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.

NEW SOUNDS

Katy Perry has dropped some new music with "Watch It Burn", a hard-driving pop-rock song that recaptures the singer's classic sound. This track details about finally releasing some long, bottled-up anger in order to reclaim personal power after years of holding it back. The music video for the song is a cinematic, high production clip where Perry goes through several dramatic, physical transformations:



Chlöe Bailey and legendary producer, Timbaland have teamed up for a joint mixtape called "Resurrection". This inspired pairing combines Bailey's incredible vocals with Timba's bounce beats and smooth production, creating a classic '90's vibe with a contemporary feel. A highlight from the album is the track, "Better Than She Can":



Sam Smith has new music on the way with his fifth studio album, "Hazel Eyes" due out in August. The record is deeply personal for the singer and very romantic in spirit with the first single, "My Guy", a love ballad which Smith no longer being coy about who he is singing about:



Muni Long has been away for a while but she recently revealed that she had a serious health issue last year, having to undergo a double lung transplant after being told she only had about a week to live due to complications with pneumonia. Thankfully, she has recovered with the singer/songwriter returning to music with a ballad, "Richest" which is about the true wealth in life is being in love:



"Baby, Can We?" is the latest single from Dawn Richard and it's a duet with fellow alt-soul artist, Durand Bernarr. Coasting along lyrics from Aretha Franklin‘s 1972 classic hit, "Day Dreaming", the former Danity Kane member captures the desire to flee from daily life with a potential lover on this track:



"She’s My Religion" is the latest single from Willow's upcoming eighth studio album, "The Thread" due out in July. This provocative song is about using love, spiritual growth, and a feminine spirit as a guide, rather than a formal, traditional religion:



And Jennifer Lopez teams up with the Brazilian musician and DJ, Alok for "Everything's Fine". There are two versions of this song with each offering a different perspective on the same emotional story. Exploring the stories people tell themselves in order to convince themselves to keep moving forward, one take is more intimate and beat driven called "AM" while the other is a clearly dance floor-oriented "PM" version.

NEW SOUNDS

NORTH WEST

North West is the twelve year old daughter of the erratic hip-hop musician, Kanye West (currently going by "Ye") and the media personality-turned-entrepreneur, Kim Kardashian. And it's not really much of a surprise that she has been dabbling in professionally performing and making music since she was ten. Now, West has just debuted her first EP as a solo artist, "N0rth4evr". She was fully hands on in the production and songwriting of this recording with the six tracks featuring an intriguing blend of rap, goth rock and hyperpop. Most of the songs are under two minutes but I have to say that this album is a solid collection, twisting sounds and beats to inventively blast out her Gen Alpha angst. With "N0rth4evr", West reveals she has much in common with her father, credibly displaying that she does have the essential qualities to potentially become a major musical artist.





MAYA HAWKE

The actor and musician, Maya Hawke has released her fourth studio album with "Maitreya Corso". The title represents a fictional "magical misfit" persona that allows Hawke to boldly explore themes of ego, ambition, and reinvention. The songs possess an other-worldly vibe, transporting us through with eclectic sounds, understated arrangements and whimsical thoughts. The twenty-seven year old offspring of actors, Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman has crafted an indie-pop record that also pays tribute to her community of fellow musicians in the New York scene, collaborating with local performers like Benjamin Lazar Davis, Will Graefe, and Michael Riddleberger. 

NEW SOUNDS

JAMES BLAKE

The British musician, James Blake is probably best known for his innovative work behind the scenes, handling production for a wide number of artists which includes Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean and Beyoncé. But Blake had been making music as a solo performer long before his success as a go-to-producer. After living in Los Angeles for the last ten years, Blake decided to return to his native England. This move helped inspire his latest studio album, "Trying Times" and it is his first recording since departing from Republic Records and joining indie label, Good Boy Records. On the album, Blake reflects on some of the turmoil he had experienced with LA living and settling into a more tranquil state of being back in his home country. Unlike what he has usually done with other artists he had worked with, Blake is able to push even further his disjointed collection of fragmented sounds and beats to transform them into beautifully flowing, hypnotic songs rippling with his expressive, angelic vocals. A brilliantly deconstructed soul record, "Trying Times" takes you on a emotional musical adventure, one that is calmly offbeat and soothingly chaotic.





