First I will start off with some new music from alt-pop performers with some intriguing music videos:
I have never actually seen "Later with Jools Holland" but I have heard of the BBC Two music program. I grew up watching "American Bandstand", "Soul Train", "Solid Gold", "The Midnight Special" and a proud member of the MTV generation so I actually miss a show dedicated to spotlighting music. Holland, a musician and an original member of the band, Squeeze, has been hosting his late-night show since 1992 and it features a mixture of established and new performers of world and pop music. I have seen clips of several live performances over time on YouTube and I'm looking back to spotlight two distinctive British acts who came to fame in the 1990's; the trip-hop band, Portishead with "Glory Box" and the alt-rock musician, PJ Harvey doing "Down by the Water":
June is Pride month which celebrates the LGBTQI+ communities. Here is some new music from Hayley Kiyoko, Jake Shears, Cynthia Erivo (with the first single from her upcoming debut studio album) and Boys Noize (that features Shears) with music videos that embraces queer themes.
And there is the latest from Todrick Hall with "Rainin' Fellas", his 21st Century spin on the 1982 dance classic, "It's Raining Men" by the Weather Girls. The song is campy fun and proudly queer with a music video that pushes the boundaries (and show us how far we have come) that features wet, naked, dancing men in high heels, drag queens as back-up singers and we even have Lance Bass making a brief appearance. It couldn't possibly get any gayer than this.
After spending time making holiday music, mentoring aspiring singers on "The Voice" and dabbling in country-pop with her fiancé, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani is returning to her musical roots with the sounds of her band, No Doubt. The singer has just dropped a new song called, "Let Me Reintroduce Myself". This self-referential track, set to a ska beat, announces that this is not a comeback for Stefani but simply about reminding people she's still around. And while it's a clever idea, I don't think the song is strong enough to get Stefani comfortably back on the charts. But perhaps it still might introduce her to a new generation of fans. Check it out and judge for yourself:
Aluna Francis is one half of the British electronic duo, AlunaGeorge with George Reid who burst on to the scene in the US with a remix by DJ Snake of the single, "You Know You Like It" in 2014. After working with Reid for over ten years, Francis decided to take a break and create music on her own. Aluna has released her debut solo album, "Renaissance" and this collection dives deeper in to the roots of dance music, reaching back to African rhythms, funk, early 80's house and garage music. Aluna explores the history and contributions of Black artists in the genre and how dance is much more than EDM. It's an interesting album, filled with unexpected beats and sounds working very well together.
Here are a few new Christmas videos for your holiday enjoyment:
And finally in the category of "If It ain't broke, remake it", Todrick Hall has reworked his hit COVID-inspired tune and video, "Mask, Gloves, Soap, Scrubs" in to a holiday-themed new version entitled, "Bells, Bows, Gifts, Trees". Sure, it's a little lazy but still quite fun and clever. And the video will put you in a good mood and deliver a some much needed Christmas spirit.
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:
2019 seemed to highlight the further fragmenting of pop music with the growing emphasis on the song and less on the singer. In this Spotify generation, endless playlists filled with disconnected songs by a variety of artists have increasingly replaced a focused collection of work by a singer/songwriter with specific thoughts on life and love. Even the way music is created has moved back in time to the days when a factory of songwriters and producers put together a track and then find the right singer to fill in the rest. While it has become much more difficult for performers to maintain enduring careers after their initial burst of success, there were certainly some promising new artists who broke out and made fresh, memorable works last year who look like the real deal.
Here are a few more favorite songs that I didn't get chance to share previously throughout last year:
After recently completing a very successful international tour with Queen, Adam Lambert is ready to release some of his own music. Now on a new record label, "The Original High" is the title of the "American Idol" runner-up's third studio album. With Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback back on board (they produced tracks on his debut), Lambert is downplaying some of the theatrics of the past and offering some dance-influenced power pop. The first single, "Ghost Town" is a solid track that starts slowly before building to a pulsating beat, perfectly displaying his amazing voice. The album is due out on June 16th in the U.S. so in the meantime, take a look at the great video directed by Hype Williams where Lambert is serving a retro George Michael feel:
GIORGIO MORODER
Excitement is building for the first collection of new music by electronic dance pioneer, Giorgio Moroder in over thirty years. We had already gotten a very tasty taste of the album (now called "Déjà Vu" and due out June 12th) with the Kylie Minogue assisted single but now here comes another scorching track; the title song featuring the publicity-shy, vocal dynamo, Sia. Other artists confirmed to be lending their voices to the project are Kelis, Charli XCX, Mikky Ekko and the one and only Britney Spears. The Spears track is particularly interesting as it's an unlikely cover of the Suzanne Vega classic, "Tom's Diner". The duo give this song a fresh spin and it really works. Listen to the two songs below:
"Déjà Vu" - Giorgio Moroder featuring Sia (2015) mp3
"Tom's Diner" - Giorgio Moroder featuring Britney Spears (2015) mp3
"No Place In Heaven", the fourth album from Euro-pop star Mika won't arrive until June but we have an excellent video for his latest single "Talk About You" to enjoy in the meantime. Looking handsome and quite dapper, we see Mika playfully going through a colorful cardboard cut-out world filled with back-up dancers. It's quite charming and a lot of fun:
You might think this music video is simply the latest by Sia for "Fire Meet Gasoline", a track off her successful album, "1000 Forms of Fear" but you would be wrong. This is actually an ad for Heidi Klum's new line of lingerie and features the super model and actor, Pedro Pascal from "Game of Thrones". It's beautifully strange and sensual, just like you would expect from a commercial but also works to promote the music:
Finally, here is Todrick Hall covering Beyonce's entire musical career in just four minutes. Nothing more to say as this amusing clip impressively speaks for itself:
