With her second studio album, the shrewdly titled, "This Music May Contain Hope", Raye is offering songs of encouragement and optimism, fearlessly using her life experiences and explaining her emotional state on each song. The British artist, born Rachel Keen, dabbles far beyond the current popular sounds of soul and hip-hop on this record by mixing in classic jazz, big band, gospel and orchestral textures to expand her musical expression.
Raye has enlisted inspired collaborators on some tracks which includes film composer Hans Zimmer on the latest single, "Click Clack Symphony" and soul music legend, Al Green on "Goodbye Henry" while on the final track, "Fin", she appreciatively reads off many of the names of the creatives, friends and family who contributed to help in the completion of this album.
Raye (who co-wrote all the tracks with a variety of writers) has lyrically explored the complexities of human emotion in "This Music May Contain Hope" while digging deep sonically to make a bold and contemporary album. Having stated that music has helped heal her through the most challenging and difficult times in her life, Raye hopes this collection of songs will possibly do the same for listeners.
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.
It's been five years since rock god, Lenny Kravitz has released new music and has returned with a single and news of an upcoming album. While the title might possibly be in reference to something in "Star Wars" or "Boogie Nights", the song, "TK421" is clearly Kravitz's call to find freedom in spirituality. This dance-rock track is the first delivery from "Blue Electric Light", the musician's twelfth studio release which will be a double album and due out early in the new year. But Kravitz surprises us even further with the music video for "TK421" which has the almost sixty-year-old artist looking ageless, revealing an impressive physique and plenty of skin.
Here are some new songs from Australian pop artist, Troye Sivan (who makes a startling transformation in the music video); fellow Aussie, Sia; indie pop artist from Britain, PinkPantheress; the latest solo single from Alabama Shakes member, Brittany Howard and a dance track that serves as a shout-out to an Italian fashion house.
The British pop singer, Paloma Faith may be far better known in her home country and throughout Europe, but she is someone that should be paid attention to on this side of globe. "How You Leave a Man", the first single from her upcoming sixth studio album, "The Glorification of Sadness" has been released and is inspired by the end of her decade long relationship. This emotional, power ballad about the painful decision to leave an unfaithful husband behind is what the forty-two-year-old artist claims to be one of her most personal yet.
Rudolph Isley, one of the founding members of the celebrated family r&b group, the Isley Brothers, passed away on October 11th at the age of eighty-four. The trio, with his brothers, O'Kelly and Ronald, had their first hit in 1959 with the single, "Shout", the first of many songs they would go on to write. This was followed by another popular song, "Twist and Shout" and the Isley Brothers were lured to Motown Records in 1966. But they managed to only find charting success with the single, "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" which was written by the label's songwriting team, Holland-Dozier-Holland. The brothers chaffed under Motown's controlling creative methods and left the label two years later. The Isleys started their own label, T-Neck Records and altered their sound from smooth soul to funkier r&b, hitting the top-five on the pop and soul charts with "It's Your Thing" in 1969. With younger brothers, Ernie and Marvin and brother-in-law, Chris Jasper joining in 1971, more hits followed for The Isley Brothers with "That Lady", "Fight the Power", "For the Love of You", "Between the Sheets" and soulful covers of rock songs, "Love the One You're With" and "Summer Breeze". O’Kelly Isley passed away from a heart attack in 1986 and Rudolph decided to retire from the group three years later. The Isley Brothers would continue on as a popular musical act but earlier this year, Rudolph sued his brother Ronald with claims that he had sought to cut him out of the trademark for the group. While Ronald was usually the lead singer, Rudolph occasionally provided leading vocals on some songs. Here are a couple of tracks:
The one thing that became undeniably clear in 2022 is that record labels no longer held carte blanche over what would become a hit song. With TikTok now a dominant force in many people's lives, the app is now the go-to platform to introduce new music through creative clips, dance challenges, established artists leaking demos and aspiring musicians sharing their tracks.
And once TikTok decides a song is hot, the rest of the world tends to follow with shocking speed. Even songs from the past can be revived on the app (with Kate Bush's 1985 single, "Running Up That Hill" as the year's greatest example), becoming wildly popular once again but to a whole new generation of listeners. I think It's great that everyone has a fair shot at getting their music heard on their terms and be able to have a hit outside of the standard music industry that have long held control. However I am also concerned that this type of fast success without much professional guidance will make it even harder for musicians to establish a long-term career that will become substantial and lucrative for them.
I've been sharing songs that I loved throughout last year but here are some (largely TikTok hits) of my favorites that I didn't get a chance:
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