ELLA LANGLEY

I had become aware of country artist, Ella Langley from her charming single, "You Look Like You Love Me", a duet with Riley Green two years ago. This breakthrough along with a second single, "Weren't for the Wind" from her debut, "Hungover" made this twenty-six year old performer from Alabama one of the biggest new acts in country music of 2025. Now Langley is back with the catchy single, "Choosin' Texas" (co-written and co-produced with Miranda Lambert) that not only went to number one on the country chart but also reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and even became a major hit globally. Her upcoming second studio album, "Dandelion" will be co-executive produced by Langley, Lambert and Ben West and due out on April 10th. Another recently released single, "Be Her" is also moving up the country and pop charts.





DIONNE WARWICK

One of the true living legends of popular music, Dionne Warwick has been making music professionally for an incredible sixty-five years. Now the iconic eighty-five year old artist has announced a new album, "Dwets" (pronounced "duets") and it will officially become her final recording. Warwick's son, Damon Elliott, is producing the album and Diane Warren has written all of the songs for this collection which will most certainly be a heartfelt and celebratory finale to Warwick's amazing recording career. While the complete list of duet partners and the exact release date of "Dwets" will be announced soon, the first single has been released and features actress and singer Cynthia Erivo on the song, "Ocean in the Desert". This lovely ballad is about friendship and support during difficult times. And Warwick, who does plan to slow down after this album, has stated that she will still be around for the occasional live performance.

NEW SOUNDS

HARRY STYLES

Harry Styles has laid low since his last album, "Harry's House", the wildly popular, critically acclaimed record that capped off his year by winning the 2022 Grammy Award for Album of the Year . Now the English pop star, a former member of one of the most successful the boy-bands of all-time, One Direction, has revealed that his next album is on the horizon. "Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally" is the peculiar title of his fourth studio album, due out on March 6th. Perhaps this title signals the musical direction of this upcoming record, based on the first single, "Aperture". 

The track (co-written by Styles with fellow British musician, Kid Harpoon who also serves as the executive producer of the album) is a slow-burning, techno-dance tune. The singer has revealed that the song was inspired by his grueling, almost two year touring schedule which didn't allow him much time to experience a personal life but made up for the lost time over the past year by traveling and partying. The video for "Aperture" has Styles being followed by a stranger who chases and attacks him before shifting to them performing some wild interpretive dance moves together.



JESSIE WARE

The British nu-disco diva, Jessie Ware has returned with a shimmering new dance-pop song, "I Could Get Used to This". Ware has expressed that this first single represents what the theme of her forthcoming sixth album (no title revealed to date) will be about: a celebration of love and romance set in a lush, fantasy world. She has collaborated on this project with some of the top producers working in Brit-pop right now like Miranda Cooper and Jon Shave of the team, Xenomania, Barney Lister and Sophia Brenan. The music video for "I Could Get Used to This" is a hedonistic affair, set in a celestial garden with Ware surrounded by sensuous dancers.

NEW SOUNDS

Here is a collection of new sounds that I want to highlight:

Following her venture into hard rock, Demi Lovato has returned to music with an upcoming dance-pop collection, "It's Not That Deep" which is due out on October 24th. The latest single is "Kiss", a fun, throbbing techno-pop track.



The British art-pop stylist and actress, FKA Twigs had released her well-received third album, "Eusexua" earlier this year. On the horizon is a sequel to this collection entitled, "Eusexua Afterglow" which originally was going to be a deluxe edition of the previous album but will now be a follow-up of new music. The first single, "Cheap Motel" which is accompanied by a seven minute music video that is much like a short film.



Born in Ethiopia and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, the alt-r&b artist, Alemeda has been creating music since 2020. She began with a hyper-hip-hop sound before moving towards soulful indie rock,. The twenty-five year old performer (born Rahema Alameda) is preparing to release another EP, "But What The Hell Do I Know" with the first single, "Beat A B!tch Up" features an appearance by her label-mate, Doechii.



The popular, Chicago-based DJ, Honey Dijon has moved further in creating her own music and has released a new song. "The Nightlife" is an expected sultry club-banger but features r&b vocalist, Chlöe Bailey performing on the track with her first major venture to the dance floor.



