RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NEW SOUNDS

 H.E.R.

Since releasing music beginning in 2016 (and taking home Grammys and an Oscar in the process), H.E.R., the r&b musician from Northern California who has almost single-handily brought the guitar back to contemporary soul, still had not delivered her first official album. The twenty-three year old artist has only released several EPs and a compilation album that featured the first two extended plays and new material. Now the singer's first album, "Back of My Mind" has finally just been released. This collection of smooth and mellow r&b features the hit single, "Damage" and the latest, "Come Through", a sensual duet with the problematic Chris Brown. H.E.R. also has Lil Baby, Ty Dolla Sign, Thundercat and DJ Khaled making contributions to this impressive debut.



JESSIE J

While breaking out in a sweat at the gym, I began to wonder what had happened to Jessie J after seeing the music video for her song, "Domino". It had been ten years since that breakout hit for the British pop vocalist here in the US and almost four years since we had any new music from her when she released a studio album, "R.O.S.E" and a Christmas album. And now I have an answer; Jessie J has just dropped a new song called "I Want Love". This mid-tempo dance track has a music video that was inspired by a real incident that happened to the big-voiced singer who was born Jessica Cornish. After having an argument with a boyfriend at a black-tie event, she finds herself spending the evening in a dive bar drinking with some new friends and dancing joyfully alone. This is the first preview of music from Jessie J.'s upcoming fifth studio album which is due out later in the year.



And we have the latest from Megan Thee Stallion with "Thot Shit". Fed up with men that were being critical of her for unapologetically embracing her sexuality, Megan decided to take them on, reclaiming the word, "thot'" as a term of female empowerment. The music video for the song takes this idea even further. This hilarious, horror-themed clip features a conservative Senator writing hateful comments while watching one of  Megan's videos (and about to pleasure himself ) when the performer's alter-ego, Tina Snow calls him up to take him down. We then watch this Senator get tortured by Tina and her team of "hotties" as they aggressively twerk wherever he goes. The lesson learned here is don't mess with Megan.

THE SONGS AND SINGERS THAT GOT US THROUGH A YEAR OF ISOLATION

I know I don't need to remind anyone about the challenges we faced as a society last year but thankfully we had plenty of distractions to help get us through that incredibly difficult time. One preoccupation was with music. In the New York Times Magazine's annual Music Issue, they have selected nineteen songs that made a big impact on listeners in 2020. What is explored is not only how the pandemic has affected our relationship to music but how these songs stimulated us, helping to actually bring us closer together while separated.

Click below to read the article:

19 Songs That Matter Right Now

THE 63RD ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

As the latest award show that has attempted to present their regularly scheduled program during the age of the pandemic, The 63rd annual Grammy Awards has come closest to date on delivering an entertaining celebration. It seems clear that the Recording Academy had been paying attention to what other awards had done (following with deeply declining ratings) and decided to step it up. Instead of being inside of their usual location at Downtown LA's, Staples Center, the awards were given out outside across the street from the venue. There were socially-distant tables set up were nominees sat, awaiting to hear the winner of each category. Trevor Noah was serving as host for the first time and while many of his jokes fluttered away in the open air, he was highly enthusiastic, bringing a good energy to the proceedings.

The show was done with a mix of live and pre-recorded performances with several special stages built in a circle for the in-person acts, allowing for a minimal crew and less risk of close contact. And with eighteen performances (and an "In Memoriam" presentation) over three hours, there was plenty of music. To be expected, the pre-recorded spots tended to be wildly over-the-top yet the live show's relatively low-key approach to simply having the performers just coming out and sing was surprisingly refreshing.

