2023 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

This year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees are another impressive selection of musicians: British pop-art visionary, Kate Bush, country-rock singer/songwriter, Sheryl Crow, groundbreaking hip-hop artist, Missy Elliott, the late pop superstar, George Michael, country music legend, Willie Nelson, alt-rockers, Rage Against the Machine, and classic r&b group, the Spinners. And while many of these artists may not fall under what some might consider traditional rock, this year the Hall's mission statement has been altered to define rock and roll more generally as a spirit that is inclusive and ever-changing that celebrates the sound of youth culture.

The legendary soul vocalist, Chaka Khan; songwriter and musician behind organizing the rock band, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Al Kooper, and the songwriter best known for his work with Elton John, Bernie Taupin will be acknowledged with the Musical Excellence Award for their "dramatic impact on music". And Don Cornelius, the creator behind the innovative television program that put a spotlight on African American musical artists with "Soul Train", will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

The thirty-eighth annual induction ceremony was held this year on November 3rd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. For the first time, the event was streamed live on Disney+ and now available to view on Disney+ on-demand. An edited version of the ceremony will also air on ABC this New Year's Day.

KATE BUSH

With the staggering recent success of the re-release of her 1985 hit, "Running Up That Hill" (thanks to its use on the Netflix series, "Stranger Things"), this resurgence helped put the British singer/songwriter, Kate Bush back on the radar of the Rock & Roll Hall and finally getting her inducted. Bush had taught herself how to play the piano as a young child before eventually writing her own music and lyrics. At sixteen, she began recording demos of her material and sent them out to several record labels, but none were interested. However, David Gilmour of the rock band, Pink Floyd got his hands on her work, helped get more polished demos made and sending them to EMI Records who would sign her. Moody, dark and eclectic, Bush crafted songs over nine albums that have an unusually distinctive sound that remains unlike what any other artist could possibly imagine. And while she has largely stepped away from public life and her professional career, Bush still inspires and influences listeners with her visionary music.



SHERYL CROW

Born and raised in Kennett, MO, Sheryl Crow began her career in music as an elementary school music teacher. But after hours, she was performing with several local bands and singing on advertising jingles. Crow's first big break came in 1987 when she was hired as a backing vocalist for Michael Jackson's Bad Tour, staying on the road with him for three years. This led to more work for Crow, performing background singing for several established artists but Crow was still determined to make her own music. After getting signed to A&M Records, Crow recorded an album and was on the verge of releasing it when she and the label mutually decided the record just didn't best represent her as an artist. Crow set out again to record her debut, working with a loose group of musicians who called themselves, "Tuesday Music Club" that helped her put together the album. "Tuesday Night Music Club" was released in 1993 and the single, "All I Wanna Do" would break out as a big hit with "Leaving Las Vegas" and "Strong Enough" following. This led Crow to become a major player with the album selling more than seven million copies and winning her three Grammys including Record of the Year. Crow has continued to make memorable music over the years, with her twelfth studio album, "Evolution" due out early next year.



MISSY ELLIOTT

Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott has become the first female rapper to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall and it goes without saying that this honor is long overdue. Enduring a tough and traumatic childhood in Virginia, Elliott managed to remain good natured, outgoing and loved to perform. Her first opportunity in music came when she was a part of an all-female r&b act called Sista in 1991. She recruited her neighborhood friend, Timothy Mosley (who would later be known as "Timbaland") to serve as the group's producer. Sista's debut, "4 All the Sistas Around da World" failed to make an impression and Elliott would move behind the scenes, writing and producing with Timbaland for other artists like Jodeci, SWV, 702, and the late, Aaliyah. Elliott soon began making featured appearances rapping on several tracks for various artists and signed a deal in 1996 to create her own imprint music label, The Goldmind Inc. With Timbaland on board, Elliott released her debut album, "Super Dupa Fly" with the lead single, "The Rain" becoming a major hit, enhanced by her playful, groundbreaking Afro-futuristic music video directed by "Hype" Williams. And while Elliott was enjoying wild success as a performer, she continued to write and produce for other top musicians, creating hits for Whitney Houston, Monica, Keyshia Cole, Jazmine Sullivan, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson.



GEORGE MICHAEL

He was first a part of the wildly popular British boy-band duo, Wham! but after going solo, George Michael became even more famous yet also gained further respect as an artist of introspective pop music. Michael's 1987 debut album, "Faith" had five top-ten singles and would go on to sell well over twenty-five million copies worldwide and win the Grammy Award for Album of The Year. Yet all of this success took a toll on Michael, causing him to want to retreat from the intense pressure of the business and simply just wanted to make music. With his 1990 follow-up album, "Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1", he refused to do interviews, live performances, music videos or even have his image on the cover. The album sold well but not nearly as well as "Faith" which created friction between Michael and his record label, Sony. A lawsuit followed in 1992 with Michael wanting to end his contract. And although he lost, Sony sold his contract to Virgin Records and Michael went on to create more mature works Like "Older", the 1999 covers album, "Songs from the Last Century" and "Patience". After an unfortunate incident in a public men's restroom in 1998, Michael was forced out of the closet yet proudly embraced his queer identity. Sadly, Michael passed away from heart disease on Christmas Day in 2016.



WILLIE NELSON

At the incredible age of ninety, Willie Nelson is still on the road bringing country music to audiences across the globe. The Texas native was first a DJ for several radio stations and an aspiring singer/songwriter before heading to Nashville to try his luck breaking into the music business. Nelson would sign a publishing contract, writing several songs made popular by other artists (most famously, "Crazy" by Patsy Cline), and joined Ray Price's band as a bass guitar player before recording his debut album, " ...And Then I Wrote" in 1962. He had a few more successful albums but grew tired of the controlling Nashville establishment and headed back to Texas ten years later. While living in Austin, this was when Nelson moved towards what became known as "outlaw country", a more progressive form of country music, which brought him even greater fame. By the 1980's, Nelson found pop crossover success with the songs, "On the Road Again" and "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" and began to experiment with other genres of music like jazz, blues and reggae. He ventured into acting, appearing in films and television, and has long been a vocal advocate for the legalization of marijuana in the US.



RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

Formed in 1991, Rage Against the Machine is a rock band of extreme contrasts; thrashing together sounds of punk, heavy metal and rap while crafting songs that are politically motivated on activism and socialist views. The LA based band, consisting of vocalist, Zack de la Rocha, bassist, Tim Commerford, guitarist, Tom Morello, and drummer, Brad Wilk, released their self-titled debut in 1992 which received critical and commercial success. There was tension and conflicts during the recording of their follow-up (with rumors of the band breaking up) and "Evil Empire" was finally released four years later. The album entered the Billboard Hot 200 chart at number one and went on to sell over three million copies, taking RATM to the next level. Two more albums were released before de la Rocha left the band over the relentless internal battles and Rage Against the Machine would come to an end in 2000. But RATM would reunite at Coachella seven years later, begin a tour that lasted for a couple of years before disbanding again and reuniting nine years later, wouldn't actually hit the stage together until 2022 due to the pandemic and had to postpone a world tour over de la Rocha's leg injury.



