy nomination.

Cyndi Lauper has made many appearances as an actress in films and television and she even won an Emmy for Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for "Mad About You" in 1995. Lauper has been married to David Thornton since 1991 and they have a son, Declyn.

MIX IT UP

I remember when I was a kid, I would take selected songs off of my albums and 45's and record them on tapes so I could travel with my music on a cassette player. The quality wasn't great and it would take me hours to do.

Now, I have an Ipod which takes minutes to effortlessly put music on it and I am able to enjoy my high-quality music anywhere.

I guess we have come a long way, baby.

I have collected over 4000 songs on my Ipod and so when I use it, I normally shuffle the songs otherwise I just would wind up listening to the same few songs. I love it when a song pops up that I haven't heard in a long time or haven't heard at all in it's entirety.

These are the last songs that played on my pod and it is an interesting mix.

Emotions(Live -MTV Unplugged) - Mariah Carey.mp3

Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton.mp3

Paradise - LL Cool J.mp3

Thinking Of You - Sister Sledge.mp3

What A Good Man He is - Tammi Terrell.mp3