I'm going to mention just a few of my favorites of the night; I loved the opening of the show where we moved from Harry Styles, the sister trio, Haim, another family act, Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas and the psychedelic soul of Black Pumas, each performing solid versions of their nominated songs. I have to say I was surprisingly impressed by Styles, as I never gave the former boy-band member much thought, delivering a nice, laid-back version of "Watermelon Sugar" dressed like a classic rock god of the '70's, managing to pull off being shirtless under a leather jacket with a feathered boa wrapped around his neck. The '70's were also on the minds of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, together as Silk Sonic, as they gave us soul group chic with matching suits and slick choreography while performing their throwback slowjam "Leave the Door Open". The duo also came back to pay tribute to Little Richard doing respectable rock versions of "Long Tall Sally" and "Good Golly Miss Molly". Also during the tribute to some of the musicians we lost last year, Brittany Howard (accompanied by Coldplay's, Chris Martin who oddly only played piano) delivered an electrifyingly soulful version of the show-tune standard, "You'll Never Walk Alone" in honor of Gerard Marsden, the leader of the '60's rock band, Gerry and the Pacemakers. Lil Baby (with activist, Tamika Mallory and Killer Mike) appeared in a powerful and moving clip for his song, "The Bigger Picture" which showcased the ongoing issue of police brutality against African-Americans.

And there was Beyoncé, making an unexpected appearance while looking incredible in a black leather dress with whimsical gold fingernails on her gloves, as she was recognized as the artist with the most Grammy wins of any gender in history with twenty-eight trophies after receiving Best Music Video for "Brown Skin Girl" and Best Rap Performance for "Savage" with Megan Thee Stallion. And speaking of Megan, the winner of this year's Best New Artist was involved in probably the most mind-blowing performance of the night where she and Cardi B did their scandalous smash hit of last year, "WAP". Trust me, I'm no prude but the idea of doing this song on national television just wasn't appropriate. Since I'm sure many of you know what "WAP" is about, the song had to be heavily censored to the point that it didn't really make much sense, with the ladies spending most of the time on stage dancing than rapping. 

The 2021 Grammys were already mired in controversy long before a single award had been given out. Much like similar charges leveled at the Golden Globes, this was due to many musicians, particularly Black artists, criticizing the process of who receives nominations which are decided upon by secret committees. There have also been questions regarding gender and racial diversity in the award selections as well.

While I don't really believe the Recording Academy is inherently racist or sexist, I do think the voting bloc has remained woefully out of touch with what is considered excellence in contemporary music. I certainly wouldn't consider myself a big fan of The Weeknd but his music (which was highly successful last year) should have been recognized to some degree with at least a nomination or two. With ratings for this year's show slipping to an all-time low, I'm hoping that the Grammys will begin to address these issues, becoming far more transparent and make more of an effort of outreach to younger and diverse artists to become a part of the Academy.

Here is a partial list of winners from the 63rd annual Grammy Awards:

Album of the Year: "Folklore" - Taylor Swift
Record of the Year: "Everything I Wanted" - Billie Eilish
Song of the Year: "I Can’t Breathe" - Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)
Best New Artist: Megan Thee Stallion
Best Pop Vocal Album: "Future Nostalgia" - Dua Lipa
Best Pop Solo Performance: "Watermelon Sugar" - Harry Styles
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: "Rain on Me" - Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande
Best R&B Album: "Bigger Love" - John Legend
Best Progressive R&B Album: "It Is What It Is" - Thundercat
Best R&B Performance: "Black Parade" - Beyoncé
Best Traditional R&B Performance: "Anything for You" - Ledisi
Best R&B Song: "Better Than I Imagine" - Robert Glasper, Meshell Ndegeocello and Gabriella Wilson, songwriters (Robert Glasper featuring H.E.R. & Meshell Ndegeocello)
Best Rap Album: "King’s Disease" - Nas
Best Rap Performance: "Savage" - Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé
Best Rap Song: "Savage" - Beyoncé, Shawn Carter, Brittany Hazzard, Derrick Milano, Terius Nash, Megan Pete, Bobby Session Jr., Jordan Kyle Lanier Thorpe and Anthony White, songwriters (Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé)
Best Country Album: "Wildcard" - Miranda Lambert
Best Country Solo Performance: "When My Amy Prays" - Vince Gill
Best Country Duo/Group Performance: "10,000 Hours" - Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber
Best Country Song: "Crowded Table" - Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby and Lori McKenna, songwriters (The Highwomen)
Best Rock Album: "The New Abnormal" - The Strokes
Best Rock Performance: "Shameika" - Fiona Apple
Best Rock Song: "Stay High" - Brittany Howard, songwriter (Brittany Howard)
Best Alternative Music Album: "Fetch the Bolt Cutters" -Fiona Apple
Best American Roots Performance: "I Remember Everything" - John Prine
Best American Roots Song: "I Remember Everything" - Pat McLaughlin and John Prine, songwriters (John Prine)
Best Metal Performance: "Bum-Rush" - Body Count
Best Latin Pop or Urban Album: "YHLQMDLG" - Bad Bunny
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album: "La Conquista del Espacio" - Fito Paez
Best Song Written for Visual Media: "No Time to Die" from "No Time to Die" - Billie Eilish O'Connell and Finneas Baird O'Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media: "Jo Jo Rabbit"
Best Musical Theater Album: "Jagged Little Pill" - Kathryn Gallagher, Celia Rose Gooding, Lauren Patten and Elizabeth Stanley, principal soloists; Neal Avron, Pete Ganbarg, Tom Kitt, Michael Parker, Craig Rosen and Vivek J. Tiwary, producers (Glen Ballard and Alanis Morissette, lyricists) (Original Broadway Cast)
Best Spoken Word Album: "Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth" - Rachel Maddow
Best Comedy Album: "Black Mitzvah" - Tiffany Haddish
Producer of the Year (non-classical): Andrew Watt

MY FAVORITE MOMENTS IN MUSIC OF 2020

I know I'm not the only one glad to see 2020 come to an end. It was a rough and difficult year in many ways but thankfully we had music to help us get through.

And to bring an official end to 2020, here are a few songs that I loved from last year that I didn't get a chance to highlight:

SONGS FOR THE ISOLATED

As the world has been, most likely, irreparably changed due to this ongoing pandemic, it is no surprise that artists have are inspired by what is happening around them and have been creating. Staying at home, trapped with your thoughts on overdrive days on end, will certainly stir-up ideas. And these musicians are expressing the emotions that many, many people are definitely feeling right now. Some of these songs (including the remix of Megan Thee Stallion's latest song, "Stallion" with Beyoncé and Sia's moving ballad, "Saved My Life", co-written with Dua Lipa) have the proceeds going to COVID-19 relief funds which is incredibly important right now and will be needed long after the world has gone back to "normal". So here are a collection of songs and videos that have been created, modified or just simply released during this pandemic:

25 SONGS THAT MATTER NOW

For the annual New York Times magazine music issue, the focus is on twenty-five songs that matter right now. People are well known to be notoriously fickle; a hot song can swiftly become an inescapable earworm that reaches the top of the global pop charts by a compelling, newly discovered artist who is considered "the real deal". But that song and the performer can just as quickly be easily forgotten by a mass audience in a matter of a year. Sometimes even less.

The songs that have been selected for this issue which range from wildly popular ("Truth Hurts", "Hot Girl Summer", "Old Town Road") to far more obscure ("Ricky", "Stupid Horse", "953") all have something in common. Each track is from musicians who are less concerned about mainstream success (which some of them still have managed to find) and much more centered on creating fresh, bold sounds which clearly express their unique vision. I think it's safe to say that many of these artists will be around for quite awhile.

With this year's edition, you will not only be able to read about these songs but you can now listen to them at the same time. All you will need to do is open Google Lens on your phone, pointing your camera at each tune in this issue and you will be able to hear the music as well as see video and animation. Or you can also click below for the NYT music issue interactive experience online:

NYT magazine: 25 Songs That Matter Now