THE SPINNERS

The Spinners were a r&b vocal group formed in Ferndale, MI., a suburb outside of Detroit, in 1954. With original members, Billy Henderson, Henry Fambrough, Pervis Jackson, C. P. Spencer and Bobby Smith, the group had their first charting single, "That's What Girls Are Made For" in 1961. The Spinners joined Motown Records two years later but initially only found modest success there. It would not be until 1970 when the Spinners had their first major hit with "It's a Shame", co-written and produced by Stevie Wonder. Aretha Franklin encouraged the group to join her label, Atlantic Records when their contract was up and that's when their fortunes shifted considerably. The Spinners would enjoy a string of very popular singles which included "I'll Be Around", "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love", "One of a Kind (Love Affair)", "They Just Can't Stop It (Games People Play)", "The Rubberband Man" and "Then Came You" a duet with Dionne Warwick which reached the top of the pop charts. Egos and conflicts grew between members of the group by 1977, causing singers to leave and new vocalists to take their place. They still managed to have a couple of more hits in 1980 with "Working My Way Back to You" and "Cupid". The Spinners still continue to tour to this day, remaining a popular draw on the nostalgia concert circuit.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

5 Star were a British pop-soul group who were largely popular in their native country during the mid 1980's. This family act began as teens, comprised of siblings Stedman, Lorraine, Denise, Doris and Delroy Pearson, that was clearly modeled after the Jackson 5 with their father, Buster Pearson, a former session musician, managing them. Although I didn't really hear their music on the radio in this country, I became familiar with 5 Star from their music videos I caught on the Canadian version of MTV, MuchMusic.

Their breakout single, "All Fall Down" reached the UK top-twenty in 1985 and that was followed by the hits, "System Addict", "Can't Wait Another Minute", "Rain or Shine", "Love Take Over" and "Let Me Be the One" which would be their biggest success in the US, peaking at number two on the Hot R&B chart. 5 Star went on to win the BRIT Award for Best British Group in 1987. But by 1989, 5 Star saw their songs failing to chart and after getting dropped by their record label, the group informally disbanded in 1995. If you are a fan or have never heard of their music, here's a small sample of the catchy songs and slick moves from 5 Star for your enjoyment:







Here are a few recent releases I'm enjoying at the moment:







I was surprised to hear a cover of "Put Your Records On", first performed by singer/songwriter, Corinne Bailey Rae back in 2006, from Ritt Momney. This Utah-based act (which is a play on the Republican Senator's name) was an indie-rock band but is now just Jack Rutter after the other members left to become Mormon missionaries. Feeling depressed while stuck in quarantine at his parents' house, Rutter decided to record Bailey's joyous hit as a way create some sense of happiness for himself. TikTok helped this unlikely cover get some attention, becoming a viral hit and eventually helped this re-imagined song chart across the globe.



And Ms Rae gave her blessing to Rutter's version of her song. Here is a bonus of Corrine Bailey Rae performing "Put Your Records On" live:



And to close this out, here are two of the biggest names of 1960's British soul, Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield, teaming up together on his 1970 television variety show with a cover of "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", originally recorded by Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations.

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.

TEYANA TAYLOR: THE ALBUM

Teyana Taylor is an all-around entertainer who has been a model, dancer, choreographer, actress and currently focusing on a singing career. The twenty-nine year old, Harlem, NY native always had the dream and determined desire to be in show business since she was a child. And after years of hard work and making the right creative connections throughout her career, Taylor has just released her third album following the critically acclaimed 2018 Kanye West-produced record, "K.T.S.E" (which stands for "keep that same energy").

With "The Album" (which features one of the best covers I have seen in a long time), Taylor has taken full control after not being happy with some decisions that were made by the label on her previous project, particularly that there were only eight tracks made available. This latest collection is over an hour of sensual r&b and throbbing hip-hop that impressively features an all-star line-up of guests which include Rick Ross, Missy Elliott, Erykah Badu, Future, Quavo, Kehlani and the elusive Ms. Lauryn Hill who adds words of wisdom and positivity on "We Got Love". And the record is also a true family affair with Taylor's husband, former NBA player, Iman Shumpert who raps on "Wake Up Love" while their daughter, Junie is featured on "Come Back to Me".