Haim has just released a deluxe edition to their most recent album, "I Quit" that features three new songs. One of those songs, "Tie You Down" is a collaboration with indie rocker, Bon Iver.

NEW SOUNDS

OLIVIA DEAN

Olivia Dean, the British neo-soul singer, is back with the follow-up to her 2023 acclaimed debut, "Messy". She began to seriously pursue music at sixteen, teaching herself how to play the guitar, piano and writing songs. Dean went on to release two EPs which brought her attention and now her latest album, "The Art of Loving" is now out. This collection of alt-r&b offers her perspective on different forms of love and intimacy, revealing the now twenty-six year old performer's growth as an artist. The guitar-driven first single, "Nice To Each Other", which has recently reached the top-ten on the Billboard Global chart, simply asks the question "What if we were just nice to each other?" in a relationship. Now the latest single, "Man I Need" has become another world-wide hit. Dean will open for Sabrina Carpenter on some dates as well as her own The Art of Loving Live tour which will begin next year.





RAYE

The British singer, Raye has been using her big, soulful voice to reinvigorate pop music. Born Rachel Keen and raised in South London, Raye had been interested in pursing music since she was a child. After briefly attending the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology and dropping out due to feeling creatively stifled, she went off on her own to make it into music. At seventeen, Raye received notice for her self-released EP in 2014 and kept on recording and making connections in the industry. Her big breakthrough came in 2022 with "Escapism", a trip-hop styled pop song that clicked across the globe including the US. Now Raye is preparing to release her second album. The first single, "Where Is My Husband!" captures a retro girl group sound merged with hip-hop beats. Raye had also teamed with producer/musician, Mark Ronson last summer for the original song, "Suzanne" that was part of the APxMusic programme to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Swiss watchmaker, Audemars Piguet.





KHALID

The pop-soul vocalist, Khalid has been making music professionally since he was teenager with his single, "Location" becoming a top twenty hit back in 2016. More hits followed for the El Paso, TX native with "Young Dumb & Broke", "Love Lies" (with Normani), "Eastside", "Better" and "Talk". But last year Khalid came out as gay after being outed. This has not changed anything for the singer except that now he no longer feels a need not to be completely honest as an artist. He has just released a new single, "Out of Body" from his upcoming fourth album, "After the Sun Goes Down". For the music video for this dance song, Khalid moves seductively with his male dancers, feeling much freer to generate a smoldering sensuality that he's not been able to reveal before. 

NEW SOUNDS

MAREN MORRIS

Maren Morris broke through back in 2016 with her song "My Church" which was her first to reach the top ten of the US country singles charts. A recording contract with Columbia Nashville followed and she achieved more hit country singles. Morris dabbled in dance music a couple of years later, teaming with German record producer and DJ, Zedd and having their collaboration, "The Middle" become a smash international hit. After a few more successful albums, Morris has taken a page from Taylor Swift's playbook, moving away from pure country and has just released "Dreamsicle", a collection of modern pop that showcases another side of her impressive talent. Teaming up with a large number of the top producers in contemporary pop which includes Greg Kurstin and Jack Antonoff (who helped Swift on her journey into pop music), the politically outspoken Morris has delivered songs that express where she currently is in her life right now after recently ending her marriage to musician, Ryan Hurd and coming out as bisexual. She has planned to embark on her "Dreamsicle World Tour" to support the record with dates set across North America and Europe.





BARBRA STREISAND

With "The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two", Barbra Streisand offers a sequel to her popular 2014 duets album, "Partners". This collection, due out in June, has the legendary performer teaming-up with some of her musical contemporaries (Paul McCartney, James Taylor, Bob Dylan), pop music successors (Josh Groban, Sting, Mariah Carey, Tim McGraw) and current artists (Sam Smith, Laufey, Ariana Grande). The songs they perform range from pop standards to songs written by some of her duet partners. The first two songs released feature Streisand with the Irish rocker, Hoizer on a cover of Ewan MacColl's 1957 love ballad, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face". And the former Beatle performs with Streisand, "My Valentine", a love song he had written for his album, "Kisses on the Bottom" back in 2011.

NEW SOUNDS

SADE 

Sade Adu, the reclusive pop artist who has largely been out of the spotlight since her last album, "Soldier of Love" with her band also called Sade and the world tour that followed to support the record about fourteen years ago. Without her long-time band, she has unexpectedly released a new song that is very important and meaningful to her. In 2016, Adu's only child, now named Izaak, came out as a transgendered man. Sade has contributed the song, "Young Lion" that will be a part of the compilation album, "Transa", which features forty-six songs from over one hundred musicians in celebration of the trans community. This moving song, written by Adu with Aaron Taylor Dean and Ben Travers, offers a mother's apology to her son for not giving enough support during his early days of transitioning. "Young Lion" is based on a letter Sade gave to her son on his 21st birthday. And after deciding the message was so important, especially during these fraught times with attacks on the trans community, the song was created to share with the world.



TYLA

Tyla burst on the scene with her breakthrough single, "Water" last year. This Afrobeat track helped build excitement for the debut album by the twenty-two year old South African performer. With her self-titled album released earlier this year, there is now a deluxe edition of the record, simply titled "Tyla +". There are three new track included; the African drum driven, "Shake Ah", the ballad, "Back to You" and the reggae-fused single, "Push 2 Start". The music video for this track delivers a visual vibe of r&b from the beginning of this century, bringing to mind the colorful styles of Rihanna and Beyoncé.



OMAR APOLLO

The pop singer, Omar Apollo makes his acting debut with a supporting role in director Luca Guadagnino's upcoming film, "Queer". Based on the novella by William S. Burroughs, Daniel Craig stars as William Lee, an American living in 1950's Mexico City and becoming infatuated with a younger American, played by Drew Starkey. Apollo appears as a hombre that Lee picks up in a bar and proceeds to have an intimate encounter. The singer has also provided a song for the soundtrack, "Te Maldigo" which is produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. This mournful ballad (which roughly translates to "I curse you") is about damning a former lover for no longer loving him. Guadagino  as directed the music video for this song which is set, much like the film, in a smoky Mexican bar.

NEW SOUNDS

FKA TWIGS

After some acting gigs ("Honey Boy", "The Crow") and a mixtape, "Caprisongs" two years ago following her signing with a new label, Atlantic Records, FKA Twigs is back with some fresh music. "Eusexua" is the first single and the title track of the genre-bending, alterative British artist's upcoming third album due out in January. Twigs (born Tahliah Barnett) states that Eusexua is "a state of being and the pinnacle of human experience". This unusually structured song begins with propulsive techno throbs before downshifting in the middle then picking the beat back up slightly to slow down again to the conclusion. The dance-driven music video for "Eusexua" features vivid imagery set in a corporate world where the workers strip away from conformity and liberating themselves of their clothing.



NELLY FURTADO

The Canadian-Portuguese artist, Nelly Furtado has just released "7" which is her seventh studio album and her first in seven years. Over the last four years, Furtado, who had recently been diagnosed with ADHD, wrote over four hundred songs yet managed to whittle them down to the fourteen tracks on the album. "7" continues the now forty-five year old singer's foray into soulful dance music and features contributions from a collection of international artists that includes Swedish performer, Tove Lo; Colombian electro-band, Bomba Estéreo; South African rapper, Blxckie and fellow Canadian musician, Charlotte Day Wilson.





KATY PERRY

Katy Perry announced in February that she was leaving the judging panel of "American Idol" after seven seasons to be able to focus back on her own music career. Now her seventh album, "143" is out and the reception has been lukewarm at best. Much of the critical reactions has been that the record feels outdated and Perry is not moving forward creatively. And while I tend to agree with this assessment of much of the collection, there are still songs that I really like from the album. I actually enjoy the last two singles that were released to date: the dance track, "Lifetimes" and the hip-hop flavored, "I'm His, He's Mine" that features Doechii.

NEW SOUNDS

KESHA

After spending almost ten years in a nasty, legal battle against her former producer, Łukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, Kesha finally reached a settlement out of court last year. The thirty-seven year old pop singer also completed her contract of the three albums she still owed Gottwald's label, Kemosabe Records with "Gag Order" released last year. 

Now Kesha is completely a free woman, able to make music on her own terms. She has signed with new management and started her own record label, Kesha Records. And she has dropped a brand new single, "Joyride". This electro-pop track (written by Kesha, Madison Love and Zhone, who also produced the song) about self-fulfillment captures the vibe of her early sound yet feels very fresh and modern. There is an unofficial video out there of "Joyride" which is a collection of popular memes set to Kesha's song.

NORMANI

Ever since her band, Fifth Harmony had gone on an indefinite hiatus back in 2018, Normani has been working towards releasing her debut solo album. And she has been busy: working with dance DJ, Calvin Harris and releasing an EP together in 2018, having worldwide top-ten hits duetting with Sam Smith on "Dancing With a Stranger", with Khalid on "Love Lies" and "Wild Side" featuring Cardi B, and releasing a popular solo single, "Motivation" in 2019. But the album, despite several announcements over the past few years, had failed to materialize.

The wait is over and Normani's debut has finally been delivered. "Dopamine" is a vibrant collection of contemporary r&b, hip-hop and pop with an impressive assembly line of the hottest producers on board to help the singer with her vision. Normani has stated that this album is a representation of her evolution as an artist, creatively expressing everything she has gone through to get to this moment. Here are a few of my favorite tracks from "Dopamine":







And here is a collection of new sounds that I'm digging right now which includes a dance track by "Pose" actress, Michaela Jaé; the new song by rising alt-pop artist, Remi Wolf; the latest from musician-turned-actor (star of the Netflix series, "Young Royals"), Omar Rudberg and the unexpected yet intriguing musical pairing of alt-music goddess, Lana Del Rey and hip-hop musician, Quavo:

NEW SOUNDS

CORINNE BAILEY RAE

I have just became aware that the British alt-r&b artist, Corinne Bailey Rae had released her fourth studio album, "Black Rainbows" last September. I consider myself a fan since her debut back in 2006 but had lost touch of the performer largely because there has been such significant gaps between new material and Rae's subsequent music didn't receive nearly enough promotion on this side of the Atlantic.  

What brought my attention to this music was Rae's latest single and video for the song, "He Will Follow You With His Eyes" which examines the complicated beauty standards that Black women are expected to endure in order to attract a mate. For this album (which is her first in seven years), Rae was inspired by a visit to a museum exhibition on Black history at the Stony Island Arts Bank in Chicago.  The songs came together from there with her thoughtfully offering her examination on the Black experience and the music ranges wildly from experimental jazz, garage rock and futuristic soul. "Black Rainbows" is a fascinating and insightful collection and worth a listen.





TORI KELLY

Tori Kelly has been making music professionally for a while, since her debut album, "Unbreakable Smile" back in 2015. After failing to get far during her time competing on "American Idol" almost fourteen years ago, Kelly took that opportunity to work on her craft, independently releasing music before signing to a major label and recording three studio albums, to impressively become an amazing musician.

Now just signed to a new label, Epic Records, Kelly is embarking on a new era with her image and sound. Gone is the bottle blonde tresses, now appearing with something closer to her natural color and Kelly has shifted her new music to honor the Y2K r&b and pop she listened to while growing up. With her fifth album simply titled, "Tori", the thirty-one year old performer takes us on a nostalgic trip back to the time of bucket hats, biker shorts (without a bike in sight), grunge rock and hip-hop flavored pop sung by boy bands were all the rage. The new single from the album, "Thing U Do" (which features a sample of Suzanne Vega's 1990 hit, "Tom's Diner") is a smooth throwback that still sounds fresh and modern.



And Dua Lipa is inching closer to releasing her next music collection. This latest single, "Illusion" released arrived with the announcement that her third album, "Radical Optimism" will be available on May 3rd. "Illusion" is another classic dance song from the artist that features French house music elements. The video was shot in Barcelona at the Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc, the same venue used for swimming during the 1992 Summer Olympics. And be sure to check out "Saturday Night Live" on May 4th when Lipa will be the host and musical guest on the comedy skit program

NEW SOUNDS

VICTORIA MONET

The original plan by r&b singer, Victoria Monét was to create a trilogy of EPs called "Jaguar" before her first album. However, after that first collection was released three years ago, the thirty-four-year-old performer has delivered "Jaguar II" which will now serve as her official debut album. This record continues Monét's musical journey of classic soul with a contemporary edge. She spent the early part of her career successfully writing songs for other music acts like Brandy, Chris Brown, Blackpink, Chloe x Halle and Ariana Grande before deciding to focus more on her own path as an artist. "Jaguar II" perfectly highlights Monét's gifts; sultry, smooth vocals which help elevate her songs of love, sexuality, pride and confidence. Be sure to check out Monét on the road now with The Jaguar Tour where she will cover North America and Europe through November.





MAREN MORRIS

Maren Morris made news recently by announcing that she was leaving country music because of her frustration with the industry's unwillingness to deal honestly with its long history involving racism, sexism and homophobia. Having been vigorously vocal in criticizing Nashville and what it currently represents for some time now, causing some rifts along the way, she has realized it was getting her nowhere. And while Morris might be departing from the business side of the genre, her music will likely remain deeply embedded in the roots of country. The thirty-three-year-old from Arlington, Texas is currently in the process of creating new music with production assistance from Greg Kurstin and Jack Antonoff who had helped Taylor Swift smoothly transition from country to pop. Morris has released a two-track EP called "The Bridge" that seems to highlight the potential new direction she's moving towards with the songs, "The Tree" and "Get the Hell Out of Here".





KIM PETRAS

The long-awaited debut of pop star, Kim Petras' first album, "Feed the Beast" was finally released in June. However, the album was met with a tepid reception. This collection of largely, generic dance-pop songs disappointed especially after all of the amazing singles Petras had released over the last few years which includes "Unholy", her smash hit duet with Sam Smith. But Petras had recorded an album two years ago that originally was supposed to be her official debut, but it was ultimately shelved by her label due to a major leak of the work. "Problématique" has now been released and the songs here captures more of the catchy, high-energy Euro-pop that first brought her attention. Two singles, "Future Starts Now" and "Coconuts" were released in 2021 to promote this album but were dropped from this release although "Coconuts" does appear on "Beast".

NEW SOUNDS

Since the very beginning of her career, Janelle Monae has been proudly queer, long before she even came out publicly as pansexual and non-binary. And with her fourth studio album, "The Age of Pleasure", the singer now feels liberated to express her music even more openly. This collection delivers feel-good vibes with songs threaded with reggae and Afro-beats that focus on the sensual pleasures of the mind and flesh. Even Monae's image has loosened up. Gone are the little, black & white suits and in their place is the singer in skimpy clothing, revealing much more of her beautiful satin skin than we had ever seen before from the artist. This includes the music video for the single, "Lipstick Lover" which shows a lot of female skin and has even been age-restricted on Youtube.

The lawsuit involving pop star, Kesha against her former producer, Dr. Luke, which had begun in 2014, has been quietly settled just a few days ago. Her fifth studio album, "Gag Order" had been released last month with the title making a not-so veiled reference to her on-going legal battle which left her unable to comment publicly. Much like her previous album, "High Road", this record touches on the depression and emotional trauma she has been going through these past few years due to this case. And the songs reflect her overcoming these difficulties with the return of a lighter musical mood, with experimental art-pop and bouncy, electronic beats she was known for in her early days. Kesha plans to hit the road in October to promote the album which I'm sure she will be able to approach from a clearer state-of-mind.





Here are some recent new sounds from Doja Cat, Gwen Stefani, Lana Del Rey, Carly Rae Jepsen and Jaz Elise:

After years of releasing singles, EPs, making numerous featured artist appearances and a studio album that was scrapped then leaked, Kim Petras has finally released her official debut album. With "Feed The Beast", the Grammy Award winner has dropped a mixed-bag of a collection that exhibits the varied styles of dance-pop music she has been creating since 2017. The album features some previously heard tracks like the disco-pop ditty, "Coconuts"; "Unholy", the worldwide smash hit with Sam Smith that won them a Grammy this year; "Brrr" and "Alone" that samples "Better Off Alone" by Alice Deejay and has Nicki Minaj providing her trademark sassy rap. But the rest of "Feed The Beast" feels surprisingly safe and generic, even with her long-time producer, the problematic Dr. Luke having a heavy hand on the project, lacking the powerful magic that made so many of her previous songs so fascinating and fun.

NEW SOUNDS

KYLIE MINOGUE

Last month, the Australian pop princess, Kylie Minogue made some noise with not only a thrilling new song, "Padam Padam" but also announced the release of her upcoming fourteenth studio album, "Tension". This single continues on a dance floor vibe she began with her upbeat 2020 release, "Disco" but the hypnotic "Padam Padam", which is essentially the sound of a beating heart, has shifted to a darker yet still enjoyable electro-pop sound. And the response has been euphoric with "Padam Padam" getting Minogue back high on the charts in the UK and her home country while generating plenty of heat in dance clubs across the globe. The video, shot in LA and directed by veteran music video director, Sophie Muller, was released the same day as the song with the clip featuring Minogue looking incredible in a red Mugler catsuit with an army of dancers moving beside her. You will not be able to get your hands on "Tension" until September but enjoy this first sampling in the meantime.

I was surprised to learn that the legendary French chanteuse, Edith Piaf had a song called "Padam Padam" she recorded back in 1951. Piaf's ballad, written for her by long-time collaborators, Henri Contet and Norbert Glanzberg, was about how certain sounds evoke the memory of a former lover. Maybe someone will be adventurous and make a dance remix of this version? Anyway, have a listen to this "Padam Padam" by a truly extraordinary singer.

DOLLY PARTON

After initially declining the nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, feeling like she didn't deserve the honor, country music superstar Dolly Parton graciously accepted the award last year. But she still felt like she had to earn her spot in the Hall, so Parton premiered a new rock song, "Rockstar" during the ceremony. This lead to her deciding to record an entire rock album named after the song she wrote. Parton went into the studio and ended up with thirty songs for the album. Most of the tracks are covers with an incredible line-up of musicians who have lent their support.

There is Sting on the cover of his "Every Breath You Take" which he first made famous in 1981 with his band, The Police; Steve Perry joining Parton on the hit by his former band, Journey with "Open Arms"; Pink and Brandi Carlile rocking out on the Stones',"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"; Debbie Harry providing vocals on a cover of Blondie's "Heart of Glass"; Lizzo is on board with Led Zepplin's "Stairway to Heaven" and most impressive of all, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Peter Frampton and Mick Fleetwood all together with Parton for their version of the Beatles' classic, "Let It Be". This is just a small number of the recordings which includes solo performances by Parton on Prince's "Purple Rain" and Queen's, "We Are the Champions". Now "Rockstar" will not be out until November but Parton has released another single which is also an original song written by the country music legend, "World On Fire". Here is a live performance from the 58th annual American Country Music Awards which she recently co-hosted with Garth Brooks.

NEW SOUNDS

BELINDA CARLISLE

It's been almost three years since The Go-Go's, the first commercially successful all-female rock band, were finally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. And its been almost twenty-seven years since the group's lead singer, Belinda Carlisle, who went on to have her own popular career as a solo artist after the Go-Go's broke-up for the first time, has released a collection of new pop music. Although she had previously recorded an album of classic French-language standards in 2007 and a collection of Sikh chants ten years later, Carlisle has teamed up with legendary songwriter, Diane Warren, who had written one of her early solo hits "I Get Weak", to work on this recent musical venture. The now sixty-four year old vocalist has previewed the first single from the upcoming EP, "Kismet" due out on May. "Big Big Love" is one of five songs written by Warren and produced by Carlisle's long time collaborator, Gabe Lopez. Carlisle had never planned on recording another pop album but a chance encounter lead to Warren proposing a song which lead to this album. This project went so well that Carlisle plans to record a new studio album.



ALISON GOLDFRAPP

Alison Goldfrapp first came together with Will Gregory to form a band way back in 1999. Taking on her surname as their group's name, Goldfrapp first found success by merging shimmering glam rock with throbbing electro beats. As time went on, the British duo shifted their sound, experimenting with ambient music and trip hop. Now after seven albums as part of a band, Alison Goldfrapp is branching out to release her very first solo album. "The Love Invention" (which will be out in May) began during the pandemic with Goldfrapp forced to think about creating music independently. With production assistance by Richard X and James Greenwood, the fifty-six year old musician has released the first single, "So Hard So Hot", a dynamic electronic track that moves us on to a different side of the dance floor yet doesn't stray too far from what she is best known for.