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

One name that was unexpected to hear during the announcement at this year's Grammy Award nominations was Tanya Tucker. Professionally singing since she was thirteen, the now sixty-one year old country music legend has had plenty of ups and downs throughout her career. But she has received plenty of praise and attention with her twenty-fifth album, "While I'm Livin'" with it receiving four nominations including Song of The Year. It has been over fifteen years since Tucker's last studio record of original material with musicians, Shooter Jennings and Brandi Carlile (who had her own career breakthrough after her Grammy nominations in 2018) stepping in to produce. Carlile, a hard-core Tucker fan, wrote a majority of the album with Tim and Phil Hanseroth while three songs are covers including Miranda Lambert's 2010 hit, "The House That Built Me". My favorite track is the nominated, moving ballad, "Bring My Flowers Now", where the album's title comes from, which focuses on appreciating your loved ones while they are still around to be appreciated.



Here are some videos of new music that I'm enjoying right now:

Alicia Keys, who will be hosting the 2020 Grammys this weekend for the second year in a row, has just dropped a new single. "Underdog" is an inspirational song that brings attention to the people out there struggling while offering encouragement to never giving up on their dreams. This is a powerful message that we really need to hear right now. This is the third single which delivers another preview of music from Keys' upcoming seventh album, "ALICIA" due out in March.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Mikaela Straus came out loud and proud last year with her first single, "1950" under her professional moniker, King Princess. This song, about imaging the time when people had to keep their sexuality a secret, brought the now twenty year old Bronx native plenty of attention. This lead to her meeting musician/producer, Mark Ronson who featured her on a track on his latest album, "Late Night Feelings" and signed her to his label, Zelig. Now King Princess has just released her debut studio album, "Cheap Queen". This self-described genderqueer singer-songwriter explores issues facing today's LGBTQ youth and creates pop anthems that will not only speak to them but anyone feeling alone and isolated.





Here is a selection of some new songs that perfectly merges together music and image:









During this year's "Black Girls Rock!" celebration, three of hottest female dance vocalists from the '90's came together to perform their big hits from the era. Check out Robin S. ("Show Me Love"), Crystal Waters ("Gypsy Woman") and CeCe Peniston ("Finally") who take us back and deliver glorious live renditions of their songs.



And we close with some thrilling duets by some great singers. We have Mamas & Papas vocalist, Cass Elliot teaming up with John Denver on a cover of the melancholy ballad, "Leaving On a Jet Plane". Cheryl Lynn and the very missed Luther Vandross delivering some vocal dynamics on their live version of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "If This World Was Mine" during an appearance on "Soul Train".

NEW SOUNDS

NORMANI

After this former Fifth Harmony member has been contributing her vocals to several successful singles for other artists, Normani has just dropped her first solo single, "Motivation". As the first taste of her long-awaited debut album, this track (co-written with Ariana Grande and producers, Max Martin and Ilya Salmanzadeh who produced this song) is taking us back with a slick, hip-hop flavored soul vibe that ruled the charts back in the '90's. And the music video for "Motivation" continues the homage with a tribute to the dance videos by some of the female artists who reigned in the 1990's.



MISSY ELLIOTT

Missy Elliott, one of the most unique and influential voices in hip-hop has finally returned with some new music. "Iconology" is the forty-eight year old rap legend's first collection of songs in fourteen years. With her long-time collaborator, Timbaland and Will Hendrix assisting her with production on this EP, Elliott has delivered four genre-bending songs that perfectly pick-up where she left off. The timing of this release is probably no coincidence since Elliott will be honored on Monday, August 26th with the Video Vanguard Award during the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards. Check out the ballad, "Why I Still Love You" and the video for "Throw it Back" which displays Elliott's eccentric style and visual innovation that helped earn her this award:

And we close with Ariana Grande who has somehow manged to become even bigger this year. The twenty-six year old pop sensation has yet another smash hit single with "boyfriend" that she has teamed up with Michael "Mikey" Foster and Charles "Scootie" Anderson of the production team and musical duo, Social House. This woozy pop-r&b jam is about not trying to label a relationship and redefine the concept of a romantic partnership. "boyfriend" is from Social House's debut extended play, "Everything Changed..." and the song could possibly be hitting close to home with rumors floating around that Grande is dating Foster.

CUZ I LOVE YOU

Lizzo is an exciting voice in r&b/hip-hop who hasn't received the proper attention I think she deserves. After releasing some well-received EPs and albums, the thirty year old singer has just dropped her third studio album, "Cuz I Love You" and this record seems like it may help her breakout in a significant way.

She was born Melissa Jefferson and raised in Houston, TX. As a teen, she learned how to play the flute (which she still plays on her records) and performed with her school's band before becoming interested in rap. Lizzo studied music performance at the University of Houston and formed several bands with dreams of stardom. Major success didn't happen during this time and she decided to head to Prince's hometown of Minneapolis with the hope of igniting her music career. She got involved with some indie r&b groups before launching out on her own and releasing her debut album, "Lizzobangers" in 2013.

Lizzo's latest is a collection of sassy hip-hop and classic soul and perfectly captures her unique vision and big personality. Lizzo proudly represents the "big grrrls" and is a strong advocate for body positivity and self love which is certainly stated with her album cover as she appears gloriously nude. Enjoy a few songs from "Cuz I Love You" which includes a sizzling live performance of "Juice" at the 30th annual GLAAD Media Awards, a collaboration with Missy Elliott on "Tempo" and the music video for the title track which is a moving ballad.

And be sure to listen for Lizzo as she provides her voice in the upcoming animated musical, "Ugly Dolls" out in theaters on May 3rd.







And as a bonus, here is a favorite song by Lizzo from a few years ago, "Good As Hell":

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:

SUPER BOWL SPECIAL

First, on Super Bowl eve, Beyoncé dropped a surprise new single, "Formation" with an accompanying music video. The song (available as a free download via the Tidal music streaming service) is about her pride in being from the South, African-American, rich and fabulous. Directed by Beyoncé's long-time video collaborator, Melina Matsoukas, the clip for "Formation" is an amazing work of art. It was shot in New Orleans and utilizes the city's beautiful culture and makes references to Hurricane Katrina and the struggles to rebound from that disaster. Even Blue Ivy, Jay Z and Beyoncé's daughter, makes a brief appearance:



Although Coldplay was the actual Super Bowl half-time act, it was Beyoncé and Bruno Mars that everyone is talking about. Mars (with DJ/producer, Mark Ronson) first came out to do "Uptown Funk", then Bey worked the crowd in to a frenzy to do her latest song before their merged their tunes together to close out the show. It was really an electrifying performance. If you happened to miss it (which I think I'm the only one since I'm no football fan), here's a look at their part:

Missy Elliott also made an appearance during the Super Bowl but not on the actual show. She was in the humorous commercial for the Amazon Echo which also gave a brief plug for her new song, "Pep Rally" which was released this weekend. While it's not nearly as catchy as "WTF (Where They From)", it's still worth a listen:

"Pep Rally" - Missy Elliott (2016) mp3

Take a look at the funny commercial for Amazon Echo with Alec Baldwin, Jason Schwartzman, Dan Marino and Ms Elliott:

MISSY ELLIOTT - "WTF"

It's been a shocking TEN YEARS since Missy Elliott released her own new music to the world. The hip-hop star had been busy producing and was featured on several recordings for other artists. First, Elliott teased us with an electric appearance with Katy Perry at this year's Super Bowl and most recently on Janet Jackson's new track, "Burn It Up" but she has now finally dropped a new single, "WTF (Where They From"). The track is classic Missy with it's funky beat and offbeat lyrics. Pharrell Williams produced and adds his vocals to this amazing song. The music video (Elliott co-directed with her frequent collaborator, Dave Meyers) perfectly enhances the track with it's quirky imagery, over-the-top costumes and slick choreography. Enjoy this wild, whimsical and wacky clip from the one and only Missy Elliott: